Guyana Times Daily - December 1, 2014

Plans going smoothly for Berbice Wedding P9 Expo Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 2331

PRICE $80 vat included

Monday, December 1, 2014

Man commits suicide after shooting woman

WHAT'S INSIDE: Elimination of mother to child HIV transmission...

Guyana among frontrunners in Caribbean P7

Page 12

Dead: Samuel Claymont La Fleur

Injured: Onika Lyttle

Value-adding won’t save struggling gold industry – Private Sector, GGDMA

Page 2

63 Berbicians trained in various skills

P8

21-year-old commits suicide P13 Cocaine in Kund case

Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali (left) in action at the King's Jewellery World annual Duck Curry Competition at the National Park on Sunday. Also in photo are Owner of King's Jewellery World, Looknauth Persaud (second right); his son, Ralph Persaud; and Canada-based Guyanese businessman Fazil Mirza. Details on the exciting cook-off and after party will be provided in our Tuesday edition (Carl Croker photo)

Opposition resumes President to announce way “Get Rohee” vendetta forward soon

Page 10

... demands he chooses either PPP/C GS or Home Affairs Ministry

Page 3

... no new prorogation on cards

Granger supports Bond representing $300M drug trafficker P13 Dynamic Airways back on schedule – Gouveia P16

2 news

monDAY, deceMBER 1, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Value-adding won’t save tumbling gold prices – Private Sector, GGDMA

By Jomo Paul

E

ven if calls are realised for valueadded production of gold produced in Guyana, it would not be enough to save gold mining from its current pitfall as is hoped by the Government and other stakeholders.

This is the position of Private Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman Ramesh Persaud and Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) President Patrick Harding during separate interviews with Guyana Times.

At present, gold remains narrowly confined just below the US$1200 mark in muted trading ahead of the end of November.

While recent polling showed a loss of support for the measure, the market does not seem so sure,

GGDMA President Patrick Harding

trading within striking distance of three-week highs.

The gold mining sector of Guyana’s economy has been the catalyst for economic growth and has improved the economic well-

being of citizens of Guyana.

This has been achieved because of the consistently rising levels of gold declaration over the last decade.

The importance of the gold mining sector to the econ-

omy cannot be overemphasised since gold has been the largest earner of foreign revenue for the last seven years.

This fluctuation in gold prices has left miners scared and contemplating the way forward, since they are of the opinion that the industry will be unable to survive, given all that is happening.

The PSC Chairman in a recent interview, told Guyana Times that it is now up to the miners, both small and large scale to look at methods of cutting costs and improving recovery.

He explained that despite what is being advocated, it is common knowledge that gold is sold by weight and not necessarily by design as is done overseas.

Hence, the problem will

PSC Chairman Ramesh Persaud

remain, he said “It would not help the producers, it would help the economy,” he said, adding that “the industry is not surviving, it is in a crisis”.

Measures In light of the slumping prices and increased calls for more to be done for the mining community, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission has outlined a number of measures put in place to protect miners.

These include duty-free concessions, fuel waivers, and availability of new ar-

tor.

The MFMDF is designed to address the needs for working capital and investment financing at beneficiary level for adopting technology to be used in the mining sector that are more environmentallyfriendly.

But GGDMA President Patrick Harding told Guyana Times that a lot of these incentives come with prerequisites that have to be met before being able to access them.

He noted that some small miners in particular are unable to meet these prerequisites; hence, they cannot access the incentives.

Harding explained that at present, there is a huge decline in the gold industry and persons are scaling down their operations.

“Every day there is somebody coming out, if not coming out, scaling down,” he said, noting that the situation is indeed a sad one.

Harding has already predicted that from the current state of affairs, Guyana’s gold production may drop some 10-15 per cent. In 2013, the industry declared a total of 481,087 ounces of gold which rep-

PSC Chairman Ramesh Persaud says it is now up to miners to look at methods of cutting costs and improving recovery

eas for mining. Included also is a $1 billion MercuryFree Mining Development Fund (MFMDF).

This saw the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry working closely with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), looking at ways through which miners can be further “incentivised” to incorporate mercury-free technologies into their practices.

The main objective of the MFMDF is to provide small and medium scale miners with the wherewithal to adopt mercuryfree technology and to increase the level of gold recovery in the mining sec-

resents a 9.7 per cent increase over the previous year’s declaration.

This, according to the Guyana Gold Board, was a historic performance – the highest level of production, exceeding the production levels of when Omai Gold Mines was at its peak.

Gold exports for the 2013 fiscal year amounted to US$648.5 million, a 9.5 per cent decline compared to 2012. The sharp decline was linked to the average price of US$1344 per ounce compared to US$1575 in 2012, negating the six per cent increase in export volume, which amounted to 482,527 ounces.

NEWS

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monday, DECember 1, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Monday, December 1 from 13:00h-14:30h The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Monday, December 1 12:00h-13:30h

WEATHER TODAY

Weather: Partly cloudy to cloudy conditions with scattered light to moderate showers are expected to prevail over coastal Guyana during this period. Rainfall is likely to be between trace and 15 mm. Near inland to interior locations can expect partly cloudy conditions. Near Inland can also expect afternoon cloudiness accompanied by moderate showers and thundershowers.

Rainfall is likely to be between 0 mm and 20 mm, with the maximum over near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly between 3.57 metres per second and 4.02 metres per second.

High Tide: 12:17h reaching a maximum height of 2.40 metres.

Low Tide: 05:41h and 18:19h reaching minimum heights of 0.86 metre and 0.83 metre.

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Opposition resumes “Get Rohee” vendetta

... demands he chooses either PPP/C GS or Home Affairs Ministry

T

he A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) has again called for the Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee to vacate his post as Minister of Home Affairs.

Over the past three years, the coalition has made numerous calls for Rohee to be removed as Minister of Home Affairs, all of which have gone unheeded by the Government. The APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC) had also tried to gag the Minister from speaking in the House, but it was eventually shot down by Speaker Raphael Trotman.

Rohee himself at one time had jokingly dismissed the calls from APNU, saying that it does not affect him at all.

However, the recent call asserts that Rohee, who is also General Secretary and Elections Campaign Manager for the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), should chose one job and stick to that.

APNU Leader Brigadier David Granger at a recent press conference made it clear that Rohee should pick one job, and for the Opposition, that would be his job as General Secretary of the PPP/C. It would appear that based on his own experience, Granger does not think that persons can “multitask”.

“The Guyana Police Force, for which Rohee has ministerial responsibility, is facing serious challenges. It needs not only to reduce crime in the country but, also, to suppress crime within its ranks... Mr Rohee, if he cannot do two jobs –

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee

public security and political campaigning – should do one, preferably the latter,” said Granger.

According to the Opposition Leader, the public security situation in Guyana has deteriorated drastically since Rohee’s appointment as the PPP/C General Secretary on August 19, 2013 and further to that his assumption of duties as his party’s Elections Campaign Manager.

Granger said it is clear from the current state of affairs with respect to crime and the Guyana Police Force that Rohee does not have the capacity to function in all of the capacities he is appointed.

Studiously ignoring the fact that as Minister of Home Affairs, Rohee does not have any operational responsibilities for the Police Force, Granger continues with his unsolicited advice for Rohee.

“Mr Rohee usually seems to have much to say about correcting the List of Electors and criticising the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) at the PPP’s weekly press conferences as General and Regional and Local Government Elections approach,” said Granger, adding that “he has a lot less to say, however, about his efforts to correct the daily abuses committed by rogue Policemen in the GPF, or about the deteriorating security situation which concerns most Guyanese”.

Granger accused the PPP/C General Secretary of putting the interests of his party before those of the country’s security; hence, the current spate of crimes in society.

“It is no surprise, therefore, that there has been an alarming deterioration in Police morale and behaviour and an escalation in the rate of violent crime. Armed robbery, murder, suicide, rape, road and river deaths, piracy and other forms of interpersonal violence are rampant.”

It was noted that the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) at one time was receiving about 364 complaints every year or, on average, one complaint a day against members of the Guyana Police Force. The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) investigates allegations of misconduct against members of the Force.

“Several policemen have had to be charged for criminal behaviour before the civil courts. Others have faced moderate, internal disci-

Opposition Leader David Granger

plinary sanctions as a result of misdemeanours reported to the PCA and OPR. Complaints of offences range from attempting to pervert the course of justice, illegal possession of arms and ammunition, inflicting grievous bodily harm, larceny, murder, rape and trafficking in persons,” said the Opposition Leader.

Meanwhile, Shadow Home Affairs Minister and former Police Commissioner Winston Felix lamented that the blame for the current state of affairs has to be “place squarely at the feet of the absence leadership at the Ministry of Home Affairs”.

He noted that while Commissioner Seelall Persaud has responsibility for the Guyana Police Force, it is Rohee who has ministerial and Policy responsibility.

He said that Rohee only springs into action when “the APNU literally lit a fire under the seat of the Ministry of Home Affairs”.

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monDAY, december 1, 2014

Views 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

Real world, real blood

Y

esterday, in a very snarkily worded editorial, “Fictional World”, the Stabroek News accused the PPP/C of living in a “fictional world” while dubbing their response to a statement by Opposition Leader, David Granger, “fatuous and foolhardy, not to mention downright dangerous”.

Granger had been pushing the notion of “shared governance” on and off ever since he entered the political scene, courtesy of Robert Corbin, then leader of the PNC. Asked to explicate his proposal on the (unlikely) event his party was to gain office, Granger revealed for the first time, there were preconditions to his touted “inclusiveness”.

He explained that, “People who have been alleged to have commit illegal or criminal acts will be punished ...There is no prospect of sitting around the table with criminals.”

Noteworthy in Granger’s world view, there is no notion of “innocent until proven guilty”. Once an individual from the PPP/C is “alleged” to have committed an illegal act, he “will be punished”.

But Granger did not stop with people “allegedly” committing illegalities. He singled out former President Bharrat Jagdeo for what Burnham called “condign treatment”. He would “send Jagdeo far away” because “he was a bad influence”.

In other words, even though Guyanese are guaranteed freedom of association and movement, Jagdeo would either be banished or denied contact with members of the PPP/C in a “Granger Government”. Shades of the Gulag!

The Stabroek News deemed Mr Granger’s comments merely “impolitic” but then proceeded to mock not the PPP/ C’s response, but an outrageous caricature of it.

For instance the editorial dubbed as a “hysterical outburst” the PPP/C’s statement: “Given the history of that Party, these threats can only be seen as tantamount to the Demerara River flowing red with blood should the APNU and PNC come to power.”

Well, one should’ve at least asked, “What is the history of the PNC towards its political opponents?” before pronouncing on the statement’s purported “frenzied” qualities. It is rather fortuitous that the Rodney Commission of Inquiry is in the midst of its investigations to answer that question - at least during the 1970’s.

Gunning down of political opponents, breaking up of political meetings by paid, official political goons such as the House of Israel - who had no qualms about breaking bones and stabbing with knives - were common.

Dangling a Trade Union leader who would not toe the PNC’s line over the Atlantic Ocean, did not even raise eyebrows, much less the arbitrary arrest and torture of the De Willem Dozen on trumped up charges of “planning a rebellion”. That decade was followed by the “Kick Down the Door Banditry” that drove fear into the supporters of the PPP - and kept them quiescent.

We fast forward to the first decade of the millennium to the “Mash Escape Five” led by Andrew Douglas, lieutenant of notorious criminal Blackie London, who had been draped with the Guyana flag by PNC leader Desmond Hoyte. Hoyte denied there were “criminals” holed up in Buxton.

After all the blood that was spilled by the PNC-associated/ sponsored violence, we wonder if the PPP/C’s response was not too mild. And we wonder at the “silencing” of this part of our history by the Stabroek News.

The editorial categorised as “arrant nonsense with no foundation in the truth” the PPP/C’s specific complaint that on November 10 at Parliament Buildings, Carl Greenidge, Shadow Finance Minister of APNU, had “issued serious threats to Indian and Chinese businesses in an effort to frighten investors.”

Are they denying that Greenidge said, “The individuals and businesses, Chinese nationals, Indian nationals, PPP/C associates who they will give...we will not honour any of those obligations”? In a parting shot Greenidge promised ominously, “...we are not without tools at our disposal”.

We have the history of Guyana to educate us on the PNC’s agenda. The Stabroek News is fulfilling its historical reactionary role. Forewarned is forearmed.

Residents of Hadfield Street, Lodge on Sunday morning caught a 20-foot long anaconda, commonly called a camoudie, in one of the grass-filled trenches in the neighbourhood. It had reportedly just killed a resident’s goat and was about to swallow it (Bhisham Mohamed photo)

IACHR should be made to answer for their body’s flawed position Dear Editor, I would firstly like to commend Attorney-at-Law Murseline Bacchus for his excellent exposition of the law as it relates to “threats” in respect of the impugned recording that is attributed to the Attorney General (AG).

Mr Bacchus identified legally and objectively what I have been saying all along, that no threats were made by the AG on the impugned recording. It is my hope that the great work that he did in his letter would satisfy the public that the AG did not commit any offence.

The conclusions made by the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) about the AG were made in violation of the rules of natural justice. How could an international body issue a precautionary measure using only information that the complainant (Christopher Ram, legal counsel for KN) provided without hearing the other side, or even using information which is in the public domain such as the AG’s official statement on the impugned recording.

Mr Bacchus’s legally informed factual position also flies in the face of what was conveyed by the IACHR, which highlighted among other things that “the Commission considers that the requirement of serious-

ness is met, in light of the alleged threat expressed against the lives and personal integrity of the KN personnel, within the framework of their right to freedom of expression”.

One would have thought that out of the seven commissioners sitting on the IACHR, at least the two, Tracy Robinson of Jamaica and Rose-Marie Belle Antoine of Trinidad and Tobago, both being distinguished attorneys with knowledge of the Caribbean legal system and the legal prescription of due process and natural justice, would know that “threats” were never conveyed by the AG. A letter writer made a very important point when he spoke of the seriousness placed on the privacy of one’s communication and the fact that IACHR didn’t find it necessary to address that important issue, even though it was the KN that taped, manipulated and made public a private conversation without the consent or permission of the AG. I am reminded of the Edward Snowden of WikiLeaks who because of his actions has become an international criminal seeking asylum in Russia to hide form his crimes of invasion of privacy in the US. Again, the two Caribbean commissioners of the IACHR Ms Belle

and Ms Antoine, who presumably are familiar with the Caribbean domestic laws in addition to foreign laws should have addressed this crucial infringement of one’s privacy, seeing how it is also enshrined in the US constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights and indeed, the OAS charter on Human Rights to which IACHR comes under.

I would also like to ask, which country of law, principle of law or system of law did the IACHR use to make its findings and issue its precautionary measures and incidentally, are they now prepared to make a similar pronouncement on the invasion of privacy by Leonard Gildarie and KN? Unless they do so, Guyanese and the reading public at large would be forced to lump them in the category of international organizations that simply issue statements to fabricate the grounds for their existence, following in footsteps of organizations whose agenda is simply driven by perception indices and whose conclusions are based without any reference, empirical data or indeed, by any scientific methodologies.

In other words they are part of a family of international organizations which derive their sustenance and demonstrate their useful-

ness by the parasitic exploitation of issues without any regard to principle or objectivity.

It is important at this juncture to note the imperative point made by the letter writer referred to earlier when he outlined that the IACHR made an egregious statement prior to the one it is now making.

He was referring to the 2012 Linden shooting when he said “it was the same IACHR that came out with a similar, impulsive and capricious statement holding the Guyana Police Force responsible for the shooting.

This premature finding of theirs, which was obviously made without hearing the other side, contrary to the rules of natural justice, was later debunked by an international Commission of Inquiry that could not connect the shooting to the Police after hearing the facts of the case objectively”.

History it seems is repeating itself.

These highly decorated academics including Ms Robinson and Ms Antoine of the IACHR should answer for the travesty committed against the AG and by extension the Government. It is my contention that the Government should petition Caricom in this matter.

Yours truly, Richard Mendoza

NEWS

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monDAY, december 1, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Linden Hospital staffers celebrate I MDG Award

FAO Director General stresses link between rural development and migration

Senior staff members of the Linden Hospital Complex with the Millenium Development Goal (MDG) Champions Award

T

he Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) has reason to celebrate, having received a Millenium Development Goal (MDG) Champions Award, presented by the United Nations, for achieving zero maternal deaths from 2010 to May 2014.

While the award was officially presented to the health institution in October, a presentation ceremony facilitated by Dr Quincy Jones was held at the hospital on Thursday for contributing staff members.

The MDG Champions Award was presented un-

der the MDG 5 strategy for improving maternal health, in addition to the regional, prenatal and neonatal care strategy, designed to guarantee the sustainability of the zero per cent maternal mortality rate.

Gratitude was extended by the management of the LHC, to the staff of the hospital’s Maternity Ward as well as contributing health centres on the accomplishment.

Staff members including midwives and nurses of the Maternity Ward and health centres involved in the prenatal and delivery

process have all come in for high praise following the delivery of the award.

In 2009, the LHC recorded two maternal deaths, and according to Dr Jones, this is relatively low when compared to other hospitals countrywide as well as global standards.

Region 10 Health Committee Chairman Maurice Butters also congratulated the management and staff of the LHC, noting that the efforts of the hardworking nurses and other health professionals contributed to the achievement.

f countries of the Mediterranean want to stem the tide on forced migration and human suffering, they must put agricultural, food and rural development at the core of regional cooperation, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director General José Graziano da Silva said.

Speaking at the EuroMediterranean Conference on Agriculture in Palermo, Italy, the FAO Director General stressed the connection between agriculture and migration and the importance of investing in strong rural livelihoods, particularly for youth.

“We need to find alternatives to raise the incentives for the youth to engage in rural activities, such as farming, livestock production, fisheries and aquaculture in their own communities and countries,” he said.

Increasing agro-entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for rural youth needs to be at the centre of strategies to combat poverty and boost development, Graziano da Silva said, referring to rural youth as the future of the agriculture sector, particularly in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries.

Migration of young people – particularly young men -- away from rural areas has left behind lopsided community structures that have also placed a disproportionate burden on women who stay behind to take care of children and the elderly, he said.

The creation of meaningful and inclusive opportunities for youth in agriculture and agribusinesses will not only impact their lives, but substantially improve livelihoods in their rural com-

Rural development and youth employment are strongly connected to migration

munities, the economies and the resilience of their home countries, the region and the world, according to the FAO Director General.

Special attention needs to be paid to climate change, environmental degradation, and scarcity of land and water in regional cooperation, he added.

“Forced migration is the corollary of fear, despair and hunger,” said Graziano da Silva, who spoke of a worsening crisis amid a doubling in the number of informal border crossings into Europe, 85 per cent of which occur through the Mediterranean.

Referring to last year’s shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa that cost the lives of several hundred migrants, Graziano da Silva echoed a recent call by the Pope to prevent the Mediterranean from becoming a vast cemetery.

Tackling mass migration requires addressing its root causes, including wars, ethnic conflicts and extreme poverty, Graziano da Silva said, urging cooperation based on solidarity.

“Doors often close in times of crisis. Solidarity helps us open its locks and work together for inclusive

and sustainable development,” he said.

The FAO DirectorGeneral highlighted three regional initiatives in which FAO participates to strengthen cooperation among Mediterranean countries.

The Mediterranean Agricultural Markets Information Network provides better and updated information about prices and stock for the most important commodities.

The Mediterranean Animal Health Network established by FAO and the World Animal Health Organisation works with 13 countries to control transboundary animal diseases, while the FAO-CIHEAM network for small ruminants enhances cooperation among scientists, decision-makers and producer organizations in the Mediterranean.

Cooperation to boost investment in rural development and opportunities for youth will not only lift the resilience of communities and regions, said Graziano da Silva: “I am positive that it will also help to regenerate the strength of solidarity in our time.”

Is the Opposition helping to fight or promote crime in Guyana?

Dear Editor, The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) calls on A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to not just talk the talk, but to walk the walk when it comes to the issue of drug trafficking in Guyana.

The APNU leader David Granger has on several occasions in the past described Guyana as a narco-state and chastised Government for not doing enough to tackle the issue

of drug trafficking.

However, it was only last week a senior member and Member of Parliament representing Granger’s Party, Attorney-at-Law James Bond represented a confessed drug dealer, who he managed to secure a suspended sentence for.

This is kind of hypocrisy by the opposition and this action is another indication of how disingenuous the opposition can be.

While Mr Bond was not

representing the APNU in the trial, the fact of the matter is he represents a political party which time and again sought to give the public the impression it is serious about tackling the drug trade. Mr Granger and the APNU are noticeably silent on this matter.

This recent incident is another case which further vindicates our long-held view that the Opposition has always been in bed with the criminal underworld.

It was the PNC and its leaders who draped notorious criminal Linden ‘Blackie’ London’s casket with the Guyana flag, the criminal, who escaped from the Camp Street Prisons on February 23, 2003 and brought a reign of terror to Guyana. London and others were described by the PNC as freedom fighters.

When criminal elements held Buxton under siege, they received military training and other support

from the PNC. Let us not forget that the surveillance video with evidence of the Buxton gas station shooting was removed by another prominent Opposition lawyer who represented, and secured freedom for, a man identified as one of those who cold-bloodedly murdered 11 innocent Guyanese, including sleeping children in Lusignan.

Let us not forget that Mr Granger was photographed in the company of gun-tot-

ing bandit Kevin Fields, during the funeral of a criminal killed by Police.

Is the Opposition really helping to fight crime and drug trafficking in Guyana?

The answer is a clear NO because were they serious then Mr Bond would not have represented a man who confessed to being in possession of drugs.

Submitted by PPP/C Freedom House

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monDAY, december 1, 2014

Page

Foundation

Parenting For Success

Putting children first – ChildLinK’s vision is a Guyanese society where every child enjoys the right to a childhood in a safe and caring family, free from poverty, violence and exploitation

Marching along upper Regent Street during the awareness march that advocated putting children first

T

hursday, November 20, 2014, marked the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

This Convention has, as its main objectives, to protect children and promote their rights to survive, thrive, learn, grow and reach their full potential. To commemorate this milestone, The Guyana Coalition for Children’s Rights and Protection, a local network that focuses on stopping corporal punishment of children and prevention of sexual violence against children, organised a series of events aimed

at bringing awareness to the general public and making child protection a national conversation.

A Children’s Day with the theme “Put Children First: Break the Cycle, End Child Abuse NOW” was held on Saturday, November 15, 2014 at the Georgetown Cricket Club to give children and families an opportunity to be involved in the commemorating activities.

The day commenced with an awareness walk comprising ChildLinK representatives, members of the European Union Delegation, seven children ambassadors, several parents and anoth-

er 50 children along upper Regent Street. On this walk, the children displayed their messages on banners and plaques while chanting “Put children first”, “We are the future”, “End child abuse now”.

Parents and organisation members showed their commitment to the protection of children by walking behind with their banners and placards with the message, “We will put children first: Respect and care for all children”.

A ChildLinK child ambassador, Keyola McQueen, aged 12, was the first to address the gathering: “We are all delicate, innocent and dependent on others for a society that will help us to develop to our best. We need strong and positive support from our families and everyone in our society and even across the globe. Children occupy an important portion of population in every country. In Guyana, more than 50 per cent of our population is under 18 years old. The future of our nation depends upon the level of care being provided to its children who are sensitive and receptive and looking for good role models, especially since children are actually the future builders of their nation and everyone has a responsibility to contribute to their all-round development. The abuse and struggles of some of my fellow children that are in the media or what are known to us personally are heart-rendering. If it’s not sexual, it’s physical or abandonment and all leave scars on our

heart and bodies,” she said.

She further stated, “The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) recognised various rights for the survival, development, protection and participation of children. According to it, children (from conception to

or orphaned. Finally, I am happy I have a right ‘to freedom of expression and, through ChildLinK, I am experiencing that right and even speaking for and with other children.”

The event also featured the following speakers:

ChildLinK representatives, members of the European Union Delegation, seven children ambassadors, several parents and 50 children comprised the marchers

18 years of age) have a right to name and nationality and care within a family, including good health care and nutrition. They also have a right to good preparation for life, including stimulating education opportunities from games and sports and creativity.

Children have a right to be protected from maltreatment or exploitation and to special provision if they are physically challenged

Marianne Flach, UNICEF’s representative for Guyana and Suriname, who highlighted the organisation’s commitment to working with Government to improve the protection of children.

Bonita Harris, Child Rights Consultant, who is currently leading the development of the alternative care policy for children, and highlighted the many challenges vulnerable children in our society are exposed to and the need for more fathers to show up and support their children.

Kate Riordan, Head of Advocacy of the US-based Family For Every Child, who commended the children on their role and highlighted that they are part of the bigger group of children Family For Every Child supports to speak on behalf of other children.

Benedikt Madl, of the EU Delegation, who brought his children to the march.

He highlighted how precious children are and how together society can speak louder on their behalf.

Through child-friendly actions, he helped the children to identify how unique they are and to appreciate our diversity.

The children were also given an opportunity to do what they do best: play.

Structured game and fun time were provided for the children to indulge in face painting, trampoline bouncing, and several races.

ChildLinK is urging community members to remember the need to provide an environment where children can be safe and develop to their fullest.

NEWS

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monDAY, december 1, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Elimination of mother to child HIV transmission...

Guyana among frontrunners in Caribbean T

hirteen Caribbean countries including Guyana are on track to be certified as having eliminated HIV transmission from mothers to children while three are close to reaching this goal.

Over the last decade, countries have successfully increased access to antiretroviral medicines during pregnancy and empowered women to make informed decisions about their health and that of their children.

National validation processes are underway throughout the region to confirm reported rates, making it likely that by 2015 a Caribbean country will be the first in the world to announce that it has ended HIV transmission to babies.

“This region was the first to eliminate polio and measles,”

elimination target of below two percent transmission. (Guyana’s transmission rate is 1.6 per cent) Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Saba, St Eustatius, St Kitts and Nevis and St Maarten have not had an HIV positive baby on record in the last four to 10 years, but must finalise their documentation.

The Bahamas, Jamaica and Suriname currently have transmission rates between two and five per cent.

Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago lag behind with more than five per cent of children born to mothers living with HIV becoming infected. The Dominican Republic, Grenada and St Lucia have insufficient information.

“No child living in the Caribbean should be born

Guyana is among 13 Caribbean countries on track to be certified as having eliminated HIV transmission from mothers to children while three are close to reaching this goal

UNAIDS Caribbean Regional Support Team Director, Dr Ernest Massiah said.

“These successes would not have been possible without political commitment.

We need the same will to end mother to child HIV transmission. The question is which country will be first.”

Before treatment was available, at least one in four babies born to HIV positive women in many Caribbean countries was infected with HIV. Today Anguilla, Barbados, Cuba, Guyana, Montserrat and St Kitts and Nevis all have shown that they have reached the

with HIV,” Massiah said.

“We must look carefully at how we can protect and empower women so that they go to clinic early, get tested, get treated and follow-up with their babies.”

Possible

Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 is possible, but only by closing the gap between people who have access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services and those who are being left behind. In the Caribbean, more must be done to prevent HIV among young wom-

en, sex workers and men who have sex with men. Those already living with HIV must also be able to access the services they need.

New data from UNAIDS point to public support for giving young people age-appropriate sex and sexuality education in schools as well as access to condoms and contraceptives. Public opinion polls commissioned by UNAIDS in Belize, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago show that the majority of people support giving youths access to age-appropriate sex and sexuality education as well as access to condoms and contraceptives. Nine in 10 respondents think that child abuse and domestic violence are problems throughout in their countries. Addressing the lack of knowledge, sexual and reproductive health services and social protection available to young women can help reduce their vulnerability to HIV. CARIMIS, an online study of men who have sex with men in the Caribbean, found that while respondents who were out tended to exhibit better health-seeking behaviour, those who were not were less vulnerable to homophobic abuse. Within the past month of responding to the survey, one in three had been stared at or intimidated and one in four experienced verbal insults or name-calling. One in 10 reported being physically assaulted in the past five years.

The polls found that the majority of people disagree with treating others differently because of their sexual orientation and recognise violence against homosexuals as a form of discrimination. Public engagement on equality and non-violence is central to not just the security and well-being of men who have sex with men, but also the Caribbean’s ability to end the AIDS epidemic.

Tremendous progress made in addressing AIDS – UN Secretary General

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

A

s countries the world over observes World AIDS Day today, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said tremendous progress has been made in responding to the epidemic.

This year, world leaders made a commitment to end AIDS by 2030. The fasttrack approach launched last week is expected to make this goal reachable.

The UN Secretary General in a release said almost 14 million people worldwide are now accessing HIV treatment.

“We have reduced new HIV infections by 38 per cent since 2001. We have prevented 1.16 million infections among new-born babies by providing essential antiretroviral medicines.

We are on track to provide antiretroviral therapy to 15 million people by 2015 and to eliminate mother-tochild transmissions within the next few years. Thanks to the dedication and energy of many partners including those in civil society, we continue to tackle and remove laws that stigmatise and discriminate. Progress is accelerating,” he said.

But Ban noted that the gains remain fragile.

“There are 35 million people living with HIV today, and some 19 million of them do not know they have the virus. There are important gaps in our response to

key groups of people. Two out of three children who need treatment do not get it. Young women are particularly vulnerable in many countries with high HIV prevalence,” he said.

The AIDS epidemic is increasing in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, fuelled by stigma, discrimination and punitive laws.

And the essential work of community systems and support organisations often lacks support.

“We must leave no one behind. I am pleased and proud to see that we are moving forward. The legacy of the AIDS response is already apparent as we confront Ebola in West Africa.

We know that medical systems alone are not enough to provide robust health care.

Social justice, the democratisation of science, shared responsibility for financing, human rights and gender equity, and a people-centred approach to health are all lessons we have learned in the AIDS response that are being applied across the board, including in our discussions on the post-2015 development agenda.

Reflect on lives lost

Meanwhile, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé said on this World AIDS Day, “let us also reflect on the lives lost to Ebola, on the countries and people affected by the outbreak in West Africa”.

The Ebola outbreak, he said reminds all of the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. People were hiding and scared. Stigma and discrimination were widespread.

There were no medicines and there was little hope.

“But today, thanks to global solidarity, social mobilisation and civil society activism, we have been able, together, to transform tragedy into opportunity. We have been able to break the conspiracy of silence, to reduce the price of medicines and break the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic. This has saved millions of lives.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé

“We now have to break the epidemic for good. If we don’t, it could spring back and it will be impossible to end.

“We have a short fiveyear window of opportunity to reach the people who are being left behind, people who have been denied their rights – young women and adolescent girls, men who have sex with men, migrants, prisoners, sex workers, people who inject drugs.

“To do this we need to ensure that health systems are strengthened to provide the essential services that are needed and civil society has to be supported so it can continue to play its vital role.”

On World AIDS Day 2014, Sidibé said it is time to redouble efforts, to fasttrack actions and close the gap between people who have access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services and people who are being left behind.

By fast-tracking countries, cities and communities “we can reach people most affected by HIV. And with Fast-Track Targets like 90–90–90, we can ensure that, by 2020, 90 per cent of people living with HIV know their status, 90 per cent of people who know their HIV positive status are on treatment and that 90 per cent of people on treatment have suppressed viral loads”.

8 NEWS

monDAY, december 1, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

63 Berbicians trained in various skills – as Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre holds 9th graduation

M

ore young Guyanese are now empowered after successfully completing training in various skill areas with the Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre graduating its ninth batch of 63 full and part time students.

This institution, which is located at Number 79 Village Upper Corentyne, provides technical and vocational education and training for persons 15 years and over to enable them to contribute to the economic development of Guyana.

Courses available include, Furniture Making, Masonry, Electrical Installation, Motor Vehicle Repairs, Metal Work Engineering, Welding, Information Technology, Agricultural Machinery and Repairs and Auto Electricity.

Lynching...

T

A section of the graduating class of the Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne)

ed by the institute, but do not maximise on the opportunity owing to inadequate accommodation.

Education is pivotal to nationbuilding and is easily accessible to every child throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.

“The opportunity exists for every child to receive a secondary education and a university education if he/she so desires and that’s an opportunity you can’t find anywhere that easily. A student loan is available to students who wish to go university… many foreign universities have also established their school in Guyana... and we cater for those who fall short of the academics through numerous initiatives, including programmes undertaken by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).”

Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul handing over a certificate to one of the graduating students of the Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre

Labour Minister, Dr Nanda K Gopaul, while addressing the graduating class, said the Government over the past two decades has placed significant emphasis on education generally, providing the necessary infrastructure and resources.

“For too long people believed that formal education is the only way to go and that technical education is for school drop outs and those who are unable to get a secondary education. The truth is far from that.”

In this regard, the Minister said that Government is seeking to have

Eyew tness

technical institutions established in every region, giving persons the opportunity to access technical education.

“Many countries saw the need to have technical education side by side with the school’s curriculum. It is important that we do so because from those programmes we can be able to address the issues in terms of skills that the country needs,” Minister Gopaul noted.

He also committed to working with the institution to explore ways to provide accommodation for potential students from the riverain communities of Orealla and Siparuta, who are target-

Start-up capital

Dr Gopaul said these programmes are conducted in communities and provide graduates with start-up capital to begin their own businesses, including in the fields of Masonry and Garment Manufacturing, which benefit many single parents and youths.

He announced that under the BIT programme, several students in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Two (PomeroonSupenaam), Three (Essequibo IslandWest Demerara), Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) will be graduating in a short while. continued on page 9

...by insinuation

here’s something rotten in Guyana....and we’re not talking about the raw sewage that washes up every time it rains for an hour in Georgetown. That’s due to the rottenness in City Hall beginning with Mayor-For-Life Hamilton Green and his band of bandits in City Hall. No... we’re talking about the stench from the MuckrakerKN and the unwillingness of anyone - in and out of authority - to do something about it.

There’s not a day that goes by when Mook Lall’s MuckrakerKN doesn’t malign and libel Bharat Jagdeo and those associated with him. But not a word of disapproval much less condemnation - from those holding themselves out as “guardians of propriety and morality”. Take the case of the Ombudsman’s report on the NBS fraud.

The Report was obviously leaked to the Muckraker... but the Ombudsman remained mute. If he’s serious about his job - knowing his report was gonna stir controversy...he should’ve coded the copies so that he’d know who leaked.

This is an elementary precaution.

But more amazingly, when the Muckraker ran with the headline on November 13, “Explosive Ombudsman report…

Jagdeo ordered dismissal of NBS boss…because he refused to lend US$10M for Berbice Bridge,” the Ombudsman stayed quiet.

TWO WEEKS LATER, after this blatant and flagrant lie had become imprinted in the mind of the public as “fact” because it was not rebutted by the Ombudsman, he then SHEEPISHLY CONCEDED that the headline was “extremely unfair”.

“Extremely unfair??!!!” Forget this has to be the understatement of the year. Forget that this was a public lynching of Jagdeo’s reputation. When the hell did Moore realise the headline was “extremely unfair”? He admitted he was shown the headline. Why didn’t he immediately point out - as he now does - that the headline was just Arjoon’s allegation...AND WAS REBUTTED BY GOPAUL to boot!!

But even now, why doesn’t the Ombudsman order Kaieteur News to apologise to Jagdeo - just as prominently as it originally blared the lie?? It is the Ombudman’s slackness that encouraged the Muckraker to later lynch Jagdeo for “flying” in the cash-stuffed jet. Jagdeo never did any such thing!!

But even if he did (as did President Ramotar) what the hell does this prove?? Were all the players and cricket greats who participated in the Stanford T-20 tournament guilty of the latter’s Ponzi Scheme?? And it hasn’t even been proven that the jet’s owner’s been running illegal businesses!

But what can you say?? If Glenn Lall can get away with murder, because folks won’t press charges...can you blame him for becoming emboldened?? Who will be lynched next??

Be careful...it could be YOU!

...between Opposition minnows

Seems that war’s been declared between the WPA and the AFC - the two minnows on the Opposition benches.

Tension always simmered beneath the surface because the WPA was miffed the AFC’d stolen its thunder (such as it was) as the “minnow of minnows” in Parliament. The WPA snucked in by providing cover to the PNC as a member of the “coalition” called APNU. That’s as much a “coalition” as a gnat on the back of an elephant makes them a “honeymooning couple”!!! There is, when all is said and done, the matter of size and how well one can then perform one’s duties, no?? Anyhow, the WPA - all four of its existing members - castigated the AFC for not supporting APNU’s protests against “prorogation”.

Ramjattan, honest for once in his life, said sternly that he ain’t joining no PNC protest. The revolutionary shouted: “We will maintain our hard-hitting press releases and comments in the press!!” A luta continua!! We guess.

...of young AFC leaders

Since whether via the “No-Confidence” or “prorogation” route, elections are imminent, the refusal of the AFC to elect their Presidential and PM candidates, means “selection” rather than “election” is in the offing.

Hasn’t Ramjattan already selected friend Moses as the Presidential Candidate?

news

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monday, december 1, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Truth

Plans going Simply the smoothly for Berbice Wedding Expo Common courtesy

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Ryan Alexander making a point at the press briefing on Friday

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lans are moving apace for the staging of the first ever Berbice Wedding Expo, event organiser Ryan Alexander said.

Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, Alexander said 25 organisations have already indicated their intention to participate in the oneday event set for December 7 at the University of Guyana, Tain Campus.

He said passports for the event are out, noting that they feature some of the participating businesses.

According to Alexander, the Berbice Wedding Expo 2014 will give persons who provide event planning services the opportunity to showcase their businesses.

It will also give persons who attend the December 7 event at Tain the opportunity to benefit from discounts if they submit information on their next event.

Alexander explained that persons can fill a simple

questionnaire comprising of four questions upon their entry to the expo.

“This will give you a preapproved loan at participating commercial banks and discounts when you have your next event.”

Persons who fill the questionnaire will have to provide information of their upcoming events.

“That information will be published in a brochure and distributed to exhibitors after the event.”

The expo is being supported by a number of agencies including Citizens Bank, Pan American Motor Inc, A Ally and Sons, Hand-in Hand, Homeline Furnishing, Furniture World, TAG, Impressive Signs and Graphics, Littlerock Hotel, Guy Gas, Banks DIH, Scotia Bank, CIDI, Fly Jamaica, Outar Jewellery, J’s Printery, First Impressions Hotel and Party Plus.

63 Berbicians...

from page 8

“I want to throw out the challenge to this community that if you want to be trained in Masonry and Block Making and you want to come to this institution, we can harness your training under BIT where you can get a stipend, and at the end of the training you will get a start-up so that you will continue, you will be employable immediately,” Minister Gopaul urged the gathering.

Dr Gopaul pointed out that over the last five years almost 7000 students throughout the country benefited from training through the BIT, the Youth Ministry’s, Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training programme (YEST) and through the Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET). GuySuCo and BK International also provided training in operation of heavy machinery.

Minister Gopaul urged the students to take full advantage of these opportunities in order to develop themselves, as these did not

always exist.

“I couldn’t afford to write the GCE exams until I started working, and I did not do an undergraduate degree. I received a scholarship for my post-graduate studies and if I can accomplish it, anyone can. It is also very important that you complete secondary school because that helps to prevent child labour.”

The Minister noted that while every programme is susceptible to drop outs, the dropout rate of 33 per cent at the Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre is alarming and this is a problem for most technical training programmes in the country.

“If you start the programme, you have to be prepared to exercise discipline to complete it and see the rewards at the end of the day,” he said.

The Minister also urged the graduating class and youths in general to use the services of the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency to register for jobs.

e Berbicians are quite proud of our reputation for being hospitable. Justifiably so, sometimes.

John Hearne, the Jamaican novelist and former advisor to Michael Manley and Edward Seaga, told me way back in the 80s about Berbicians being “dangerous people”. I was rather surprised at the statement, and asked him to explain.

Hearne was here in Guyana in the early 60s to cover the racial riots. He was brought to Berbice, he said. He said that we Berbicians almost killed him. I asked. He told.

His version was that that each family of each home he visited insisted that he drank a bottle of rum and eat food!

It was simply too much, and he said laughingly that we Berbicians almost killed him with our hospitality. This story was repeated many fold, the most memorable by a white

Canadian named Mark Guay.

It seems we almost killed him too, cruel as we are with our kindness.

As a boy, a small group of us (Errol, Clement, Gerald, Dilip, Kayko, etc) rode from Rose Hall to Skeldon on bicycles to see the lights of Deepavali. Not the cheap sting of bulbs and strung, but real deeyahs with real oil and real wicks, those adorning stairs and window sills and fences.

It was wonderful but tiring, so we would stop and visit homes. One of our stops was in Cromarty Village. And we, as strangers at the gate, were treated with soft drinks or tea and cakes. The ceremony was in the simplicity, the sheer gift of decency and welcome.

Those were the days.

Yesterday, I understood how much we have devolved.

Someone, close to my heart, came to my humble rented home. Tired and seemingly

distraught, she went into bed and slept a sound sleep.

I kept watch, brushing away mosquitoes. She awakened, and – like a good Berbician – insisted that she eat. She took offence at my simple Berbician insistence, put on her formal suit and left.

The words of thanks were: “I am leaving!” My own upbringing abandoned me (things like you open a door for a lady; you stand when she enters or exists; you place her to sit before you assume your own seat!); and so I sat whilst she walked out slamming the door.

Through my many years in 67 countries, I have asked only three people to leave my home. Strangely, all three were in Berbice!

The first was a man who claimed the status of being a “relative”. He talked racist garbage. Offended, I insisted that he exit my home with

Professor Daizal Samad

dispatch. I have never seen him again, much to my pleasure.

The second was a woman that I was helping with “academic” stuff. She got a bad grade for a paper that I thought was publishable. It remains publishable, but the UG lecturer (who will never publish a line) thought otherwise.

The woman, angry, accused me of deliberately making her fail. I asked her to leave, since she questioned my single virtue – integrity.

The third was a girl from Demerara who was intolerably rude, such that she was instructed to leave. Good riddance to bad rubbish! Not in my home, not in Berbice.

10

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, december 1, 2014

News

President to announce way forward soon ... no new prorogation on cards

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resident Donald Ramotar on Sunday disclosed that he has no intention to reconvene Parliament or to prorogue it again, and will be making an announcement very soon on the way forward.

The Head of State, who was at the time addressing scores at the annual Kala Utsav organised by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, also called for the support of all as his Government moves the country forward.

Ramotar said there have been inaccurate media reports on the prorogation of Parliament and what it really means, but reiterated that he has made a constitutional decision.

The President told the

spite all the struggles the country faced during that era.

Twenty-eight years later under the People’s National Congress (PNC) regime, Guyana has become one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, he posited.

When the PPP regain power in 1992 and democracy was restored, he said hope returned to Guyana and the economy again continued to bloom. This blossoming, he said must continue.

On November 10, President Donald Ramotar issued a proclamation proroguing Parliament, hoping that the Government and the Opposition will engage in meaningful talks on Guyana’s development.

This prorogation came

G

President Donald Ramotar addressing the gathering at the annual Kala Utsav organised by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha on Sunday

Motion against the Ramotarled People’s Progressive

Children perform in a play during the annual Kala Utsav

gathering that prior to 1964 when the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was forced out of office, Guyana had the highest standard of living in the Caribbean, de-

on the day the combined Opposition, the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) had intended to pass a No-confidence

Guyana get less of More

Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.

The move threw the Opposition parties into confusion as President Donald Ramotar insisted that the

proclamation was made so that the Opposition would not stall development through their no-confidence motion.

The President said though the decision was taken to prorogue Parliament, it was not the original plan.

He had hoped that his earlier warnings to the Opposition would be heeded, but instead, they went ahead with their anti-development stratagem that revolved around the No-Confidence Motion.

Ramotar further emphasised that if the NoConfidence Motion was debated and passed, apart from bring development to a standstill, it would have caused tension in society.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon had said President Ramotar and by extension his Cabinet remains optimistic that “dialogue” would lead the country out of this perceived “political crisis”.

The President has already issued letters to the Leader

uyana gotta lotta good and a lotta problems at de same time. But after all, that is how life is and that is how de world is. It got good days and bad days. It got good people and bad people. That is why old people seh yuh have to mek de most of every ting.

And that include mekkin de most of de bad days and de bad people, although is hard to see how any body can mek any ting good outta de Mayor-Fuh-Life. Two fellas been arguin by de market de other day and one seh de MayorFuh-Life is a good man. De other one seh yes, he good fuh nutten. That sound a lot like Rum Jhaat too.

De farmers had want some rain, now dem get too much.

So dem have to mek de most of it. Nagga Man had want “Prezzi” next to he name. But at least now he get some ting like that, just that he had to add “candidate”. But he mekkin de most of it.

De other day de Bell Crier tell de nation that more of every ting ain’t always a good ting and that Guyana need less of More. Well, Sparendaam and dem Pullice down deh gon already see less of one More, if any at all.

De other More end up spillin tears and beggin de other day after he had mek de most of some talk name stuff whah he had hear from More-ice. So hopefully de one More who leff gon mek de most of de lil time whah he got leff.

A couple days ago, one man was tryin to mek de most of a lil plane from de US. Well now, some fellas must be mekkin de most of he in de lock ups. And de US gon mek de most of de money whah dem find and whah dem lookin for.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie!

And even Lalloo tryin hard to mek de most of a couple of lawyer wuk whah he get!

of the Opposition, inviting them to engage in dialogue with the Administration in the absence of Parliament.

Though the Opposition has publicly stated that it will not engage the Government in talks during the prorogation of Parliament, President Ramotar remains hopeful that APNU and/ or AFC would capitalise on the “golden opportunity” to preserve the life of the 10th Parliament.

According to Dr Luncheon, there is a general consensus among the people that the issues plaguing the

Parliament should be remedied.

“I don’t believe that it addresses the fundamental aspirations of Guyanese people. I think there is a much greater interest in trying to have this problem solved…,” Dr Luncheon opined.

But based on the track record which has been established by APNU and the AFC since the 2011 General Elections, Dr Luncheon disclosed that Cabinet had also analysed the option of “pulling the plug on political dialogue”, resulting in General and Regional Elections.

Georgetown International Academy students make donation to Convalescent Home

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he Key Club of Georgetown International Academy (GIA), in the spirit of Thanksgiving, recently donated a quantity of items to the Red Cross Children’s Convalescent Home, Durban Backlands, Georgetown.

On Wednesday, more than 20 members from the Key Club of GIA visited the Children’s Home, where they presented a variety of food items, toiletries and clothing, with the hope of helping to make a difference in the lives of very young children in the home, while building character and developing leadership skills.

“Key Club is about service,” said Daniel Razick, the Club’s President, “and today we have the chance to

not only share that service, but to help make a difference that matters. The elbow grease we invest today will pay off in dividends for our communities, their children and their futures.”

Key Club International is a service leadership programme of Kiwanis International, and is the oldest and largest service programme for high school students.

Started in California in the 1920s, Key Club today thrives on more than 5000 high school campuses, primarily in the United States and Canada, though growth has enabled the experience to spread internationally to Caribbean nations, Central and South America, and most recently to Asia and Australia.

Members of the Club along with Club advisers Niocie Browne (far left) and Joanna Trim (far right), in the presence of Stacy Welcome (fourth from left), who received the gifts on behalf of Red Cross Children’s Convalescent Home Administrator Ewin Enmore

It gives its members opportunities to provide service, build character and develop leadership skills. Key

Club attributes its success to the fact that it is a student-led organisation that teaches leadership through

serving others.

The Key Club of GIA, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Barbados South, is

still a Key Club in formation, whose charter is still being processed because it is the first Key Club to be formed in Guyana. Over the past few months, members of the club have volunteered their time and talents in a number of ways, participating in activities such as the Avon Breast Cancer Walk, coastal clean-ups, and preparing their school’s hydroponic and organic vegetable garden among other smaller projects.

“We’re more than students in this community,” said Razick, “we’re also residents and we have a sense of duty to help make things better. We can do that best through service.”

For more information about Key Club, visit www. keyclub.org.

monday, december 1, 2014

guyanatimesgy.com

11

News

Times Notebook Time to curb Big Food!

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lab is a massive health crisis and we are today fatter than at any time in human history. Malnutrition resulting in people being overweight and obese is one major cause that close to so many people are at risk of disability and death due to the chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

The present generation is likely to live with more disability and likely to have shorter life expectancies than their parents. In 2010, more than 3.4 million people died directly because of overweight and obesity and 38 million people die each year because of the NCDs. Ebola, HIV, and Malaria are also major health crises confronting humans. But the flab crisis is an even bigger health crisis confronting the human race. Now we are forced to ask: Do we eat to live or do we live to eat?

Did you know that overweight and obesity – the flab scourge – cause more deaths than smoking or wars?

Overweight and obesity are twin malnutrition problems and are major reasons why Type II diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, cancer and other NCDs today account for the majority of disability in the world, and more than two-thirds of all global deaths.

Health expenditure for individuals and for countries has become unsustainable because of the NCDs. Even though overweight and obesity result from our lifestyles, no one really wants to be fat, other than a tiny minority who argue that fat is good.

Most of us in the Caribbean eat daily meals that are far greater, more than 3,000 calories per day, than the recommended amount of 2,200 that the

WHO has provided in its guidelines. The bigger problem rather is that most of us eat too much of the wrong food.

One scientist has shown that we are driven not by our bellies, but by the measure of how much food is in front of us. We will eat ice cream according to the size of the container in front of us and not by how much we should have.

We eat not simply because we are hungry but because we have access to food. We eat out of compulsion. Our diet today lacks essential micro-nutrients and contain too much salt, sugar like fructose, trans-fat, gluten, etc. We are not silly or greedy, so why do we eat like gluttons?

We are victims of Big Food, which prepares readymade food in larger portions and food that is far in excess of salt, sugar, trans-fat etc,

food low in iodine and zinc and other micro-nutrients.

These are the kinds of food that are in our baskets at the supermarkets not because we need them, but because Big Food persuades us through slick promotion campaigns that we must buy them.

Mindless eating is at the heart of the controversy in New York where the former Mayor tried to mandate sales of smaller size soda containers, and ban jumbosize soda. The intention was to reduce the intake of sodabased sugar. The soda manufacturers took the Mayor and New York City to court and they won based on personal choice.

Unless we legislate to stop them, Big Food will continue to get people to eat too much of the wrong food and eat far in excess of what we need. We are today faced with the 21st century strug-

gle against Big Food, just as we confronted Big Tobacco in the last quarter of the 20th century.

Big Food is making a killing (profit wise, that is, and literally) with ‘low-fat’ food. But this low-fat fad is the con of the century. The food contains killers such as fructose, trans-fat, salt, gluten, and other ingredients that shorten our lives and bring about disabilities like diabetes-related amputation and blindness.

We will not win the battle against bad food because bad food also tastes good.

We will not win the battle against food that makes us sick because Big Food has persuaded us that it is good for us and that the real problem is we do not engage in enough physical activity.

Even as consumers are bored by public health mass messages, they are imbibing on big chocolate bars, ice

cream in containers bigger than their bellies, chips with salts and sugars and fats. A snack often contains enough calories of a whole meal.

We must legislate, in addition to improving our messages and public health campaigns. We need standards and rigid labeling requirement to control salt, transfat and sugar. Leaving it all up to choice will not help.

As much as we hate being over-weight we will argue that beauty is not skindeep, but what is inside our hearts. The easiest things for the average human being to do about his flab are to justify waiting another day and find another excuse.

Let us not procrastinate – let us legislate today so that we could eat to live.

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

Wages/salaries increase for public servants Simple larceny gets teen 48 months not enough – APNU

APNU has criticised the increase of wages and salaries for public servants, calling it a paltry “freck”, but did not say how much the Government should have given them

T

he A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has criticised the increase of wages and salaries for public servants, calling it a paltry “freck”, but did not say how much the Government should have given them.

The coalition in a statement said the ruling Administration should enter into serious negotiations with the workers’ representatives.

“APNU calls on the Peoples Progressive Party Administration to respect the collective bargaining agreement and the rights of public servants and their union,” contending that the “annual arbitrary imposition is not enough”.

The coalition said public servants are frequently unable to afford to meet some basic household expenses, utilities and transportation and often are forced to borrow money for emergencies and to settle day-to-day expenses.

“They are convinced that they deserve a higher increase, particularly in light of the high cost of living. The PPP/C must adhere to the International Labour Organisations (ILO) Conventions ratified by Guyana’s National Assembly that deal with the Protection of the Rights to Organise and Collective Bargaining. APNU iterates its call for the PPP/C administration to invite the GPSU immediately to engage in talks aimed at restarting the collective bargaining process…, the release concluded.

On Saturday, in light of rumours surrounding teachers’ bonuses for 2014, the Office of President (OP) cleared the air by stating that some teachers will receive an eight per cent increase for 2014.

It said that teachers earning less than $50,000 monthly as at the end of

December 2013 are being granted an additional three per cent increase, retroactive to January 1, 2014 across the board. This increase will benefit nurses, Police officers, etc.

On top of that increase, OP said a five per cent increase has already been paid to teachers in keeping with the multi-year agreement with the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU).

This brings their total increase to eight per cent and circulars have already been issued to effect the payment of these increases on wages and salaries for 2014.

Recently, teachers from various parts of the country have been expressing concerns over their non-receipt of wage increases or bonuses for Christmas.

When Mark Lyte, the new President of the GTU took office earlier this year, he said he would be advocating for better working conditions for teachers, among other things.

He said that as a part of his mandate, he will not only engage the Government, but also the Private Sector to see how teachers can enjoy some non-salaried benefits.

He said while he will still be advocating for higher salaries, he felt that with the rampant increase in cost of living, an increase will not be of much help.

In addition, the Office of the President said over 20,000 public servants and members of the Disciplined Forces have been granted wages and salaries increases for 2014.

As of December 31, 2013, retroactive to January 1, 2014, these Government employees received five to eight per cent increase of their wages and salaries.

It was further explained that Government employees earning above $50,000 monthly, are being granted a five per cent increase across the board.

Joshua Joseph

J

oshua Joseph, 18, of Lot 58 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was sentenced to 48 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to two counts of simple larceny on Friday.

He appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Ann McLennan.

The first charge stated that on October 16 at Lot 69 Leopold Street, Werken-Rust, Georgetown, he stole one DVD player valued $20,000, property of Virtual Complainant (VC) Jermaine Peters, with whom he lived at the time.

The second charge read that on November 18, at the aforementioned address, he stole one stereo set valued $150,000 which also belonged to the VC. To the first charge, the Administration of Justice Act (AJA) was applied per request of Police Prosecutor

Dinero Jones and Joseph pleaded guilty. On the second charge, he pleaded guilty as well.

The court heard that on the first occasion, the VC came home and enquired about the DVD player since he noticed it missing. When he confronted Joseph, he denied stealing it at first, but eventually confessed. The defendant was taken to the Police station where he was arrested and charged.

On November 18, the VC arrived home and asked the defendant the whereabouts of the stereo set, since he noticed that the device was missing. Joseph told the VC that he took the device to be checked, but could not give the name of the technician nor where he resided.

Magistrate McLennan sentenced the defendant to 24 months on each charge, which will run concurrently.

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monDAY, december 1, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Man commits suicide after shooting woman

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n ex-soldier of the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) on Sunday committed suicide after shooting his neighbour during an argument which started with his mother.

The murder weapon, a revolver reported belonged to a cousin of his and the incident occurred at Prospect, Old Road, East Bank Demerara.

Dead is Samuel Claymont La Fleur, 46, of 196 Old Road, Prospect, East Bank Demerara while 34 year-old Onika Lyttle was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, nursing a gunshot wound to one of her arms.

According to reports, La Fleur was seen consuming alcohol at a show earlier in the day after which he went home and an argument started between him and his mother.

After sometime, he turned his attention on his neighbours with whom he had a quarrel about three weeks ago.

The arguments continued, thus resulting in his mother making contact with his cousin Kenwyn Johnson, a Police Corporal

Dead: Samuel Claymont La Fleur

attached to the Grove Police Station to calm him down. In the process, the now dead man reportedly “choked” the Police officer and took away his firearm.

La Fleur then ran over to the neighbours’s house, calling out for Curtis Lewis, claiming that he will shoot him. He discharged two rounds which struck the concrete wall of the house and saw people running for shelter.

“We then went back into his yard and discharged another round, this time hitting Lyttle.”

Sowaina Lyttle, a relative of the injured woman told Guyana Times that about three weeks ago, Lewis was bringing in his sheep when one of them accidently threw down one of the now dead man’s bird cages.

She explained that ever since, La Fleur has been threatening to kill Lewis, especially when he is under the influence of alcohol.

She said that La Fleur was drinking with some friends and returned home about 10:00h and soon after an argument started between him and his mother over his daughter who had travelled from East Coast Demerara.

She explained that she was in her room when she heard his cousin saying “No man Claymont, No man!” The woman said she did not take anything for granted and collected her child from the yard. Soon after, she heard the sounds of gunshots and people running “helter skelter”.

As he discharged the rounds, he called out for her cousin, Lewis. Lyttle went on to say that after the first two shots, she went into her room along with Onika. Onika, she

stated was on the ground and she was on the bed when the bullet passed through the board and struck the mother of one on the hand.

He then went into the upper flat of his home, put the gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger. He died on the spot.

Royston La Fleur, a

told that his bother took his own life. He was not too familiar with the circumstances, but confirmed that his now dead brother relieved his cousin of his revolver.

He claimed too that whenever his brother consumed alcohol, he does not act normal. His brother, she added served the GDF

ered a few years in prison and released a while back.

La Fleur is married to a Trinidadian national and would visit her from time to time.

He leaves to mourn his two daughters. Guyana Times understands that the Police officer is under close arrest following the unfortunate incident. The

The house in which La Fleur took his life

brother of the dead man claimed that he was not at home when the incident took place, but was

and had spent some time in Haiti but returned in 1996 due to an incident there.

Upon his returned, he sev-

Police have launched an investigation into the matter.

Agriculture Ministry eyes large-scale production of bio-ethanol

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he Agriculture Ministry is gradually reducing the importation of ethanol as it eyes the large scale production of bio-ethanol production in Guyana.

Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy made this disclosure to Guyana Times even as he reported that the $85 million Bio-ethanol Demonstration Plant at the Albion Sugar Estate was fulfilling its mandate.

Bio-ethanol produced via this multimillion-dollar plant is being used in laboratories across the eight estates and seven factories within the sugar industry.

The plant produces both hydrous and anhydrous ethanol for these laboratories. It is also designed to produce ethanol for biomedical laboratories.

It was explained that prior to the establishment to the demonstration plant, ethanol was either sourced locally or imported, however, with this new intervention, the Agriculture Ministry through the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is gradually reducing the amount imported due to

its ability to produce bioethanol.

“A small part of our operation is now transformed from procurement from an external source to production inside the industry,” Dr Ramsammy explained.

Additionally, the demonstration plant continues to supply 20 vehicles within the Agriculture Ministry, GuySuCo and the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institution (NAREI) with an E10 blend of fuel.

The gasoline used to fuel these vehicles contains 10 per cent of ethanol. Vehicles fuelled by the demo plant carrier stickers indicating that they are using a locally blend of fuel.

This comes after the Corporation last December installed a fuel blender at the bio-ethanol demonstration plant funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Japanese Special Fund for Sustainable Energy and Climate.

After approximately one year of the production of the E10 blend of fuel, GuySuCo in close collaboration with the Agriculture

A section of the multimillion-dollar bio-ethanol demonstration plant at the Albion Sugar Estate

Ministry will soon conduct an analysis to determine the effectiveness of this blend.

“We are still in the testing phase but so far we have not encountered any problem with the shift from regular gasoline verses the blended fuel. We have not seen that it had any negative impact on the functioning of our vehicles,” Dr Ramsammy further explained.

According to him, the analytical study will also

determine whether it is economically viable to use the blended fuel.

“So we are comparing mileage that you get from a gallon of blended fuel verses the non-blended fuel.”

If proven to be efficient, Minister Ramsammy said Guyana in the future would be required to put bio-ethanol legislation in place to legislate for the use of blended fuel in the transportation sector. Such legislation, he

emphasised would allow for large-scale production, thereby creating a new market in the local arena.

The Bio-ethanol Demonstration Plant was commissioned in August 2013 by President Donald Ramotar at the Albion Sugar Factory. It was designed to fulfil three primary objectives: demonstrate the production of fuel grade ethanol locally, provide fuel for future demonstration of the use of ethanol as a vehicle

source; and develop the facility for training of local personnel in biofuel technologies.

The demonstration plant is a two-component system: the first produces hydrous ethanol (95 per cent from molasses) and the second anhydrous ethanol (99.9 per cent) using membrane technology.

These systems were designed by Green Bio of Porto Alegre in Brazil and the second by White Fox from Calgary, Canada.

news

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monDAY, december 1, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Cocaine in Kund case

Granger supports Bond representing $300M drug trafficker

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pposition Leader David Granger is standing behind A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) and Attorney James Bond, who represented the confessed drug trafficker in the $300 million cocaine in kunds case.

The confessed trafficker Leonard Bacchus was given a suspended sentence

by Magistrate Alex Moore when he appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court about two weeks ago.

Following the imposition of a five-year suspended sentence on Bacchus, who had pleaded guilty to trafficking 76 kg of cocaine in kunds worth some $300 million, there has been a public outcry over the decision handed down by Magistrate Moore.

In a separate matter, Magistrate Moore was recently suspended by the Judicial Service Commission for allegedly abusing a woman in court There were also reports of alleged misconduct by Bond, who was representing Bacchus at the time of sentencing. However, Granger has downplayed such reports, saying that Bond did not breach the Code of Conduct as an MP and was performing in private practice.

Further questioned last Friday at the party’s weekly press conference about APNU’s position regarding the type of cases coalition members in the legal fraternity should take, the Opposition Leader said that while there is a Code of Conduct for members, it does not detail any restrictions on their private work.

“We do have a Code of Practice for MPs… it covers ethical behaviour, it does not cover which case an Attorney may take or may not take and which

(PPP/C) in a statement last Thursday called out APNU to “walk the walk” when it comes to the issue of drug trafficking in Guyana.

The Opposition party on several occasions had chastised the Government for not doing enough to rid the country of this scourge; however, the PPP/C pointed out that an APNU member represented the confessed trafficker and even managed to secure a suspended sentence for him.

APNU MP James Bond

case a doctor may operate on, or which a doctor may not operate… it is a professional matter and there was no specific direction to Attorneys or any other professionals,” he pointed out.

Nevertheless Granger noted that considerations will be given to implementing such a clause.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic

Hypocrisy “This is kind of hypocrisy by the Opposition and this action is another indication of how disingenuous the Opposition can be. While Mr Bond was not representing the APNU in the trial, the fact of the matter is he represents a political party which time and again sought to give the public the impression it is serious about tackling the drug trade,” the ruling party said in the state-

ment.

The decision taken by Magistrate Moore received criticism by many, including members in the legal fraternity.

Guyana Bar Association President Ronald BurchSmith has been reported in the media as saying that the ruling is “highly unusual”, given the circumstances of the case.

“It is highly unusual. I don’t know what he heard or what the situation is exactly, but [in] the normal course of things, this would not happen… Mr Moore seems to be breaking new ground here,” Burch-Smith was quoted saying.

Burch-Smith expressed his agreement with the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to appeal the case, stating that “It is certainly worthy of further examination”.

Communication Officer attached to the Chambers, Liz Rahaman told

Guyana Times on Friday that DPP Shalimar AliHack has challenged the Magistrate’s decision on the grounds that he had no justification to impose a suspended sentence.

Rahaman explained that suspended sentences are not applicable to narcotic charges, and this is legislated in the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control Act. According to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, Chapter 35:11 Article 4 (1) (a) (i), a person found guilty of such an offence is liable “on summary conviction to fine of no less than thirty thousand dollars together with no less than three years imprisonment or no more than five years”.

Article 4 (1) (a) (ii) states “on conviction of indictment to a fine of not less than thirty thousand dollars or three times the market value of the narcot-

ic, whichever is the greater, together with imprisonment for not less than five years or more than ten years”.

A legal practitioner, speaking under the condition of anonymity told this publication that trafficking in narcotics carries a mandatory jail term, while suspended sentences are often applied to cases that have probations, mostly on juvenile matters, but are also administered to certain adults under special circumstances.

The Senior Counsel pointed out that Magistrates are creature of statue and cannot go outside of what they are guided by in the law.

“No one gets it light… (he) had to impose a penalty, the Act is specific,” the Senior Counsel stated, while adding that suspended sentences are often applied to offences that carries a maximum penalty of two years.

21-year-old commits suicide A

Philippi, Corentyne young man succumbed on Saturday evening, days after ingesting a poisonous substance.

Twenty-one-year-old Mickey Andrew Bridgemohan ingested the substance last Tuesday and was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The incident allegedly stemmed from a misunderstanding with a cousin, who called him a name.

Bridgemohan’s distraught mother, Sandra, told Guyana Times that on Monday when her son returned from work, he had a little to drink so he went to take a shower. He later complained that one of his cousins called him “antiman”.

“I was already on the road and he reach us at the shop; he told me his cousin just call he antiman, but I told him ‘son, don’t make

any problem’, just left them to say what them want and it just done like that,” the distressed mother said.

She explained that on Tuesday when he got home, he was quarrelling that he has to deal with his cousin, and she again pleaded with him to forget the matter.

“I told him to just left them and then he left to go out on the street. I went to bring him home; when he come home, he went inside and I left to go on the veranda and I hear a loud noise in the house like something fall; I rush in the house and see like he bore his self cause I see like he holding his belly. But when the light come on, I see like is gramozone on he; I start hollering and we rush he to the hospital.”

Sandra lamented that “the same day he ask me to go out with him, but I said to he ‘son, I can’t go. I have to go to work’. I don’t know

Mickey Andrew Bridgemohan

if he vex that I couldn’t go make he did this too. I don’t know. I am just so lost. I don’t understand why.”

The distraught mother said losing a child was very painful and encouraged others who may have thoughts of ending their life to desist.

She related that on occasions when her son drank or felt frustrated, he would threaten to kill himself, but she would always beg him

and talk to him to find out what was the problem; however, he would usually say he was ok.

She further related that it was very painful seeing her son suffering in the hospital, and during her conversations with him, he told her that he regretted the act.

Sandra added that she was unsure if her son had other problems that led him to commit the act.

Bridgemohan was described as a caring, willing and friendly person. He leaves to mourn his parents and five siblings.

Meanwhile, as Bridgemohan’s parents prepare for a wake for him, residents of Whim Village paid their last respects to a 71-year-old man, whose name was given as Green, who also ingested poison on Tuesday but by accident. According to reports, Green was imbibing and mistook the poisonous

substance for alcohol. He was rushed to the hospital, but later succumbed.

Further up the Corentyne Coast at Chesney Village, a resident, Fazil Amin, also reportedly ingested a poisonous substance on Sunday.

He is listed as in critical condition at the New Amsterdam Hospital. While details were sketchy, it was reported that he also ingested the substance while imbibing by himself at his home.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Guyana is ranked number one for suicide deaths in the world. This was disputed by Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, who said the figures were inaccurate.

There have been numerous workshops and awareness campaigns geared to stem the high incidence of suicide, which is most prevalent in Berbice.

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guyanatimesgy.com

monday, december 1, 2014

Regional

Voting under way Colombian rebels free in Uruguay’s captured General presidential run-off

C

V

oting has begun in Uruguay’s presidential run-off election in which Tabare Vazquez from the ruling Broad Party is favoured to win.

Vasquez faces Luis Lacalle Pou of the rightwing National Party in the second round of voting. The most recent opinion polls give Vazquez a comfortable lead over Pacalle.

President Jose Mujica is barred by the Constitution from running for a second consecutive term.

Tabare Vasquez, the candidate of Mujica’s party, won the first round of voting in October. He gained over 46 per cent of the vote, but it was not enough for an outright majority.

Lacalle Pou then swiftly secured the endorsement of the third placed candi-

According to the latest polls Tabare Vasquez (right) has a comfortable lead over Luis Pacalle Pou

date Pedro Bordaberry, of the conservative Colorado Party.

But the latest polls suggest that Vasquez still enjoys a 14-percentage point lead over Pou. Vasquez ended his first term as President five years ago with high approval ratings, but was forced to step

aside under the same law that bars Mujica from a second term.

Mujica remains popular for leading the country through a period of economic growth and introducing social reforms such as legalisation of marijuana, abortion and gay marriage. (BBC

News)

olombia’s main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has freed Army General Ruben Dario Alzate, who was captured two weeks ago. President Juan Manuel Santos tweeted the General and his two companions had been released by the FARC to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and representatives of Cuba and Norway and they were in good condition.

According to the ICRC, the General and the other officials have been flown to an army base in the city of Medellin and are in good health.

They are expected to be flown to the capital Bogota later in the day. Santos had suspended two-yearold talks with the rebels after the General, a Captain

General Ruben Dario Alzate was the first General to be taken by rebels in 50 years

and an Attorney were seized in western Colombia on November 16.

The release of the

General should revive peace talks between the rebels and Colombia’s Government that are being held in Cuba.

The FARC said it was going to leave the captives as a gesture of goodwill. On Thursday, the FARC objected to the use of the word kidnapping to describe the General’s capture. It considers its captives prisoners of war taken in the absence of a ceasefire.

Fidel Rondon, FARC Commander and peace negotiator, told the AFP news agency on Thursday in Havana that the group was guaranteeing the release of the three and objected to the fact that the Government was not freeing captured rebels in return.

With an estimated 8000 fighters, the FARC is the largest rebel group active in the conflict. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Religion and policy collide over genderPM PersadBissessar lays neutral laws in Barbados down the law A for Ministers Barbadian Cabinet Minister is prepared to personally campaign to churches and members of his constituency to fight the introduction of gender-neutral legislation on domestic violence.

Speaking to a Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Christ Church East branch meeting last Sunday, Minister of Environment and Drainage, Dr Denis Lowe, went as far as to threaten to resign his post, rather than sign any

A

n intense, confidential Cabinet meeting at the Diplomatic Centre last Wednesday left a few ministers chastened and upset when Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar laid down new guidelines for their code of conduct.

The Sunday Guardian understands that PersadBissessar clamped down on the use of blue flashing lights on vehicles, banned use of shortcuts through the South Quay bus terminus, and restricted use of the National Security Operations Centre (NOSC) helicopters to her office only. She also asked them to adhere to the law by removing very dark tints from their cars.

While several of the Ministers in attendance remained tight-lipped on the issues discussed at Wednesday’s meeting, one insider described it as “tense”, saying that all was well until PersadBissessar detailed her four mandates. The Sunday Guardian contacted the Ministers who attended the session, and could be seen in a photograph taken of the meeting, but was told that it was “highly confidential” and no one was allowed to speak of what was discussed.

National Security

legislation which appeared to recognise same-sex couples.

The Minister’s reaction follows a resolution for the reform of Barbados’ domestic violence laws, which was circulated by Opposition Senator Wilfred Abrahams to the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) annual conference.

The resolution, which omits gendered definitions of the parties that could constitute a relationship, would

effectively extend protection to same-sex couples.

Barbados’ existing and limited legislation on intimate partner violence – the 1992 Domestic Violence Act – provides only for the grant of protection orders in instances of domestic abuse, and only considers such abuse in the context of marriage between a “husband and wife”.

AMG understands that the Abrahams resolution introduced language to define

a “partner” as “any person in a visiting relationship”, and “spouse” as a “party to the relationship where the parties are living with each other in the same household, as though they were husband and wife”.

And while Abrahams has lauded the proposed bill as a “socially revolutionary piece of legislation”, he faces intense opposition not only from the incumbent Government MP, but within his own party as well. (Excerpt

from Caribbean360)

De Niro, Antiguan Govt sign US$250M property development deal Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar

Minister Gary Griffith, who attended the meeting, said he could not recall if the issue of the helicopter came up, but was out of the meeting for a short moment, so he could not be sure.

“It is hardly likely that the Prime Minister said that. She may have obviously had to Remind ministers that the NOSC falls under the purview of the Office of the Prime Minister,” Griffith said.

Head of the NOSC, Commander Garvin Heerah, in a brief telephone interview, said only the Prime Minister’s office is authorised to approve the use of the NOSC’s helicopters now. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

T

he Antigua and Barbuda Government says it has signed an agreement with international film star Robert De Niro, for an investment project valued at over US$250 million.

A Government statement said that De Niro and Prime Minister Gaston Browne signed the agreement “giving the green light to the renovation and expansion of the K-Club on Barbuda into an exclusive 5-Star resort”.

“We are indeed very delighted that you will be embarking on a very exciting project on Barbuda, transforming the island, making it one of the most exciting islands in the Region. Your project has increased interest in Barbuda.

“The project is attracting additional investors to our country. That is why I am delighted to appoint you as a Special Economic Envoy

Prime Minister Gaston Browne (left) and US actor Robert De Niro (middle) sign the agreement

of Antigua and Barbuda to attract more investments to our twin-island state. It is my belief that your celebrity status will attract more American celebrities to Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean,” Prime Minister Browne said.

He described Barbuda as a diamond in the rough and will make a net pos-

itive contribution to the economy of the twin-island state.

“Your involvement in Barbuda shows that you Mr De Niro, Mr James Packer and your team are pioneers and visionary – recognising that Barbuda represents a unique proposition for investment, giving you the opportunity to carve out a

particular niche.”

“My Government is very happy to be a part of this historic and significant moment. Your presence as an international celebrity is of significance and to have you as an investor and a friend of the people of Antigua and Barbuda and an economic envoy is equally significant....” (Excerpt from CMC)

monday, december 1, 2014

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the world

China blocks British MPs’ visit to Swiss reject Hong Kong; protesters battle Police immigration curbs

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he Chinese Embassy has told a group of MPs they will be stopped from making a planned trip to Hong Kong.

Sir Richard Ottoway, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, accused the Chinese authorities of acting in an overtly confrontational manner.

His committee is examining relations between the United Kingdom and its former colony, where pro-democracy activists have been protesting since September.

Sir Richard said he had been warned that if he and fellow MPs attempted to travel to Hong Kong as part of the inquiry, they would be refused entry.

Sir Richard added that he would request an emergency Commons debate on the issue. Chinese authorities condemned the committee’s inquiry when it was announced in September.

The Chinese Foreign Affairs Committee charged its UK

V

Demonstrators gather at a pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong

counterpart with carrying out a highly inappropriate act which constitutes interference in China’s internal affairs.

When the Commons committee took evidence from Lord Patten, former Governor of Hong Kong, he criticised British politicians for not doing enough

to support democracy there. The Conservative peer suggested Ministers should speak out publicly rather than talking behind their hands.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters scuffled with Police in Hong Kong, stepping up their movement for democratic reforms af-

ter being camped out on the city’s streets for more than two months.

Student protest leaders on Sunday night told a big crowd rallying at the main protest site outside Government headquarters that they would escalate their campaign. (Excerpt from BBC

News)

oters in Switzerland have decisively rejected a proposal to cut net immigration to no more than 0.2 per cent of the population, partial results suggest.

Data from a majority of the country’s 26 cantons show about 74 per cent voting no in Sunday’s referendum. Supporters of the measure argued that it would have reduced pressure on the country’s resources.

Opponents said it would have been bad for the economy. Around a quarter of Switzerland’s eight million people are foreigners.

The measure would have required the Government to reduce immigration from about 80,000 to 16,000 people a year.

Under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, citizens can force a referendum if they muster enough signatures of support. The country voted in February to re-introduce immigration

quotas, in effect opting out of a European Union (EU) free movement agreement.

The Government still has to implement that referendum result, which threw relations with the EU into turmoil.

Two other referendums were also being held on Sunday: one on forcing the central bank to boost its gold reserves and one on scrapping a tax perk for expatriates.

Partial results suggest they, too, have failed to garner enough support. The immigration proposal was dubbed the Ecopop measure, after Switzerland’s 40-yearold Ecopop movement which seeks to link environmental protection with controlling population growth.

Switzerland’s population has grown by over a million in 20 years, and is currently 8.2 million. Some 23 per cent of its inhabitants are foreign nationals, most of them from EU states. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Citing security concerns, Ebola outbreak: West Africa death toll nears 7000 Darren Wilson resigns from Ferguson Police Force T he number of people killed by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has risen to 6928, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says.

The toll has increased by over 1000 since the WHO’s last report on Wednesday, but it includes unreported deaths from earlier in the outbreak.

Experts say the infection rate is more significant than the death toll, as it reflects how the virus is spreading.

Infection rates are decreasing in Liberia, but are high in Sierra Leone.

There have been over 16,000 reported cas-

Michael Brown and Darren Wilson

D

arren Wilson, the Police Officer who fatally shot an unarmed teenager in August, has resigned from the Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, his attorney, Neil Bruntrager, confirmed to CNN Saturday night.

In a telephone interview with the St Louis Post-Dispatch, Wilson, 28, said he resigned after the Police Department told him it received threats of violence if he remained an employee.

He said resigning was the hardest thing he has ever had to do, but he was not willing to let someone else get hurt because of him.

The resignation, which is immediate, comes five days after a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown, 18.

The shooting sparked worldwide protests and the

Monday announcement of no indictment triggered another round of demonstrations that continued through the week and into the weekend.

As Police and protesters clashed, a contentious national debate on race and law enforcement reopened, with many people complaining that Police unfairly target black males.

Wilson said he was sorry but his conscience was clear. Wilson had been a member of the Ferguson Police Department for six years. He had been on paid administrative leave since the incident.

According to the PostDispatch, Wilson said he was not receiving a severance package. He had been negotiating his resignation for weeks, according to people close to the talks. The letter does not say what Wilson plans to do next.

(Excerpt from CNN)

Protective measures are key to stopping the spread of the virus

es in Guinea, Sierra, and Liberia. Mali has reported seven deaths from Ebola and 10 confirmed cases.

More than 4181 peo-

ple have died of Ebola in Liberia, but while the country has recorded the highest number of cases, the rate of infection is slowing.

The outbreak was also now “stable” in Guinea, the WHO said last week.

The disease is now spreading fastest in Sierra Leone, with 6802 cases reported in total.

Nigeria and Senegal are both clear of the quarantine period and no new cases or deaths have been reported.

Ebola is spread only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms, such as fever or vomiting.

People caring for the sick or handling the bodies of people infected Ebola are, therefore, especially vulnerable. (BBC News)

Large, unauthorised convoy Mubarak verdict fuels east Ukraine from protests, mockery in Egypt enters Russia – Ukrainian military

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rotests erupted at universities across Egypt on Sunday, condemning a court decision to drop criminal charges against Hosni Mubarak, the President whose ouster in the 2011 uprising raised hopes of a new era of political openness.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Cairo University, waving pictures of Mubarak behind bars and demanding the fall of the regime, the rallying cry of the Arab Spring uprisings that shook Governments from Tunisia to the Gulf in 2011.

Police stood ready at the gates to bar students who sought to take their demonstration into the streets.

An Egyptian court on Saturday dropped its case against Mubarak over the killing of protesters in the 2011 uprising that ended his 30-year rule.

The ruling was seen by activists as the latest sign that the rights won during the revolt are being eroded. Two people were killed and nine were wounded on Saturday evening, when security forces fired tear gas and birdshot to disperse about 1000 protesters who attempted to enter Tahrir Square – the symbolic heart of the revolt that ousted Mubarak.

Security forces closed a Cairo metro station, the state news agency said, an apparent effort to prevent gatherings downtown.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

U

kraine said on Sunday that a convoy of 106 vehicles had entered its eastern territory from Russia without Kiev’s permission and accused Moscow of once again using humanitarian aid shipments to send weapons and ammunition to separatist rebels.

In the separatist-held city of Donetsk, fighting intensified at the local airport, a Reuters witness said.

There has been continued shelling from both Government forces and the rebels, even after a peace deal signed on September 5. Months of fighting in Ukraine’s separatist regions have left many without sufficient food and medical supplies.

Russia has regularly dispatched shipments of aid, a move which the proWestern Kiev Government has denounced as cynical.

“The lion’s share of humanitarian supplies find their way to the rebels partly in the form of food, but mostly it is ammunition, equipment and other things for combat operations,” Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in a televised briefing.

The latest delivery of Russian supplies is the eighth since mid-August, Russian news agency RIA cited Russia’s Emergency Ministry as saying, adding that a total of 9500 tonnes of mainly food, building materials and medicine had been delivered by the first seven convoys. (Excerpt from Reuters)

16 news

monDAY, december 1, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Mibicuri Development Dynamic Airways back Centre commissioned on schedule – Gouveia

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esidents of Black Bush Polder, Berbice will now benefit from improved services with the expansion of the Mibicuri Development Centre in order to tackle growing social ills.

The expansion and rehabilitation of the Development Centre was made possible through funding from the Japan Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects at a cost of US$101,275.

Construction commenced in March and is expected to be completed in January 2015. However, the official opening ceremony was held as Japanese officials are currently in the country and a special request was made.

At the opening, Takafumi Ura, Second Secretary of

portunities through conscious and conscientious effort to improve the community,” he stated.

The Second Secretary of the Embassy of Japan said he was positive that this project will truly address basic human needs.

Mibicuri Community Developers Project Coordinator Meshana Jordan stated that with the expansion of the Centre, residents will have access to more services, thus improving their lives and the community.

Jordan explained that the lack of skills training and recreation for youths were a major contributor to suicide and other social issues. With the remodelled and expanded building, residents will have access to

Japanese Government for its valuable assistance to Guyana. He noted that it has been doing tremendous work in Guyana and the Caribbean, and posited that two of the other major projects locally that Japan has been involved in are the New Amsterdam Hospital and the Water Treatment Plant in Skeldon.

Armogan also applauded St Francis Community Developers for making a difference in the lives of children and youths and in the entire Berbice.

He posited that with the services to be offered at the Centre, it was hoped that the high level of suicide will be reduced.

Meanwhile, speaking with Guyana Times, residents of Black Bush Polder,

A section of the gathering at the opening ceremony

the Embassy of Japan, the grant programme is designed to promote human security in developing countries by assisting non-governmental organisations engaged in the social development sector.

“In order to ensure human security, we must address poverty reduction through projects such as the construction of the Centre.

It is hoped with the expansion, residents, especially the youths, who wish to improve or develop their vocational training skills, will take full advantage of the many services being offered.”

Ura highlighted that Guyana was developing at a rapid pace, and noted the potential of the country.

“Community development is a grassroots process by which communities seek to improve their quality of life; they recognise the connection between social, cultural, environmental and economic matters and, as a result, build community capacity in order to address and take advantage of op-

more services and training within their own community.

Upon completion, the Centre will boast an expanded playschool, Information Technology Room, fully stocked kitchen to cater for culinary classes, confidential room to be used for counselling and referral services and an expanded Administrative Office.

Peace Corps Guyana Response Programme Coordinator Flavio Rose, during his brief address, promised to provide specialist volunteers at the Centre to work on institutional development and train volunteers from within the community.

“We believe if you have in- and out-of-school youths attached here to volunteer their free time and effort, they will be meaningfully engaged and gain experience and make themselves marketable for the world of work.”

Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) Chairman David Armogan extended gratitude to the

who turned out in their numbers to witness the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon and unveiling of the plaque, praised the Japanese for their assistance to the community.

A mother of three said she was happy to know that her two-year-old can be enrolled in playschool and during that time she can find a job so as to better support her family.

O

ver the past 24 hours, Dynamic Airways has suffered major delays, but local representative, Captain Gerry Gouveia has assured passengers booked to travel that there will be no further delays in the near future.

Gouveia explained that the delays came about as a result of a mechanical issue which was subsequently fixed. He added that bad weather in the United States might have contributed to the long delays.

After more than 12 hours delay at the John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, New York on Sunday morning, the airline’s aircraft finally left for Georgetown, after 09:30h. It was expected to arrive in Guyana about 19:30h and depart a few hours later.

Gouveia also noted that the delays were beyond their control. Nevertheless, the affected passengers who live outside New York City were put up at various hotels at the expense of the American-owned airline.

Gouveia apologised to the travelling public, while reiterating that the airline, which has encountered a series of problems since its inception, was committed to providing the best service possible to passengers.

Guyana Times understands that several affected

Captain Gerry Gouveia

passengers were reprimanded for their rowdy behaviour upon being informed of the delays. Law enforcement officers had to be called in to keep them calm.

Delays

Since its re-entry into Guyana’s aviation industry, the airline’s service has been marred by several delays. On its first flight, the airline was delayed by more than three hours. Angry passengers vented their frustration to Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) officials as well as the local Dynamic Airways team.

The airline first entered the Guyanese market in June, but after a few flights, suspended its services after it was unable to operate out

of the JFK Airport. The service was expected to resume on August 8, but more challenges surfaced.

In mid-August, the US aviation authority, the Department of Transportation, published its list of public charters for 2014 and Dynamic Airways’ operation along the Georgetown/New York route was listed as being cancelled, effective August 6, two days before it was scheduled to resume operations.

According to the airline, the suspension period would have allowed it to secure time slots at the JFK Airport, organise better ground handling and checkin processes, as well as secure schedule integrity.

In October, the US Department of Transportation reportedly granted permission for Dynamic Airways to operate to a variety of destinations in South America, and as such, plans moved apace to resume regular flights between New York and Georgetown. It then resumed operation, after local aviation officials closely scrutinised the airline, in mid November.

The airline is expected to soon inaugurate services between Orlando and destinations in Brazil, Canada, and US.

Labourer remanded for burglary charge

F

orty-year-old Imran Rahaman was remanded to prison after being arraigned on a break and enter and larceny charge on Friday when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Ann McLennan.

It is alleged that between November 24 and November 25, at James Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, he broke and entered the storeroom of the Virtual Complainant (VC) Amad Rahaman and stole a toolkit worth $120,000; three vehicle shocks val-

ued $161,000; a socket kit valued $85,000; racing car tires worth $120,000; a scale costing $16,000; and 14 saw blades worth 16,000 – a total value of $517,000.

The application of the Administration of Justice Act (AJA) was requested

by Police Prosecutor Dinero Jones, following which the defendant entering a not guilty plea.

The court was told that the defendant is the VC’s nephew and that he did not provide an address to the Police while he was at the station. However, the defen-

Imran Rahaman

dant gave the court his address as Lot 7 James Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, and said he was a labourer.

Bail was objected to on the grounds that Rahaman has no fixed place of abode, that he was the VC’s relative and may interfere with him, and lastly the items reported stolen were not recovered.

The prosecution’s objections were upheld and Rahaman was remanded until December 4. His next court appearance will be before Magistrate Judy Latchman.

news

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monday, december 1, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Region 3 officials discuss progress of cleanup project Career fit C S enior Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) officials recently met with members of the Regional Clean-Up My Country Implementing Team to discuss the progress of the project.

The community clean-up which involves the removal of household bulk waste is a component of the regional aspect of the “Clean-Up My Country” Programme launched in October of this year, with the mandate of providing an opportunity for residents to get rid of bulk waste stored in their premises, and the removal of roadside garbage piles.

The removal of the bulk waste also aids in the effective fumigating programmes in preventing the Chikungunya epidemic.

The expected outcome of this programme is to improve the aesthetics of communities and the sanitation of the environment.

Prior to the implementation of the Government of Guyana Regional Clean-Up Programme, the local authorities have raised concerns about the increasing number of cases of people bumping bulky waste in public spaces.

Stemming from these concerns, Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker and Ministry officials for-

Region Three Chairman Julius Faeber speaking at the recent meeting with members of the Regional Clean-Up My Country Implementing Team

mulated a plan to address this issue which is tackled under the “Clean-Up My Country” Programme.

It was also pointed out that persons who have large items to dispose of prefer to dump them into public spaces and into water ways since they cannot afford to pay the private disposal service to get rid of the waste.

Consequently, this decision has a direct adverse impact on the environment.

The Ministry is advising residents who are desirous of disposing of their bulk waste to place it in front of their premises no later than 08:00h on the respective day of pick up as outlined in the schedule below.

This component of the Regional Clean-Up Programme does not facilitate the removal of commercial bulk waste. However, the Ministry is asking the Region Three business community to be more environmentally-conscious when disposing of waste.

The Ministry is emphasising that the only suitable means of getting rid of the commercial waste is for business owners to utilise the disposal service provided in the region which will further dispose of the waste in a legalised landfill site.

The Regional Clean-Up Programme will move to Region Two (Pomeroon– Supenaam) from December 8 to December 13.

Research grant gives student chance to do fieldwork in Guyana I’ve been bragging about it to everybody.”

When she is done with her studies, Stowe wants to go into Entomology, the scientific study of insects.

“There is so much complexity in the insect world that it just makes me so excited,” she said. “I love studying insects.”

Stowe is particularly enamoured of beetles.

“Beetles are so, so, important. I have to be careful here because I might start preaching about this,” she chuckled.

Of all the animal species on the planet, 25 per cent are beetles, explained Stowe, noting that they impact everyday life, from agricultural projects to dyes to medicine. (UMSL Daily)

areer fit is one of the biggest challenges many people face for a variety of reasons, one of which is money. However, choosing a career fit in the long run is very rewarding.

Not doing a job that we like can make our lives miserable every day.

The best way to explain it is to look at it as a pair of shoe that doesn’t fit correctly. In other words, every step we make will be painful. Even the thought of walking in Narine Dat Sookram them is frightening.

Just imagine the unhappiness that is involved when we don’t choose a job that is a good fit. And trust me on this one, there are many people in this situation. As mentioned earlier, we can find ourselves in a job that is not a fit for a number of reasons.

For example, one of the most common reasons is that we do not take the time to clearly identify what we really want from our work, which makes it difficult to separate what we need to change to improve our career fit.

It’s not a bad idea to ask ourselves to look for some criteria we want to establish when we begin our career.

Many people may wonder what we can do to make things better for ourselves. I don’t think there is a secret magic, but it’s more of a realization as to what we want so we can have some control over it and take some steps to begin to identify a realistic set of options that fit us.

In other words, we need to know ourselves and understand why it is important to us, because we are all unique in our own way. Regardless of the level of our capabilities, we all have the abilities and the need as well to make choices in our lives.

The truth is, when we have a job we like, we can easily enjoy better health, live longer lives and be more energetic.

It can also enhance both our personal and professional relationships, which can make it more fun to be around us.

I also think that if we enjoy our work we are likely to be more successful and more productive, so this shouldn’t come as any surprise I would hope. Also our self-esteem will improve, because we are doing what we love and this in turn leads us to be good role models for other people.

Basically once we do a job we like, we will live a life that matters and actually look forward to life itself, because it makes us happy and we want to go to work each and every day.

For questions, comments and feedback, email them to mcnarine@rogers.com.

UMSL Biology student Hannah Stowe (right) helped Gyanpriya Maharaj, a doctoral candidate in Biology at UMSL, conduct field research on butterflies during a six-week research trip to Guyana this past summer (Photo courtesy of Hannah Stowe)

DVD vendor jailed for 108 months for multiple armed robberies

or six weeks this past summer, Hannah Stowe was in her element. Hot, sweaty, covered in dirt and doing field research in a foreign country.

Such hands-on research may seem an unusual opportunity for many undergrads, but not for students at the University of Missouri–St Louis, USA. Stowe, who is majoring in Biology and a student in the Pierre Laclede Honors College at UMSL, was one of nine undergraduate students to receive a US$1000 research grant from UMSL’s College of Arts and Sciences in the spring.

The grant money covered her research trip to the South American country of Guyana where she worked under the supervision of Godfrey R Bourne, her research mentor and Associate Professor of Biology at UMSL, and Gyanpriya Maharaj, a doc-

onlee Rampersaud, a 24-yearold DVD vendor, was sentenced to 108 months in prison after being convicted for several offences – two counts of robbery under arms, an attempted robbery and two counts of discharging a loaded firearm.

Rampersaud made his first appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Ann McLennan on November 18 and for his trial he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman.

The first charge read that on November 10, at Sheriff Street, Georgetown, being armed with a gun, he robbed Leon Sommoogan of $20,000 cash, property of Wong Chan Ton. The court heard that on November 10, Sommoogan was the cashier of the Future House Chinese Restaurant on Sheriff Street when Rampersaud went into the eatery and demanded cash.

Fearful for his life, Sommoogan fulfilled the demand and Rampersaud made good his escape.

The second charge read that on November 11, at King Street, Georgetown, in the company of another, he attempted to rob Rakeema Ali while being armed with a gun. On the same day, it was also alleged that he dis-

F

toral candidate in Biology at UMSL. Their fieldwork was conducted at CEIBA Biological Centre, located in a rainforest. Stowe provided research support to Maharaj, who was investigating the foraging habitats and flower preferences of three species of butterflies.

Stowe said her experience of fieldwork, gathering and analysing data, was invaluable.

“I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity because I wouldn’t have been able to afford the trip without the research grant,” she said.

“Fieldwork is something that I love, and being in Guyana was a great opportunity to get to know researchers and to know how a scientific project really works. You get down on the ground and you see what field research is and you understand fieldwork.

R

Ronlee Rampersaud

charged a loaded firearm at Inshan Ali, with intent to maim, cause bodily harm or disfigurement. The victims were operating a store when the accused and another person entered. Rampersaud jumped over the counter and began demanding cash. Rakeema refused and they (Rakeema and Inshan) ran away, leaving the store unattended. The defendant was later arrested for the offences.

The fourth and fifth charges stated that on October 22 at Robb Street, Georgetown, being armed with a gun, Rampersaud robbed Savita Harrychand of a handbag and its contents – cash, a Samsung cellphone and documents valued in total $43,000; and on the same

day, he discharged a loaded firearm so as to maim, cause bodily harm or disfigure her.

The court was told that Harrychand was standing on the street when Rampersaud walked up to her, pulled out the firearm and fired a shot towards the right side of her abdomen. He then took her bag and made good his escape, but was arrested shortly after the incident.

Rampersaud told the court that he was previously charged for a simple larceny offence and the matter was dismissed. It was further pointed out that he has no pending matters in any court.

Before sentencing Rampersaud, Magistrate Latchman noted the seriousness and prevalence of the offence, the fact that a weapon was used, the fact that guilty pleas were entered, and the need to prohibit others from committing similar offences.

For the two offences committed against Harrychand, Rampersaud was sentenced to 36 months each. For the offences committed against Rakeema Ali and Inshan Ali, he was sentenced to 36 months as well. And finally for the offence committed against Sommoogan, the defendant was given an additional 36 months.

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monDAY, december 1, 2014

ARCHIE

ARIES

Discipline and focus will

(March 21- help you finish projects that April 19) need completing before the

end of the year. Beginning the year with a clean slate will ease your stress.

No matter what you are TAURUS looking for, it’s best if you are (April 20- open and direct. Convey your May 20) wishes to people who have

dilbert

the power, knowledge or influence to help you out.

There may be some minor GEMINI (May 21- upheavals at work concerning June 20) someone else’s position. The changes will work in your favour if you take on any extra responsibilities without making a fuss.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

Don’t get drawn into a squabble with a friend or relative. If you allow your temper to flare up, you will say something you’ll regret. Keep the peace.

You are feeling nostalgic LEO for people or places from your (July 23- past. Call up an old friend.

Aug. 22) You probably still have lots in common and certainly plenty of history to share. Plan a reunion.

Calvin and Hobbes

If you are feeling restVIRGO less or bored, redo your living (Aug. 23space for the upcoming holiSept. 22) days. Redecorating or refurbishing even a small area will give you a sense of accomplishment and pride Be neutral and respectLIBRA ful when dealing with peo(Sept. 23ple from different beliefs, culOct. 23) tures and traditions. You may not agree, but you mustn’t judge or you will be judged.

SUDOKU

Too much work and ongoSCORPIO ing family issues have made (Oct. 24you forget how to have fun.

Nov. 22) Whether you prefer to gather with friends or just do a solitary activity, take time out for you.

Use your versatility and SAGITTARIUS quick wit to add a little spice (Nov. 23- to your life. You will be the Dec. 21) centre of attention if you network and market your skills.

SATURDAY'S WORD

Saturday's solution

Listen to the voice of reaCAPRICORN son and experience. You can (Dec. 22avoid grief and aggravaJan. 19) tion by following the advice of someone who has been in your shoes. Be open to suggestions.

AQUARIUS

Broaden your scope when (Jan. 20- considering your professional Feb. 19) goals. You can provide a service that is in demand if you look for the right buyer, client or outlet.

PISCES Be accepting and meet (Feb. 20- change with optimism. The March 20) best opportunities come when you least expect. Don’t be too quick to judge or oppose something unfamiliar. Embrace life and live in the moment.

monday, december 1, 2014

19

Man City top Series tied Southampton as Kiwis win with 3-0

Younis Khan trapped LBW by Trent Boult

T

rent Boult ran through the Pakistan top order in a menacing new-ball spell that extinguished early any chance the home side had of batting five-and-a-half sessions to save the Test. The spinners then chipped away at the rest - Mark Craig becoming only the third New Zealand spinner to register a ten-wicket haul - to help New Zealand level the series with their third-biggest win against Pakistan. It was the first time since 1969-70 that Pakistan failed to beat New Zealand in a home series of at least three Tests.

It was also, possibly, Daniel Vettori’s farewell present.

A few days ago, there was no such thing as a Pakistan batting collapse. In Sharjah, it happened twice: in the first innings, they lost the bottom half after Mohammad Hafeez’s big century to be restricted to 351, and in the second, under the weight of a 339-run deficit, they lost the top in no time. Asad Shafiq smashed his way to a fifth Test century in the company of the lower order, but the innings just delayed the inevitable.

Surviving the last two days would have been difficult for Pakistan but they would have deemed it possible after seeing the New Zealand lower order tackle pace and spin comfortably. They were in for a rude shock against the moving ball, though. Boult was twice clipped for boundaries in his first over but it was

matter of time before he got his lines right. He pinged Shan Masood’s pads with an inswinger on the last ball of the first over only for the umpire to deem it not out. The review showed how close it was, the ball hitting the leg stump almost flush. It took him only two more balls to get a wicket though. This time, it was an outswinger taking the outside edge of Masood’s bat and flying to third slip.

Boult then changed the line of attack to round the stumps to make two telling blows: Azhar Ali left one only to see it swing back sharply and take his off stump, and Younis Khan was similarly surprised by the big swing to be dismissed lbw first ball.

With just five runs in the Test, it was a rare failure for Younis in a season when he hasn’t done much wrong.

With the top order blown away in quick time, a lot depended on Hafeez, the firstinnings centurion but he was out to a soft dismissal, driving a flighted delivery back to Craig. Misbah-ul-Haq prodded around for 57 deliveries, survived a close lbw shout against Tim Southee’s reverse swing, but with pitch showing signs of uneven bounce, he perished after after gloving one to the keeper off Craig.

At 63 for 5, the match was unravelling fast. Sarfraz, though, broke the shackles with a series of powerful sweeps and lofted shots against the spinners. The ag-

gression rubbed on to Shafiq as well, who too started using his feet against Craig and brought up his half-century. The two added 77 runs at run a ball but there were signs towards the latter half of the stand that a wicket was imminent. The ball was spitting off the pitch and Sarfraz was twice reprieved: at short fine leg after he got a top-edge against Sodhi and at slip soon after.

Ten minutes before tea, Sarfraz ran out of luck as one spun sharply to take an edge through to Ross Taylor at slip. Sodhi made it two in an over with the wicket of Yasir Shah. Shafiq was on 50 at that stage. With New Zealand closing in, he shed all restraint aside and went on a boundary-hitting spree.

A six and a four off consecutive deliveries from Craig

helped him to his century. It was almost as if he was auditioning for a place in the T20 side with a series of textbook strokes.

Shafiq was fortunate to survive a couple of chances: he was on 13 when the umpire didn’t spot a thin edge to the keeper and was once dropped by Taylor when on 106. But in between, he was unrelenting against spin, taking 114 runs off the three New Zealand spinners. As New Zealand’s frustration grew, the bouncer, that had been absent from their attack after the resumption of the Test on Friday, made an appearance. Shafiq, though, was quick to pounce on it and whacked it over square leg for the 35th six of the match the most in any Test. He was dismissed off Boult in the bowler’s next over and the innings closed an over later.

It was almost a repeat of Pakistan’s first innings: one batsman hitting a big century but no one else even making it to fifty. New Zealand, on the other hand, had six batsmen hitting fifty or more. The last one to reach 50 was Craig , who crossed the landmark with a six - the 20th of the innings - off the 71st delivery he faced. The tally of sixes further inflated to 21, the most by any team in a Test innings, as Craig smashed Hafeez over longoff. By the time he was dismissed, Craig had added another 45 with Sodhi - who struck the 22nd six of the innings - in quick time and the total had crossed 680, New Zealand’s previous best Test score that came against India earlier this year. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Pakistan 2nd innings Mohammad Hafeez c & b Craig 24 Shan Masood 4 c Southee b Boult Azhar Ali b Boult 6 Younis Khan lbw b Boult 0 Misbah-ul-Haq* c †Watling b 12 Craig Asad Shafiq c Craig b Boult 137 Sarfraz Ahmed† c Taylor b Sodhi 37 Yasir Shah lbw b Sodhi 10 Mohammad Talha lbw b Vettori 19 Rahat Ali c McCullum b Craig 6 Zulfiqar Babar not out 0 Extras (lb 2, w 1, nb 1) 4

Total (all out; 63.3 overs) 259 (4.07 runs per over) Fall of wickets 1-13 (Shan Masood, 2.2 ov), 2-20 (Azhar Ali, 6.6 ov), 3-24 (Younis Khan, 8.1 ov), 4-36 (Mohammad Hafeez, 13.6 ov), 5-63 (Misbahul-Haq, 27.3 ov), 6-136 (Sarfraz Ahmed, 40.2 ov), 7-146 (Yasir Shah, 40.6 ov), 8-180 (Mohammad Talha, 48.5 ov), 9-258 (Asad Shafiq, 62.2 ov), 10-259 (Rahat Ali, 63.3 ov) Bowling O M R W TA Boult 15 6 38 4 TG Southee 11 3 20 0 MD Craig 20.3 2 109 3 DL Vettori 5 2 8 1 IS Sodhi 12 0 82 2

drubbing

Yaya Toure scores for Manchester City

M

anchester City moved above opponents Southampton into second place as three second-half goals cut Chelsea’s Premier League lead to six points.

Sergio Aguero, in his 100th top-flight game, pulled the ball back for Yaya Toure to drill in a low strike.

City played the final 16 minutes with 10 men after Eliaquim Mangala saw red.

But Frank Lampard’s strike and a close-range finish from Gael Clichy saw City clinch their third straight win as Saints suffered a first home defeat.

Ronald Koeman’s side, who had not lost in their last six matches, never looked like extending that unbeaten run against the defending champions.

City produced a professional display, restricting Southampton to few clearcut opportunities and clinically taking their own, to take advantage of Chelsea’s goalless draw at Sunderland on Saturday.

When the Premier League fixture list was released in the summer, few would have glanced at this match and marked it down as one between two teams potentially competing for Champions League qualification.

Koeman has rebuilt the south coast side on a strong foundation of defensive stability, with the Saints having conceded just six goals in their previous 12 top-flight matches.

But, after French holding midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin’s injury forced a defensive reshuffle at halftime, they were picked apart by the visitors.

City striker Sergio

Aguero, whose midweek hat-trick against Bayern Munich took him to 17 goals for this season, was expected to be the biggest threat to the home defence.

The Argentine did not add to his tally, instead turning provider for both Toure and Clichy, who poked in at the end for his first Blues goal.

However, Aguero should have been given the opportunity from the penalty spot on 10 minutes. The City talisman was scythed down by home skipper Jose Fonte’s lunging tackle, but looked up to see referee Mike Jones showing a yellow card after the official decided he had dived.

But in the end, that controversial decision did not matter.

Many observers warned that Southampton’s credentials would be tested in a difficult run against City, Arsenal and Manchester United - and in this game they looked short of the quality needed to break into the top four.

Koeman’s men grew in confidence after a nervous start and could have opened the scoring when Steven Davis’s low shot forced Joe Hart into a superb save low down to his right.

Speculative shots from Toby Alderweireld and Dusan Tadic flew past Joe Hart’s right-hand post shortly after the restart, but once Toure scored his fifth goal of the season there appeared to be little way back for Saints.

And so it proved - despite Mangala, who was booked in the first-half for a cynical tackle on Tadic, seeing red after clipping home substitute Shane Long. (BBC Sport)

20

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monday, december 1, 2014

WICB Professional Cricket League...

Smith’s century helps Supporter dies after fans Windwards take lead clash before game W A

indward Islands Volcanoes pivoted on Devon Smith’s 24th first class hundred to take control of their encounter against Leeward Islands Hurricanes, on the second day at the National Stadium here Saturday.

The West Indies lefthander converted his overnight 83 into 145 as the Windwards declared their first innings on 308 for five – a daunting lead of 199 runs heading into day three of their third round match in the WICB Professional Cricket League.

Staring at the possibility of their third defeat on the trot, the Leewards chose attack as their best means of defence, racing to 102 for one at the close.

Opener Lyndell Richardson hammered 48 from 45 balls while Austin Richards stroked a more sedate 42 not out, as they put on 67 for the first wicket.

Richardson, in only his seventh first class match,

Devon Smith

struck seven fours and a six while Richards, in good nick at the moment, has so far faced 138 balls in 137 minutes and counted six fours.

With his maiden first class half-century approaching, the right-handed Richardson perished looking to go down the ground with off-spinner Liam Sebastien, holing out to Alston Bobb at mid-off.

Richards then held things together for Leewards, in a 35-run, second wicket stand with Montcin Hodge, unbeaten on ten at the close.

Earlier, Smith raised three figures off 153 balls in 249 minutes, as the Windwards prospered early in the day by going past the 200-run mark for the loss of only Andre Fletcher who added just two to his overnight seven.

Overall, the left-handed Smith struck nine fours and two sixes off 254 balls in an innings lasting just shy of six hours.

He put on 87 for the fifth wicket with Romel Currency, who hit an unbeaten 50, a knock that lasted 150 balls in just over three hours at the crease.

Smith finally departed to a catch at silly mid-off by Richardson off off-spinner Jacques Taylor.

Seamer Jeremiah Louis finished with two for 27.

(Windies Cricket)

NBA Roundup…

supporter died after violent clashes between fans before Atletico Madrid’s home match against Deportivo La Coruna.

The unnamed Deportivo fan, 43, was taken out of a river near Atletico’s Vincente Calderon Stadium suffering from cardiac arrest, hypothermia and head injuries and died in hospital.

Eleven other people were treated for mostly minor injuries, including a female police officer.

Twenty people were taken into custody with 100 troublemakers identified.

The violence near the stadium was condemned by both clubs and the Spanish league.

Atletico chief executive

Miguel Angel Gil Marin was outspoken in his condemnation. “It’s disgusting - that scum has no place in football,” he said. “I only hope they identify those responsible and they can’t repeat such deplorable acts as these.”

Atletico president Enrique Cerezo, speaking before the death of the supporter was announced, told Spanish television: “I want to say that this has nothing to do with football.

“These are radical groups who meet up and these are the consequences.”

Deportivo president Tino Fernandez said clubs needed to do more to make sure such incidents were not allowed to happen.

He added: “It’s tragic

news. I want to express our vehement opposition to violence.”

After the match, Depor coach Victor Fernandez added: “It’s one of the saddest days in Spanish football in recent years. They are reprehensible and despicable acts.”

Atletico Madrid won 2-0 to record their fifth win in six games and move within four points of La Liga leaders Real Madrid.

Saul Niguez headed the defending champions in front in the 43rd-minute before Arda Turan sealed victory 10 minutes into the second half.

The win took Atletico into second place in the table before Barcelona’s evening kick-off away to Valencia. (BBC Sport)

Tottenham survive to top Everton

Mavericks down 76ers to 16 straight loss

T

yson Chandler had 20 points and 13 rebounds to help Dallas beat host Philadelphia, 110103, on Saturday, sending the 76ers to a franchise-record 16th straight loss to start a season.

Michael Carter-Williams had a triple-double with 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds for the 76ers, who eclipsed the 1972-73 club, which began 0-15 on the way to setting an N.B.A. record for fewest victories in an 82game season by finishing 9-73. Philadelphia became the fifth team in league history to open with at least 16 straight losses, joining the 1994-95 Clippers (0-16), the 1998-99 Clippers (0-17), the 1988-89 Heat (0-17) and the 2009-10 Nets (0-18).

The 76ers will try again Monday for their first win when they host the Spurs, the defending N.B.A. champions. If they lose to San Antonio, Philadelphia could tie the N.B.A. record for defeats to begin a season Wednesday at Minnesota, and they could set an N.B.A. record Friday at home against Oklahoma City.

WIZARDS 83, PELICANS 80 Marcin Gortat had 24 points and 13 rebounds, a season high, and Washington beat New Orleans at home. The Wizards trailed only once, when Anthony Davis, who led New Orleans with 30 points, dunked to give the Pelicans a 78-77 lead with 3 minutes 48 seconds remaining.

Paul Pierce hit a layup and a 3-pointer to give Washington an 81-77 lead with 2 minutes 13 seconds left. Tyreke Evans missed a 3-point attempt that would have tied the score with 1.7 seconds to play.

New Orleans has lost a season-worst three straight.

Davis had 13 rebounds but did not block a shot for the first time in 15 games this season. The Pelicans had a season-low 12 assists.

HAWKS 105, HORNETS 75 Paul Millsap scored 18 points, Mike Scott added 14, and host Atlanta handed Charlotte its ninth straight loss.

The Hornets trailed by 20 early in the second quarter, by 32 late in the second and by 44 early in the third. Al Jefferson was the only Hornets scorer in double figures until the reserve guard P. J. Hairston scored his 10th point in the fourth.

Hairston ended up leading Charlotte with 15 points.

CAVALIERS 109, PACERS 97 Kevin Love scored a season-high 28 points, Kyrie Irving had 24, and Cleveland defeated Indiana at home. LeBron James added 19 points as Cleveland won its third straight, improving to 8-7.

Love scored 16 points in the first quarter. He was 9 for 13 from the field and had 10 rebounds. Irving added a season-high 10 rebounds and had five assists.

The Cavaliers built a 19-point lead in the first quarter, but the Pacers

chipped away and trailed by only 52-49 at halftime.

Cleveland regained control in the third as James scored 11 points in the quarter.

The lead reached 20 points in the fourth quarter.

CLIPPERS 112, JAZZ 96 Blake Griffin scored 28 points, and Chris Paul had 17 points and 10 assists to help Los Angeles beat host Utah for its fourth straight win.

Jamal Crawford scored 22 points, and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 12 rebounds for the Clippers. Gordon Hayward scored 30 points, and Derrick Favors had 19 for the Jazz, who have lost a season-high five in a row.

ROCKETS 117, BUCKS 103 James Harden had 19 of his game-high 34 points in the third quarter, and visiting Houston beat Milwaukee. Jabari Parker scored 19 points, and Ersan Ilyasova added 18 for the Bucks.

Harden and Bucks center Larry Sanders jostled near center court with 3:19 left in the game, after an offensive foul was called on Harden, who held the ball as he was walking down the court. Giannis Antetokounmpo slapped Harden and knocked the ball away. Harden gave Antetokounmpo a slight shove, and Sanders ran to confront Harden.

Harden, Sanders and Antetokounmpo were given technical fouls after the referees reviewed the video.

(New York Times)

Roberto Soldado scores first league goal for Tottenham

T

ottenham’s Roberto Soldado scored his first Premier League goal of the season with the winner as Spurs beat Everton 2-1 at White Hart Lane.

The hosts had fallen behind early on to a brilliant Kevin Mirallas strike.

But Christian Eriksen equalised six minutes later before the Spanish striker grabbed what turned out to be the deciding goal.

Everton, who had a late penalty claim for handball ignored, drop into 10th place while Spurs go seventh.

Defeat for Roberto Martinez’s side ended an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions, while counterpart Mauricio Pochettino finished a satisfying seven days that reaped three victories across domestic and European competition.

This season the Londoners had lost four of their league matches that, like this, followed on from a Europa League fixture on a Thursday but they showed few signs of tiredness until

late in proceedings.

Spurs were energetic and combative from the outset but fell behind to superb piece of skill.

Mirallas followed up his match-clinching goal against Wolfsburg in the Europa League on Thursday with a sublime effort, bent in off the underside of the crossbar from outside the area after the Belgian had evaded Soldado following a free-kick.

The hosts hit back quickly when Harry Kane’s shot on the run was pushed out

by Tim Howard into the path of Eriksen, who guided the ball in past Gareth Barry on the goalline.

Kane was then instrumental in Spurs taking the lead, robbing Barry near halfway to set up Aaron Lennon.

The England international fed Soldado, who pushed forward before driving the ball past Howard for only his fourth goal of 2014.

Having taken a grip on proceedings just before the break, Spurs kept up their

momentum when the match resumed with the impressive Kane bending in a shot that forced Howard into action.

Federico Fazio was close to getting a touch to a teasing cross from Eriksen, while Everton had offered little to test the Spurs defence in the wake of Mirallas’ goal.

Hugo Lloris dived at the feet of Seamus Coleman to deny the Irishman following a perceptive pass from Ross Barkley, but for all their growing pressure, Everton did not look threatening until late on.

The ball appeared to brush the hand of Fazio in the area after Leighton Baines had swung in a freekick, but referee Michael Oliver waved away the Toffees’ claims.

Oliver also ignored Spurs’ own shout for a spotkick when Kane went to ground deep into stoppage time, leaving the scoreline to remain for a result that means Pochettino’s side have won all but one of their last seven outings. (BBC Sport)

SPORTS

YELLOW PAGES monday, december 1, 2014

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Clarke writes birthday tribute to Hughes

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21

Michael Clarke

M

ichael Clarke has marked what would have been Phillip Hughes’ 26th birthday by writing an emotional tribute in his newspaper column. A clearly distraught Clarke spoke to the media on Saturday morning to express the grief of the players and their love for Hughes, and on Sunday Clarke’s column appeared in the Sunday Telegraph.

Clarke wrote that Hughes was loyal to a fault, eternally optimistic and kind-hearted, with a wicked sense of humour and a childlike verve for life. The two first met when Hughes was 17 and moved from the country town of Macksville to play club cricket in Sydney for Western Suburbs, the same club that Clarke represented.

“I was drawn to him instantly, falling for his cheeky grin and love of life,” Clarke wrote. “Phillip truly was uncomplicated – what you saw was what you got.

I don’t think in 12 years of playing cricket at the top level I have ever come across a more loyal or generoushearted teammate.

“Whenever Hughesy suffered adversity – if he was replaced in the team or if he wasn’t scoring as many runs as he wanted -- he never dropped his head, never

Phillip Hughes

once complained. If he had a tough conversation with a selector he would nod, agree he needed to work harder, grin because he felt bad for the person delivering the message and then get on with it.

“You knew deep down he was shattered because playing cricket for his country meant everything to him.

But his head wouldn’t drop because he knew his teammates didn’t need that -- he was honoured to be running drinks as 12th man for his mates and he went out of his way to show that. But Phillip’s laid-back nature disguised something more important about the man.

He was as mentally tough as they came.”

From the time Hughes was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney on Tuesday after being struck

but I will not forget. Happy birthday bro.”

Clarke also expressed his strong support for Sean Abbott, the New South Wales bowler who delivered the bouncer to Hughes on Tuesday.

“No-one – not one single person – blames him in any way for what has happened,” Clarke wrote. “He deserves our full support, he will absolutely have mine whenever he needs it, and I know that also goes for the entire Australian cricket community.”

“Sean, when you feel like getting back on the horse mate, I promise you that I will be the first to strap on the pads and go stand up the end of the net to hit them back at you. It’s exactly what Hugh Dog would want us both to do.” (Cricinfo)

Phillip Hughes will remain 63 not out forever

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hillip Hughes’s final innings has been adjusted to show him being 63 not out after an update from Cricket Australia.

Hughes, 25, died on Thursday, two days after being hit by a bouncer in a domestic match in Australia.

The scoreboard had listed him as retired hurt but the match was abandoned

and he was not replaced.

“It might seem like a little thing, but it’s an important distinction,” said CA chief James Sutherland.

“Phillip will forever remain 63 not out.”

His innings will now be officially recorded as an unbeaten 63.

The number 64 shirt of the left-handed Australian

batsman has already been retired following his death.

Hughes’s funeral will take place at 03:00 GMT on Wednesday in his family’s home town of Macksville in northern New South Wales.

Australia’s first Test against India will not now start on Thursday as it had been scheduled to be. (BBC Sport)

22

guyanatimesGY.com

monday, december 1, 2014

Guyana’s spinners wreak Rugby national team testing havoc to cause Barbados their limits in practice batting collapse eight wickets just 68 runs.

Dwayne Smith top scored with 32 runs to give Barbados a meager 54 run lead heading into the final day of the match, today.

Smith’s dismissal triggered a terminal decline,

with Barbados losing six wickets in quick time for 30 runs.

Guyana should make it an easy run chase and end even further on top the points table after day four concludes today.

SCOREBOARD

Devendra Bishoo

C

hasing a follow on total of 160 runs, Barbados failed to capitalise as Guyana spun their way throw the batting line up when the third day of the WICB Professional Cricket League continued on Sunday at the National Stadium, Providence.

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo took four for 65 while Versammy Permaul took two for 65 as Barbados Pride collapsed for the second time.

With rain curtailing day, Barbados resumed the day on 33-2 but lost their last

GUYANA 1st Innings 261 BARBADOS 1st Innings KAM Corbin c Griffith b Beaton 6 CR Brathwaite* c Reifer b Permaul 18 SD Hope c †Bramble b Permaul 10 JL Carter c Bishoo b Permaul 16 DR Smith lbw b Permaul 32 RO Hinds lbw b Bishoo 7 SO Dowrich† lbw b Permaul 3 OJ Phillips not out 0 AR Nurse lbw b Permaul 0 J Warrican lbw b Permaul 0 ML Cummins lbw b Permaul 0 Extras: (b 7, lb 2) 9 Total: (all out; 42.2 overs) 101 Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Corbin, 2.4 ov), 2-33 (Brathwaite, 14.5 ov), 3-36 (Hope, 18.5 ov), 4-71 (Smith, 26.6 ov), 5-85 (Carter, 32.5 ov), 6-95 (Hinds, 39.2 ov), 7-95 (Dowrich, 40.2 ov), 8-95 (Nurse, 40.5 ov), 9-95 (Warrican, 40.6 ov), 10101 (Cummins, 42.2 ov) Bowling: V Permaul 15.2-5-

26-8, CD Barnwell 4-0-180, RR Beaton 6-0-22-1, RA Reifer 9-4-9-0, N Deonarine 3-0-11-0, D Bishoo 5-2-6-1 BARBADOS PRIDE 2nd Innings (following on) K Corbin c Hetmyer b Permaul 35 O Phillips lbw b Barnwell 11 S Hope c and b Bishoo 9 J Carter lbw b Bishoo 6 D Smith lbw b Bishoo 10 R Hinds not out 60 +S Dowrich c Chandrika b Bishoo 50 *C Brathwaite lbw b Permaul 14 A Nurrse not out 6 Extras (b7, w1, nb5) 13 TOTAL (7 wkts, 69 overs) 214 Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-58, 3-58, 4-69, 5-76, 6-171, 7-196.

Bowling: Beaton 8-1-21-0, Perrmaul 23-3-65-2, Barnwell 7-2-17-1, Reifer 8-1-30-0, Bishoo 20-3-65-4, Deonarine 2-0-9-0, Griffith 1-1-0-0

Actor Mickey Rourke returns to ring with win in exhibition bout

H

ollywood actor Mickey Rourke returned to the boxing ring Friday at the age of 62, defeating a fighter less than half his age in an exhibition bout.

Rourke sent 29-year-old Pasadena, California, native Elliot Seymour to the canvas twice in the second round before the referee stopped the fight.

The bout at a Moscow concert hall was Rourke's first fight in 20 years. He took a break from acting in the early 1990s, finishing a three-year pro boxing career with six wins and two draws.

He hinted that the return to the ring has helped him cope with unspecified personal issues.

"I've got some things going on in my life so that [boxing has] sort of saved me from myself," Rourke told Russian TV. "And for a man like me, it's better to live in fear than go on in shame."

He has said he plans to hold another four fights in Russia.

Rourke prepared in a dressing room in front of a shrine featuring candles, images of saints, and photographs of his dogs. He said he had been in mourning for his recently deceased Chihuahua.

He took to the ring in a Stetson hat, a red-and-gold robe and shiny gold gloves, repeatedly crossing himself.

Rourke, who had said he lost 35 pounds to prepare to the fight, was much thinner than in his best-known cinematic fighting persona, when he bulked up to play

Mickey Rourke scouts his opponent during the bout

the title character in 2008's "The Wrestler." His shorts bore his ring nickname from the 1990s, Marielito, with a Spanish-language message reading "always handsome."

The fight was held at a pedestrian pace, with both Rourke and Seymour frequently backing away from one another and letting down their guard.

Several of Rourke's punches appeared illegal. His final punch struck the stumbling Seymour on the buttocks and the 29-year-old went down to all fours until the referee stopped the contest. The Russian crowd chanted "Misha," a short form of the Russian name Mikhail, in Rourke's honor.

Seymour, a former

California Golden Gloves champion with a 1-9 pro record, did not land any significant blows on Rourke, whose previous boxing career left him with injuries that he has previously said necessitated extensive plastic surgery to his face.

On the undercard, Olympic light-heavyweight champion Egor Mekhontsev continued his unbeaten start to his professional career, moving to a 7-0 record with a win over Ugandan fighter Joey Vegas.

Russia's Eduard Troyanovsky knocked out Jose Agustin Feria of Colombia in the first round for the WBA intercontinental lightweight title, moving to a 20-0 record. (ESPN)

T

he Guyana National Rugby team is pushing hard in practice for their upcoming opening game against host nation Mexico on pursuit for their seventh North America and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) title.

Guyana Times Sport was able to speak with debutant Patrick King who highlighted that while the sun is shining, the place was still “very cold”.

King also noted that the team participated in their

Patrick King

first practice session since

arriving n Saturday morning and it was definitely challenging.

“The altitude is high and it was tough but we made it through with the exception of my chest burning it was good… the team is hungry to win and the guys are motivated,” Patrick stated.

The team is expected to go through a few more sessions before their first game on December 3 with the next practice session set for this morning.

Ray Rice wins appeal of an indefinite suspension after domestic violence incident

F

ormer Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has won his appeal of an indefinite suspension and has been reinstated to the NFL. Rice is now eligible to sign with any NFL team.

“I would like to thank Judge Barbara Jones, the NFL Players Association, my attorneys, agents, advisors, family, friends and fans -- but most importantly, my wife Janay,” Rice said in a statement released by the NFLPA on Friday. “I made an inexcusable mistake and accept full responsibility for my actions.

“I am thankful that there was a proper appeals process in place to address this issue. I will continue working hard to improve myself and be the best husband, father and friend, while giving back to my community and helping others to learn from my mistakes.”

Former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones, who heard Rice’s appeal earlier this month, concluded in her decision, which was obtained by ESPN, that Rice did not lie to or mislead NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

“In this arbitration, the NFL argues that Commissioner Goodell was misled when he disciplined Rice the first time. Because, after careful consideration of all of the evidence, I am not persuaded that Rice lied to, or misled, the NFL at his June interview, I find that the indefinite suspension was an abuse of discretion and must be vacated,” Jones’ decision stated.

“I find that the NFLPA carried its burden of showing that Rice did not mislead the Commissioner at the June 16th meeting, and therefore, that the imposition of a second suspension based on the same incident and the same known facts about the incident, was arbitrary,” Jones also wrote.

“The Commissioner needed to be fair and con-

Ray Rice

sistent in his imposition of discipline “Moreover, any failure on the part of the League to understand the level of violence was not due to Rice’s description of the event but to the inadequacy of words to convey the seriousness of domestic violence. That the League did not realize the severity of the conduct without a visual record also speaks to their admitted failure in the past to sanction this type of conduct more severely.”

Janay Rice told ESPN’s Jemele Hill on Friday that they learned of the ruling while at the house of her mother, and were with family and friends at the time.

“It feels unbelievable,” Janay Rice said. “It’s a relief. We’ve been telling the same story for months and we always had faith that we’d done the right thing.

Everyone deserves a second chance. We’re excited about what the future will bring.”

The NFL issued a statement Friday: “We respect Judge Jones’s decision to reinstate Ray Rice from his indefinite suspension for violating the league’s Personal Conduct Policy in an incident of domestic violence.

Ray Rice is a free agent and has been eligible to be signed by an NFL team since he was released by the Ravens.

Based on Judge Jones’ decision, he will be eligible to play upon signing a new contract.

“... Judge Jones’ ruling underscores the urgency of our work to develop and implement a clear, fair and comprehensive new personal conduct policy. We expect this policy to be completed and announced in the weeks ahead. Our focus is on consistently enforcing an improved policy going forward.”

Rice was suspended indefinitely Sept. 8 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after a video of him hitting Janay, his thenfiancée, was released publicly.

Goodell originally had suspended the running back for two games. The incident occurred in February inside an elevator at an Atlantic City, New Jersey, casino.

Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome testified under oath Nov. 6 in the appeal hearing that he heard the former Baltimore running back tell Goodell during his June 16 disciplinary hearing that he had hit Janay in a casino hotel elevator, sources told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.”

Rice also testified, as did his wife. Details of what Rice and his wife testified to Nov. 6 and what Goodell said Nov. 5 were not released to “Outside the Lines” because of a gag order that Jones imposed. But sources said Newsome backed Rice’s previous accounts of what he told Goodell. (ESPN)

guyanatimesGY.com

monday, december 1, 2014

23

Eastman closes 2014 cycling season with win in Berbice H

amzah Eastman closed off his 2014 season in fine style when he won the fifth Annual Philip Arokium Memorial Cycle Road Race in Berbice on Sunday.

Eastman completed the 60-mile event in a time of two hours thirty one minutes and thirty one seconds (2:31:31) to take the $50,000 first place prize.

Eastman who was one of seven riders out on an early break, used his superior sprinting power to mount the Canje Bridge and peddle away from Michael Anthony to finish the race all alone.

Earlier, Eastman, Anthony, Mario King, Orville Hinds, Paul De Nobrega, Chris Holder, Marlon Williams and Stephana Husbands positioned themselves at the top of the race as the riders pulled off from Main and Philadelphia Streets in New Amsterdam.

The group led the race to the turnaround point at Number 43 Village on the Corentyne with a slight lead ahead of the other riders which included Junior Niles, Romello Crawford and Andre Abdul.

Eastman soon broke away and took Holder and De Nobrega with him as

they topped 40KM per hour.

Just as it looked as though the seven were coming home as a group Eastman and Anthony turned up the pace and made it into a two man race with Anthony faltering on the steep Canje Bridge allowing Eastman to eventually win easily.

Niles was able to peddle his way back to catch the rest and finished a close third behind Anthony.

Hinds, who developed a cramp finished just behind Niles despite protest by some riders in the race who claimed that he used unethical means to get back to the pack.

DeNobrega rolled in fifth ahead of Holder, Williams and King in that order.

Anthony was the first junior to cross the finish line at Main and Alexander Streets in New Amsterdam with the other positions being occupied by Romello Crawford and Stephano Husbands.

Cyclists also protested against Crawford saying that he too used unethical mean to get back into the top peloton of the race.

Anthony claimed two sprint point prizes with one each going to Abdul, Eastman, Hinds, De Nobrega and Husbands.

The female race was won by Toshwanna Doris.

Ronella Samuels finished ahead of Whitney Poyer and Shamika Teixeira for second and third respectively.

Meanwhile the first three

cyclists from the Flying Ace Cycle Club (FACC) also received prizes. Elijah Bhajadder was the first club cyclist to cross the finish line although finishing thirtyminutes behind the initial

winner of the race. The second club cyclist to complete the distance was Audrel Ross ahead of Syborne Fernandez.

During the presentation ceremony which fol-

lowed, organizer and Coach of FACC Randolph Roberts thanked the Arokium family for their continued support for the sport. (Andrew Carmichael)

All the cyclists pose with their winning prizes

Murray picks up two Qatar will host 2022, wins in IPTL says defiant Blatter B

ritain’s Andy Murray picked up two wins on his final day of involvement at the International Premier Tennis League exhibition in the Philippines.

Murray helped Manila Mavericks beat Singapore Slammers 27-19 to claim their first victory of the event.

The Scot and Kirsten Flipkens beat Serena Williams and Lleyton Hewitt 6-1 in the mixed doubles.

Murray then saw off Australian Nick Kyrgios 6-5 in the singles, which was decided by a five-minute shootout.

It brought an end to the Briton’s participation in the inaugural IPTL, and he will now head to Miami to begin his annual off-season training block.

“I think a lot of people were sceptical about it,” Murray said of the IPTL. “But if you look at the amount of people who have showed up here, there’s been unbelievable support from Friday through to Sunday; it shows the people here love tennis. I hope we can come back next year and do it again.”

After failing to register a victory over the first two days in Manila, Murray got on the scoreboard alongside

Sepp Blatter

A

Andy Murray

Flipkens in a one-sided doubles as world number one Williams made her debut in the competition.

The American made amends in the following singles set with a 6-3 win over Flipkens.

It looked as though Murray’s year would end with a defeat when he trailed the big-serving Kyrgios 5-4, but the former Wimbledon champion broke back to force a shootout.

With the 20-second shot clock driving the pace of play and the winner decided

over the course of five minutes, Murray let a 4-0 lead slip and led 6-5 as the clock counted down.

A lengthy baseline rally had the crowd enthralled with victory up for grabs, and Kyrgios cracked first with a backhand into the net.

The four-team competition will now move to Singapore for three days, starting on Tuesday, before heading to Delhi and Dubai.

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are among the players set to feature. (BBC Sport)

defiant FIFA President Sepp Blatter said there would be no moving the 2022 World Cup from Qatar, despite widespread concerns about the bidding process that took the tournament to the Middle East for the first time.

“2022, it is Qatar, and ladies and gentleman, believe me, with all that has been said around the world by whom? Those not involved with what happens in football. The World Cup in 2022 will be played in Qatar,” the 78-year-old Swiss told Asian Football Confederation members in Manila on Sunday.

The remarks, cheered and applauded loudly by Asian delegates, come as FIFA faces heavy criticism for not publishing a report by ethics investigator Michael Garcia into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Garcia’s findings were summarised in a 42-page statement published by FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert last week, which cleared the two winning bids, but which Garcia himself complained included

misrepresentations.

FIFA has said it cannot publish the full report for legal reasons.

Asked if the report should be published in full, the Swiss said: “We are going now to the executive committee meeting with all these matters on the 19th (of December) in Morocco.”

A report in British newspaper The Sunday Times said it had passed on a dossier revealing further allegations of corruption regarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids, to a House of Commons committee and which were published on Saturday.

Blatter, however, appeared untroubled by the ongoing saga, taking the opportunity to throw his weight behind the capabilities of the Middle East nations.

“It is the second time we will go to organise the World Cup in Asia. The first was a lovely combination, a co hosting, between Japan and Korea Republic. It was a great success, a big success,” said the Swiss, who is seeking a fifth term as head of FIFA next year.

“But we have the next one. It will be the first time in the Arabic world but there is another competition that I would like to underline, the under 17 women’s tournament in 2016.

“For the first time....we are coming with women’s world cup in 2016 to the kingdom of Jordan. It is the trust and confidence of FIFA towards the Arabic world that they can organise all the competitions.”

Following the announcement, the Qatar Football Association were named winners of the AFC’s Dream Asia Award, a prize given, according to the AFC, to a body who use football as a tool for social change, enlighten the importance of social responsibility and promote the culture of giving. (Reuters)

monday, december 1, 2014

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

Yaw smashes South Eastman closes American Youth 2014 cycling season record in gold medal run with win in Berbice – Hooper wins silver in female 400m

the potential we all know he has and as for Natricia, it was her first international 400 metres final and she was leading up the 397 metres mark before falling short. It is a huge PB for her with her previous mark at 57s,” Edmonds told Guyana Times Sport.

However, both Yaw and Hooper had to use the road ways to train for the last five sessions due to the flooded state of the National Park.

Page 23

Hamzah Eastman crosses the finish line ahead of his competitors

Squash women take bronze at CAC – men finish 5th

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he women’s national squash team finished their campaign at the 2014 Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Championships with bronze on Saturday in Mexico.

The women lost to a tough Mexico team 2-0 and had to settle for a joint third position to goa along with the bronze medal in the women’s doubles competition.

Ashley Khalil lost to Individual gold medalist Samantha Teran in three games, as did Ashley Degroot who lost to Karol Urrutia.

Meanwhile the men’s team ended their campaign in fifth, losing to a tough Jamaican team in the quarterfinals of the men’s team tournament by a 2-0 margin.

Sunil Seth lost to Lewis Walters and Jason Khalil lost to Bruce Burrows to seal their fate.

The team successfully ended their 2014 year and will now look to play in the Pan-American Games in July of 2015 scheduled Ashley Khalil for Toronto, Canada.

Ashley Degroot

Jason Yaw

R

unning Brave’s 400 metres prodigy Jason Yaw bagged his first major title in historic fashion by breaking the South American Youth Championship record not once but twice when the event was held in Columbia over the weekend.

Yaw, on Saturday initially broke the record in his heat, running a fast time of 47.42s to erase the old record of Natricia Hooper 47.46s.

The 6’3” athlete then This brings into the returned later the same day to smash the record again question the availability in a time of 46.79s while of the Leonora Synthetic in the process winning the track, however if the the gold for Guyana. The time Ministry of Sport was unis also Yaw’s personal best informed of the situation, time over the 400 metres then the blame for having the athletes train for distance.

Meanwhile Running an international event on Brave’s Natricia Hooper did the road would have to fall not leave all the achieve- squarely on the shoulders of ments to Yaw, bagging a sil- the Athletics Association of ver medal in the girl’s 400 Guyana (AAG).

The President of the metres in a time of 55.05s for her personal best in the AAG Aubrey Hutson is in Columbia with the athletes event.

Speaking with Coach and could not be reached for Julian Edmonds who is a comment.

Meanwhile, Hooper is there personal coach and also attending the meet expected to participate in with the athletes, noted his the triple jump event while delight with the achieve- Yaw had to pull out of the 200 metres due to a slight ment.

“I am happy for Guyana’s hamstring strain.

The team is expected to Track and Field… for the first time I am pleased with return to Guyana this evenJason running, he ran to ing. (Treiston Joseph)

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