Guyana Times Daily - December 30, 2014

Cabinet to slash excise tax on gas

...amid public outcry over high fuel prices

Father, son charged for Tuschen triple murder

3 arrested after foiled abduction at Diamond Rohee concerned about ‘bloody’ holidays

Arbitrator upholds dismissal of Skeldon worker

Sophia woman beaten to death, dumped in canal Anna Regina municipal workers continue protest over late pay

Cessna

tuesDAY, DeceMBeR 30, 2014 | guYAnAtiMesgY.coM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, December 30 –12:00h-13:30h and Wednesday, December 31 – 13:00h-14:30h

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, December 30 – 11:25h-12:55h and Wednesday, December 31 – 12:35h-14:05h

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika departure:

Tuesday, December 30 – 12:00h Wednesday, December 31 – 01:00h and 13:00h

Supenaam departure: Tuesday, December 30 – 12:00h Wednesday, December 31 – 01:00h and 13:00h

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers are expected to give way to heavy rain showers in the morning and in the afternoon. Light rain showers can be expected in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 27 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly between 3.12 metres and 4.91 metres per second.

High Tide: 11:37h reaching a maximum height of 2.35 metres.

Low Tide: 05:02h and 17:43h reaching minimum heights of 0.92 metre and 0.88 metre respectively.

Cabinet to slash excise tax on gas ... amid public outcry over high fuel prices

BY JOMO PAUL

As consumers continue to feel the pressure of the high cost of fuel here, despite a sharp drop in oil prices on the international market, Government this week is likely to announce the lowering of the excise tax attached to the importation of petroleum.

President Donald Ramotar told Guyana Times that during this week, he will be engaging his Cabinet and more specifically Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh to consider the taxes levied on the importation of fuel.

Cabinet will be meeting today. Government has come under criticism for its decision to raise the excise tax on fuel in keeping with a mechanism it had set up years ago.

The Administration may have missed an opportunity to bring relief to thousands of citizens.

“Could you imagine how wonderful it would be for persons to be buying gas at lower prices?” one consumer questioned.

Gas prices hit a fiveyear low of US$54.73 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Friday, with retail gas stations selling at US$2.50 per gallon.

President Ramotar explained that in effect, what his Administration does is lower the excise import tax on fuel when the price for fuel is high on the international market.

When that price falls, the excise tax rate is increased.

As such, Government, in a notice to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) instructed that under the Financial Administration and Audit Act, Cabinet approved increases of the ex-

cise tax on gasoline from 20 per cent to 40 per cent. Diesel was also raised from 15 per cent to 35 per cent.

If the excise tax levied on fuel is reduced, it would mean that Guyanese consumers can expect lower prices for fuel in the coming weeks – the realisation of something that has been too long coming.

According to the Head of the Caribbean Association for Industry and Commerce (CAIC) Ramesh Dookhoo, costly fuel has been a major issue for the Private Sector over the years.

The CAIC President explained to the Guyana Times that “strong considerations must be given to let the effects of the price drop be felt here”.

Dookhoo said for the Private Sector, it would certainly be a boost, since the price for fuel is some-

thing that businesses have been complaining about.

Price decline

For 2014 alone, global oil prices have dropped a whopping 45-50 per cent, which would make for the highest annual decline since 2008.

Oil is down over 20 per cent since the start of December. According to online reports, the sharp decline in the price for the precious commodity is primarily due to a current oversupply on the market.

This was propelled by the massive increase in the US shale-oil production, Libya’s quick return to oil production, Iraq’s steady supply of oil for the market, and the refusal to lower production by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia.

Currently, cheap fuel is still believed to be providing an overall boost to the US economy, as consumers can spend less on gasoline and more on shopping and services.

But their shale-oil producers may face ruin, if the overproduction continues and prices fall below the US$50 rate.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, against the background of a gas shortage on the Essequibo Coast, several motorists had complained about the high price for gas locally when the price for

the commodity was slashed on the world market.

John Satram, one resident told this publication that something needs to be done to ease the burden motorists and other stakeholders face regarding the high prices for fuel.

“Imagine you reading in the newspaper that oil prices drop and we still paying higher here in Guyana. Gas still high and the small man got to pay higher... I don’t know what is going on,” he said. Satram added that usually in situations like these, the state-owned Guyana Oil Company (GUYOIL) is looked upon to lead the way regarding the prices.

“But they too selling the gas high... now they don’t even have gas in Essequibo,” he lamented, while speaking with this newspaper.

President Donald Ramotar

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

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

Danger of Army in politics

This newspaper published a very important interview with Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Roger Luncheon that seemed to have slipped below the radar of most analysts. In brief, what Dr Luncheon highlighted was the overwhelming role individuals from the Disciplined Forces play in the present Opposition - mainly the PNC and APNU.

The headline of the story proposed that “the ‘militarydominated’ Opposition (is) a clear and potential danger for Guyana”.

It is our contention that the situation is much more untenable and presents a clear and PRESENT danger to the peace and stability of our country. The story mentioned four top level leaders of the Opposition who are all ex-high ranking members of the Disciplined Forces: Opposition, PNC and APNU’s Leader David Granger (former Brigadier and Commandant of the GDF), his political right hand man, PNC MP Joseph Harmon (former Lieutenant Colonel, GDF), former Chief of Staff of the Disciplined Forces, Edward Collins and MP Winston Felix (former Commissioner of Police).

But these individuals only represent the tip of a very large camouflage-coloured iceberg. In the last elections of 2011, Granger mobilised ex-foreign and domestic Army and Police to raise funds and canvass voters.

This they did with military precision, to the consternation of many civilian PNC activists who were shunted aside. Ex-GDF Captain Mike Archer and Lieutenant Malcolm Harripaul were only two of the officers who returned from the US to mobilise on Granger’s behalf.

The “clear and present” danger this state of affairs presents is occasioned by both Guyana’s history and demographics. Unlike its neighbours in South America, Guyana’s politics have not been dominated by the military - up to now, that is.

In those neighbouring countries, their military had been trained by the US as tools for American influence in what they considered to be “their hemisphere”. The Americans excused their intrusion by defining armies as “modernising forces”, to pull the societies from their “backward” state.

Almost uniformly, however, individuals from the military in these countries, such as Batista in Cuba and Somoza in Nicaragua, quickly overthrew their civilian Governments and ruled as dictators for decades.

Most of the British Caribbean, of which Guyana was administered as a part, had escaped this fate. But with the US’s removal of the PPP and imposition of the PNC Government, Forbes Burnham embarked on a “militarisation of the society”.

As described by Professor Ken Danns, he used the US rationalisation to claim the 1:32 military to civilian ratiohighest in the world - was to introduce “discipline” into the “backward” society for it to “modernise”.

Burnham had explicitly instructed the Army officers, such as David Granger, Commandant of the GDF, that while they had to swear personal fealty to him, their “loyalty” to any future Government was a matter for them to decide.

When Burnham unexpectedly died, he was succeeded by Desmond Hoyte. In one of his first move to solidify his power, Hoyte bypassed David Granger and made Joe Singh, Head of the Guyana National Service, as Chief of Staff of the Disciplined Forces.

Hoyte preempted any Army coup by placing an “Indian” at the head of the African dominated Army and moving the Burnhamite Granger to the ceremonial Defence Board. The checkmated Granger ended his days qualifying himself in history at UG.

In the lead up for “free and fair” elections in 1990, a civilian leader brokering a peaceful transition bluntly asserted that “the Army would not accept the Indian Cheddi Jagan, even if he were to win a majority of the votes”.

With the removal of the PNC regime in 1992, the Army’s position on the PPP/C was unsurprisingly considered tenuous. Since that time, activists such as ACDA’s Tacuma Ogunseye have consistently called for the Army not to obey their orders to keep the peace if African Guyanese rejected a PPP/C victory. With the Opposition now dominated by ex-Disciplined Forces personnel, such exhortations become even more problematic.

The AFC has been focused on derailing development

Dear Editor,

At this juncture it will be fruitful for this nation to carefully scrutinise the achievement of the Alliance For Change in terms of contributing to the social and economic development of this country.

In fact, all their energies have so far been focused on derailing such developmental efforts by the democratically elected PPP/C Government. It is also a fact that nowhere else in the Caribbean has any miniscule Opposition political party worked so tirelessly to achieve what can be seen as a hopeless mirage of power.

This party will never be able to muster enough votes to form a Government and its leaders are keenly aware of that but they are willing to eat the crumbs from their master’s table, the PNC. Firstly, they have led the cutting of all the budgets in Parliament since 2012. These budget cuts are not only unconscionable but anti-developmental as well. The items that were repeatedly cut from these budgets are the very items which the AFC has in their manifesto which they called their “Action Plan”!

This definitely is a misnomer - the “Action Cut” would have been a more appropriate name. Some of these can be found in the “Action Plan” under Hinterland Development, Trade Policy, Renewable Energy, Health

Care System, Tourism, and Educational Policy.

The AFC in the 2014 Budget cut $1.1 billion from the Amerindian Development Fund which could have benefited more than 180 Amerindian Communities. They have voted against the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill.

They have voted against the Amaila Falls Hydro Electricity Project. They have voted against the Capital Expenditure of the Regional and Clinical Services programmes. They have cut the funds for the improvement and expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

They have cut the University of Guyana Student Loan. Then the AFC has been vociferously calling for the closure of the Guyana Sugar Corporation which will directly and indirectly affect the lives of more than 100,000 persons!

Charrandass and Ramayya have done this repeatedly on a television station in Berbice.

The AFC, in its quest to outdo the PNC, supported the violent protests in Linden which resulted in arson of businesses and a school, looting and the beatings and sexual harassment of Indians.

They then embarked in orchestrating a violent protest of their own at Agricola.

Again, Indians were targeted - they were beaten, robbed, sexually molested and abused. How can leaders like Ramjattan and Nagamootoo allow this to happen to Indians in Agricola and then come to Berbice and ask Indians to vote for them?

Do they believe that Indians in Berbice are that stupid? Why did they not agitate for the perpetrators to be brought to justice? Why did they not call for an inquiry to be held if they are not culpable?

All they had done was to deny their involvement. Would Trotman and Hughes have done that to their own people? But the fact is that Nagamootoo had to gain acceptance from the PNC – his nomination as Speaker was rejected by the PNC so he had to prove himself.

The AFC condemned each and everything that the PPP/C Government did. They condemned the One Lap Top per family initiative. They condemned the Old Age Pension increase.

They condemned the $10,000 “Because we care” Grant given to each child. They condemned the poor salaries of Policemen then they condemned the one month salary bonus given to each Policeman and soldier.

They condemned the poor health service and then they cut the Capital Expenditure in the Health Sector. They complained about the high electricity cost and they de-

stroyed the Amaila Falls Hydro Electricity Project. They condemned the Education Sector yet we have topped the CSEC awards. They said that the economic progress of this country is a big lie yet the US Embassy gave out 55,000 Tourists Visas.

They vigorously spoke about corruption in the Government, but refuses to deal with the high degree of corruption within the AFC. They spoke about the immoral behaviour of Government officials, but refused to condemn the lewd and immoral behaviour of some of the Executives of the AFC.

Tthey spoke about accountability yet they cannot account for millions of dollars of donations; They condemned the PPP/C government for acting within the realm of the Constitution yet they failed even to act within the Articles of their Party’s Constitution.

They spoke about democracy and yet they rigged their own elections. They spoke about conflict of interest and they are masters at it. Just ask Nigel and Cathy Hughes! The list goes on. They accused the PPP/C of corruption and are yet to prove that, but on the other hand I have proven my claims about corruption and cronyism and the lack of democracy within the AFC beyond a reasonable doubt!

Indomitable: A lone rower transports a load of coconuts and other items in a heavily laden boat on one of Guyana’s waterways during the Christmas season (Marceano Narine photo)

Jagdeo to lead Commonwealth elections observers to Sri Lanka

Former President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo will lead the Commonwealth Observer Group to Sri Lanka, following a formal invitation from that nation’s Commissioner of Elections, Mahinda Deshapriya.

Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma reiterated the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, to which the Commonwealth is a signatory.

“Genuine democratic elections are an expression of sovereignty, which belongs to the people of a country, the free expression of whose will provides the basis for the authority and legitimacy of Government,” he said.

“Sri Lanka has among the oldest democratic tradi-

tions in the Commonwealth. The people of Sri Lanka should be able to freely exer-

cise their franchise, in an enabling environment marked by transparency, a level playing field, and adherence to the laws and norms that govern a credible and peaceful election. For this, key stakeholders must play their due roles,” added Sharma.

The Group will consider the pre-electoral environment and preparations. On Election Day and thereafter, members will observe the voting process, counting and tabulation procedures, and the announcement of results.

The Group will act impartially and make an independent assessment of the electoral process. It will conduct itself according to the standards expressed in the International Declaration

No country wanted Freddie

Dear Editor, My very good friend Freddie Kissoon has not been nice to Donald Ramotar, Clement Rohee, Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan, other PPP/C stalwarts, and the PPP/C itself. In my current trip to the former East Bloc, I got to understand why Freddie hates the PPP/C and those associated with the party.

Freddie likes freeness, but he was denied free trips and free education in the former East Bloc and in Cuba. He blames Cheddi, Janet and the PPP/C for preventing him from going to study for free in the East Bloc and in Cuba.

Had Freddie gotten to study for free in the East Bloc, he would have loved the PPP/C today, and none of the negative things he has written about Cuba, the PPP/C and the East Bloc would have made the light of day.

But the East Bloc, Cuba and the PPP/C accepted only qualified deserving candidates for scholarships. They accepted candidates for scholarships based on honesty, integrity and decency and factual writings.

Freddie did not make the cut. It is understandable, therefore, why Freddie has had nothing positive to say the socialist countries in spite of the fact that they have provided several Guyanese with higher education.

Freddie was also denied a scholarship to study in India, explaining the reason

why he has had nothing nice to say about India. He is of the view that India should not pursue industrialization strategies or send satellites to space. Had India given him a freebie, Freddie would have been the leading advocate of India and would have had nothing negative to say about Gandhi-ji.

Freddie penned some time ago that anytime Rohee or Ramotar wrote (write) something, he (Freddie) would respond to them deconstructing their positions. Freddie did make numerous responses and he was very nasty to these two towering PPP/C leaders, writing all kinds of lies about them.

Freddie had known Donald and Clement for a very long time since they were all high school peers. Freddie desperately wanted a scholarship to study for free – he was willing to accept any scholarship in the East Bloc. I was told he tried a thing with Cheddie to go to Czechoslovakia.

But Cheddi would not approve it. Instead, Cheddi sent Rohee and Donald to Prague to study and to help edit the World Marxist Review. Cheddie felt these two gentlemen were more qualified.

In looking at their writings, Donald and Rohee are far more qualified than Freddie; they don’t manufacture information like Freddie. The result is Freddie has hated Donald and Rohee for getting the scholarship.

But those chaps were (are) honest and hard working field workers who ground with people. Freddie would not help anyone unless he gets a freebie.

I was told Freddie claimed he was a communist in order to get the scholarship to Prague. But Cheddi and others knew Freddie was an opportunist, and he had done nothing to help build communities the way Donald and Rohee did.

All Freddie had to do was to be honest and inform the Czech Communist Party that he was not a communist and they might have given him a break.

Freddie landed into a similar problem when he was in Grenada. He told the invading Americans he was a capitalist who loves America. But the Americans knew he had come to Grenada to build communism.

Freddie himself confessed that a family member, who had a relationship with Maurice Bishop, sent him to help Cde Maurice (who I met in New York in 1980) to build communism. The Americans unearthed Freddie in Grenada from his hiding and sent him home after the 1983 invasion.

Freddie joined the WPA; he had previously associated with PNC, UF and PPP seeking freeness.

On the East Bloc, I was told that Freddie was also rejected for a scholarship at Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow. And

I was also told he did not make the cut for scholarships in East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria or Hungary – where several Guyanese were granted scholarships and made something of themselves when they returned to Guyana.

Poor Freddie! No country wanted him. Had Freddie been granted a scholarship in Prague, he would have gotten to know Vaclav Havel, the late leader of the Velvet Revolution, who would have taught him how to write proper fiction.

From Prague, he would have gotten to visit Moscow where my friend Rudy Jagopat would have hosted him; Rudy was the Moscow host of Guyanese students visiting from around the East Bloc.

Freddie should proudly tell people he is an opportunist and that he believes in nothing except what will benefit “Freddie”. They would give him a break so he can get freeness in other places besides Guyana.

Vishnu Bisram

of Principles for Election Observation to which Sri Lanka has committed itself.

Upon completion of its assignment, the Group will submit its report to the Commonwealth Secretary General, who will in turn send it to the Government of Sri Lanka, the Commissioner of Elections and the principal political parties, before making it available to all Commonwealth Governments, and eventually releasing it into the public domain.

The nine-member Observer Group will be in Sri Lanka from January 2 to 14, 2015. A five-member team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by Katalaina Sapolu, Director of the Rule of Law Division, will support them.

The Commonwealth Observer Group comprises: Jagdeo (Chair); Maria Chin Abdullah, The Coalition of Free and Fair Elections, Malaysia; Dr Campbell Gordon Calder, former Member of Parliament, New Zealand; Qamar Zaman Kaira, former Minister and Member of Parliament, Pakistan; Eldred De Klerk, rule of law and elections security expert, South Africa; Dr Sally Kosgei, former Minister and Member of Parliament, Kenya; Saadatu Maida, Election Commissioner, Ghana; Brij Bihari Tandon, Former Election Commissioner of India and Lainy Malkani, Media Expert of the United Kingdom.

The AFC has been focused...

The AFC leaders are masters of deception and lies. Until now Ramjattan cannot provide the names of the three APNU members of Parliament who were willing to sell out to the PPP/C Government for $30 million.

They lied about the consequences of the Anti-Money Laundering Bill. They lied about an ex-President’s medical bills. They lied about the infamous Agricola protest. They lied about providing financial statements at the 2014 Conference.

They lied about not being racially divided. They lied about the spending of the $4.5 billion by the Finance Minister and above all they had lied to their AFC supporters and members during the 2011 Elections Campaign that they will never support or form a coalition with the PNC!

There are many more lies which they have peddled in Berbice and I had dealt with these in my earlier letters.

The AFC’s Naagman made a final bid to oust the PPP/C Government when he filed and failed to

pass the now infamous NoConfidence Motion. This would have been the greatest achievement of the AFC to date, but acting constitutionally the President has proven to the AFC neophyte lawyers that they have extremely little knowledge of the Constitutional Laws of Guyana. It is time to reflect on these achievements of the AFC and ensure that they do not achieve their goals of getting the PNC into power once again! This country cannot survive another 28 years of PNC misrule!

Haseef Yusuf AFC Councillor

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo

Page Foundation

“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives, not looking for flaws, but for potential.” -- Ellen Goodman

The celebration of the New Year locally is not really a family holiday. Too often it’s an adults-only event, more focused on alcohol than reflection, no deeper than watching TV waiting for the ball to drop.

But children are actually fascinated by the passage of time, which seems magical to them. They LOVE the idea of a new year, a fresh start, a celebration of life. And every family deserves the regular opportunity to pause and consider their life. Why not celebrate the new year by connecting with your family about the meaning of life?

Some ideas to give your children both roots and wings as they head into the new year: Start the year with love and appreciation Go around the table and have each person in the family say what their favourite things were about the year that’s coming to a close, savouring together the best moments of 2014.

Ask your children what they appreciate about themselves, about each other, and about their lives. Lavish a blizzard of appreciation on yourself and your family for all the things everyone has done right this year, including you. From

that place of self-love, say thank you for all the large and small miracles in your life. Things don’t have to be perfect for you to appreciate how many things are good. Open yourself to receiving more in the coming year. Leave the past behind. If you’re like most people, you’re carrying

Let the children stay up until midnight If that’s a recipe for disaster for little ones the next day, consider changing the clocks to midnight at a more reasonable hour. Toast the New Year with sparkling apple juice in goblets and open the front door to let the good luck in. Take the

tough, and even the momentum of the new year isn’t enough to make up for the lack of a plan. If you don’t know where you’re headed, you’re bound to end up somewhere else.

Start small, and give yourself the support you need to actually keep your resolution. Make a short

some baggage you don’t need, whether it’s clutter, self-judgment, resentment, or exhaustion. Ask everyone in your family if there’s anything they want to leave behind as the year turns. (If your child says “my brother” or “homework” you can respond by empathising

“You are really having a hard time with your brother lately, aren’t you?” – and promising to help them make what seems like a burden into a better part of their life.) Ask each family member to privately write down one thing they want to leave behind. On New Year’s Eve, light a fire in the fireplace, yard or barbecue (or use a candle in a fire-safe pan). Burn your baggage.

children out to blow horns with you in the front yard before tucking them into bed.

Every New Year’s Day, take a family photo. Don’t obsess to make these perfect. Please. That will just stress you out and make your children act their least attractive. These photos are intended to be a slice of life. Frame them and put them on your wall, or into an album. Your children and their friends will love admiring the way everyone has changed over the years— but not as much as you will!

Model healthy change, not failed New Year’s Resolutions. New Year’s Resolutions fail because they’re goals that are

plan to create your desired change, and review it every morning, making adjustments as necessary. The first 30 days, when you’re creating a new habit, are the hardest. You’re actually rewiring your brain, so be patient with yourself.

Instead of “I will stop yelling,” you might start with “I will notice when I’m yelling and close my mouth...To do this, I will ask my family to signal me when I’m raising my voice, and I will commit to turning away and breathing deeply for a few minutes...I will check in daily with my family about whether I am yelling less.”.

May your New Year be filled with blessings, large and small. (Aha Parenting)

Imagine a group of 100 girls. How many think they are beautiful or pretty? Only 41 of them, according to our recent survey of 11,500 girls. What about the other girls? Of the rest, 19 per cent (or 19 out of 100) said they were not pretty, and another 40 per cent said they were not sure. Our survey also found that more than half of girls worry about their weight and say they spend a lot of time thinking about the way they look. Some even said they do this “constantly.” And half (50 per cent) of girls said they usually don’t like the way they look in a selfie.

often don’t feel good about themselves in general. It doesn’t mean you can never have a bad hair day. Of course, that happens. But if you only have negative thoughts and feelings about the way you look, it can wear a girl down. You might not feel very important or valuable. And you are definitely important and valuable.

Here’s what girls can do Here are three helpful steps to take. If you feel pressure to be pretty or thin, talk to someone. Your mom is a good choice. Take great care of

That’s a problem and here’s why: When girls don’t feel attractive, they

yourself by eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep. You’ll feel great! Do your best to feel good (or at least pretty OK) about how you look. Your mom and others who love you can help with this. It’s not about looking magazine-cover beautiful. When you hold yourself to impossible standards, it only tears you down and puts too much focus on being perfect. Instead, like your looks. Then how you look won’t take up so much space in your brain and you can work on other, more interesting stuff.

Like what? Like sports, or art, or school, or music, or volunteering, or reading, or planting a garden, or learning to do computer code. Most girls in our survey agree this is a good idea. A big majority of girls (74 per cent) said they’d choose “being really good at something” over “being pretty and thin”. Exactly!

So put your energy into what you enjoy and want to strive toward. Then, in time, you’ll accomplish a bunch of things and you’ll feel great about you — all you are and all you can become. Beautiful! (kidshealth)

Glenn Lall’s illegal recording: Opposition, media must respect DPP’s ruling – Rohee

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has expressed disappointed over the posture taken by the political Opposition and some sections of the media which have protested the decision of the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the illegal recording of a conversation involving Attorney General Anil Nandlall by Owner/Publisher of Kaieteur News Glenn Lall and Reporter Leonard Gildharie.

The party said however, that while it is disappointed, it is not surprised by the position taken by both the Opposition and some media outfits, particularly the Kaieteur News against the advice offered by the office of the DPP on allegations

against the Attorney General by Lall.

Last Tuesday, the Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ally Hack announced that no criminal charges should be filed against the Attorney General, who has been accused by Lall of having knowledge of an attack on the news entity and its staff members.

The allegation is that the Attorney General had revealed, while in conversation with senior Reporter of Kaieteur News Leonard Gildharie that the entity would come under attack if it continued its assault on Government.

The Attorney General has maintained that he had no such information, and the conversation was never meant for the public.

The DPP in a release to the media said that no evidence was found to support Lall’s accusation. It also advised that for the “threatening language to result in provocation, the threat must be directly communicated to the person to whom it concerns, that is, in his presence and hearing. There is no evidence of this contained in the Police file.”

The release said this is in accordance with Section 141 (a) Chapter 8:02 and is in relation to the speaker using

threatening language with intent to provoke anyone else to commit a breach of the peace, that is, provoking another person to do so.

“The threatening language must be such as is likely to provoke a breach of the peace by anyone else; that is the person to whom the threat is directed,” the release stated.

It was also advised that the offence created in Section 141 (b) Chapter 8:02 is with respect “to the person using abusive, insulting, obscene or profane language to the annoyance of another, that is, such language is used directly to the other person in his presence and annoys him. There is no evidence of this

At a press conference on Monday, General Secretary

of the PPP/C Clement Rohee argued that the DPP had already provided clear and substantial grounds for reaching that decision.

“The party fully supports the advice proffered which is consistent with the views of a significant body of public opinion to the effect that the allegation against the Attorney General was politically motivated and designed to denigrate the AG and the office he holds.”

Persons against this decision, he stressed, must seek to understand and accept the verdict and should desist from the unwanted attacks on the chambers.

“The PPP/C calls on the Opposition party and those media house involved as well as other “fringe” elements to desist from making statements that are designed to attack the professionalism and integrity of public officers.”

He said the attack is yet another attempt to subvert the justice system, whenever a decision taken do not find favour with the highly biased and entrenched position of Opposition elements and sections of the media.

The decision by the DPP Chambers last week had sparked severe criticisms from sections of society, particularly the political Opposition.

Rohee concerned about ‘bloody’ holidays

The several murders occurring over the holiday period have sparked major concerns, with the Home Affairs Ministry seeking the cooperation of all Guyanese to lessen the rising frequency.

Over the holiday period, there were six reported murders with another committed on Monday.

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary Clement Rohee, who is also the Minister of Home Affairs, told reporters on Monday that while more needs to be done, the Guyana Police Force is unable to do it all by itself.

“I personally believe that the Police alone cannot do it. The Police need the help of the Community Police, the Neighbourhood Police, the other non-governmental organisations and faith-based organisations.... All need to be working together to address that matter,” he said at the party’s Robb Street, Georgetown office.

All the murders, Rohee said are reportedly related to domestic issues.

Beginning on December 26, several persons across Guyana lost their lives in gruesome ways. Sunil Naresh Ramsundar, 39, of Patentia, Sideline Dam, West Bank Demerara was stabbed at least four times by a relative at his home af-

ter inquiring about a family squabble.

On the same day, the body of 14-year-old Tiana Raghbeer was found floating in a trench at a village away from her Reliance, East Canje home some 13 hours after she was reported missing.

Family members are of the view that the child’s death might have been an act of retaliation by another family in the village.

Another man, 32-yearold Vibert Benjamin of Good Hope, Essequibo Coast was allegedly stabbed to death in his home on the evening of December 26 by a man suspected to be his wife’s paramour.

On Saturday, 66-year-

old Kingsley Joseph, a remigrant, was found with several chop wounds about his body behind his Third Phase, Wisroc Housing Scheme, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) home. According to a release from the Police, the man was found in some bushes in the vicinity of his home, where he was living alone.

Another man, 26-yearold Jevon Fraser of Golden Fleece, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) was fatally stabbed during an altercation with another man at Konawaruk, Potaro, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

Set ablaze

Also on Sunday, Police reported that a New Amsterdam miner was set ablaze by another in Ikawan, Cuyuni River.

In a statement, Police said a team of ranks has been dispatched to Ikawan to conduct investigations into a report received last Friday, where miner Mikel Huntley of New Amsterdam was involved in an argument with another man during which he was doused with gasoline and set on fire.

Rohee said all these go to show that interpersonal violence remains an issue that needs immediate intervention.

“I would say that it is not a situation to be happy with

Father, son charged for Tuschen triple murder

Joshua Franklyn and his 21-year-old son

Jimmy Franklyn were on Monday jointly charged for the murder of furniture maker Floyd Drakes, 30, who was among the three hacked to death at Tuschen Housing Scheme on December 18.

In addition, Joshua Franklyn was also arraigned with the murder of his nineyear-old step-daughter, Ashley Boodhoo, and his reputed mother-in-law, Bibi Zalina Khan, 55. They were not required to plead to the indictable charges when they were read at the Vreed-enHoop Magistrate’s Court.

Police stated that the joint charge resulted from information received that the both the prime murder suspect and his son worked in collusion to murder Drakes.

Joshua Franklyn is expected to be slapped with additional charges including attempted murder of his reputed wife, Geeta Boodhoo, who remains hospitalised.

from an interpersonal violence point of view. It simply means that much more has to be done,” the Home Affairs Minister said.

Meanwhile, Rohee was asked about his Ministry’s concerns over the image being portrayed of Guyana on the international arena, particularly where crime is concerned.

Rohee said his Ministry and party are obviously concerned and will be taking all necessary steps to alleviate these issues.

A report by the Guyana Police Force at the end of November revealed that there were over 500 robberies.

Questions were also asked about Government’s concerns over the rising number of criminal activities being carried out by officers of the Police Force.

“I saw a report from the Commissioner himself where he said that the Police recruits from the society and once you recruit from the society, there will obviously be in the net recruiting persons who have different objectives and ideals other than the lofty objective of the Police Force,” Rohee replied.

The Minister is expected to give a more authoritative pronouncement at his end-of-year press conference slated for December 31.

On the night of the gruesome murder, the elder Franklyn broke several louver window panes to gain access to the home and started to chop the occupants indiscriminately.

Nine-year-old Ashley was in the bedroom with her five siblings (two of the children are the suspect’s) when she heard the commotion and went to the aid of her mother, but not before instructing her brothers and sisters to hide under a bed.

As she went into the living room area, she was chopped several times by the suspect. In a bid to escape, she ran towards the kitchen

area where she collapsed and later died.

Khan, her grandmother, reportedly died in the living room while Drakes was found next to a toilet in the yard. Boodhoo managed to escaped and hid at a neighbour’s home.

Franklyn went into hiding, but his son was arrested. The cane cutter was later arrested on Boxing Day by Police ranks in the backlands of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo.

Prior to his arrest, he reportedly contacted a newspaper entity claiming that he would not surrender until he killed Boodhoo whom he claimed was unfaithful to him.

In that telephone conversation, he accused his dead reputed mother-in-law of inadvertently killing the nineyear-old after she picked up a cutlass to attack him.

He claimed that he had raised the child since she was one-year-old and questioned the rationale for him wanting her dead.

It was also alleged that the injured woman’s sister was the main problem between him and Boodhoo and he said he would not rest until he got her. He also accused the woman of breaking up the union he shared with his reputed wife.

During the interview, the suspect also claimed that Khan and Drakes, along with Boodhoo, were consuming alcohol and smoking ‘weed’ when he went to the house after receiving a tip-off from a taxi driver. Both men will make their next court appearance on March 11, 2015.

PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee

Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

Murder accused: Joshua Franklyn

GuySuCo surpasses 216,000-tonnes target

The grinding operations at the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) ended on December 24 with the Corporation announcing that it has surpassed its 2014 sugar production target of 216,000 tonnes.

In release, Chief Executive Officer Raj Singh expressed thanks to workers at all levels of the Corporation for their efforts in making the target,

the first year since 2005 the Corporation was able to do so.

However, he cautioned that there is still much to be done to ensure that the Corporation returns to profitability. He expressed the view that the performance of the industry was

encouraging and that most of the key performance indicators were achieved.

In the coming year, more focus and energy will be placed on increasing production, reducing the cost of production, enhancing the mechanisation programme, growing the market base and diversifying its lines of business with new products; particularly valueadded products.

The Corporation, during the current out of crop maintenance will focus on getting the factories ready for production by mid February 2015.

In the coming year, GuySuCo will analyse the effectiveness of the new initiatives that were introduced in 2014, including the use of briquettes for steam generation, bio-fertilisers and legume fallow, among its many other new initiatives.

The first crop production target of 75,000 tonnes was surpassed by some 5000 tonnes, prompting the Corporation to revise the 2014 target and raising hopes that the industry was beginning to turn the corner after a dismal 2013.

Last year, sugar production came in at 186,500 tonnes – the worst performance in 22 years, according to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).

Grinding operations at GuySuCo ended on December 24 with the Corporation announcing that it has surpassed its 2014 sugar production target of 216,000 tonnes

Improving fortune

Guyana has been taking steps to turn the tide of the industry’s fortunes and meet a production target of 300,000 tonnes soon, and is projected to reach its 400,000-tonne goal by 2020.

GuySuCo, however, continues to operate at a loss, even with more than 15 years of billions of dollars in investments. Back in 1995, the Corporation was producing sugar at a relatively high cost; today, the situation remains the same.

From 1995-1996, the cost of production was US$0.23 per pound with the figure dropping to US$0.22 by 1997.

When compared with production costs in Guatemala, the United States, North-East Brazil and India, the cost of producing sugar in Guyana is most unfavourable.

Appearing before the Economic Services Committee back in July, Dr Singh had disclosed that the cost of production stood at US$0.34 per pound of sugar.

Recognising the high cost of production, he assured the Committee that mechanisms were in place in the 2013-2017 Strategic Plan to reduce the figure to US$0.26 per pound.

Singh had said that the industry has a history of poor profitability. With the exception of 2006 and 2007, GuySuCo has operated at a loss for the past 10 years.

After investing approximately $9 billion into the industry in 2005, GuySuCo recorded a profit of $476 million in 2006. In that same year, an additional $12.5 billion was pumped into the industry, leading to a profit of $630 million in 2007.

Arbitrator upholds dismissal of Skeldon worker

By Svetlana MarShall

The Arbitration Tribunal set up to resolve the bitter dispute between the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) over the dismissal of a Skeldon Sugar Estate worker back in September ended with the Arbitrator Mohamed Akeel ruling that the worker would remain dismissed. But GAWU has warned that the decision will not go unchallenged.

At GAWU’s Headquarters on Monday, Akeel ruled that Daniel Stephens will remain dismissed. “… whether the dismissal was justified or not I was not allowed to determine,” he added, while addressing GuySuCo Chief Executive Officer, Dr Rajendra Singh; GAWU President Komal Chand; and Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle among other key officials.

On September 20, Stephens was dismissed following an incident at Skeldon Estate’s Mill Dock involving the Estate Manager Devendra Kumar. But this decision was met with protest actions by workers of the Albion and Rose Hall Estates, who offered their solidarity.

By September 24, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the parties highlighting the Terms of Resumption (ToRs) which brought an end to the strike action. Clause Six of the Terms of Reference stipulated that Stephens’ dismissal be amended to suspension without pay until the end of conciliation or arbitration. By October 21, the parties under the chairmanship of the Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul moved to arbitration. According to the ToRs, the Arbitrator was mandat-

ed to enquire into the disciplinary action taken against Stephens.

According to Akeel, his ruling was in keeping with the Terms of Reference provided. Before the ruling was delivered, it was explained that during the first meeting, both parties agreed to submit “Briefs and Statements” from their respective witnesses.

Interpretation

But when the statements were provided, GuySuCo and GAWU shared different viewpoints on the disciplinary action taken against Stephens. “The Attorney for the Corporation stated that the action was dismissal. The Attorney for the Union stated that the dismissal was changed to suspension and cited the Terms of Resumption and Management’s letter to Stephens dated September 25, 2014,” the Arbitrator explained.

After viewing the documents provided by the Union in its defence, Akeel proposed that the Chief Labour Officer cite his interpretation of the “disciplinary action” taken, but the Corporation objected.

GAWU’s Attorney subsequently requested a decision as to what was the disciplinary action, but according to Akeel, this request “opened up a new can of worms”.

GuySuCo maintained that Stephens was “dismissed, but the letter was amended to get persons back at work”.

“I must say that I should never have been tasked in determining the disciplinary action. The Terms of Reference should have been clear and unambiguous. It seems that the parties, including the Ministry, could not interpret the Terms of Resumption they deliberated on, agreed to and signed and took the easy way out,” the Arbitrator contended.

Nevertheless, in a quest to make a ruling, the Arbitrator returned to the statements provided by both parties.

“At page 10 I found the words ‘the Corporation holds the firm view that this tribunal will concur with the Corporation’s decision and make an award that would not disturb the summary of Mr Daniel Stephens,” he said while alluding to the document provided by GuySuCo.

“I then turned to the Union’s brief. I searched, but could find no reference to suspension. The Union continually spoke of disciplinary action, but did not say what that action was,” he added.

It was further explained that the main plank of the Union was the principle of natural justice. The Union maintained the view that the Corporation acted in breach of

its Disciplinary Code which is the embodiment of the rules of natural justice, thereby making the penalty imposed on Stephens null and void.

“It is clear, therefore, that the Union was treating with dismissal and not suspension since its case was premised on Management’s failure to observe the principle of natural justice when it took disciplinary action, which action as dismissal, against Mr Stephen and did not address the issue of suspension which it should have done, had it accepted that suspension was the penalty,” Akeel said in his ruling.

GuySuCo’s CEO said the Corporation would first review the ruling before making a ruling. GAWU on the other hand signalled its dissatisfaction. “We felt that the aggrieved worker was dismissed and the ruling was rather strange…,” Chand said. He maintained the Union’s position that GuySuCo was unambiguous in its letter to Stephens when it stated that the dismissal would have been amended to a suspension. “There is a vast difference between suspension and dismissal, so how come, there could be a conclusion that this aggrieved worker remains dismissed.” He added, “This ruling has a lot of implications, but we will study it carefully.”

Eyew tness

Getting it wrong...

...with the Constitution

The PNC/APNU inveterate apologist-scribbler who hides under the name (skirt?) of Ms Maxwell had to come up for air. She admitted that in her long and contentious cavilling with Lincoln Lewis about the Guyana Constitution, she’d been quoting the pre-2000 version!! She pleaded it was all a “mistake”. Suuuuure!!! Can you imagine the barefacedness this wanker??

Lewis had been making the point that Constitutions aren’t like underwear, which you can (or should) change every day. Sure changes can be made to accommodate shifts in the power distribution scheme immanent in Constitutions. But not with every passing irritation, right??

Ms Maxwell and the rest of the Opposition posit a “problem” with the powers of the Presidency. But that’s the same complaint they made after they mashed up the country following the 1997 elections. They demanded “constitutional change” by holding the country hostage to their violent street protests and wanton arson.

If peace is declared after wars at “the end of a gun”, constitutional change in Guyana was demanded and achieved at the end of a broken bottle held at the neck of the PPP/C by the PNC and their thugs.

In 1999, a bi-partisan “Committee on Constitutional Reform” was established to the satisfaction of the PNC and after hearings all over the country for six months - 171 recommendations were made to the National Assembly. These were UNANIMOUSLY accepted and approved and subsequently signed into law in 2000 by the President.

And guess which category of powers had the most recommendations for change?? The PRESIDENCY, that’s what!! The Opposition gloated that they’d “de-gutted” the powers of the Presidency, while buttressing the powers of the Parliament. The four Sectoral Committees were their crowning achievement: the Government couldn’t even let out a silent fart without having it examined by one or the other Sectoral Committee.

So when Ms Maxwell, quotes from the pre-2000 Constitution, she goddamn well knows what she’s doing. “Disingenuous” doesn’t describe the half of it. But their present demands for “constitutional change” have at least done one good thing - it’s tipped all of us as to their goal: just to get power.

Every other day, they come up with a different enumeration of what specific change they want. Kind of like the “flavour of the day” some ice cream parlours promote. If it’s Tuesday, it must be be changes for “shared governance”. Wednesday?? Hey!! That’s “reduction of the President’s powers day”!!! But every day it’s really “depose PPP/C day”!!

...on hypocrisy

Do you remember the schoolyard retort when kids used to tease each other back in the day - “it takes one to know one”??!! Well, that’s what immediately came to your humble Eyewitness’ mind when he saw Carl Greenidge calling the DPP “hypocritical”. Who better than Carl Greenidge to know what hypocrisy’s all about??

But then it does appear that Greenidge’s senility is advancing even faster that was previously diagnosed.

We’re not even going to go into the “false equivalence” he made on the charge brought by Glenn Lall against the AG and that the state had brought against Major Monroe for treason. All we’ll say is Greenidge isn’t only an accomplished dunce in economics - he’s surpassed himself in law!!

Greenidge’s colossal hypocrisy is exhibited for all to see in Glenn Lall’s blackmail for him to deliver a quote on Lall’s present challenge: how to distract the public from the tax audit the GRA’s going to use to put him away for the next 20 years!!!

The previous day, “Dem Boys Seh” had cussed out Greenidge as a “sell out” to the PPP/C!!! Next dayGreenidge’s hypocritical hypocrisy changes!!

...on gasoline

This Eyewitness really believes the Government missed a beat when they didn’t pass on the savings from collapsed world oil prices to the Guyanese consumer. Forget the stimulus to the economy...what about the elections ahead??

GuySuCo Chief Executive Officer, Dr Rajendra Singh

The Arbitrator Mohamed Akeel delivering his ruling at GAWU’s Headquarters in the presence of the Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle and other officials

Aviators stumped by missing ASL plane

... bad weather forces early end to day 2 of search

BY BHISHAM MOHAMED

Prominent aviator, Captain Gerry Gouveia said that the disappearance of the Air Services Limited aircraft on Sunday is baffling despite acknowledging that the area the plane was operating in is one of the most hostile jungle and mountainous areas in Guyana.

A search and rescue team worked valiantly for the better part of Monday to locate the plane and its occupants – Pilot, Nicky Persaud, age 27, and Cargo Loader, David Bisnauth, 51, but the team was forced to abandon the search due to bad weather.

In an official statement, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said the search and rescue teams triangulated a search area approximately 20 miles West and South of Mahdia on Monday for the missing Britten Norman Islander aircraft, bearing registration number 8R-GHE which disappeared on Sunday.

The expanse of dense jungle is within the area of interest as determined by map terrain information and aircraft sighting while taking into consideration the last known position of the aircraft.

According to the GCAA, the mountainous area – up to 700 metres high – was flown over including Echerak and North Fork in search for Persaud, who has 8000 flying hours and vast experience operating in this area; and Bisnauth who was also onboard the aircraft when contact was lost.

The twin-engine aircraft’s last known position via “Spot Tracker” was 3.8 nautical miles South of Mahdia – a mere two minutes after it departed Mahdia airstrip. The aircraft was expected to reach Karisparu at midday. Weather conditions enroute to Karisparu, an Amerindian community, was reported as ‘bad’ at the time of the flight.

“Regrettably, the second day of search yielded no sightings of the aircraft. Eleven hours and 24 minutes were accumulated by

search aircraft on this second day, bringing the total search hours flown to 18 hours and four minutes.”

According to the statement, included in the Monday’s search were two fixed wing aircraft and three rotor wing aircraft including one Guyana Defence Force (GDF) helicopter. GCAA investigators and GDF Special Forces remain on standby in Mahdia for possible extraction. Medical personnel are also on standby at Mahdia District Hospital and the Georgetown Public Hospital (GHPC).

“All aspects of the operation are being coordinated from the Rescue Coordination Centre at the Timehri Control Tower. Present are officials from the Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Health, GCAA, CJIA, GDF Air Corps, Air Services Ltd and the Guyana Police Force,” the statement read. Mahdia is a hub for operations into locations in the escarpment. This flight was taking supplies to Karisparu. The operation will recommence today.

Meanwhile, Director General of the GCAA Zulfikar Mohamed also told Guyana Times that the officers of the Special Forces have now narrowed down the search to three areas between Mahdia where the plane took off and Karisparu, its intended location.

Mohamed stated that once the teams return to the rescue coordination centre at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), a proper assessment of the rescue operation will be done and recommendations made for follow-up searches.

Nevertheless, the GCAA head stated that they have been in constant contact with the relatives of Nicky Persaud and David Bisnauth. The wife of the missing pilot is expected to arrive in Guyana, shortly. Another source told Guyana Times that the team is exploring the possibility that the aircraft might have been overloaded when it took off from Mahdia.

They are also looking at

several other factors including the failure of the pilot to call in ‘May Day’ which is a distressed call which can be easily picked up by aircraft around the area. At this point in time, there is no report of such a call being received.

According to reports, the Timehri Control Tower lost communication with the Cessna Britten Norman Islander that was operating a flight between Mahdia and Karisparu, Region Eight. Based on records, the aircraft took off from Mahdia at about 11:42h on Sunday on a routine local cargo flight and the last known position was spot tracker at 11:44h.

In addition, at 16:20h Timehri Air Traffic Control Tower made contact with the aircraft operator to establish whether the aircraft landed before implementing a search and rescue operation.

After no information was received, the Air Traffic control commenced an ‘Alert Phase’ and the rescue coordination centre at Cheddi Jagan International Airport was activated. In the meantime, two air services Cessna 208 Caravan flying within the area were vectored to commence a search operation.

Stumped

Meanwhile, writing on his facebook page, Gouveia an experienced pilot said that the Jungle pilots of Guyana that fly across “our skies everyday are highly trained and professional individuals who are trained and rechecked by senior check pilots every six months as well as having to undergo a medical check-up every six months.”

He said that the planes are also maintained to the highest standards by maintenance engineers who are trained to the highest professional standards. “All of our planes are equipped with modern Emergency Locator Transmitter ELT systems as well as the Spot Tracking GPS system, Gouveia assured, adding that the pilots navigate using the latest GPS devices.

However, he said the

3

arrested after foiled abduction at Diamond

disappearance of the ASL, Cessna Britten Norman Islander 8R-GHE aircraft is baffling “notwithstanding the area it was operating being one of the most hostile jungle and mountainous areas in Guyana.” Gouveia said this is the worst possible area to operate regularly, must less having to conduct a search and rescue operation.

News of the missing Highlander joins a list of several other aircraft that have crashed in the interior region this year.

Only in September last, a Cessna 206 aircraft belonging to the GDF crashed at Camp Jaguar after it ran off the airstrip. Two months earlier in July, a Britten Norman Islander plane crashed while landing at the Monkey Mountain airstrip in the interior.

Also in March of this year, without any fatalities, another aircraft with three on board crashed after takeoff from an airstrip at the remote interior mining location of Arau.

In early January, a Canadian Pilot Blake Slater and Guyanese Cargo Handler Dwayne Jacobs lost their lives after the plane they were travelling in crashed at Mazaruni.

Three men were arrested after they attempted to abduct a Diamond, East Bank Demerara woman following a drug deal that went sour.

Based on information received, the three men went to the home of the woman accusing her of squealing on them in relation to a shipment of drugs that were destined for the United Kingdom.

The drugs were reportedly seized by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit

(CANU) in Diamond a few months back.

At the home of the woman, the men reportedly discharged a round forcing her to enter a car after which they drove from the scene. The Police were contacted and the car was intercepted at North Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

During the successful operation, the Police recovered a 9mm pistol and one matching round. The three men and the woman are in Police custody assisting with the investigation.

2 held in Sophia after Sheriff Street robbery, high-speed chase

The brother of notorious criminal Shawn Browne who was on Police radar for quite a while now was apprehended by Police in Sophia, Greater Georgetown on Monday morning following a high-speed chase. He, along with an accomplice, was arrested moments after he committed a robbery on Sheriff Street.

After the robbery, Police reportedly responded promptly and gave chase behind the two men who were in a Toyota

Raum motor car registered to a Veronica Nobel of Republic Park, East Bank Demerara.

During the high-speed chase, the driver of the car lost control and crashed into a nearby trench. In a bid to escape, the men ran into a year, but were cornered by the Police.

The Police recovered a computer that was reportedly taken during the robbery. It is believed that a third bandit is on the run. Charges are expected to be laid shortly.

Missing Pilot Nicky Persaud

Selection of PM candidate not a priority – PPP/C

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)

General Secretary Clement Rohee has said that the revelation of the name of the Prime Ministerial Candidate for the party was not a constitutional mandate and was not a top priority at this time.

In fact, having a running mate for the President for the upcoming general and regional elections is nowhere in the party’s constitution.

The Party’s general secretary over time has had to respond to enquiries from the media at several of his press briefings about the identity of the Prime Ministerial Candidate for the PPP, more particularly after President Donald Ramotar had declared that Regional and General Elections could be held by the end of the first quarter of 2015.

PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee

But at his most recent press briefing on Monday, the GS told reporters that having a Prime Ministerial Candidate was not something that must be had. “I have said this before that when the time comes, I will announce. It is not constitutional to have a Prime Ministerial Candidate or a running mate for the

President; those things are not in our constitution. It is not something that you have to do in fulfilment of your elections obligations. It is just a culture that has been developed for some people. Some may look forward for the naming of this person, but this will happen when the time comes.”

“Wait and see”

“I said before that we will not allow ourselves to be media driven on these matters. Let’s wait and see. The party takes its time in these matters because whatever decision it makes, it will have to live with. And so decision making at the leadership level has to be taken very seriously.”

While there have been hints that two PPP Members of Parliament (MPs) have been singled out to run with the Head of State, this was never confirmed by the

Party’s General Secretary. Sources say that Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and junior Finance Minister Bishop Juan Edghill are the proposed candidates. Rodrigues-Birkett has, however, already denied knowledge of such a plan, declaring that she was settled and comfortable in her portfolio. “I don’t know…. We haven’t gotten to that level. Things happen on a daily basis; those kinds of decisions are not the ones you make by yourself, you have to think about a lot of things … right now I am having a good time running the Foreign Ministry and I must say I have a team of very good people working here, and it is a real pleasure representing this country called Guyana. I have never sought anything else in all of my various portfolios,” she had told reporters last week.

Police hunt man who doused miner with gasoline

Police are looking for a man who they believe caused the death of a miner who died 14 hours after being doused with gasoline at Ikawan, Cuyuni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni).

Dead is Huntley Mickle, age 41, of Mount Sinai, New Amsterdam. Reports are that around 11:25h on

Boxing Day, Mickle was in the presence of friends when a man with whom he had an argument earlier in the day came up from behind and emptied a container containing gasoline on him. At the time, Mickle was sitting next to a flambeau (bottle lamp) and was also smoking a cigarette. Meanwhile, reports

reaching Guyana Times indicate that during Boxing Day, a group of friends were imbibing at a shop in Cuyuni when an argument broke out between Mickle and a man whom the Police are seeking. During the argument, it is being alleged that the suspect told Mickle that he was going to come back for him. It is also being

alleged that he made threats to other persons.

Reports also suggest that the suspect was at the scene for some time after dousing Mickle with gasoline. According to one eyewitness, Mickla Jones, after the gasoline was thrown, the flames from the lamp exploded as it caught onto Huntley and the bench on which he was sitting. Amid screams, the father of two rushed towards the river which was nearby. Jones told this publication said she got a blanket and rushed to Mickle who was covered with flames and was able to extinguish the fire.

Mickle is said to have been working with a man named Kuame Liverpool and was overlooking his gold mining operations for several months. However two weeks ago, a group of Brazilians who allegedly have legal claim to mine in the area, forced Liverpool to close down his operations and move. Mickle stayed in the area. According to Jones, Mickle was not being paid by Liverpool. She said after the issue with the Brazilians she told him that he could stay at her place. “Over the past

Freedie bag buss again

Some people in life ain’t got no shame. Old people seh dem kinda people is bare face people. And old people always right. Well, Freedie de man kisser is just one of dem. De man kisser does get upset when people call he man kisser. Yet he still keep on givin plenty men plenty kissies.

And Freedie does call de great Mahatma Ghandi a name whah describe de man kisser much much better. Fuh some reason, Freedie shame to admit whah he really is. But de same ting whah he don’t admit is whah people who know de man kisser know he to be.

But some body seh Freedie turn more of a a** kisser nowadays. By de time de week done, is a lotta dem Freedie does got to kiss. One of dem is a real big one who own a paper. That one alone is a lot to kiss. Freedie musbe does get tired by de time he done kiss such a big one.

But that never bother de man kisser. Freedie know that even when he want lil freeness, some wuk does come wid it.

A letter writer who Freedie hate wid a passion expose de man kisser de other day. As a man who like freebies, it look like Freedie wicked ways well known all over de place in and outta Guyana. Just when yuh thought Freedie does keep he wickedness at home only, de letter writer come and buss de man kisser bag.

One time Freedie got problems wid de man poll, next time de man kisser got problems wid de man he self, and another time he got problems wid whah ever de man do.

Now Freedie must know that de man is a Ram. So de man kisser most likely see Ram as another one fuh some kissies. It mightn’ be long before he try a ting. So Ram had better look out.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! At this stage, not even God can help Freedie.

two weeks he was operating two three-inch pumps,” the woman said. She further related that the now dead man was in search of gold.

Mickle left New Amsterdam in May 2013 in search for gold and had not returned home since. According to his daughter Stacy Mickle, she had not seen her father for the past 17 months. “He left just before his first grand child was born and never came back since then. He sent money for me once to buy things for the baby just after he went in.”

She said that they had not spoken to each other since he left for the interior but he was expected home soon. According to the young woman, last December when her grandmother had returned from the USA, she was expecting to see her father but he remained in the interior. She received the news of his demise on Saturday and was in disbelief. Her friends said that she was smiling, thinking that it was a prank being

pulled on her.

However Jones, who had taken pictures of the burning man, sent the pictures to the now dead man’s daughter, forcing her to accept to news she had received hours before. “I wanted my father to see his grandchild but he left just before she was born,” the distraught daughter said.

Mickle is said to have communicated recently with his mother who is currently in Guyana for the Christmas holidays. “He spoke to her on Christmas Day and promised to come out for the New Year,” his daughter told Guyana Times Jones related the same information and said that Mickle did not have money to make the trip, adding that “I told him that I was going out on the third (January 3) and that he could come with me. I know he didn’t have money but it is his mother he going to see,” the woman said in a telephone conversation. Mickle leaves to mourn his two children and one grandchild.

Dead: Huntley Mickle

APNU accused of practising voodoo Mathematics

– trying to confuse farmers, says Dr Ramsammy

Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy has rapped the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) for statements made on the rice industry, contending the “propaganda” of the coalition is fashioned “to create confusion in the industry”.

APNU on Sunday in a press statement said the announcement by Dr Ramsammy that Government is advancing $2.1 billion to millers to make early payments to cash-starved rice farmers is deliberately intended to mislead the Guyanese public and divert attention from the pressures facing the farmers on a daily basis.

However, the Minister said the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) which now controls APNU has no ground to make the claim, pointing out that it was responsible for the destruction of the rice industry when it was in power.

“APNU did not acknowledge and congratulate the industry, particularly the farmers, for attaining a milestone that many Opposition members once proclaimed as impossible – achieving a production of more than 633,000 tonnes of rice equivalent for 2014. This production is more than 20 per cent above last year’s production and more than 20 per cent also above the 2014 target,” said.

The coalition in a statement had said if the farmers have delivered 600,000 tonnes of rice to the millers, valued at $42 billion, then the paddy price must have been $4400 per bag. However, the reality is that farmers are being paid discriminatory prices, ranging from $3250 to friends and between $2800 -$1900 per bag to others, APNU claimed.

It said rice farmers know that their paddy price was cut in halve from $6000 to $3000 since the Government

took control of paddy delivery under the very lucrative Venezuela deal originally initiated by Dr Turhane Doerga.

According to APNU, the very lucrative prices are being received from the Venezuelan deal while low paddy prices are being paid to the farmers to enable the Government to reap super profits.

The coalition also contended that in the 2007-2008 boom, rice farmers massively invested in the industry because the paddy price was reaching the $7000 per bag level. However, it said, the Government-to-Government arrangement with the Venezuelans has enabled the ruling Administration to finally succeed in its objective to reduce the price paid to the rice farmers while benefiting some through discriminatory prices.

“What he means when he refers to the delivery of packaged rice and where the packaging is being undertaken? Why the private sector is being prevented from developing and marketing specialty rice cereals?” APNU asked.

Wrong calculations

But Dr Ramsammy said APNU in disputing the Ministry’s assertion that farmers sold above $42 billion in paddy sales in 2014, used the production figure of above 600,000 tonnes of rice to calculate paddy sales and come up with an average price per bag that is based on voodoo mathematics.

“The truth is that while the rice production was slightly more than 634,000 tonnes, paddy production was greater than 972,000 tonnes or more than 15 million bags of paddy.

“Had the average price for a bag of paddy be $4400 as APNU claimed, it should have been for an income of above $40 billion, the actual income would have been more than $64 billion. This

is why they ought to stay out of the industry. They have no knowledge about the industry and they simply play politics with the lives of rice farmers,” he said.

Dr Ramsammy said the Government has been facilitating the rice industry, which is totally private sector. Paddy production and rice milling are totally private sector, he stressed, noting that the Government cultivates no rice lands, other than those at the research centre which is used for seed paddy production and research.

The Minister said part of the facilitation of the industry has been to promote value-added, noting that the private sector was and remains free to develop any aspect of the value-added rice products.

Would welcome

“We would welcome the private sector becoming engaged in rice cereal production or in any other valueadded rice products. The production research was done at Government cost, as part of our facilitation. The Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Tourism and Commerce and the IAST (Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) collaborated with technical support from Trent University in Canada to establish the production capacity for rice cereal.

“The private sector is welcome to invest in this new component of the rice industry. As a Government, we decided to fast-track the investment in the rice cereal production in Essequibo to add another market for the rice farmers of that region. Once this factory is operational, with professional staff, we hope that the rice farmers can come together in a cooperative to own the new business. This project, in fact, facilitates the private sector to establish another SME [Small

Unemployed man remanded for robbery under arms

A20-year-old unemployed man of Central Amelia’s Ward, McKenzie, Linden, was remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on a robbery under arms charge.

Jamakie Brummell pleaded not guilty to the charge, which alleged that on December 25 at Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden, being armed with a knife, he robbed a 15-year-old of a white Samsung phablet and $10,000 in cash.

Police Prosecutor, Michael Grant told the court that on the day in question, around 20:30h, the Virtual Complainant

(VC) was sent to a shop by her mother, when Brummell confronted her, placed the knife to her neck and took away the phablet and cash.

The Prosecutor indicated to the court that this is not the first time Brummell is being charged with an offence of this nature, as he was previously convicted for a similar offence.

The accused told the court he was never charged before. Bail was refused and the matter was transferred to the Linden Magistrate’s Court for January 6, 2015.

Manufacturing Enterprise] with Government’s facilitation.

“They question the packaging of rice in Guyana. All the rice sold to Panama is in the form of packaged rice. In addition, small amount of packaged rice have been sold to other countries in the Caribbean, Europe and North America.

“As part of our facilitation to improve efficiency and yield and to reduce cost of production overall in the industry, we made available experts from TERI to work

with millers to reduce electricity cost. Through this facilitation, proposals for installing gasification technology in rice factories have been made. At least one miller has already invested in equipment and the gasification equipment will be installed in that rice factory in the first quarter of 2015. We have already identified that the miller is from the Essequibo Coast and that he has invested his own resources, outside of the technical support which is available to all millers,” the

Minister said.

The Guyana-Venezuela deal, Dr Ramsammy explained is a bilateral cooperation programme that was worked out between former Presidents Bharat Jagdeo of Guyana and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela

“Mr T Doerga continues to misinform APNU, but cannot misinform the rice farmers. Venezuela was importing rice for decades, but Guyana never sold any meaningful amount of rice and paddy to Venezuela before the Jagdeo-Chavez agreement and PetroCaribe arrangements.

“APNU exposed themselves when they mentioned Mr Doerga. They gave Mr Doerga a golden spoon in 1989/90 when they handed over all the Governmentowned mills to him. Where are these mills today? They should explain why almost 200 rice farmers who sold paddy to Quality Rice Coop were not paid. Government intervened through the GRDB [Guyana Rice Development Board]. But this means that someone owes the Government more than $200 million, which the Government made available to the farmers of Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara).

Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

Jamakie Brummell

12 News

tuesDAY, December 30, 2014 | guYAnAtimesgY.com

Sophia woman beaten to death, dumped in canal

The lifeless body of a mother of four was on Monday morning fished out of the Blacka Canal, B Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

The woman identified as Natasha Ann Jacobs, 35, of B Field Sophia is suspected to have been beaten and thrown overboard.

The discovery was made about 06:15h by persons in the area who went to take a bath. The woman’s face was battered and

were not sure who the person was.

A few minutes later, one of the woman’s cousins arrived at the scene and positively identified the woman’s remains.

Soon after the woman’s brother arrived at the scene in haste, jumped into the canal and pulled the body to land.

Initially, there were reports that the woman might have drowned, but after the body came to land, it appeared that she was beaten to death.

One man told Guyana Times that he went to swim and stumble upon the body and raised an alarm. He noted that at the time, he was not sure whose body it was and waited on the Police to arrive on the scene.

The man added that as the Police arrived, they too were reluctant to pull the body from the water.

Disbelief

The woman’s mother, who was sitting in front of a shop in disbelief, stated that her daughter went

there were other marks of violence about her body.

A man suspected to be the woman’s paramour was held by relatives of the dead woman, and from reports, he was given a sound trashing.

“Kirby” (only name given), as he is popularly known, was last seen with the woman on Saturday afternoon at his house consuming alcohol.

At the scene on Monday morning, scores of people flocked the area to get a glimpse of the dead woman whose body was found afloat.

Persons around were reluctant to take the body out of the canal since they

a regular basis.

He admitted that Natasha was a patient at Dr Bhiro Harry’s Clinic at the Georgetown Public Hospital and she normally walks aimlessly around the area.

He went on to day that his daughter lived with the alleged murder suspect in the area and was not sure what went wrong.

The woman’s dead brother also stated that he last saw his sister on Saturday. In anger, he enquired about her paramour and went in search of him.

The suspect was taken from his house by angry relatives and villagers who dealt him several blows about the body.

As he was being beaten, he cried out that he knew nothing of the woman’s demise. Guyana Times understands that the woman would normally go to the man’s house to seek boarding when she was drunk.

Some residents claimed that the man is known for drinking, but does not appear to be someone who can harm anyone.

The woman’s body was taken to the Lyken’s Funeral Home and is awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Jacobs leaves to mourn her four children, parents and several siblings.

The Police are continuing their investigations.

Anna Regina municipal workers continue protest over late pay

Workers attached to the Anna Regina Town Council again return to the streets after they took industrial action a few days ago for their December salary and other payments.

The workers on Monday continued their quest for a discussion on monies owed to them and a proper explanation as to why they are not paid promptly.

They are requesting an audience with Local Government and Regional Development Minister Norman Whittaker.

The workers have downed tools since December 20, refusing to work and instead stood quietly at the road corner in front of the Anna

Regina Town Council holding placards.

They were supported by members of the Guyana Public Service Union as they demand monies owed to them since 2012, their December salary and retroactive and leave passage payments.

According to Town Clerk Diane Chritchlow, salaries for December are available for the workers.

However, the Town Clerk said she is still awaiting approval from the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry as it relates to the other payments to the workers.

The 32 employees on strike include market constables, sanitation workers

and guards. Their placards read, “We need an answer today! No money no work!”, “The injustice must stop!”, “We need to talk to all Councillors and Minister of Local Government” and “We need better working condition, better wages and salaries”.

The protesters are contending that no Governmental officials has met or made efforts to meet with them since they took industrial action.

The Anna Regina workers went on strike weeks after the municipal officers in Georgetown took industrial action, demanding a five per cent salary increase. That hike was subsequently approved by City Hall.

GTA thanks sponsors, partners for support in 2014

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) is expressing heartfelt thanks to their partners in development and corporate sponsors for their unwavering support in the promotion and development of tourism in Guyana.

missing on December 27 and they have been searching for her ever since, but to no avail.

The grieving mother added that she woke up early on Monday morning and continued the search, and as she reached the Blacka, she saw a group of people and thought that something was amiss.

As she went closer, she saw the body in the water but it was difficult at the time to identify the woman.

The dead woman’s father Colin Jacobs told Guyana Times that his daughter would normally stay at West Ruimveldt, but would visit Sophia on

As the season of goodwill, hope and cheer winds down, the GTA said this year’s activities would not have been possible without the support of Old Fort Tours and Angellina’s Travel Service, Global Marketing Agency, Wilderness Explorers, Green Ice Taxi Service, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), M&M Snackette, the management of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Moleson Creek Ferry Crossing and Ogle International Airport.

The GTA in a release said the annual “Christmas Welcome” has now become a holiday tradition, and has been extended to other major ports of entry, including the Ogle International Airport and Moleson Creek.

Hundreds of incoming

passengers are treated every year at this time with holiday music, refreshments and sweet treats, among others.

Over the last few days, several “Christmas Welcomes” have been staged; visitors arriving at Moleson Creek were greet-

ed by a team giving sweet treats on Sunday.

Hundreds of passengers were also welcomed in this fashion on Monday at the CJIA and Ogle International Airport and hundreds more were welcomed in grandstyle at the CJIA on Tuesday morning.

“We would like to extend warm holiday greetings to everyone, and a heartfelt thank you, particularly our sponsors and supporters who have worked with us to ensure that similar such activities are conducted for all major holidays throughout the year,” GTA Director Indranauth Haralsingh said.

He noted too that these events provide an opportunity for visitors to get a first hand glimpse at aspects of the local culture and also offer a chance to create a lasting first impression.

As the year draws to close, preparations are underway for the grand celebrations next year as the Tourism Ministry hosts “Guyana Homecoming 2015”.

Anna Regina Town Council workers on strike on Monday

An arriving passenger at the Ogle International Airport receiving a pleasant Guyanese welcome

Dead: Natasha Ann Jacobs

“Kirby” (in yellow trousers)

tuesDAY, December 30, 2014 | guYAnAtimesgY.com

Improved Linden-Lethem road a boost to eco-tourism

– acting Tourism Minister

Acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister

Irfaan Ali is anticipating significant growth in the tourism sector as a result of the improved LindenLethem Road.

He explained to Guyana Times that the roadway, which serves as the main access point to Lethem, is a central link for the tourism sector.

“The efficient movement of persons in a timely manner along the roadway will encourage investments along the roadway and in the Rupununi, especially in the building of eco-lodges,” Minister Ali explained.

Following the completion of phase one of the rehabilitation of the roadway, residents residing in Lethem and its environs expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done.

Public Works Minister Robeson Been had also stated that the rehabilitation of the Linden-Lethem Road was done under the Hinterland Roads Programme.

Ali said that the rehabilitation of the road cre-

ates scope for better marketing of eco-lodges. He explained that the idea of being able to access ecolodges at a convenient point in time, while enjoying a much more comfortable journey will increase the chances of tourists travelling to the Rupununi.

“This is a major boost and that is why we continue to press for investments to better the road,” Ali stated.

Commuters and minibus drivers who work the Lethem route also expressed satisfaction with the improvement.

One bus driver Jules Fredericks lamented the significant amount of time saved in the journey to Lethem. He explained that prior to the rehabilitation of the road; it took buses approximately 18 hours to travel to Lethem. But now, it takes a mere 10 hours, Fredericks said.

This vast positive change, Fredericks said has created more competiveness among the Lethem buses services.

However, some persons were not so optimistic.

Head of the Rupununi

Alleged chain snatcher to spend New Year's behind bars

Jamal Letlow, 20, of Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was remanded to prison after being arraigned on a simple larceny charge. The defendant appeared before Magistrate Annette Singh at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday morning.

It was alleged that on December 14 at High Street, Georgetown, he stole one gold chain valued $25,000 from Sheneza Ramzan to which he pleaded not guilty.

Chamber of Commerce

Daniel Gadjie believes that upon the onset of the rainy season, the roadway will go back to its previously muddy state.

He was adamant that if the road is not asphalted; it will never be an all season road. Over the years, the roadway had been continually threatened by rainfall and was even closed to traffic for periods of times.

But Minister Ali told this publication that he believes the road is destined to be an all season

road based on the continuous maintenance plan outlined by the Public Works Ministry.

In phase two of the works to be done on the Linden-Lethem Road, more than two dozen concrete culverts are scheduled to be constructed.

Demerara Timbers Limited, Matallica, Mekdeci Machinery and Construction, JR Ranch Company and V Dalip Enterprise are the companies scheduled to execute phase two of the project.

The court heard that on the day in question, Ramzan and her sister boarded a bus at Stabroek Market. Ramzan was sitting at the window in the bus when Letlow entered the bus and sat beside her.

As the bus stopped at High Street, Letlow snatched the chain and ran. A passerby raised an alarm and Police in the vicinity gave chase. The Police fired a bullet at the defendant, hitting him in the left thigh.

He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was treated for his wounds and later arrested and charged for the offence. His sister told the court that Letlow still has three bullet wounds in his leg and is willing to repay the money.

Police Prosecutor, Adoni Innis objected to bail citing the nature, gravity and prevalence of the offence. The Magistrate upheld the prosecution’s objections and remanded the defendant until January 13, 2015 when his trial is said to begin.

Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali

Jamal Letlow

Regional

Armed bandits rob 300 tourists on Venezuela beach

Just days after Venezuela’s Tourism Minister announced a plan to attract more tourists to the country, a group of seven armed bandits robbed some 300 people relaxing on a Caribbean beach in eastern Venezuela.

The attack took place around noon on Friday at Arapito Isla Beach.

Local media reported that, according to the victims, the assailants landed on the beach in a boat whose motor wouldn’t start when they tried to leave, so they stole a fisherman’s boat for their getaway.

Arapito Isla Beach

The daily El Tiempo in nearby Puerto La Cruz said the robbers hid their faces with ski masks and “carried R-15 (military) rifles.” “They started shooting in the air,” then ordered “all their victims to keep calm because otherwise blood would be spilled.”

“One of the bandits ordered the tourists to open their purses and hand over all their belongings, while the others kept their victims at gunpoint,” the newspaper said.

The Bahamas denies keeping migrants herded like "cattle"

Bahamian authorities have described as a “false and malicious construction of events,” a photo showing a number of migrants being herded into a cage like “cattle”.

The Department of Immigration said it had taken note of the photo of migrants being held at Exuma and circulated on social media sites.

“The construction being given to this photo by those who are seeking to sabotage the policy of the Department is that somehow the migrants were being mistreated and being held in inhumane conditions.

That is a false and malicious construction of events. The photo and comments appear designed to defame

the Department.” President of the Grand Bahamas Human Rights Association (GBHRA), Fred Smith, said that since the launch of the Government’s immigration policy on November 1, Foreign Affairs and Immigration Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell has insisted that the authorities do not treat illegal migrants as “cattle”.

He said in light of the recently-surfaced image showing suspected illegal immigrants penned in a mobile enclosure more suited to the transportation of livestock than human beings, the GBHRA is demanding that the minister gives “a satisfactory explanation of the behaviour of public servants under his charge.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

No one was hurt in the incident. Earlier this month, Tourism Minister Andres Izarra said that Venezuela is seeking to improve its image and promote its diverse natural attractions to make tourism a major source of revenue.

The goal is to increase tourism’s current four per cent contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) to nine per cent by 2019, he said during the 2014 Venezuelan International Tourism Fair. (Excerpt from

Dangerous criminals transferred from Curaçao to Netherlands

Two reportedly dangerous criminals incarcerated at the SDKK prison in Curaçao have been transferred to the Netherlands because of a perceived flight risk. The prison has also been guarded since Friday by heavily armed soldiers brought in from the Netherlands.

According to sources, the two men are the brains behind a failed escape plan from the Centre for Detention and Correction in Curaçao last Monday. The prison authorities prevented the breakout thanks to a tip. Prison officers searched all cells and found, among other things, mobile phones, drugs and anabolic steroids, homemade weapons and discovered two cells bars sawn through.

The Justice Ministry in The Hague confirmed to a Dutch newspaper that, at

Mexican female bullfighter Karla de los Angeles gored

Mexican bullfighter Karla de los Angeles has been injured in a bullfight in Mexico City. Ms de los Angeles was going in for the kill during Sunday’s event when the bull tossed her over its head.

The bullfighter continued the fight after being attended to, but during a second attempt to kill the 495kg-animal (1090 lbs), it gored her again. She suffered two cuts of 12 centimetres (4.7 inches) and 10 centimetres in length to her thigh and gluteal muscles.

the request of the Public Prosecutor in Curaçao, two individuals were flown to a prison in the Netherlands.

“It was no longer considered prudent to leave these prisoners there,” said a spokeswoman. The department declined to comment about the precise reason for the transfer.

In the meantime, the prison has been transformed into a military fortress. All leave for soldiers on the island was cancelled on Friday. An additional security zone with barbed wire was constructed around the prison. All access to the prison was restricted by military road blocks. The soldiers wore bulletproof vests and balaclavas to remain unrecognisable. The defence ministry would not comment on the unorthodox security. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Second cruise ship passenger collapses, dies in St Lucia

Officials here say the cruise ship passenger, who collapsed and died here on Sunday, is the second visitor to have died within a one week period.

While they have released the identity of the second person, they have not done so for the first male person, except to say he was a passenger on the cruise ship, Ventura, which

docked here on December 26.

They said Daniel Braccio of Brooklyn, believed to be in his late 60’s or early 70’s, died after collapsing at La Place Carnage duty-free shopping mall on Sunday.

Braccio was a passenger aboard the Queen Mary 2 that had been berthed in Port Castries. He is believed to have suffered a heart attack. (Jamaica Observer)

Antiguan Pilot urges women to become aviators

Afemale Antiguan and Barbudan pilot is encouraging more young women to consider careers in aviation. Zara Razzaq, who has been certified as a commercial pilot in the United States of America, was recently recognised by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for meeting “the high educational, licensing and medical standards established by the body.”

But Razzaq said the aviation industry, even in Antigua and Barbuda, is still dominated by males. “It’s not easy being a woman in aviation, and a young, black woman from a small island at that,” she said. “I want to let young women know that you have to stay focused, be driven and want it.”

The pilot, who is now certified to fly dual engine aircraft, said despite her recent honours, she will not be returning to the Caribbean to fly any time soon. However, she wishes to now become a flight instructor.

Razzaq, who was a graduate of Pares Secondary School, now hopes her story will inspire other young women here to consider careers in aviation.

“For me, it’s a focus of empowering younger women to go after what they want and

be patient because many obstacles are going to thrown at them to overcome in this field,” she said. “It’s not forbidden to dream and just surround one’s self with positive and encouraging people.”

The 31 year old, who grew up in the village of Newfield, said despite the high cost of training as a pilot, that should not be a deterrent for any individual hoping to become a pilot.

Razzaq, who is now stationed at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, Long Island, won the Miss Antigua InterContinental title in 2001 and Miss Antigua World in 2002 (Antigua Observer)

Police seize TT$1.5M in ganja

Police officers of the Eastern Division Task Force discovered about 152 kilograms of marijuana and four cases of Du Maurier cigarettes in several crocus bags in bushes at a remote beach, between Grande Riviere and Matelot around 05:00h on Sunday morning. The drugs have an estimated street value of TT$1.5 million.

Bullfighting is a maledominated sport, but there

The bull, called Gamusino, also gored assistant Federico Dominguez who tried to help Ms de los Angeles in the world’s biggest bullring, Plaza Mexico. A spectator was also injured when the fourth bull of the afternoon jumped the wooden barrier surrounding the bullring.

have been women bullfighters for centuries. In Spain, women were banned from performing as matadors – those who kill the bull on foot rather than from horseback – for decades under the regime of General Francisco Franco. (BBC News)

Public Affairs Officer of the TTPS, Superintendent Joanne Archie, told the TT Guardian the officers, who were led by Senior Superintendent Sasenarine Mahabir, along with Corporal Diaz, received information and conducted surveillance in the area before making the bust. They

traband may have been

Antiguan and Barbudan USbased pilot Zara Razzaq

believe the con -

sneaked into the country via boat. No one was arrested. (Trinidad Guardian)

Members of the Eastern Division Task Force inspect a quantity of compressed marijuana at the Sangre Grande Police Station yesterday. Officers seized TT$1.5 million worth of compressed marijuana at an undisclosed location in Matelot

Karla de los Angeles was gored twice by the bull Gamusino

Around the world

Indonesia says missing AirAsia plane could be at “bottom of sea”

Amissing AirAsia jet

carrying 162 people could be at the bottom of the sea after it was presumed to have crashed off the Indonesian coast, an official said on Monday, as countries around Asia sent ships and planes to help in the search.

The Indonesia AirAsia plane, an Airbus A320-200, disappeared after its pilot failed to get permission to fly higher to avoid bad weather during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore on Sunday.

Flight QZ8501 did not issue a distress signal and disappeared over the Java Sea five minutes after requesting the change of course,

which was refused because of heavy air traffic, officials said.

“Based on our coordinates, we expect it is in the sea, so for now (we think) it

is on the sea floor,” Soelistyo, head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, told reporters when asked about the missing plane’s likely location.

A senior Indonesian civil aviation source told Reuters that authorities had the flight’s radar data and were waiting for search and rescue teams to find debris before they started their investigation into the cause.

Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan said the search was focused on an area of 70 square nautical miles between the island of Belitung, off Sumatra, and Borneo Island.

He said the sea there was only 50 to 100 metres deep, which would be a help in finding the plane. Ships could hunt around the clock, but aircraft were expected to suspend operations at dusk.

Greek MPs’ vote triggers snap poll

Greek Members of Parliament have rejected the presidential candidate nominated by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, triggering a snap general election.

Stavros Dimas failed to reach the necessary 180 votes, which means that Parliament will have to be dissolved.

Greece’s economy has begun to recover after six years of recession.

But Greeks have en-

dured years of austerity and the left-wing Syriza party leading the polls wants the terms of a huge European Union (EU)-International Monetary Federation (IMF) bailout renegotiated.

Although unemployment in Greece has begun falling from a record 28 per cent early this year, it is still extremely high, at 25.5 per cent.

Responding to the vote, the IMF said talks on completing a review of the bailout, which Greece would

Mumbai attack ‘leader’ wins Pakistan appeal

The alleged leader of the 2008 militant attacks on Mumbai has won an appeal against his detention in Pakistan.

Lawyers for Zaki-urRehman Lakhvi said a Government detention order issued last week infringed his rights, as he had been granted bail by another court.

Analysts say he could be freed as soon as the paperwork is completed.

India says a Pakistani militant group carried out the attacks, which killed 165. Pakistan has not convicted anyone suspected of planning the attacks.

Lakhvi is among seven suspects who have been in jail awaiting trial for six years. Nine others have

been charged in absentia.

Analysts say the decision to grant him bail came at an embarrassing time for the Pakistani Government.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently promised to crack down on militancy after the Taliban killed 141 people at a school in Peshawar.

Lakhvi was granted bail by an anti-terror court on December 18, but hours later the government imposed a three-month detention order and said it would appeal against the bail decision.

Lakhvi’s lawyers argued in Islamabad’s High Court that the detention infringed his rights.

The judge accepted the arguments and quashed the detention order. (Excerpt from BBC News)

need if it were to leave the EU-IMF programme, would take place only when a new government was in place.

The Athens stock market fell seven per cent as news of the vote sank in, with bank shares among the worst affected. Bank of Piraeus shares slumped nine per cent, after recovering from earlier record lows.

Investors sold off Greek Government bonds, pushing bond yields above nine per cent. The Government’s

borrowing costs on 10-year bonds rose to 9.7 per cent, in a reminder of the 2010 crisis when 10-year bonds soared above 11 per cent.

Bond yields also rose in Spain and Italy, two other countries hit hard by the eurozone debt crisis.

Shortly after the vote, Samaras announced that elections would take place on January 25.

“The country has no time to waste,” he said in a televised address. (Excerpt from BBC News)

China looking at deal with US to recover ‘dirty’ assets – report

China is looking at signing an agreement with the United States to target assets illegally taken out of China by corrupt officials, a state-run newspaper said on Monday, as the Government tightens the screws in its anti-graft battle.

China has vowed to pursue a search, dubbed Operation “Fox Hunt”, beyond its borders for corrupt officials and business executives, and their assets.

But Western countries have balked at extradition deals with China, partly out of concern about the integrity of its judicial system and treatment of prisoners. Rights groups say authorities use torture, and the death penalty is common in corruption cases.

The China Daily said the central People’s Bank of China was talking to the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) about an agreement targeting ill-gotten assets in the United States.

FinCEN spokesman Stephen Hudak declined to comment directly on whether negotiations with China

Italian ferry blaze death toll rises to 10

The number of people who have died in a blaze that left an Italian ferry stricken off Greece’s Adriatic coast has risen to 10, the Italian Coast Guard has said.

Rescue teams evacuated more than 400 people from the car ferry in a 36-hour operation on Monday.

Italian and Greek authorities continued an air search of the sea around the vessel while they sought to verify the number of passengers who had been on board, fearing that many people could be missing.

The fire broke out on Sunday on a vehicle deck of the Norman Atlantic ferry, whose manifest said should be carrying 478 passengers and crew and more than 200 vehicles. Rescue efforts were complicated by bad weather.

The fire left at least 10 people dead, authorities said. Nine bodies were recovered from the water around the stricken Norman Atlantic on Monday, a day after the body of a 62-yearold Greek man was pulled from the heaving sea.

Many of those rescued said the fire triggered panic which the crew appeared illprepared to deal with.

One of the first passengers rescued told reporters after arriving in the Italian port of Bari he had thought he was going to die as parts of the ferry, with 478 passengers and crew on board, became engulfed by thick smoke as it travelled from Greece to Italy.

“We did not know what to do. The staff had no idea how to get people off the boat,” he said. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

WHO: Ebola cases cross 20,000

were underway. Hudak said the agency “often engages with foreign partners to share information in order to protect the financial system from money laundering, corruption, and terrorist finance”.

Chinese state media reported earlier in December that Beijing is set to finalise a similar deal with Canada.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

More than 20,000 people have been infected by Ebola in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea since the outbreak of the virus began, the World Health Organisation has said.

The WHO also said in a statement on Monday that there have been more than 7842 Ebola-related deaths

recorded, and 20,081 cumulative cases of infection in the three worst hit countries.

More than a third is laboratory-confirmed cases in Sierra Leone, which has become the worst-hit country in the worst outbreak of the disease on record, the organisation said. (Al Jazeera)

Cameroon bombs Boko Haram positions

Cameroon’s air force has bombed Boko Haram positions in the Far North province of the country for the first time after the armed group from neighbouring Nigeria seized a military camp, the Government has said.

President Paul Biya personally ordered Sunday’s air strike, which forced the Boko Haram fighters to flee the camp at Assighasia, Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said in a statement late on

Sunday.

“Fighter planes went into action for the first time since the start of the conflict” on Cameroon’s side of the border, after several months of deadly raids on troops and civilians by Boko Haram, Bakary added.

“After two strikes and heavy fire ... the assailants fled the Assighasia camp, ... losing several fighters,” the Minister said, adding that military operations were still under way and that “the toll from combat will be re-

leased once the operational evaluation is complete”.

A Boko Haram squad attacked the Assighasia camp on Sunday morning and the “Cameroonian defence forces had to withdraw after trying to defend the position”, the Government statement said.

According to local reporter, Eugene Nforngwa, the attack by Boko Haram was also the first time the group had succeeded in taking a military base in the Far North of Cameroon.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Relatives pored over passenger manifests at both affected airports

More than a third of the Ebola infections are laboratory-confirmed cases in Sierra Leone

The attacks in Mumbai lasted almost 60 hours, and saw numerous public buildings and locations attacked

Ramesh Ramlall – Bus Driver

“I don’t have a problem with the gas and thing. We paying $995 at Guyoil, and if it raise and if it gone over a $1000, which does not happen, then they will raise the fare price for passengers. I hear most people talking about this thing about the world price for oil drop and that’s the problem. So yea they got to do something about it because in Guyana here, it affecting everybody; well, it affecting most people.”

Jainarine Sukhdeo – Bus Driver

“ $1016 a gallon at Shell, I don’t know Guyoil price, but from what I’m hearing, all the gas stations’ prices high. $2000 worth of gas will only give me two and a half trip, so to me, it don’t make sense. ...We have to continue making a living but if the prices could drop, then it should drop, because if it drop everywhere else, then why not here?”

Amir Khan – Bus Driver

“It didn’t raise, it’s just that the Government take back the consumption tax to cushion it. Now it’s still $985 a gallon. You have to understand it. Guyoil cushion the price because of the consumption tax, they put back on the consumption tax…it should be nearly $1500 per gallon, but Guyoil has cushioned it for a very long time.”

NDC Chairman remanded for illegal possession of firearm, ammo

ANeighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC)

Chairman was on Monday arraigned on an unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition charge.

Fifty-five-year-old Arthur Thorne of Parika, East Bank Essequibo was remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry when he made his appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Thorne pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on December 24, at Toroparu Backdam, Middle Mazaruni, the accused had one 12 gauge pump-action shotgun and two 12 gauge cartilages in his possession. He is not a licensed firearm holder.

Thorne, also a Social Welfare Officer at the NDC, was represented by Attorney Pamela De Santos. She noted that the weapon or the ammunition was not found on her client but in the bush-

es some distance away. The defence council further noted that Thorne reported the matter to the Police, saying ‘persons’ have possession of illegal firearms.

Police Prosecutor Michael Grant told the court that on the day in question, at around 06:30h, the Police received certain informa-

fuel prices

Anand Tajit – Bus Driver

“It ain’t affecting me, it deh normal. I buy at Guyoil ‘cause it cheap at Guyoil, and at Shell you pay like a $200 or $100 extra. But now, look at how the world market price gone down, then I feel the price in Guyana should drop too. They (the Government) should do something about. If the world market price gone down, then it should drop here as well, because I don’t see why we can’t benefit.”

Floyd Alexander – Taxi Driver

“If we want better price, if the passenger want cheaper fare, then they (Government) have to give we cheap gas. And it’s not only the gas too, it’s parts for vehicle, the roads in the place is not good, so you see, it’s more than one thing (gas), so in the sense now, if the gas drop, parts will not drop, tyres will not drop. To me, the gas still high, even if you drop it, it gun still be high, especially compared to the other Caribbean countries.”

Terry Ramcharran – Bus Driver

“Well, the gas price really affecting me because imagine if it drop on the world market and we got to still be paying the same price for gas here and bus fare remains the same. Government should really ease the consumption tax and let the price of gas to come down and everybody will really benefit. Drivers have to work more longer hours to make their ends meet, so I feel the Government should really step in and do something about the gas prices.”

tion with lead them to the camp that the defendant was staying in. When they arrived, they noticed three camps. All three were inspected and nothing was found. The defendant then took the Police to a camp that was owned by a man identified as Max. Thorn said that Max planted the gun there. Nevertheless, Thorne was taken to the station.

When Max was contacted he said he knew nothing about a gun. Thorne was then charged for the offence. Prosecutor Grant objected to bail stating that special reasons must be presented to the court for bail to be granted, and none were offered. The objection was upheld and Thorne was remanded to prison.

The matter stands adjourned until January 8, 2015, for the presiding Magistrate of the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.

Nickram Sanchar – Bus Driver

“Well, normally, the Government seh when the gas prices reach $1000, the passenger fares will raise, and now, presently, right now, the gas raise, but they won’t make it pass $1000. When you cater your bus burning $1200 a trip for gas, and you only making $2000, then it does not mek no sense. If you have to pay a driver $600 a trip and some buses have to pay $140,000 a month for instalment, it nah mek no sense, the work really hard now.”

Raj Cant – Bus Driver

It’s heavy, the prices very heavy. The fuel price very heavy, and the private gas stations them more dear than the Government own and if you go in Guyoil Gas Station, you take more long and passengers does row, so sometimes you end up in Shell and so. I want the prices drop. You get like $1500 a trip, so you burning more than a gallon. I used to pay like eightsomething a gallon so I think it need to go down.”

Security Guard shot during robbery

Police are investigating a robbery committed on a Charlestown, Georgetown Security Guard on Saturday evening. The man according to reports was relieved of his handgun.

According to a Police release, private security officer Walter Williams was on duty at a home in Roxanne Burnham Gardens

when sometime around 23:17h, he was approached by two men on a motorcycle.

The report stated that the men took away Williams’ revolver and his ammunition, but this was not before one of the men fired a shot which hit the Security Guard to his shoulder.

Williams is currently a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Craig man fined $70,000 for

malicious wounding

Thirty-three-year-old

Fain Piggot of Lot 33 Craig Village, East Bank Demerara, was fined $70,000 after being arraigned on a wounding charge.

He appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Annette Singh on Monday morning.

The accused pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on December 22, at Craig Public Road, East Bank Demerara, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded the Virtual Complainant (VC) Jewel Pestano.

According to the information read, on the day in question at around 08:30h, the VC’s mother and Piggot had a misunderstanding. Pestano noticed him armed with a

cutlass and asked him about the cutlass. He then took the object and lashed her to her left knee. The matter was reported and an investigation lead to the accused being ar-

rested and charged.

However, Piggot wanted to clarify some facts surrounding the incident, to which the Magistrate granted him permission to do. He stated that the VC threw a glass at him, hitting him in his back. He decided to pick it up and threw it back towards her but it hit the veranda post and cut her. He denied having a cutlass in his possession during the incident.

After listening to the facts and Piggot’s confessions, the Magistrate fined him $70,000 and a bond to keep the peace for a year. He has four weeks to pay; failure to pay will result in him spending three months imprisonment.

Janno Goodman – Taxi Driver

“Well, every day I does buy gas and is every day I does make a check. The price is normal for me, so the prices don’t bother me.”

Fain Piggot

Arthur Thorne

Guyana Goldfields donates cash to several organisations

Canadian mining firm, Guyana Goldfields on Monday awarded a total of 19 social and communal organisations with financial support at a presentation ceremony at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown.

The award of financial support by Guyana Goldfields has been an annual feature since the establishment of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) office in 2010.

The funding was given for specific projects that the organisations have on their agenda to implement or continue for the New Year.

Country Manager Violette Smith said Guyana Goldfields is committed to helping people and by giving their support to the work being implemented by the organisations; they can continue to see to the needs.

Even so, she told the organisations that they are in a position to effect change and they need to do their part to ensure lives are changed for the better.

Ayanna Jean-Baptiste, the CSR Department Manager said the organisations were selected according to the “number of persons they were able to touch” through their various initiatives.

She commended them for the fact that their contribution was in support of sustainability of Guyana as it aided in the development of its human resources.

Jean-Baptiste informed that her department is work-

ing on a programme called “Youth, Women and Technical Studies”.

It aims to develop more interest in the sciences and it is complimented by another initiative geared at encouraging more women to participate in technical training.

Jean-Baptiste said the company will be pushing interests in that direction through collaboration with the relevant agencies.

The Country Manager informed that this has become a priority for Guyana Goldfields as most of the technical operators needed to work the company’s machines or facilitate other aspects of its work are not available in Guyana.

Skills needed

She said the company has had to bring in a number of radiation welders for instance, as technicians with this skill are not available in Guyana.

Guyana Goldfields Human Services Manager Peter Benny informed that the various organisations hands down won the financial support of the company. He said a number of proposals were sent for projects on education, violence and other social ills.

The organisations were thus given various amounts ranging from $200,000 to $2 million from Guyana Goldfields.

Benny said the number of organisations that the company has supported have grown a lot and they hope this con-

tinues as it would indicate that Guyana Goldfields has also grown.

The social and communal organisations that walked away with financial support from Guyana Goldfields were Step by Step Foundation, the Ruimveldt Children’s Centre, Old and Needy Folks, Saraswati Vidya Niketan Hindu School, the Colaaco Education Management Committee, Joshua House, Help and Shelter, Artistes in Direct Support (AIDS), the Santa Rosa PTA, Region One (Barima-Waini), Guyana Society for the Blind, Red Cross Convalescent Home, Caria Caria, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, I Can Foundation, the Ptolomey Reid Rehabilitation Centre, Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GTIC), St Monica’s from the Karrawak Village, Epilepsy Foundation and the Force Technical Institute.

A number of the organisations spoke on the work they were able to do due to the contributions of Guyana Goldfields. Swami Aksharananda from the Saraswati Vidya Niketan Hindu School related that the support provided will assist in the establishment of what he hopes will be Guyana’s first STEM Centre in a secondary school.

He explained that it will be dedicated to enabling the focus of students on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Thomas Singh from the Epilepsy Foundation thanked the company profusely for their interests in people. He said that they are “contributing to social order” with their support to all the mentioned organisations; indicating that “when we talk of social order, we talk of managing violence”.

Christmas sales disappointing – say

some local businesses

By Devina Samaroo

Many in the local business community believe that since some Chinese-owned shops are not certified to charge ValueAdded Tax (VAT), they create stiff and unfair competition, which could be the reason for the low Christmas sales they have recorded for the year.

Several superstores expressed grave concern to Guyana Times over the decline in their Christmas sales, noting that they did not meet the target they had set to achieve throughout the season.

On Monday, Branch Manager of National Hardware, Water Street Ganesh Niranjam said the location did not receive the amount of sales it was expecting.

Niranjam, who worked at the branch for 16 years, pointed out that Christmas shopping at the Water Street location saw a massive downfall when compared to the previous years.

“(The days) were like normal days, there was nothing extra busy this year because usually, staff would have to take lunch until 14:30h because of how busy it would be, but it wasn’t so this year.”

While he noted that he is not in a position to determine a reason for such a decline, he stated that the competi-

tion has definitely increased throughout the years.

He said the majority of Guyanese seem to rush to get more affordable items from the Chinese-owned stores, which are available in abundance.

Niranjam also believes that Guyanese are “holding back their money” and prefer to spend as little as possible.

He highlighted that the Chinese-owned businesses are therefore at an advantage because they are selling goods without adding VAT to their stock.

A representative from Ashmin’s Trading reiterated that the sale decline among the companies was probably caused by the number of Chinese stores around as they create “unfair competition”.

She also disclosed that another prominent business owner (name withheld by request)

has complained about the unfair competition from Chinese competitors.

With regards to Ashmin’s sales performance, the representative noted that the company did “not even come close” to their required target.

“We have a lot of inventory left over.”

When asked if she believes the sale decline is owed to Guyanese “holding back on their money”, the representative replied in the negative.

“I was on Regent Street during the Christmas shopping period and Regent Street was crowded with people, so I don’t think it’s because of that.”

She contended that Guyanese often seek the most affordable goods and services, and these are offered by the Chinese-owned businesses.

Meanwhile, Marketing

6 more charged for driving under the influence

As Police continue to clamp down on drunken drivers, who are primarily responsible for the carnage on the roadways, another six persons were found guilty of driving under the influence. The persons would have passed through the court system which saw some of them being placed on bail and others fined.

As a result of the reck-

less behaviour of drivers, more than 136 persons have lost their lives on Guyana’s roadways. And Police have stepped up their campaign to curb the loss of life. They have since launched a “name and shame” initiative targeting drunk drivers under which at least 18 persons have been put before the courts.

In the latest batch

Manager of Gizmos and Gadgets Ravi Mangar noted that due to new initiatives by the company, they were able to sustain the amount of sales as they did in the previous years.

He highlighted that Gizmos and Gadgets normally cater for high-end clienteles, but this year, they created their own brand which is much more affordable than the usual brand named devices they offer.

He noted that the flooding on December 23 greatly dampened the company’s sales, but contended that they recorded strong sales thereafter which compensated for their losses on that day.

With respect to Chinese nationals not having tax certificates, Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur affirmed that the Chinese have a “lax” accounting system and that is it better to not certify them in some instances.

He had further pointed out that should they be registered, chances are a considerable amount of the monies collected as payments for VAT would not be accounted for.

That revelation was disclosed after the Commissioner General confirmed that more than half of Guyana’s registered VAT collectors do not remit the money collected to Government at the scheduled time.

the Scottsburg Public Road. He was above the legal limit of alcohol consumption. He was charged and appeared at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court on December 11 when he pleaded guilty and was fined $7500.

Mansorr Slikhan, of Lot 12 Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo, was stopped and tested on December while

driving motor car PNN 6342 on the Leonora Public Road, West Coast Demerara (WCD). He was found to be above the legal limit in terms of consumption of alcohol. He was charged, but failed to appear at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court. An arrest warrant has been issued for him by the court.

Shirk Goindalall, 22, of

publicised is Chairam Conno of Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Berbice, who was stopped and tested with a breathalyser on December 8 while driving motor car PPP 3271 on the Springlands Public Road, Corentyne.

He was found to be above the legal limit of alcohol consumption. He was charged and appeared at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court on December 19 when he pleaded not guilty. The case is continuing before the court.

Andrew Peters, of Lot 24 Line Path, Skeldon, Corentyne, was stopped and tested with a breathalyser on December 7 while driving motor vehicle PPP 9403 on the Scottsburg Public Road, Corentyne, Berbice. After registering above the legal limit of alcohol consumption, he was charged and appeared at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court on December 11 where he pleaded guilty and was fined $7500.

Mohamed Shakur, 35, of Lot 38 Line Path, Skeldon, was stopped and tested on December 7 while driving motor vehicle HC 3993 on

Lot 38 Leonora Public Road, WCD, was stopped and tested on December 14 while driving motor car PLL 1674 on the Leonora Public Road. He was above the legal limit in terms of alcohol consumption. He was charged, but also failed to appear at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court. An arrest warrant has been issued for him. Finally, Rudolph Marshall, 40, of Lot 4 Hand en Veldt, Mahaica, ECD, was stopped and tested on December 11 while driving motor vehicle BNN 1797 on the Weldaad Public Road, WCD. He was found to be above the legal limit in terms of alcohol consumption. He was charged, but failed to appear at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court. An arrest warrant has been issued for him.

A representative of the Red Cross Convalescent Home receives a cheque from Guyana Goldfields Country Manager Violette Smith

A section of Georgetown bustling with shoppers during the Christmas Season

Chairam Conno

Shirk Goindalall

Mansorr Slikhan

Mohamed Shakur

Andrew Peters

WEDNESDAY'S WORD

SUDOKU

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER

Stand your ground. Someone may try to disrupt your plans or change your mind about something you feel strongly about. Travel delays will try your patience.

Romantic relationships are in a high cycle. Make special plans for two. A short vacation will refresh and revitalize you, as well as improve your personal life.

Be wary; you may have a hard time keeping a secret. You will damage a friendship by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Be sensitive to other people’s feelings.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

A chance encounter at an event or social gathering will have an amazing impact on your future. This is a great time to begin or strengthen your love connection.

Make the most of your generosity and good will. Get out with friends or spend time shopping for something that will lift your spirits. A happy outlook will lead to greater popularity.

If you are in need of a diversion, spend time enjoying a cultural or sporting event in your community. Travel opportunities look favorable if you make arrangements now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Money troubles will surface. Someone close to you will not be on your side regarding a big expenditure or investment. Friends or neighbors will be able to offer helpful advice or information.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

A problem with an older individual is apparent. A casual friend will surprise you with news. If you listen carefully, you will notice a double meaning to what’s being said.

CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Your free-spirited, carefree attitude will shock those who don’t know you well. Enjoy yourself, but don’t do anything that will jeopardize your relationship with someone special.

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

Love and romance are looking good. Spend time with the people who mean the most to you, and make lasting memories with them. Don’t let stress hinder the evolution of important relationships.

AQUARIUS

PISCES

(Feb. 20March 20)

Wait until you are able to get the truth about someone’s feelings for you. Don’t be demanding or get angry, or it will have a negative influence on how things turn out.

Stop imagining how you would like your future to be and start taking action to make your dreams come true. Education and networking will help. Don’t let insecurity hold you back.

Peanuts

Calvin and Hobbes

dilbert arCHie

New Zealand complete best ever Test year

It had to be black magic. Tim Southee and Trent Boult were swinging a 70-over old ball on the fourth morning. Both ways. Their skill accounted for 13 of the 20 Sri Lankan wickets and confirmed Brendon McCullum’s Boxing Day assault as match winning. Christchurch witnessed New Zealand’s fifth victory in 2014, marking it their best year in Test history.

A target of 105 appeared straightforward, but Sri Lanka created a few nervous moments for New Zealand along the way. A

fluent Tom Latham was undone by a ripping turner from debutant offspinner Tharindu Kaushal and Hamish Rutherford was surprised by Shaminda Eranga’s extra bounce and lobbed a catch to gully.

Sri Lanka strived hard for further inroads. Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, though, were resolute and secured the Test in the seventh over after tea on the fourth day.

The visitors had begun the day 10 runs behind and with five wickets in hand, and their best chance was if their captain Angelo

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka 2nd innings

(following on)

FDM Karunaratne b Boult 152

JK Silva c †Watling b Southee 33

KC Sangakkara c †Watling b Boult 1

HDRL Thirimanne c †Watling b Neesham 25

AD Mathews*c †Watling b Southee 66

N Dickwella c Neesham b Boult 4

PHT Kaushal c Craig b Southee 12

HAPW Jayawardene†

c Southee b Craig 23

KTGD Prasad c Taylor b Southee 4

RMS Eranga not out 45

RAS Lakmal c Southee b Boult 16

Extras (b 4, lb 20, w 1, nb 1) 26

Total (all out; 154 overs; 655 mins) 407

Fall of wickets: 1-85 (Silva, 35.6 ov), 2-94 (Sangakkara, 42.2 ov), 3-181 (Thirimanne, 87.5 ov), 4-277 (Karunaratne, 116.3 ov), 5-287 (Dickwella, 122.3 ov), 6-307 (Kaushal, 128.4 ov), 7-320 (Mathews, 132.2 ov), 8-325 (Prasad, 136.4 ov), 9-348 (Jayawardene, 144.3 ov),

10-407 (Lakmal, 153.6 ov) Bowling: TA Boult (39-8-1004); TG Southee (37-8-914); N Wagner (30-6-76-0); MD Craig (38-10-83-1); JDS Neesham (8-2-29-1); BB McCullum (1-0-3-0); KS Williamson (1-0-1-0) New Zealand 2nd innings (target: 105 runs)

TWM Latham c Mathews b Kaushal 17

HD Rutherford c Dickwella b Eranga 10

KS Williamson not out 31 LRPL Taylor not out 39 Extras (lb 6, w 2, nb 2) 10

Total (2 wickets; 30.4 overs; 137 mins) 107

Did not bat: BB McCullum*, JDS Neesham, BJ Watling†, MD Craig, TG Southee, N Wagner, TA Boult Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Latham, 5.4 ov), 2-43 (Rutherford, 10.4 ov)

Bowling: RAS Lakmal (6-216-0); PHT Kaushal (13-0-481); RMS Eranga (7-2-20-1); KTGD Prasad (4.4-1-17-0)

Mathews could shepherd the tail. But even he was unprepared for the bouncer from Southee, feathering an edge to the keeper off a front-foot pull early in the morning.

Kaushal, the nightwatchman, managed a couple of pleasing strokes through square leg and cover off the front foot before a short ball in the offstump corridor did him. He was caught in two minds and before he could pull the bat away, the edge flew to Mark Craig at second slip to give Southee his first strike of the morning.

Dhammika Prasad was reluctant to get in line for most of his 17 balls and was not ready when Southee sprung the trap with the fuller lengthtwice. Ross Taylor grassed an absolute dolly, but before his face could grow red another came his way and he caught it.

Sri Lanka did well to bat until lunch and their final-wicket pair even forced the umpires to take a half hour’s extension. The lead was 17 when Mathews was dismissed, but Eranga and Suranga Lakmal conjured 59 runs off 57 balls. Their clear-the-front-leg-andswing tactic frustrated New Zealand as they either watched the ball skirt past the outside edge or skim to the cow-corner boundary. Boult broke through and earned himself and his fellow bowlers some well-deserved rest after 196 testing overs across the two innings. (Cricinfo)

Liverpool end 2014 with back-to-back wins

Liverpool moved to within five points of the top four as their recent upturn in form continued with an emphatic victory over Swansea at Anfield.

The home side took the lead through Alberto Moreno’s close-range finish.

Adam Lallana made it 2-0 when Lukasz Fabianski’s attempted clearance struck him and found the net before Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson hit back immediately.

But Lallana struck again with a low strike and Jonjo Shelvey’s headed own goal from a corner sealed the rout.

It could have been worse for Swansea, with Raheem Sterling striking the post with a shot from an angle and substitute Mario Balotelli drawing a good save from Fabianski with a low effort.

It has been a year of two halves for Liverpool, who began 2014 with drive, purpose and a 16-game unbeaten run to take them to

within a whisker of an unexpected Premier League title, but in the last few months have been characterised by doubt and inconsistency.

Aptly, this was a game of two very different halves, with a slow-paced and unmemorable first period giving way to a dynamic and entertaining one after the break.

Liverpool were the better side in both - especially the second - to ensure they end the year with back-toback victories that lift them up to eighth in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Southampton.

Without the injured Daniel Sturridge, the Reds still lack strength up front, which was most apparent in the stale 33 minutes before Moreno darted into the box to finish Jordan Henderson’s low cross to give them the lead.

But, in spreading three of his quickest and most skilful players - Lallana, Sterling and Philippe Coutinhoacross the forward line,

manager Brendan Rodgers has at least discovered an effective alternative.

And with Henderson and Lucas putting in the hard yards behind them, Rodgers was vindicated in his decision to bench captain Steven Gerrard, who had started all seven of their previous fixtures this month.

The pick of the bunch was Lallana, who put a poor first-half miss behind him to assert himself decisively on the game.

His first goal owed a lot to fortune, with Fabianski’s kick deflecting off him and looping into the net, but it also illustrated his desire through his willingness to close the keeper down in the first place.

In contrast, his second - a decisive blow after Swansea had gained a foot-hold in the game through Sigurdsson’s close-range finish to make it 2-1 - was chiefly down to his ability as he collected a neat flick from Coutinho, beat two men and finished low. (BBC

Platini keen on introducing white card

UEFA President Michel Platini yesterday reiterated his desire to introduce a ‘white card’ that would lead to a player being sinbinned.

The 59-year-old Frenchman first presented his concept in October only to be met by fierce opposition from football’s world governing body (FIFA) President Sepp Blatter.

However, Platini was sticking to his guns at the 9th edition of the Dubai International Sports Conference.

“The white card is a new initiative. It is related

to the behaviour of football players. Play-acting, criticism on the field, these are not accepted by people who love the game.

“Yellow cards will still exist too but it might be interesting to have another card.

“This white card would send off a player for a few minutes, maybe five or 10. This would be a way to promote the game among fans who don’t want to see this.

“With a white card, there would be no suspension. I think we should learn from other sports, like rugby, who have used this system.”

Former Nancy, SaintEtienne and Juventus playmaker Platini, who led France to the 1984 European championship and two World Cup semifinals, said the offside rule also needed to be simplified in order to reach a larger audience.

“There are different types of offside rules. It is difficult to find common and ethical standards to simplify the offside rule. We need to allow people who are in front of the TV to understand offside too.,” added Platini.

“Now we have to convince FIFA.” (Jamaica Observer)

New Zealand performed at a high level for a handsome win

Lallana has scored just two goals this season since joining Liverpool from Southampton

Australia v India, 3rd Test, Melbourne, 5th day...

Australia declare 383 ahead

Shaun Marsh steers one towards point, Australia v India,

Aflat drop-in pitch. Possible rain. Brazen Indian batsmen. A brittle touring tail. Reverse swing. An extended day’s play. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy not quite secured. A new captain and an older coach. A commitment to entertain.

These were just a few of the variables for Australia after four days of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, as the captain Steven Smith and the coach Darren Lehmann pondered the ideal target to set India on the final day of a contest that the hosts have largely dictated, albeit not firmly enough to keep the visitors beyond hope.

The cut and thrust of the final session, after two earlier brackets of less bracing stuff, left Australia to wonder how many overs they might need to bowl. Shaun Marsh drove, nudged and edged to his first Test 50 in Australia, following up on Chris Rogers’ fourth in succession. Smith failed for the first time this series, Shane Watson for the fifth, and David Warner’s smashing start was not sustained enough to rattle to a dominant lead.

At the forefront of Smith’s mind will be the fact that an Indian victory would keep the series open, and that at this ground a year ago Australia chased down a target of 231 against England with such speed and comfort that a tally twice that many may not have been out of the question. Melbourne’s drop-

in pitch has shown precious few signs of deterioration.

Only four overs were lost despite an 86-minute rain interruption that delayed the resumption after lunch, and a series of Australian starts kept India interested for the fact that none pushed on to three figures. After India’s final two wickets fell to Mitchell Johnson, Warner shrugged off a sore thumb and bruised arm to punch his way to 40 from 42 balls. His dismissal to R Ashwin, who also pouched Rogers, slowed Australia’s scoring.

They had rolled up India’s tail with familiar ease in the morning. Mitchell Johnson had Umesh Yadav falling caught behind, fending at a short one, second ball of the day, before Mohammed Shami was taken by Steven Smith in the slips when he flashed at a fuller delivery.

Warner cut the first delivery of the innings, an

obligingly wide offering from Umesh, to the backward-point boundary, and any hope of early Australian wickets evaporated almost as rapidly - an all-run four came from the second ball. An inside edge past a diving Dhoni was more fortunate, but further boundaries had Umesh withdrawn from the attack nursing figures of 3-0-32-0 and the Australians on their way to a handsome lead by the time the morning concluded.

Ashwin drifted his way through Warner’s forward defence to win an lbw verdict from the umpire Richard Kettleborough. Rogers and Shane Watson resumed sturdily enough when the covers were peeled back, their stand worth 41 when the allrounder failed to cover an Ishant Sharma delivery of teasing line and edged through to Dhoni.

Smith made his first low score of the series, a little unlucky to glance Umesh straight into the hands of Rahane at leg slip, but Rogers consistently punched through Dhoni’s off side fields to pass 50 for the fourth consecutive innings. He looked set for a hundred until Ashwin, belatedly introduced after the rain, prompted a slightly late forward defensive that resulted in the ball rolling back onto the stumps.

Joe Burns did not last long, an angled bat resulting in an edge behind off Shami, and Brad Haddin was deemed to have glanced Yadav into Dhoni’s gloves. Johnson’s stay was a little longer and also more hottempered, his running battle with Virat Kohli continuing until he lobbed a catch to midwicket.

Marsh kept his cool, and a tally of 62 by the close provided valuable ballast to an innings that risked looking lightweight in the absence of a score from Smith. But Marsh’s scoring was less dynamic than Warner or even Rogers’ had been, leaving Smith and Lehmann to think long and hard about the many variables open to question when play resumes on day five. (ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Australia 2nd innings

DA Warner lbw b Ashwin 40

CJL Rogers b Ashwin 69

SR Watson c †Dhoni b Sharma 17

SPD Smith* c Rahane b Yadav 14

SE Marsh run out (Kohli) 99

JA Burns c †Dhoni b Sharma 9

BJ Haddin† c †Dhoni b Yadav 13

MG Johnson c Rahane b Mohammed Shami 15

RJ Harris c †Dhoni b Mohammed Shami 21

NM Lyon not out 1

NBA Roundup…

Raptors’ bench shine in upset win over Clippers

Kyle Lowry scored 25 points and the Toronto Raptors’ reserves came up big in the fourth quarter of a 110-98 victory over the Clippers on Saturday, ending Los Angeles’ eight-game home winning streak.

Jonas Valanciunas had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the defending Atlantic Division champion Raptors, who entered the day with a one-game lead over Atlanta for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Lowry shot 9 of 17, after averaging 9.3 points and 27.5 percent from the field over his previous four games against the Clippers.

J.J. Redick had 23 points and Blake Griffin had 22 for the Clippers, who lost at home for the first time since Chicago beat them on Nov. 17.

Bulls 107, Pelicans 100 Jimmy Butler scored 33 points, Derrick Rose had 19 and Chicago beat New Orleans for its sixth consecutive victory.

The Bulls (21-9) also had three reserves score in double figures in their ninth win in 10 games. Aaron Brooks scored 13 points, and Taj Gibson added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Nikola Mirotic finished with 10 points.

Anthony Davis had 29 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots in his first NBA game in his hometown. Tyreke Evans scored 26 points for the Pelicans, and Jrue Holiday had 19 points and seven assists.

The Pelicans (15-15), who were coming off a 97-90 victory over San Antonio on Friday night, were outrebounded 45-37 by the Bulls.

Grizzlies 103, Heat 95

Mike Conley scored 24 points, Marc Gasol added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Memphis never trailed on the way to beating Miami.

Beno Udrih scored 11 for the Grizzlies, who led by 19 early in the second half before Miami scored to get within one or two points on 11 different occasions in the final minutes.

But the Grizzlies always had an answer, putting six players in double figures and snapping a four-game losing streak.

Dwyane Wade scored 25 points for Miami, which fell to 6-11 at home. Danny Granger scored a seasonhigh 18 off the bench for the Heat, who got 16 from Luol Deng and 13 from Chris Andersen.

Magic 102, Hornets 94

Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Tobias Harris scored 21 points and Orlando overcame a career-high 42 points from Kemba Walker to beat Charlotte.

Walker scored a Charlotte-record 35 in the second half and finished 15 of 30 in the highest-scoring game of his career, but the Hornets could never regain the lead after falling behind by 10 at halftime.

Victor Oladipo scored 13 points, Evan Fournier had 12, and Ben Gordon and Elfrid Payton each had 11 for the Magic (12-21).

The Magic have defeated the Hornets (10-21) twice

in Charlotte this season. Earlier this year they erased a 23-point deficit to win.

Wizards 101, Celtics 88

Kris Humphries scored 18 points, Paul Pierce had 17 and Washington beat Boston.

It was the Wizards’ eighth win in their last 10 games, and it was decided quickly. Washington scored 13 consecutive points to take a 15-2 lead with not even 4 minutes gone.

Jeff Green scored 23 points for Boston, which has lost four straight.

By the time the Celtics’ nightmare first quarter ended, they were behind 30-12 and outrebounded by 16-6 and had eight turnovers.

Pacers 110, Nets 85 Rodney Stuckey scored 20 points, David West added 17, and Indiana overwhelmed Brooklyn.

Former Nets guard C.J. Watson, who played for Brooklyn during the 2012-13 season, came off the bench and scored 17 points. Luis Scola added 13, Chris Copeland had 12 and Lavoy Allen chipped in 10.

Jarrett Jack had 22 points and Joe Johnson added 18 for Brooklyn, which had won its previous three games. The Nets, who entered the night 12-2 against teams with losing records, couldn’t handle the Pacers, who improved to 11-20.

Indiana’s bench, thirdbest in the league with 39.6 points entering the game, outscored its Brooklyn counterparts 52-16.

Hawks 90, Bucks 85 Jeff Teague scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Al Horford added 20, and Atlanta beat Milwaukee. The Hawks avenged a 30-point loss to Milwaukee on Friday in Atlanta with their 15th win in their last 17 games. Paul Millsap finished with 17 points and eight rebounds for Atlanta.

Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 21 points, which tied a season high, and O.J. Mayo added 11. Jared Dudley, who made NBA history on Friday by hitting all 10 of his shots, including four 4-pointers, shot just 3 of 8 for nine points.

Jazz 88, 76ERS 71 Derrick Favors had 17 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead Utah over Philadelphia.

Trey Burke added 17 points, Gordon Hayward chipped in 15 and Enes Kanter finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz (10-20). Tony Wroten scored 20 points and Robert Covington added 17 for the Sixers (425), who could not overcome a sluggish offensive performance before halftime.

The Jazz limited the Sixers to just 12-of-40 shooting (30 percent) from the field before halftime. Michael Carter-Williams particularly struggled, shooting just 1 of 13 in the first two quarters. He finished the game just 2 of 20. (The Blade)

Irvine sacked as West Brom boss

Alan Irvine has been sacked as West Brom manager after seven months in charge at The Hawthorns.

Ham on New Year’s Day with Rob Kelly, assisted by fellow assistant head coach Keith Downing, in caretaker charge.

JR Hazlewood not out 0

Extras: (lb 13, w 2, nb 5) 20

Total: (9 wickets dec; 98 overs) 318 Fall of wickets: 1-57 (Warner, 14.2 ov), 2-98 (Watson, 24.1 ov), 3-131 (Smith, 33.3 ov), 4-164 (Rogers, 40.3 ov), 5-176 (Burns, 45.3 ov), 6-202 (Haddin, 55.2 ov), 7-234 (Johnson, 67.1 ov), 8-303 (Harris, 93.4 ov), 9-317 (Marsh, 96.6 ov) Bowling: UT Yadav 22-389-2, Mohammed Shami

28-4-92-2, I Sharma 20-549-2, R Ashwin 28-4-75-2

The 56-year-old Scot was appointed boss in June following the exit of Pepe Mel and was on a 12-month rolling contract.

The Baggies are 16th in the Premier League table, a point above the relegation zone following their 2-0 defeat at Stoke on Sunday - their seventh loss in nine games.

Irvine has been placed on gardening leave.

West Brom travel to West

The Midlands club say they expect to be able to name Irvine’s successor by the weekend.

Albion’s technical director, Terry Burton, said: “We appointed Alan in the summer convinced that we had taken on one of the foremost coaches in the UK and nothing that has happened since then has altered our view.

“But sadly that simply has not translated into results and they remain the ultimate

currency of Alan’s position. Securing a sixth season in the Premier League is the overriding target and sometimes unpleasant decisions have to be taken to serve that imperative.

“Alan has impressed everyone with his manner, dedication and diligence but he knows that results have simply not been good enough.” Irvine was subjected to chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” and loud boos from his own fans during the loss at Stoke but said he could still mount a revival. (BBC Sport)

3rd Test, Melbourne, 5th day, December 30

Kyle Lowry

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The success of Usain Bolt

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Jamaican sprinter

Usain Bolt is the fastest person in the world. He is the very first Olympic athlete to hold 100 metres and 200 metres world records, having accomplished the former in just under 10 seconds in 2009. He can also travel for 30 miles per hour on foot and in some small towns, that is already the driving norm.

Scientists have long wondered about Bolt’s extraordinary speeds.

In their search for Usain’s sprint secrets, researchers stumbled upon Bolt’s country Jamaica, home to some of the world’s most elite sprinters. Researchers have begun to wonder how Jamaica, a country with less people than New York City, gave birth to some of

the best runners history has ever known.

Physiology

Rutgers University decided to investigate the Usain Bolt phenomenon, and their first step to uncover the secrets of Jamaica’s greatest runners is to go through the physiology.

Scientists hypothesised that the alignment of the knees may have had something to do with how Jamaican runners perform on the track and they began to test their ideas by examining the knees of 74 elite Jamaican sprinters, including well-known names such as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Nesta Carter. They then compared them to a control of 116

Jamaicans who have no experience with the sport. After factoring in sex, age and other external variables in their comparisons, they have concluded that the knees of those who belonged to the athlete group were more symmetrical than those from the control group.

According to Futurity, although the scientists have established a clear relationship between knee symmetry and running speed, no causative relation between the two variables has been concluded.

Robert Trivers, a scientist from Rutgers, says although there is an observable relationship, the nature of the link between symmetry and speed is yet to be established.

Trivers said: “We don’t know for sure whether the sprinters are great sprinters because their knees are symmetrical, or whether their knees are symmetrical because of all the time they spend practicing.”

In the future, the researchers aim to study more complex details about the runners’ anatomies, including minute differences between the left and the right leg. He also aims to do genetic research to discover how Jamaican runners outrun sprinters from other countries.

The study is published in the online journal PLOS one. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Windies collapse...

West Indies, already boasting a none-too-dependable lower order, had gone into the Test match with five bowlers, and South Africa sliced through the tail before the rain returned. Morkel ended the day with four wickets and Tahir, erratic for most of the innings, with three. By then, rain-related delays and stoppages had already eaten away threeand-a-half hours, and West Indies had moved past the magic number of 218. They began the day 71 short of it, and Brathwaite and Samuels scored the required runs at close to four runs an over, growing in fluency after surviving a testing early spell from Morkel.

Samuels’ footwork is always a little lackadaisical, while Brathwaite’s head doesn’t really get over the ball when he drives. Morkel went around the wicket and looked to exploit both these shortcomings with full deliveries angled across the batsmen amid a regular diet of short balls.

Samuels took his eyes off the ball while ducking the bouncers and wore one on the back of his helmet, while the fuller one produced a streaky edge to the third man boundary. Brathwaite dealt with the bumpers fairly well, hopping behind the line to keep the ball down or swaying out of line when it rose over chest height, but his movement forward

to the full ball definitely looked iffy, even when he used only his hands to time a drive sweetly between short cover and mid-off. At the other end, Philander probed away on off stump, and gave away only seven runs in four overs before South Africa made a double change.

Imran Tahir’s introduction served as a pressure-release valve, and he served up full-tosses in each of his first two overs that Brathwaite whipped away to the leg-side boundary. In between, Samuels danced down the pitch and smacked him for a straight four. Tahir continued to leak runs, and he gave away seven boundaries in his six-over spell, including a six and a four off successive balls that took Samuels to his century. By then, West Indies had sailed past the followon mark.

South Africa didn’t do their cause any good on the field. Dale Steyn bowled predominantly short to both batsmen, and the tactic nearly paid off when Brathwaite fended uncomfortably at a rearing delivery to pop it into the air off the shoulder of his bat. Faf du Plessis turned around from second slip, ran back, and got under the dropping ball, only for it to pop out of his cupped hands. (Cricinfo)

Usain Bolt

Baffling decisions over Bravo, Pollard

The appalling outcomes of repeated administrative decision making ‘madness’ and abject performances on the field of play maybe considered ‘normal’ and unsurprising. However, these recurrent gaffes are quickly eroding a pillar of West Indian history and development. When discussing Caribbean culture I always tell students that it is characterised by complexities and contradictions. We say one thing and do another. Examples are easily found in every aspect of life from politicians to even those who impart the word of god.

A recent example is the decision by the WICB and its selectors to replace Dwayne Bravo as the ODI captain as well drop him and Kieron Pollard from the team to play South Africa in their five match ODI series. In the aftermath of the disastrous tour of India in attempt to heal wounds and move forward it was agreed upon at a meeting chaired by St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves in Port-ofSpain that no reprisal will take place against any player. Additionally, the final report on the disastrous aborted tour indicated that all parties were partly guilty.

But then again one should not be totally surprised as the WICB and its

selectors have a rich history of arriving at mind boggling decisions. These selection decisions come on the heels of the surprised omission of Ravi Rampaul from the provisional list of 30 players from which the final World Cup 15 will be chosen. An explanation for his exclusion is still outstanding and may

Clive Lloyd leaves much to be desired in terms of convincing the general interested West Indian public that Jason Holder is the right person to lead the West Indies team to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand which starts in 48 days on February, 14th. All the countries save England are entering the World Cup with experienced captains. Although England have sacked Alastair Cook, Eoin Morgan is a very experienced captain at the ODI level. The fact that Bravo was selected captain to India and there were no openly expressed concerns about his captaincy then, begs the question as to why suddenly he is not good for the job. If the team selected to play the ODI series against South Africa does not perform with any creditability then entire plot to win the World Cup can fall apart be-

never be provided. The lessons should have been clear that the way forward had to be premised upon open channels of communication and the (re)building of trust; the benefits of which will redound to all major stakeholders—WICB, players, WIPA, sponsors and the fans.

The views highlighted by chairman of selectors

fore the tournament starts. This will only add more pressure on Jason Holder. These selections seem to indicate that Bravo and Pollard may not be selected for the World Cup. At least the WICB press release did not give any indication as to why the players were left out. And even if the selectors reluctantly and surreptitiously cede to political and public critique and select Bravo

and Pollard for the World Cup—the deadline date is January 8th—they would have missed the opportunity to give the new captain all the opportunity to prepare competitively with the best available players.

And if they are selected, what would have been the logic and reason for leaving them out on an all-important dress rehearsal series against South Africa? And furthermore why create so much of unnecessary noise and unwanted distraction? This latest fiasco does not augur well for team unity and this can severely affect the team’s chances of winning its 3rd World Cup. It has been commented on umpteen occasions that the actions of the WICB over the years have reeked of blunders after blunders. However, they seem to be systemic and regardless of whoever is the administrator the problems are repeated. It will remain a case of classic of administrative madness if the governance system is not overhauled as has been recommended by the PJ Patterson Report and several commentators including past and present players.

Another problem that is likely to resurface and which has been a characteristic of West Indian cricket and politics is the issue of insularity. This is not healthy for the sport given its current state of affairs both regionally and internationally. To have a reversal of the current bottom of the table position (being ahead of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe is no cause for celebrations after ruling the world for 15 years) requires making the best decisions for West Indies cricket which should be bigger than the egos of all and sundry. Happy holidays and a bright and prosperous 2015 to all athletes, administrators, sponsors and the Caribbean fans of all sporting disciplines. (Trinidad Guardian)

Newcastle striker charged with violent conduct

Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association.

Everton boss Roberto Martinez said Cisse was lucky not to have been sent off for what he said was a pre-meditated elbow on his defender Seamus Coleman in the 3-2 loss to Newcastle.

Cisse, 29, scored his fifth goal in six Premier League games as Newcastle ended a four-game losing run on Sunday.

He has until 18:00 GMT on Tuesday to respond to the charge.

If proven, Cisse faces a three-match ban.

Martinez said the incident at St James’ Park, not seen by match officials at the time, was “unacceptable”.

“You don’t want to see that on a football pitch, that shouldn’t be allowed,” he said.

“Two players fighting for their position at a deadball situation and you end up deciding to take the law into your own hands by elbowing a fellow professional.

“It’s unacceptable and that should have been a red card.” (BBC Sport)

Ramdin hails best day on tour

West Indian captain Denesh Ramdin hailed his side’s best day on tour after they fought back on the third day of the second Test against South Africa at St George’s Park yesterday.

Kraigg Brathwaite (65 not out) and Marlon Samuels (60 not out) hit half-centuries as the West Indies reached 144 for two in reply to South Africa’s 417 for eight declared.

Ramdin praised his bowlers, who took five wickets for 128 runs, despite a lightning 58 off 28 balls by Dale Steyn, and said the West Indian batsmen had made a good start.

He said the bowlers had absorbed the lessons of their first Test defeat in Centurion by bowling accurately on a slow pitch and denying the South African batsmen width.

“Then the young Kraig Brathwaite batted really well and Marlon Samuels showed his class and maturity,” said Ramdin.

Morne Morkel was the only successful South African bowler, taking two wickets in two balls.

He ended a 55-run opening partnership between Brathwaite and Devon Smith by having Smith caught at first slip, with Leon Johnson edging the next delivery to third slip.

Bad light ended play with 16 overs remaining after rain delayed the start of play by an hour.

With most of the second day lost to rain, South Africa were hoping to score quick runs on Sunday morning before making inroads into a potentially fragile West Indian batting line-up. But they were frustrated on both counts.

The West Indies took four wickets before lunch, including the prize scalps of Amla and AB de Villiers, who were dismissed in successive overs.

Only 80 runs were scored during the morning but Dale Steyn went on the rampage after the interval, thrashing 58 off 28 balls with six fours and five sixes. Amla declared when Steyn was caught attempting another big hit off leftarm spinner Suleiman Benn.

South African bowling coach Allan Donald gave credit to the West Indian batsmen, although he said it was always going to be hard work for the bowlers on a typically slow St George’s Park pitch.

“Brathwaite and Samuels batted smartly,” said Donald. “Morne (Morkel) bowled an inspiring spell to get his wickets, but when he dished it out, they played exceptionally well.”

Although a result seemed unlikely, Donald hoped that hints of reverse swing late in the day would lead to wickets falling on Monday morning to put pressure on a long West Indian tail.

Amla hit two fours in the first over of the day, bowled by Jerome Taylor, but only added 10 to his overnight score of 23 before he was trapped leg before wicket by a ball from Jason Holder which nipped back off the pitch.

New cap Temba

Bavuma scored a boundary off his first ball, when a defensive shot flew to third man off a thick edge from Holder, but De Villiers was out in the next over, bowled by Taylor. The scoring rate slowed as Bavuma and the similarly inexperienced Stiaan van Zyl, playing in his second Test, could only add 21 in 10.2 overs.

Steyn transformed the tempo of the innings as he launched a brutal assault on fellow fast bowler Taylor immediately after lunch. He reached his second Test fifty off 26 balls, the joint fourth fastest in Test history.

Brathwaite and Smith made a solid start, seeing off the new ball pairing of Steyn and Vernon Philander. The tall Morkel troubled Smith several times after coming on as first change and finally tempted the left-hander into edging a drive to Hashim Amla at first slip. Johnson followed immediately.

Samuels batted soundly but had an escape on 20 when he was given out lbw to Morkel by umpire Reiffel but a review showed the ball was going a centimetre or two above the stumps. (Jamaica Observer)

Both Ramdin and Donald said bowlers needed to be creative on a slow pitch. “You need someone like Morne or Dale Steyn to bowl two lengths and mix it up a little,” added Donald.

Dwayne Bravo

Kieron Pollard

Papiss Cisse

Denesh Ramdin

Guyana Jaguars sweating on Fudadin’s availability for Super50 tourney

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Already faced with the unavailability of two senior players, the Guyana Jaguars are now sweating the availability of another senior player, Assad Fudadin, for the NAGICO Super50 limitedovers regional tournament in January in Trinidad and Tobago.

Both Narsingh Deonarine and Leon Johnson are part of the West Indies One-Day International squad to face South Africa, and will miss the Super50 tournament, while Fudadin is on the injured list.

However, Guyana Times Sport understands that Fudadin could be out of action for six weeks.

Fudadin has been ruled out of the West Indies Test series in South Africa after fracturing a finger ahead of the opening Test at Centurion.

Fudadin fractured the little finger on his right hand during the warm-up ahead of the first game.

He underwent surgery later and will play no further part with the West Indies scheduled to play two further Tests, the ongoing

Test in Port Elizabeth and the other in Cape Town.

The 29-year-old had been called up to the squad as a replacement for Darren Bravo, who pulled out due to personal reasons.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the selectors, Rayon Griffith, told Guyana Times Sport on Monday that he was still awaiting the details surrounding Fudadin’s injury.

“I am not sure if he (Fudadin) will be out for the entire tournament, since I am still waiting on more details regarding his injury.

“Fudadin is still in South Africa so at the moment I’m not given much de-

tail,” Griffith said. Griffith also disclosed that the squad will be announced shortly.

Super50 Tournament

Meanwhile, as part of the West Indies Under-19s long-term build-up for the next International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup in 2016, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has included the Under-19 team as part of the eight-team tournament. The Combined Campuses & Colleges will also compete.

The Under-19s have been drawn in Group B next to the Jamaica franchise, Leeward Islands Hurricanes

UDFA GT Beer ‘Supa 16’ football tournament ...

and hosts Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, while the composite university side has been drawn in Group A along with reigning champions Barbados Pride, Guyana Jaguars and Windward Islands Volcanoes.

The preliminary competition will be played in a non-elimination format with each side playing the others in their group once.

Two matches will be contested each day at either the Queen’s Park Oval, the T&T Cricket Board’s National Cricket Centre (NCC) in the central Trinidadian community of Couva or Shaw Park in Scarborough, the capital of Tobago.

The top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals at the Oval, where the group winners play the runners-up from the opposite group in a oneoff match for a place in the Grand Final on Sunday, January 25 at the same venue.

The Pride kick off the tournament against CCC at the NCC on Thursday, January 15.

Guyana has not won a Regional 50-over title since 2005 when they beat Barbados at Bourda.

Winners Connection, Hi Stars play their way to final

Winners Connection will defend their title of Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) ‘Supa 16’ champions after defeating Eagles United 3-1 in their semi-final on Sunday at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground.

Twenty-three minutes into the game Eagles’ Dellon Charter struck to leave the defending champs on their heels. However, with the game

approaching halftime, Winners Connection levelled the scores in the 40th minute with Chris Young’s effort, just before scoring in the 43rd minute from the boot of Rawle Gittens to end the half ahead 2-1. Renee Gibbons in the second half dealt the final blow to the hopes of Eagles United with a goal in the 54th minute. Meanwhile in the other semi-final, Hi Stars overcame a tough Topp XX team

2-1 to make an appearance in the final of the tournament.

Topp XX came up in attack mode and scored in the 10th minute through a strike from Terrence Aaron.

Hi Stars quickly equalised in the 20th minute as Julian Allicock cleaned up a missed opportunity by his teammate to level the score at one goal apiece to end the half.

Stephan Tappin would head home the winning goal in the 88th minute to ensure Hi Stars place in the final of the tournament set for January 1.

GFA Banks Beer Cup ...

Alpha United, GDF to face-off in final

Alpha United topped Western Tigers while the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) defeated Pele FC to set up the final showdown of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Banks Beer Cup scheduled for January 1 at the Guyana National Stadium.

Alpha United played excellently on Sunday evening during their semi-final match with Western Tigers, prevailing 3-1.

Western’s Captain Phillip Rowley received a straight red card for an unwarranted elbow to a player, and Alpha capitalised four minutes after to score in the 34th minute of the game with a goal from Dwain Jacobs.

Western Tigers continued their unsportsmanlike behaviour as Rensford Coleridge was red carded after verbally abusing a referee, and that ended the half 1-0.

On resumption and two men down, it didn’t take Alpha long before they capitalised on the two-man advantage afforded to them by Western Tigers as they took a two-goal lead in the 55th minute with a goal from Gregory Richardson.

However, Western Tigers was able to score from the penalty spot in the 59th minute before Alpha sealed their final berth with a goal from Manasseh Primo in the 76th minute.

Meanwhile in the open-

ing semi-final, GDF defeated Pele FC 3-2 on penalty kicks.

In regulation time, Selwyn Isaacs opened the scoring in favour of GDF as he netted in the ninth minute while Delroy Fraser doubled the score line immediately in the 12th minute. Pele got into the game with a 24th minute goal from Deon Alfred as the game went to the halftime break 2-1.

Fraser scored again in the opening minutes of the second half to make the score 3-1 in favour of GDF, but Pele struck twice in succession thanks to Alfred to level the score on 3-3.

Unable to find a result in extra time, GDF prevailed via penalties to win the game.

Torres confirms Atletico move

Spain striker Fernando Torres has agreed to return to Atletico Madrid on loan from AC Milan until the end of the 2015-16 season.

Torres, 30, is going back to his boyhood club sevenand-a-half-years after leaving to join Liverpool.

“At last back home. Thanks to all that have made this dream come true.

Forza @Atleti,” he said on Twitter.

He joined Serie A club AC Milan from Chelsea, who paid a then British record transfer fee of £50m in January 2011.

The Italian club confirmed a permanent deal for Torres, following its own initial two-year loan deal, on Saturday, but have allowed him to play for Atletico after Italy winger Alessio Cerci, 27, arrived from the Spanish side.

Torres helped Chelsea to win the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup while at Stamford Bridge.

In a statement, Chelsea thanked the 2010 World Cup winner for “his service during the past four seasons” and wished him “the very best for the future”.

Rayon Griffith Assad Fudadin

Winners Connection scorers (from left) Chris Young, Renee Gibbons and Rawle Gittens

The scorers from Hi Stars, Julian Allicock (left) and Stephan Tappin

Dwain Jacobs

Fernando Torres

Windies collapse after big partnership

Centuries from Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels steered West Indies past the follow-on mark before a familiar collapse revived the possibility, albeit slight, of a South Africa win. Brathwaite and Samuels added 176 for the third wicket before West Indies let slip a position of apparent safety by losing seven wickets for 44 runs. They trailed by 142 with one wicket in hand when rain intervened for the umpteenth time to end play with an hour still left.

After some predominantly short bowling from South Africa’s quicks that discomfited Brathwaite and Samuels without quite threatening to dismiss them, Vernon Philander broke the partnership with a full ball that moved in sharply and rapped Samuels’ front pad, punishing his non-exitent frontfoot stride.

Paul Reiffel upheld the

Stag Super XVI football tournament ... Grove Hi-Tech, Ann’s Grove to play for inaugural title

Domini Garnette had his best performance of the tournament as he propelled Grove HiTech to one of their better wins of the Stag Super XVI knockout football tournament with a 3-2 win over New Amsterdam United in their semi-final encounter on Sunday at the Buxton Community Centre Ground.

Jamal Butts opened the scoring for New Amsterdam with a sizzling strike in the 12th minute of the game before Garnette quickly equalised in the 17th minute.

Both teams continued to

play aggressively in the soggy conditions as a few clear chances went begging.

However, Garnette would score just before the halftime break in the 42nd minute to put Grove Hi-Tech ahead 2-1.

Adrian Adams scored in the 50th minute to level the score-line on 2-2 as both teams continued to search for the winning goal.

Regulation time expired and Garnette’s strike in the final period of extra time sealed the win in the 117th minute.

Meanwhile in the second

ball of the next over,

sent back Brathwaite, who went for a drive away from his body at a ball that wasn’t quite full enough for the shot and edged a catch to second slip.

Denesh Ramdin and Shivnarine Chanderpaul saw West Indies through to tea, before Imran Tahirwho had been poor till that point, struggling with his control and conceding 96 in his first 23 overs - dismissed both in the space of three balls with his googly. The first one held its line rather than turning sharply in and pinged Ramdin on the front pad when he pressed forward to drive, and the second rolled back between Chanderpaul’s legs and trickled into his stumps after he had defended it off the back foot.

showdown of the evening, Ann’s Grove topped Cougars FC 5-3 on penalty kicks after the game ended 1-1. Kevin Bailey gave Ann’s Grove the lead in the 61st minute in what seemed like the game-winning goal. However, Cougars in separation found the back of the net on the 90th minute mark with a goal from Sherwin Parris to end the game and send the match to extra time, which ended in a stalemate resulting in the winning penalty shootout for Ann’s Grove.

lbw shout, and Hawkeye showed the ball to be clipping leg stump after Samuels reviewed. Third

Morne Morkel

Marlon Samuels on the attack

Grove Hi-Tech’s Domini Garnette (#11) flocked by teammates after scoring the winning goal against NA United Ann’s Grove celebrate their berth in the final of the tournament