Guyana Times Daily - July 13, 2015

Fire guts Robb Street complex

…shatters glass windows of Republic Bank

Teen stabbed to death during row over old grievance

Recalled Venezuelan envoy back in Caracas

Man found guilty of killing wife to know fate today “Criticised” Bradford promises betterment for Region 7 ...says guilty of not publicising accomplishments

RPA nudges Govt to act swiftly to save rice industry …as Venezuela asks for cessation of shipments

monday, july 13, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

Teen stabbed to death during row over old grievance

…sustained about 15 stab wounds

Ateenager was on Saturday evening stabbed at least 15 times to his body by three men at West Front Road, Georgetown over a three year-old grievance.

Adonie “Gugu” Parbhoo, 18, of Lot 112 East La Penitence, Georgetown, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital at about 20:00h on Saturday evening.

According to reports received, the teenager had just left his mother’s house at West Front Road when he was attacked by three armed young men on pedal cycles. Guyana Times understands that one of the men confronted Parbhoo and dealt him one blow to his chest causing him to fall face first towards a minibus.

The others then turned him around and started to stab and chop him about his body. He received injuries to his head, neck, chest, abdomen, and hands. Although persons were in the area at the time of incident, they failed to render assistance.

After some time, the young man was picked up and rushed to the hospital, but he succumbed on his way there. The young man was earlier seen at the Alexander Street Mosque where he broke his fast. He was a mem-

ber of the masjid and was observing the holy month of Ramadan.

At the home of the dead teenager on Sunday morning, his cousin Melissa told Guyana Times that the young man left home about 16:00h to attend service at the mosque. She explained that after he broke his fast, he went to his mother’s house to get something to eat, but she was not there. He waited for a while, but after she did not return, he left and was on his way home to his grandmother’s house at East La Penitence when the incident occurred.

The woman stated that they received the news of the stabbing incident about 19:30h and immediately rushed to the scene where they saw Parbhoo lying on the ground and in

pool of blood. “Dem really damage meh cousin bad … the way they push the knife and pull it out back is heartless … all over he body they jook up….” she stated.

She explained that Parbhoo’s brother, Dolwin Green, and one of his assailants had an incident about three years ago. “Meh other cousin who is ‘Gugu’ brother had a relationship with one ah dem woman in Mocha and since then them holding out that they will get revenge,” she disclosed.

‘Holding malice’

Only some time ago, two of the young men confronted the now dead teenager and threatened to shoot him, but after the parents and some elders got involved, the situation normalised. Melissa was shocked that the young men still bore ‘malice after three years’. She noted that the men who committed the act live in West Ruimveldt and were known to the community for their uncouth behaviour.

Parbhoo’s brother, she noted, is presently on remand at the Camp Street Prison for stealing a mobile phone. Parbhoo on the other hand who worked in the interior came out last December and took ill with malaria resulting in him being hospitalised.

He was due to return to the interior next month.

Sharon Green, mother of the dead teenager, was trying to come to grips with her youngest son’s death, and blamed herself for not being at home when he visited. She stated that she received the news of her son’s death later in the evening and immediately visited the hospital, but was told that he was in the mortuary.

She noted that she visited the police station on Sunday morning and was told that a post mortem examination will have to be performed before the body was handed over to the family. “We don’t want to keep him long … he joined the Muslim faith and we want him to be buried in Muslim rites,” she added.

The Police, in a release, stated that they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Prabhoo whose body was found with several suspected stab wounds on the roadway at West Front Road, Georgetown.

Guyana Times was told that one of the suspects was arrested and was assisting with the investigation. The young man leaves to mourn his mother and grandmother who raised him and three siblings.

Man found guilty of killing wife to know fate today

AFestival City, Greater Georgetown man will know his fate today when he appears before Justice Brassington Reynolds who is expected to hand down a sentence.

Forty-year-old Charles Anthony Woolford, called “Tony”, of Lot 2041 Humming Bird Street, Festival City, North Ruimveldt, was indicted with the February 8, 2009 murder of his 29-year-old wife, Latoya Woolford.

According to reports, the victim, a hairdresser, was getting ready to go to a friend’s house to do her hair when Woolford entered the room with his hands behind his back and asked her where she was going. He then allegedly turned her around and repeatedly stabbed her in her stomach in the presence of her 11-year-old daughter. The victim managed to escape to the upper flat of the home where relatives were staying, and was rushed to the hospital where she underwent surgery; however, she succumbed to her injuries the following day.

Relatives claimed that the accused was a jealous person who had accused his wife of having an illicit relationship with a neighbour. Woolford, who went into hiding after stabbing his wife, consumed a poisonous substance upon hearing of her death. He was treated, released into Police custody, and subsequently charged.

During the trial, State Counsels Mercedes Thompson and Michael Shahoud called several witnesses to testify against Woolford, including the deceased’s daughter who had witnessed the incident. The teenager testified that she saw her stepfather spin her mother around and then stab her in the belly during an argument almost six years ago.

In leading his defence

from the dock, Woolford maintained that he did not kill his wife, but it was “Andy”, with whom the woman was allegedly having an affair. Woolford told the court that on the day in question, he went home and found the two together.

According to him, a fight ensued between him and “Andy” who had pulled out a knife. Woolford said his wife intervened and was stabbed, but did not say by whom. The accused added that after his wife started screaming that she was stabbed, “Andy” ran out of the house. Woolford is being represented by Attorney Peter Hugh. Following the closing addresses by the State and the defence and the subsequent summation of the evidence by the trial judge, the 12-member jury panel had deliberated and found the accused guilty of the lesser count of manslaughter 11 to one o. A probation report was subsequently prepared and presented; however, Justice Reynolds did not proceed to impose sentencing. Instead, he informed the court that a legal matter had surfaced regarding this case, but did not say what the matter was. He then adjourned the case for today.

Charles Anthony Woolford

Dead, Adonie Parbhoo

monday, july 13, 2015

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, July 13 – 14:30h-16:00h and Tuesday, July 14 – 14:30h-16:00h

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, July 13 –14:50h-16:20h and Tuesday, July 14 – 15:35h-17:05h

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily.

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery to heavy rain showers are expected throughout the morning, while heavy to light rain showers can be expected in the afternoon. Thundery showers are expected to return in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East to East North-easterly between 2.68 metres and 4.02 metres per second.

High Tide: 14:41h reaching a maximum height of 2.37 metres.

Low Tide: 08:11h and 20:28 reaching minimum heights of 0.74 metre and 0.84 metre respectively.

Granger wants more night-duty traffic cops

With the Police reporting an alarming 56 road fatalities thus far in 2015, there are renewed calls for a sensible strategy to put an end to the road carnage, and President David Granger is proposing to put more traffic Police on the roadways especially in the nights.

Addressing stakeholders last week at a road safety forum, Granger stated that ranks of the Guyana Police Force must be shifted to those areas where they were most needed. He noted that there should be an increased Police presence on the roadways especially in the nights when accidents were more likely to happen as drivers think they could do whatever they wanted on the road after dark.

“So rather than telling the traffic Police to come to work for 8 o’clock and go home at four or five, they should come at 10 o’clock in the night and go home four in the morning because that’s when the accidents are taking place,” the President stated.

He explained that with more Police Officers on the roadways at night, wouldbe errant drivers would not be careless and would go as far as not driving while intoxicated.

“The traffic Police must not go to sleep at a time when the accidents are taking place; that is when they come out to work,” he de-

clared. Furthermore, the Head of State urged that there be a Police presence at the bus park also to ensure that the minibus and taxi drivers do not drink and drive and thus endanger the lives of the public.

On the other hand, President Granger spoke about the many inferior and inefficient vehicles that are being imported. He remarked that many of these vehicles have been discarded by countries that have proper safety regulations.

“Many of the tyres that we use on our vehicles are actually discarded by people who know they are unsafe. But we are so happy to get cheap hand-me-downs, we don’t realise that we are jeopardising the safety of our own citizens,” he pointed out.

Must make roads safer

The President further outlined that apart from importing “junk”, persons are actually importing inefficient and environmentally hazardous vehicles that were discarded by the export countries, which are looking for efficient vehicles. Granger went on to highlight that these vehicles should not be allowed to enter the country in the first place.

“If I had my way, and I’m now in a position to have my way, the tax on the old vehicles would be greater than the tax on the

new vehicles. People must be discouraged from buying junk,” he declared.

The President said he was pleased that efforts were being made to address this issue, noting that it was always saddening to attend the funerals of those killed in road accidents. He added that such accidents were avoidable and should be prevented at all costs.

“When you see in the last 15 years, over 2000 Guyanese have been killed on the roads, it is a serious epidemic, and no government can ignore the death of over 2000 of its citizens in such a short period of time… We have to make our roads safer, we have to explore the means, the measures, the methods to reduce injury, risk, deaths of persons on our roadways, and the task of this consultation must be to ensure that in every possible

instance we prevent injury and death on the road,” the President mentioned.

On Saturday, the Police Force reported that 56 road fatalities from 45 accidents have been recorded at the end of June in comparison to 57 fatalities from 52 accidents for the same period last year. There have been decreases in all other categories of road accidents –serious, minor and damage.

According to the report, pedestrians were the main category of road users affected so far in road fatalities with 17 having lost their lives at the end of June. Additionally, five pedal cyclists, 16 persons in motor vehicles, eight motorcyclists, eight drivers, one pillion rider and one person who was being towed on a bicycle also lost their lives.

Speeding has been identified as the major contributory factor to fatal accidents, having been the cause of 22 of the 45 fatal accidents unto June 2015.

Continued traffic enforcement by the Police has resulted in a total of 26,390 cases being made against errant motorists; of this total, 11,168 cases were for speeding, 770 for driving under the influence of alcohol, 328 for using cell phones while driving and 764 for failing to wear a seat belt. Two road fatalities have been recorded thus far for the month of July.

President David Granger

Editor: Nigel Williams

Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial Government and Rice

Rice was one of the bright spots in our agriculture sector, which at one point constituted almost one-third of our GNP. While it is expected that as we develop, agriculture might contribute a smaller percentage of our output as we move into manufacturing and services, in a world transfixed by "food security", we have to guard against throwing out the baby with the bath water because of the marketing challenge posed by Venezuela's cancellation of their rice-for-oil deal. Continued success lies in the private sector shouldering their responsibilities under a facilitating Government.

During the first PNC regime, the Government, for all intents and purposes, had nationalised the rice industry through ownership of the major mills and purchasing all production through a Rice Board. Rice production fell precipitously during his period for a host of reasons with Governmental control being the most significant. With the change of Government in 1992, the industry was returned into private hands and very quickly went into an upward production trajectory that has still not peaked. Last year we produced and exported record quantities of rice.

Because some paddy producers supported it during the last elections, the APNU/AFC Government might be tempted to return to the massive state intervention practiced by the PNC, its largest component. As is standard in free-enterprise economies, the PPP/C Government had invested massively in the infrastructure necessary to support the industry: drainage and irrigation, drying floors, farm-to-market roads, research stations, extension services, introduction of new varieties, seed paddy etc.

One example of his intervention was the construction of the multi-billion Hope Canal to alleviate flooding of rice lands in the Mahaica area during the rainy season. Its test this season worked and flooding was avoided. But in marketing, where it should have taken a leading role - the marketing of products in a free market economy is usually in private hands - the previous Government had to become very proactive, because the twenty-eight years of PNC state control of marketing had destroyed private marketing's institutional memory.

Back in 2009 when the effect of the EU's abandonment of its special relationship with our rice industry kicked in, then President Jagdeo personally intervened with his Venezuelan counterpart, President Hugo Chavez, and secured the now cancelled, massive market which absorbed over twothirds of our exports. The then Government had also taken vigorous steps to protect the CariCom market, while seeking to open new non-traditional markets such as Panama. The Government must accelerate this effort.

There is no question that private enterprises must become more active in the marketing of our rice. The Government will have to offer incentives to facilitate and catalyse this process. The PPP/C Government had to have been hamstrung from becoming aggressive in this area because of the strident and inflammatory propaganda from the then Opposition - and now Government - that they were creating "fat cats".

The Rice Factories Act which the PPP/C Government also introduced and established legal remedies for farmers that are not paid by millers must be enforced. The APNU/AFC Government must not return to the PNC-system of purchasing all rice production, as an answer to farmers' complaints. Thailand did this a few of years ago and it has proven very disastrous. Similarly, the AFC's call while in Opposition for the Government to importing fertilisers and pesticides for the rice farmers is dangerous as a permanent fixture.

The way to go in the industry is for the farmers and millers to form Producers Cooperatives as is common in the USA and Canada. Vietnam has adopted this form of private ownership with spectacular results. These organisations, owned by the stakeholders, would be manned by professionals that would take care of the needs of the industry such as fertilisers, machinery etc. as well as marketing. The answer is the growth of the private industry, not the return of the old PNC Government state capitalism.

Caricom statement on Venezuelan threat to Guyana totally inadequate

Dear Editor, The WPA is surprised that, on their return to Guyana, both President David Granger and Minister Carl Greenidge expressed satisfaction with respect to the ‘Statement on the Decree 1787 of Venezuela, whcih emanated from the conclusions of the 36th Caricom Heads of Government Conference that was recently held in Barbados. The Statement was extremely terse, as though the Heads would rather be rid of the problem (which might have been the position of Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica and St.Vincent who have especially benefitted from the Venezuelan connection). In fact, the Statement refers specifically to Guyana in only two paragraphs.

In the third paragraph, it states that the “Heads (of Government) noted in particular the negative implications which the Decree

The

has for the peace, security and development of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana” and, in the fourth paragraph, there is a mere reference to a letter, written a year ago by the Chairman of the Caricom Conference to President Maduro “encouraging Venezuela to redouble its efforts at an early delimitation of the maritime boundary between Guyana and Venezuela (and) finding an early solution to the controversy that has emerged from the Venezuelan contention that the Arbitral Award of 3rd October 1899 that established the boundary with Guyana is null and void”. The other three paragraphs of the Statement tamely refer to issues of the inviolability of international treaties and boundaries.

On reflection, it is not surprising that a watered down Statement would have emerged out of the Caricom Conference, giv-

en the Petrocaribe and other economic relations with Venezuela. Perhaps the strategy that Guyana should have employed is to argue for two separate, but related Statements – one dealing with Caricom as a whole and another specifically related to Guyana. There are a few robust declarations that our Guyana negotiators should have struggled for and challenged the other Member States to include in any Caricom Statement on the Guyana situation:

A call on Venezuela to recognize and adhere to the binding1899 Arbitral Award, which committed the respective parties to a ”Full, Perfect and Final” settlement

A second would be a call on Venezuela to recognize Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and not to encroach on same

A third should have been to call on Venezuela to de-

sist from making military threats against Guyana.

A fourth could have been to call on Venezuela to desist from taking physical action or making verbal utterances that scare investors and harm Guyana’s ability to exploit the resources of the Essequibo region.

A fifth should have been to call on Venezuela to cease all other actions and declarations that are tantamount to destabilisation of Guyana Venezuela’s withdrawal of the 1787 Decree , and its replacement by the equally obnoxious 1859 Decree, with its euphemistically called “defence zones”, designed to allow it to aggressively and illegally patrol Guyana’s waters, requires Caricom and all other supporters of the Guyana cause to immediately make another Statement, this time harshly condemning Venezuela’s action WPA

Vice Chancellor and the no-confidence

Dear Editor,

A little over a year ago, I was forced to shout at the Vice Chancellor in order to get my demand for guaranteed improvements heard; as he informed the students of the impending UG fee and tuition hike. At that time I had to endure the chatter of condemnation at my ‘rudeness’ by Dr Patsy Francis and Thomas Singh as they echoed their support for increased tuition fees. This mixed reaction on the hike in UG tuition was clearly reflected in an article by one local paper. By the end of that week the ‘buse out’ had captured the attention of the nation.

Since then the position of the staff has shifted 180 degrees and they have issued a motion of no confidence against the Vice Chancellor. In line with the beautiful dance between freedom of speech and the right of an

individual to his reputation, the Vice Chancellor is suing in the tort of defamation.

While I don’t wish to pronounce on the merits of the Vice Chancellor’s suit, I would like to point out that in the Guyanese defamation case of Bacchus v Bacchus, Justice Massiah posited that the court should take into account the prevailing public attitudes in the particular jurisdiction. Applying the esteemed Justice’s pronouncement, the proper test, therefore, is what the average Guyanese citizen thinks about this matter.

One has to bear in mind that the Vice Chancellor, as the CEO of the National University, implemented an unpopular tuition and fee increase and was the focus of a highly publicised five-week industrial action and student upheaval. The state of the national university and the cry for change

and development through education in the country undoubtedly points to the need for high calibre of personnel at the helm of the University. The failure of the Vice Chancellor to positively impact the image of the University has unquestionably lowered him in my estimation.

It is against this backdrop that the words of the no confidence motion should be assessed by the court. Should the court find that the Vice Chancellor has made out his claim, it will be for Dr Ifill to establish a defence. If she cannot, the Vice Chancellor will have one final payday on the backs of Guyanese.

A defamation suit is to protect one’s reputation. However, I must question the intention of the action.

There have been assertions on social media that the lawsuit is an attempt to

motion

bully the unions. I must say that I find this view appealing. Since my involvement in the fight for improvement at UG I have noted the Vice Chancellors aggressive approach to dealing with those opposing him. The recent filing of a defamation action could very well be yet another attempt at union busting and a poor reflection on his human resource management skills and thus his ability to run the University of Guyana.

In closing, my vote of no-confidence in the Vice CHancellor was in the form of a ‘buse out’ and the blocking of the UG gate, but I am pleased that the Unions are now on the same page. These are the changes UG needs to make its way back to its former glory and I am delighted that I was here to see the transformation take root.

Glenfield G Dennison

One of the many lighthouses and beaches in North Carolina’s Outer Banks (MSN)

Crime runs rampant, but Government has no solution

Dear Editor,

There is a socio- psychological aspect to the surge in crime in Guyana that the government is partly responsible through their actions during and after the recent elections. One can sense that criminals are behaving in a manner of immunity to law enforcement, as if the streets now belong to them and they have the right to take what belongs to others, life included, with no fear of punishment.

The President pardoned 60 criminals, but his greatest mistake was to send a message of sympathy and appeasement that emboldened hard core criminals to murder and rob, thinking as they felt they found shelter under this government.

After countless murders and robberies, we now see their “master plan” for tackling crime by way of border control, increased police pres-

ence on patrol, fixing 911 and the “ingenious” 2 am curfew. But one wonders if this will have any immediate impact on stopping the crimes. Do the victims and their families believe that this “master plan” will bring anyone to justice or prevent further killings? A

A strong message has to be sent to criminals to first reassure the public that the person in charge of public security is right for the job and will provide a clear and decisive strategy for combating crime. Secondly, punishment for criminals should be made into examples, by applying swift and aggressive justice that is highly publicized. Then, corrupt police should be held accountable by applying justice where needed. Community support groups should also be encouraged to monitor activities I their neighbourhoods. Finally, the Central Intelligence Department

should aim at dismantling underground crime.

To encourage efficiency, police officers should be rewarded and given incentives to perform so that they may take up their rightful place in society, one of respect from the people they protect.

If the Minister of National Security can’t reassure the public with a plan that’s rooted along these lines, then he should be fired immediately or have the decency to resign. It seems as though this government has fooled the people just to get power without being able to provide real solutions.

Since I was criticised by APNU supporters for not providing solutions in my last letter, I am suggesting these simple guidelines to a seemingly incompetent government, in the name of safety for my countrymen and women.

Malcolm Watkins

Government besieged on many fronts

Dear Editor,

The delayed PNC dominated coalition's 2015 budget will run into the formidable brick wall of the PPP/C economic doyen and Opposition Leader, Dr Bharat Jagdeo, whenever the Finance Minister Winston Jordan is ready to present it.

As The Guardian mentions in relation to our national budget, Guyana Parliament will also be engaging in " unmitigated chest-thumping, and testosterone-packed swinging from branch to branch of the political forest".

Will Guyanese be better off with the coalition lost in economic uncertainty, increasing crime, a truculent domestic opposition and cross border Venezuelan assertiveness? They are besieged

on many fronts. All these problems are now overwhelming the Coalition Government with its bloated Cabinet which is seemingly inexperienced and unsure about how to proceed. The Coalition seems to have no economic development plans. Does it plan on a day to day basis while surviving by piggybacking on the PPP/C's economic legacy?

Finance Minister Jordan was a civil servant functionary under the PPP/C Government and as such might be familiar with the PPP/C’s budget preparation methods, without being experienced in budget creation itself. President Granger and his Government seem to be at lost causes where economics and governance are concerned,

and this doesn’t augur well for Guyana's well being. Already, the Government’s inefficiency in handling crime is harming the country, and now the economy is at a stand still. Guyanese are likely to be disappointed with the proceeding in Parliament. While it rebrands and charts its future, the PPP/C should install a solid team in Parliament to fight for Guyanese rights. Mr Rohee he will be sitting directly across the parliamentary divide as a poignant reminder of the progress the party has brought this country, a reminder that the Coalition Government besieged on many fronts could destroy the economy.

Sultan Mohammed

Indians targeted in Jersey Hate Attacks

Dear Editor,

News reports are suggesting that people of Indian descent are being targeted for violent hate attacks in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Several Indians were beaten in recent weeks with the attacks being labelled as “hate crimes” and police have launched an investigation into the series of attacks. The latest incident involves an Indian who was out for a walk in North Brunswick and was beaten in broad daylight on July 1st. Some Guyanese live in the Brunswick area while several Guyanese from surrounding areas shop there for Indian products. Guyanese are scattered in New Jersey with the bulk clustered in Jersey City, Edison, and nearby towns where large numbers of South Asians are settled. One of the annual Phagwah parades is held in Jersey City. The area has been thriving since the settlement of Indians some twenty five years ago and there has been a growing Indian presence in the town. Another case revealed that police responded to a report of a man lying on the side of the road. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found fifty seven year old Rohit

Patel bleeding heavily from his head. An ambulance was summoned and he was treated at the scene by emergency medical personnel and taken to a hospital for further medical treatment and observation. Arrested for the assault was twenty four year old Nyle Kilgore, of North Brunswick.

Kilgore, who also matched the description of a suspect involved in another attack. He was initially held on multiple charges, but has since been released on bail.

In a CBS TV report, Rohit’s son, Dipen, said he could not understand how and why his dad was picked on:

“My dad is a very fragile, innocent man who was just on his daily walk. I don’t understand how you can have someone who is continuously committing hate crimes, violent hate crimes, and he’s able to get out the same night”.

New Brunswick police said several random assaults on people of Indian descent have been reported in the Governor’s Point and Colony Oaks neighbourhoods, in which Kilgore matched the description of the attacker.

The police report of the latest attack stated that “Rohit was targeted because he is Indian”. The police re-

APA and TIGI, political fronts?

Dear Editor, The letter by one De Sa published in the Guyana Times on Saturday, July 4th 2015, captioned “Questioning the credibility of the APA and TIGI” is factual, since it reflects the political agenda of these bodies masquerading as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) under the pretext of “land rights” and “anti-corruption” and “transparency”. However, they are being hypocritical, claiming to be what they’re not, but their actions contradict speaks another story.

The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) Programme Administrator, Jean La Rose, always boasted that the APA is non-political, but yet she was found on the APNU+AFC national top-up list of candidates (No.47). Also, the APA’s VicePresident Tony James found himself on the APNU+AFC’s Region 9 candidates list

(No.14) for the May 2015 general and regional elections. So since the APA is a political organization, would their foreign NGO funders continue to give financial support to political entities in Guyana, and as such deliberately waste their tax payers’ money? The APA is not the main Amerindian Organisation in Guyana as it claims to be and does not provide a single service to the Amerindian communities of our country.

The money the APA receives from foreign NGOs was used to formulate “land rights issues” as part of their political agenda against the former PPP/C Government. However, the Amerindian communities rejected the APA’s political agenda which indirectly wanted the communities to give their support to the APNU+AFC Coalition.

port says that Kilgore allegedly followed Rohit Patel for less than a minute before knocking him out with a strike to the head.

On a TV Station 12 news report, North Brunswick police believe that there may be more Indian victims of racial attacks and are urging people with any information to come forward. The Indian welcomes the police response to the series of incidents. Guyanese community activists in Queens believe that hate attacks in Brunswick are being treated with more serious than in Guyana where victims complain that not much is being done to curb crimes and verbal racial abuse of Indians.

During the month of February, in Madison, Alabama, TV stations aired footage of an Indian man being violently taken by a police officer while his police partner observed in shock over the incident. The man was visiting his son, and at the time was taking a walk in the neighbourhood. Indian community activists are demanding more active police presence and political intervention from the local government in the US.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

With respect to the Transparency Institute of Guyana Incorporated (TIGI), the PPP/C has strong evidence through gross electoral irregularities that the May 2015 elections were massively rigged. Countless calls by the PPP/C to have GECOM do a recount of the ballots to show that it has nothing to hide were strongly ignored. The PPP/C waged picketing exercises in front of GECOM’s office which were counter-picketed by Gino Persaud, a director of TIGI claiming that the elections were free and fair, while he should have been examining the evidence. This shows clearly that TIGI had exposed its hidden political agenda. What hypocrisy!

So clearly both the APA and TIGI are mere political fronts masquerading as NGOs.

Yours sincerely Paul Luke

Conditions at Guyana GoldFields are better than elsewhere

Dear Editor, In response to a letter published in the Kaieteur News on July 10th, 2015, under the heading “The new Government must investigate working conditions at Guyana Goldfields”, I would like to provide the following clarification.

I have worked with this company since 2007 and I have always been treated with deep respect and the highest of regards. I started working there since the mineral exploration began and about 18 months ago the company contracted a Peruvian entity to build the mine. Since it’s an exploration company it didn’t have the expertise to build such a sophisticated mine. When the Peruvian company came on board, we were contracted to work for them in construction since exploration was completed. Many workers were hired under contract. Now that the construction of the mine is almost finished and the Peruvians are winding

down operations, most of the workers would have to be sent home since in the production phase there is no need for construction workers. I can understand the position taken in the letter at caption, there is an ongoing selection of workers who would be continuing in the production phase. I was not selected. Upon learning his, I immediately informed the Country Manager’s Office of the Guyana GoldFields that the workers hired since the exploration began should be the first among those selected to continue in the production phase. Those who are in charge of production are new to the company and are selecting workers who have experience working with OMAI.

Contrary to what is being claimed in the letter, workers at Aurora are being treated comfortably. They are offered three meals a day and the food is sufficient and nicely done in a cafeteria like setting. Our rooms are air conditioned and we have a bar,

game rooms, modern gyms and areas to play football and other games. We are properly paid and even moreso during the construction phase of the operations.

The workers have health and medical insurance for their families. I support the Company but I am sorry for those men who will be laid off, although they received certificates for the work they did. However, it only makes sense that the persons who were hired for the construction be dismissed since they are no longer needed and the Company cannot afford to continue their contracts. Although I regret this situation, I don’t believe that they should tell lies to degrade the company. As such, I am not sure that they will be paid a construction completion bonus, and maybe that’s what they should be asking of the Peruvians.

Cleveland Jacobs

Page Foundation

And yet these same friends are constantly seeking parenting advice in the form of books, message boards, blogs, and comment sections where they can forage for knowledge anonymously. They (or we, I should really say) would rather take advice from an unseen “expert” or a stranger with the handle JediMama78 than from a person we actually know.

For me, this is a phenomenon unique to parenting. I’ve heeded friends’ and family members’ guidance on relationships, fashion, my career, my exercise routine, personal hygiene, and my credit score. “Tell me what to do,” I often say to begin a conversation, because nothing feeds my ego quite as much as having the private details of my life picked over and debated by people I love.

My life, though. Not my children’, and sure as hell not the way I raise them. When it’s my parenting on display, I don’t want to hear it unless you have a PhD beside your name or if Blue Cross is reimbursing you by the hour.

Why should this be the case? What is so distressing about a person I care about trying to tell me that I’m doing something wrong as a parent, or that I might want to consider doing it different-

ly? There is embarrassment in it, I think – also shame and insecurity. But what I find myself most blindsided by are the shards of resentment and anger, and something resembling mistrust: We may drink or walk or go to Michigan together, but do

that difference as rebuke. I see a woman nursing her three-year-old and am conscious that I weaned my child at six months. I hear a parent use the phrase “screen-free” and picture my daughter hypnotised before the television.

you really think you know me well enough to tell me how to discharge my most sacred and sombre obligation?

Parenting remains one of the few arenas of modern life where advice – and the judgment it so often masks –is issued fast and easy without the usual humble whatdo-I-know disclaimers. In part, I think this is because it’s a thing so many of us do, or did, or plan to do one of these days. And when we see someone doing it differently, it’s easy to interpret

Practices that used to be communal have become competitive; knowledge that used to be received is now invented, and when a child is acting up in a public setting, all bets are off. Last week I was having dinner with a friend on the patio of a restaurant when a child, playing by a fountain, started yelling loudly. “Hey,” my friend said to the child. “Not so loud.” I sunk into my chair a little and told her she was going to piss the parent off. My friend didn’t retreat. “Why shouldn’t I say

By Kim Brooks

something?” she asked. “It’s not the child’s backyard. I’m here, too.”

At the same time, no matter how many times I find myself on the business end of hard-to-hear advice, I find it impossible to refrain from occasionally commenting on others’ parenting choices as well. When a close friend’s daughter was less than a year old, she fell into what my friend referred to as a sleep crisis. She’d worn her daughter as a newborn in a sling almost permanently, allowing her to sleep throughout the day tucked against her torso. This arrangement had worked well when the baby was nine pounds. Now she was pushing 20. It was February in Chicago, the city was in an unremitting churn of ice and snow, and my friend was fed up with wandering the snowy streets just to make the baby doze. She wanted her daughter to sleep inside, in her crib, off of her person; she couldn’t constantly pace the 800 square feet of her apartment yoked to an infant and retain the few shreds of sanity she was left with. The baby, finding herself exiled from the perpetual warmth machine of her mother, refused to sleep. My friend and her husband were exhausted. And so she did something that seems per-

PART 2

fectly natural and reasonable to me, a mother who, in the course of eight years of parenthood has run up bills with lactation experts, social workers, occupational therapists, fussy-baby consultants, developmental paediatricians, and nutritionists: She hired a sleep specialist, a woman who, for a sum my friend would not disclose, would come to her apartment and help her teach her baby how to nap in her crib.

Personalised but not personal

I nodded when she told me all this. It made sense. But I couldn’t resist asking what seemed an obvious question: “Is it possible you just need to let her cry?”

Her answer was an icy gaze. All of her friends knew what she needed to do. And relatives. The ones who hadn’t been responsible for an infant in decades. The ones who swore they’d never have children. The ones who shouldn’t have been entrusted with the care of a goldfish. The ones whose own children were weird. Everyone knew how to get her baby to sleep. But she didn’t want to hear it from us. What my friend wanted was guidance that was professional but also disinterested, encouragement that was personalised but not personal.

“What did the sleep special-

ist say?” I asked her shortly after the first session. “That there’d be some crying,” she answered. “And then it would get better.”

Parenting is private life performed in public. Anyone who’s ever had to discipline a child in a grocery store or nurse a baby in a restaurant or entertain a toddler on an airplane knows this well. These moments are excruciating because they force us to display before others our own limitations, our children’s limitations, and the messy and imperfect realm of never-ending negotiation that makes up parenthood. All too often we must perform this negotiation before a narrow-minded and not-so-patient audience, an audience (and a culture) that, as much as it fetishises childhood and glorifies parenthood, is deeply ambivalent about children themselves — the messy, immediate, inconvenient demands they make on individuals and communities.

In the Victorian era, Dr L Emmett Holt, one of the first modern child-rearing experts, presented his own guidance as a scientific alternative to the advice of “relatives and friends whose knowledge is very limited, but whose prejudices are very strong”.

A century later, we still cling to the professionals’ advice (even though there is so little consensus, perhaps because there is so little consensus), and shun suggestions from relatives and friends. But what if avoiding those closest to us when we’re struggling with parenting only exacerbates the isolation and loneliness, that feeling that our children are our own problem and no one else’s, that we have to have all the answers? Wanting help, giving help, and accepting it seem like an impossible trinity of child-rearing.

When we left Michigan my parents rode with my aunt and uncle. Iris and I drove back alone, which meant she could sit in her beloved middle row. When she is in the right place, when she is where she wants to be, Iris can be a very tranquil presence.

Every few miles I looked back at her. She was stroking her pink bunny, sucking her thumb, watching the landscape, an unremarkable stretch of rural interstate, slip by. “You’re such a good girl,” I told her, smiling in the mirror, feeling both proud and lonely, wishing there was someone else there with me to notice.

Suspect in attack on Judge positively identified

One of four suspects who brutalised and robbed Justice Nicole Pierre and her family on Thursday last at their property at Felicity, East Coast Demerara was on Saturday positively identified during an identification parade.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, when contacted, confirmed that the suspect was identified and charges are expected to be laid shortly.

He noted that based on investigations, a Magistrate had issued an arrest warrant for the suspect who had been previously sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in absentia for unlawful pos-

session of guns and ammunition. Blanhum explained that during the court pro-

ceedings, the suspect was granted bail in the initial stage and was absent for the remainder of the matter; hence, the Magistrate had sentenced him in his absence.

About 01:20h on Thursday last, four men broke into Justice Pierre’s home after they overpowered and tied up a Special Constable, who was on duty at the house.

Police said the perpetrators held up Justice Pierre, her husband Mohamed Chand and their son, and during this period the couple were assaulted. Following the attack, Justice Pierre and her husband were admitted to the Dr Balwant

Singh Hospital with lacerations to their bodies.

The bandits managed to take a portable safe containing money and jewellery and a suitcase full of articles. According to Police, as the perpetrators were leaving the premises, they were confronted by an armed security guard at a neighbouring residence and there was an exchange of gunfire. It was during this time that the perpetrators dropped the safe and suitcase and escaped.

The Police responded to the report and investigations later led to the arrest of four men. Police are continuing their investigations.

Iwokrama review committee convenes first meeting

Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman last week convened the first meeting with the review committee that has been established to examine the operations of the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation.

The Centre has been experiencing severe financial constraints in meeting its operational expenses, including the payment of staff. According to a release by the Ministry of the Presidency, the committee’s central focus is to devise a renewed mandate for the Centre which will enable it to be self-sufficient, as was the initial aim of the project. Sub-committees were established based on the priority areas that were identified. These include: budget and financing, re -

search and training, governance, and management.

The budget and financing committee will be spearheaded by Professor Hamley Case; Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry Permanent Secretary Vibert Welch; Conservation International Vice President, Dr David Singh; Iwokrama Centre Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dane Gobin and a representative from the Tourism Ministry.

The governance aspect will be addressed by Dr David Singh; Protected Areas Commission Commissioner Damian Fernandes, and Permanent Secretary Welch; while the management structure will be addressed by CEO Gobin, Iwokrama Resource Management Director, Dr Raquel Thomas and Adviser in the Ministry of

Governance, Clayton Hall.

Research and training will be addressed by Dr Thomas and Dr Allyson Stoll from the University of Guyana.

Over the years, Iwokrama has been heavily dependent on the Commonwealth, but recently, Secretary General of that organisation, Kamalesh Sharma made it clear that funding would no longer be made available for operational costs of the Centre. The Commonwealth will only provide technical and financial support to support the development of a self-sustainable model. Iwokrama has been the longest and most expensive project that the Commonwealth has embarked on. He noted that Iwokrama was supposed to be self-sustaining, but has instead cost the organisation £3.5 million.

Minister Trotman said in the end, Iwokrama belonged to Guyana and the time had come for Guyanese to take ownership, rather than it being seen merely as a Commonwealth project that was located in Guyana.

Two weeks ago, Cabinet approved a grant of US$100,000 to assist the Centre until September; however, the Centre might still need another tranche of financing to carry it through

Rehab works on Sussex St sluice

Residents of Agricola, Greater Georgetown and Albouystown, Georgetown are soon to get some relief as rehabilitative work on the Sussex Street sluice will soon be completed.

City Engineer Culvern Venture told Guyana Times on Sunday that at least 95 per cent of the work on the sluice should be completed by the end of this week.

The work, according to him, is being executed by the Mayor and City Council in collaboration with the Ministries of Agriculture and Public Infrastructure and is expected to stop the seep-

near completion

age from the sluice during high tide, which causes major flooding in these communities.

Late last month, residents of Albouystown were faced with flooding caused by seepage from the Demerara River through the sluice door.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry, the high water level that was experienced was as a result of a damaged gate groove in the concrete sill of the sluice. The release noted that while every effort was being made to ameliorate the sluice door defect, correcting the fault would have to be done in the upcom-

ing dry period as the inlet and outlet had to be blocked to facilitate the removal and repair of the damaged door.

Following that incident, a team from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) visited and assessed the structural defect that was causing the inflow.

NDIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lionel Wordsworth had told media operatives at the time that the Ministry was looking to put systems in place, to if not permanently, at least temporarily stop the inflow of water.

Robbery accused found with gun, ammo at Canje

Police ranks in B Division (Berbice) on Sunday arrested three occupants of a motor car along the East Canje roadway after an illegal firearm with matching ammunition was found. One of the occupants is before the court for five pending matters of armed robbery.

to the end of the year. As such, the Minister said that the Committee needed to come up with both immediate solutions as well as a more long-term, sustainable vision going forward. The review committee will submit its final report outlining findings and recommendations to Cabinet by August 17. Once finalised, the new plan will be presented by President David Granger at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in November.

Twenty-seven-year-old Premchand Kalicharran, also called “Boysie”, of Lot 81 G rant 1780 Crabwood Creek, Berbice, was one of the passengers in the car which was stopped during an operation by the Police at Sheet Anchor Village, East Canje. During the search, the Police unearthed a .22 Beretta Pistol and one matching round. It is believed that the men were going to commit a robbery in the area. They were arrested since none were not in possession of a firearm licence. The men will be charged shortly.

In January, Kalicharran was one of five men who ambushed and robbed a couple along the Adventure access road, Black Bush Polder. Greens vendor Hemraj Singh, 54, and his wife, of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara were robbed of $180,000 and a cell phone.

The couple were going into Black Bush Polder to purchase vegetables when their path was blocked by a Premio motor car PSS 8296 allegedly driven by Morgan, with five occupants, including one female. Two men armed with shot guns emerged and held the couple up. Police allegedly intercepted the getaway vehicle at Scottsburg Public Road. At the time two occupants were in the vehicle, including a female. They were all placed on $250,000 bail.

Robbery accused, Premchand Kalicharran

Justice Nicole Pierre

Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman meeting with the review committee

Berbice Deeds Registry to deliver better services – AG Williams promises

After serving 16 years as a temporary Legal Clerk at the Supreme Court Registry in Berbice, Petal Denny can now look forward to securing a permanent position at the entity, which provides critical services to not only the residents of Berbice, but the country as a whole.

Denny said that because of this temporary position, she was not entitled to any vacation leave or allowance, or sick leave with pay. She noted that she has completed a number of courses and was currently pursuing her degree in Social Work at the University of Guyana.

This discovery was made on Friday, following a visit by Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams, who assured Denny that he would personally look into the matter. Minister Williams was at the time on a familiarisation visit of the judicial system in Berbice. He met and interacted with the Berbice Bar Association, and the staff of the Sub Deeds Registry and the Supreme Court located on Esplanade

Road, New Amsterdam, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

There are three Deeds Registries in Guyana: the central Registry in Georgetown and two sub registries – one in New Amsterdam, Berbice and the other in Suddie, Essequibo. The purpose of the Deeds Registry is to efficiently administer the laws enacted by Parliament regarding land, whether by way of transport, land registration, leases, or mortgages, as well as those laws relating to trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade unions, companies, partnerships, business names, powers of attorney, contracts and other deeds.

Engine for business

The Deeds Registry is an engine for business in Guyana, Minister Williams noted, and urged the staff of the sub registry to be steadfast and professional as they deliver quality service to not only the people of Berbice, but all of Guyana. The Registrar of the sub registry in Berbice

deals with conveyancing, land registration, registration of business names and charges, deeds and collection of revenue. However, the issue of company matters has to be dealt with at the Georgetown Registry, since the sub registry does not deal with such matters. These services are not only offered to Berbicians, but all other Guyanese, since the registry is a public office and everyone has access to its records. “The services you provide are very important to the Guyanese people; in fact, very importantly they have to do with property, the documentation and the question of the well-being of the citizens,” he observed.

In keeping with the President’s quest to develop a professional public service, Minister Williams reiterated that while politicians come and go, public servants must remain professional, and must at all times be able to give proper advice in the interest of guiding the nation. “It is not a question of which party is in Government …

this thing is for the people and we believe that irrespective of which party is in Government, Guyanese people must be able to go about their lives in a normal way; and so you have a very important role to play, and I urge you to continue to work steadfast in this regard.”

Minister Williams highlighted one of the issues at the Registry in Georgetown, which is the long period of time it takes to process documents. Querying matters is also another issue. He urged the staff to establish a checklist, and deal with the matters in a holistic, rather than an isolated manner in order to further reduce the time.

According to Assistant Registrar Reza Manraj, the registry has been very prompt, in terms of providing excellent service time for conveyances. She said business registration is being done instantaneously. Nevertheless, there is need for improvement and one of the steps currently being taken to better the service is the establishment of a vault which will be linked to a scanner to secure all records. This will discontinue the need to call the Georgetown or Essequibo Registries for any information.

Meanwhile, the Berbice Bar Association raised issues regarding the functioning of the Land Registry, and how effectively the Registry delivers services to lawyers. Minister Williams said the Ministry would be treating with these issues urgently. The Minister noted that there was need for an enhancement of the Registry, in terms of enabling them to deliver the service to the public within a reasonable time. He pledged to work with the Registry to ensure better services are offered to citizens.

Eyew tness

Challenged loyalties...

...in Essequibo

Rice is in the news right now. As rice goes, so does Essequibo. No other part of the country depends on one product as does Essequibo on rice. But like most Guyanese, when your Eyewitness talks about "Essequibo", he's really talking about "the Essequibo Coast"... or as residents call it - "the Coast". But "Essequibo" really encompasses everything west of the Boeraserie Creek and Essequibo River - and we're talking about a whole lot of real estate here.

So while folks in the Rupununi don't think they have much in common with those on "the Coast", don't tell this to Maduro over in Venezuela. When he offers a "green card" to Essequibians, he means all the people from Shell Beach in the north to the Gunns Strip in the south. They are all "Essequibians" to Maduro... Essequbian Venezuelans to be more precise.

He's trying to bring Venezuelans under his banner by emphasising how they "wuz robbed" of their land by perfidious Britain. The question, of course, is whether anyone in Essequibo sees themselves as "Venezuelans". This Eyewitness doubts this. While during the "hard Burnham days" a goodly number of Essequibiansemigrated to Venezuela... there is no incentive for them to do so now. Much less accepting Venezuelan green cards while at home. History shows that identity is honed more by stirring up "us against them" than anything else and it's very doubtful that Essequibians are alienated against the rest of Guyana. Unless, of course, those farmers who depend totally on rice on "The Coast", start believing they can do better with the Venezuelan markets. Yesterday there was a news item that Naithram One-Name (threat how the Stabber always refers to the fella) - who represents 4000 farmers (!) on the Coast - complained that he couldn't get in touch with the Minister of Agriculture to air his grievance.

And imagine these two fellas are from the same AFC party that persuaded a good chunk of rice farmers from the Coast and in Berbice to vote in the new Government. This Eyewitness can just see Maduro sending back some of those Guyanese immigrants who might now see themselves as "Venezuelans" to whisper sweet nothings in Naithram OneName's ears. If you find it hard to see Guyanese becoming Venezuelans after two decades, just think of your cousins becoming Americans after just two YEARS in New York! Anyhow, the border controversy stirring up passions for love and unity can go in both directions. Let's be united in doing what's best for Guyana.

The UN Secty-Gen "Good Officer" process has failed: judicial settlement will get this monkey off our back - acne and for all.

...on Constitutional change

Sherwood Lowe's one of your more reasoned voices in the Opposition camp (?) and in this vein, he wrote a very reasoned letter on Justice Chang's ruling. Your Eyewitness doesn't have to tell you which ruling, does he? But he didn't have to invent a name (“the doctrine of democratic worth or value”) for Justice Chang's interpretative principle of the Constitution. In addition to original intent (historical), precedent, and scholarship, there's always been the "normative" approach under the rubric of looking at contemporary values and empirical data.

While the last has been more a feature of American jurisprudence (think Brown v Board of Education removing segregated schools or Roe v Wade and it's "trimester" rule for abortion, etc. etc.) the Commonwealth Courts haven't been oblivious to the need for Procrustean constitutional scholars like Justice, Prof Pollard who insists on just looking at the words. (And there IS a word for this - eiusdem generis, we're informed!)

But Justice Chang did cite those Commonwealth normative precedents, didn't he?

... on New Nation

For the past twenty-three years, Adam Harris, editor of the MuckrakerKN's been whining about not getting his benefits for working "continuously" with the government. But mouth open and the story jumped out that from 1980-1988, he was over at the PNC's New Nation. Nooooo!

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams, Deeds Registry Registrar Azeena Baksh, Assistant Registrar Reza Manraj and staff of the Berbice Deeds Registry

GTimes reiterates to Minister Broomes

...her mining activities retard titling of Amerindian lands

unior Social Protection

JMinister Simona Broomes has responded to an article published in this newspaper, on Sunday, July 12, under the caption “Minister Broomes mining lucrative Amerindian lands…”.

Guyana Times, however, rejects the allegation and states that Ms Broomes is engaged in splitting hairs to disingenuously evade the graven of the article. Ms Broomes narrowly claims that she did not engage in “mining in the areas specified, and has not engaged in active mining for over two years”.

However, Minister Broomes confirms that she is in possession of three mining blocks immatriculated under B-149/MP/000, B-149/MP/001 and B-150/MP/000 – located within Tasserene, an Akawaio community of the Upper Mazaruni region, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) – but that they were acquired via prospecting permits in 2006 rather than as stated in the newspaper in April 2013. While it is possible that Ms Broomes might be correct that she originally acquired the permits in 2006, this newspaper has seen documentation indicating that permits were indeed issued in Minister Broomes’ name in 2013. The question is, therefore, moot as far as the effect her ownership has had on the Amerindian land titling process. Further, Guyana Times has further confirmed that mineral maps dated July 2014 show Minister Broomes as being one of the approximately 41 concessionaires in Tasserene, who altogether possess mining and/or prospecting permits for at least 117 blocks.

Ms Broomes appears to be stressing pedantically that she did not conduct “mining” but in reality mining may include activities such as prospecting, actual land or river excavation

and dredging, or businesses and transactions in the mining sector. The press release in fact did admit that Minister Broomes engaged in prospecting through an exploration agreement with Pharsalus Gold Inc in 2012.This confirms that the Minister was engaged in mining activities and that the blocks in question were legally issued permits in her name. Additionally, she stated that block B 149/MP001 was transferred by her to Persaud & Associates Trust Inc in November 2014. Broomes has, therefore, benefited directly from mining activities from her ownership of Amerindians lands awaiting titling.

In fact, the block in question is still seen on the Tasserene mineral map produced by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) as being legally owned by Minister Broomes. Minister Broomes further asserts in the press release to have “never engaged in mining in Amerindian areas”. However, the three permits which were issued in her name, as confirmed by the press release, were granted for blocks.

Ms Broomes unfortunately sidesteps the major point made in the article: to highlight the negative impact of mining activities – including titling, prospecting etc on land involved in the land ti-

tling process in Tasserene and Amerindian lands in general. Once permits are issued, mining, whether active or not, hinders the Amerindian land titling process since the community in question is requesting ancestral lands which other stakeholders would have claimed.

Even if the Minister did obtain these permits in 2006, meaning that the information published by the GGMC is misleading, then Minister Broomes would have been informed by the relevant authority in 2012, that the land was under consideration for titling, as is the case of most communities situated within this prime mining spot. Minister Broomes, however, remained in possession of the permits, whether actively mining or not, before, as the press release claims, transferring at least one to Persaud & Associates Trust Inc, another concessionaire.

If Minister Broomes had no interest in actively mining, then it would have been favourable for the community of Tasserene if those blocks were relocated out of the proposed title area.

As the original article stated, “Indigenous Rights Activist Yvonne Pearson, who is also a former Adviser to the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister and now a People’s Progressive Party/ Civic Member of Parliament, in an interview with this newspaper stated, “When Minister Broomes acquired those blocks, she was a miner heading the GWMA [Guyana Women Miners Organisation]. Now she is a Minister of Government and this challenges her responsibilities as a representative of the people. Will she still keep those mining blocks knowing that the people of Tasserene are still awaiting title after so many years?”

Broken water mains cause flooding in Bourda Market

Broken water mains have caused flooding in the Bourda Market area and vendors are pleading with the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) to take urgent action to stop the leaks.

The mains have been broken for the past two weeks, vendors told Guyana Times on Sunday.

Speaking to Guyana Times, many vendors explained that this situation has been an in-

convenience in many ways and although they have made many complaints, their voices have gone unheard.

One vendor stated that the GWI had visited the area since the leak had sprung, looked at the hole and then never showed up again. Although the water has no distinctive odour, it looks unsightly and many are afraid of what it may be contaminated with.

One vendor told this news-

Guyana/Venezuela controversy WPA criticises Caricom for “watered down” statement

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has slammed the Caribbean Community (Caricom) for what it described as a “watered down” statement condemning Venezuela’s claims on Guyana’s territory at its just-concluded Heads of Government Summit in Barbados.

The WPA, a key constituent group of the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition, said the statement was “totally inadequate” given the seriousness of Venezuela’s renewed claims on Guyana’s land and maritime territory. According to the party cochaired by Education Minister, Dr Roopnaraine, this position by the regional body is not surprising given the ties Member States has with the Spanishspeaking country. “On reflection, it is not surprising that a watered-down statement would have emerged out of the Caricom Conference, given the PetroCaribe and other economic relations with Venezuela,” the WPA stated.

The party went on to highlight that the Caricom statement was extremely terse, “as though the Heads would rather be rid of the problem (which might have been the position of Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica and St Vincent who have especially benefited from the Venezuelan connection). In fact, the statement refers specifically to Guyana in only two paragraphs”.

Furthermore, it outlined that the statement merely made mention of the implications that Venezuela’s threats has on Guyana. It referred

to the third paragraph of the Caricom statement which says the “Heads (of Government) noted in particular the negative implications which the Decree has for the peace, security and development of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana”.

Meanwhile in the fourth paragraph, the WPA noted, there is a mere reference to a letter that was written a year ago by the Chairman of the Caricom Conference to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, “encouraging Venezuela to redouble its efforts at an early delimitation of the maritime boundary between Guyana and Venezuela (and) finding an early solution to the controversy that has emerged from the Venezuelan contention that the Arbitral Award of 3rd October 1899 that established the boundary with Guyana is null and void”.

The WPA added that the other three paragraphs of the statement tamely referred to issues of the sacredness of international treaties and boundaries. Furthermore, the party, expressed dismay at the fact that both President David Granger and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge had declared their satisfaction with the regional body’s statement on Decree 1787 of Venezuela following the conference.

WPA, nevertheless, suggested that Guyana should have lobbied for two separate but related statements – one dealing with Caricom as a whole and another specifically related to Guyana. “There are a few robust declarations that our Guyana nego-

tiators should have struggled for and challenged the other Member States to include in any Caricom Statement on the Guyana situation,” the political party posited.

These includes: a call on Venezuela to recognise and adhere to the binding 1899 Arbitral Award which committed the respective parties to a “Full, Perfect and Final” settlement while a second would be a call on Venezuela to recognise Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and not to encroach on same.

Additionally, the WPA said there should be a third call on Venezuela to desist from making military threats against Guyana as well as another to desist from taking physical action or making verbal utterances that scare investors and harm Guyana’s ability to exploit the resources of the Essequibo region.

Finally, the party suggested that a fifth call should be made on Venezuela to cease all other actions and declarations that are tantamount to the destabilisation of Guyana.

Following its renewed claims in May, Venezuela has since withdrew the highly controversial 1787 Decree, but has replaced it with the “equally obnoxious” 1859 Decree, with its euphemistically termed “defence zones”, which are designed to allow it to aggressively and illegally patrol Guyana’s waters, requires Caricom and all other supporters of the Guyana cause to immediately make another statement, this time harshly condemning Venezuela’s action.

paper that this was not the first time that GWI has been lackadaisical as it related to issues in the market. He shared an instance in which the company had come to fix a broken pipe under his stall and for days after, he was stranded in water before company personnel returned to resolve the problem.

The vendors also added that it was a nuisance that as Guyanese citizens, they have to wait so long for a simple matter to be resolved when they assume that it could be handled within a day. Mayor Hamilton Green, in a recent press conference, told reporters that the Council would be working with GWI to quickly deal with the inappropriate issues around Georgetown that have been affecting many. These issues include busted pipes and the sewage system. He added that there was a sewer that the Council noticed was overflowing and that was unhealthy and unacceptable and needed to be remedied quickly.

One of the holes from which the water continues to seep

Junior Social Protection

Minister Simona Broomes

“Criticised” Bradford promises betterment for Region 7

...says guilty of not publicising accomplishments

By Andrew CArmiChAel

Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) Chairman Gordon Bradford, who has been rejected by residents, said he was “guilty” of not publicising accomplishments when asked about the allegations made by Barticians who had staged a demonstration in protest over him being re-elected.

The residents had claimed that the Chairman had not been representing them and had not done anything for them. In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times on the claims made by some of the residents, Bradford said, “I am guilty.” He expanded on his statement by saying he was only guilty of not publicising what he has been doing.

Bradford said he was of the opinion that any government in office for five years or even one year or a month would have something to show. He said if he did nothing, there must be physical evidence to substantiate those claims. “And if you did, there will be physical evidence that people can actually go and see, and that is why when the question was posed to me I said I am guilty.”

He noted that Bartica was not Region Seven which happened to the second larg-

est region in Guyana. Noting that Bartica was just one square mile, the Chairman said even in that small part of the region things were done to improve the lives of residents. According to Bradford, in health and education, there has been much development. He also noted that some of the infrastructural development has taken place under his tenure.

Going back to 1994, Bradford said a township development programme commenced in collaboration with central government. “The roads that we have may not be the best but it is from that programme. The concrete drains that we have throughout Bartica, the new market,

new village office all came out of that programme and that happened during my chairmanship of this region.”

Speaking of the roads, Bradford said it was only one aspect of development, because prior to 1994 most of the roads in Bartica were made of burnt earth or constructed with a ship seal surface. “Now we have paved roads with concrete drains and while they may not be the best in the world, it is a form of development.”

He said while he was Chairman, immigration services came to Bartica as part of the township development programme. “As a matter of fact, I was the main spokesperson for that programme,” Bradford boasted. Annually, the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Regional Democratic Council (RDC) upgrades and repairs roads, he also noted.

He said many of those who picketed to have him not returned as Regional Chairman may not understand how the regional system works. “All of the programmes that we undertake have an input from representatives of all the communities in the region, so when you say that the Regional Chairman did nothing, by extension you are saying that each councillor that functions in the RDC actually

did nothing.”

In education, Bradford noted much development has been taking place. He cited that the Three Mile Secondary School was built while he was Chairman –that state-of-the-art school is the only senior secondary school in Region Seven and has new dormitory facilities. “So that the children from the remote communities can come down and access secondary education.”

Further, the Bartica Secondary School now has an annex which was recently constructed because of overcrowding.

Healthcare

In health, there have been several health posts built throughout Region Seven, most constructed under Bradford’s tenure as Regional Chairman.“The Bartica Hospital is a work in progress that we keep updating. We now have an Accident and Emergency [A&E] Unit, which we never had before, but we saw the need for it, because most of our accidents happened in the interior and when most of these persons are ferried to the hospital, you have to take them up stairs then take them back downstairs, so the idea was born that on the bottom flat of the hospital, we should have an Accident and Emergency Unit.”

The A&E Unit is equipped with X-ray facilities among other modern facilities. The Bartica Hospital also for the first time has a mortuary and freezing chamber and a hearse attached to it. “Years ago, people use to fetch the coffins bearing their loved ones on their shoulders now we have a hearse which a businessman funded, all we had to get was the duty-free concession.” “We have a hospital at Kamarang, which again was my brainchild. It is being staffed by doctors, medics and nurses. Now we are trying to get X-ray facilities, ultrasound … the next hurdle will be to train persons to operate the equipment.”

Bradford said the regional administration has funded the drilling of wells at schools in the region and at the Bartica Hospital to supplement the unreliable water supply in the region. “Apart from Bartica, we have the sub-regions like Upper Mazaruni, the Upper Cuyuni and the Middle Mazaruni and there had been development in every area and community and most of those communities are Amerindian communities,” he pointed out.

Bradford, who was returned as Regional Chairman, stressed that all of those who served before him also made a contribution to the region.

Recalled Venezuelan envoy back in Caracas

Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana, Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz has travelled to her home country to hold consultations with President Nicolás Maduro.

Sources at the Venezuelan Embassy here confirmed that Diaz left Guyana early last week. While they could not say when and if the Ambassador, who has been in Guyana for just a few years, would be returning, they confirmed that her departure was to meet with the President to have discussions over the territorial controversy brewing between the two countries.

While she is away, the Embassy will be overlooked by Minister Consular Alonso Herrera.

Last Monday, Venezuelan President Maduro said he was calling in his country’s Ambassador for consultations amid an escalating squabble over oil exploration in Guyana’s waters.

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) nation in June demanded that Guyana halt exploration activities being carried out by United States-based ExxonMobil off the coast of Essequibo, weeks after the company said it had discovered oil.

“It takes a lot of patience to process, digest and not vomit when one reads and hears the statements against Venezuela ... by the current President of Guyana,” Maduro had said in a speech to his Parliament on the issue. He also ordered the Foreign Ministry to conduct a full review of bilateral relations.

He ruled out the possibility of armed conflict, but described recently elected President David Granger as a “hostage of ExxonMobil”.

Exxon, consulted about the issue in the past, had said its policy was to follow host countries’ and international law, and that border conflicts were a matter for Governments to resolve.

UN involvement

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last Friday had also offered to help resolve the controversy.

Essequibo, a sparsely populated region of thick jungle, encompasses an area equivalent to around twothirds of Guyana.

Guyana has pointed out that Venezuela had agreed to accept as a final declaration on the border issue the ruling of an international tribunal, which in 1899 unanimously decided the border as it currently stands.

Venezuela says the 1899 ruling was unfair and insists the territory belongs to Venezuela, going as far as

including it on its maps as the “reclamation zone”. The Essequibo functions as part of Guyana and shows no discernible trace of Venezuelan influence.

At a meeting in Geneva on February 17, 1966, the Governments of British Guiana, the United Kingdom and Venezuela signed the “Agreement to resolve the controversy over the frontier between Venezuela and British Guiana”. The agreement established the regulatory framework to be followed by the parties in order to resolve the issue.

According to the treaty, a Mixed Commission was installed with the purpose of seeking satisfactory solutions for the practical settlement of the border controversy, but the parties never agreed to implement a solution within this Commission due to different interpretations of the treaty.

Guyana argued that prior to starting the negotiations over the border issue, Venezuela should prove that the Arbitral Award of 1899 was null and void. Guyana did not accept that the 1899 decision was invalid, and held that its participation on the Commission was only to resolve Venezuela’s assertions.

However, Venezuela argued that the Commission did not have a judicial nature or purpose, but a dealmaking one, so it should go ahead to find “a practical and satisfactory solution”. Venezuela also claimed that the nullity of the Arbitral Award of 1899 was implicit, or otherwise the existence of the treaty would be meaningless.

The fifth article of the Treaty of Geneva established the status of the territories. The provisions state that no acts or activities taking place on the territory in question while the Agreement is in force “shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty”. The Treaty also has a provision prohibiting both nations from pursuing the issue except through official inter-government channels.

Region Seven Chairman Gordon Bradford

Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz

Times Notebook

Betraying our children – risking the education sector

The Minister of Education has announced that the APNU+AFC Government will discontinue the “Because We Care” Programme, which provides parents with $10,000 per child in school. According to him, the new Government is abandoning the grant program because they were always opposed to the program.

This is a betrayal of our children and those parents for whom the grant was a huge benefit. When the PPP/C Government insisted that it would continue the program and made it an election promise, APNU+AFC promised also that the “Because We Care” Program will remain in place. During the election campaign, APNU+AFC had many chances to come clean with the people of Guyana. On several occasions, representatives of APNU+AFC on TV in Berbice answered in the affirmative when questioned about whether they will continue the $10,000 per child program.

The then opposition had claimed that the $10,000 grant was not a large amount of money, to which the PPP/C had also agreed, but on which it insisted still remained a meaningful amount for thousands of families. These families were looking forward to receiving the grant in 2015, particularly based on the refusal of APNU+AFC to declare their opposition to the program during the election campaign. Based on their position that the sum of $10,000 was too small, people had anticipated that the new APNU+AFC Government would have continued the program with an increased amount.

The Education Minister has been robust in declaring that the education sector is at the point of collapse. He is on record of saying that the APNU+AFC knew this even before they took charge of the Government. The question is, after about two months in Government what are their plans for the education sector? All the country has heard from the APNU+AFC

has to do with the poor state of the sector, without any evidence to support his claim. However, we haven’t been presented with a plan for the sector from the Education Ministry or the APNU+AFC Government.

In fact, the abandonment of the “Because We Care” Program is one of only two substantial plans for the sector proposed by the APNU+AFC. The other one is the call for applications for the position of ViceChancellor of the University of Guyana. The problem we have is that the majority of people want the “Because We Care” Programme and, as far as the Vice-Chancellor position is concerned, we are well aware that that vacancy doesn’t exist. The education sector is in need of vast improvement. We can all agree on this. The PPP/C’s position throughout its terms of office agreed that the education sector required continued improvement. Even up to the end of its term in Government in May 2015, the PPP/C conceded that in spite of the vast improvement of the ed-

Stepped up govt tax action needed to curb tobacco epidemic – WHO

Too few governments levy appropriate levels of tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products. They therefore miss out on a proven, low-cost measure to curb demand for tobacco, save lives and generate funds for stronger health services, according to the “WHO Report on the global tobacco epidemic 2015”.

The report focuses on raising taxes on tobacco. Although 33 countries impose taxes that represent more than 75% of the retail price of a packet of cigarettes, many countries have extremely low tax rates. Some have no special tax on tobacco products at all. “Raising taxes on tobacco products is one of the most effective –and cost-effective – ways to reduce consumption of products that kill, while also generating substantial revenue,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “I encourage all governments to look at the evidence, not the industry’s arguments, and adopt one of the best win-win policy options available for health.”

Strategies to support the implementation of demand reduction measures contained within the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), such as the “MPOWER” package, have helped save millions of lives in the past decade. MPOWER was established

in 2008 to promote government action on 6 tobacco control strategies – 1 for each letter of the MPOWER acronym – to stamp out the tobacco epidemic, namely to: monitor tobacco use and prevention policies; protect people from tobacco smoke; offer help to quit tobacco use; warn people about the dangers of tobacco; enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and raise taxes on tobacco.

The main findings of the report, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, include the fact that raising taxes is the least implemented MPOWER measure in terms of population coverage, and the one that has seen the least improvement in terms of government action since 2008. However, by 2014, 11 countries had raised taxes so that they represent more than 75% of the retail price of a packet of cigarettes, joining the 22 countries that had similarly high taxes in place in 2008. Dr Douglas Bettcher, Director of WHO’s Department for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), says higher tobacco taxes and prices are proven methods to reduce consumption and promote quitting the use of tobacco products.

“Evidence from countries such as China and France shows that higher tobacco product prices linked to increased taxes lead to de-

clines in smoking prevalence and tobacco-related harm, such as lung cancer deaths,” says Dr Bettcher. Dr Vera da Costa e Silva, Head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat, notes that the Convention offers governments policies to curb illicit trade in tobacco products to reduce demand and boost tax revenues from tobacco sales.

“Countries should consider implementing the provisions of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products to confront the illegal market,” she adds.

Tobacco taxation could also be a key source of funding for implementing the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. Tobaccorelated illness is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. Approximately 1 person dies from a tobacco-related disease every 6 seconds, equivalent to around 6 million people a year. That is forecast to rise to more than 8 million people a year by 2030, unless strong measures are taken to control the epidemic.

Tobacco use is also one of the 4 main risk factors behind the global epidemic of noncommunicable diseases, primarily cancers, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and diabetes. In 2012, these diseases killed 16 million people prematurely (before the age of 70 years), with more than 80% occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

ucation sector in the last two decades, the sector still had huge room for improvement. In this regards, both the new Government and the new Opposition can agree that the education sector needs new investment and greater policy inputs for further enhancement.

But the APNU+AFC refuses to concede that the PPP/C has transferred the sector from a state of collapse in 1992 to a place where the Guyana education sector is at its best place since Independence. The sector now has universal access to primary education, more than 90% access to secondary education and greater than 70% access to nursery education, all ranked nearly at the top for Latin America and the Caribbean. Guyana’s Dropout Rate is the lowest among Latin American and Caribbean schools.

Teachers Training, both In-and Pre-Service, is at its highest level across the country. There are more trained teachers at all levels and more university graduates in our schools than ever in

Guyana’s history. For the first time, mentor teachers are present in many schools. The number of specialist teachers in our schools is also at its highest level.

The infrastructure has improved tremendously. So too is the availability of technology in our schools. The establishment of the Education channel adds to the capacity of the sector. More children are housed in dormitory schools than ever before. The availability of school textbooks is at its highest level ever. More children are accessing school meals and snacks than ever before.

The number of children who pass English and Math today is the highest number in Guyana’s history, in terms of both absolute amounts and pass rate percentage. The number of enrolments in University and technical professions has also reached the highest level ever.

This proves that the PPP/C took a broken education sector and transformed it into one of upward trajectory, proving the Education Minister and the

Government wrong about the education sector being broken. The truth is that instead of identifying policies and programmes to strengthen the education sector, the new government is trying to create a picture of inheriting a sector that was destroyed by the PPP/C. However, the APNU/ AFC Government must invest in the sector and continue the programs that have led to vast improvements so far Dropping the “Because We Care” Program is one of the policy actions that weaken the education sector, not solve any problem. If its early actions such as, discontinuing the $10,000 grant and accepting applications for a Vice-Chancellor position that is not vacant are evidence of what is in store for the education sector under the new Minister of Education and the APNU+AFC Government, then we are reversing a trajectory of improvement for a dismal future.

Readers are invited to send their comments by email or Facebook to times.notebook@gmail.com.

Fire guts Robb Street complex

…shatters glass windows of Republic Bank

By Bhisham mohamed

Afire of unknown origin early Sunday morning gutted two businesses – one of them housed in the former Kissoon Furniture Store building and caused severe damage to two others at Camp and Robb Streets, Georgetown.

The fire, which started about 02:05h, ravaged a hardware store operated by a group of Chinese nationals, but owned by popular businessman Ridwan Khan. It also razed the Friends Hotel in the same block that was also owned by Khan and rented to the Chinese. In addition, the northern wall of the City Mall received extensive damage as a result of the inferno as well as

nearby Republic Bank. The intensity of the flames shattered several glass doors of Republic Bank.

According to reports received, a loud explosion was heard followed by huge flames in the hardware store, but the fire might have started in another building and swiftly moved to the hardware store. When Guyana Times visited the scene on Sunday morning, firefighters were busy containing remnant small fires as they erupted.

Some officials were going through the rubble to gather information as they conduct their investigations. There was heavy presence of Police ranks at the scene and several persons living in the upper flat of the hardware

store were grilled in connection with the fire.

Jie Xiang Zhu, the Chinese businessman who operated the store, explained that he was at home when he received several calls informing him that the building was on fire. He stated that in less than 15 minutes he arrived at the scene and saw firefighters battling to put out the blaze.

Based on reports he received, he explained that some of the staff were on the upper flat of the store and were not even aware the lower flat was on fire. They were reportedly awakened by others from the nearby hotel who had smelt smoke and realised that the place was on fire.

As of Sunday morning, Jie was not sure what caused the fire and more so, the origin of the fire. As a result of the confusion, he stated that he did not have the chance to speak with the fire officials. The frustrated young Chinese entrepreneur stated that his wife was devastated, since they had invested heavily in the hardware store.

Devastated

He further stated that they have been renting the building for the past four years from Khan, and were sure that the building was

insured. The businessman stated that he has other businesses in the city and would take some time before making a decision if he will reopen the hardware store.

On the other hand, Khan told Guyana Times that he had purchase the building from AH&L Kissoon Limited

that sounded like a gas cylinder. Soon after the entire lower flat was engulfed in smoke and within minutes, flames were seen. He too has not been briefed on the cause of the fire, but counted his losses to be in the millions. Khan stated that he was cognisant also that

He noted that by the time the fire tenders arrived at the scene, portions of the two buildings were engulfed. Firefighters battled the blaze as well as saved nearby buildings that were under threat. Gentle stated that after some time, the fire was contained but the

over a year ago. At the time, he purchased the building the Chinese were already occupying it. Khan said he received the devastating news of the fire about 02:15h from a few friends who were in the area.

It took him about five minutes to arrive at the scene only to find the hardware store engulfed in flames as well as a portion of the Friends Hotel. He was reportedly told that an explosion was heard in the lower flat of the building

millions went up in flames for the Chinese businessman who had a well stocked store. Both businesses, he added, were insured.

Fire Chief Marlon Gentle told media operatives that the Fire Service received reports of the fire and immediately dispatched fire tenders from Central Fire Station with back up tankers. Water, he stated, was sourced from the North Road canal since none of the fire hydrants in close proximity of the fire were operable.

buildings were razed. One of the buildings, he noted, was completely gutted while the other was severely damaged. He commended the firefighters who worked extremely hard to save the nearby buildings. He stated a thorough investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the fire.

Senior Police ranks told this newspaper that after they received reports of the fire, they immediately sent ranks to cordon off the area to prevent any disturbances.

Firefighters battling with the blaze on Sunday morning

Aftermath of the fire on Camp and Robb Streets

RPA nudges Govt to act swiftly to save rice industry

…as Venezuela asks for cessation of shipments

By Vahnu Manikchand

The controversy between neighbouring Guyana and Venezuela continues to escalate with the Spanish speaking country recently asking that all shipments of rice and paddy be ceased until further notice. Consequently, the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association (RPA) said Government must act swiftly to ease the tension among farmers.

The cessation of rice shipments was related to the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) on Friday morning, a few hours after a shipment of paddy left for the neighbouring country, an official confirmed to Guyana Times. According to him, the GRDB received a call around 10:15h and was informed that the “seniors” of Corpovex (the Venezuelan agency in charge of purchasing products abroad for the public sector) have issued a directive for the shipments to be stopped as they want to revise the shipping schedule. He, however, clarified that the directive did not indicate officially that Venezuela has scrapped the PetroCaribe deal with Guyana which is expected to end in four months’ time.

“They didn’t say all the shipments in the future will be ceased, nor did they indicate that they will continue,” he told this newspaper. The GRDB official explained that while such instruction was not something new, the manner in which it was related was very worrisome. He pointed out that previously, Venezuela would occasionally ask for shipments to be stopped while it revised the schedule and sometime after, would inform Guyana of the new schedule. This is the first time Corpovex has indicated that its “seniors” has issued a directive, the official stated, adding that the situation has farmers and millers at their wits’ end about their future.

Nevertheless, the GRDB Executive noted

that Corpovex had indicated that it would accept the shipment of 6000 tonnes of paddy that is already on the way to Venezuela. The cargo left in the wee hours of Friday.

However, the official noted that there were approximately 270 containers of white rice sitting on the wharf that were scheduled to be shipped to the neighbouring country. This stranded shipment is pegged at some US$5 million. The Executive disclosed that already 40,000 tonnes of white rice have been sent to Venezuela with some 34,000 tonnes more to be shipped as per the agreement. On the other hand, approximately 90 tonnes of paddy is yet to be shipped, he said.

No official word

When contacted, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder told this newspaper that he was informed by the Logistics Officer of GRDB that a shipper in Venezuela has instructed that Guyana should not send off any more shipments. However, the Minister pointed out that Government has not received any official word from the relevant authorities in Venezuela to cease further shipments. Holder declared that he has been trying to contact the Venezuelan Ambassador in Guyana, Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz, to confirm whether this is an official Venezuelan Government position, but he has not been able to do so. Additionally, the Agriculture Minister mentioned that he also tried to make contact with Guyana’s Ambassador in Venezuela but was unsuccessful. Minister Holder stated that while he understood the situation has persons tense and worried, he would like to have official confirmation. On this note, he referred this publication to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which is responsible for handling such external matters.

Guyana Times subsequently made contact with Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, who disclosed that he has not received any notice from the neighbouring country indicating that Guyana should cease further shipments. “I haven’t received any such information at least not through the official channel, which is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he stated.

Asked about other potential markets available to Guyana, Greenidge outlined that currently local rice exporters were in talks with two countries that are

interested in purchasing large amounts of rice.

One of those countries is Panama, which he noted had asked for quotations to be sent by last Monday and this was done. He added that Panama is particularly interested in a large

amount of rice, but pointed out that there were some ongoing issues with that country whereby it owes Guyana payment for previous rice shipments. The other country Guyana is in talks with is Portugal.

Meanwhile, RPA General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj also indicated that he too was not sure of where matters stood precisely: whether the directive was just seeking to temporarily hold shipments to the neighbouring country or signalled altogether the end of the arrangement. He declared that if it was the latter, then Guyana’s rice industry was in for some “tough times”. He said, “Right now, we have paddy and rice on the wharf to export, paddy in the mills, and the farmers and millers are very worried. If the deal with Venezuela ends

now, then they are at the risk of being bankrupted.”

Seeraj went on to say that it was the responsibility of the Government to ensure that the shipment agreement was sustained and renewed annually. He noted that the previous Government was successful in renewing the contract; however, the recent collapse of the deal was a reflection of the new Government’s failure to secure the future of the rice industry.

Venezuela recently announced that it would not be renewing the contract with Guyana for the supply of rice when the PetroCaribe agreement ended in November. The decision by the Spanishspeaking country has put the local rice industry in a dilemma since Venezuela is its largest and most profitable market. Currently,

Venezuela accounts for approximately 30 per cent of Guyana’s rice export market. This recent action by Venezuela comes in the face of the neighbouring country renewing territorial claims to Guyana’s land and maritime space.

Agriculture Minister Noel Holder

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

RPA General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj

Haitians face bleak future in Dominican border camps

You hear nearly as much Spanish as Kreyòl in the camps where hundreds of people are taking refuge in eastern Haiti.

Some don’t even speak Haiti’s unique language. It is a sign of how much time people have lived in the Dominican Republic. Some say they moved with their parents to the Dominican Republic as children.

Others say they were born there. Most people we talked to have spent years working and raising families across the border. And dozens we met said they were deported by Dominican authorities.

At a growing camp in Anse-à-Pitres, in dry southeastern Haiti, a local pastor told us he started counting arrivals a couple of months ago. After he had written 160 names in his notebook he gave up.

“Every day the number was growing more and more. So, finally I stopped counting,” said Pastor Toussaint Eugene.

“When the migrants got here, they were in very bad shape. You could see clearly that they were forced to come here. They arrived after getting arrested.”

Joanis Beaunis arrived at the camp two months ago. He says he was born in

Barbados needs “competent leaders” – trade unionists

Barbados needs competent professionals with a proven track record to manage its affairs. Therefore, attempts to negate people with such expertise from participating in public life would only hurt the country.

This, essentially, was the reaction of Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Members Ian GoodingEdghill and Lynette Holder to rumours that supporters had infiltrated the trade union movement and key professional associations and were seeking to stoke

the industrial unrest in the country for political gain.

Dismissing the rumours as unfortunate, GoodingEdghill, the President of the Barbados Employers Confederation (BEC) for the last seven years, said the Constitution guarantees everyone freedom of association.

As such, a person’s political persuasion should never be something which people should ever be made to feel ashamed of, or feel they need to exercise in a secretive manner. (Excerpt from Nation News)

the Dominican Republic to Haitian parents. He came to Haiti once as a child. His wife Antonia had never been to Haiti before. They both said they were rounded up with others and driven to the border. Separated from their young

children, friends agreed to look after them for now. There’s little sign they’ll be seeing them soon. The couple can’t cross back to the Dominican Republic and their children don’t have the required documents to come to Haiti. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Mexico kingpin “Chapo” Guzman stages brazen jailbreak

Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, broke out of a high security prison on Saturday night for the second time, escaping in a tunnel built right under his cell, and heaping embarrassment on President Enrique Pena Nieto.

The kingpin sneaked out of the prison through a subterranean tunnel more than 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) long that ended in a building site in the local town, National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido told a news conference on Sunday.

Guzman, who had bribed his way out of prison during a previous escape in 2001, was seen on video entering his shower area at 20:52h on Saturday, then disappeared, the National Security Commission (CNS) said.

Wanted by US Prosecutors and once featured in the Forbes list of

billionaires, Guzman was gone by the time guards entered his cell in Altiplano Prison in central Mexico, the CNS said.

“This is going to be a massive black eye for Pena Nieto’s Administration,” said Mike Vigil, former head of global operations for the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

“I don’t think they took into account the cunning of Chapo Guzman and the unlimited resources he has. If Chapo Guzman is able to make it back to the mountainous terrain that he knows so well in the state of Sinaloa ... he may never be captured again.”

Beneath a 50 centimetres (cm), 20 inch, by 50 cm hole in the cell’s shower area, guards found a ladder descending some 10 metres (32 feet) into the tunnel, which was about 1.7 metres (5.6 feet) high and 70-80 cm (28-31 inches) wide. (Excerpt from Reuters)

TT national leadership debate postponed

Adebate between Trinidad Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley, has been postponed.

In a letter dated July 3, Lorraine O’Connor, a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Debates Commission (TTDC) wrote to Attorney Larry Lalla, stating that the July 30 debate was not possible.

Lalla noted that the date was fixed following meetings with the negotiators for the Prime Minister and Rowley.

He also stated that this news was deeply disappointing.

“Given that the TTDC is not now able to fulfil its commitment to hold a debate on

the date fixed, it is surely now time for the debate to be organised by other organisations.”

He said the public de-

Huge crowd attends Pope’s final Mass in Paraguay

Hundreds of thousands of people have attended the final Mass celebrated by Pope Francis during his visit to Paraguay.

The Pope urged Christians to “embrace hospitality” and reject the “logic of selfishness”.

Pope Francis leaves Paraguay today, after an eight-day tour of some of South America’s poorest countries.

During his previous stops in Bolivia and Ecuador, he spoke out against social injustices in the region.

He also apologised for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the brutal colonisation of most of Latin America by the Spanish.

“Welcome the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the prisoner, the leper and the

“Welcome those who don’t think like us, those who don’t have faith or have lost their faith.”

Earlier the Pope visit-

ed the Banado Norte shantytown Asuncion, home to some 100,000 people.

He urged residents to stand up for each other.

“No matter how many Masses on Sundays, if you don’t have a heart in solidarity, if you don’t know what is happening in our town, your faith is very weak, or it’s sick or it’s dead.”

Pope Francis, who was born in Argentina, is the first leader of the Roman Catholic Church to come from Latin America.

Thousands of people travelled from neighbouring Argentina for the Pope’s last Mass in the tour, including President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. (BBC News)

serves the opportunity to hear the Prime Minister and “the only other contender” (Rowley) debate their policies in a transparent and

timely way. The commission’s Chief Executive Officer, Catherine Kumar told TV6 News on Saturday that the July 30 date was designated prior to the announcement by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) of August 17 as Nomination Day, ahead of the September 7 General Election.

She said the Commission still planned to have two debates but can’t do that before Nomination Day, and if the events were to take place, “they probably may be closer to each other”. Kumar said discussions are continuing with the two parties with a view to working out the possibility of having the debates come off. (Excerpt from CMC)

New Caribbean initiatives to develop solutions to deal with diseases

Senior officials from the agricultural, environmental, and health sectors from 12 Caribbean countries are preparing to develop scientific and comprehensive solutions for coping with emerging endemic diseases that affect the public and environmental health of the Region, as well as food safety.

A statement from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), noted that the Caribbean specialists recently participated in a training event organised by the “One Health, One Caribbean, One Love” Project, a regional initiative that encourages collaboration among different sectors to attain optimal health levels for people, animals, and the environment. It also seeks to strengthen public and private capacities for designing and managing policies that benefit consumers and the environment.

The regional initiative is supported by IICA; the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of the West Indies (UWI); the World Health Organisation (WHO); the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO); the Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), and the ministries of agriculture of Grenada, Guyana, and St Kitts and Nevis. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

Dozens said they were deported by Dominican authorities

Both Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (left), and Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley had indicated a willingness to participate in the debate ahead of the September 7 General Election

The altar was decorated with a mosaic of corn, coconut and squash gourds

Around the world

Eurozone leaders: Greece must do more to earn rescue

Eurozone leaders told near-bankrupt

Greece at an emergency summit on Sunday that it must enact key reforms this week to restore trust before they will open talks on any new financial rescue to keep it in the European currency area.

Leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will be required to push legislation through Parliament to convince his 18 partners in the eurozone to release immediate funds to avert a state bankruptcy and start negotiations on a third bailout programme.

Six sweeping measures including tax and pension reforms will have to be enacted by Wednesday night and the entire package endorsed by Parliament before talks can start, a draft decision sent by Eurogroup Finance Ministers to the leaders showed.

The document also included a German proposal to make Greece take a “time-out” from the euro -

zone if it failed to meet the conditions for a loan. But not all Ministers endorsed the idea, which was reserved in brackets in the text seen by Reuters.

A senior EU source said such a temporary exit from the euro was illegal and would not survive in the

Omar Sharif’s funeral held in Cairo

The funeral of Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, who died on Friday at the age of 83 following a heart attack, has been held in Cairo.

Among those attending the service were fellow actor Hussein Fahmy and former Egyptian Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawas, a close friend of the star.

Fahmy hailed Sharif as “a man who loved Egypt and represented the Egyptian art in its best form”.

“Somebody that we’re going to miss for a very long time,” he added.

Sharif’s only son, Tarik was among the mourners. His mother, Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, died just six months ago.

Egypt-born Sharif won two Golden Globe awards and an Oscar nomination for his role as Sherif Ali in David Lean’s 1962 epic, “Lawrence of Arabia”.

He won a further Golden Globe three years later for “Doctor Zhivago”.

Hawas, a prominent archaeologist, said he had “lost a close friend” while “the world lost a great actor”.

“As a movie star, he will not be repeated again. He was unique,” he said.

Many local actors attended the funeral at the Hussein Tantawi Mosque in an eastern neighbourhood of the Egyptian capital, among them Egyptian actor Gamil Rateb and film star Khaled Nabawy.

When news broke of his death on Friday, stars from around the world paid tribute to Sharif, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease earlier this year.

‘He was handsome, sophisticated and charming. He was a proud Egyptian,’ Barbra Streisand, who co-starred with Sharif in “Funny Girl”, wrote on Facebook.

‘I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Omar, and I’m profoundly sad to hear of his passing.’

(BBC News)

summit statement.

Tsipras said on arrival in Brussels he wanted “another honest compromise” to keep Europe united.

“We can reach an agreement tonight if all parties want it,” he said.

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose

country is the biggest contributor to eurozone bailouts, said the conditions were not yet right to start negotiations, sounding cautious in deference to mounting opposition at home to more aid for Greece. (Excerpt from Reuters)

At least 25 people dead in Afghanistan suicide blast

At least 25 people have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack near a military base in Afghanistan’s Khost province, where Afghan and foreign soldiers are stationed, authorities said.

Al Jazeera’s Jennifer Glasse, reporting from Kabul, said that the attack happened just before 19:00h, when many people were breaking their Ramadan fast.

“There were a lot of casualties,” Glasse said. “Ambulances have been working to get people to hospital.”

All of the dead are believed to be Afghan.

The bomber detonated the explosives at a military roadblock near the entrance to Camp Chapman, Faizullah Ghairat, the Khost City Police Chief, told the AFP news agency.

There was no immediate

claim of responsibility, but the Taliban has often targeted Afghan and foreign troops.

Foreign troops, including US soldiers, are stationed at Camp Champan alongside Afghan soldiers.

A statement from the NATO mission in Afghanistan said it was “aware” of the blast, but did not elaborate.

In 2009, Camp Chapman was the target of a spectacular suicide attack claimed by al-Qaeda. Seven CIA officials were killed in the deadliest assault on the US agency since 1983, when eight officers died in an attack on a military base in Beirut.

Camp Chapman is located less than four kilometres from the city of Khost, which is near the Pakistani border, a volatile region where the Taliban and other armed groups hold sway. (Excerpt from

Jazeera)

Chinese corruption agency probes Supreme Court Vice President

The Vice President of China’s highest court is being investigated by the country’s anti-corruption agency.

Xi Xiaoming, who joined the Supreme People’s Court in 1982, has been accused of “serious discipline violations”, according to a statement from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

No further details were given.

China’s ruling Communist Party has vowed to fight political corruption and has already arrested several officials.

Last month, a court sentenced former security Chief

Zhou Yongkang to life imprisonment on corruption charges, making him the highest-ranking former offi-

Renewed hopes of Iran nuclear deal spark US warning

Reports that a provisional deal on Iran’s nuclear programme could come on Sunday have sparked a US warning that major issues remain.

Agencies quoted diplomats as saying the historic deal could be in sight, and a number of negotiators at the Vienna talks also expressed hopes for a deal.

But a senior US official then said that major issues remained.

The deal would impose verifiable limits on Iran’s nuclear programme in return for relief from economic sanctions.

Two diplomats at the talks said details of the deal were still being worked out on Sunday

afternoon and that it would still need to be reviewed by Iran and the socalled P5+1 – the US, UK, Russia, France, China and Germany.

But then the agreement could be announced today.

Another diplomat had told AFP that “98 per cent of the text is finished”.

Negotiators at the talks had also expressed hopes they were nearing an end.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said: “I hope we are finally entering the final phase of these marathon negotiations. I believe it.”

Iranian diplomat Alireza Miryousefi said: “A deal is in reach. It only requires political will at this point.”

(Excerpt from BBC News)

cial to be jailed in decades.

A one-line statement posted on the CCDI’s website said Xi was being

probed for “serious disciplinary violations and breaking the law”.

It did not say if he had been sacked or give any background to the charges.

The 61-year-old specialised in economic law cases and had been tipped to lead a newly created research group focusing on China’s civil code.

He rose from working as a Policeman in the northern city of Shenyang in the 1970s to become a top official in the Chinese judiciary.

The deputy head of China’s sports administration, Xiao Tian, is also being investigated. (BBC News)

India and Pakistan leaders to meet

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted an invitation from his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to attend a regional summit in Islamabad next year.

This will be Modi’s first visit to Pakistan after he took power last year.

A meeting between the two leaders on Friday came after increased border hostilities and India cancelled secretary-level talks last year.

They also agreed to help expedite the 2008 Mumbai terror attack trial, blamed on Pakistan based militants.

The suspected mastermind of the attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, was released on bail from a Pakistani jail in April, a de-

velopment that India described as “unfortunate and disappointing”. He still faces trial – along with six other suspects –over the attacks, which left 166 people dead and damaged peace efforts between the two countries.

In a separate development, Modi accepted Sharif’s invitation to visit Pakistan.

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Pakistan for the Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit in 2016. Prime Minister Modi accepted that invitation,” a joint statement from the two Governments said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, French President Francois Hollande and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel attend a eurozone leaders’ summit in Brussels, Belgium, July 12

Xi Xiaoming’s biography has been removed from the Supreme Court’s website

Omar Sharif rose to international fame with his roles in Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago

PUBLIC OPINION I SAY...

Rice farmers share their views about Venezuela ending its rice deal with Guyana

Loaknauth Bhagwandeen

" I think it will have a huge setback on the industry. Right now the price for paddy is not profitable: farmers’ cost of production is high; therefore, our surplus will be small; as such, farmers are anticipating a price of at least $3000, if not, it will be impossible for them to continue with rice farming. The Venezuela market is a lucrative market in terms of price; as such, that market will help the millers to pay a higher price."

Nandkishore Narine

"We farmers will punish. We will get low prices if the market not renewed and the cost of the fertiliser, preparation of land; therefore, we working for free. We really need the Venezuela contract to be renewed. I owe the bank: I need reasonable prices for rice paddy.”

Rocky Prabhulall

"I think if the Venezuela deal is done then farmers will suffer with low prices. This can have a negative impact on society. Farmers depend on rice farming; the low prices millers will be offering would not offset the cultivation of rice. This can cause problems. We need the contract to be renewed with Venezuela, if not the Government need to seek a higher market price.”

Roy Griffith

"Seeing that the Venezuela market has been blocked, I think the Government should put systems in place to pay farmers at least $3000 per bag, whereas the farmers looking for $5000 per bag. A system has to be put in place if the Venezuela market contract is not renewed. Farmers suffering a lot; since last crop, we were promised more markets and up to now.... the new Government promise rice farmers $5000-$10,000 a bag, Minister came also and made the promise to farmers; as such, they have to fulfil."

"If the Venezuela market is discontinued, it would lead to a severe downfall of the rice industry. Farmers are dependent on the Venezuela market to actually receive an adequate amount of money where they can make a profit at the end of the crop. Should the contract be terminated, it would lead to farmers making a loss and the downfall of the industry which has seen record-breaking production for the past two years."

Nandram Prabhu

"A lot of persons in Region Two depend on rice farming and a lot of millers from Region Two paddy, over the years, are exported to the Venezuela market; because of that market, millers can pay good prices. This is very bad; if that deal cannot extend, then farmers will receive low prices and it won't be profitable.”

one which farmers would find difficulty in adapting to the low price due to the high cost of production; as such, farmers would be left with little or nothing after expenses."

Kishore

"The end of the Venezuela market would mean the end of high prices for rice farmers. This will create a very unfavourable condition for rice farmers. If not given the price of $5000- $10,000 as promised by the [David ] Granger-led Administration, then farmers would be in trouble; this alone is disturbing. Farmers on a daily basis are faced with many challenges and with low prices will add to those challenges, low prices would be mean no cultivation of rice, farmers won't be able to offset their expenses."

Man shot on D’ Edward Village foreshore

AWest Coast Berbice man is now nursing a gunshot wound after he was attacked while walking along the foreshore in the area on Saturday evening. The shooting incident occurred around 19:00h.

The injured man is Bharrat Bissoondial, 32, of D’ Edward Village, West Coast Berbice. He was shot to his shoulder and was receiving medical attention at the Fort Wellington

Hospital.

A source told the Guyana Times that the young man who pulled the trigger is known to the victim, since there was an argument before the gunshot was heard. The argument might have stemmed from a misunderstanding after which the man pulled out a firearm and discharged a round which hit Bissoondial. Police are continuing their investigation.

Copa Airlines celebrates one year of quality service to Guyana

Saturday marked one year since Panamanian flag carrier Copa Airlines started servicing the Georgetown, Guyana route.

During this time, Copa Airlines said it has been proudly serving the people of Guyana by offering one-stop connections –with twice- weekly flights on Tuesdays and Fridays – to 74 destinations in 30 countries of North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Copa has 12 destinations in North America, including Miami, Orlando, the iconic city of New York, and culturerich cities such as New Orleans. The airline’s entry into the Guyana market has made it possible for passengers to enjoy more options, while providing scope for more busi-

ness and tourism related activities to be undertaken. The Guyanese people’s response to the service has been very positive.

In a release, reflecting on the airline’s first year of service to Guyana, Country Sales Manager Nadine Oudkerk said, “Our first year of operation has been very exciting and successful, this is entirely due to the tremendous positive support from our passengers, our committed staff who provide a high level of service, our business partners and travel agents. We thank all our allies for making this first year a memorable one and we anticipate making many great strides and accomplishing many great things together as Copa continues to serve the people of Guyana.”

Looking ahead, the airline is excited about continuing to serve the people of Guyana. “Copa remains committed to Guyana for the long haul and providing the best on-board service and on-time performance on the most modern fleet,” Oudkerk added. Copa Airlines and Copa Airlines Colombia, subsidiaries of Copa Holdings, are leading airlines in Latin America for passengers and cargo. The airlines currently offer service to 74 destinations in 30 countries in North, Central, South America and the Caribbean. For over 65 years of uninterrupted operations, it has managed to make the Hub of The Americas, located in Panama, the leading hub in the entire continent.

Takoor Misir – Aurora Rice Farmer

Davin Misir

Sobodh

New Region 2 Chairman keen on upgrading Suddie Hospital

Region Two Chairman Daveanand Ramdatt

said much work has to be done at the Suddie Public Hospital in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) to bring it up to respectable standards.

He said once the Region’s budget is approved, money can be invested to rectify some of the faulty work. Ramdatt said despite the various existing challenges faced at the medical facility, he would be convening a meeting during the coming week to speak with senior management. He disclosed the meeting will be held to re-elect persons to serve on the Health Committee, as well as to discuss the management of the Suddie Morgue. Ramdatt said under his stewardship, he would be working along with the Hospital Management Committee to ensure that the services delivered by health professional are “A” class, “ I agree

that things are not perfect at the Hospital, but at this point we cannot do much, we are financially trapped but we have sufficient trained doctors around”.

The new Chairman further explained that many of the issues would be addressed at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) statutory meeting, “I am hoping to work with the Council in ironing out things.”

He commended the medi-

al personnel at the Hospital for the works being done and called on them to continue to serve the residents on the Essequibo Coast.

Only recently, new Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton proposed a major overhaul of the Suddie Public Hospital, as he expressed disappointment with the state of the institution’s infrastructure and the non-availability of key medical equipment. A Government Information

Agency (GINA) release had stated that the Suddie Hospital operating theatre, which was constructed over five years ago, was not functioning, owing to the shabby work done by the contractor. The tiled walls are hollow and the electrical work was badly done. The theatre of this hospital can best be described as “scandalous”, Minister Norton said.

“… it is a disgrace to see what persons might have approved and written off as work they were paid so much to do … the walls are literally hollow, even though it is tiled, and my impression is that you’ve got to break everything down. I am one of the persons who said we are not here to break and build over, but I think in this case, if we want the best for the citizens of the region, then we have got to do better, we got to break down this theatre, and build a new one,” Norton was quoted by GINA as saying.

Achieving Zero Hunger: Combining social protection with pro-poor investments

Eradicating world hunger sustainably by 2030 will require an estimated additional US$267 billion per year on average for investments in rural and urban areas and in social protection, so poor people have access to food and can improve their livelihoods, a new UN report says.

This would average US$160 annually for each person living in extreme poverty over the 15 year period. Prepared by FAO, the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), the report, which was presented in Rome today, comes ahead of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 13 - 16 July 2015. The report notes that despite the progress made in recent decades, today nearly 800 million people, most of them in rural areas, still do not have enough food to eat.

Eliminating chronic undernourishment by 2030 is a key element of the proposed Sustainable Development Goal 2 of the new post-2015 agenda to be adopted by the international community later this year and is also at the heart of the Zero Hunger Challenge promoted by the UN Secretary-General.

“The message of the report is clear: if we adopt a “business as usual” approach, by 2030, we would still have more than 650 million people suffering from hunger. This is why we are championing an approach that combines social protection with additional targeted investments in rural development, agriculture and

urban areas that will chiefly benefit the poor,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.

“Our report estimates that this will require a total investment of some US$267 billion per year over the next 15 years. Given that this is more or less equivalent to 0.3 percent of the global GDP, I personally think it is a relatively small price to pay to end hunger,” Graziano da Silva added.

“This report helps us to see the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us, but we believe that we won’t see gains in reducing poverty and hunger unless we seriously invest in rural people,” said IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze.

“Given the right kind of tools and resources, smallscale agricultural producers and rural entrepreneurs can transform struggling communities into thriving places,” the IFAD President added. “We need a dramatic shift in thinking to help the world’s poorest break the cycle of hunger and poverty by 2030. We cannot allow them to be left behind,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin.

“We must invest in the most vulnerable and ensure that they have the tools they need not only to overcome hunger, but to enhance their resources and capabilities.”

The report noted how the international community needs to build on the successful experiences of some countries that have effectively used a combination of investment and social protection to combat hunger and poverty in rural and urban areas.

In an advocacy note accompanying the report,

the FAO, IFAD and WFP chiefs also noted that the Addis Ababa conference seeks to ensure that all countries, especially developing countries, have the means to implement national policies and programmes to achieve their development objectives, including the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.

According to the report, a “business as usual” approach would still leave some 650 million people hungry in 2030. It contrasts this with a combined social protection and investment scenario whereby public funded transfers will be used to lift people out of chronic hunger by ensuring that they reach a US$1.25/day income which corresponds to the World Bank-determined poverty line level.

This social protection measure would cost an additional $116 billion per yearUS$75 billion for rural areas and US$41 billion for urban areas. Some US$151 billion in additional pro-poor investments - US$105 billion for rural development and agriculture and US$46 billion for urban areas - would also be required to stimulate income generation to the advantage of those living in poverty. The combination of social protection and investments brings the total to US$267 billion.

Most of the investment would normally come from the private sector, especially farmers. However, private investments need to be complemented by additional public sector investments in rural infrastructure, transport, health and education. In rural areas, pro-poor public investments could target small-scale irrigation and

Development banks agree common approach to measure climate finance

The world’s leading development finance institutions have taken an important step forward in tracking more consistently the flows of finance that help countries and people deal with the effects of climate change.

The six large multilateral development banks (MDBs) and the International Development Finance Club (IDFC), a network of national, regional and international development banks, have agreed on a common set of principles to track financial commitments that help countries prepare for and build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The document is aimed at achieving a common understanding of what to count as climate adaptation finance. Knowing how the money is flowing is critical for reaching areas of opportunity and need, because what gets measured gets managed.

other infrastructure benefitting small holders. They could include measures such as food processing to reduce post-harvest waste and losses, as well as stronger institutional arrangements for land and water tenure, credit facilities, labour legislation, and other areas, to make farm and off-farm activities and markets accessible to marginalized groups, including women and young people.

In urban areas, the additional investments should ensure that people living in extreme poverty will eventually be able to provide for themselves. The investments could, for example, target capacity building to impart entrepreneurial and other skills, including craftsmanship, and ensure fair labour contracts, provide credit facilities, housing as well as nutrition-related services.

From social protection to production

Social protection in the form of cash transfers will eliminate hunger immediately, and will improve nutrition by allowing the poor to afford more diverse and thus healthier diets and also fight “hidden hunger” - micronutrient deficiencies, including the inadequate intake of vitamins, iron and other minerals.

Given their meagre means and assets, people living in extreme poverty are initially not expected to be able to invest much in productive activities. However, as they become more productive through investments, they will earn more, and also save and invest more, and thus further increase their earnings.

According to a World Bank release, the ability to track systematically the flows of finance that support climate adaptation makes an important contribution to helping societies deal more effectively with the negative effects of climate change. Labelled, the Common Principles for Climate Change Adaptation Finance Tracking, the initiative builds on a similar agreement earlier this year to define and track mitigation finance, the funding aimed at combatting climate change.

By increasing transparency of climate finance flows, the agreement on the two common principles for tracking climate finance will help to build confidence that money is flowing to help deal with this major global challenge. It is an important signal ahead of this year’s COP21 conference in Paris that aims to deliver a global agreement on climate. The multilateral banks include the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank Group.

“This represents a significant milestone in global climate action. It brings development finance institutions together on how we track finance flowing to countries, as they adapt to the impacts of climate change. The agreement paves the way for greater transparency in financial flows and hopefully will help underpin greater commitment in Paris,” said World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change, Rachel Kyte.

”This worldwide cooperation between national and international financial institutions brings a unique value to address the development needs of vulnerable countries” – International Development Finance Club.

Last month, the MDBs said that they had delivered US$ 5 billion in financing last year to help developing countries and emerging economies adapt to the challenges of climate change. Similarly, IDFC members reported in their last green finance mapping report a contribution of US$ 15.8 billion to adaptation projects in developing countries in 2013.

Nonetheless, IDFC and MDBs agree that increased support for more climate resilient infrastructure, natural ecosystem and other adaptation measures is urgently needed. According to the newly agreed common principles document, “the MDBs and IDFC are fully committed to promoting and supporting climate resilient development as an essential element of the sustainability of their investments.” They plan to do this, the document says “by integrating climate resilience and adap-

tion into their investments, operations and initiatives.” The purpose of the principles is to set out an agreed approach for tracking adaptation finance. The principles are voluntary and set common definitions and guidelines. The implementation, reporting and quality control are each institution’s responsibility.

In addition, IDFC and MDBs have committed to further develop their cooperation in the future and will continue to share practices and knowledge on climate finance. The 22 Members of the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) share a similar background and vision regarding the promotion of low carbon climate resilient development pathways. IDFC unites global expertise and innovation with in-depth local know-how and total assets of more than 2.1 trillion USD.

World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change Rachel Kyte

Suddie Public Hospital

SUDOKU

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

(May 21June 20)

CANCER

By mixing business with pleasure, you will be able to tie up loose ends. Plan to celebrate your achievements while enjoying the company of people heading in a similar direction.

Conservative or long-term investments should be part of your financial plan. Don’t jump at a tempting deal that lacks substance just because others think you should. Do your own research.

You will get upset if you let a reckless emotional state dictate your actions. Think matters through before you make a life-altering move.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

PISCES

(Feb. 20March 20)

Your popularity will soar if you dedicate your time to a cause you believe in. You are a born crowd-pleaser, and you will have no problem drumming up support for your projects.

Moneymaking opportunities are present. Be prepared to act quickly if you are offered a great deal. Real estate or property investments will enrich your life in more ways than one.

Don’t waste time fretting over events you can’t control. Spend time with close friends. Your concepts will prove successful if you can enlist the help of someone who is willing to invest in you.

You will stress yourself out if you don’t learn to say no to demanding people. Take care of your mental and physical health by putting your needs first.

You should take time to consider how a current partnership or connection will impact the rest of your life. Professional interests are best put on the back burner while you deal with personal issues.

Unresolved health issues will surface if you continue to set an unrealistic pace. An old friend will make moves to regain the relationship you once had. Remember the past before moving forward. You will receive mixed signals from someone close to you. Don’t jump to conclusions or act on hasty assumptions. Give matters time to unfold naturally.

Invest in your skills and knowledge. If you dedicate your efforts to something you feel passionate about, you’ll get amazing results. Borrowing or lending should be avoided.

When it comes to improving your home environment, you should do what you think best. Bowing to what others want will stifle your confidence and lead to frustration and disappointment.

GEMINI

Peanuts

Calvin and hobbes

dilbert

arChie

Zimbabwe v India, 2nd ODI, Harare…

On a slow Harare surface, India wrapped up the ODI series with a performance that was pragmatic if never thrilling. The batting struggled to get out of third gear, but an opening partnership of 112 between Ajinkya Rahane and M Vijay ensured the bowlers had a solid total to defend. A target of 272 may have produced a tighter contest against a stronger batting side, even on a pitch as sluggish as this one, but it was more than sufficient to beat this Zimbabwe side by a handy margin.

The approach of Rahane and Vijay looked dour, even dull at various points during their partnership, but the reasoning behind it was sound. The wisdom of it became apparent when Zimbabwe batted. At the 20over mark, they were 79 for 3. India had been 78 for 0.

Chamu Chibhabha had batted like the India openers, playing the percentages and going after only the loose balls - such as when he cut and flicked a wayward Dhawal Kulkarni for three successive fours. Three other top-order batsmen had fallen to unwise shots - Vusi Sibanda had driven away from his body; Hamilton Masakadza and Elton Chigumbura had pushed hard at the ball outside off stump.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had dismissed the latter two, finding a bit of away nibble and a bit of extra bounce. He hadn’t swung the ball as extravagantly as he some-

Bhuvneshwar four-for seals series win

times does, and had mostly only moved it away from the right-handers, but he had probed insistently in the corridor in a first spell that produced figures of 6-3-192. He came back and took the last two wickets to finish with his second four-wicket haul in ODIs. The wicket of Masakadza was his 50th.

Needing close to six-anda-half runs at the 20-over mark, Zimbabwe’s chase slowly fell away. Chibhabha went on to make 72, but there was little else that genuinely challenged India. The biggest partnerships of the innings were both worth 52the first between Chibhabha and Sean Williams when Zimbabwe needed to recover from 43 for 3; the second between Richmond Mutumbami and Graeme Cremer for the seventh wicket when the match was already lost, more or less.

After being sent in to bat, Rahane had expected ear-

ly help for the fast bowlers.

“There will be slight movement initially and if we take our time [the pitch] will be good to bat on,” he said.

The conditions partly explained India’s slow start, as perhaps did their fear of avoiding a collapse like the one that had left them 87 for 5 in the first ODI. But Rahane and Vijay also seemed to be finding their feet against the new ODI field regulations.

The removal of the batting Powerplay and the addition of an extra deep fielder in the last 10 overs have added more pressure on openers to score quickly, but it has become more difficult for them to do so, with catching fielders no longer mandatory and fewer gaps to pierce in the 30-yard circle in the first 10 overs.

Zimbabwe’s new-ball attack posed little threat to the well-being of India’s openers, but they were accurate,

and with Rahane and Vijay showing no inclination to take risks, the scoring-rate remained sedate. Vijay kept playing good-looking drives and punches straight to offside fielders: till the 10th over, he only scored one run on that side of the pitch.

Rahane was a little more brisk early on - he creamed Brian Vitori and Neville Madziva for three fours through the covers in the first seven overs, capitalising whenever he was given width - but he grew becalmed as his innings progressed. Having scored 18 off his first 21 balls, Rahane only scored 45 off his next 62.

After Chibhabha dismissed Rahane in the 26th over, finding his leading edge as he looked to work him across the line, Vijay and Ambati Rayudu gave the innings a bit of urgency. Rayudu whipped the legspinner Cremer wide of midon and hoicked Vitori to the

midwicket boundary; Vijay lifted Chibhabha and Vitori for effortless sixes down the ground in successive overs.

The partnership gave India 47 off 45 balls, and the next one, between Rayudu and Manoj Tiwary, 44 off 51. India entered the last 10 with eight wickets in hand, but both set batsmen went within four balls of each other.

Rayudu had been lucky to survive so long, having been given not-out to a very good lbw shout from Chibhabha on 16 and dropped at longon off Masakadza on 26. In the 41st over, he came down the track to Sikandar Raza and holed out at deep midwicket. In the next over, Tiwary flicked Donald Tiripano straight to short fine leg. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

India innings (50 overs maximum)

AM Rahane* c Sikandar Raza

b Chibhabha 63

M Vijay c sub (MN Waller)

b Madziva 72

AT Rayudu c sub (MN Waller)

b Sikandar Raza 41

MK Tiwary c Vitori b Tiripano 22

RV Uthappa† b Madziva 13

STR Binny c Sikandar Raza

b Vitori 25

KM Jadhav c †Mutumbami

b Madziva 16

Harbhajan Singh not out 5

AR Patel c Sikandar Raza

b Madziva 1

B Kumar not out 0

Extras:(w-13) 13

Total:(8 wickets; 50 overs) 271

Fall of wickets: 1-112 (Rahane, 25.6 ov), 2-159 (Vijay, 33.3 ov), 3-203 (Rayudu, 41.6 ov), 4-205 (Tiwary, 42.3 ov), 5-233 (Uthappa, 45.5 ov), 6-264 (Binny, 48.4 ov), 7-266 (Jadhav, 49.1 ov), 8-269 (Patel, 49.5 ov)

Bowling: BV Vitori 8-0-47-1 (2-w), DT Tiripano 9-0-42-1, N Madziva 10-0-49-4 (4-w), SC Williams 5-0-23-0, AG Cremer 5-0-32-0, CJ Chibhabha 5-027-1, H Masakadza 4-0-26-0, Sikandar Raza 4-0-25-1 (2-w)

Zimbabwe innings (target: 272 runs from 50 overs)

V Sibanda c Vijay b Kulkarni 2 CJ Chibhabha run out (Rahane) 72 H Masakadza c †Uthappa b Kumar 5 E Chigumbura* c Rahane b Kumar 9 SC Williams b Patel 20 Sikandar Raza c †Uthappa b Harbhajan Singh 18 R Mutumbami† c Patel

b Binny 32 AG Cremer c Rahane

b Kumar 27 N Madziva run out (Rahane) 0 DT Tiripano c Patel b Kumar 6 BV Vitori not out 8

Extras: (b-4, lb-4, w-2) 10

Total: (all out; 49 overs) 209 Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Sibanda, 5.1 ov), 2-31 (Masakadza, 8.5 ov), 3-43 (Chigumbura, 10.6 ov), 4-95 (Williams, 24.6 ov), 5-130 (Chibhabha, 31.1 ov), 6-132 (Sikandar Raza, 31.5 ov), 7-184 (Mutumbami, 44.3 ov), 8-186 (Madziva, 44.5 ov), 9-195 (Cremer, 46.2 ov), 10-209 (Tiripano, 48.6 ov) Bowling: B Kumar 10-3-334, DS Kulkarni 9-1-39-1 (2-w), Harbhajan Singh 10-0-29-1, STR Binny 7-0-42-1, AR Patel 10-1-40-1, M Vijay 3-0-18-0

Ashes 2015… England unchanged for Lord’s Test

England have named an unchanged 13man squad for the second Test of the Ashes at Lord’s, while Australia hope pace bowler Mitchell Starc will be fit.

England beat Australia in the first Test in Cardiff to take a 1-0 lead in the fivematch series, with the next game starting on Thursday.

Starc struggled with an ankle injury during his side’s 169-run defeat.

“He was in discomfort while bowling but has since improved significantly,” said Australia physio Alex Kountouris.

“We will monitor him over the next few days but the plan is for him to take part in some light training and we are hopeful he will be available for selection for the second Test beginning on Thursday.” If Starc is not available for the sloping pitch at Lord’s then Australia would be likely to select either Peter Siddle or Pat Cummins as his replacement.

England captain Alastair Cook’s side won the Ashes opener with a day to spare and did not appear to have any injury concerns.

If the hosts stick to the same XI that would mean pace bowler Steven Finn and spinner Adil Rashid being left out.

England (from): Alastair Cook (Essex), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Adam Lyth (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Mark Wood (Durham). (BBC Sport)

India completely an easy win to take the series with one match to go

Djokovic wins third Wimbledon title

Defending champion Novak Djokovic saw off seven-time champion Roger Federer in four sets to win his third Wimbledon and ninth Grand Slam title.

The Serb, 28, won 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (10-12) 6-4 6-3 to overtake the likes of Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl in the all-time list of major winners.

Federer, 33, had hoped to become the first man to win Wimbledon eight times.

The Swiss won a thrilling second set tie-break but Djokovic came through to win in two hours and 56 minutes.

“I have to say it’s a big challenge playing against Roger,” he said. “A lot of players of my generation have looked up to him and followed his lead.

“He makes you push your limits, work hard and win every single point.”

Federer said: “I had my chances in the first set. I got lucky to win the second, had chances in the third.

“But he was better on the bigger points. He was rock solid, I didn’t play badly myself. That’s how it goes.”

Djokovic adds a third victory at the All England Club to one US Open and five Australian Open titles, and the Serb has now won 48 matches and lost just three in 2015.

The world number one’s most recent defeat came against Stan Wawrinka in last month’s French Open final, but five weeks later he has gone some way to mak-

ing up for missing out on the one major title to still elude him.

Federer had given his supporters real hope that he could overturn last year’s final defeat by Djokovic after his stunning serving performance in the semi-final win over Andy Murray.

It was Djokovic who came up with the big serves when it mattered, however, saving six of seven break points, two of them on set points in the opening set.

After Federer failed to consolidate an early break his first serve deserted him in the tie-break and Djokovic took advantage, moving into a 6-1 lead before the Swiss double-faulted to hand it over.

The Serb won 14 of 15 points and then fended off two more break points in game five with his forehand as Federer continued to play catch-up.

When Djokovic worked his way to a set point for a

two-set lead, he appeared to be closing in on victory, but the top seed sent a forehand long and a breathtaking half hour of tennis followed.

Three gripping games of cut and thrust heralded another tie-break, and the 15,000 spectators on Centre Court could barely contain themselves as Djokovic saw a 6-3 lead slip away after a stunning Federer backhand.

Djokovic became increasingly animated as the set points came and went, a seventh when he missed a regulation rally ball, and the crowd erupted when Federer converted his second at the net.

Amid the cheering in the stands, the top seed smacked his racquet angrily into his foot and shook his head in disbelief as he returned to his chair.

It was apparently enough to clear his head and, far from suffering a crisis in confidence, the defending champion would dominate

the remainder of the match.

He pushed hard for a break at the start of the third, missing two break points in game one before Federer netted under pressure in game three.

A rain delay might have disrupted the Serb’s rhythm but the shower passed within 15 minutes, with no need for the roof to be brought over, and Djokovic saw out the set comfortably on the resumption.

Now constantly threatening the Federer serve, a sharp return to the 17-time Grand Slam champion’s feet gave Djokovic the crucial breakthrough for 3-2 in the fourth.

There were tense moments for the champion when he had to recover from 0-30 at 4-3, seemingly angered by someone in the crowd, and he roared in their direction after holding serve.

The altercation merely fired up Djokovic even more and he won six straight points on his way to match point, before firing a forehand into the corner and flinging his arms in the air in celebration.

Djokovic then repeated his tradition of previous victories by eating some of the famous Centre Court’s grass, while coach Boris Becker and his team celebrated in the stands.

“It tasted very, very good this year,” said Djokovic. “I don’t know what the grounds people have done but they’ve done a good job. It’s a little tradition.”

Man City, Liverpool agree £49M Sterling deal

Liverpool have reached an agreement with Manchester City over the £49M transfer of Raheem Sterling.

The transfer of the 20-year-old England winger is subject to contract negotiations and a medical.

Sterling had asked to leave Anfield and was the subject of two bids from City in June, which were rejected.

The forward, who will become the most expensive English player ever, is under contract until 2017, but turned down a new £100,000-a-week deal at Liverpool.

On Saturday, Sterling was named on a 30-man list for the tour of Thailand, Australia and Malaysia, but was then withdrawn.

Several former Liverpool players have criticised the player since he told man-

ager Brendan Rodgers and chief executive Ian Ayre he wanted to leave the club this summer.

Former captain Steven Gerrard said he was “disappointed” in the England international.

“You don’t have to throw in illness, or refuse to go on tour,” LA Galaxy midfielder Gerrard added. “The fans have shown him great support, they want him to stay and I believe that he should too.”

However, it is understood the Reds decided to leave him out of the tour after the player reported for duty.

A recent study ranked Sterling as the most valuable young player in Europe, ahead of Paris St-Germain defender Marquinhos and Manchester United’s recently acquired Dutch striker Memphis Depay. (BBC Sport)

Tour de France… Froome retains lead after team time trial

Britain’s Chris Froome retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey after a closely fought team time trial on stage nine of the Tour de France in Brittany.

Froome’s Team Sky were last out on the 28km route and finished in second, 0.62 seconds slower than BMC Racing.

The 2013 champion now leads BMC’s American rider Tejay van Garderen by 12 seconds in the overall standings.

Froome gained more time on two-time winner Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and defending champion Vincenzo Nibali.

Italian Nibali was the day’s biggest loser in the battle between the so called ‘big four’ with his Astana team finishing 35 seconds adrift of the winners. He now trails Froome by two minutes and 22 seconds.

“I am surprised he’s lost so much time already,” said Froome.

“I certainly didn’t ex -

pect it. I thought he was going to be the one guy from the main contenders who would gain time in this first phase of the race.

“Nibali and Quintana have lost substantial time already so the pressure is on them to be attacking as we go into the climbs.”

Quintana picked up valuable time on Contador and Nibali as his Movistar team finished just four sec -

onds off the pace. He now trails Froome by one minute, 59 seconds. Contador’s TinkoffSaxo squad fared a little better, finishing 28 seconds behind BMC, to leave him 63 seconds behind Froome. The Spaniard is looking to become the first man since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win the Tour and Giro d’Italia in the same year. (BBC Sport)

Djokovic prevented Federer from getting his name on the trophy for a record eighth time

Raheem Sterling

Thousands of fans lined the 28km route from Vannes to Plumelec

monday, july 13, 2015

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It was South Africa’s lowest total against Bangladesh and their lowest batting first in an ODI since November 2009, when they were bowled out for 119 by England. South Africa’s batsmen were strangled by both seam and spin on a slow surface. By contrast, Bangladesh seemed to be batting on a totally different pitch and strolled to victory with more than 20 overs to spare.

The match was won by Bangladesh’s attack, who displayed the discipline and guile that has seen them enjoy recent success over Pakistan and India. They frustrated the batsmen with tight lines, changes of pace and a slew of spin to keep the scoring rate down and force poor short selection but had none of the same troubles themselves. With South Africa’s attack failing to find the nagging length, Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah anchored the chase with a half-century apiece and a third-wicket stand of 135.

South Africa, in contrast, could not even manage a partnership of 30. Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis combined for 29, after Quinton de Kock’s uncomfortable stay at the crease ended when he was squared up by a Mustafizur Rahman delivery that popped up

Soumya Sarkar’s unbeaten 88 helped set up Bangladesh’s seven-wicket win over South Africa, and ensured the side’s qualification for the Champions Trophy

from a short length and took the shoulder of his bat on the way to Sabbir Rahman at backward point. Amla worked his way to 22 which took him to the top of the averages list in ODI cricket, but could not work his way around Rubel Hossain, who uprooted his offstump with the first ball

of his second over. Rubel was recalled for this match and stepped up, with two maiden overs in succession to begin the drought. He operated in tandem with Shakib Al Hasan, who rushed Rilee Rossouw by pushing deliveries through flat and fast.

SCOREBOARD

South Africa innings

Amla b Rubel Hossain 22

De Kock c Sabbir Rahman

b Mustafizur Rahman 2

Du Plessis c Sarkar

b Nasir Hossain 41

Rossouw b Nasir Hossain 4

Miller c Mortaza

b Mahmudullah 9

Duminy c Sabbir Rahman

b Mustafizur Rahman 13

Behardien c Nasir Hossain

b Mortaza 36

Morris lbw b Rubel Hossain 12

Rabada b Mustafizur Rahman 10

Abbott lbw b Nasir Hossain 5 Tahir not out 1

Extras: (3-w, 4-lb) 7

Total: (all out; 46 overs) 162

Bowler: Mustafizur Rahman 10-1-38-3, Mortaza 5-017-1, Shakib 10-0-300, Rubel Hossain 9-2-34-

Master Blaster...

There is a deafening silence at Sabina Park as Gayle makes the dreaded walk back to the dugout.

The spin wizard had struck a telling blow, one that brings the Tallawahs down to their knees. With one ball, the target now seems like Mount Everest. As has been the case this season, when Gayle fails, the Tallawahs lose…95 all out!

Narine goes on to concede just nine runs from his three overs, continuing to befuddle batsmen the world over, but it was not a night for Gayle and his maximums.

The Warriors and the Tallawahs go head-to-head again on Wednesday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. It will be the first of four home games for

the Warriors, and they know the importance of starting with a victory in front of their fans.

As was the case on Sunday night, the Narine/ Gayle could very well determine the outcome at Providence. Narine’s tail is up, but Gayle is working on a plan to bounce back. Will Narine’s magic prevail in familiar territory or will Gayle’s maximums revive the Tallawahs campaign?

With no radio or television coverage of the game in Guyana, a seat in the stands at the country’s premier sport facility is the best vantage point to view the two stalwarts of the modern era throw down the gauntlet at each other in what has always been a fantastic showpiece.

Back-to-back defeats have dented the confidence

2, Nasir Hossain 8-0-26-3, Mahmudullah 4-0-13-1

Fall of wickets: 16 (De Kock), 45 (Amla), 59 (Rossouw), 74 (Miller), 93 (Du Plessis), 100 (Duminy), 116 (Morris), 138 (Rabada), 160 (Abbott), 162 (Behardien)

Bangladesh innings Tamim Iqbal b Rabada 5 Sarkar not out 88 Das b Rabada 17 Mahmudullah c Amla b Abbott 50 Shakib not out 0

Extras:(2-nb, 5-w) 7

Total: for 3 (27.4 ovs) 167 Bowling: Abbott 5-0-22-1, Rabada 7-0-45-2, Morris 3-029-0, Tahir 8.4-1-40-0, Duminy 2-0-20-0, Behardien 2-0-11-0 Fall of wickets: 5 (Tamim Iqbal), 24 (Das), 159 (Mahmudullah)

of the Tallawahs, but successive wins by the Amazon Warriors have revitalised the South American-based franchise, who seemed to be peaking at the right time. Will the trend continue on Wednesday? Only time will tell. Get your tickets and be part of the Narine versus Gayle showdown. They’re going fast, so don’t be left behind.

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‘Teach Them Young’ swim programme starts today

Youngsters desirous of learning the fundamentals of swimming and those aiming to sharpen their skills will be given an opportunity to do so, as the Ministry of EducationDepartment of Sport and the National Sports Commission (NSC) will commence the annual Teach Them Young programme today.

The six-week programme will commence this morning with an official opening ceremony and conclude on August 21 at the Colgrain

Pool on Camp Street, Georgetown. The camp will cater for youths between ages six and 16.

With places being allocated on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis, a large influx of young prospective swimmers is expected to engage in the activity, which has over the years become the nursery of swimming in Guyana.

It is from this programme that potential swimmers are then assigned to clubs, where they can potentially

GBTI Tennis Open…

begin a life in competitive swimming.

Today’s opening ceremony, which is slated to commence at 08:30h, is expected to be attended by the new Director of Sport Christopher Jones and top officials of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association, including president Ivan Persaud.

Over the years the coaches attached to the association have been tutoring the young swimmers on the fundamentals of the sport.

Downes, Ramdyhan are Open champions

There were mixed emotions of happiness and sadness as the last match of the GBTI Open 2015 got underway. When the last point was won, it dawned that this special tournament was over. Memories, friendships and dreams were made while some players returned to the drawing board to improve for next year’s shot at glory on the court.

The Ladies and Mens’ finals closed off in fine style with one of the tightest match being played on Court One with the ladies taking each other to their breaking point, both physi-

cally and mentally. Anthony Downes clinched his fifth straight GBTI Open title in 46 minutes from Leyland Leacock to solidify his place in Guyana’s tennis history as he once again won the Men’s Open.

Leacock did his utmost to ruffle the feathers of Downes and stay in the match, but was outplayed 6-1, 6-1. Downes had the upper hand at the baseline and was able to dominate the point from that vantage point, while Leacock played smart to finish the point at the net.

However, he racked up 30 errors and only four win-

NSBF Championships... Kwakwani boys top LTI in thriller to reach U-19 final

– St Roses back in first final since 2006

By TreisTon Joseph

Kwakwani Secondary and the Linden Technical Institute (LTI) had the best game of the 2015 National School Basketball Festival (NSBF) on Saturday evening when the semi-finals were played at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Kwakwani prevailed with a 55-51 win as Troy David made two clutch steals in the final two minutes while hitting a few free throws towards the end of the game to pull off the victory.

The game started at a fiery pace as both teams came out shooting, especially from beyond the arc, connecting at a high rate.

The back door cuts and hard screens at the top of the arc to open shooters along with excellent floor spacing were things of beauty to watch.

In some instances, both teams just drilled shots in their defenders faces to the amusement of the crowd in attendance as the first half ended with LTI leading 3433.

ners, compared to 22 errors and 22 winners from Downes. These margins of error ultimately lead to his defeat, which was compounded by Downes’ biggest weapon, his serves.

Each player must have an arsenal in their game to dig them out of trouble when it is pressure time. Downes was able to stack an 89 percent first serve and 63 percent receiving points won, while on the other hand, Leacock had 79 percent first serve and 24 percent recieving points won.

The Ladies Singles was nothing short of two gladiators sharpening their skills in the arena. The de-

Eleven threes were drilled in the first half with

fending champion, Nicola Ramdyhan, was pushed to the limit by first time finalist, Afruica Gentle. Both players discovered parts of the courts they never knew existed as they scrambled from every corner. The players and spectators will forever remember the three sets that lasted two hours, 36 minutes.

Ramdyhan took a close first set 7-5 and Gentle took the second 6-4. The deciding set had tension that cut the night’s air with every grunt and strike of a ball. Gentle took a 4-2 lead, but the de-

Kwakwani sinking six and LTI five. However, on resumption, harder defence was played as the threes stopped flowing.

Kwakwani though went on a 10-0 run to open a 5241 lead with five minutes remaining. LTI came right back with a 10-0 run of their own to close the game to one point.

However, David would make three out of six free throws to seal the deal for Kwakwani.

Stanton Rose, who dominated the early part of the game for Kwakwani, ended with 17 points while David finished with 15 points.

Terron Welch was a scoring machine, dropping a game-high 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Dennis Niles Jr had 15 points and nine rebounds in a losing effort.

Meanwhile, in Under-14 action, St Roses High topped Marian Academy 25-19 to reach the semi-final as Anthony Yasen led the way with nine points and 10 rebounds.

In the other Under-14 semi-final, McKenzie High School of Linden demolished Bishop’s High School 44-7. Yonnick Tappin led the way

fending champion held the next three games to take the lead at 5-4 and create a championship point on Gentle’s serve. If you thought Victoria Azerenka at this year’s Wimbledon had will power and an emphatic means of encouraging herself, then you had to see Gentle bellowed after saving championship point to even the score at 5-5. There was another close brush of defeat when Ramdyhan had three more match points. Nevertheless, Gentle by some means was

for McKenzie with 12 points and nine rebounds.

In Under-16 action, Kwakwani topped Bishop’s High School 47-37 for a comfortable win to reach the final.

Timothy Thompson had the most notable game and was an unstoppable force, scoring a game-high 26 points, while grabbing a massive 22 rebounds in a losing effort for Bishop’s. The other Under-16 semi-final saw McKenzie High School topping Marian Academy 29-24 to make the final.

Meanwhile, in the Under-19 semi-final, St Roses made it back to final of tournament for the first time since its inception in 2006 when emerged champions. St Roses topped McKenzie High School 6136 with a brilliant display of scoring.

Nathan Saul had one of his best games of the tournament, scoring a gamehigh 21 points while grabbing eight rebounds to lead St Roses. Patrice Agrippa also contributed 12 points. Daniel Anthony had a team-high 12 points and 10 rebounds for McKenzie in the blowout loss.

able to erase them and take the match to a tiebreaker. Knowing what was on the line and being in this position before propelled Ramdyhan to waste no more opportunities in the tiebreak and closed it out at 7-0. The two competitors staggered their way to the net to embrace as the fans stood and applauded. The battle wounds will heal, but the memories of that showdown will be talked about for years to come. Ramdyhan won 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-0) to win her third straight title.

The camp will introduce first-timers to the basics of the sport

Stanton Rose goes up for a contested jumper to lead Kwakwani to victory (Treiston Joseph photo)

Anthony Downes

Nicola Ramdyhan

Williams wins Granger/Coalition victory cycle race

Guyana’s lone pro rider Geron Williams continued his fine form with victory in the President David Granger/Coalition victory cycle race staged on the Corentyne on Sunday.

Williams, who only a week ago won three races, including the main one, in the annual Caricom Day ‘Wheat Up’ Classic, clocked two hours, 34 minutes, and 36.77 seconds (02h: 34m: 77s) to win the race in the Ancient County.

The event, which was started by Minister within the Ministry of EducationDepartment of Culture, Youth and Sport, Nicolette Henry, peddled off Rose Hall Town and proceeded to Corriverton, before returning to the point of origin for the finish.

from 11 riders who were all in a sprint to cross the finish line first as they all came off of their saddles over the last 400 meters of the race. Persaud took three sprint point prizes, with Williams winning two and Anthony, Leal and Paul DeNobrega taking one each.

In the Beginners’ category, Curtis Dey finished first, ahead of Kellon Collin and Keoma Logan in that order, while Junior Niles was the first veteran to cross the finish line ahead of Lear Nunes and Jaikarran Sookhai.

In the female category, Toshawna Doris rolled in ahead of Marica Dick and Whitney Poyer. The juniors saw Jamal John finishing ahead of Andrew Hicks and Raphael Leung.

David Granger who is out of the country on official duty, congratulated all of the cyclists who participated in the event, which was organised by the Flying Ace Cycling Club (FACC).

youths is of paramount important to his Excellency,” the Minister said.

Henry said. A total of 32 cyclists participated in the event, which was open to cyclist countrywide.

Williams out sprinted the lead bunch, which included Orvile Hinds, Robin Persaud, Shaquille Agard, Hamzah Eastman, Michael Anthony, Christopher Holder and Raul Leal, who finished in that order.

Williams took the lead

Brilliant Warriors... FROM BACK PAGE

Gayle is the only batsman with more runs than Hodge, and he has been vital for Jamaican success this season. He has made four scores of over fifty and each of those have resulted in a Tallawahs win.

Gayle wasn’t the first to depart, Chadwick Walton fell for a duck in the second over, but he did fall early. Gayle made just 11 runs before he was well caught by Ronsford Beaton off Sunil Narine’s first over.

Once the Tallawahs’ captain had gone there was another procession of wickets. Nkrumah Bonner was dismissed to a slog off Veerasammy Permaul and Chris Lynn went in the next over when he was caught at third man for 16 (14) off Marchant de Lange. That left the Tallawahs 37-4 at the end of the Powerplay.

In addressing the cyclist at the presentation ceremony, Minister Henry, who represented President

“He [President Granger] would have loved to be here. As you know, youths and more importantly the development of

Henry noted that opportunities and initiatives such as the cycle race provide an ideal setting for development, discipline, character and team spirit.

“All of which are desirable characteristics for global productive citizens,”

Meanwhile, coach of the FACC, Randolph Roberts, said that the event will be placed on the club’s calendar of activities. (Andrew Carmichael)

It became 54-5 when Jermaine Blackwood was superbly caught on the point boundary by Lendl Simmons for nine runs. Blackwood departed in the 10th over and by then the chase of the Tallawahs getting anywhere close to the target was already remote, but Andre Russell isn’t the kind of player to give up without a fight.

He was doing his best to rescue the match when he was bowled by South African paceman David Wiese who was playing in his first match of this year’s tournament to leave the Tallawahs reeling at 93-6. Russell’s 28 from 14 balls was the highest score for the Tallawahs as the remaining wickets fell for just two runs. This win lifts the Amazon Warriors off the foot of the table, although it is important to remember that the Guyanese side has as many as four games in hand and that all of their remaining fixtures will be at home. For the Tallawahs, they are still well placed to qualify for the latter stages of the tournament, but if they hope to get close to winning the event they will need to find consistency. (CPL Release)

The top performers pose with their prizes on Sunday

Geron Williams

Brad Hodge led the batting effort with a brisk half-century

Brilliant Warriors crush Tallawahs in style

Abrilliant innings of 65 from Brad Hodge and a maiden T20 halfcentury from Assad Fudadin set up a thumping victory for the Guyana Amazon Warriors over the Appleton Estate Jamaica Tallawahs in the Hero Caribbean Premier League.

Having been set 180 to win, the Tallawahs needed yet another big performance from their captain, Chris Gayle, but when he departed early the home side crumbled to 95 all out, losing by 84 runs. Three wickets in four balls from the Amazon Warriors' Ronsford Beaton ended the game in emphatic fashion.

Having lost the toss and been put into bat, the Amazon Warriors struggled at first. In a move that is very familiar it was Daniel Vettori who once again combined with Krishmar Santokie with the new ball and, has so often been the case, the two men kept it very tight. At the end of the third over the Amazon Warriors had only managed nine runs, and their innings did not really get going until the fifth over. It was then that Lendl Simmons took 14 off an Andre Russell over to get the rate up to a run a ball.

By the end of the Powerplay the Amazon Warriors had reached 39-0 and had a platform from which to build a winning total. Simmons was going along at a decent rate, but his opening partner was struggling. Assad Fudadin found it hard to rotate the strike. The Amazon Warriors had not lost a wicket by the halfway stage, but they only had

71 runs on the board.

When Simmons departed to the first ball of the 11th over for 36 (32), caught by Rusty Theron off Andre Russell’s bowling, Fudadin kicked on. He made 20 runs in nine balls immediately after Simmons departed to bring up his first ever fifty in T20 cricket.

The Tallawahs had a chance to dismiss Fudadin for 52, but Jerome Taylor shelled the simplest of catches running in from long off. Narsingh Deonarine was the unlucky bowler. Fortunately for the Tallawahs, the drop was not too expensive, Fudadin departing in the next over for 54 off 43 balls when he was caught in the deep off Santokie.

After Fudadin’s dismissal Brad Hodge did what he has been doing so often for the last decade in this format of the game. The veteran Australian blasted 65 off 30 balls, an innings that allowed the Amazon Warriors to post 179-3 as the man, second on the all-time T20 run scoring list, proved his

SCOREBOARD

Extras: (lb 4, w 3) 7

Total:(3 wickets; 20 overs) 179

Fall of wickets: 1-71 (Simmons, 10.1 ov), 2-107 (Fudadin, 14.1 ov), 3-171 (Umar Akmal, 19.4 ov)

Bowling: K Santokie 4-0-17-1 (1-w), DL Vettori 4-0-22-0, JE Taylor 4-0-46-1 (1-w), AD Russell 3-0-39-1, J Theron 3-0-30-0 (1-w), N Deonarine 2-0-21-0

Jamaica Tallawahs innings (target: 180 runs from 20 overs)

CH Gayle* c Beaton b Narine 11

hadwick

Cis gone without scoring, but at 11-1 with the indomitable Chris Gayle

The Jamaica Tallawahs

Master Blaster v Spin Wizard at

Guyana Amazon Warriors to appease their fans for the loss against defending champions, Barbados Tridents, the night before.

Skipper Denesh Ramdin throws the ball to his most reliable bowler, his fellow countryman and spin genius Sunil Narine. It’s a clash of colossal proportions- the self-proclaimed “World

(Walton,

(Gayle,

(Lynn, 5.4

(Blackwood, 9.2 ov), 6-93 (Russell, 13.3 ov),

(1-w), SP Narine 3-0-9-2 (1-w), V Permaul 4-0-28-1, RR Beaton 2.5-0-9-4

Boss” versus the spin wizard and master of T20 bowling.

Gayle’s appetite for sixes is beyond doubt, but so too is Narine’s knack for being parsimonious. An expectant and buoyant Sabina Park crowd cheers on as the mystery spinner starts to move in. His first delivery is tossed up on leg-stump, and Gayle comes forward and

goes for the lofted drive immediately, determined to ruffle his opponent from the onset. The ball sails into the air, and the crowd goes berserk, ready to celebrate a Hero Maximum off the blade of the big man. But as the white ball starts to make its way down, so too is the noise emanating from the stands, as the

Gayle Force had height, but not distance. This delivery was not going give anyone a chance to win US$1,000 for a one-handed catch in the stands.

Ronsford Beaton, stationed on the boundary, runs forward to pocket the catch of his life, igniting wild celebrations by the Amazon Warriors.

Tallawahs

when Gayle has failed, fortunately for them failures have been rare of late.

Sunil Narine and the Amazon Warriors celebrate the fall of Chris Gayle

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

Walton

still batting at the end of the second over, a target of 180 is certainly not insurmountable.

must win against the