Guyana Times Daily

thursday, april 16, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana Marriott open for business!

...Repsol Country Manager first guest

The Marriott Hotel formally welcomed its first guest Wednesday morning, Repsol Country Manager Giancarlo Ariza.

cated.

Among those present were Head of Atlantic Hotels Incorporated, Winston Brassington and Guyana’s Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh who described it as an “extremely exciting and momentous moment for all Guyanese.”

Noting that the Marriott is an international hotel brand of the highest repute,

“well known for the excellence of its properties and the excellence of the services that they offer”, the Minister said Government was delighted that the company viewed Guyana as a place where it would

like to do business. He added that the Marriott was, “sufficiently confident to associate their brand with this country and they have worked closely with us to establish a hotel that has true international standard, class and calibre.”

The Finance Minister said that he has had a number of conversations with the hotel chain’s top leadership and on every occasion, he has heard that the company is proud

“A fantastic place, as expected,” was the description given by the Marriott’s first guest, Ariza, adding that it is one of the best hotel brands internationally. He added that Marriott Guyana, will make many changes in the local hotel industry, noting that “it’s going to make good opportunities for development and other business around the hotel area.”

The Marriott, a five-star

to be associated with the Guyana Marriott and they are proud to have the company’s brand attached to it. In addition to this, they have said that the local hotel can hold its own against any other Marriott branded hotel, internationally. He described the facility as a “fantastic addition to the local landscape and provides a very important fillip to the tourism industry and to the tourism landscape infrastructure in Guyana.”

The fact that the first guest is the head of a well known multinational company, which itself with its investments locally in the oil and gas sector has also indicated its belief that Guyana is a good place to do business, with a global footprint, sends a strong signal of confidence and optimism in this country’s future, Minister Singh indi -

brand, is known around the world as one of the most prestigious and quality hotel brands.

The hotel chain is present in 72 countries, comprising more than 3600 hotels, and a staff complement of 129,000. The establishment will provide employment for 250 people in the hospitality business, through direct employment, and another 100 indirectly.

This will be accomplished through the utilisation of the services of local workers such as electricians and those in the construction field. The 197–room Marriott boasts a large ballroom, a conference centre, casino, nightclub, restaurant, a concrete walkway, and all other amenities of a world-class hotel. The US$51 million project was launched in November 2011. (GINA)

The Guyana Marriott Hotel’s first guest, Repsol’s Country Manager Giancarlo Ariza

Marriott Hotel’s first guest, Repsol’s Country Manager Giancarlo Ariza meets Head of Atlantic Hotel Incorporated, Winston Brassington and Guyana’s Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

Flashback: Former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Marriott Vice President Andrew Houghton turned the sod to signal the start of construction of the hotel in the presence of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds; President Donald Ramotar; Ministers Dr Ashni Singh, Irfaan Ali and Dr Bheri Ramsaran and former Minister Manniram Prashad. Also in photo are former Republic Bank Managing Director John Alves (partly hidden), SCG CEO Micheal Zhang and other top officials

thursday, april 16, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Thursday, April 16, 2015 – 14:30h-16:00h and Friday, April 17, 2015 – 14:30h-16:00h

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

Thursday, April 16, 2015 – 14:40h-16:10h and Friday, April 17, 2015 – 14:00h-15:30h

FERRY SCHEDULE

Ferries will be departing the Parika and Supenaam stellings on:

Thursday, April 16 – 05:00h, 12:00h and 16:00h

Friday, April 17– 05:00h, 13:00h and 17:00h

WEATHER TODAY

Winds: East North-easterly between 4.02 metres per second and 5.36 metres per

High Tide: 14:59h reaching a maximum height of 2.69 metres.

Low Tide: 08:32h and 20:54h reaching minimum heights of 0.55 metre and 0.50 metre respectively.

PPP/C’s rice support plan: Development fund, price support and millers’ quota proposed

By IndrawattIe natram

If re-elected the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government will implement a quota system for rice millers, establish a price support system and create a development fund all in the interest of advancing the rice industry here, former President Bharrat Jagdeo told a large meeting of industry stakeholders Wednesday morning in Essequibo.

Despite large yields, both millers and farmers have been complaining of low prices and the lack of markets. Government has taken the stick for some of these woes and farmers egged on by the Opposition have staged numerous protests pressing demands for better conditions.

Jagdeo told the farmers that a new bidding system will be introduced, noting that with the allocation of quotas, bidders will be invited to propose their market prices. The highest bidder who gets the contract will benefit farmers directly ensuring faster payments as well as available markets. He said the system will have

“Look at the spending on drainage and irrigation –$54 billion across Guyana, because this region ( Region Two) produces 20 per cent of rice – sluices, culvert and entire range”, look at it in the comparative way, Jagdeo stated. He noted that drainage and irrigation is the “life blood” of any agricultural industry.

Increase in production

Acknowledging some of the challenges in the industry, Jagdeo explained that farmers were often faced with two sets of problems, noting that these were compounded by the rapid growth and

US$250 million industry, so market is a problem and it’s a private agreement between farmers and millers...” Jagdeo added.

Infrastructure investment

Turning his attention to infrastructure, the former President said that

two criteria whereby millers will have to submit the price as well as documents to show that they have a line of credit on their account that will ensure the purchasing of the paddy and also timely payments.

The former President added that over the years the Government had also assisted millers in the form of advances to pay farmers. He further stated that with this system bidders will have the opportunity to create a competitive market in the industry. Sharing excerpts from the PPP\C manifesto, Jagdeo told farmers that if re-elected, the Government would put in place a price support system, which will ensure a stable market prices. He said emphasis will also be placed on diversification which will help the agricultural sector. He said the Development Fund will aid diversification as well as job creation.

the volume of rice produced. He went on to say that the rapid growth in the industry has resulted in farmers being faced with marketing problems and delayed payments. Jagdeo said the industry also has other external factors affecting it and named bug infestation as one.

“Guyana is producing more rice, over 600,000 tonnes as compared to 100,000 tonnes 20 years ago. Because of the rapid growth of production, we are faced with the issue of getting remunerative markets,” he also highlighted.

He said as a result of the high volume of rice, the Government through the rice stakeholders was making every effort to seek out more markets. At present, Guyana is exporting its rice to 32 countries as compared to three to four countries in the past. “From a US$10 million industry, rice is now

Government has spent billions in strengthening drainage and irrigation systems.

He urged farmers to make use of the Rice Factory Act and reminded them that they could take legal action against delinquent millers. He also urged farmers to judge Government based on its record and not to listen to those with broken promises. “Suddenly we are bad; this is political season, when the season done, then you will know who you will be able to talk to.” Speaking directly to Region Two, Jagdeo acknowledged that he was aware that there were weaknesses in the system and also lack of leadership at the regional level, but he posited that this did not change the consistent support the PPP\C Government has given to the rice industry.

Issues raised At the meeting, farmers raised issues such as fair grading, bug infestation and late payments. Vice President of the Essequibo Paddy Farmers Association, Tage Shewcharan also raised problems affecting the group particularly the markets, grades and payments. The Association’s Chairman, Naithram, who is a candidate for the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU/AFC) coalition was a no-show. Giving support to Jagdeo at the meeting were Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali, Labour Minister Nanda Gopaul, Junior Agriculture Minister Alli Baksh, Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud, Institute of Applied Science and Technology Head Professor Suresh Narine and Region Two Vice Chairman Vishnu Samaroo.

A section of the crowd at the rice farmers’ meeting at Anna Regina

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo addressing the gathering of rice farmers in Region Two

Heavy rain showers are expected to prevail throughout the day, with partly cloudy skies in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 28 degrees Celsius.

second.

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

Nation building

The cusp of a general election may not be the most spoton time to be discussing the distinction between state and nation – but then again it just might be. There are elements on the campaign trail seemingly determined to confuse the populace on these fundamental matters simply to satisfy their lust for power.

Never mind that if we are ever to move forward, irrespective of the government, we must have unanimity of how we understand these concepts.

Guyana is a country: there is no confusion there. But what about a “nation”? Are we in fact a nation as is articulated in our national motto? First we have to accept that our national motto is aspirational – it was the dream of our founding fathers that we should see ourselves as “one nation”. The first challenge for us has been that since “nation” has a nexus with culture and we were formed by Europeans bringing groups from distinct cultures, becoming “one nation” was always going to be a work in progress.

The second challenge came about when we became part of the post WWII global movement where our still not quite cohesive “nation” was going to inherit the “state” under the rubric of becoming “independent”.

The state was the apparatus that allowed us to stand as putative equals in the grandly termed “comity of nations” that was evolving. We would have police, judiciary, army, prisons, civil service, legislature etc. and a government that would oversee it all, for the benefit of the nation.

And this was where all our challenges became problems. Rather than acknowledging that we were not quite a nation and that we needed to work on this crucial aspect as a priority Forbes Burnham facilitated the machinations of the colonial powers and split the national movement carefully crafted by Cheddi Jagan to satisfy his personal ambitions.

The political movement was split along ethnic lines –placing grave obstacles in the way of building a “nation”. And so it has been that at every election, there would be politicians that would fan the cleavages while making noises publicly that they were doing the reverse.

To their credit, the two older parties have staunchly refused to accept the cleavages as normative: what “was” wasn’t necessarily what “should be”. They supposedly ran the state in a manner that would redound to the benefit of the nation. It then becomes a matter of empirical enquiry as to which was more successful.

The PNC was first off the block and governed between 1964 – 1992 but stacked the reservoirs of power -the Public Service, Disciplined Forces and State Corporations that controlled the economy so blatantly with their constituency, that the "one nation" aspiration became a joke.

There has been much ado about the number of youths that would be voting in this election, and this places the incumbent PPP at a certain disadvantage, which has not been acknowledged.

They do not have first hand information about what the PNC achieved or did not achieve as far as nation-building in their long stint at the helm of the Guyanese state. It is not our intent to provide details in this editorial but we suggest a simple proposal to handle that contingency. Youths should simply ask their parents – it does not matter of what ethnicity, because we are speaking of ourselves as a nation –“Are we better of or worse off that we were in 1992?”

Political parties can, and actually do, say whatever it takes to get elected. The test is to judge them on their records. So how do we judge the AFC? We can look at how they view nation building.

They proposed a leadership that supposedly solves the cleavages in our nation: give power in a rotating fashion to an Indian and an African Guyanese. Then its leader unilaterally dumped their "innovation" and joined then PNC-led APNU. It is only the PPP/C that has stuck to the task of nation building.

Democratic character of the state must be preserved

Dear Editor,

There is a positive correlation between democracy and development. The records will show that growth and development in Guyana was much more pronounced when the country experienced democratic rule as opposed to colonial, minority or dictatorial rule.

Prior to the 1950s when the country was under British colonial rule, there was limited growth, but no development. The economy was exported-oriented with a narrow economic base.

Sugar, and to a much lesser extent, bauxite and rice, were the main sources of foreign exchange earnings. There was a serious divergence between domestic needs and resource utilisation with most of the foreign exchange earnings going overseas.

It was not until the emergence of nationalist leaders in the 1940s, most notably Dr Cheddi Jagan and his wife Janet, that organised pressure was exerted to change the then prevailing status quo in favour of the ordinary people.

This was particularly evident following the formation of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) in 1946 and the PPP in January 1950. Indeed, the first major assault against the status quo was in 1953 when the PPP under the leader-

ship of Dr Cheddi Jagan won a landslide victory at the polls, the first to be held under universal adult suffrage.

The evolution of our politics since the 1950s is demonstrative of the classical Marxist-Lenninist postulates of class contradictions and the role of the state as an instrument of class rule.

The democratically elected Jagan-led PPP was removed from power by the British Government under pressure from the United States Administration because of a perception that the PPP was too much to the left which could pose a threat to foreign dominated business interests in the colony.

The concern of the working masses was ignored and an interim Government was imposed in 1953 to administer the affairs of the colony. During the four-year tenure of the interim Government, the country only marked time with no real progress and no development of significance actually took place.

It was not until the PPP took office in the elections of 1957 that real development took place both in terms of an expansion in the delivery of social services and production of main exports in particular rice and sugar.

Several new agricultural and housing schemes were opened up in several parts of the country. Emphasis was

also put on health and education with the construction of several new primary and secondary schools including the University of Guyana.

The economy grew at an accelerated pace despite the several roadblocks placed by Britain and other western powers to get developmental assistance from the socialist bloc.

The removal of the PPP from the seat of Government, thanks to the intrigues and machinations of western vested interests in collaboration with local reactionary elements saw a reversal of the economic and social gains made by the PPP regime.

At a more fundamental level, the right to vote which was fought for and won by the PPP was taken away by the PNC regime which kicked out the UF from the coalition Government and set up a de facto one party state.

Under the 28 years of PNC authoritarian and dictatorial rule, the country was reduced to the second poorest country in the western hemisphere and life for the vast majority of the Guyanese people became a living hell.

The country experienced a political crisis which resulted from the shameless rigging of national and regional elections in order to perpetuate minority PNC

rule. That political crisis in turn led to an economic crisis which impacted adversely on the living and working conditions of the Guyanese people.

In other words, the political crisis generated an economic crisis which in turn led to a social crisis which manifested itself in poor sanitary and housing conditions, falling education standards, a woefully deficient health sector to name but a few. The dialectical interplay between the polity and the economy was very much in evidence. It was not until the return of the PPP on October 5, 1992 after 28 years of dictatorial rule that the conditions of life of the Guyanese people began to show significant improvements. This is why it is so important that the democratic character of the state be preserved since as our own experience has demonstrated whenever there is a rupture in our democracy the consequences can be extremely painful and far reaching. This coming election on May 11 will once again provide the Guyanese people with an opportunity to preserve the democratic essence of the state and at the same time allow for an acceleration of our economic and social gains.

Hydar Ally

A woman walks past a piece of street art in Shoreditch, east London, England April 14 (Reuters/Cathal McNaughton)

Husband ordered to attend AAA programme

13 years of marriage was brought into question on Tuesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts when the husband was ordered to attend an AAA Programme for his constant drunken state.

Judy Lochan brought her husband, Adrian Lochan, to court on Tuesday after a heated disagreement at their home in Georgetown on March 1.

He was charged for using abusive language against her.

The prosecution told the court that the defendant had been drinking on the day in question when he came home and let loose with a string of expletives against the Virtual Complainant (VC).

The VC told the court that it has become his practice to do this, adding that the defendant has also hit her a few times. She said that this behaviour only occurs when her husband drinks.

Is any Guyanese corrupt because of their race?

Dear Editor

Some Indians are corrupt, therefore all are corrupt. Some Africans are corrupt therefore all Africans are not, repeat not, corrupt? Why is corruption endemic by one’s race? Why is the PNC anxious to jhaaray (spirit cleanse) Indians to make them “pure Guyanese”?

Such APNU makeover to change Indians to become not better as others - not as best as the rest of opposition angels, is instead only crafted to achieve 51 percent victory for Mr David Granger to become President.

It’s most rolling on the floor laughable as it is contemptible. Guyanese Mr Granger has every right to become President. In our democracy each Guyanese also is with equal rights to deny him their votes of validation.

Just check the logic. If anyone is expected to become pure Guyanese, not by race,not even by culture and presence, but by Moses’s AFC’s total Topsy (Uncle Tom’s cabin) surrender, what can ever invalidate those who are au-

tomatically by birthright totally and unapologetically pure Guyanese regardless?

What nullifies a birthright Guyanese of their rights to, regardless, vote for whomever, in Guyana’s democracy? Currently, the Stabroek News, Kaieteur News and Chronicle do not publish my letters in our democracy. No ethnic cleansing and purification requirement rituals have been asked of me. The rights to Freedom of Press and speech, however, does have its limitations. Violence and racism cannot be any civilized alternative for relief. Unlike Mr Ralph Ramkarran who can easily oscillate to “I mixed”, hopefully he is become born again humbled and qualified to go back where he actually belongs. My stamp is, humbly, also most all embracing.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe is credited with helping abolition of slavery in the 1850s. When Abraham Lincoln met her he declared, “So this is the little lady who started this great war.”

The quote is apocryphal.”How old are you, Topsy?” Miss Ophelia asked, kindly. “Dunno, missis,” said Topsy, showing all her white teeth. “Didn’t anybody ever tell you? Who was your mother?” “Nevah had none!” answered the child with another grin. “Never had a mother?

Why, Topsy, what do you mean? Where were you born?” “Nevah was born!” replied the little imp, still grinning, and all the questions Miss Ophelia could bring to bear, failed to make the child own that she ever had a mother or had ever been born.

The poor child knew nothing but how to “fetch” water, wash dishes and rub knives, so she told Miss Ophelia, and afterward, when caught stealing, she didn’t even know it was wrong to steal.

When compelled to confess, she told of stealing things that she never stole at all, explaining that “missis told me to ‘fess and I couldn’t think o’ nothin’ else to ‘fess.” So she told of stealing earrings and burning them up, when, as a matter

of fact, little Eva St Clare has them in her ears at the time....

“Poor Topsy,” she said kindly, “you never need steal again. You are to be taken care of now. I’d give you anything of mine rather than have you steal it.”

It was the first kindly word Topsy had ever understood and it caused a queer feeling in her heart. Being pure and gentle herself, Eva soon exercised an influence on little black Topsy that changed her into a rare jewel.

Being smart and active she soon learned the ways of negroes of the better class.”

If Mr Moses Nagamootoo was never born Indian has he now learned it from his betters? Why is an Indian born in Guyana not automatically “Guyanese”, but instead APNU requires them to shed what is Indian?

There is absolutely no validating requirement to authenticate birthright to be more “Guyanese”. Most dangerous is it to acknowledge otherwise.

Sultan Mohamed

Dear Editor,

I am bringing your attention to an article in the Kaieteur News about the interview between Jadoopat and Mrs Harper.

First of all, Jadoopat is a member of the AFC party and he is no Dr or International Relations Expert.He is in the same class of Nagga Man and Ramjattan…they are opportunists!!!

Jadoo, as he is commonly called here, is a nobody in the New York Guyanese community who goes by various titles before his name to impress the Guyanese community.

I heard with my own ears he once said that Mr Jagdeo begged him to be a Minister when he was President and a bunch of other nonsense.

I would like you to please respond to this brainless so called International Economics Relations Expert and Dr.

Thank you for your time.

Alex Persaud

In Court 10, Magistrate Alex Moore ordered the defendant to attend the AAA programme on or before April 30 or else he will be imprisoned for four months. Lochan was also told that if he failed to complete the programme, he would be given an additional two months’ sentence.

He was asked to return to court on April 21 when a Probation Officer will be assigned to him and refer him to a fitting AAA programme.

Pointing out the nonsense of Jerome Khan

and Barrington Braithwaite

Dear Editor, Messrs Jerome Khan and Barrington Braithwaite are upset that I am calling out the AFC’s nonsense that young people must put aside the past when making their decision to vote.

Fortunately, according to Mr Khan, the young Mr Saieed Khalil has ignored the coalition’s call, has researched the history and has made an informed choice. Good for him. Other young people must do the same.

I do not want to think that both these gentlemen do not understand what they read. Or are they so blinded by their own partisanship that they see and hear what they want?

Unwittingly, perhaps, they both make the case as to why we continue to be imprisoned by our past, even as some want to wish it away.

My question again: why does the coalition want us to put aside the past when making our choice at the polls? Neither of the gentlemen provide an answer but

are simply vexed that the question is asked.

And what can anyone say about the children and spouses of PPP/C members following in their family’s footsteps?

According to the coalition supporters, George W Bush should never have been a US President since his daddy was before him. And should Hillary Clinton give it up too?

Would Mr Khan, et al be bold enough to stop her run and tell her that she should not even be a member of the Democratic Party? And should her daughter not join her on the campaign trail? And should I even bring up the Kennedy family name? President, Senator, Attorney General, and probably more Kennedys still to come?

I am no supporter of one side or the other, but simply a citizen pointing out nonsense when nonsense prevails.

Ryhaan Shah

C-sections should only be performed when medically necessary

Caesarean sections are one of the most common surgeries in the world, with rates continuing to rise, particularly in high- and middle-income countries.

Although it can save lives, a caesarean section is often performed without medical need, putting women and their babies at-risk of short- and longterm health problems. A new statement from the World Health Organisation (WHO) underscores the importance of focusing on the needs of the patient, on a case-by-case basis, and discourages the practice of aiming for “target rates”.

Caesarean sections may be necessary when vaginal delivery might pose a risk to the mother or baby – for example due to prolonged labour, foetal distress, or because the baby is presenting in an abnormal position. However, caesarean sections can cause significant complications, disability or death, particularly in settings that lack the facilities to conduct safe surgeries or treat potential complications.

Since 1985, the international healthcare community has considered the “ideal rate” for caesarean sections to be between 10 per cent and 15 per cent. New stud-

Although

ies reveal that when caesarean section rates rise towards 10 per cent across a population, the number of maternal and newborn deaths decreases. But when the rate goes above 10 per cent, there is no evidence that mortality rates improve. It is estimated that globally, the rate of caesarean section is higher than the ideal. In the Americas, the average is 38.9 per cent, according to the most recent data from 25 countries. However, this figure could be higher given that in many cases it does not include caesarean sections done by Private Sector

health services.

“It´s very worrisome that almost four out of every 10 births in the Region are by C-section,” said Suzanne Serruya, Director of the Latin American Centre for Perinatology, Women, and Reproductive Health (CLAP) of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), regional office for the Americas of WHO. “Doctors, midwives, obstetric nurses, those responsible for health policies, mothers and fathers, and society as a whole should work together to reduce this number and use caesarean sections only when it´s needed

– PAHO

for medical reasons.”

Health risks

Across a population, the effects of caesarean section rates on maternal and newborn outcomes such as stillbirths or morbidities like birth asphyxia are still unknown. More research on the impact of caesarean sections on women’s psychological and social well-being is still needed.

“Having too many caesarean sections is exposing more women to new health problems, like abnormal placentation, which in the case of a second caesarean section can occur in 40 per cent of cases, and in the case of a third caesarean, can occur all the way up to 60 per cent of cases. This represents a risk for maternal death by haemorrhage,” warned Bremen de Mucio, Regional Advisor on Sexual and Reproductive Health in PAHO/WHO´s CLAP.

Due to their increased cost, high rates of unnecessary caesarean sections can pull resources away from other services in overloaded and weak health systems. The lack of a standardised internationally-accepted classification system to monitor and compare caesarean section rates in a consistent and action-oriented manner

is one of the factors that have hindered a better understanding of this trend. WHO proposes adopting the Robson classification as an internationally applicable caesarean section classification system.

The Robson system classifies all women admitted for delivery into one of 10 groups based on characteristics that are easily identifiable, such as number of previous pregnancies, whether the baby comes head first, gestational age, previous uterine scars, number of babies and how labour started. Using this system would facilitate comparison and analysis of caesarean rates within and between different facilities and across countries and regions.

“Information gathered in a standardised, uniform and reproducible way is critical for healthcare facilities as they seek to optimise the use of caesarean section and assess and improve the quality of care,” explains Dr Marleen Temmerman, Director of WHO’s Department of Reproductive Health and Research. “We urge the healthcare community and decision-makers to reflect on these conclusions and put them into practice at the earliest opportunity.”

tips to help you manage your intense child

By April FreemAn

Routine, structure, and flexibility

My daughter does best when she knows what to expect. She needed, and still does need, a concrete routine that she can count on. Unexpected surprises, especially of the disappointing kind, have always been difficult for her to handle, so I’ve learned that a solid routine makes life flow just a little bit better. She needs to know that we will get up, do our schoolwork, have some fun, have a snack at 10:30h and 15:00h, and go to the library on Tuesdays. Having a routine also helped my daughter quit nagging me about different things. I no longer have to endure endless quizzing about what time we will have a snack because she knows it will be at 15:00h every. single. day. Having a structured life is not easy for me because I am more of a “go with the flow” kind of person who takes surprises in stride. My daughter isn’t like that. She needs to have a stable bedtime, a regular wake time, and know what will happen each day. Of course, we do work on flexing with unexpected circumstances, but as far as things are under my control, I try to provide a stable environment.

However, I also need to be able to flex within the routine. I didn’t force an arbitrary routine on my daughter for no good reason. I didn’t have a time schedule and force her to move from one activity to another just because the clock read a certain time. My daughter would have fought a rigid schedule like that tooth and nail. If we got up later than normal occasionally, we followed the same routine as always, but times were just pushed back throughout the day. Observe your child and see how much flex they can handle in a routine. Some children need a tighter schedule than others. Other children just need a dependable routine that flows throughout the day. We did have a flow, but the only “set in stone” times were bedtime and mealtimes.

Remember, this was what worked for my child. Study your child and consider how these tips will work in your family. Also, keep in mind that there is no “easy button” for these intense children. They will always be more challenging to raise, but my hope is that these tips will help you bring your child’s intensity down to a more manageable level. (Empoweringparents.com)

it can save lives, a caesarean section is often performed without medical need, putting women and their babies at-risk of short- and long-term health problems

Jagdeo clears air on use of Petrocaribe funds

...to finance agri development, purchase of rice and paddy

ormer President

FBharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday cleared the air on the workings of the Venezuela-sponsored Petrocaribe deal, dismissing claims by Oppositionbacked rice farmers in Essequibo that the Guyana Government was using funds from the deal to subsidise it.

Petrocaribe, in addition to supplying oil at concessionary rates to Caribbean countries, is aimed at promoting trade among member states, and Guyana has been supplying rice to Venezuela under the initiative. Under the current trade agreement, Guyana is expected to supply approximately 210,000 tonnes of paddy and polished rice an-

Bank and dismissed accusations that the Government was using the money for development projects. “I heard Doerga (former CEO of Alesie Group of Company Turhane Doerga) saying we have tons of money and this Government doesn’t want to use it. This is gross misunderstanding, the money is at the Central Bank” Jagdeo noted.

Above board

Explaining to farmers how Guyana entered into the arrangement with Venezuela, Jagdeo said that a few years ago in 2009, Guyana had a large quantity of rice and was posed with the issue of lack of markets. He said at that time he was at a United Nations meeting

nually to Venezuela. The value of this supply amounts to US$130 million. Under this rice agreement which dates back to 2009, Guyana has been able to obtain increased prices every year, a development that has since brought added benefits to rice farmers and the economy as a whole. Actually, for Guyana it has spurred a rapid increase in rice production, due to the lucrative Venezuelan market, thus increasing the food supply in the region.

During a meeting with rice farmers at Anna Regina, Jagdeo heard misinformed complaints from farmers that the rice-for-oil agreement with Venezuela was not above board and that farmers were often shafted in the arrangement. Jagdeo told the meeting that he has heard a lot of “falsehoods” being peddled around by the Opposition about the agreement between Venezuela and Guyana. He said that the money from the fund usually sat in the Central

when he spoke to the late Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez who in turn directed him to speak with current President Nicolas Maduro, who at that time was the Foreign Affairs Minister of the country. He said following his engagement with Maduro, he was able to strike a rice contract. “I am hearing all kinds of claims, but let me say this – that the fund was not opened by chance. It was opened by a conversation, farmers need to understand this”.

He further added that the Petrocaribe deal was open to all Caribbean countries and it was as a result of the fluctuation of oil prices. “Let’s say oil prices are high, Venezuela said we will give you some credit, this is for the entire Caribbean. If oil prices are high then 40 per cent of the oil payments can be kept by the country as a loan, 60 per cent you have to pay over a time span.”

He said the loans from the fund are being used for development projects in the

Caribbean, but this was not so in Guyana, instead the money is placed at the Central Bank financing the purchasing of rice. He said that the Government, however, had used US$15 million from the fund to construct the Hope Canal from the Demerara Conservancy, because the Government saw it as important for the agriculture sector. He added the agreement enables Guyana to ship rice to Venezuela and said when that Government pays Guyana for its rice, the money is put as a loan to the Central Bank to be used for the purchase of rice.

Economic cushion

Petrocaribe was established to act as an economic “cushion”, giving countries time to adjust their rates of consumption, make lifestyle changes, and move toward renewable energy sources. It also created a mechanism, whereby a fund could be established to be used for the development of the energy sector as well as other areas such as social projects.

Guyana’s total fuel bill at the time it joined Petrocaribe was about US$400 million annually and at 50 per cent co-financing under the agreement, the country was expected to develop an annual debt of about US$200 million. But with the aim to offset such a situation, Guyana took the position that for every shipment of oil, full payment would be made immediately. At present, the local fuel company buying the oil has to pay the full price to the Guyana Energy Agency, which acts as the agent to purchase. At the level of the Government, the Venezuelan-financed portion is placed in a special account and the Finance Ministry issues a promissory note. The money accumulated in this process has been used to help in purchasing two power plants for the national electricity sector as well as funding other projects. For export of rice and paddy, the cost is discounted against what is owed by Guyana for Venezuelan oil.

In other words, Guyana’s debt to Petrocaribe is paid in paddy and rice as settlement for oil from Venezuela. Under this arrangement, three compensation agreements signed with Venezuela resulted in the cancellation of US$281.1 million of Guyana’s oil debt. This amount was equivalent to the value of rice and paddy exported to Venezuela from July 2011 to October 2013.

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo

thursday, aPrIL 16, 2015 | guyanatImesgy.com

Homeless labourer remanded for cocaine possession

Alabourer was remanded to prison on Wednesday to await his trial at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on a charge of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Thirty-seven-yearold Nazim Usman appeared in Court One on Wednesday morning before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry

charged with possession of two grams of the illegal drug while in the Georgetown Magisterial District on April 13.

Police Prosecutor Stephen Gonsalves told the court that the defendant was caught in a house on Cross Street, Georgetown with the substance. A Police officer had gone to the house to investigate after being notified of a disturbance.

A search was conducted of the house and the defendant was found under the bed. When he was searched, the cocaine was found in his pants pocket.

No objection to bail was made.

In his defence, Usman told the court that he was not guilty of carrying an illegal substance according to the laws of Guyana. He also said that he was homeless

and worked quite hard on the streets as a labourer.

Even with no objection to bail being made, Magistrate SewnarineBeharry thought it best to remand the defendant as he had no fixed place of abode. She transferred his case to Court Five where he will be tried.

His trial is expected to begin on April 30.

Fishing boat captain charged for fraud

Afishing boat captain was placed on $40,000 bail on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Seepaul Naitram, 31, of 132 First Street, Mocha, East Bank Demerara,

pleaded not guilty to the charge, which read that on April 7 at Houston, Greater Georgetown, he fraudulently converted $100,000 which was given to him by Dharmendra Dharmo for the purpose of purchasing groceries.

According to Police

Prosecutor Steven Gonsalves, Naitram is employed by Dharmo as a fisherman as well as the captain of the vessel and on the day in question, the defendant was given the sum of money to purchase groceries for the crew members. However, the defendant

then fraudulently converted the sum to his own personal use. The matter was reported and the man was arrested and charged.

After reviewing the facts presented, the Chief Magistrate placed the man on bail. The matter will return to court on April 29.

Brazilian woman failed to declare US$11,000 – court told

ABrazilian woman was Wednesday arraigned for failure to disclose a large sum of US currency at the airport before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The woman, Marisa Silva Cardosa, of Ituni Street, Bel Air Park, pleaded not guilty to the charge, which read that

on December 4, 2014 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), she failed to declare US$11,000 to Customs and Immigration.

According to the details of the charge on the day in question, the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) of the Guyana Police Force seized more than US$11,000 from the woman which she failed to declare contra-

ry to the 2009 Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. Cardosa’s lawyer, Mark Waldron, requested that the court released his client on her own recognisance, as SOCU has withheld the seized money. Cardosa was, however, granted bail in the sum of $100,000 and ordered to return to court on April 23.

Sex offender found dead in Mazaruni Prison cell

Aconvicted sex offender was found hanging in a cell at the Mazaruni Prison Wednesday after, police said in a statement.

In the statement police said about 15:00h convicted prisoner Navar Edwards called “Ramesh”, 31 years, of No. 0 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, was found hanging from a sheet tied to the door of his cell in the Mazaruni Prison. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Bartica Hospital.

Navar Edwards was serving a five-

year sentence for a sexual offence and had been admitted to the Mazaruni Prison on April 09, 2015. Investigations are in progress.

Only on Sunday 36-year-old Roy Bovell of Tabatinga, Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) was found hanging from the grill work of the station’s lock-ups on Sunday around 08:00h. According to an earlier Police release, Bovell was the only prisoner in the lock-ups at the time and had been arrested at around 19:45h on

Saturday after he was found with 60 grams of cannabis sativa (marijuana) in his possession.

The Police had earlier visited the lock-ups at 06:15h, where the man was alive and well. The Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is conducting investigations into the matter. A post mortem examination conducted on the body of the man confirmed that he died as a result of asphyxiation due to hanging.

Incitement...

...on race by Lincoln Lewis

Lincoln Lewis is supposed to be a Trade Unionist... he's General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Guyana. With responsibility for such an umbrella organisation of workers, you'd think he'll be a bit circumspect on the issue of race. If nothing else but to suggest he's a bit impartial.

After "race" is quite literally a combustible issue in Guyana - having plunged our country into its first "ethnic cleansing" when 3000+ Indian Guyanese had to flee the mining town of Wismar - MacKenzie - soon named "Linden" after Burnham.

More recently, we've had some "African freedom Fighters" based in Buxton taking on the state and killing two dozen Policemen in the process. And we're not even mentioning the scores of civilians presumably killed as "collateral damage". So responsible folks don't gratuitously drag "race" when it comes to politics in Guyana.

But here comes Lincoln the Loud, not satisfied with lambasting Jagdeo who'd addressed a PPP/C meeting in Linden recently, but went out of his way to charge that Jagdeo treated Bauxite workers badly "while the $2.5B bauxite industry pension plan, the largest single pool of money that was owned primarily by Africans, was broken up."

OK. If Lewis wants to ignore that the Bauxite company was on the block since 1991 under the IMF Programme signed by Hoyte and Carl Greenidge - so be it. If Lewis wants to ignore that it was the PNC under Hoyte that fired more than 2000 workers and the PPP/C refused to fire any more after 1992 - so be it. If he wants to ignore that when Linmine was eventually privatized, the PPP/C Government plunked almost $2 billion to clear outstanding payments to NIS, a Workers Savings Scheme and, to cover an actuariallycalculated deficit in the Bauxite Pension Plan, so be it. Or even the $2 billion annually to pay for free electricity - so be it. Fairness was never Lewis' strong point, was it?

But why drag "race" into it in the midst of a raciallypolarised elections campaign? When Hoyte fired all those thousands of workers, why didn't Lewis talk about "African" workers?? When Burnham himself had threatened the RILA - precursor of the Bauxite plan, how come no "African" interest was invoked?

Sam Hinds, who was there in the Bauxite industry and was part of the scheme has debunked Lewis oft-stated claims on several occasions. But Lewis stubbornly refuses to accept the facts presented.

He would rather throw a lighted match into the boiling race cauldron. Maybe he wants another "cleansing of Wismar?

...from an old Reform

Your Eyewitness had wondered whatever happened to the old "Reform" which the old "Silver Fox" Desmond Hoyte had conjured up to give cover to the PNC while he reverted to that party's old, violent tricks with his "slow fyaah; mo fyaah" strategy. The PNC then became PNCR.

But nobody was fooled by the subterfuge and the Reform drifted away. Or so it was thought. Corbin introduced the ironically named PNCR One Guyanaoblivious to how the acronym would look: PNC-R1G!! Not propitious as a cover!

Then of course, Granger took on four or so "one-man" parties, presumably threw some water over them and ...voila!! - dubbed the PNC-led and dominated outfit APNU! But all that's just by the way... whatever happened to Reform?? After all the "R's" still there. Well now we know. We just saw a letter from one Jerome Khan who was a fervent founder of that appendage.

Seeing that APNU's still adjusting its list, maybe we'll see his name as a candidate?

...for a job??

Royston King's been a real attack dog for Hamilton Green against Carol Sooba at City Hall. But it looks like he's hedging his support for the embattled Mayor. King wrote such a sycophantic letter about Jacob Rambarran that he's definitely sucking up for a PR job!!

Marisa Silva Cardosa

Guyanese should be proud of Marriott – Govt

Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon said that Guyanese should be proud of the establishment of the fivestar Marriott Hotel which opens its doors to the public today, as it will lend to the strengthening of the economy.

The US$51 million flagship Marriott Hotel, in Kingston, Georgetown, opens its doors to the public with an official ribbon cutting ceremony – accomplishing that feat despite the naysayers, litigation, protests, parliamentary motions and the plethora of resistance to one of Government’s key developmental projects.

Dr Luncheon, at his post-Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday said Cabinet had reflected on the opening of the iconic entity and clearly felt that Guyanese can be proud of the achievement of the new five-star hotel.

“It is not only its location at the mouth of Demerara River; on the Atlantic sea coast of Guyana”, Dr Luncheon said, “but also the most likely impact on the entertainment, hospitality, travel and tourism sectors of the economy of Guyana, that will forever be noteworthy”.

He said the close to 200 room capacity entity translates into jobs for hundreds of Guyanese in these sectors. “Not only direct employment, but also the myriad of other forms of employment and job creation that attends the operation of a 200 bed capacity fivestar hotel in the capital city.”

According to him, the presence of the hotel in Guyana contributes to the list of achievements that is part of the integrated plan of the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.

“In addition, its impact, also, when put into operation, the casino and the entertainment centres also expect to contribute to the overall impressive impact that the achievement will provide Guyanese and Guyana”, Dr Luncheon related.

The Marriott Hotel will be officially declared opened by Head of State, Donald Ramotar, at a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion with Marriott executives. Already, many, including the Private Sector Commission, are raving about the impressiveness of the property and the project.

The 197-room hotel, complete

with the 29,000 square foot entertainment complex that will house a casino, restaurant and night-

meeting spaces that could accommodate as many as 700 persons.

There are also facilities that are

club all of which will be privately operated, separate and distinct from the hotel and its operator.

The Marriott Guyana Hotel boasts services of an international standard and facilities such as business, fitness and entertainment centres, guest rooms to meet various preferences and

tailored for the visually and hearing impaired.

The glass finish of Marriott allows picturesque views of the city of Georgetown in the front or the Atlantic Ocean in the rear.

According to the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Ltd (NICIL) an esti-

mated 12.2 per cent of Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) came from travel and tourism in 2011 up from 11.5 per cent in 2010. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that this sector will grow from $35.1 billion to $42.3 billion by 2021, nearly doubling from 2011 to 2021, making this hotel a worthwhile investment.

The Hotel is owned by Atlantic Hotel Inc (AHI), a company owned by the Government of Guyana through its shareholding company NICIL. AHI was incorporated in Guyana on September 10, 2009 under the Companies Act 1991. NICIL is the Governmentowned company lawfully entrusted to pursue investments on behalf of the State, including public-private partnerships and in September 2009, AHI, the special purpose company to pursue the Marriott project.

Construction of the hotel started in early 2012 following the sod-turning ceremony in November 2011, but ever since 2009, AHI had been actively looking for partners, locally and internationally, interested in entering into a Public-Private Partnership to develop the hotel.

Govt denies Webster, cash jet pilot link

Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon on Wednesday said as far as Government is aware, the Human Services and Social Security Minister Jennifer Webster is not associated with Guyanese pilot Khamraj Lall who was charged with money laundering in the United States (US) late last year.

According to Dr Luncheon, the Government has not received any information on the Minister, who is scheduled to leave office later this month, or any other Minister in the Administration with respect to the matter.

He was responding to queries on whether

Government could confirm the Minister’s involvement in the matter. On social media, there is widespread speculation that Minister Webster is the “senior Government official” implicated in the money laundering case.

Dr Luncheon, who was at the time addressing journalists at the Office of the President (OP), said while such reports have not reached Government, inquiries could however be made with the appropriate organs including the American authorities here or the Guyana Police Force which may be involved in the investigations.

“I can assure you that we have absolutely no

Human

Services and Social Security Minister Jennifer Webster

information whatsoever from any source official that a Government Minister or specifically

Minister Webster is in any way associated with or engaged with pilot Lall in those offences of which he was accused and charged in North America.”

Based on information,

the Minister with responsibility for Human Services and Social Security may be linked to Lall, who was in December, 2014 charged in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after he was caught with US$620,000 on board his private Jet. Reports say too that, this maybe the reason behind the Webster’s recent resignation.

“Minister came with a letter of resignation which primarily dealt with the status of her health condition that she felt was not improving and a commitment to this Administration to continue to serve in the context of her personal concern of her health. I think she plucked down her prefer -

ence, my health in preference to my job. It was on that basis that she offered her resignation,” Dr Luncheon stressed. Lall, who was travelling with his father and the co-pilot of the aircraft, had initially told officials that he and his father had only US$5000, but later allegedly said they had US$12,000. On closer inspection of the plane, officers found US$150,000 wrapped in plastic bags and a blanket under an exit seat. As the search continued, several black garbage bags with another US$470,000 in cash were found in a compartment near the engine.

Khemraj Lall

The Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown

MMU goes rogue – Dr Luncheon

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon said there are concerns that the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which recently released its first report, may be working independent of the elections body.

At his post-Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday, Dr Luncheon said the unit, which falls under the purview of the elections commission and is tasked with reviewing the work of both government and privately owned media outlets during the lead up to the General and Regional Elections, might be operating on its own.

According to Dr Luncheon, it is expected that the views of GECOM would be brought to bear on the report that is publicised by the monitoring unit.

“The MMU in its exercise of its monitoring mandate should not act independently of GECOM. It is felt that its output needs to be drawn to GECOM’s attention prior to its publication,” Dr Luncheon said at the office of the President.

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Cheddi Jagan at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant, Corentyne.

“In the case of this inference, Cabinet is contending that there were material facts that those statements alluded to were acknowledged as statements made by others originally for which the former President disclosed the likely response, were those statement made by a member of the governing party, he said we will kick them out.”

He said Cabinet was unclear on the inference drawn by the MMU, that the remarks by the President “could be deemed racially divisive.”

Doing so is among the constitutional mandates of GECOM, Dr Luncheon added. He said in the monitoring exercise, it is expected that the views of GECOM be brought to bear on the report, noting that media monitoring is “indeed intricately caught up in GECOM exercising its constitutional mandate.”

He further lambasted the unit for its inference on the remarks made by former President Bharat Jagdeo last month during the commemoration ceremony of founding leader of the

“As a logical construct, Cabinet held strongly to the view that in the presence of facts, inferences about the same matter could not be inconsistent and if it were so it would be illogical. In this case, the statements that the (former) President made were undisputedly credited to others”, Dr Luncheon clarified.

The MMU recently released its inaugural report; where it slammed sections of the media for either their bias, or supportive reports of the opposition coalition or

the Government. Some media houses were criticised for what was described as the “swelling antipathy towards good jour-

nalism practices” and the lowering of standards.

The MMU therefore called on all media operatives to uphold their journal-

istic ethics and principles in carrying out their mandates, while noting that some currently being exercised were of low standards.

GECOM, OAS ink pact for election monitoring

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Wednesday signed an agreement with the Organisation of American States (OAS) on the Electoral Observation Process of the 2015 General and Regional Elections. This agreement was compiled by the OAS. The signing took place when the OAS Chief of Mission, Lisa Shoman visited GECOM. The agreement clearly outlines the conditions under which the OAS will execute its electoral observation exercise before, during and after the conduct of the May 11 General and Regional Elections.

GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally, after the signing, took the opportunity to brief the OAS team on GECOM’s current state of preparedness for the efficient and transparent conduct of the upcoming elections. He indicated that GECOM has already writ-

ten to the eight political parties contesting the May 11 Elections, informing them of their eligibility. He also mentioned that GECOM is on the verge of posting the Official List of Electors (OLE).

Dr Surujbally further explained to the OAS team that GECOM has already finalised all the Polling Stations to be utilised on Election Day and currently is engaged assiduously in refresher training of Polling Day staff.

The Chairman also indicated that GECOM’s Civic and Voter Education programme is well underway with a variety of advertisements, infomercials as well as public service announcements being published in the print and electronic media daily. He was keen to point out to the OAS team that GECOM’s television infomercials cater for persons living with hearing disabilities, via sign language.

GECOM in a release said it is committed to working within the guidelines of the agreement signed and looks forward to positive electoral observation reportage from the OAS.

The OAS Chief of Mission indicated that the Organisation intends to field a team of about a dozen observers who will be strategically placed across the country during Election Day. She also mentioned that the OAS representatives should be arriving in Guyana on Tuesday, May 5, and would be staying even after Election Day. Accompanying the OAS Chief of Mission was the OAS Deputy Chief of Mission, David Olivarez Veloso and the Resident OAS Representative in Guyana, Jean Ricot Dormeus. GECOM’s Chairman, Dr Surujbally was accompanied by the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, and the Public Relations Officer, Richard Francois.

GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally hands over the agreement between the body and Head of the OAS mission, Lisa Shoman while Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield looks on

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon

Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Chairman Steve Surujbally and the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU)

Guyanese receive Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards

Guyanese academics, Dr Paloma Mohamed and Professor Suresh Narine are two of the four awardees of the prestigious Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards. The Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards is the only programme in the Caribbean which seeks and rewards outstanding nominees in Arts and Letters, Public and Civic Contributions, and Science and Technology, and as of 2015, Entrepreneurship.

Professor Narine, during his acceptance speech, highlighted that there is a lack of regional leadership within the Caribbean Community (Caricom). He regrettably noted that the outstanding Jagdeo Initiative on Agriculture and Food Security, a strategy developed for removing constraints to the development of agriculture in the Caribbean, is no longer in progress. “The Jagdeo Initiative…has disappeared into the void created by a lack of regional leadership within Caricom,” Narine stated.

He pointed out that Caricom’s net food import bill is in excess of US$4.5 billion where in Trinidad and Tobago, the food import bill is US$950 million, and Jamaica, the food import bill is close to US$1 billion.

Additionally, he noted that the region spends nearly US$500 million on imported rice and sugar, even as Guyana struggles to find markets for its rice.

“And so, despite the demand, Guyana, Suriname and Belize, with large tracts of arable land, significant fresh water resources and low population densities remain relatively undeveloped with regards to their vast agricultural potential,” Narine asserted.

Moreover, he said the region receives less than one per cent of the world’s foreign direct investment, and other than for Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname, it has a crippling dependence on imported fuel.

“Yet, we do not have a regional strategy for alternative, green sources of energy. The vast potential of hydropower in Guyana and Suriname could benefit significantly from regional investments and regional supply agreements for electricity, to the benefit of energy security for many of the neighbouring states,” Narine lamented.

He further stressed on the significant potential of science and technology in providing quantum im-

provements in the lives of Caribbean people.

“There is an urgent need to promote a culture of scientific entrepreneurship, and a concomitant and urgent need for the region to continue to improve the way it handles intellectual property…I firmly believe that our region’s science and technology portfolio should be heavily focused on technology transfer and the harnessing of science and technology for development and well-being of our people. Even as we pursue technologies appropriate to our particular circumstances, critical mass cannot be accomplished without pooling our regional resources,” Narine underscored.

Narine added that much more needs to be done in integrating the universities across the region.

While emphasising this urgent need, Narine recognised that the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) stands as a living, successful example of embracing regional standards in education.

Professor Narine is a biotechnologist and Director of the Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (IAST) in Guyana and a Professor at Trent University in Canada. His work in Guyana and Canada has created the rare bridge between scientific research and commercial application, and in many cases, lessened environmental impact.

Meanwhile, Dr Mohamed in her acceptance speech spoke about the lack of arts within the region. “Today’s artists inhabit a world in which support for the arts is dwindling,” she lamented.

Dr Mohamed pointed out that those in the Caribbean, especially young creative people, are generally without platforms from which to launch, without successful indigenous role models and mentors, supportive structures and training opportunities, without links to businesses and substantial documentation of success

stories.

“I am often saddened and deeply disturbed by the misunderstanding that the arts are not important. I want nothing more than to see this erroneous perception and the poor conditions it engenders for artists change for the better,” she said as she vowed to help others to achieve their goals.

Dr Mohamed is the Dean of the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Social Sciences and is one of the most prolific academics in communication, behavioural studies and creative writing (playwright, script-writer and poet) in the region.

Dr Mohamed has written and had performed more than 30 plays, and published two collections of poetry with a third expected this year. She has also branched into film, and has been executive producer on 32 films.

No sign of new HIV strain in Guyana – Dr Singh

Director of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat, Dr Shanti Singh has disclosed that the new strain of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has not been detected in Guyana.

“At this point in time, we’ve not picked up through our routine surveillance and our active surveillance that we are seeing any case where there is an accelerated rate in the symptomatic period,” she stated.

Last month, it was widely reported around the world that a new strain of HIV, which rapidly advances to the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), was found in Cuba. However, Dr Singh pointed out that she was a part of a Latin American/Caribbean delegation that recently attended a Global Fund meeting, where it was explained that the strain is not new and was in fact in Cuba and other countries for a while.

She explained that while traditionally it takes a while for the HIV infection to develop symptomatically into AIDS, with this new HIV strain, that period is significantly shortened. In some cases, this occurs within three months, when it usually takes several years, she added.

“So from the time of infection to the time that you begin to see sign of symptoms of full blown AIDS, it could be not necessarily (that lengthy period) but can in fact take three months,” she outlined.

According to Dr Singh, this means that Guyana will have to continue with its

routine surveillance to detect any case(s) of this new strain. She noted that testing sites are on the watch out, and data collection systems are in place to detect all HIV infections and cases with accelerated symptoms.

“So we are continuing to test within our HIV programmes; once someone is tested and linked to the treatment programme, that person will be monitored,” she added.

On the other hand, Director of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDs (PANCAP), Derek Springer, also stated that at the regional level, the new strain is presently isolated to Cuba.

Springer highlighted that PANCAP is partnering with other agencies to monitor the situation in the Caribbean. He underscored the importance of countries reporting their findings as well as continuing to take precautions and maintaining their key surveillance of their populations.

The PANCAP Director further called on Caribbean

countries to continue monitoring the situation. “So if countries begin to detect new strains of HIV, then that would be brought to the attention of the Ministry of Health and in turn to the Caribbean Public Health agencies, and of course PANCAP. Then a determination would be made on how we would respond to this situation,” he stated.

A recently discovered form of HIV in Cuba is progressing into AIDS three times faster than the most common strains of the virus, according to a recent study.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Leuven in Belgium, followed several reports of HIV-infected people in Cuba developing AIDS in less than three years, far faster than the usual 10 years it typically takes.

Officials in Cuba reached out to Professor of Health, Anne-Mieke Vandamme, who studied over 70 patients, dividing them into groups. The team composed of one group with those progressing toward AIDS much quicker than the five to 10 years the virus normally takes to develop into the autoimmune disease.

The individuals that developed AIDS at unprecedented rates had tested negative for HIV just one or two years prior to testing positive. But what is happening in Cuba appears to be the recombination of three sub-strains of the virus. Individuals with the aggressive strain were found to have more of the virus in their system than the other patients.

Dr Paloma Mohamed

Professor Suresh Narine

NAPS Director Dr Shanti Singh

Ramayya reluctantly apologises to “Zulfi”

With a contempt of court motion filed against him for failing to adhere to a court order to apologise to People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Executive Secretary Zulfikar Mustapha, Alliance

on March 7, the AFC Executive appeared on his television programme on controversial station DTV Channel 8, in Berbice, where he said:

“I was ordered by the court and I am not very comfortable with what I have to do or say. On behalf of myself and the TV station, we want to apologise to Zulfi Mustapha for the allegation that was made on this television programme. So that ends this episode with a very big full stop.”

He was also supposed to have a printed apology appear in one of the local newspapers within that seven-day time period, which he also failed to do. As a result, a contempt motion was recently filed in the court against him and now he is expected to appear before Justice William Ramlal on Friday.

Dr. Ramayya apologises to Zulficar Mustapha

On a television programme tilled “Issues of the People” aired on November 19,2011 on DTV Channel 8,1, Veerasammy Ramayyah, executive member of the AFC, alleged that Mr. Zulficar Mustapha, (who was Regional Chairman for Region Six at the time and a prominent member of the PPP/C) was corrupt and dishonest.

I, Veerasammy Ramayyah, hereby unreservedly withdraw all imputations made by me upon the character, good name and conduct of

For Change (AFC) Executive Member Veerasammy Ramayya is now trying to make amends.

After appearing before Justice Nareshwar Haranand in the New Amsterdam High Court on March 3, Ramayya was given seven days to issue an apology via both print and electronic media to Mustapha after he was found guilty of spreading libellous information about the PPP/C official. Veerasammy was ordered to read and issue a specifically crafted document, but instead,

Mr. Zulficar Mustapha. I acknowledge that the statements and allegations made by me were wholly unfounded. I wish to express my deep regret to Mr. Zulficar Mustapha and to sincerely apologise to him, his family, his friends, the Regional Administration (Region 6) and the PPP/C for having made the statements and for any embarrassment and inconvenience, which may have been caused to him.

Veerasammy Ramayyah

However, just two days before he is slated to make his court appearance, where he could possibly face serious jail time for breaching the court order, Ramayya issued the apology in the Kaieteur Newspaper on Wednesday, April 15.

While it appears the AFC Executive is trying to correct his mistake, reports indicate that he still did not properly apologise to Mustapha via electronic media.

The entire court matter began after Ramayya and the owner of the DTV television

station in Berbice, Gregory Rambarran, were slapped with a libel lawsuit in 2012 for spreading lies and misleading information about Mustapha.

The charges claim that Ramayya made libellous claims regarding Mustapha during the height of the elections campaign in 2011.

The defendants were represented by AFC Executive and Attorney-at-Law Khemraj Ramjattan, while Mustapha was represented by Attorney Adrian Anamaya.

Damages

In addition to publicly apologising, Ramayya was expected to pay the sum of $250,000 to Mustapha, which the politician said he would donate to charity. Mustapha’s Attorney explained that his client was not keen on receiving money, but thought it best to do so as an act of detriment, especially considering that Guyana is in the height of another elections season.

Only recently, Mustapha highlighted to the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) an instance where the same DTV Channel 8 blatantly violated the Racial Hostility Act.

Mustapha pointed out that on the programme titled, “Alliance on the Move” on February 28, Ramayya made statements labelling the PPP/C as an “Indo-Guyanese Party” and indicated that it was conducting a campaign against Afro-Guyanese.

According to Mustapha, Ramayya then proceeded to make statements that peddled untrue information of a racist nature.

Kissoon dropped from PNC list

...after refusing to say sorry to Oscar

Vanessa Kissoon, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) representative who was notably absent from the APNU/ AFC List of Candidates for the May 11 polls has finally broken her silence, stating that she was dropped because of her refusal to issue an apology to the leadership of the party.

In an interview with another media outlet, Kissoon related that she was told that in order for her name to be placed on the List, she would have had to issue an apology. While she did not specify who the apology had to be given to, she has been involved in conflicts with the leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), David Granger; the party’s Chief Whip, Amna Ally and General Secretary of the PNC, Oscar Clarke.

Her relationship with the leaders of the PNCR deteriorated following an altercation with General Secretary Clarke at the party’s Sophia Headquarters last year. It was alleged that Kissoon verbally and physically assaulted the General Secretary. Subsequent to PNCR’s Biennial Congress in July, Kissoon was instructed to apologise for misconduct; however, this recommendation, which was made by the party’s Disciplinary Committee, was ignored.

In September 2014, another letter was dispatched to Kissoon by the Opposition Leader regarding her membership in the party, but she did not issue an immediate response. It has always been unclear from that time to now, whether that apology was issued.

the List. He also refused to divulge whether Kissoon was officially consulted on the decision and what had been her response.

Ultimatum

However, Kissoon noted that she was issued with the ultimatum that she sign an apology letter or her name would not appear on the List of Candidates which was to be submitted to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). She, however, maintained that she was not guilty of anything and as such, refused to sign the document. Kissoon said that she did not need to be on the list for her voice to be heard.

Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in the upcoming elections, because she believed that the ruling Party was more sympathetic to the aspirations of women.

Meanwhile, she related that according to the rules of the party, a method is always employed for the selection of candidates for the List, explaining that while the lists were submitted, none of those names ever appeared on the List of Candidates.

“At the regional level, we would have had a principle where it was said that politics are local and our residents and our members because we have groups, selected the names of the persons they wanted to be on the list and that methodology was done and we realised that none of those persons were placed on the List,” the PNC’s Linden representative said.

Advocacy

The former MP related that while her name was not added to the list, she would not abandon the party, but would continue with her advocacy since it was not about position or individuals but the country’s well-being.

“We want people to understand that this is bigger than Ms Kissoon, than Mr Granger, it is bigger than an individual, it is not about Mr David Granger or Moses Nagamootoo; we are fighting for Guyana, it is for our children and our children’s children, they are the future generation.”

The text of the apology that appeared in the Kaieteur Newspaper on Wednesday GECOM gets additional funds to gear up for elections

When questioned by media operatives on why Kissoon’s name was not present on the party’s official List of Candidates for the upcoming election, Granger responded that Kissoon had already served two terms and as such, the decision was taken to not include her. He refused to comment when it was pointed out that several others such as Amna Ally had already also served two terms and were still on

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has again received approval from Cabinet for the procurement of sensitive materials to be used for the upcoming General and Regional Elections.

Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon on Wednesday announced that the body tasked with overseeing the affairs of the May 11 elections, has been allocated some $36.8 million for

“Let me say this, I was told that if I sign an apology I would have made it on the list. I have not done anything wrong, I will not apologise…this is a step that I am taking so that the young people that are following would understand that the precedent is set. They don’t need to do anything to be a part of a government just so that their voices can be heard. We must stand up for our rights and justice and I will continue to do that,” she expressed.

Another former Member of Parliament (MP) of the PNCR/APNU, Africo Selman had also encountered problems with the leadership of the party. She, however, felt that it was not a personal idiosyncratic issue but a misogynic position by PNC leader David Granger that women must be kept “barefoot and pregnant”. Selman quit the PNCR, and was now a candidate for the People’s

She promised to continue her work in youth development, explicitly stating that not being on the List will not diminish her passion for the things she believes in.

“For me personally, when I was placed on the back bench in Parliament, I told the entire world so it matters not where I am seated, my voice will still be heard. I believe whether in or out of Government, Opposition, I would still be heard because I will continue my advocacy to ensuring that [under] any government, that the rights of the people are respected as enshrined in the Constitution under Article 13,” Kissoon related.

the purchase of materials including ballot papers, stamp pads, tally sheets, Statement of Polls, security seals, validation seals and indelible ink among others.

In January, GECOM had secured a $35.2 million allocation from Government for the purchase of similar materials.

Government has also given its no objection for some $32.8 million for the retaining of service providers for

the promotion of infomercial for the upcoming polls. Meanwhile, the Health Sector has received Cabinet’s no objection for the procurement of medical supplies for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) at a cost of some $219.8 million or an equivalent of US$ 1.05 million. Some $1.03 billion has also been allocated to the institution for the procurement of drugs.

AFC Executive Veerasammy Ramayya

PPP/C Executive Zulfikar Mustapha

Vanessa Kissoon

Stewartville accident… Driver fled after being asked for assistance

The driver of the motor car that killed a Stewartville, West Coast Demerara (WCD), mother of one reportedly fled the scene after he was asked by the dead woman’s relatives for assistance to transport her to the hospital.

Around 18:30h, 33-yearold Vanessa Forde of Lot 31 North-East, Stewartville, was killed on Tuesday after she was struck down by a grey Spacio vehicle, bearing registration number PSS 2223, on the Stewartville Public Road.

According to the woman’s father, Desmond Forde, Vanessa along with her sixyear-old son, her mother and two nieces were standing at the corner of the road facing north.

He stated that the car came speeding from the western direction and hit a pedal cyclist before picking up his only daughter, flinging her about 40 feet into air. She then fell in a small trench nearby. The man recalled that after receiving the news, he rushed to the scene where persons were taking his daughter out of the trench.

Forde further stated that the driver, who has been identified has Neezam Bacchus, was still at the scene in his car along with a female occupant and a child. The distraught father added that he went to the car and asked the driver to assist in transporting his injured daughter to the hospital but instead of helping, he drove away.

“When I knock on the window and ask he to take me daughter to the hospital, he drive away so me, two guys and one of me daughter friends, stop a bus and

carry she to Bess Hospital (West Demerara Regional Hospital) where they pronounced her dead,” he related.

She reportedly sustained injuries to her head and right foot. Her father detailed that there was a hole on the left side of her head just above the ear and another one on her right foot under the knee.

The man continued that after he left with his daughter, his son went around driving and found the car in a yard at Anna Catherina, WCD. He disclosed that the driver was hiding out at a relative’s house but his son recognised the vehicle.

Forde further revealed that the license plate was broken and so the Police was summoned. They then took the driver into custody, the man mentioned.

A release from the Police confirmed that the driver is in custody assisting with the investigation.

“Investigations have revealed that the driver of a motor car was proceeding along the roadway when he allegedly swerved to avoid a pedal cyclist who had ridden across the road, and in so doing struck down the pedestrian,” the Police explained.

The grieving man added that his daughter was a friendly individual who was well known in the village. The former staff of the Quick Connect Internet Café leaves to mourn her only child, parents, lone brother along with other relatives and friends.

Her remains are at the Ezekiel Funeral Home, awaiting a post mortem examination which is expected to be conducted on Friday.

PM confirmed

Lethem prisoner was hung

Apost mortem examination conducted on the body of a man who was found hanging in the Lethem Police Station, confirmed that he died as a result of asphyxiation due to hanging.

This was disclosed by Police Public Relations Officer, Ivelaw Whittaker, who stated that the autopsy was done by State Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh on Wednesday.

Thirty-six-year-old Roy Bovell of Tapatinga, Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo)

TUF, URP cleared to contest upcoming elections

The United Republican Party (URP) and The United Force (TUF) have announced that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has given approval for them to participate in the May 11 General and Regional Elections. However, in the Regional Election, URP would only be contesting nine of the Regional Electoral Districts.

“This officially makes the URP the political party contesting the third highest amount of Electoral Districts in the upcoming General and Regional Elections, behind the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Coalition, who are contesting all Ten Geographic Constituency and Regional Elections Districts. The URP therefore is entering this election as the third force, giving the electorate a fair opportunity to participate in the democratic process of

electing a new Government,” the General Secretary Rawle Aaron said. Alluding to the party’s preparedness for the upcoming elections, Aaron said URP has succeeded in gathering an abundance of supporters throughout the country.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Guyana Times, TUF Presidential Candidate Marissa Nadir confirmed that the party has been granted permission to contest in both the Regional and General

Elections, noting that the approval comes as no surprise. According to her, “TUF has always been in line with the PPP/C, APNU and AFC in participating in all the geographic constituencies.”

Nadir said although TUF has been away from the spotlight in recent years, it has retained its traditional supporters.

On the other hand, the Independent Party led by Mark Benschop is claiming to be the “third force” in the electoral race, although it is contesting just six of the Geographic Constituencies, being Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Region Five (Mahaica- Berbice), Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice).

Meanwhile, Healing The Nation Theocracy Party (HTNTP) will only be contesting the Regional Elections but

only in Region Four. Efforts to contact the other two political lightweights – Organisation for the Victory of the People Party (OVPP) and the National Independence Party (NIP) – proved futile. With just less than one

month away from what is considered to be one of the most important General and Regional Elections in the history of Guyana, the political lightweights have expressed much excitement and optimism as the day looms closer.

was found hanging from the grill work of the station’s lock-ups on Sunday around 08:00h. According to an earlier Police release, Bovell was the only prisoner in the lock-ups at the time and had been arrested at around 19:45h on Saturday after he was found with 60 grams of cannabis sativa (marijuana) in his possession. The Police had earlier visited the lock-ups at 06:15h, where the man was alive and well. The Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is conducting investigations into the matter.

Leader of the Independent Party Mark Benschop

TUF Presidential Candidate Marissa Nadir

PYO flays Kaieteur News for scandalous article on Collin Croal

The Kaieteur News media outlet has come in again for some harsh condemnation as the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) youth arm – the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) flayed the news agency for carrying an article aimed at attacking Local Government Ministry Permanent Secretary Collin Croal.

A senior member of the PYO during an interview with the Guyana Times on Wednesday, described the article as “pure propaganda”, noting that the report was trying to insinuate lies. The article published on Wednesday, entitled “Permanent Secretary at centre of missing teen report in North West”, suggested that Croal was involved in the alleged disappearance of an 18-year old girl from Mabaruma Village.

The PYO took great umbrage against the report, which had quotes like “there were reports that his daughter had left Mabaruma by air in the presence of the Permanent Secretary” and “her daughter has so far remained silent when ques-

tioned about her activities with the Permanent Secretary”.

The PYO official defended the Permanent Secretary by dismissing the reports of any intimate relationship between him and the teenager.

In a release, PYO Mabaruma said, on Sunday, April 12, 2015, the District Committee (Mabaruma) of the People’s Progressive Party held the finals of the Dr Cheddi Jagan Memorial Games in the community of Kamwatta, of which a team of PYO members accompanied Mr Collin Croal, who is represented on the National Steering Committee of the PYO and is also one of the Geographical Representatives of the PPP for Region One.

The PYO pointed out “all persons that were a part of the team are members of the PYO which enlist youths as members from age 14 to 35 years”.

“At no time was the teenager in question missing. Since her mother who was fully aware of her involvement in our activities and also saw when her daughter,

a member of the PYO joined the minibus that was transporting the group to the games. About an hour after the PYO team reached the community of Kamwatta, a team of campaigners for the coalition [A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change] APNU+AFC arrived at the said village in the company of the teenager’s mother. The child’s mother then came to her in a rude and harsh manner and threatened her verbally in front of the entire group,

an ordeal which was witnessed by other spectators at the games. As if that was not enough, moments later the child was called away from the group by her mother and some minutes later came back crying. When asked what happened, she related that her mother and other members of the coalition team scolded and berated her because of her affiliation with the PYO.”

Anger

As explained by the source, the mother of the child was a former PPP official, but after encountering a misunderstanding with another member, the woman left the party and then began to support the coalition.

However, all the while she had supported the PPP/C, her daughter had been a member of the party’s youth arm. Despite the mother’s falling out with the party, the child remained committed to serving with the PYO. According to the PYO, this position seemed to anger the mother.

“I saw the mother indexing to her daughter and from

IDB funding court case: AG files Affidavit in Answer to Greenidge’s lawsuit

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister

Anil Nandlall on Wednesday filed a sworn Affidavit in Answer with the court on behalf of Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh in the matter brought against him by Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge.

Last month, Greenidge filed legal proceedings asking the court to block Government from spending the US$32.16 million policy-based loan that was recently granted by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB).

When the matter was called up on Wednesday, the AG submitted the affidavit in answer to Greenidge’s lawsuit in the Chambers of acting Chief Justice Ian Chang. Justice Chang also granted leave to the plaintiff to file a response to the AG’s affidavit. The matter was scheduled to be called again on April 23.

Following the hearing, Nandlall pointed out that the monies were deposited in the Consolidated Fund three weeks before the proceeding was instituted; hence, they can only be disbursed in accordance with provisions of the Constitution and the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003. The AG further noted that

the High Court has no power or jurisdiction to interfere with the Executive’s expenditure of these funds, unless it is established that the same is being done in violation of the Constitution or the law.

At the hearing on Wednesday, the Chief Justice shared the same view on the matter. Nandlall went on to explain that with the loan proceeds being paid into the Consolidated Fund, they now form part of the pool of resources that comprise that one Consolidated Fund.

“The event of withdrawing the proceeds of this loan from the Consolidated

Fund is, therefore, logically, indistinguishable from the withdrawal of any other sums that form part of that Consolidated Fund. Furthermore, when sums are deposited into the Consolidated Fund (whether the proceeds of policy- based loans, or tax or non-tax revenues collected), they do not sit in the said Fund with a specific earmarked intended future use. Instead they form part of the general pool of resources that make up that Fund,” he outlined.

Public gimmick

According to the Legal Affairs Minister, if the Court is to issue any orders specially regarding or restricting the withdrawal of this policy-based loan, then it will be violating the constitutional doctrine of the separation of powers.

“This proceeding is simply a public gimmick, it is frivolous, wholly unwarranted and without merit and constitutes an abuse and misuse of the process of the High Court and the Applicant ought to be condemned in costs for this waste of judicial time and energy,” Nandlall declared.

In February, two sets of loan agreements were signed, targeting Police and prison initiatives along with

the environmental management sector. Some US$15 million will be plugged into the Citizen Security Strengthening Project and the other US$17.16 million is to support the policy reforms in the sector.

At a previous hearing, Justice Chang handed down a temporary ruling baring Government from spending any of the US$32.16 million.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member Greenidge is arguing that without Parliament being in session, Government cannot legally spend any of the monies without the approval of the National Assembly.

the way it looked, it look like she was warning her,” the source related.

“About 15 minutes after the teenager returned to our group, her mother came once again and began embarrassing and abusing her daughter verbally saying things like “you nah weary embarrass me”, etc, “furthermore, get up from there and leh we go now”. The teenager while in tears, without hesitation and in a respectful manner, complied with her mother’s instructions. The mother and her daughter left the community in one of the two buses filled with APNU+ AFC coalition supporters. Children under fourteen years were among them,” the PYO said in the release.

“It is widely suspected in the community that the mother’s constant abuse of her daughter has resulted in the teenager running away from home on many occasions and seeking refuge from residents.”

On that note, the PYO reiterated its belief that the article in the controversial newspaper was filled with disparaging and misleading information and untruths.

It added that “The allegation of the teenager becoming intoxicated at the PYO activity is totally untrue and lacks merit in every sense, since the consumption of alcohol is a practice that is not condoned at any given time during PYO activities”.

Further, the official expressed bewilderment over the missing reports of the teenager, suggesting that it was only done for sinister reasons.

According to the latter part of the Kaieteur News article, after the father of the child reportedly reported his daughter missing, it was discovered that she was all the while by a friend. The PYO Mabaruma further said the “Opposition have been intimidating our young people Amerindian brothers and sisters because they do not and would not share their dangerous ideologies”, and stressed that it was the right of every citizen of Guyana to have their political affiliation.

“The PYO stands by truth, progress, and development and will not be subjected to false claims, bullyism and intimidation”

Rose Hall man succumbs days after motorcycle accident

Residents of Rose Hall Town and its environs are mourning the death of a 25-year-old man who was involved in a horrific motorcycle accident on Monday.

Dead is Abdool Naffi Francis of 51 Maycock Street, Rose Hall Town, Corentyne. The accident occurred at approximately 21:30h on Monday at JC Chandisingh Street while the young man was making his way home from Reef Section, Rose Hall Town.

According to reports, Francis, a mechanic by profession, was proceeding south along the JC Chandisingh Dam on his Honda CG Motorcycle CE7435 when he came across an illegally placed speed bump which sent him “flying” off his motorcycle and crashing into the ground two houses away. He was discovered lying on the ground by a passerby and an alarm was raised. The person who recognised him called out to his uncle who lives nearby and then called his mom.

According to his mother, Shirley Singh, she would usually wait up for her son to return from work and when he did not arrive, she

proceeded outside to check on him. While outside, she heard someone calling out for her. The person asked if she had gotten any message. She replied no and was told her son had been in an accident on “Chandie dam”. When she got to the scene, Francis had already been taken to the Port Mourant Hospital by publicspirited citizens. Singh then proceeded to Port Mourant just in time to see her son being placed in an ambulance to be taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he received emergency treatment before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Collin Croal

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall

Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge

Dead: Abdool Fransis

Deadly siblings’ feud: Man shot dead, 2 others injured at Angoy’s Avenue

One man is now dead and two others are hospitalised following a shooting and chopping spree at Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) Wednesday evening.

Dead is Patrick Boodie, 38, of Levi Dam, Mount Sinai. The injured men are his brother, Jason Nicholas 28, a mason and taxi driver, and bystander Calvin Charles, also called Gavin. Charles, a miner, is said to have witnessed part of the incident and moments be-

shouted for his brother who came running to his assistance, but he too was attacked and chopped several times about the body. Boodie fell into a shallow drain and as he was getting out, he was shot. The shooter is said to be the brother of John.

Meanwhile, Charles was shot in the arm as several loud explosions rang out. Residents related a different story saying that there was a fight with the now dead man attacking John with a pitchfork while

fore being shot in the arm, tried to make peace.

Reports are that Boodie and his brother had cleared a piece of land next to a fenced area owned by a man referred to as John.

According to Nicholas, after clearing the land, they lit a fire which apparently went over to John’s place and he became angry. He said that he went to John’s yard to investigate and as he pushed his head into the yard, he was chopped. According to the injured man, he then

Nicholas used a cutlass to attack John.

Residents said it was at this point that John’s brother came on the scene and began shooting. Reports are that John has since gone into hiding, although he was said to have suffered serious injuries. Poor lighting and the high number of illegal connections to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) power lines in the community deterred Police from searching the area on Wednesday. The investigation continues.

400 feared dead after migrant boat capsizes

Survivors of a capsized migrant boat off Libya have told the aid group Save the Children that an estimated 400 people are believed to have drowned.

The coastguard had helped rescue some 144 people on Monday and immediately launched an air and sea search operation in hopes of finding others. The coastguard said it assumed that there were many dead given the size of the ship and that nine bodies had been found.

The 400 deaths, if confirmed, would add to the skyrocketing numbers of migrants lost at sea: The International Organization for Migration estimates that up to 3,072 migrants are believed to have died in

the Mediterranean in 2014, compared to an estimate of 700 in 2013.

The UN refugee agency,

ship.

the UNHCR, said the estimated death toll from the boat capsized off Libya was likely given the size of the

Earlier on Tuesday, the European Union’s top migration official said the EU must quickly adapt to the growing numbers of migrants trying to reach its shores.

“The unprecedented influx of migrants at our borders, and in particular refugees, is unfortunately the new norm and we will need to adjust our responses accordingly,” the EU’s commissioner for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, told lawmakers in Brussels.

More than 280,000 people entered the European Union illegally last year. Many came from Syria, Eritrea and Somalia and made the perilous sea journey from conflict-torn Libya.

European coast guards have been overwhelmed by the numbers. As the weather has begun to warm, even more people have been fleeing conflict and poverty for better lives in Europe. (Excerpt from BBC News)

EU accuses Google of search ‘abuse’

The European Union’s antitrust chief has formally accused Google of abusing its control in Internet searches to the disadvantage of competitors, marking the start of official proceedings into whether the US internet giant forces its Android smartphone users to favour the company’s own services and applications.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU Competition Commissioner, announced on Wednesday that she is “concerned that the company has given an unfair advantage to its own comparison shopping service”.

According to the technology research company Gartner, Google’s Android software, which is used by large cellphone makers like Samsung, is the world’s largest operating system with roughly an 81 percent market share. Apple holds a 15 percent stake, while Microsoft has a less than 3 percent share.

Europe has been investigating Google’s alleged selfpromotion for over five years and sought a settlement with

Rose Hall man succumbs...

There Francis succumbed to his injuries at approximately 18:00h on Tuesday. He suffered from a fractured neck, broken spine and brain injury among others. He was said to be wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Illegal speed bump

Francis’s death has sparked outrage among his friends and residents who have chastised the businessman who placed the speed bump in front of his premises. According to residents, the man, who also operates a bar at his premises, placed the speed bump without the requisite permit from the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) to protect his property from getting “dusty” due to vehicles passing at a fast rate. They are of the view that the speed bump does not meet the standard requirement as it

is reportedly too high and wide. It has resulted in damage to vehicles as well as injuries, causing more harm than good.

Another resident stated that he was recently knocked over when he collided with the bump while riding his bicycle. There is no warning sign to indicate that there is a speed bump ahead. The residents are calling on the relevant authorities to hold the businessman accountable for Francis’s death and fa-

cilitate the removal of the speed bump. The businessman, who recently returned from overseas, has locked horns with several residents as well as the Town Council of Rose Hall for allegedly digging up the street to place tubing across to drain his land.

The father of one was described as a peaceful and friendly individual who would be dearly missed. Francis leaves his wife, son and other family members to mourn.

Google, but has not filed in an official complaint until now, saying that the company has not fully addressed its concerns.

The formal accusation could mean years of legal arguing - as well as fines worth billions. The EU has the power to impose fines of 10 percent on annual revenue, adding up to some $6bn, and force the California- based compa-

ny to overhaul its system for recommending websites in Europe.

Thomas Vinje, legal counsel for FairSearch Europe, said that Wednesday’s move was “a significant step towards ending Google’s anticompetitive practices, which have harmed innovation and consumer choice”.

Amit Singhal, the Senior Vice President Google Search,

said in a reaction that “while Google may be the most used search engine, people can now find and access information in numerous different ways, and allegations of harm, for consumers and competitors, have proved to be wide of the mark.”

Google has 10 weeks to respond to all the allegations. (Excerpt from BBC News)

The illegal speed bump

An injured Calvin Charles being transported from the NA Hospital Wednesday night

Italy’s coastguard rescued 144 from ship off Libya, but survivors tell Save the Children that hundreds were on board

PAHO gets US$2.5M to control infectious diseases in Caribbean

The PAHO Foundation on Wednesday announced a three-year US$2.57 million grant to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to further its work in the surveillance, prevention, education and control of priority infectious diseases, and women’s cancers.

“The burden of disease can be greatly reduced if Latin American and the Caribbean countries strengthen the capacities of their health delivery systems to prevent, detect and respond early to communicable and non-communicable diseases,” said Dr Jennie Ward-Robinson, President and Chief Executive of PAHO Foundation. “Our grant to PAHO will help transform surveillance, prevention and control of some of the most important diseases that plague communities across the Region. By boldly addressing these health issues head on, we can save lives, and help build more resilient communities.”

The new grant is the Foundation’s first to PAHO in 2015 and will expand the capacity of the world’s oldest international public health agency to collect, analyse and share real-time data on infectious diseases, especially meningococcal disease, influenza and dengue. Meningococcal disease affects mainly children and adolescents and can kill up to 50 per cent of cases if left untreated. Dengue incidence in the Americas has increased 30 times over the past 50 years, and more than 1.1 million cases were report-

PAHO Director, Dr Carissa Etienne

ed in 2014.

The grant will also build much needed awareness on prevention and screening for breast and cervical cancers, the most common women’s cancers in Latin America and the Caribbean. They claim an estimated 120,000 women’s lives each year and result in more than 400,000 newly diagnosed cases annually. According to PAHO/World Health Organisation (WHO) experts, access to quality cancer screening programmes for early diagnosis and improvements in cancer education, treatment and care can significantly reduce unnecessary deaths from these diseases.

Public health education

The grant will support public education efforts on breast and cervical cancers through the mass media and community-based health promotion. Primary health-care providers will benefit from health counselling materials, and stakeholder workshops will focus on evidenced-based

“screen and treat” strategies for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer.

“We are grateful to PAHO Foundation for this significant grant, which will enable us to continue the critical work of tracking and containing communicable infectious diseases and preventing and treating non-communicable diseases that affect people throughout the Americas,” said PAHO Director Carissa F Etienne. “Better prevention and control of both types of diseases will save lives and improve quality of life, especially among our Region’s most vulnerable groups.”

PAHO Foundation is an independent 501(c) 3 organisation that mobilises Private Sector resources to improve the health and well-being of the people of the Americas. By bringing together partners with proven technical expertise, ingenuity and the capacity to improve the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, the Foundation builds healthier, more secure futures for families, communities and entire regions, see their website for more information www.pahofoundation.org.

Founded in 1902, PAHO is the oldest international public health organisation in the world. It works with its member countries to improve the health and the quality of life of the people of the Americas. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO. Check www.paho. org for more information on health in the Americas.

Wrongfully accused of larceny, ex-soldier says

A22-year-old former Army officer who claimed he was wrongfully accused of simple larceny was placed on $150,000 bail when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Leevan Cameron, of 122 Cuthbert Park, New Amsterdam, Berbice, pleaded not guilty to the charge, which was read to him by Magistrate Annette Singh on Monday. The charge stated that on April 6 in the vicinity of Stabroek Market, the defendant robbed Azeez Ganga of one gold chain val-

ued $100,000. The defendant’s Attorney, Paul Fung-A-Fat, had earlier argued that his client was wrongfully accused as on the day of the incident, Azeez informed the Police that Cameron was not the perpetrator.

Fung-A-Fat stated that the incident occurred outside of Footsteps Shoe Store where the defendant operates a drinks cart. He further explained that the premises are protected by security cameras and the Police made no attempt to review the footage from the inci-

dent; hence, no proper investigation had been carried out. He also informed the court that Cameron was an ex-Army officer and had never been in trouble with the law before.

Addressing the court, Cameron requested bail since he was constantly being attacked in prison.

Bail was granted in the sum of $150,000 on the condition that Cameron reports to the Brickdam Police Station every Friday before the next court date. The matter will return to court on April 27 for statements.

Houston man lands in court over debt trouble

AHouston man was placed on $50,000 bail at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts following a charge of unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Parsram Samwaroo, of 4 Public Road, Houston, Greater Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge, which was read to him by Magistrate Priya

Sewnarine- Beharry on Monday. The charge stated that on October 23, 2014 at Houston, the defendant unlawfully inflicted grievous bodily harm on Virtual Complainant (VC) Sheik Mohammed.

According to the prosecution, the defendant is known to the VC and on the day of the incident, Mohammed approached

PPPs offer smart transportation solutions for Caribbean – IDB

Increased urbanisation and economic growth have resulted in congestion and pollution in Latin America and the Caribbean, but alternative transportation solutions, financed by Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), can improve the quality of life and protect the environment, according to a new study.

“Smart Mobility PPPs in Latin America and the Caribbean”, a report produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit and commissioned by the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) Group, was released Wednesday at the PPPAmericas Conference, the leading event on trends in PPP projects in the Region.

“Public transportation and infrastructure haven’t caught up with the pace of population and economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said David Bloomgarden, MIF lead specialist in Access to Basic Services and Green Growth.

“With more than 80 per cent of people living in cities, smart mobility solutions will be critical to boosting prosperity and improving the quality of life for all faced with chaos, pollution and traffic congestion.”

According to Smart Mobility PPPs, the Region now has the highest rate of urbanisation in the developing world. This has led to many problems like overcrowded public transport, pollution, and increasingly longer commutes in both big and small cities –but has also spurred exploration of mobility alternatives. From bikes and bus rapid transport systems to electric cars and traffic-tracking apps, countries in the Region are implementing smart mo-

bility solutions that are becoming increasingly popular. For instance, there are bike-sharing programmes in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Uruguay. In addition, Latin America accounts for nearly two-thirds of the world’s bus rapid transport passengers.

Smart mobility solutions

Such smart mobility solutions often include the participation of both private businesses and government agencies through PublicPrivate Partnerships, which are also used for financing large-scale initiatives such as metro systems and highways. In all, Latin America and the Caribbean account for 11 per cent of global investment in PPPs.

The report notes that the most popular transportation-related PPPs involve Private Sector technology that could not otherwise be offered by the state, and those that promote green technologies.

Some, like bike-sharing, while increasingly popular, still remain limited: In Bogota, the city with the

highest percentage of bike users in the Region, only five per cent of daily trips are completed using this means of transportation.

PPP Americas, the leading conference on trends in PPP projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, is organised biennially by the MIF. The 2015 conference ended on Wednesday in Punta del Este; it started on April 13 under the theme of “Scale and Credibility: Taking PPPs to the Next Level”.

The MIF is funded by 39 donors and supports Private Sector-led development benefiting low-income populations and the poor –their businesses, their farms, and their households.

The aim is to give them the tools to boost their incomes: access to markets and the skills to compete in those markets, access to finance, and access to basic services, including green technology. A core MIF mission is to act as a development laboratory – experimenting, pioneering, and taking risks in order to build and support successful micro, small, and mediumsized business models.

Husband gets $30,000 fine, 21 days for choking wife, damaging phone

Apenitent John George was sentenced to 21 days in prison by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine- Beharry for unlawful assaulting his wife and damaging her phone.

Samwaroo and requested that he repay an undisclosed sum of money that he had borrowed from him.

This annoyed the defendant who in response lashed the VC with a piece of wood to his right foot, causing several injuries.

The man was placed on $50,000 bail and the matter will return to court on April 27.

George, 49, of 338 East Ruimveldt, Georgetown was convicted on Monday of damaging one cellphone valued at $30,000, property of the Virtual Complainant (VC), Michelle George, and choking her after she requested some money for household items.

According to Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru, the couple share four minor children and on the day in question, the VC told the defendant that she needed $16,000 to purchase some items for the home, but he became annoyed and choked

John George

her. He also grabbed her cell phone and damaged it.

In addressing the court, the defendant, an employee of MMC Security Services, expressed his remorse and apologised to his wife. He said that on the evening before the incident, he was at a friend’s birthday celebration

where he imbibed a large quantity of alcohol which he usually does not. He attributed his abusive behaviour to the influence of alcohol and promised that his actions would never be repeated.

The defendant’s legal counsel, Attorney-at-Law Paul Fung-A-Fat, requested bail on the grounds that George has shown remorse and has had no previous trouble with the law, adding that the VC did not wish to give evidence against the defendant.

The Magistrate fined George $30,000 and sentenced him to 21 days in prison. She also informed him that he will have to compensate the VC for the phone by bearing the cost of the repairs.

“Public transportation and infrastructure haven’t caught up with the pace of population and economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean” – David Bloomgarden

thursDAY, April 16, 2015 |

Miner charged with breaking into Kwakwani home

Aminer was granted a reprieve from jail when Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry granted him bail in the sum of $50,000 after he was accused of breaking into the home of Julia Shakespeare at Jeep Landing, Kwakwani.

Jomo Jordan appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to break and enter and at -

Diamond women accused of ganja trafficking

Three women were remanded to prison by Magistrate Leron Bailey at the Providence Magistrate’s Courts on Wednesday on a charge of trafficking three kilograms of cannabis.

Elizabeth James, Lisa James and Candace Wharton of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, all pleaded not guilty to the charge,

which stated that on April 10 in the Housing Scheme, they were found in possession of 3005 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking. Additionally, Elizabeth James faced a charge of obstructing the course of justice to which she pleaded not guilty.

According to the details of the charges, on April 10, ranks of the Guyana Police Force led by Corporal C

Seeram, acting on a tip, conducted a search of a house in Diamond Housing Scheme where the substance was discovered hidden in the bathroom area. The women were detained and taken into custody. It was further alleged that while in Police custody, Elizabeth James attempted to bribe Corporal Seeram by offering him the sum of $1.5 million to obstruct the course of justice.

Elderly man released on $100,000 bail for bus theft

An elderly man was released on $100,000 bail on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after pleading not guilty to stealing a $4.7 million “Pitbull” minibus.

Yogeshwar Bisnauth was brought to the court on Wednesday before Magistrate Judy Latchman.

tempting to commit a felony.

Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru told the court that the Virtual Complainant (VC) lives with two children in a one-flat house which has a veranda, and on April 12, around 23:00h, she heard a noise and went to check it out. Shakespeare found the defendant on the veranda trying to gain entry to her house, so she

raised an alarm and persons came to her assistance.

The Prosecutor told the court that bail should not be granted to the accused, as the offence was quite prevalent. In addition, he said, the defendant still has other charges he needed to answer.

In light of this, the defendant explained to the court that the persons who caught him at the

VC’s home had stripped him of his clothes as he had refused to be arrested and proclaimed his innocence. So, he was also charged for indecent assault. Jordan told the court that he had already paid $35,000 bail for that charge.

The matter is expected to be tried at the Kwakwani Magistrate’s Court on April 17.

Nasty rumours cause former friends to end up in court

Two North Ruimveldt, Greater Georgetown women appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to face cross charges before Magistrate Alex Moore on Monday.

Nikita Williams, 25, a housewife, pleaded not guilty to the charge of abusive language, while Avis Kingston, a security guard, pleaded not guilty to the charge of threatening behaviour and unlawful assault causing actual bodily harm.

Ashop owner in Craig, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was shot and injured on Tuesday night by bandits who had posed as customers.

According to Ivelaw Whittaker, Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Police Force, 39-year-old Joseph Phoenix was in his shop

It is alleged that he stole Dominic Jackson’s bus valued $4.7 million, along with vehicle oil worth $7000 and brakes pad valued $75,000. The items were taken from Jackson’s property in Alexander Village, Georgetown on April 3.

Magistrate Latchman placed Bisnauth on bail as no objections were made. He is expected to be back in court on April 30.

Craig shopkeeper shot by bandits

when four men entered under the pretext of purchasing water. One of the men was armed with a handgun and confronted the shopkeeper.

The perpetrators ordered the man to hand over the money; however, he resisted and was shot to his left shoulder. Phoenix also sus-

tained a grazed wound to his jaw. The four perpetrators managed to escape.

The injured businessman was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was treated and sent away. The Police have since launched an investigation in to the incident.

Intoxicated miner beats colleague for ending drinking session

ABrazilian miner pleaded guilty to unlawful assault and was fined $45,000 by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine- Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Pedro DeSouza DaSilva admitted to unlawfully assaulting Virtual Complainant (VC) George Frank causing him actual bodily harm on Wednesday, April 8 at a mining camp at Arau

Backdam, Eteringbang, Cuyuni River.

According to Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru, on the day of the incident, the VC had retired to his hammock to sleep when the defendant approached him and insisted that they continue drinking alcohol. An argument ensued and the defendant began assaulting the VC with his hands and a piece of wood. A report was made to the Police and the defendant was ar-

rested.

Investigations were later carried out and DaSilva was charged. Speaking in his own defence with the aid of an interpreter on Monday, DaSilva claimed that he did not hit the VC with an object, but used only his hands. He added that he had never had trouble with the law before. The Magistrate fined him with an alternative of two weeks’ imprisonment if he was unable to pay the fine.

According to Prosecutor Birkette Grant, on Wednesday, April 1, at her 2256 North Ruimveldt home, Williams made use of abusive language against Kingston who was on her way to a shop. In retaliation, Kingston rushed into Williams’ yard wielding a cutlass and a glass bottle, and threatened to cut off her arms. It was further disclosed that she hurled the bottle at Williams and it cut her hand.

Williams told the court

that Kingston and she had been friends for five years before their first altercation three years ago. She detailed the cause of their falling out, saying she had lent her phone charger to the woman and when it was returned to her, it was no longer working. She said that when she requested Kingston compensate her for the damaged item, the woman responded by hurling abusive language at her. She admitted to aggravating Kingston on several occasions, but added that it was in response to Kingston attempting to sabotage her marriage as well as damage her reputation.

It was alleged that Kingston had spread rumours about Williams claiming that she was a prostitute and had sexual relations with a multitude of men while her husband was away working in the interior. She even took it upon herself to inform the woman’s husband of these accusations and to al-

lege to the neighbourhood that Williams would take her young daughter to a brothel. Williams said that despite these attacks by Kingston, she chose to keep quiet and did not respond to her. Kingston did not deny spreading the rumours and claimed that she felt obligated to inform the woman’s husband of her behaviour. The Magistrate cautioned her that it was not her place to do so and that she had provoked Williams and led to her directing abusive language against her. On the charge of threatening behaviour and assault, Kingston pleaded not guilty, claiming that she had indeed thrown a bottle at Williams, but had no knowledge of ever using a cutlass.

After listening to all of the statements presented, Magistrate Moore dismissed the charges against Williams and placed Kingston on an 18-month bond to keep the peace.

Labourer pleads not guilty to assault charge

After being convicted of possession of an illegal gun, a 23-year-old man decided to compound his trouble by assaulting the Police officers escorting him from the courtroom at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

According to Police Prosecutor Steven Gonsalves, on February 20, the defendant, Junior Alfred, 23, was found guilty of being in possession of an unlicensed Bodyguard 380 Semiautomatic Pistol by Magistrate Judy Latchman. While being escorted out of the courtroom, he dealt a punch to Police Constable Christopher Elvis on his head and when Police Constable Bisram Ramjattan rushed to his

fellow officer’s assistance and tried to subdue the defendant, he spat on him.

Alfred, of Second Street, Crane, West Coast Demerara, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday.

Speaking on his own behalf, Alfred said that on the day of the incident, he did not assault the officer, but was acting in self-defence. He claimed that while escorting him out of the courtroom, Constable Elvis yanked on his handcuffs causing him to fall and hit himself. He said when he asked the Constable why he was attacking him in such a manner, the Constable failed to offer him an explanation and he hit him in retaliation. As it relates to the

allegations that he spat on Constable Ramjattan, the defendant pleaded not guilty and claimed he had no knowledge of such an incident. He further alleged that while the officers were escorting him down the stairs, they pushed him, causing him to tumble all the way to the bottom.

The Magistrate informed the defendant that his claim of self-defence was a poor one as he was not under attack. Alfred was remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry until Friday when the matter will return to Court Five. The Chief Magistrate has also ordered an investigation into the allegations of Police brutality made by Alfred.

Jomo Jordan

SUDOKU

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER

Get your priorities in order when dealing with your duties, responsibilities and favoured projects. Don’t get sidetracked by trivial matters when you have more important issues to contend with.

An infatuation will cause confusion. Make sure that you deal with your responsibilities before you head out for some fun. Colleagues will be resentful if you leave work undone.

Find an organisation that inspires you and get involved. Helping others will give you a feeling of contentment, and you will meet people who share your beliefs and values.

Stubbornness will be your downfall. Your day will run more smoothly if you let someone else take the lead, for a change. Be a team player.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Don’t wait for someone else to create an opportunity for you. Put your plans in motion. A partnership or contract will elicit work and rewards. It is up to you to make things happen.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)

AQUARIUS

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

PISCES

(Feb. 20March 20)

A person from your past will come to mind or get in touch with you. Jealousy is apparent. Someone who loves you will feel threatened by one of your friendships.

You will get astounding results if you make health and diet changes. A creative idea will prove lucrative if you join forces with the right business partner.

Have faith in your capabilities. You are the best judge of what you feel comfortable doing. Don’t be disheartened if someone doesn’t agree with your choices.

Don’t approach today expecting others to do what you want. Keep your ideas to yourself and move along at your own pace. The results you get will turn heads.

Positive change is possible. You have the ability to turn a negative into a positive. Use past mistakes as lessons to improve your future.

You have extra energy, so put more effort into whatever job you are given. You will make an impression that will keep your name in the running for a promotion. Your prospects will improve if you make a personal or financial change. Take time out for socialising and romance if you want to improve your love life.

PeanutS

Calvin and HobbeS

dilbert

arCHie

iNet Communications brands Conquerors U-13 football

– top performers to receive educational package England on top...

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

iNet Communications,

a subsidiary of Global Technology, has come onboard in a massive way in support of the Fruta Conquerors Football Club’s upcoming Under-13 football competition, set to start next month at the Tucville ground.

The sponsorship deal was finalised on Wednesday morning as officials of the company and the organising club, along with representatives of the Georgetown Football Association, spoke glowingly of the partnership to help develop youth football.

The Fruta Conquerors Football Club with blessings from the Georgetown Football Association and Normalisation Committee of the Guyana Football Federation, will stage the inaugural tournament with the aim of exposing the young and emerging talents in the city.

Secretary of the organising club, Daniel Thomas, said, “This yet again is another venture spearheaded by the Fruta Conquerors Football Club to have foot-

ball develop within the confines of the Georgetown environs. It’s going to over a number of weeks commencing in May.”

President of the club, Wayne Forde, said the tournament is another tangible expression of the club’s interest in the development of youth players in the clubs affiliated to the Georgetown Football Association.

“This is another step in the direction that Fruta Conquerors has undertaken to develop football from the bottom up. Again, this is an example of the kind of results you can get when corporate Guyana cooperates with sporting Guyana, namely Fruta Conquerors Football Club,” Forde explained.

He added, “All of us in the management of football can accept that there have been quite a decline in the promotion of youth football over the past couple of years and Fruta Conquerors has taken it on to whatever it can to change this situation.”

Forde added that this is the first time that Global Technology, through iNet Communications, has spon-

sored a tournament staged the club in full, noting that the company has previously offered scholarships to top players of the club’s other competitions.

“We believe that this relationship will continue to grow. We are going to do everything within our power to give them a tournament worthy of the support they have given to us and we hope that next year this time we will be here launching another tournament, hopefully at a different level,” Forde remarked.

Sports Coordinator of iNet Communications, Kenisha Wills said the Camp Street based entity is excited about this new venture, adding that the business establishment is keen on supporting youth development.

“This year we are starting to look at ways we can help our communities,” Wills divulged. “It’s more or less a theme this year for us to help with youth development in Georgetown and outside of Georgetown. We’re very thrilled because we have been offering education, which is an important part of the development

of the larger Guyanese society and we want to make the youth of Guyana more balanced, by not only offering educational packages, but for them to also be involved in sports.”

Wills added that the company will be offering educational packages to the players of the champion team, noting that it is committed to long-term sponsorship of the competition.

Acting President of the Georgetown Football Association, Lavern FraserThomas, lauded the sponsor and the Fruta Conquerors Football Club for partnering for youth football, adding that the association endorsed the tournament without hesitation.

Also present at the simple ceremony were Georgetown Football Association executive Charmain Wade and Human Resource Manager of Global Technology, Jacqueline Weeks.

The tournament will kick off on May 1, with all games set to be played at the Tucville ground on weekends. The final of the 12team competition is tentatively set for Independence Day, May 26.

Liverpool FC considers action over Muslim prayer tweet

Liverpool FC is considering what action to take against a supporter who branded two Muslim fans “a disgrace” for praying during halftime at a match.

Stephen Dodd tweeted an image of solicitors Asif Bodi and Abubakar Bhula on prayer mats in a stairwell.

He captioned the tweet: “Muslims praying at half time at the match yesterday. Disgrace.”

The Premier League club reported the tweet to Merseyside Police following a number of complaints.

A number of social media users shared the photograph, taken during Liverpool’s FA Cup quarter-final against Blackburn on March 8.

In a statement it said police had now referred the issue back to the club, which was “currently in the process of determining the appropriate action to take.”

The stand-out batting of the day, though, came from Blackwood. His innings was not without fortune, having been caught on the second day off a Stokes no-ball on 21 and then dropped at slip on 43 - a tough chance to Tredwell off the same bowler whose face was soon turning a colour to match his hair.

Engrossing contest

During the afternoon, Stokes and Blackwood were head-to-head again in an engrossing contest. Blackwood deposited a six over long-off which led to Cook reducing his slip cordon and, on cue two balls later, a thick edge went through the gap. The over ended up costing 14. You half expected to see steam come out of Stokes’ ears.

The run of boundaries helped Blackwood skip into the 80s and there were few nerves on view as he used his feet to drill Tredwell for a boundary to take him to 98 before a gentle push down the ground brought up the hundred off 205 balls.

Both chances England had to remove Blackwood before his half-century came from probing a channel outside off, just back of a length, where an angled bat left him vulnerable. They also went at him with a sustained spell of shortpitched bowling, which caused some uneasy moments but did not dislodge him.

Broad, during a strong five-over spell before lunch, twice had him in bother, first when a bouncer was fended in the air but landed short of Jos Buttler and then when a delivery crunched into his forearm, requiring some treatment.

suddenly emerging from prolonged periods of defence with an aggressive stroke. He was not afraid to loft over the off side as he did against Stokes and, more brazenly, against Anderson in the first over of the second new ball. Later, with three figures safely secured, he slugged the same bowler disdainfully through midwicket.

At the start of day Blackwood had the experience of Chanderpaul for company. The pair was on the brink of reaching the crucial 80-over juncture of the new ball, having taken their stand to 93, when Chanderpaul was lured into driving to one of two short covers, a victory for Tredwell and for Cook.

has gone.

“That day, the time came for prayer and the window would have closed before the game finished so we did it at half-time.

But, as he had the previous evening, Blackwood did not take a backward step,

Speaking last month, Mr Bodi, 46, from Preston, told the Liverpool Echo:

“We have a small window in which to pray, a bit like the transfer window in football. Once that closes the chance

It added: “Liverpool Football Club would like to remind its supporters that it does not tolerate any form of discrimination and is committed to ensuring that the club and Anfield provides a welcoming and safe environment for all fans regardless of race, religion, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.” The club said a further statement would be made in due course.

“Most people are absolutely fine with it...but it only takes one or two people to react in the wrong way and you could have a nasty situation.” (BBC Sport)

The short-ball tactic did not shift Blackwood, but it succeeded against Denesh Ramdin. Switching to around the wicket paid off straight away for Broad when Ramdin gloved down the leg side as he attempted to pull out of the line. Holder, who flicked his second ball at short leg where Ballance could not hold a reflex catch, provided solid support for Blackwood in a seventh-wicket stand of 49 before the slide set in shortly after Blackwood’s landmark. Holder drove low to cover, Tredwell getting some drift in a helpful breeze, then Roach edged a quicker delivery. As is often the case with West Indies, a touch of chaos was just around the corner and Taylor was run out having set off for a non-existent single to point. In the blink of an eye the innings was over as Benn bottom edged into his pads and looped a catch to short leg to push Anderson one wicket closer to Ian Botham. He now needs two for the England record. (Cricinfo)

The men were praying at half-time during the Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers game

Kings XI Punjab v Delhi Daredevils, IPL 2015, Pune…

Yuvraj, Agarwal end DD’s losing streak

Half-centuries from Yuvraj Singh and Mayank Agarwal led Delhi Daredevils to a fivewicket win over Kings XI Punjab, thereby breaking their run of 11 successive defeats. Yuvraj and Agarwal put on 106 off 66 deliveries for the third wicket before departing off successive balls in the 19th over. There was time for Daredevils to stutter as Kedar Jadhav also fell, but Angelo Mathews drove Axar Patel down the ground to bring up the win off the penultimate ball.

Kings XI had a decent base at 104-1 in the 14th over after choosing to bat, but lost six wickets in their last 6.1 overs to the Daredevils spinners to end with a slightly underwhelming 165.

Opener Agarwal played a calculated innings of 68 from 48. He started with a few boundaries and settled down to keep knocking singles before going after Mitchell Johnson in the 15th over when the asking-rate was approaching 11. The first ball of the over was guided between point and third man for four. Agarwal, on 42, gave a difficult chance to sweeper cover off the second delivery, but Sandeep Sharma lost the ball as he dived. The fourth was sliced to the third man boundary for four more and the fifth was pulled behind square for six.

Johnson, who went for 43 from four overs, suffered at the hands of Yuvraj too. Yuvraj, who made 55 from 39, tucked a short ball fine

but he also struggled to connect on several occasions. He was especially uncomfortable against the pace and bounce of Nathan CoulterNile at the start.

Sehwag and Wriddhiman Saha added 71 for the second wicket in 8.5 overs before the latter fell for 39 off 28 to a yorker from Amit Mishra. Saha’s fall heralded a phase where Kings XI lost four wickets in four overs.

Sehwag had hung in to make 47 off 41, but held out off the last ball of the 15th trying to hit another six off JP Duminy.

Dead fish cleared out of Olympic rowing & canoeing venue

of

Thirty-two tonnes of dead fish have been cleared out of the lagoon where Olympic rowing and canoeing events will take place at Rio 2016.

pollution is to blame, while others claim it is down to a sudden drop in water temperature.

The Daredevils captain had brought himself on as soon as the left-hand David Miller came in, and bowled his fellow South African on the pull in the 17th. Glenn Maxwell hit two sixes but lasted only five balls, mishit-

SCOREBOARD

Kings XI Punjab innings (20 overs maximum)

M Vijay c Duminy b Mathews 19

V Sehwag c Coulter-Nile b Duminy 47

WP Saha† b Mishra 39

DA Miller b Duminy 5

GJ Maxwell c Tiwary b Imran Tahir 15

GJ Bailey* c Iyer b Imran Tahir 19

AR Patel c Mathews b Imran Tahir 13

R Dhawan not out 0

Extras (lb-2, w-6) 8

Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 165

Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Vijay, 4.6 ov), 2-104 (Saha, 13.5 ov), 3-115 (Sehwag, 14.6 ov), 4-131 (Maxwell, 15.6 ov), 5-137 (Miller, 16.6 ov), 6-165 (Bailey, 19.5 ov), 7-165 (Patel, 19.6 ov)

Bowling: NM Coulter-Nile 3-014-0 (1-w), DJ Muthuswami 3-0-24-0, AD Mathews 3-023- 1 (1-w), A Mishra 4-0-341 (1-w), Imran Tahir 4-0-433, Yuvraj Singh 1-0-9-0 (1-w), JP Duminy 2-0-16-2 (2-w)

for four to get going, and also eased Johnson down the ground for four. He was tentative and late on a few deliveries initially but grew in confidence as his innings progressed. After Agarwal attacked Johnson, Yuvraj swung three sixes in four balls from Axar Patel and Anureet Singh to shut the door on Kings XI.

Although they lost only M Vijay till they went past 100, Kings XI did not quite dominate. Virender Sehwag hit a few eye-catching boundaries

Delhi Daredevils innings (target: 166 runs from 20 overs)

MA Agarwal b Anureet Singh 68

SS Iyer c Anureet Singh b Sandeep Sharma 6

JP Duminy* run out (Patel) 21 Yuvraj Singh c Sandeep

Sharma b Anureet Singh 55

AD Mathews not out 64

KM Jadhav† c Anureet Singh b Patel 3

MK Tiwary not out 0

Extras (lb-2, w-7, nb-1) 10

Total (5 wickets; 19.5 overs) 169 Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Iyer, 2.5 ov), 2-53 (Duminy, 7.2 ov), 3-159 (Yuvraj Singh, 18.2 ov), 4-159 (Agarwal, 18.3 ov), 5-165 (Jadhav, 19.3 ov)

Bowling: Sandeep Sharma 4-030-1 (3-w), Anureet Singh 4-033-2 (1-nb, 1-w), MG Johnson 4-0-43-0 (1-w), R Dhawan 3-0-23-0 (2-w), AR Patel 3.50-28-1, GJ Maxwell 1-0-10-0

ting one off Imran Tahir.

The Kings XI innings ended with the departure off George Bailey and Axar off the last two balls. All those strikes meant the momentum was with Daredevils, and Agarwal and Yuvraj ensured they built on it to give them their first win since the UAE leg of IPL 2014. (Cricinfo)

Pakistan dealt Yasir Shah blow

In yet another setback for Pakistan, leg-spinner Yasir Shah has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh due to a hand injury, becoming the third player to miss out after Sohail Khan and Sohaib Maqsood. Yasir needed three stitches in his left thumb after getting hit during Pakistanis’ practice match against BCB XI in Fatullah, and was taken to Square Hospital in central Dhaka where the doctors sewed his thumb up.

He got stitches on his left hand. Replacement for the ODI series will be announced in due course.”

More than 60 people from the Brazilian city’s sanitation department have been removing the fish from the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas over the past week.

Some experts believe

The Games begin in Rio de Janeiro on August 5 next year.

Tonnes of dead fish have been washed up at the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas at regular intervals for more than a decade.

In February, thousands

of dead fish were discovered in Guanabara Bay, which will host the sailing events. The venue has previously caused concern because of the levels of refuse and untreated sewage in the water.

In January, Brazilian government officials admitted they would miss their target of an 80% reduction in water pollution by the start of the Olympics. (BBC Sport)

Mayweather no longer enjoys boxing

Floyd Mayweather says he will fight just once more after next month’s clash with Manny Pacquiao because he no longer enjoys the sport.

The unbeaten American’s May 2 fight with Pacquiao is the fifth of a six-fight contract with broadcaster Showtime.

And Mayweather, 38, says the “fun” has gone out of boxing, which he now regards as “a job.”

He added: “I don’t enjoy it like I once did. My last fight is in September.”

Mayweather took part in an open training session before telling reporters the Pacquiao bout at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas would see two fighters “meeting at the pinnacle of our careers.”

The fight is expected to be the richest in boxing history.

He added: “He’s a future hall-of-famer. I am a future

hall-of-famer.”

WBA and WBC champion Mayweather is unbeaten in 47 professional fights, while his 36-year-old opponent has lost five and drawn two of his 57 fights.

After his defeat of Oscar De La Hoya in May 2007, Mayweather relinquished his WBC light-middleweight title, only to come out of his brief retirement in July to announce his fight with Britain’s Ricky Hatton.

Mayweather also retired in 2008, but returned 21 months later in May 2009 to fight Juan Manuel Marquez.

The welterweight fight with Pacquiao has been the subject of on-off negotiations for six years and pundits say it will define who was the greatest fighter of the era.

Britain’s Amir Khan has said he hopes to fight Mayweather - although he

has also pledged to meet compatriot and IBF champion Kell Brook in the next 12 months and faces former light-welterweight world champion Chris Algieri on May 30.

Former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton - beaten by both Mayweather and Pacquiao in his career - says Khan’s style would trouble Mayweather, if the Bolton boxer did become the American’s final fight. He said: “Amir is boxing with a lot more discipline lately, he’s in and out and he’s not getting involved. I think that type of style will cause Floyd massive problems.

“But, when you’re the best, pound-for-pound, like Floyd Mayweatherand Amir’s as big a name as is out there, he’s beaten pretty much everyonehe might be forced to fight Amir Khan.” (BBC Sport)

A PCB statement said: “Yasir Shah got injured today during practice match.

Yasir made his ODI debut in September 2011, but did not play again in the format for almost four years, till he was called up for the World Cup in February. He played Pakistan’s opening game of the tournament, against India, but an expensive outing of 8-0-60-0 meant he would not feature in any of their subsequent games. (Cricinfo)

Finch ruled out of rest of IPL season

Aaron Finch has revealed the hamstring injury he suffered during Mumbai Indians’ match against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday has ruled him out of the rest of the IPL season. Finch pulled up clutching the back of his

left thigh after completing a single in the fourth over of the match, retired hurt, and didn’t take any further part in the game.

Finch underwent a scan on Wednesday, and tweeted that the results had not been encouraging.

Finch has played three matches this season for Mumbai - his fifth IPL franchise - and scored 23 runs at an average of 11.50. He is also an overseas player for English county defending champions Yorkshire. (Cricinfo)

Mayank Agarwal and Yuvraj Singh batted positively during the run-chase

Yasir Shah was hit on the hand during Pakistanis’ practice match against BCB XI

32 tonnes

dead fish have been cleared out of the lagoon

Floyd Mayweather held an open training session at his gym in Las Vegas ahead of the 2 May fight with Manny Pacquiao

YELLOW PAGES

thursday, april 16, 2015

Dentures provided in 72 hours from as low as $4500. Contact Dr B Stuart, 209B Charlotte St, Lacytown. Tel: 225-5034

SHALOM ENTERPRISE 2 CROAL STREET, STABROEK. INQUIRE ABOUT OUR DISCOUNTED DRIVING PACKAGE & INTERNATIONAL DRIVER’S PERMIT (JOIN US ON FACEBOOK. 2273869/622-8162/644-7052

Shalom Driving School, lot 2 Croal Street, Stabroek. Enjoy 20% discount. Phone: 227-3869, 622-8162, 6447052, 227-3835

Available: Fresh long-stemmed roses, fresh dried and silk floral arrangements, gift items, bridal boutiques and wreaths. Nesha’s Flowerland. 78 Church Street (opposite St George’s Cathedral). Tel: 227-3553/225-3315

SERVICES

Planning an event? We have the full works from Tents, executive chairs, international portable stage etc. at unbeatable prices. Call Double Day Tents for your special package 6381627, 260-2209

House plans & estimates, weeding of grass and spraying done within 48hrs. Call: 216-0671; 622-0267; 692-8464

Khemraj & Son -landscaping & plant nursery. Lot 77 Independence Street, La Grange, West Bank Demerara. Landscaping, planting grass, weeding, killing wood ants, killing roaches, rats & mealy bug, treat plants, coconut trees and flowers, cleaning ceiling, grafting coconut plants: 18 months bearing period, treating land, grass & spraying grass, grafted papaya plants: 6 months bearing, grafted cherry plant, sour sop & sapodilla, cutting big trees & removing, treated mould for sale & flower plants for sale. Tel 627-5969/ 6031134

Surinamese spiritualist. Resolving all problems. Money, love, blockage etc. Call 223-6834/600-7719.

Suriname’s Astrology, Palmist and Hindustani Spiritual Healer, solve all purpose problems, 100% confidential guaranteed. Phone: 602-8997 HEPHZIBAH MINISTRIES 24 hrs Prayer

Immigration & Visa Services We handle all Canadian, USA and UK immigration and visa matters. Self sponsorships, holiday/visitor’s visas, work permits, students visas, family, class, immigration forms, embassy enquiries, appeals for refused cases, US green card lottery, business class waivers, pardons, etc. Get your visa approved. High success rate. Balwant Persaud & Associates. Certified Immigration Consultants, 68 Sixth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown (Between Cummings & Lights Sts) Tel: 225-1540, 622-8308, 655-3105. Email: balwantpersaud@yahoo.ca

Professional Key Shop, 125 Carmichael Street, Georgetown. Phone: 225-3923, mobile: 6213249. We cut any type of key, service and repair all types of locks. Get your extra key today.

Da Silva’s Optical. For Your Eyes Only, Look Better See Better.

Phillip A Da Silva OD, Shannon L

Da Silva OD, Natalie Da Silva OD. 248 South Road, Bourda. Phone: 227-3529, Linden: 444-6376, Corriverton: 339-3536, MetenMeer-Zorg: 275-0322, Grand Cayman Islands: (345) 943-1515 for the perfect trendy touch.

Two bedroom upstairs apartment. $60,000 monthly with parking. Couples preferable. Tel 233-2607 / 644-7089 TAxI SERVICES GR Taxi, 24 hours. Phone: 2257878, 219-5000 or 227-2100

JUST ARRIVED: TOP QUALITY RECONDITIONED VEHICLES; TOYOTA NOAH; TOYOTA VOXY; TOYOTA IST (NEW SHAPE); SUZUKI SWIFT; DAIHATSU MOVE (660CC); MERCEDES BENZ C200 KOMPRESSOR; COROLLA AE100 WAGON; TOYOTA HIACE MINIBUS RZ; PITBULL-STYLE FREEZER VAN; LAND CRUISER (FULLY LOADED); MAZDA PROCEED 4WD EXTRA-CAB PICK-UP; TOYOTA HILUX 4WD EXTRA CAB PICKUPS - 3RZ, 5L, 3L SOLID DEFFERNTIAL; MITSUBISHI CANTER TRUCKS 4 TONS FREEZER; 3 TONS OPEN TRAY; 2 TONS 4WD; NISSAN ATLAS 2 TONS OPEN TRAY TRUCK. PRE-ORDER YOUR UNITS EARLY AND GET THE BEST PRICES. FULL AFTER SALES SERVICES AND FINANCING AVAILABLE. DEO MARAJ AUTO SALES, 2 CHIMNEY ROAD, CHATEAU MARGOT, ECD. 624-0762, 220-5177. A NAME AND SERVICE YOU CAN TRUST

Caribbean Football Union Championships...

Alpha United stun Inter Moengotapoe 3-0

Guyana’s top side Alpha “The Hammer” United sent a strong message to their Group One rivals by whipping Suriname’s Inter Meongotapoe 3-0 on Wednesday evening to start their campaign in the Caribbean Football Union Championships in fine fashion.

Cheered on by a small crowd at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, Alpha United dominated proceedings from the onset, taking a 1-0 lead at the half before adding

two more goals in the final 45 minutes to snatch full points.

Golden Jaguars player Daniel Wilson opened the scoring for the hosts in the 26th minute, before Gregory “Jackie Chan” Richardson made it 2-0 in the 56th minute. On the stroke of fulltime, 90th minute, Kithson Bain slammed home goal number three to demoralise the boys from the neighbouring Dutch-speaking nation.

Alpha United collected the maximum three points from the encounter, and will now face the other team in

Group One, Central FC of Trinidad and Tobago, on Sunday at the same venue. Inter Moengotapoe will face Central FC on Friday, also at the Guyana National Stadium.

The champion team from the group will advance to the next round. The final round of the event will be played from May 20-25 in a knockout format to decide the overall winner.

The top three teams during that section will earn places in the prestigious CONCACAF Champions League.

Ex-NFL player guilty of murder

Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez has been found guilty of the first-degree murder of his friend, another American footballer.

Relatives of the victim wept in the Massachusetts courthouse as the verdict was announced on live television.

Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

He was arrested in 2013 and charged with killing Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee.

Lloyd’s body was found with six bullet wounds less than a mile from Hernandez’s home.

At the time, Hernandez had a contract worth $40m

(£27m).

But within hours of his arrest, the Patriots sacked Hernandez, considered one of the top tight ends playing the game.

Hernandez is not an isolated case.

NFL players have been charged with any number of crimes over the years, from rape to dog-fighting.

Active NFL players are aged, in the main, between 21 and 34 and the arrest rate for that demographic is

one in eight.

The arrest rate for people of Hernandez’s age - he was 23 - is a startling one in six.

During closing arguments, his defence team acknowledged that he was present during the murder but said others committed the crime.

Prosecutors say Hernandez planned the “orchestrated execution” because of an incident in a night club, and then helped to cover it up.

The 25-year-old was found guilty of murder and other weapons charges on the seventh day of jury deliberations.

In a tearful statement to the court, Lloyd’s mother Ursula Ward called him the “backbone of the family.” (BBC Sport)

Rudolph quits South African cricket

Jacques Rudolph will no longer play professional cricket in South Africa after the left-handed batsman announced his decision to end his career in England.

Rudolph played 48 Tests for South Africa in two stints, between 2003 and 2006 and then again in 2011 and 2012 but he has not played an international since then. He was part of the Titans squad until the end of last season. Rudolph is currently captaining Glamorgan, where he intends to finish his playing days.

“In the twilight of my career, I wish to commit myself more exclusively to the advancement of my batting career in England,” Rudolph said.

Rudolph has extensive experience in England after leaving South Africa for Yorkshire on a Kolpak deal in 2007. At the time Rudolph was still on a central contract but facing the axe after poor form in the longest format. He had gone 14 innings without a century in 2006 and needed a change.

He excelled at Yorkshire, where he scored more than 1000 runs every summer for

three years and returned to South Africa to stake a claim for an international recall. After one season in which Rudolph topped the FirstClass competition’s run-scorers’ charts, he was recalled to South Africa’s Test squad and recontracted but his second coming did not go as well as planned.

Rudolph was asked to open the batting but struggled to settle in the role and was then moved down the order. In total, he played 13 Tests on his return and scored only one century. He lost his central contract in 2013 but remained in South

Africa where he played for Titans for two more seasons and took on a senior role in a squad going through transition.

In the time Rudolph represented Titans, the franchise lost stalwarts Paul Harris and Martin van Jaarsveld to retirement and had a change of coach when Matthew Maynard cut short his stay following the death of his son Tom. Rudolph’s presence ensured there was stability at the core of one of South Africa’s most successful domestic teams.

Despite Rudolph’s presence, he scaled down his in-

volvement last season. He only played in the shorter formats and ended on a high when Titans won the one-day cup in February. Rudolph listed that as one of the highlights in a storied South African career that also included being part of the team that rose to No. 1 on the Test rankings.

“One of the lasting impressions of my career was to be part of the South African team that managed to wrestle the No. 1 position in the world from England in 2012, and to have served in a Test team that featured at the global summit,” he said. “”I am indebted to my team-mates at South Africa and Titans to have been part of several trophy-winning teams. I finished my domestic career on a high by being part of the Titans team that won so comprehensively at Newlands in February.”

Rudolph is the second stalwart to have called time on his career after the most recent season. Neil McKenzie retired from First-Class cricket as well, although he will play one more season of Twenty20 cricket. (Cricinfo)

Kithson Bain

Aaron Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole

Jacques Rudolph made 2622 runs in 48 Tests for South Africa, at an average of 35.43

Unbeaten Berbice eyeing title in final round

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Front-runners Berbice will attempt to put themselves firmly out of the reach of title-chaser Essequibo when the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Under-19, Three-Day tournament resumes today with the third and final round

on Tuesday.

Both sides have at their disposal a strong batting line-up, as well as a quality bowling attack in both spin and pace departments.

However, Berbice Coach Adrian Amsterdam insisted there is no way his side will take the Essequibians lightly.

games.

The Berbicians are on a roll, having won both their games, and they are favourites to lift the title when they take on Essequibo at the Enmore Community Centre ground.

The two sides are separated by nine points, and an outright win by either side will see them virtually sew up the title.

The two sides enter the game on a high, following confident victories in the previous round. Berbice romped to their second consecutive victory on Tuesday over Demerara by 216 runs and a huge haul of the points, including victory against the National Under-17 team in the opening round.

Essequibo on the other hand thrashed the National Under-17 team by 109 runs

“Essequibo has been playing some good cricket, but I think my boys are playing even better cricket in all departments of the game,” Amsterdam said.

Meanwhile, Essequibo Coach Vibert Johnson admitted that while the task ahead is definitely a tough one, he anticipates an outright win for his team.

“Berbice has proven that they are the better team in the tournament, but they will definitely come under some pressure. Our confidence level is high and I am positive of an outright win,” Johnson boasted.

The Berbice lads are currently on 24.8 points, followed by Essequibo on 15.8, Demerara on 7.1 and the National Under-17s 1.2 points. According to the playing conditions, 12 points

Soft Shoe tournament heats up on night three

is awarded for an outright victory.

Demerara will clash with the National Under-17 team in the other second round game at the Everest Cricket Club ground. Play in both games starts at 10:00h on each day.

The teams read: Berbice: Shemron Hetymer (Captain), Balchand Baldeo, Leon Andrews , Ritesh Omrao (wicketkeeper), Samuel Kistasammy, Brandon Persaud , Kassim Khan, Daniel Lewis, Joel Seetaram , Ameer Khan, Omar Weatherspoon , Grisean Grant , Parmanand Ramdhan , Clifton Lindie, and Zachary Persaud.

Essequibo: Nathan Persaud, Parmesh Parsotam (Vice-captain), Travis Drakes (Captain), Jadewnel Hartman, Neiland Cadogan, Jonathan Fernandes, Keanu Harry, Denzil Harry, Akinie Adams, Sachin Persaud, Looknauth Khinkoo, Mahendra Mahase, Satesh Latchana, and David Williams.

Demerara: Travis Persaud (Captain), Ronaldo Renee, Malcom Hubbard, Akshaya Persaud, Sherfane Rutherford, Tevin Imlack, Carlton Jacques, Gavin Moriah (Vice-captain), Ershad Alli, Vivian Albert, Daniel Basdeo, Tariq Dharamlall, Mark Hamilton, and Chetnarine Pooran.

Guyana U-17 squad: Raymond Perez, Joshua Persaud, Adrian Sukwah (Vice-captain), Ramnarine Chatura, Bhaskar Yadram, Kevin Sinclair, Richie Looknauth, Ronaldo Ali Mohamed (Captain), Timothy McCalmont, Steve Deonarine, Ashmead Nedd, Joshua Jones, Stylus Tyndall, Asif Ally, Sagar Hatheramani, RomainMuniram, and Tameshwar Motieram.

By tReiston joseph

Non-stop action on night three of the Busta Soft Shoe tournament saw all teams walking away with wins on Tuesday evening at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, Bourda.

Queen Street Tigerbay avenged their loss from their last outing in a game that produced the most goals of the night with a 5-2 win over Stevedore Housing Scheme, who remained winless.

Deon Alfred was a goal scoring fiend, leading the way with a hat-trick. He scored in the 21st, 22nd and 24th minutes, while Darren Harris recorded a double in the 20th and 25th minutes.

Scoring for Stevedore was Ryan Blackman in the 28th and 29th minutes to end the high scoring game.

Ballers continue to roll with another win in the tournament, this time defeating Sophia 2-1 with Amos Ramsay adding to his goal tally with both goals in the fourth and 24th minutes. The lone scorer for

Ansa McAl’s

Sophia was Dwayne Lowe in the 16th minute.

The third game of the night saw Alexander Village picking up a 2-1 win over California Square. Dwayne Lynn opened the game with a superb goal for Alexander Village before Vassek Canzelaar replied immediately in the 20th minute.

However, Deon Williams would score the game winner just before regulation time in the 28th minute.

Kitty Weavers rebounded from their last loss with a 3-2 win over Leopold Street.

The back and forth game thrilled the moderate crowd in attendance, especially when Sherwin Vincent scored the game’s opening goal for Kitty in the fifth minute only to have the lead removed one minute later with a goal from Andre Sookhoo.

Wendell St Hill would score in the 10th minute to give Kitty the advantage once again as Leopold replied once again through Sookhoo in the 20th minute.

Jermin Denard would produce the game winner in

the final minute of the game to spark wild celebrations by his teammates and the fans in attendance.

North Ruimveldt defeated West Back Road in the fifth game of the night with an easy 4-2 win as Jamal Hamilton led the way for North Ruimveldt with a double in the sixth and 28th minutes.

Joshua Browne and Nickosie Barker were the other two scorers in the 16th and 20th minutes respectively. Scoring for West Back Road came from Jamal Haynes and Phillip Rowley in the 13th and 15th minutes respectively.

The final game of the night saw Sparta Boss overcoming Charlestown 3-2 with Dennis Edwards leading the way with a double for Sparta Boss in the 14th and 27th minutes, while Sheldon Shepherd scored as well in the 18th minute. Clyde Bascom scored both goals for Charlestown in the fifth and 17th minutes. Games in the tournament will continue on Friday evening at the GFC ground.

RHTY&SC names strong teams to vie for top prize

he Selection

TCommittee of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) has declared its two teams for the Club’s Silver Jubilee Anniversary Ansa McAl’s May Day five-over tournament at the Area ‘H’ ground.

The tournament, which will be played on Friday May 1, will involve 12 teams, namely Rose Hall Town Bakewell ‘A’, Rose Hall Town Bakewell ‘B’, Young Warriors, Courtland, Fyrish, Chesney, Jai Hind, Block 4 Tain, Tamarind Root of Hampshire, Whim, Albion and Yakusari of Black Bush Polder.

Organised by the Cricket Development Committee of the RHTY&SC, the tournament will bowl off at 09:00h sharp and the winner will take home $70,000 and a trophy. There will also be prizes for the Man-of-theFinal, Best Batsman and Best Bowler, while funds garnered will be used for the RHTY&SC’s Cricket Nursery Programme and massive anti-drugs/suicide

programmes, which are set to target over 60,000 youths in Berbice.

The teams announced are Rose Hall Town Bakewell ‘A’- James Fraser (Captain), Vidal Crandon, Khemraj Mahadeo, Delbert Hicks, Akshay Homraj, Jason Alexander, Brandon Prasad, Mark Papannah, Roydel Lewis, Erva Giddings, Sherain Murray, Slyus Tyndal, Mark Fernandes, Joel Pike, Ryan O’Dell and Joshua Wilson.

Hall Town Bakewell ‘B’ will come from Junior Williams, Surendra Kissoonlall, Surendra Budhoo, Kevlon Anderson, Clive Harry, Simon Lawson, Ryan Tillack, Azam Khan, Kumar Jeet Joseph, Sunil Madimutoo, Joshua Gobin, Vitindra Kumar, Denzil Sinclair and Samuel Lewis.

The RHTY&SC, according to its Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, will be organising three more tournaments like the Ansa McAl five-over tournament, along with the Busta Champion of Champions in 2015.

The club will also be hosting a double wicket tournament in the fourth quarter of the year. The final of the 2014 Busta Champion of Champions tournament will be played on April 25 at the Albion Community Centre ground under lights.

Arch-rivals RHT Gizmos and Gadgets and Albion will clash for the winner’s package of $100,000. The match will be broadcast live on NCN Radio.

Adrian Amsterdam Vibert Johnson Kemo Paul

Shemron Hetymer on the drive during his 114 against Demerara in the last round

One of the many goals during the third night of action on Tuesday

Rose

Akshay Homraj

Kallicharran impressed with talent pool in Guyana

Former West Indies Test player, Alvin Kallicharran, who is conducting a Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Youth Developmental Programme across the country, said he is impressed with the vast young talents he has met over the past days.

On Wednesday, he visited the Enterprise and Enmore grounds on the East Coast of Demerara and had sessions with the youths of those areas. Some players highlighted a number of challenging issues with their techniques and Kallicharran was able to have a practical assessment of these pressing issues by creating drills and scenarios to emphasise and address the matters at hand.

Speaking to the youths and coaches after the drills, he said, “Guyana is not short of cricketers in any way; there are a lot of talents present who need to be nurtured to go on to the

higher levels.”

Kallicharran also touched on the need for fast bowlers to improve, noting that for this to happen, the right pitches have to be produced and fast bowlers must

Ghandi Youth Organisation in Georgetown.

To date, all sessions conducted by Kallicharran have been met with high commendations from cricketers and coaches. The former

bowl a lot more overs in training and competitions.

Earlier this week, he conducted similar sessions with players at Albion and Blairmont Community Centres in Berbice, and the

left-handed batsman stated that the GCB initiative to have past players like him coaching the young cricketers should help a great deal in the developmental aspect of the game in Guyana.

All-rounder Kwesi Mickle of West Canje highlighted the latest round of matches in the 2015 New Building Society (NBS) Second Division 40over cricket competition in Berbice.

Mickle took 5-20 and smashed a composed unbeaten 86 to help West Canje to a one wicket win over Fort Canje Warriors. Below are the summarised from the matches played.

At Cumberland: West Canje beat Fort Canje Warriors by one wicket. Fort Canje Warriors 165 in 38 overs (Totoram Sookanan 28, Linden Austin 25, Kwesis Mickle 5-20) West Canje 166-9 in 38.1 overs (Kwesi Mickle 86*, Safraz Kadir 26, Royden Phil 4-24, Linden Austin 3-52, Balram Samaroo 2-9).

At Number 48: Young Royals beat Number 47 Pioneer by 115 runs. Young Royals 199 in 28.5 overs (Kishan Singh 75, Rajendra Sukhave 62, Khemraj Basdeo 6-17) Number 47

Pioneer 84 all out in 13

overs (Gobin Sugrim 4-18, Rajendra Sukhave 3-14).

At Goed Bananen Land, Besty Ground Strikers beat Goed Bananen Land by seven wickets.

Goed Bananen Land 195 in 21.4 overs (Davanand Cyril 30) Set a revised target of 99, Besty Ground Fighters reached 99-3 in 9.3 overs (Davanand Cyril 2-52).

At Number 69: Number 70 M.Y.O beat Number 69 Vikings by

Persaud excels again at Torginol Paints golf tourney

Patanjalee “Pur” Persaud continued his impressive form this season when won the annual Torginol Paints 18-hole Medal Play golf tournament, sponsored by Continental Group of Companies last Saturday at the Lusignan Golf Course, East Coast Demerara.

At the end of the exciting day’s play, the top net scorers were Persaud (24/69), Kalyan Tiwari (18/70), Patrick Prashad (9/71) and Christine Sukhram (9/72). The Best Gross prize was also won by Prashad.

Continental Group of Companies Marketing

Manager, Avalon Jagnandan, who was on hand for the distribution of prizes, expressed his appreciation at the level in which the tournament was played.

Jagnandan further disclosed that Torginol Paints Inc. remains fully committed towards the development of golf in Guyana.

“Continental Group of Companies, through our lead brand Torginol Paints, is pleased to be associated with the 2015 annual golf tournament here at Lusignan. Torginol Paints is happy to be the sponsor of this annual event, an event the Continental Group of

Companies has been sponsoring for over a decade,” Jagnandan said. He added “Continental Group of Companies sees golf as a wonderful sport where people of any age or gender or of differing abilities can compete against each other; this makes the game more fun. Additionally, a golf game is a fine test of character, which rewards players who think strategically, remain calm under pressure, and rarely lose their temper.”

Club President, David Mohamad, thanked Continental for its continued sponsorship.

two wickets. Number 69 Vikings 126 in 26.2 overs (Viendra Gooniah 27, Jameel Assad 5-17, Imran Khan 4-24) Number 70 M.Y.O 127-8 in 26.1 overs (Fayaz Narinedat 25).

At Albion Front: Albion Travellers beat Fryish Road by 15 runs. Albion Travellers 206-8 in 35 overs (Avinash Sookraj 63, Prabhudyal Baldeo 57, Shakeel Garnett 2-16, Saif Latchana 2-31, Zamin Hamid 2-51) Fryrish Road 191 in 34.4 overs (Hassan Hussain 46, Asif Gajnabi 46, Saif Latchana 35, George Hughes 4-42, Bhupendre Matadin 2-43, Prabhudyal Baldeo 2-44).

At Kilcoy: Cheskoy Riders beat Chesney by 90 runs. Cheskoy Riders 244-9 in 35 overs (Sheldon Phillips 60, Isaak Kamaludin 34, Nasrudeen Bux 32, Rakesh Ragnuth 26, Fazer Baccus 3-31, Reaz Ramcharram 2-25) Chesney 154 in 26.2 overs (Narine Deonarine 40, Zameer Khan 32, Ravendra Hardyal 3-17, Joel Johnson 3-28, Levi Thomas 2-30).

Kwesi Mickle

This is how you do it! Former international cricketer Alvin Kallicharran executes a shot in the presence of some youth cricketers at the Albion ground

Alvin Kallicharran demonstrates to this youngster the importance of keeping the head still when batting, while another participant pays rapt attention

From left: LGC President David Mohamad, Christine Sukhram, Patanjalee “Pur” Persaud, Avalon Jagnandan, Kalyan Tiwari and former club President Hilbert Shields

England on top despite Blackwood and Taylor’s heroics

An absorbing Test match continued to unfold in Antigua on a day that included a maiden Test century, a four-wicket haul for a spinner who could not get in his county’s first XI last year and a searing opening spell of fast outswing. England, who earned a priceless lead of 104, finished with a considerable advantage of 220, but it was far from oneway traffic.

Long-suffering West Indies supporters, and many a cricket-lover in general, want to see the team show fight. They saw that quality in abundance from Jermaine Blackwood with a gusty maiden century to repel England, but the persistence of the visiting attack paid off as James Tredwell claimed 4-47 during a West Indies’ lower-order collapse.

It was a tough slog for the England bowlers on a surface appearing to die as the match progressed, but they were impressive in their dil-

igence. Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes all worked up eye-catching pace, while Tredwell, who removed the key scalp of Shivnarine Chanderpaul shortly before the second new ball, chipped through the lower order with subtle changes of pace and flight. West Indies’ last four wickets fell for 19 - and the last three in 11 balls - meaning a situation where something close to parity was not out of the question became a very strong position for England.

Fiery spell

However, the home side provided a stirring response with the new ball as Jerome Taylor moved it at pace to complete poor matches for Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook. Trott, his footwork not in sync, was undone by late swing when he edged a full delivery and Cook, in a manner now very familiar, prodded a catch to gully as Taylor came around the wicket. Both

were quality pieces of bowling, but that will do little to quell concerns about the top order.

Using the Dukes ball which Ottis Gibson, now the England’s bowling coach, introduced during his time as West Indies coach, the three quicks found extravagant movement. Kemar Roach tested Ian Bell’s technique, while Jason Holder seamed one past Gary Ballance’s outside edge direct to first slip (there was also one flung wide of second slip).

Bell’s run out, after he was sent back by Ballance, left England 52-3 and grateful for every one of the runs they earlier led by, but by the close they were sitting significantly more comfortably. Ballance showed signs of regaining the form that has evaporated during his time in the oneday side, while Joe Root was as sparky as the first innings, putting Sulieman Benn over deep midwicket with a slog sweep.

Jermaine Blackwood was not afraid to play his shots at the start of day three

President of the Fruta Conquerors Football Club, Wayne Forde (third left), receives the sponsorship cheque from Sports Coordinator, Kenisha Wills, while other officials display the trophies that would be at stake during the tournament. From left are Daniel Thomas, Charmain Wade, Lavern Fraser-Thomas and Jacqueline Weeks (Avenash Ramzan photo)