New GWI campaign targets rate defaulters
Guyanese firms cash in on $38.9M Caribbean Export grants
Contractor commits suicide at Affiance home
Young lawyers commited to lifting standards of the Bar Govt supports broader role for military
minibus
Govt supports broader role for military
The Guyana Government believes that the traditional role of the military – defending the country’s integrity and assisting the civil power in the maintenance of law and order – should be expanded to include the fight against climate change, illegal mining and other poverty related issues.
This was the position of Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, who led a Guyana delegation to the recently concluded Conference of Defence Ministers of the Americas (CDMA) held in Peru. Rohee in his presentation at the conference said Guyana was pleased to join the hemispheric discussion on the best ways to meet the challenges faced by military organisations which include narcotics, arms and human trafficking; climate change; illegal mining and logging and the resultant environmental degradation; natural disasters; health care; terrorism and other poverty related issues.
“All the above threats serve to extend the remit of our Defence Sector leading to the need for their involvement in forensic sciences training and application, for example, in the identification of human remains and curbing the small arms trade through exporter/production identification,” Minister Rohee said.
Challenges
According to the Minister, Guyana participated in the conference with a high sense of enthusiasm and optimism based on its determination to collaborate “as we confront the range of challenges in the field of multi-dimensional security.” In this regard, he said the Guyana Government was determined to support any hemisphericwide consensus with the objective to strengthen security and defence in the Americas.
In addition to Minister Rohee, Brigadier General Mark Phillips of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was at the conference. Both Rohee and Phillips are members of the Defence Board which is chaired by President Donald Ramotar. Guyana has participated in all the Conferences of the CDMA ever since it was launched in 1995 in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA.
Participating in the conference were also 13 member states of the Caribbean Community (Caricom). The next meeting of the CDMA will be held in Trinidad and Tobago.
“As we proceed with our exchange of views, we need to ask the question, how do we take advantage of condi-
tions of peace and security in the absence of war to advance the national and human security interests of the countries in our hemisphere? Clearly, it is institutions such as the CDMA that can help in pointing the way forward in this complex and volatile world as we struggle for the creation of a New Global Human Order (NGHO),” the Home Affairs Minister told the conference.
Rohee said Guyana respects and appreciates the right of states to determine their security threats and the nature of their individual responses to such threats.
“In Guyana, we practice inter-agency coordination in a civilian-led integrated approach to the various security and defence related threats to our country, with the participation of our Defence Forces as a necessary and indispensable component. Guyana supports the call to modernise and adapt the Inter-American Defence System to make it more relevant to the multi-dimensional challenges facing the Nations individually and collectively.”
He told the conference that any discussion on security in the hemisphere would be deficient unless attention is paid to the special security threats faced by the Small Islands and Low-coastal States of the Caribbean-a threat, which he said is recognised by the United Nations and the Organisation of American States. “As a consequence, nowhere is the need for such hemispheric cooperation more necessary than in the threats related to environment protection. We in Guyana not only recog-
nise the threat posed by environmental degradation but are also greatly concerned with those posed by climate change,” Minister Rohee insisted.
He said Guyana supported the specific proposals related to the coordination of military conferences on defence issues, the mechanisms to collaborate on military health systems, the coordination of our efforts in the area of search and rescue, the Defence Sector involvement in environmental protection, sharing of lessons learned and information on the participation of women in the armed forces and the support for peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.
Security
Additionally, the Home Affairs Minister said that it is important for Defence Ministers to recognise and re-affirm that peace and security cannot exist in the absence of a deepening of democracy and the firm respect for the rule of law throughout our hemisphere.
“Guyana, as an active Member of UNASUR fully supports and uphold the decisions to ensure that our hemisphere remain a zone of peace and hemispheric cooperation. Guyana supports the view expressed by Brazil that the CDMA in pursuit of its objectives and in keeping with its by-laws must adopt the necessary flexibility with a view to encouraging all countries of the hemisphere who have an interest in being part of CDMA to join in this important and august forum for the exchange of each other’s views and experiences.”
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee and Guyana Defence Force Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips
Weather
Winds:
BRIDGE OPENINGS
WEATHER TODAY LOTTERY NUMBERS
High Tide: 09:00h and 21:20h reaching maximum heights of 2.15 metres and 2.16 metres respectively.
Digicel plans to ‘roll in’ new fibre-optic cable
BY JOMO PAUL
Amid mounting concern over the nonpassage of the Telecommunications Bill to liberalise the sector, Digicel Guyana has already begun taking steps to improve the delivery of service to Guyanese customers.
Although there has been no confirmation the company was looking to bring in another fibre-optic cable to improve the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector.
our data-hungry world, we are committed to ensuring we deliver innovative products and services to our valued customers. This latest acquisition grants us significant additional submarine fibre capacity, which, in turn, means we can help our customers achieve their personal and business goals through advanced solutions and multimedia experiences on multiple devices.”
Low Tide: 02:27h and 14:49h reaching minimum heights of 0.93 metre and 1.12 metres respectively. Tuesday,
Speaking at a Guyana Manufacturing Services Association (GMSA) business dinner last Friday, former President Bharrat Jagdeo said “Digicel has applied to bring in another fibre-optic cable”.
Jagdeo was at the time speaking within the context of green growth and the benefits from the investments in the ICT sector.
Earlier this year Digicel Group had announced that it received the required approvals from Government and regulatory authorities with regard to its purchase of a submarine fibre network across the Caribbean Region from the Guadeloupe-based Loret Group and Caribbean Fibre Holdings.
Major step
The completion of the deal marks another major step in Digicel’s ongoing evolution from a pure mobile provider to a complete global communications provider, and follows the recent announcements of several cable TV and broadband acquisitions in the Region. This deal will provide Digicel with a wholly-owned submarine fibreoptic cable network providing capacity from Trinidad connecting 12 countries to Puerto Rico, with onwards connectivity to the United States. In total, Digicel has secured access to a robust network comprising 15 submarine segments with a reach of some 3100 kilometres across the Caribbean Region. Digicel will also have extensive onwards capacity connecting to the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Digicel Group CEO Colm Delves declared: “In
Digicel Group prides itself on being a leading global communications provider with operations in 32 markets in the Caribbean,
Central America and Asia Pacific. After 13 years of operation, total investment to date stands at over US$5 billion worldwide. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.
Meanwhile, the former President related that any investment on the part of Government or the Private Sector in technology would reflect well for the country’s plans to advance technologically.
Effectively, the Champion of the Earth lashed out at critics and Opposition naysayers who had criticised the Government for allegedly not having a feasible plan to propel Guyana into the technological age. He said that among the plans to drive the sector forward is the move to bring in additional fibre-optic cables and the liberalisation of the telecoms sector. “I have seen the comments publicly and I’ve stayed quiet and it’s hard to do so” while pointing out that plans are in place to computerise the en-
tire country. It was noted that the Government has plans to install 100 Wi-Fi hubs in the interior and provide Internet for those residents for free. Former Private Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman and current President of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), Ramesh Dookhoo, said Guyana was lagging in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector and priority should be given to the passage of the Bill.
“I think we are way back when it comes to having a 4G network. I think our politicians are vacillating too much on this issue. This is not about GT&T or Digicel; this is about the people of Guyana, the businesses of Guyana,” Dookhoo said.
Passage of Bill
Both GT&T and Digicel have said that they are awaiting the passage of the Bill to provide additional services, and Dookhoo said that this was testament to how urgently the Bill should be passed. “It will significantly improve the provision of services in several Private Sector and Government agencies…” Dookhoo added.
The CAIC President noted that accessing faster speeds on the information highway means “business processes improve: they become more efficient, they’re cheaper. As a result, the consumer benefits because the processes are cheaper”.
The Telecommunications Bill was tabled along with the Public Utilities Commission (Amendment) Bill on August 9, 2013. Since the first reading of the two Bills, the second reading has been deferred several times, as the Government continues to hold discussions with the two telecommunications
companies. GT&T currently has the monopoly on landline and international services. Digicel has to pay GT&T for its mobile services bandwidth, which is provided through the local company.
Digicel has said it is eagerly awaiting the passage of the Telecoms Bill in the National Assembly, which will de-monopolise telephone service in Guyana and pave the way for them to provide the critical landline service.
The company said it is
CAIC President, Ramesh Dookhoo
watching with vivid interest the process with respect to the Telecoms Bills since it will be taking expedited steps towards the provision of the service for the Guyanese locale. Digicel’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gregory Dean told Guyana Times in a recent interview that the company “has plans for major expansions but a lot of these are awaiting the liberalisation of the sector”. He pointed out that some of those services include the provision of wire line services and a host of other affiliated services. “We would like to introduce them tomorrow but we don’t know whether the liberalisation will happen tomorrow.”
Digicel’s CEO Gregory Dean
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
Dealing with Ebola
Because there is much misinformation circulating about the viral infection dubbed "Ebola", there is a danger of missing the forest for the trees. Firstly, there is a misconception that the haemorrhagic fever first appeared in 1976, in Zaire/Congo, near the River Ebola, hence the name.
Spread by the Western media and picked up not surprisingly by the African media, this has unfortunately served to reinforce the dominant notion of Africa as an "Area of Darkness" from where only famine, floods and pestilence can come.
As a matter of fact, as stated on the World Health Organisation's website, Ebola is a variant of the filovirus family, the first variant which appeared in Marburg, in what was then West Germany.
"Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever, was first identified in 1967 during epidemics in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany and Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia from importation of infected monkeys from Uganda.
“MVD is a severe and highly fatal disease caused by a virus from the same family as the one that causes Ebola virus disease. These viruses are among the most virulent pathogens known to infect humans. Both diseases are rare, but have a capacity to cause dramatic outbreaks with high fatality."
While the US Centre for Disease Control insists on placing the source of Ebola as the Congo/Zaire in 1976, scientific journals like the Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine place it at Marburg.
The second fact is that as with the Marburg virus in which there were several outbreaks in places as far apart as the USSR and the USA (Reston – 20 miles from Washington, DC) but in each case even though the disease exhibited the same fatality rate of Ebola, robust containment procedures were able to stem the epidemic.
This also holds true for the Ebola variant which appeared for the second time (after Zaire) in Sudan in 1979 and then thirdly at Kitwit in Zaire. In each case the outbreaks were contained.
These countries were not particularly "advanced", but instituted measures that ensured that individuals in contact with victims were ruthlessly isolated/quarantined from the rest of the population. In Nigeria, for instance, the individual who eventually perished in Dallas, Texas, was isolated immediately after he came off the plane from Liberia.
While 20 other individuals were suspected or confirmed as picking up the disease, because of the strict quarantine and recording procedures, this nation of 175 million was able to contain the disease.
Their success gives us hope that in Guyana we will be able to deal with the disease when it eventually reaches our shores – or more likely, our airport. The secret of the Nigerian success was based on early identification of the disease, a coordinated response to dealing with persons suspected of being infected, and finally tracing the contacts very rapidly.
What this means in concrete terms is that our first line of defence must be established at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). We must have the wherewithal to check the temperatures of everyone coming in from a country, where Marburg-Ebola Virus Disease appeared, to determine whether they have a fever.
Secondly, we must create an isolation facility in the Timehri area – starting immediately with the importation of isolation tents. These isolation facilities must be capable of filtering the air from the section of the room in which the patient is housed. There must also be a rigorous tracking of contacts.
Thirdly, while 1600 medical personnel are supposed to be trained to confront the disease, we must secure the protective gear that will give these workers the confidence to treat infected persons. This gear must be fluid resistant, with special tape at the zippers, double gloves (taped at ends), respirator masks, eye protectors and hoods – all taped.
We believe that the above are the first and necessary steps which must be taken.
How can tax evasion be deemed an attack on freedom of expression?
Dear Editor,
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is keenly following the issue regarding the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Publisher of the Kaieteur News Glenn Lall.
While we await the outcome of current investigations into alleged tax evasion and misuse of benefits for re-migrants, our party has noted two interesting developments emanating from the reportage of the Kaieteur News.
The first has to do with that newspaper purposely trying to divert from the real issues and implying that it’s about the Government wanting to close the entity.
The question must be asked of the Kaieteur News, how does an issue of alleged tax evasion and abuse of some benefits of the re-migrant scheme be deemed an attack on freedom of expression?
Similar recent concoctions by the Kaieteur News resulted when it maliciously published misinformation regarding logging protocols by a foreign company. The facts presented by the relevant agency exposed the newspaper’s proclivity to publish biased and unsubstantiated reports.
The Kaieteur News needs to be reminded that it was established under the PPP/C-led Government which restored freedom of expression to this country after decades on oppression imposed by the dictatorial People’s National Congress (PNC) regime.
During that oppressive reign, many were jailed and
some lost their lives in the struggle to freely express themselves. Then there were only two daily newspapers, three private television stations and the Government TV and radio channels.
Today, there are four established daily newspapers, over 15 private television
in the process. The record of the PPP/C and the Government it leads in defence of press freedom and freedom of expression is unmatched in our nation.
Secondly, the Kaieteur News is now calling on the Guyanese public to stand by it on the face of what it
tion by the Opposition condoning illegalities.
Many Guyanese, including Government and party officials, have in the past condemned the newspaper for its unethical and unprofessional journalism which is being used to assassinate and smear peoples’ charac-
stations, some 10 private radio stations and numerous online news entities, most of them owned privately.
Journalists, columnists and commentators, on a daily basis, freely express themselves without any semblance of fear which permeated the landscape under the PNC dictatorship. The fact that this freedom of expression has now become engrained in our society is testimony to the tenets of democracy that prevails.
Guyanese must be cognisant of these attempts by the Kaieteur News to deceive and not allow themselves to be hoodwinked
sees as an attempt to close its operations. We believe that this is clearly a desperate effort by the newspaper to evoke sympathy.
What is even more astonishing is the automatic show of support by the Opposition regarding the newspaper’s fabrication.
While this is unsurprising given the newspaper’s role in propagating and defending the Opposition, some questions therefore must be asked. Is the Opposition saying that it supports the evasion of taxes by an individual or entity as alleged? If that’s the case, then it’s another demonstra-
ters. Our party must ask if this is what the Opposition supports. The PPP/C remains cognisant of the prevailing freedom of expression within our country and, as such, respects the Opposition’s right to support anything it chooses including alleged unlawful activities.
However, in so doing, the Opposition has once again demonstrated its engrained propensity for such actions and to remain hypocritical.
Submitted by PPP/C, Freedom House
One of the vehicles which were seized as part of the investigations into Glenn Lall's alleged criminal activity
A girl fixes an origami yellow umbrella – a symbol of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests – to a collection next to the Government offices in China’s region (BBC News)
Some interesting facts about those who claim to be the
guardian of people’s rights
Dear Editor,
He claims to be the guardian of our democracy, championing the people’s rights. He markets himself as one who is obligated to speak the truth as published in the daily newspaper Kaieteur News.
Someone even penned: “Thanks to the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Kaieteur News for saving Guyana.” These are some of the lofty and noble accolades laid at the feet of Glenn Lall.
Even the Government which he constantly slanders had great things to say about him. A former President lauded the man for his great business initiative coming from “very humble beginnings, others should emulate him... he is giving back to the people”. Such are the glowing tributes that keep pouring in on Lall.
Now, I would like to dwell a little on the aspect of him giving back to the people. One of the factors that led to his greatness is his so called altruism, giving back to the people – people here being interpreted as those who read his newspaper on a regular basis.
I know of a Christian family member who religiously buys that newspaper every day. His views go like this: “Bro Addie that is the newspaper with the
truth.” Well, I am not so sure of the truth – whatever that is. I am more inclined to go for the fact that Glenn Lall is all about the money, it is all about the money in this whole affair.
Lall knows fully well that he is in a constituency of the main Opposition where there are over 100,000 hungry readers waiting to gobble up every news item against the Government they so despise. So why not cater to their needs? I must admit also, that he has done an awfully great job in catering to the needs of “the people” so much that he has made mega-millions off of them.
And who would deny his hard work in exposing the PPP/C’s Government’s wrongdoings. He has had an impeccable record as a newspaper that stands up to the Government. This is something Lall should be grateful to the Government of the day for, that is, accommodating him.
Because, in the times of the PNC no newspaper, I repeat, no newspaper, or its Editor, could have written anything adverse of the Government and survived. I guarantee your Editor and newspaper would have seen a sure demise.
So, this is my point: This “speaker of the truth” and
“guardian of the people” hasn’t been honest to the people whom he claims to represent. He has been robbing the poor taxpayer of this country blind.
He has not been forthcoming with the people in returning to them what is due to them. Not paying your taxes while raping the economy in millions of unpaid duties is a grave crime against the people, something that has to be dealt with in the severest of fashion.
I would also like the presiding Magistrate to order the revocation of his firearm licence. A man who has carried out the vigilante killing of a human being and openly threatens another should not be the holder of a firearm, period.
In the first place a person with such propensities should not be in our midst. So, one of the things that I am suggesting to law enforcement is the withdrawal of his firearm licence.
Glenn Lall and his compatriot Freddie Kissoon often quote the USA and the way the people of that noble country conduct their affairs. Well, it seems they have conveniently forgotten the way the US treats citizens who deliberately defraud the IRS?
We do not have to go very far but look next door
in Antigua and the Allan Stanford matter and see how they dealt with him. I shudder to think what would have become of Glenn Lall were he a citizen of the US and guilty of committing such massive fraud? I know for sure he wouldn’t be walking free and easy as he does in Guyana.
It all goes to show how some of the rich and influential in our midst behave. They are not content with their rich estate, they are rabidly consumed with greed that they even want to live free.
Pay no taxes, no duties, pay nothing at all only to live free. Their motto is get as much as and as long as you can. This consummate obsession with wealth has caused him to trample on the poor hardworking taxpayer.
Simply put, if you want to drive around in a Lexus then pay for it! It is as simple as that, do not rob the people of Guyana their fair share of its taxes.
To sum it up, the Glenn Lall and Raphael Trotman story are prime examples of the glaring excesses of the rich and powerful. We cannot allow this to happen here we must correct this lawlessness right now.
Sincerely,
Neil Adams
Public Works Ministry will not condone congestion, distractions on roadways
Dear Editor, “Water vendors” who had occupied the Vlissengen/ Irving/Lamaha intersection were removed by the Public Works Ministry on October 9. The vendors, who had occupied this major traffic light junction had moved rapidly from water selling to adding “sweet drinks “ and “snack selling” at this critical area creating significant and growing congestion, safety risks and litter. Not only had the number of
sellers increased but also the variety of trade they plied at the intersection.
The Public Works Ministry has previously denied occupation of this intersection by fruit vendors, fish sellers and vagrants. The vagrants used the area for open cooking, resting, panhandling and bathing.
The Ministry of Public Works would like to reiterate that it will not condone congestion and distractions on the roadways and intersections, particularly with
respect to declared public roads and traffic light intersections – such activity is illegal.
Further, the Public Works Ministry calls on the general public particularly commuters to work with the Guyana Police Force and the Ministry to improve safety and efficiency on the road networks.
The Ministry’s action does not interfere with vendors who “walk and sell” –once they do not constitute a traffic hazard.
Help educate all around you about Ebola
Dear Editor, This was released in the USA. The Ebola outbreak is putting all of us at risk. Please help educate all around you by sending this message to all your contacts.
What is Ebola? It’s a virus that attacks a person’s blood system. Ebola is what scientists call a haemorraghic fever – it operates by making its victims bleed from almost anywhere on their bodies. Usually victims bleed to death.
Ebola is highly contagious and is transmitted via contact with body fluids such as blood, sweat, saliva, semen or other body discharges. Ebola is however not an airborne virus!
Extremely deadly: About 90 per cent of people who catch Ebola will die from it. It’s one of the deadliest diseases in the world, killing in just a few weeks.
No cure: Ebola has no known cure. Victims are usually treated for symptoms with the faint hope that they recover.
Aneka Edwards Public Relations Officer Public Works Ministry
How do I know someone has Ebola? Fever, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, joint and muscle pains. Stomach pain. Lack of appetite.
Protect yourself: Wash your hands with soap. Do this often. You can also use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser. Avoid unnecessary physical contact with people. Restrict yourself to food you prepared yourself. Disinfect your surroundings. The virus cannot survive disinfectants, heat, direct sunlight, detergents and soaps. Clean up: Fumigate if you have pests. Rodents can be carriers of Ebola. Fumigate your environment and dispose of the carcasses properly! Dead bodies can still transmit Ebola. Don’t touch them without protective gear or better yet avoid them altogether.
Protect yourself: Use protective gear if you must care or go near someone you suspect has Ebola. Report: Report any suspicious symptoms in yourself or anyone else immediately. Do not delay!
Educate everyone: Tell your neighbours, colleagues and domestic staff (anyone really). Basically you’re safer when everyone is educated.
Submitted by,
Ravie Deonarine
Page Foundation
Ebola is spread through close physical contact with infected people. This is a problem for many in the West African countries currently affected by the outbreak, as practices around religion and death involve close physical contact.
Hugging is a normal part of religious worship in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and across the region the ritual preparation of bodies for burial involves washing, touching and kissing. Those with the highest status in society are often charged with washing and preparing the body. For a woman this can include braiding the hair, and for a man shaving the head.
If a person has died from Ebola, their body will have a very high viral load. Bleeding is a usual symptom of the disease prior to death. Those who handle the body and come into contact with the blood or other body fluids are at greatest risk of catching the disease.
MSF has been trying to make peo-
ple aware of how their treatment of dead relatives might pose a risk to themselves. It is a very difficult mes-
What precautions should I take?
* Avoid contact with Ebola patients and their bodily fluids, the WHO advises. Do not touch anything – such as shared towels – which could have become contaminated in a public place.
* Carers should wear gloves and protective equipment, such as masks, and wash their hands regularly.
* The WHO also warns against consuming raw bush meat and any contact with infected bats or monkeys and apes. Fruit bats in particular are considered a delicacy in the area of Guinea where the outbreak started.
* In March, Liberia’s Health
sage to get across. All previous outbreaks were much smaller and occurred in places where Ebola was already known – in Uganda and the DR Congo for example. In those places, the education message about avoiding contact has had years to enter the collective consciousness. In West Africa, there simply has not been the time for the necessary cultural shift.
Ebola has already claimed the lives of dozens of doctors and nurses in the Ebola-hit region, including Sierra Leone’s only virologist and Ebola expert, Sheik Umar Khan. This has put a further strain on the health services of these West African states, which have long faced a shortage of doctors and hospitals. (Excerpt from BBC News)
Minister advised people to stop having sex, in addition to existing advice not to shake hands or kiss. The WHO says men can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to seven weeks after recovering from Ebola.
* There are no vaccines, though some are being tested, along with new drug therapies. The WHO ruled in August that untested drugs can be used to treat patients in light of the scale of the current outbreak.
* The experimental drug ZMapp has been used to treat several people who contracted Ebola: Two US aid workers and a Briton have recovered after taking it but a Liberian doctor and a Spanish priest have died.
– researchers uncover higher risk for SIDS, suffocation
BY BY TARA HAELLE
One of the most dangerous places for a sleeping baby is a sofa, according to a new study.
Of nearly 8000 infant sleeping deaths in the United States, researchers found that about 12 per cent were sofa-related. And nearly three-quarters of those infants were newborns.
“It was shocking that one in eight [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome] SIDS and infant sleep-related deaths occurs on a sofa,” said study co-author, Dr Jeffrey Colvin, a Paediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. “Sofas don’t even come to mind when people think of places where infants sleep. The proportion was much, much higher than I ever could have guessed.”
SIDS refers to sudden infant death syndrome – an apparently healthy baby’s unexplained death that usually occurs during sleep. Approximately 4000 babies die of SIDS each year in the United States, though the rate halved in the early 1990s after paediatricians began encouraging parents to place babies to sleep on their backs.
The new study found that infants who died sleeping on a sofa were nearly twice as likely to die from suffocation or strangulation as babies who died sleeping elsewhere. Among those infants, 40 per cent died due to suffocation or strangulation, 36 per cent had an undetermined cause of death and 24 per cent died from SIDS.
Colvin and his colleagues looked at more than 7900 infant
sleeping deaths reported over an eight-year period in 24 states. About half of these deaths occurred in an adult bed, and one in five occurred in a crib. But the researchers focused on the approximately 1000 sofa deaths.
The findings were published online October 13 in the journal Paediatrics.
The vast majority of the babies who died on sofas were three months old or younger. And several other characteristics distinguished these deaths from infant sleep deaths on other surfaces, according to the report.
Babies who died on a sofa were over six times more likely to be sleeping in a new place compared to babies who died on adult beds or in their cribs. This implies that falling asleep on a sofa may have been accidental, said Dr Cigal Shaham, an attending physician at CedarsSinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles.
“Infants often end up sleeping on the sofa because one parent is trying to feed the baby without disturbing the other parent, or they think they will watch TV or do something while they are up with the baby in the middle of the night, but then they unintentionally fall asleep out of exhaustion,” she said.
The study also found that babies who died while asleep on the sofa were about twice as likely to be sleeping with someone else compared to babies who died sleeping in other places.
“In nearly 90 per cent of the sofa deaths, the infant was sharing the sofa with an adult,” Colvin said. “With such little room and the likelihood that the infant would have been placed between the adult and the back cushions, it is not hard to imagine that an infant could become accidentally suffocated by either the adult or the cushions,” he said.
In other situations, however, the parents or other caregiver may not have realised the sofa was an unsafe place for a baby as long as they were nearby.
“They may be trying to work or clean or cook, and they think they can keep an eye on the baby if the baby is on the sofa,” Shaham said. “But the sofa is so dangerous for infants because it is soft, which means the infant can suffocate more easily, and it often slopes so babies can roll onto their stomachs, roll between the couch and the back cushions or even roll off the sofa.”
Babies who died on the sofa were also more likely to have other risk factors for SIDS or other infant sleeping deaths than babies who died elsewhere, according to the study.
For example, the mothers of infants who died on sofas were about 40 per cent more likely to have smoked during pregnancy than mothers of infants who died elsewhere.
Infants who died in their sleep on the sofa were more likely to be Caucasian and found on their side – another SIDS risk factor – compared to babies who died in other places. (WebMd)
New GWI campaign targets rate defaulters
In an effort to improve customer relations and reduce the number of defaulting customers, the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) on Tuesday announced that it will be embarking on a “Free Pass” campaign where errant customers will be granted amnesty.
GWI customers with varying levels of defaults will be able to turn a new page with the company. This is according to the company’s Customer Service Manager Jeanette Thomas, who said “the nation’s supplier of water and sanitation services is offering domestic customers the opportunity to reconnect their water service free of cost under a new campaign titled the “GWI Free Pass”.
The Free Pass campaign commences today, Wednesday, October 15, and will run until November 29. During this period, domestic customers who were disconnected can apply at any GWI
commercial office for a “GWI Free Pass” which would entitle them to a reconnected service without paying the usual $6000 reconnection free.
‘Free Pass’ Further, Thomas pointed out that the Free Pass also applies to domestic customers whose service connections were entirely removed for large debts to the company. Customers who would
be required to pay $25,000 as a penalty for illegally reconnecting their service will also receive exemptions under the “GWI Free Pass” programme. In addition, customers whose entire service were removed for tampering can save $10,000 with the “GWI Free Pass” for the replacement of their water service.
It was noted that the main objective of the “GWI
Guyanese firms cash in on
The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) on Monday hosted a grant procurement workshop for five companies in Guyana who were recently awarded some €119,000 (GY$38.9 million) in grant funding through
Caribbean Export Competitiveness and Innovation Manager
the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme (DAGS) as part of the Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP).
The workshop, held in the boardroom of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, saw the participation of Amazon Caribbean Guyana
Limited, Eco Woods, Edward B Beharry and Company Limited, Parika Sawmills Limited, and Superior Shingles and Wood Product Incorporated, all recipients of the grant.
GCCI President Lance Hinds said the Caribbean Export has, over the years, been providing financial and technical support to businesses across the Region that wish to improve their competitiveness and potential.
He said the Chamber was concerned about five years ago that there was not enough Guyanese companies taking the opportunities to participate in the procurement process, “so we began to actively engage in the Caribbean Export to seek to improve that exercise. We have seen our efforts bear some fruit, with applications for regular and accelerated grant; an increase from one in 2010 to 19 at the last call for proposals,” Hinds told the small gathering.
Hinds said while more work must be done in this regard, the GCCI was thrilled by the interest shown by local firms. “We will, however, continue to work with Caribbean Export to build
Free Pass” campaign is to facilitate customers with a chance to settle all arrears before the company begins its end-of-the-year countrywide disconnection. “We urge all disconnected customers and those with illegal connections to apply for the “GWI Free Pass” and avoid paying additional money in penalty fees,” Thomas underscored.
The Manager said:
$38.9M
“The programme is being launched prior to the company’s annual large-scale countrywide disconnection campaign, which commences December 1, to provide disconnected customers with the opportunity to pay all outstanding arrears without the burden of reconnection or tampering fees.”
The GWI Manager explained that after November 29, all penalties will be in ef-
fect.
“Most disconnected customers find it extremely hard to pay all arrears plus penalty fees which can be as high as G$25,000… hence we are urging every disconnected customer to apply for a “GWI Free Pass”, while it is still available,” Thomas said.
Following the “GWI Free Pass” promotion, the company will embark on a heightened countrywide disconnection campaign which will employ the use of Enforcement Teams.
“It is vital that persons with illegal services apply for the “GWI Free Pass” now, stated Thomas. “Our Enforcement Teams will be policing communities from December 1 and removing all illegal services as well as those services which were illegally reconnected. This is a chance for these customers to regularise their GWI service with zero penalty payments required,” he contended.
Caribbean Export grants
Beneficiaries at the workshop
the awareness and encourage more companies to participate in future calls.”
According to the Chamber President, the objective behind the workshop was to take the qualified firms through the second stage.
“Now that you are a fullblown beneficiary, there are some critical rules and regulations that must be applied, so that when you spend your money you could be able to get your refunds efficiently.
“So the idea of this workshop is to brief everyone on what you have to do with your accounts, your finances, how you restructure yourself a bit to make sure that you get those refunds.”
Hinds said companies
have found themselves in a “competitiveness process”. He noted that companies have already gone through making sure that the concept they put forward in their proposals were attractive and made sense to the evaluators.
Caribbean Export Competitiveness and Innovation Manager Christopher McNair said the company has been working with the GCCI for over five years now.
turn to page 9
Public Relations Officer (PRO) Timothy Austin along with Billings and Revenue Control Manager Julie Ragnauth; Customer Service Manager Jeanette Thomas; and Executive Director of Finance Jaigopaul Ram
Christopher McNair addressing the small gathering
Serial offender gets 3 years for break and enter
Twenty-four-year-old Gary Khandai was on Tuesday morning sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted on a break and enter and larceny charge.
Khandai stood in the docks of Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine- Beharry’s courtroom at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
He was found guilty of breaking and entering the office of Attorney-at-Law Emily Dodson between October 11 and October 12, and stealing therein two Dell computers valued $300,000; one toilet set valued $30,000; one wheelbarrow valued $15,000; one stabiliser valued $26,000; and one web camera valued $2000 – a total of $373,000 in Dodson’s property.
ly, Your Worship. The Police come and pick me up from off the road and took me to the Georgetown Hospital.”
The defendant then told the court that he did not break into the office, but was guilty of fetching the items out of the office. He said that he was paid $500 by two unidentified men. The Chief Magistrate then told Khandai that he can be charged for larceny, in that case.
The hypocrisy...
...of the media circus
TThe Police Prosecutor, Inspector Michael Grant then told the Court that the items were recovered.
Khandai objected to the facts read in the court and stuck to his story which he related to the court. He said he was at the corner of Thomas Street when two strangers began to beat him severely. “Dem beat me bad till they bruk up me foot and so I can’t even walk proper-
On the day in question, October 11, the Virtual Complainant (VC) secured her office by the necessary means and left the aforementioned articles intact. The following day around 09:00h, the defendant was seen exiting the compound of the VC with the aforementioned articles. Two public-spirited citizens saw the defendant and called the Police. When the Police arrived, the defendant was told of the offence, arrested, and subsequently charged.
The man was silent upon hearing what the Chief Magistrate said. The Prosecutor was then asked to give an account of the defendant’s past brushes with the law. He told the court that Khandai was convicted several times for the same offence and was released in February, which the defendant denied. He told the court that he was indeed jailed for larceny, but just twice. He related the circumstances behind his last brush with the law to the Court. He explained that his wife and he had an argument and as a result of that, he stole her rub among other items.
He was then sentenced by the court.
Battery thief jailed for 6 months
Standing in the courtroom docks of Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine- Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday morning was Wesley Ferdinand to face a charge of simple larceny.
It was alleged that on September 23 at Croal Street, Georgetown, he stole one car battery valued $17,000 which belonged to Virtual Complainant (VC) Anika Jacobs.
The defendant accepted the charge laid against him, but told the court that
he “thought” the battery did not belong to anyone since it was on the roadside. However, according to the prosecution, the battery was at the VC’s stall.
Police Prosecutor, Inspector Michael Grant told the court that the facts were as charged and that the item was recovered. He related that the defendant has been implicated in four similar matters and has been convicted as well.
The Chief Magistrate then sentenced Ferdinand to six months’ imprisonment.
he Stabber came out with an Editorial that’s so unctuous, they made Uriah Heep look like a Drill Sergeant. Commenting on the media circus over the viral video of the school children making out in their school uniforms, they claimed they’d been “reminded of the weakness of the libertarian theory of the media”. Which, they said, was “often prone to ruinous recklessness...(and) can be risky in a society”.
How much more hypocritical can you get?? The Stabber’s been part of the vicious tag team with the Muckraker and the rest of the Opposition to rip apart the fabric of the society by advocating the Constitutional Order be abrogated.
These are the people who used the libertarian theory of the media to go after the Government so mercilessly, it’s a wonder guillotines have not been erected around Stabroek Market. And they’re now crying crocodile tears about some children letting their hormones get the better of them??
Fact of the matter is, you can’t just preach an expedient observance of the rules of the society. Children see the hypocrisy of the adults around them. Take the Stabber’s take on the alleged tax fraud committed by the owner of the Muckraker. They know Glenn Lall is blowing smoke up someone’s behind, with his cries about the GRA out to “ruin” him. Even if the tax guy was sharing out information of the media’s figures – he kept mum on the Muckrakers’, didn’t he??
What’s to ruin??
And just look at the media circus around Glenn Lall that the Stabber gave such extensive coverage. This “support” was so obviously orchestrated that it wasn’t even funny. But not a word. All the local suspects were present – Benschop, Lewis....But hold it!! Where was Kissoon?? Was he banished by his “Boss Man” after he pointed out the fella was too cheap to hire proofreaders?? But back to the moral hypocrisy of the Stabber.
What’s their proposal to correct the “weakness of the libertarian theory of the media”?? When the General Secretary of the PPP/C Clement Rohee suggested that there
ought to be some kind of “media regulation” to keep the Muckraker and the Stabber from destroying the reputations of everyone they disagreed with, the Stabber hoped that this was “totalitarianism”.
So does the Stabber think that a responsible press will arise out of their whimper of “kids gone wild”?
The truth of the matter is that even in the Stabber’s “motherland” – jolly old England – they’ve had to impose media regulations to stanch the excesses represented by the hacking of phone calls by Murdoch. So is the Stabber going to call for the same after Glenn Lall’s hacking of GRA’s emails??
...on paedophilia
This Eyewitness is returning to the allegations of paedophilia made by the young man Welshman against Speaker Trotman. He’s doing so because he’s just appalled by the stance of the legal community and all the other “do gooders” out there – individuals and organisations. This Eyewitness cannot believe that the GHRA, for instance, can maintain such a deafening silence at this horror story that occurred right in their neighbourhood.
This is out and out hypocrisy. We’d expected the lawyerly top heavy AFC would rally around Trotman. After he’s a “founder leader” and if he goes down, they go down! This isn’t just hypocrisy; it’s survival by whatever means necessary. We also didn’t expect anything different from APNU. Didn’t Granger choose Trotman for the Speakership??
But what’s hurtful is that even those folks who cry out for the brutalised dogs in the streets have been silent on the cries of this young man. Just because the perpetrator of his pain is a “big one”.
***Don’t cry for Welshman, Guyana. Weep***.
...on Sarwan
Did you read the cri de coeur from Ramnaresh Sarwan? How could Guyanese allow this player to be used, abused and discarded by Cricket Guyana Inc??
Gary Khandai
Wesley Ferdinand
No Ebola monitoring at Ogle Airport
… plan expected to be activated today after query
By Alexis Rodney
Weeks after it was disclosed that all of the country’s ports were on high alert to screen visitors for the Ebola virus, Guyana Times found out on Tuesday that there was actually no monitoring at the Ogle International Airport (OIA), which began receiving international flights last year.
Following this newspaper’s enquiry, a source at the airport said that the Health Ministry has collaborated with the Public Works Ministry and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority to establish a committee which will today implement strategies to combat Ebola virus, should passengers coming through that port be found to be infected.
any outbreak of the virus here, questions have been asked about Guyana’s capacity to detect and treat any suspected case of the disease.
Officer attached to the Port Health Office of the CJIA, Jeffery Morris told Guyana Times on Monday that Government is in the process of setting up the unit at a selected area at the airport.
According to the source, although there is a Port Health Office at the airport, and although there are a number of daily international flights at the airport, there is currently no surveillance activity for the Ebola virus being carried out there.
ing Suriname, with LIAT bringing about four flights per week from Barbados.
The source confirmed that there are daily flights from Lethem, bringing travellers from Brazil to the airport. Flights also come in from neighbour-
The source said that surveillance for this virus is an “absolutely necessary requirement”, given the condition in which it has left countries around the globe.
Guyanese firms cash in...
One of the objectives, he noted, has been to discover ways through which the Caribbean Export could work with Guyanese firms to build their capacity training and to write better proposals which would reflect the projects that they require funding for.
“We are not satisfied with that; we will continue to work with companies in Guyana to improve those numbers. We want to get it across that it is not all good and well.”
The training session was carried out by Caribbean Export Senior Adviser Kirk Brown. Since 2011, during the 10th European Development Fund, Caribbean Export had issued two calls for proposals. The latter of the two was released in January of this year and received some 341 applications from across the region. The five Guyanese firms listed had on this occasion been rewarded
grants with a cumulative value of €119,000.
The objective of the Scheme is to open new markets, in particular to capitalise on the benefits of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA); Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME); Caricom Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and
Port Health Officers at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) had said that Government is soon to set up its first ever isolation unit and tent there, even as it continues in its effort to prevent the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
from page 7
other bilateral or multilateral arrangements signed within the region or with African Caribbean and Pacific or European Union Partners. The DAGS also fosters intraregional cooperation to enhance productivity and capitalise on economies of scale, and promote programmes, which will impact on underdeveloped
from entering Guyana.
Based on information provided that doctors have been stationed at the country’s main Port of Entry to conduct surveillance activities on passengers coming in, and more recently that 1600 medical officers are set to receive training for
That special room will be used strictly for any suspected cases of Ebola from passengers coming into the country. He said the doctors working there carry out their duties during the night while Port Health Officers carry out similar activities during the day. These include screening and checks for any symptoms of the disease. He said while there have been no suspected cases so far, there is already a quarantine room at the airport, awaiting any eventualities.
areas or disadvantaged sectors within the region.
To date, Caribbean Export has awarded 475 Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Business Support Organisations (BSOs) across the region through direct assistance grants totalling €8,372,277.
The figures represent the Calls for Proposals
(CFPs) during the ninth European Development Fund programme. The DAGS is a reimbursement grant funding facility specifically designed to provide financial assistance to legally registered SMEs, individuals, and BSOs, with the potential to export their products and services.
Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Lance Hinds
As the country’s ports were on high alert to screen visitors for the Ebola virus, Guyana Times found out on Tuesday that there was actually no monitoring at the Ogle International Airport
GuySuCo still to reinstate sacked Skeldon worker
GAWU peeved
By Vahnu Manikchand
Following conciliato-
ry talks between the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle has recommended that the dismissal of mill dock operator Stephen Daniel be rescinded and he be re-instated to his post at the Skeldon Estate Factory.
Guyana Times understands that the recommendation was made on October 1 during the second conciliatory meeting.
According to information received, Ogle further recommended that Daniel be paid for the period he was on suspension and that his service record remains intact.
However, GuySuCo, at the time, had requested some time before it responded but two weeks later, it was yet to do so.
GAWU President Komal Chand expressed disappointment at the slothfulness with which GuySuCo was responding to the recommendations.
Chand pointed out that the matter should be treated with urgency given the losses incurred by all parties during the strike action last month in Berbice.
He noted that the delay by the sugar company has already caused some problems at Skeldon.
The GAWU President explained that if the Corporation does not respond in due time, then there is a possibility that workers may restart strike action again.
“We are also taken aback, the recommendation is straightforward and the matter has been fully aired and ventilated, and there could be no reason for GuySuCo not to provide an answer that he accepts the recommendations or not, so that the matter can proceed to the next level, that is arbitration,” he stated.
Chand pointed out that this matter has already caused persons to lose electricity, workers, wages and GuySuCo, revenues during the strike.
“GuySuCo seems to be unconcerned about these things from the non-response so far and it would appear that the only way they would respond
Saving the free press
As a media hack, Satiricus was ecstatic he had the opportunity to be here – up close and personal – to see the saviour of the Guyana free press: Mook Lall. Satiricus was so happy other people recognised the works that this new great man was doing for the people. But that was what got him to here, no?? Hauled before the courts on charges of tax fraud.
Why was it so hard for the Government to believe that an old couple had worked and scraped all their lives – doing guard work and domestic live-in work – to buy two luxury SUVs now that they retired???
And why couldn’t they believe the old folks would return to Guyana to live and get the vehicles duty free ($100 million of “free”) - but give them to the Mook to drive around in?? Didn’t they believe that retired Guyanese old people – who had slaved all their lives – would give away two vehicles they’d bought for US$190,000 to the MOOK??
“What has the world come to?” Sobbed Satiricus as he glanced away from the Mook. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to gaze at the Mook all the time – it was just that the sun was shining off the Messiah of the media’s bald head so strongly, Satiricus feared for his sight.
“Didn’t these bureaucrats at the GRA think old pensioners valued a free press??” said Satiricus aloud, surprising the vagrants surrounding the Mook. They were told the Mook would share out sweeties from the factory he owned. Duty free.
“Of course, the old remigrants would help the Mook tool around in luxury vehicles!!” thought Satiricus. “The old folks loved the free press more than themselves.”
Satiricus was also surprised at his own newspaper. Here it was that the Mook’s Muckraker’s profits and tax figures hadn’t even been mentioned in the Case of the Hacked E-Mails. Satiricus hung his head in shame when he realised his own paper’s figures had been leaked. And the Mook was defending HIS paper when he talked about the Government going after newspapers. Satiricus sobbed some more at the sacrifice of the Mook.
He was saying his Muckraker was being persecuted, because he wanted to show solidarity with Satiricus’ newspaper. The Mook was definitely a Mahatma.
and have this matter resolved is if further actions by the workers are taken,” the Union head remarked.
In the event GuySuCo does not accept the recommendations made by the Chief Labour Officer of Labour Ministry, then the matter will go to arbitration, whereby an independent party investigating the incident and whatever decision or recommendation is made thereafter will be binding and both parties will have to adhere.
The entire issue stemmed from an altercation between the mill dock operator and a senior manager at the Skeldon Estate, which led to the dismissal of the worker and subsequent strike action.
Following five days of industrial action, the two parties finally agreed on a sixitem Terms of Resumption (ToRs) under the chairmanship of the Chief Labour Officer.
This resulted in the strike being called off and the dismissal of the mill dock operator being reversed and reduced to unpaid suspension.
During the first conciliatory discussion, both GAWU and GuySuCo made presentations on their respective sides on the matter. This newspa-
per understands GAWU had reportedly argued that the sugar company’s Code and Procedure policy was not followed when disciplinary actions were meted out to the worker; as such, the dismissal could not have stand.
Additionally, the Union pointed out that Daniel was not given a chance to relate his side of the incident.
On the other hand, GuySuCo maintained that the mill dock operator was disrespectful and had physically attacked the manager; hence, the decision of his dismissal is substantiated. The conciliatory discussion was then adjourned to October 1, when Ogle announced his recommendations.
On September 20, both factory and field workers from the Skeldon Estate took full strike action after the dismissal of Daniels, who reportedly verbally and physically abused a senior estate manager.
However, workers at the factory claimed that the manager was intoxicated and had provoked the mill dock operator who retaliated by hitting him. Daniels was subsequently issued with a dismissal letter the following day.
Mill dock operator
Stephen Daniel
Glenn Lall's alleged threats to Khurshid Sattaur...
Police to send file to DPP
Crime Chief Leslie James on Tuesday confirmed that the investigation into alleged threats made against Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur by Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall has been completed.
Speaking to Guyana Times, in a telephone interview, James related that while the investigation would have been completed, the file is being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali Hack for advice on what steps to take.
He said that thereafter, whatever advice is given by the DPP will be followed by the Guyana Police Force. Sattaur had told this newspaper that Lall had issued grave threats to him on the
phone following the publication of a story in which Lall was pinpointed in an alleged scam robbing the State of import duty on two luxury SUVs.
Sattaur told Guyana Times that Lall contacted him in an effort to intimidate him into not pursuing an investigation. But the GRA Head said all the threat did was to strengthen his resolve to get to the bottom of the issue.
“Lall called me from an overseas number and threatened to expose me; he threatened to deal with me in a matter, as if I’m a thief and he’s going to do this thing, because I am using my office to deal with the matters I normally deal with," Sattaur said.
Lall and his wife, Bhena, the owner of Bhena’s Footwear, were on Monday
arraigned in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on multiple tax evasion charges.
The charges alleged that between June 18, 2013 and September 20, 2013, at Lot 200-201 Camp Street, Georgetown, Demerara, a
Contracts worth $41M signed for cleanup exercise
As the “Clean Up Guyana” initiative continues, seven more contracts to the tune of $41, 809,512 were signed on Monday to cater for two of Georgetown’s main Municipal Markets to benefit from infrastructural rehabilitation.
The contracts were signed at the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry. In addition, as part of the Regional Solid Waste Programme, an access road to the landfill site in Region Six will be constructed.
Six contracts for market infrastructure improvement will see the desilting of internal drains at La Penitence Market; desilting of internal drains at Bourda Market; and desilting of Orange Walk Canal, Bourda, all of which were awarded to Mike Lall.
Geoffrey James Construction secured contracts for the rehabilitation of the Sanitary Block at La Penitence Market, the construction of a footpath along Saffon and Hunter Streets, and the construction of a Market Tarmac and Fence on Saffon and Hunter Streets.
As part of the “Regional Clean-Up” aspect, and to aid in the Regional Solid Waste Programme, Region Six is the first of five regions to benefit from rehabilitation/construction of access roads to the landfill sites. Associated Construction was awarded the contract to construct the access road to the landfill site in Belle Vue.
Voicing the expectation of timely completion of these works, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Norman Whittaker has commended work being done in the “Clean Up Guyana” initiative. He noted too that improving the aesthetics of the city has drawn many favourable comments from members of the pub-
lic. The Minister noted also that from the health aspect, the cleanup campaign has removed the menace of mosquito- borne diseases in the city and around the country.
He pointed out that clearing of areas in which mosquitoes breed has enabled this to be done, adding that assistance was also given by bringing the regions onboard through the provision of fogging machines.
Noting that progress has been made in the Georgetown cleanup, he expressed confidence that before the December 31 deadline, the exercise would be completed.
He, however, pondered on the means of sustaining the exercise. Minister Whittaker observed that this was the reason the Ministry has been working with the Georgetown City Council to have some of their vehicles fixed. He pointed out that the schedules set by the Council for cleaning the communities would thus be able to be kept. Operators of the trucks are also being helped in understanding their operations.
The Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) are also being provided with tractors and trailers and brush cutters, all in an effort aimed at building their capacity to maintain the villages falling under purview.
However, he warned that persons should themselves take responsibility and maintain it on their own.
The Minister observed that the use of $1 billion allocated for the country’s enhancement will be measured in maintaining the exercise. He noted that the public awareness part of the project would encourage this to be done.
Minister Whittaker also faced media questions on his sector and addressed several issues. On the topic of illegal vending, the Minister stated that because it poses a challenge, it should not be ignored. He insisted that it was not fair to pedestrians and other users of the road to have to deal with illegal vendors and the resultant blockage of traffic and dumping of garbage.
On the issue of Kitty Market, the Minister noted that while it has not factored in the project, several months ago the M&CC was asked for plans and an estimate regarding that market.
This was in an effort to offer support, he pointed out. Noting that while the city markets earn an average of $20 million monthly, it is left to be seen what percentage of earnings go back into maintenance of the markets.
place in the Georgetown Magisterial District, they made and subscribed to false declarations on two Lexus LX 570 motor vehicles to be US$44,158 respectively, contrary to Section 217 (1a) of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01.
They were also slapped with two counts of aiding and abetting in a conspiracy to defraud the Government of due taxes.
Lall and his wife, and Narootandeo and Gharbassi Brijnanan, the remigrant couple who imported the vehicles under the Government’s Remigrant Scheme, were represented by a host of attorneys, namely: Khemraj Ramjattan, Nigel Hughes, Joseph Harmon, Christopher Ram, Rex McKay, Bettina Glasford, Brendan Glasford,
and Robin Hunte.
Despite the Brijnanans being a no-show, the two couples were instructed to appear in Court Three on November 24.
Before and after the court hearing, Lall and his wife
waved and smiled to a small crowd, comprising mainly the regular fringe elements in society who are often seen in the company of the newspaper publisher, that had gathered reportedly in a show of support for him. In the past, Lall has often been known to pay these elements to turn up as a public display to show that he has broad-based support in the community. But it all appeared to be a sham, as Lall has used various bullying tactics to desperately avoid a court case.
Apart from allegedly threatening the GRA Commissioner General, ever since the charges were filed, Lall has reportedly threatened to blackmail Cabinet members if Government does not drop the tax fraud case.
Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall
GRA Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur
Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker and the various contractors for the Clean-up Guyana initiative
Guyana accredits new Turkish Ambassador
Guyana on Monday said it was ready to play its part in advancing the Caribbean Community’s (Caricom) relations with Turkey. This comment was made when President Donald Ramotar accredited newly appointed Turkish Ambassador to Guyana, Sule Oztunc at the Office of the President.
Oztunc during her accreditation speech vowed to do her best, and added that the Turkish Government is willing to work with Guyana to the mutual benefit of the two countries. The President said he was pleased to welcome the new Ambassador to Guyana, and expressed best wishes for the contin-
ued progress and prosperity of the people of Turkey.
President Ramotar expressed Guyana’s appreciation for its relationship with Turkey and said the two countries have collaborated on many issues.
“The emerging relationship with Caricom is one that will benefit all of our countries,” the President opined. He expressed appreciation for the tangible contribution Turkey has made to the Caribbean Development Fund.
The bilateral engagement between Turkey and Guyana, the President said, has allowed for collective collaboration on several cooperation programmes. The
Head of State told the new Ambassador, “I am confident that your accreditation to Guyana will provide further opportunities for us to explore avenues to deepen and strengthen our relations.” Both countries have common areas of developmental interest. Like Turkey, Guyana is committed to realising an international agenda that promotes peace, security and stability. In recent years Turkey has been increasing its contacts with many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and is ready and willing to contribute to the development efforts of the people of Guyana. Further, Ambassador Oztunc said
Turkey is committed to achieving peaceful relations among nations and pledges its every effort aimed at improving international climate and finding peaceful settlements to these problems.
She said Turkey expresses its gratitude for the support it received from Guyana for its thrust for a seat on the United Nations Security Council for the term 2015/2016. The vote, to take place in the General Assembly on October 16, is for the 10 non-permanent seats on the 15-member Council. Turkey needs to get two thirds of the votes – 129 out of 193 – to be able to win a non-permanent seat. (GINA)
New NA parking system angers Berbice bus operators
Minibus drivers plying the Number 63 route (New Amsterdam /Moleson Creek) are livid over a new parking system put in place by the Berbice Traffic Department at New Amsterdam.
The department has instructed that the operators use Mathew Allen Road (Stelling Road) in New Amsterdam as a park; hence, buses plying that route will no longer be allowed to use Ali’s Gas Station and some sections on the pavement in New Amsterdam as the Corentyne Bus Park.
Officer-in-Charge of Traffic, B Division (Berbice), Assistant Superintendent Budhnarine Persaud said this was to restore order and ease congestion in the town of New Amsterdam. The new system allows for a “turn system”. However, some drivers have objected to the new system, saying that they have to wait too long to make a trip. Some drivers say the new system will allow for each of the two dozen buses plying the route to make two trips per day. This, others argue against, saying that persons only leave New Amsterdam for the Corentyne during
the peak periods of the day and hence persons along the Corentyne will have to wait for periods in order to get a bus to travel.
Teething pains
On Tuesday, Guyana Times visited Fyrish and had to wait for 45 minutes to get a bus coming from New Amsterdam. At another stop at Kilcoy Village, the wait was close to one hour. However, during those periods, there were cars available. None of the cars, however, were going all the way to Corriverton.
Some residents complained of a slight increase in the time they had to wait on a bus since the new system was introduced on Monday. According to Persaud, the new system will result in a result in a reduction of road accidents and will make the roads in East Berbice safer. “When a bus leaves New Amsterdam, the driver will no longer be speeding down the road, because another bus is coming behind or to get past the one in front.”
He said that in the past, passengers have complained of being harassed when trying to get a bus either at Corriverton or New
Amsterdam. “This new system will put a dent in touting, because conductors will no longer have the urge to be pulling and tugging at passengers … They will now be able to walk into a minibus hassle-free,” Persaud boasted.
However on Tuesday, some drivers who were parked in the line say that they had been there for more than three hours. “This ain’t making any sense. You park up all day,” one driver noted.
Some drivers were also seen leaving the back of the line and starting their journey. One such driver who asked not to be mentioned said that he left New Amsterdam and went to Corriverton and was now back in New Amsterdam while some of the buses were still in the line.
In an attempt to assist the minibus operators, the Assistant Superintendent has put a ban on hire cars parking in the vicinity on Matthew Allen Road. That area was previously used illegally by hire car operators plying the New Amsterdam/ Rose Hall Town route. Persaud, who met with some of the bus drivers on Tuesday to iron out some of their con-
Contractor commits suicide at Affiance home
An Affiance Village, Essequibo Coast man ended his life on Tuesday morning.
Dead is 49-year-old Chandra Deo. His body was discovered around 06:30h hanging from his storeroom. The discovery was made by his son.
According to a relative, the man’s wife woke on Tuesday morning and did not see her husband, so she sent her son to look for him.
Searches were conducted and his body was discovered hanging from a rafter in the store-room.
Family members are unclear as to reason that led Deo to take his own life. He was a well known contractor for the Region Two administration.
Following the discovery, the Police were summoned and the body was taken down from the rafter. Deo leaves to mourn his five children and wife.
Five Guyanese firms receive grants from Caribbean Export agency
The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) is reported to have awarded some €296,000 in grant funding to Guyanese firms to date, via the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme (DAGS), as part of the Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP), funded by the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF).
hance productivity and capitalise on economies of scale; and promote programmes, which will impact on underdeveloped areas or disadvantage sectors within the Region.
cerns, advised that the operators establish a code of conduct. He explained that this will eliminate some of their concerns.
He told this publication that the park at Corriverton will also be regularised very soon. However, before that is done, he will focus his attention on the Number 50 zone (Rosignol/Georgetown) park at Rosignol to implement a similar system.
Prosecution
Bus operators plying the 63 A zone (Moleson Creek/ Georgetown) who continue to collect passengers along the Corentyne Highway will face prosecution for breach of road service licences. This announcement has been welcomed by the zone 63 operators. “When they pick up passengers along the route affects two routes: 63 and 50. All they have to do is to apply for a change of road service.” Persaud noted.
Meanwhile on September 8, the Region Six Road Safety Association was resuscitated and since then has been making recommendations to the traffic department. There has only been one death on the roadway since then, Persaud said.
Since 2011, during the 10th EDF the Agency has issued two Calls for Proposals (CFP). The latter of the two was released in January of this year and received 341 applications from across the Region. Five Guyanese firms have been awarded grants on this occasion with a cumulative value of 119,000 Euros. They are: Amazon Caribbean Guyana Limited, Eco Woods, Edward B Beharry and Company Limited, Parika Sawmills Limited and Superior Shingles and Wood Product Incorporated.
According to a release, the objective of the Scheme is to open new markets, in particular, to capitalise on the benefits of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), Caricom Single Market Economy (CSME), Caricom-DR Free Trade Agreement (FTA) or any other bilateral or multilateral arrangements signed within the Region or with African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) or European Union (EU) partners. The Direct Assistance Grant Scheme also fosters intraregional cooperation to en-
To date, Caribbean Export has awarded 475 SMEs and business support organisations (BSO) across the Region via direct assistance grants totalling €8,372,277.82. These figures represent the CFPs during the 9th European Development Fund Caribbean Trade and Private Sector Development Programme (CTPSDP: 20082010), and the 10th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme (2011-2014).
The DAGS is a reimbursement grant funding facility specifically designed to provide financial assistance to legally registered small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), individuals, and BSOs with the potential to export their products and services. Caribbean Export is a regional export development and trade and investment promotion organisation of the Forum of Caribbean States (CARIFORUM) currently executing the Regional Private Sector Development Programme funded by the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund Caribbean Export’s mission is to increase the competitiveness of Caribbean countries by providing quality export development and trade and investment promotion services through effective programme execution and strategic alliances.
President Donald Ramotar, acting Foreign Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, newly appointed Turkish Ambassador Sule Oztunc (left of President Ramotar), Director General, Foreign Affairs Ministry Elisabeth Harper and Chief of Protocol, Foreign Affairs Ministry Esther Griffith
Chandra Deo
Young lawyers committed to lifting standards of the Bar
Two young lawyers have committed to lifting the standards of the local Bar shortly after being admitted to practice law in this country.
In an emotional ceremony before Chief Justice Ian Chang and a packed court room, Folio Richards, winner of the Royal Bank of Canada Probate Prize was admitted to practice law in the courts of Guyana on Monday.
In her speech, which at times brought tears to some in the court room, Richards told the audience and Chief Justice Chang of her especially trying times and challenges. She spoke of growing up in a small wooden cottage in Sisters’ Village, West Bank Demerara, where when it rained containers were placed inside to capture water from the leaky roof.
Richards remembered studying for common entrance exams (now the National Grade Six Assessment) using a kerosene lamp and sharing one
work, even for him, to remember the hard work put in by one’s parents to help them get where they are today. He told Richards that her journey to this point was primarily academic and it had brought her “to the foot of the mountain”, where the practice of law was going to begin. He told her that while the University of Guyana and the Hugh Wooding Law School had brought her knowledge, practice was about being able to apply the law and knowledge. He reminded her several times about the importance of conceptual understanding needed in the proper application of law practice.
Richards’ petition was presented by former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Senior Counsel Keith Massiah. In his presentation, he told the court that Richards was the youngest of five children, at age 28. She had attended the Good Intent Nursery School and Wales Primary School where she wrote the Common
bed with several family members. But despite these challenges, Richards reiterated, she did not allow herself to be marred by these trials. “I refused to feel sorry for myself and instead focused on being a victor. I refused to fall into the trap of fatalism and the entitlement mentality; and instead embraced the spirit of hard work”, as emulated by her parents, she said.
She pointed out that as a result of a causal but inspiring meeting with Madam Justice Desiree Bernard, when she was just eight years old, it sparked something in her and from that day forward, “I never stopped wanting to be a lawyer.” It is important then, Richards said, for parents to expose their children to positive role models. She told the gathering that as an attorney and an officer of the justice system, she will endeavour to always make her contribution to the proper and effective functioning of the system, “and I know my colleagues do the same,” she said.
In offering some words of recommendation, suggestions and advice, Chief Justice Chang told Richards that in times of despondency, it seems to always
Hugh Wooding Law School. The young lawyer told this publication that she has a lot of expectations but the one she is more focused on is to help serve justice in a speedier manner. Persaud is currently working as an associate lawyer at a corporate and commercial law firm in Trinidad and Tobago, a firm that deals with banking issues and financial matters. She is expected to be admitted to the Bar in Trinidad and Tobago on November 14. A number of Guyanese lawyers have recently returned from the Hugh Wooding Law School and is expected to be admitted to the Bar soon.
Entrance Examination and was awarded a place at the West Demerara Secondary School in 1997.
Richards graduated in 2007 with a Bachelors of Law Degree at the University of Guyana and later moved on to the Hugh Wooding Law School to complete her legal certificate.
Meanwhile, Yolander Persaud’s petition was presented by Attorney Edward Luckhoo before the Chief Justice. Luckhoo, in presenting the petition, spoke of Persaud’s academic and scholastic achievements and the high level of competence she displayed during her short stint at his office.
He indicated to the court that Persaud is a well grounded individual as she also possesses sound knowledge in sport. He noted that she is currently a qualified Chess Trainer which will set her apart from other lawyers. Persaud started her secondary education at Queens College and later at School of the Nations where she completed her A level studies. She then moved on to the University of Guyana where she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in law (LLB) and recently finished her legal certificate at the
Another young Guyanese lawyer, Yolander Persaud, was also admitted to the bar
New lawyer Folio Richards is flanked by Chief Justice Ian Chang and Senior Counsel Keith Massiah
“These are exciting times to be young” – Ramotar tells SVN graduates
President Donald Ramotar on Sunday said now was an exciting time in Guyana to be young, as two decades ago, 30 per cent of students did not have the opportunity of having a secondary education.
“They had to fail, not because they were dunce children, but because there was no place for them in school. Today, almost 80 per cent of the nation’s children have access to secondary education, as the Government continues to work towards universal access,” the President told the graduation ceremony of the Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN) School, West Coast Demerara, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
The President pointed to the fact that since the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government assumed office more than 1000 schools have been built or renovated, and in areas where it has been difficult to build a secondary school, Government has been providing dormitories to ensure access to this level of education, by students in those areas.
“And that is vital in our multiethnic, multicultural country that we have, and it goes to the very root of our philosophy, which was imbued in us by Comrade Cheddi Jagan, whose ideals continue to be our living guide.” The President explained further that this ideal was one of ensuring equal opportunity for everyone, including, importantly, making education available to all.
Focusing on educating the population as well remains the most sensible of ideals, because “the more qualified people we have, the more we are assured of their quality contribution to the development of Guyana
or wherever life will take them,” he stated.
Government have been focusing on lifting the quality of education and efforts in this regard, over the past five years, have seen achievements such as an increase in the number of trained teachers, from 55 per cent to 75 per cent, with the aim being to have very soon 100 per cent qualified teachers in all schools.
Creating jobs
The President noted that Government has been focusing on creating jobs for its new qualified workforce.
“We have brought our country from being described as a heavily indebted poor country to now being described as a middle income country, but I am convinced that we have the people and I have
that you have acquired here and the knowledge that you would go on to acquire,” he noted. He noted as well
alises its full potential. “I have every faith in you, the young people that you will be able to master the new
every confidence in you that we can take our country in a short period of time to acquire the status of developed country.” The President noted that to do so requires new infrastructure such as hydropower and the expansion of the airport.
“The infrastructure that we repaired and put in place is not sufficient to take us to the level that we want to go, and to allow you to put into practice the knowledge
the attempts to obstruct Government from putting this new infrastructure in place. “Unfortunately, we do not have partners on the other side of the political spectrum who want development,” the President said.
With the obstacles being thrown into the path of Government, the President said that Government will look to students for support in ensuring Guyana re-
tools – science and technology – and you will be on the cutting edge and leading the forces of change in our country,” he told the graduating class.
A total of 64 students graduated in this, the school’s 10th convocation ceremony. During the exercise, Principal Swami Aksharananda shared the school’s vision and plans for the future. He disclosed that
the SVN has acquired land and has been moving towards the construction of a primary school to accommodate at least 200 students. Swami Aksharananda explained that efforts in this direction are towards starting the moulding and shaping of SVN’s vision and values in students at an early age.
The Swami also disclosed that SVN’s ambition is to have the first private Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) College in Guyana that focuses solely on providing education in STEM subjects. Once a student (either at the primary or secondary level) has been gauged as having the aptitude for these subjects, the aim is to immediately move them over to the college, the Swami explained.
The principal also credited the school’s supporters and highlighted a few who are at present contributing towards a science centre.
While acknowledging the effort of the teachers, Swami Aksharananda also called on parents to play their part, noting that regardless
of the foundation set by the school, failure on the part of the parents to contribute to the exercise will only ensure that the students do not realise their full potential. In addition to honouring the most outstanding contributions, academic and other performances, including exceptional input into SVN’s annual blood donation drive in May 2014, there was also the honouring of the Masters of Education. This new special honour, which will now be an annual feature of SVN’s convocation ceremony, is in recognition of those masters who contributed to the development of private education in Guyana.
The 2014 award was presented to Julius B Nathoo, the former principal of the Saraswati High School. Meanwhile, SVN’s Best Graduating student, Winner of the Award for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and valedictorian was Walicia Deokinana. Deokinana obtained 18 CSEC Subjects: 13 Distinctions, 2 Grade Ones, 2 Grade Twos, and 1 Grade Three. The Second Best Graduating Student and winner of the Prime Minister’s Award of Excellence was Liloutie Punu, who obtained 17 CSEC subjects: 12 Grade Ones and 5 Grade Twos. Students of the SVN, for the first time this year, sat the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE). Rafeena Mustapha who wrote and attained five subjects was judged the Best Graduating Student in this regard and was honoured with the Principal’s Award of Excellence. Dr Suresh Narine, Senior Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Chemistry, Trent University, Canada, delivered the charge to the graduates.
AFC in push for October 22 sitting of House
The Alliance For Change (AFC) said it was disappointed that there has been no effort to reconvene the 10th Parliament and has asked for a sitting on October 22 so that it could push ahead with its No-Confidence Motion against the Government.
In a statement on Tuesday, the party said that the recess period of the National Assembly has already come to an end and it could not understand why it could not be reconvened. According to the party, “the delay is as a result of the tabling of the No-Confidence Motion which was submitted to the Clerk of the National Assembly early in August”.
The AFC said its
Vice Chairman, Moses Nagamootoo, who had tabled the motion, had requested that it be placed on the order paper as a matter of priority, to take precedence over all other matters pending debate in the National assembly.
Noting that it had hoped that the sitting of the House would have been scheduled for October 16, the AFC said since that seems unlikely given the fact that no order paper has been published, it was proposing an October 22 or 24 date, which it said were permissible under the Parliamentary Standing Orders.
The AFC back in August submitted a no-confidence motion against the ruling PPP/C Government. If
the motion is debated and passed, the Donald Ramotar administration will have to resign and make preparation for national elections in three months’ time.
The motion was proposed by AFC Executive Members Moses Nagamootoo and Cathy Hughes. Nagamootoo was a long-standing member of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) before switching sides prior to the 2011 General and Regional Elections.
The Clerk of the National Assembly accepted the motion, saying that he will first scrutinise it before making a submission to the Speaker of the House, Raphael Trotman. .
The AFC tendered the motion days after A
Partnership for National Unity (APNU) indicated its
full support.
The AFC has been on record as saying that its NoConfidence Motion is one of the “peaceful” mechanisms for removing a legitimate Government as it avoids the use of violence. Nagamootoo had told Guyana Times that the motion must not be seen as “an end game”, but rather as creating the platform for the people to give their leaders a new mandate, especially if the Government continues to act ultra-vires the Constitution.
“It is intended to open doors and possibilities for the renewal of our political life and political culture. I think the No-Confidence Motion will have a good taste and good smell for the people,” Nagamootoo had
said in August. But interestingly, Nagamootoo opined that while the motion will create history and a revolution in the local political landscape in Guyana, it will lead to the peaceful removal of the ruling PPP/C.
“This motion is trying to prevent a situation in Guyana that could bring great harm to all of our people,” he insisted. The AFC had raised its voice in condemnation against the ruling administration, insisting that it has no regards for its people. The party based its NoConfidence Motion, among other things, on the illegitimate spending of $4.5 billion from the country’s treasury.
AFC Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo
President Ramotar hands over the President’s Award (CSEC) to Walica Deokinanan
President Donald Ramotar at the Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN) 2014 convocation ceremony
Around the world
Ebola crisis: Outbreak death toll rises to 4447, says WHO
The death toll from the Ebola virus outbreak has risen to 4447, with the large majority of victims in West Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
WHO Assistant Director General Bruce Aylward also said there could be up to 10,000 new cases a week within two months if efforts were not stepped up.
But the rate of new infections in some areas has slowed down, he added.
Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea have been hardest hit by the outbreak.
There have been 8914 cases overall, including the fatal cases, and the WHO says it expects this number to top 9000 by the end of the week.
The WHO estimates its figures by taking the numbers of confirmed cases and multiplying them – from Guinea by 1.5, from Sierra Leone by 2 and from Liberia by 2.5 – to account for underreporting.
In other developments:
The UK begins Ebola screening at London’s Heathrow airport
A medic working for Sierra Leone’s army at a peacekeeping training centre in Freetown tests positive for Ebola
The WHO says a slowdown in the rate of new cases in some areas may be due to behavioural changes
US-led air strikes intensify as Syria conflict destabilises Turkey
American-led forces sharply intensified air strikes against Islamic State fighters threatening Kurds on Syria’s Turkish border on Monday and Tuesday after the jihadists’ advance began to destabilise Turkey.
The coalition had conducted 21 attacks on the militants near the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani over the past two days and appeared to have slowed Islamic State advances there, the US military said, but cautioned that the situation remained fluid.
Turkish warplanes were reported to have attacked Kurdish rebel targets in southeast Turkey after the Army said it had been attacked by the banned PKK Kurdish militant group, risking reigniting a threedecade conflict that killed 40,000 people before a ceasefire was declared two years ago.
Kurds inside Kobani said the US-led strikes on Islamic State had helped, but that the militants, who have besieged the town for weeks, were still on the attack.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has set up an immediate response team to travel to any US hospital where Ebola is diagnosed, to hit the ground “within hours”
A United Nations health worker, originally from Sudan, dies in Germany
A “site manager” is appointed at the Dallas hospital where a nurse was infected, with the task of supervising how workers put on and take off protective clothing
after contracting the disease in Liberia Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg says he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are donating US$25 million to fight Ebola
A Spanish nurse – the first person to contract the disease outside of Africa – remains in critical condition, although doctors say there are signs of improvement. (Excerpt from BBC News)
Hong Kong Police use sledgehammers, chainsaws to clear protest barriers
Hundreds of Hong Kong Police used sledgehammers and chainsaws on Tuesday to tear down barricades erected by pro-democracy protesters near Government offices and the financial centre, reopening a major road for the first time in two weeks.
But late in the evening demonstrators retaliated by swarming into a tunnel on a major four-lane thoroughfare, bringing traffic to a halt and chanting for universal suffrage.
Riot Police tried to push
them back with pepper spray and batons, according to a local news channel, but later retreated. “I think the Government doesn’t respect us,” said Kevin Chan, a protester wearing a surgical mask and goggles covering his black glasses, as he stood behind a makeshift wall.
“They have to talk to us and compromise, otherwise we won’t stand down.”
Traffic flowed freely along Queensway Road after the protesters’ obstructions were cleared early in the day, although other major protest sites remained intact in the Admiralty and Mong Kok districts and prodemocracy demonstrators were defiant.
Police with chainsaws cut through bamboo defences and others wielded sledgehammers to smash concrete blocks outside the Bank of China’s Hong Kong headquarters and next to the office of Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-shing. (Excerpt from Reuters)
War on the militants in Syria is threatening to unravel a delicate peace in neighbouring Turkey where Kurds are furious with Ankara over its refusal to help protect their kin in Syria.
The plight of the Syrian Kurds in Kobani provoked riots among Turkey’s 15 million Kurds last week in which at least 35 people were killed.
“Today there were air strikes throughout the day, which is a first. And sometimes we saw one plane carrying out two strikes, dropping two bombs at a time,” said Abdulrahman Gok, a journalist with a local Kurdish paper who is inside the town.
“The strikes are still continuing,” he said by telephone, as an explosion sounded in the background.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
Indian PM pledges funds after deadly cyclone
Essential goods were in short supply as arterial roads were impassable and train and flights were suspended (AP)
PMinister Narendra Modi has announced a rescue package of US$163 million after Cyclone Hudhud, which struck India’s east coast, killed at least 22 people and damaged thousands of homes.
Modi, who on Tuesday took an aerial survey of cyclone-hit areas of the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, also announced
compensation of US$3270 for the kin of those who died in the cyclone, and US$816 for the injured, according to local newspaper Times of India.
Schools remained shut, electricity lines were down and communication systems were only partially working in the port city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, where cyclonic winds smashed into the coast
Malala Yousafzai pleads for Nigerian abducted girls
Malala Yousafzai has called on Nigeria to intensify efforts to free 219 schoolgirls who were abducted by Islamist militants six months ago.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner said campaigners needed to raise their voices “louder than ever” to demand the freedom of the girls.
The Boko Haram group
sparked global outrage when it seized the girls.
Foreign Governments including the US and China, have sent experts to Nigeria to help track them down.
Boko Haram fighters abducted the girls during a raid on their boarding school in Chibok town in northeastern Nigeria in April.
Malala said in a statement that the schoolgirls
needed to be reunited with their families and receive a quality and safe education.
“I urge the Nigerian Government and the international community to redouble their efforts to bring a quick and peaceful conclusion to this crisis,” Malala said.
Critics accuse Government of not doing enough to secure the re-
lease of the girls -- a charge Ministers deny.
Activists earlier tried to march to the official residence of President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja.
But Maureen Kabrik, an organiser of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign in Nigeria, said an “army of Policemen” halted the protest.
“We’re here. We’re a civ-
il group. We’re not a disobedient group,” she told BBC Focus on Africa.
“Yet, they stopped us with heavy arms.”
The Police have not commented on why they blocked the march.
Malala, a 17-yearold Pakistani campaigner for girls’ education, met Jonathan in July to discuss the abductions. (Excerpt from BBC News)
at 200 kilometres (km) per hour on Sunday.
Residents in parts of Visakhapatnam jostled and shoved each other as relief trucks distributed food packets and water bottles, according to the AFP news agency.
Essential goods were in short supply as arterial roads were impassable and bus, train and flights were suspended.
Mass evacuations before the onset of the cyclone helped avert a larger human tragedy, officials said.
But about 250,000 people from Andhra Pradesh and thousands in neighbouring Odisha state were affected by the storm, many of them poor fishermen and farmers.
More than 40 National Disaster Response Force teams were engaged in rescue efforts, along with the navy and dozens of divers.
Large swathes of crops were damaged and livestock was killed by raging winds accompanied by torrential rains. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
Police remove a barricade left by pro-democracy protesters on a main road leading to the financial Central district in Hong Kong on October 14
rime
Schools enlisted in fight against Non Communicable Diseases
Secondary School students joined the Government of Guyana in the fight against non- communicable diseases (NCDs) as they created and displayed innovative healthy foods during a school’s competition held at the St Stanislaus College on Tuesday.
The competition was part of the World Food Day activities, according to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, World Food Day will be observed internationally on October 16 under the theme: Family Farmers, Feeding the World, Caring for the earth. It also falls during Agriculture month celebrations. Twenty four students in various schools from Regions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 participated in the competition which was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Ministries of Education and Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of
the United Nations.
Further, students from six additional schools: President’s College, St. Roses and others, showcased their locally produced art and craft. The fourth annual competition saw first place winner, Agricola Practical Instruction Center, second place winner North West Secondary School and third place winner Tutorial Secondary School being awarded for their performance. Students were judged based on the overall presentation of their dishes, relevance of their colour scheme, taste, texture, originality of recipes, use of local produce and food content for a total of 30 points.
Senior Education Officer, Carol Benn during her address to the students said people who can cook are able to earn a living. She said while the FAO places emphasis on food security which is important, the focus for the day, is for stu-
dents to create healthy foods from local produce to address NCDs. Proper nutrition can prevent the host of health problems Guyanese and people all over the world are faced with, Benn explained to the students. “Stop and take care of your health!” Benn urged as she further educated the gathering of mainly students on the harmful effects of an unhealthy diet.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative and acting Representative of the FAO, Khadija Musa said the FAO has planned a number of other activities to observe World Food Day. Musa thanked teachers for the support they provided to students in preparing for the competition. She was impressed by the students’ performance and said the quality of the output was excellent.
This year, students took a step away from the traditional preparation of foods adapting a more contemporary stand point. This, Musa said helps eliminate the stigma attached to eating healthy foods, which is that people tend to think healthy foods are not as tasty because of appearance.
She urged students to stay away from fast foods and challenge them to declare their willingness to practice what they showcased. She also urged them to pass on the knowledge they gained to their parents since Guyana’s consumption of processed foods is increasing. Processed foods, Musa explained are closely linked to the development of NCDs. Obesity is also a rising problem in Guyana, Musa noted. The FAO is working regionally and international-
ly to reduce malnutrition, obesity, NCDs and other factors associated with poor food consumption.
The organization, along with its international partners stands committed to working along with Guyana in the above mentioned regards. Permanent Secretary attached to the Ministry of Agriculture, George Jarvis, who spoke on the behalf of Minister of
Competitions. One book is on cassava from last year’s competition and the other a compilation of recipes from the other two previous competitions. These books are expected to be distributed in schools for next year’s competition.
The JC Chandisingh Secondary School in Berbice displayed the breadfruit tortilla, bread fruit pin wheels and breadfruit horns. The
Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, educated students on the health benefits of various local crops, namely soursop, corilla and breadfruit, which he said have cancer fighting and cholesterol regulatory properties. He encouraged persons to grow their own foods and eat healthy.
Preparations are underway for the publishing of two cook books garnered from the recipes of previous Home Economics
students said while they were assisted by teachers, they did most of the work by themselves. They said they have learnt a lot from the exhibition which is a beneficial experience for their upcoming CXC examinations. Omar Singh from Covent Garden Secondary said he assisted in making the trout and vegetable salad and the lime and lemon cupcakes. Singh said he learnt a lot from the exhibition as well.
FAO committee endorses principles for investments in agriculture
The Committee on World Food Security, the world’s foremost inclusive intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder platform for food security and nutrition on Tuesday opened its 41st session at the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s headquarters in Rome.
The Committee is expected to adopt a set of principles for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems that have been in development for the past two years. “Progress against hunger continues,” said FAO DirectorGeneral José Graziano da Silva in his address to the CFS. He cited FAO figures showing that about 805 million people are chronically undernourished in the world today, some 209 million less than in 1990-92.
“Food security is everyone’s business. It is a society - not a government - that decides to eradicate hunger and achieve food security. Political commitment and leadership from governments is the first step. However, civil society, private sector and other non-state actors also need to embrace this goal. At the global level the CFS promotes an enabling environment for this to happen,” the FAO chief said.
Reading out an address to the CFS by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Assistant Secretary-General, Thomas Gass, said the CFS’ “focus on knowledge and expertise, on rights and effective multi-stakeholder dialogues and partnership is advancing our shared work to realize my vision of a world with zero hunger.”
Since its establishment the CFS has envisaged a future with-
out hunger and I share that vision.
A focus on rights, on sustainable waste-free food systems and on responsible, accountable collaboration between stakeholders will, help us tackle root causes of food and nutrition insecurity,” the UN Secretary-General said.
CFS Chair Gerda Verburg said that reports on food insecurity and malnutrition all emphasize the key role played by responsible and sustainable investments in agriculture and the food system. “This is why we have negotiated principles for responsible investment in ag-
World Food Programme (WFP) said that the CFS session is taking place at a time “when our world is increasingly fragile.”
“An unprecedented number of shocks, stresses and-ever-more complex-crises now threaten food and nutrition security, repeatedly proving that without stability-the fourth dimension of food security-food systems can quickly collapse, sometimes in matter of weeks, to humanitarian crisis, setting back years of progress in hunger reduction,” Cousin said.
In his statement to the opening
the issue of food losses and waste, which currently amount to onethird of food produced worldwide. Topics include the need to identify the causes of food losses and waste through an integrated perspective along the food chain and to consider any interventions as part of the whole, not in isolation.
Participants were expected to debate the findings of a scientific report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE). CFS participants were also to discuss the technical, economic and cultural
riculture and food systems, which are on the agenda for endorsement at this session,” of CFS, Verburg said. These would foster “not only more but especially better investment in agriculture and food systems to meet the challenge of sustainable global food and nutrition security for all.”
In her address, Ertharin Cousin, Executive-Director of the
of the CFS, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Vice President, Michel Mordasini, noted how “investing into rural transformation and smallholder farming is pivotal for achieving national and global food and nutrition security, as well as for ending poverty.”
During CFS 41, the first of two policy roundtables will focus on
dimensions of such waste and losses as well as ways to curb the negative impact on food security and nutrition. Improved labelling and other forms of information for producers and consumers are among the measures to curb losses and waste identified by the HLPE.
The second roundtable, deals with the increasingly critical - but often not duly recognized - contri-
bution made by fish to food security and to healthy diets, as specified in an HLPE report. Farmed fish production has increased 12-fold over the last three decades and is the fastest growing food production sector, both in small and large scale systems. Most of the fishers or fish farmers, fish processing and/or trading people live in developing countries, earn low income, often depend on informal work. They need decent work and social protection and gender sensitive approaches. A very high number of female workers are engaged in fish processing and in informal small-scale fish trading operations. Governance is particularly important to determine access to fisheries resources, integrity of fisheries resources and distribution of fish benefits.
The HLPE report stressed the importance of international partnerships and initiatives on oceans and fish to better link fish production growth, sustainability and food security and nutrition. CFS participants highlighted the importance of the Voluntary Guidelines on Small-Scale Fisheries adopted earlier this year by the FAO Committee on Fisheries. Ahead of the CFS, countries agreed on a series of policies aimed at ensuring that people around the world have access to healthier diets. The agreement, consisting of a Declaration and a Framework for Action will be adopted at the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) to be held in Rome from 19-21 November 2014. This high-level intergovernmental meeting is jointly organised by FAO and WHO.
Officials at the opening of the 41st session of the Committee on World Food Security
Assistant Chief Education Officer (Secondary) Leslyn Charles presents a trophy to a student of the North/West Secondary School which placed second
UNDP Resident Representative Khadija Musa presents a trophy to a student of first place school, Agricola Practical Instruction Centre
Over $12M disbursed in Moruca – as cash grant reaches more than 5,500 people
The Education Ministry on Monday continued the disbursement of the Government of Guyana $10,000 ‘Because We Care’ grant in Moruca, Region One (Barima-Waini).
Long before the scheduled time, hundreds of parents waited patiently at the Santa Rosa Secondary School to collect the much anticipated government assistance, designed to ease the burden of the average household in preparing their children for school.
Schools that benefitted from the more than $12 million given in a cluster, included Santa Rosa Nursery; Santa Rosa Primary; Santa Rosa Secondary; Ko-Ko Nursery; and Parakeese Nursery.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand was accompanied by high ranking education officers and her Cabinet colleague, Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.
In her address, Minister Manickchand thanked the people of Moruca for gifting the Nation with the woman who is now Foreign Minister. Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, grew up in Moruca and attended Santa Rosa Secondary
school just like most of the children there.
“She had far less opportu-
sector over the years. This initiative is yet further evidence of a government that
sector, education receives the largest sum,” Minister Manickchand added.
the need for education and the opportunities offered by the PPP/C government,
nities then, than what your boys and girls now have...
The PPP/Civic believes that education is the only sure way to improve one’s life, one’s family and one’s community. As a government the PPP/C has consistently matched this with solid investments in the education
cares for all the people of Guyana,” she said.
“Thirty percent of a very large National Budget is spent on the social sector. The social sector deals with housing; water; old age pension; women and children’s affairs and education…and in the social
The Foreign Minister then took the podium to a warm welcome from the massive crowd. She told the gathering that throughout the world, there are 58 million children that are not in school because there is simply no school for them to go to. Stressing
International Day for Disaster Reduction: Resilience is for Life
All across the globe, countries face the possibility of being hit by natural disasters such as flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, among others. These disasters, especially those of a high magnitude, have serious effects on a country’s health, infrastructure, and economy. Therefore, being ready for such events is vital to protecting a country’s resources, especially its human resources.
In order to promote a global culture of disaster reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly has designated October 13 as the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR). It is a day to celebrate how people and communities are reducing their risk to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of disaster risk reduction.
Leading up to the World Conference for Disaster Reduction in 2015, the Step Up initiative was launched in 2011, focusing on particular groups and how they can be involved in disaster risk reduction for each year’s celebration from 2011 to 2015. Therefore, this year’s theme: “Resilience is for Life”, focuses on the ageing population. It highlights the need for a more inclusive approach for older people in disaster risk reduction and recognises the critical role they can play in being ready for disasters through their experience and knowledge.
When planning for disasters, considering the elderly is important because older people are at an increased risk of being affected by any disaster that affects an area. Some of the risks that the elderly face in a disaster are:
• Adapting to changes – elderly persons may be prone to develop-
ing additional health problems during disasters, eg,, even small changes in hydration or nutrition can have major impacts on older people pushing them beyond their limits. The elderly may be separated from caregivers or their caregivers may be injured or killed during a disaster.
• Because of their inability to move freely, older people may find themselves unable to access health-care services, as well as other essential services such as food, water, shelter and latrines. Since the elderly face heightened risks during disasters, it is important to do the following when preparing an Emergency Response Plan: Carry out a needs assessment to identify those at risk, noting where they live, their specific needs and how they can be addressed.
• Ensure transport, emergency shelter and alert or warning systems and processes are accessible. Train service providers and emergency responders to be aware of specific needs and vulnerabilities. Most importantly, the elderly should be involved in planning processes and preparedness activities since they would have local knowledge and experience, which can be harnessed for disaster risk management. Since they are well-respected in the community, they will also be in a position to influence decisions and help in conflict resolution processes. You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, Georgetown or email us at eit.epaguyana@gmail.com.
Parents were high in praise for the government’s initiative and hoped that it continues. One parent with seven children in the public school system took home $70,000.
The ‘Because We Care’ cash grant initiative continues this week and next week throughout the rest of the Administrative Regions.
The initiative was officially launched on Saturday, at the Bartica Community Centre in Region 7 (CuyuniMazaruni). President Donald Ramotar and several Members of the Cabinet and Members of Parliament were in attendance. Immediately following the launch more than 3000 children received their $10,000 vouchers, some of whom proceeded to en-cash at the local Western Union/Bill Express.
Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said when she entered Parliament in 2001; there was only one doctor in all of Guyana that was of Amerindian descent.
Today, there are more than 20 trained doctors in Region One alone, some of who came from Moruca.
Minister Rodrigues-Birkett gave credit to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who had, during his presidency, secured about 1000 scholarships for Guyana, and insisted that 10 percent of all students going to Cuba, must come from the hinterland region, and in particular, Amerindian communities.
The following day, Sunday, the Education Ministry distributed the grant to parents and guardians of more than 1,100 children in Leguan and Wakenaam Islands, Essequibo River, Region 3 (West Demerara-Essequibo Islands).
Parents expressed appreciation and welcomed the opportunity to be served by the Minister of Education, and teams of educators from their respective communities and the Central Ministry. Parents from more than 16 schools received their 10,000 grant that day.
The cash grant initiative was announced by Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh during the presentation of budget 2014.
Woman killed in Essequibo River boat collision
AFoulmouth Creek, Essequibo River
woman is now dead after her boat collided with another early Tuesday evening.
The incident occurred around 18:30h in the Essequibo River. While Guyana Times could not have confirmed the woman’s name or age, this newspaper was told that she had reportedly travelled to Bartica to uplift the Governmentsponsored “Because we care $10,000 cash grant”; however, the process delayed her into the evening.
Reports received from the area revealed that the woman had just left the boathouse at First Avenue, Bartica, and was a short distance away when she collided with another boat that was travelling from the interior.
Persons on shore heard the impact and went out to the crash site where they found the woman uncon-
scious in her boat. The woman’s face was badly damaged.
“She whole face smash up,” a boat operator from Bartica said. He explained that it appears as though the woman’s boat was hit from the back since the ‘engine-hood’ came off and the woman was still in the boat.
The boat operator related to this publication that the accident might have been as a result of poor lighting. “She didn’t have any light and he didn’t have any and then there was none in the river either, so maybe they didn’t see each other and crash into one another,” the man suggested.
The captain of the other boat involved in the accident is said to be from the same island as the deceased. He has been taken into custody at the Bartica Police Station to assist the Police with the investigations. The woman’s body is at the Bartica Hospital Mortuary.
Foreign Minister Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Education Minister Priya Manickchand with residents of Moruca
ARIES (March 21April 19)
TAURUS (April 20May 20)
(May 21June 20)
CANCER
Don’t get lured back into a former relationship. You are likely to end up in the same place that didn’t work for you before. Family members will be touchy.
Be true to yourself. If you are experiencing tension on the job, you should stay away from office politics and share your issues with friends, not colleagues.
You will find yourself short of funds if you have not budgeted carefully. Don’t get upset if someone in your life isn’t perfect. Make allowances for the ones you love.
LEO (July 23Aug. 22)
VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)
You may be feeling uncertain and unsettled. Keep your mind on your tasks, and avoid emotional confrontations. Opposition is likely if you are too demanding or difficult.
A little self-indulgence should be allowed. Pamper yourself with a new outfit or a makeover. Do whatever makes you feel good or updates your look and boosts your confidence.
You may be tempted to help someone, but if you do, you will outspend your budget and fall short when it comes to your needs.
LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)
You’ll have problems with loved ones today. Avoid long, involved discussions or confrontations. Get involved in projects that you can do alone, and the issues that are causing uncertainty will eventually be resolved.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)
Put your needs first. Your creativity will be stifled if you are constantly on the run, taking care of other people’s responsibilities. Plan a relaxing evening and set your imagination free.
CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)
Check out a long-term investment. If you are working hard just to make ends meet, revamp your budget. Talk to a financial adviser to find a way to ease your stress.
(Jan. 20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)
PISCES
(Feb. 20March 20)
Have a chat with someone causing you concern. If a situation you face is less than satisfactory, bring the issues out in the open. Don’t let resentment or jealousy fester.
An argument will not turn in your favour. Once you have aired your opinions, move on. Rehashing the same issues over and over is not going to lead to a solution.
You are exceptionally creative. Surround yourself with people who inspire and enlighten you. You will come up with an idea that has the potential to generate some extra cash.
PeanuTs
AQUARIUS
GEMINI
calvin and hobbes
Hetmyer appointed Banks DIH Sports Brand Ambassador
Guyana and West Indies youth cricketer ShimronHetmyer is the newest sports personality to join the Banks DIH Limited Sports Brand Ambassador Programme.
Hetmyer will be the Brand Ambassador for Aqua Mist Water, pure artesian water.
The prolific 17-year-old left handed opener was inducted into the programme at a ceremony held October 13th at Thirst Park.
The former Berbice High School student who hails from Cumberland, East Canje, Berbice has represented Guyana at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels.
He was named in the
West Indies Under-19 team for the Bangladesh Junior team tour of the Caribbean last year. He travelled with the WI Junior Team to the United Arab Emirates earlier this year.
The aggressive opener/ wicketkeeper has scored several centuries in his career, the first (118) at the age of 13 years in the Berbice Under-19 InterZone competition. He has also scored centuries against Windward Islands, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago in regional competition.
He is a member of the Young Warriors Cricket Club in Berbice.
Young Hetmyer said he was extremely elat-
ed to be a Sports Brand Ambassador for Banks DIH Limited.
His father Gladston Hetmyeralso expressed gratitude and praised the
Company for investing in Shimron’s cricketing development.
“I know he has the potential to be an outstanding cricketer and I would like to thanks Mr. Clifford Reis, Chairman and the management of the company for showing the confidence in him,” he added.
Communications Manager Troy Peters said Banks DIH Limited has been following Hetmyer’s career and decided to select him to the Band Ambassador’s Programme. He is the seventh Brand Ambassador named by the Company. Peters offered congratulations to the young cricketer and encouraged him to remain disciplined and dedicated in his cricketing career.
Padlock wins Homeline Furnishing 50-miler
Andrew "Padlock" Green found form to win the Homeline Furnishing 50-miler on the Corentyne Sunday.
Green, who has been out of the winner’s row for the past three races, took an early break and was given needed support from Andrew Hicks to win the race which was dubbed the ‘5-stage warm up’.
Despite a strong challenge from teammate Romello Crawford in the initial stages of the race, Green was out and away four miles into the race when the riders reached Alness Village. He was pursued by Andrew Hicks but topped 40 km per hour as Hicks drew closer.
Meanwhile several riders joined forces and used each other in an effort to catch the leaders' Ray Millington, Wilber Benjamin, Elijah Brijadder, Samuel Mootoo, and the Crawford cousins Romello and Juban.
The latter two not keen on catching their club mates ahead but not wanting to be left behind kept up the momentum as Green who was out of their sight started to show signs of frustration in the hot midday sun.
In a bid to stay ahead, Green stopped and waited on Hicks after he had completed 22 miles of the distance.
When the duo reached the turnaround point at the Number 62 Police Outpost and started heading back to Rose Hall Town for the fin-
ish, they started to increase the gap as they were now going with the wind.
Meanwhile Romello Crawford and Millington broke away from the rest in a bid to catch the leaders who they could not see; however, Millington could not keep up the pace and allowed Crawford to go, giving Trojan Cycle Club the top three places.
Green and Hicks crossed the finish line with no hassle as Green was allowed to roll in first. Crawford reached the finish line three minutes thirty two seconds behind and Millington finished more than three minutes later.
Former national cyclist Benjamin used his experience to outride the rest in a blistering finish crossing the line just inches ahead on Jubal Crawford. Brijadder was centimetres too late and was out of the top six. Benjamin was also the first veteran to cross the finish line.
Green took six sprint point prizes while Hicks took two and Romello Crawford one.
Green and Hicks were also the first two in the junior category with Juban Crawford third.
The juveniles and females raced from Adventure to the finish line in front of
Homeline Furnishing. The first Juvenile was Kemo Logan with the second being David Sampson.
Marcia Dick continued her supremacy over female riders to win well ahead of Christine Matterson and Whitney Poyer.
The event was to mark the third anniversary of the company in Rose Hall Town and 25th anniversary of the company’s existence.
Manager of Homeline Furnishing, Rose Hall, David Hamid, in brief remarks, at the presentation ceremony, noted that the company was thankful to all the participants. “To those who did not win we will still like to say thanks for participating. This race was just one way to say thanks
to our customers on the Corentyne.”
Hamid said that the company would like to make the event into an annual affair but will open the race to cyclists countrywide. He noted that he wants to see not only cycling but sport in general develop in Rose Hall and Guyana.
Meanwhile Chief Executive Officer of Homeline Furnishing, Ayube Hamid, who presented Green with the Homeline Furnishing trophy, asked for more businesses to support the sport.
The event was organised by Coach of Flying Ace Randolph Roberts. He briefly thanked Homeline Furnishing while urging other businesses in the com-
munity to open up their eyes. “Most of the cyclists in Berbice are from Rose Hall, Port Mourant and Fyrish. You should do something to support them.”
Roberts also warned cyclist to be careful when they are on the road. He said they have to be on the lookout for obstacles which may be on the road. He was at the time referring to an incident which caused one cyclist to seek medical attention at the hospital.
Cristal Lambert rode into a heap of sand along the road shoulder in Rose Hall and fell, crashing into one of several stalls which lined the road shoulder. She suffered bruises to the head.
(Andrew Carmichael)
Marcia Dick approaching the finishing line
Chief Executive Officer of Homeline Furnishing Ayube Hamid hands over the winning trophy to Andrew ‘Padlock’ Green
Youth cricketer Shimron Hetmyer (second left) receives his sponsorship package from Errol Nelson, Banks DIH Limited Brand Manager (Water) while his father Gladston Hetmyer and Communications Manager Troy Peters look on
Ryder Cup: United States set up 11-strong task force to look into selection process
Misbah the best choice to lead in World Cup – Afridi
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are part of an 11-strong ‘task force’ which will examine all aspects of the US Ryder Cup process following last month’s defeat at Gleneagles.
In a statement on their website, the PGA of America said the panel would examine the selection of Ryder Cup captains and vice-captains, the qualifying system, the dates by which the team is determined and the timing of wild card selections.
The United States have won the Ryder Cup just once this century, but the man who led them to victory in 2008 – Paul Azinger – has rejected the chance to be part of the task force.
PGA of America president Ted Bishop said: "The Ryder Cup is our most prized competitive asset and the PGA of America is committed to utilising our utmost energy and resources to support one of the biggest events in all of sport.
"The Ryder Cup Task
Force, co-chaired by (PGA vice president) Derek Sprague and (PGA chief executive officer) Pete Bevacqua, is an exciting and comprehensive initiative that will guide the PGA in developing the right strategy and building ongoing processes and infrastructure for future generations of US teams."
In addition to Sprague and Bevacqua, the members
of the task force are former captains Raymond Floyd, Tom Lehman and Davis Love, players Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Woods plus PGA secretary Paul Levy. Woods, who was not part of the team in Gleneagles, said: "I think this is a great step by the PGA to accomplish what we all want - to win the Ryder Cup.
"The Ryder Cup is very
important to every player who has the honour to represent his country. I'm excited to be part of this group."
The man praised by Mickelson as creating a winning formula in 2008Azinger - has turned down the chance to formally take part.
Azinger, 54, was hailed by Mickelson in the US team's press conference in the immediate aftermath of the five-point loss in Scotland.
Lee Westwood, who made his ninth Ryder Cup appearance at Gleneagles, hailed the creation of the task force as positive news for Europe.
"What a massive pat on the back & confidence booster it is for Europe that team USA needs to create a Ryder Cup task force!!!" the former world number one wrote on Twitter.
"Maybe because at PaulAzinger is not on this task force means he's in the frame for the next captaincy. Must be something the TF is discussing." (Sky Sports)
Clarke gears for final fitness test
Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, and allrounder Mitchell Marsh will be hoping to prove their fitness for the first Test against Pakistan during this week's four-day warm-up game, while opener David Warner will nurse his groin problem on the sidelines. Australia beat Pakistan in the T20 and all three ODIs, but that momentum has been counterbalanced by injury clouds over key players.
The squad trained in Sharjah on the eve of the their practice match against Pakistan A. With only eight days before the first Test in Dubai, the warm-up game looms as an important fitness test. Most important will be how Clarke comes through the match, having not played since the one-day tour of Zimbabwe, where he injured his hamstring.
Clarke has only once missed a Test through injury, in Delhi in 2013. Two days out from the Pakistan A match, he said there was still "a long way to go before I'm 100% fit for the Test match". A day later, his confidence appeared to have risen a little, but he will still need to show the physio Alex Kountouris over the next four days that his body is up to the rigours of a Test match.
"I feel a lot better now than I did after Zimbabwe when I tore my hamstring," Clarke said. "So I'll be playing tomorrow in the fourday practice match. I'm just trying to take every single step along the way, and listen to the experts.
"As soon as I walk onto that ground, I'm a hundred miles an hour. That's an area that probably hasn't been great for me ... since coming back from Zimbabwe, Alex has had to hold me back in regards to trying to push myself too quickly to get back on the
"I'll play the way I've played over the past 12 years. If the ball is there to chase to the boundary, I'll be sprinting after it. If I've got to run between the wickets as quick as I can, then that's what I'll be doing. That's why I think it's really important I take his
park. If I can prove to Alex that I can do everything that he asks [I'll be fit for the Test].
[Kountouris] advice and guidance."
There were questions over whether Clarke came
back into the side too soon in Zimbabwe after injuring his hamstring at the first training session of the trip. He came back for a game against Zimbabwe but was forced to retire hurt, and the Australians have been extra careful to avoid any such repeats in the UAE, where he has sat out of all three ODIs.
While Clarke is Australia's most important batsman, Marsh could be critical to the team's team balance. He had appeared a certainty to make his Test debut in Dubai as a likefor-like swap for the injured Shane Watson, until he hurt his hamstring during the Champions League T20.
Marsh bowled in the nets, but mostly worked of a shortened run-up and will not bowl in the first innings of the tour game. The match against Pakistan A is not a first-class encounter, so the Australians are free to use all members of their Test squad at different times during the match.
"Mitch definitely won't bowl in the first innings," Clarke said. "Hopefully he can bowl in the second innings. His progress is slow and steady, but he was bowling in the nets today so that's a real positive sign for us. The other side is I think his workloads are very good. He's played a lot of cricket for this time of year. He's played a lot of the Australia A stuff and got a lot of cricket under his belt.
"I think as long as he's fit to bowl, I don't think he necessarily needs to go
Shahid Afridi has said that Misbah-ul-Haq was the "best choice as Pakistan captain" for the upcoming World Cup. His comments in support of Misbah's captaincy came through a PCB media release after Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chief, had expressed disappointment with Afridi's remarks in a post-match conference after the third ODI.
"Let me state at the very outset, Misbah is the best choice as Pakistan captain for the ICC World Cup 2015," Afridi's statement said. "I have always backed him to the optimum whenever I have played under him, just as he had when I had the honour to captain the Pakistan team.
"I have already had the pride and honour to captain Pakistan several times. Trust me, it is no bed of roses, and all of us who have
and bowl 10 or 15 overs to prove that he's fit enough to do that. That'll be dictated by Alex and the doctor and we'll try and make the most of his batting in the first innings and then in the second innings, hopefully he'll have an opportunity to bowl."
If Marsh plays in the Tests, his bowling will be important as he will offer an extra seam option in the UAE heat, which in turn would allow the frontline fast men like Mitchell Johnson to work in shorter and sharper spells. The make-up of Australia's bowling line-up might not be apparent until shortly before the Dubai Test, with the potential for two spinners, or even a third if allrounder Glenn Maxwell is picked.
Maxwell was among a group of Australia's ODI players who did not train ahead of the practice game, while Warner was also not present. Warner suffered a groin strain during the
captained Pakistan, including Misbah, are fully aware of it. We get nothing more out of it than pride and honour; seldom do we get bouquets but more often brickbats.
"I have said this before, and I reiterate, that I shall continue to serve Pakistan Cricket and fully support Misbah to the best of my ability.
"This is my final statement on the issue".
Afridi, in the post-match press conference, had mentioned that he came to know about his being named the stand-in captain through the media. And when asked if he would like to continue as the one-day captain until the World Cup, Afridi had said, "I think whoever is captain - Misbah or mewe should know about it. If I am to captain in the World Cup then I should know about it." (Cricinfo)
third ODI in Abu Dhabi and will not play in Sharjah, although a Cricket Australia spokesperson said he was to be rested from the warmup game in any case.
On Monday, Warner said on Sydney radio that he was confident of being fit for the Test and a similar groin injury he had suffered in the past had taken only a week to heal. His absence from the tour game will provide another opportunity for the batsmen Phillip Hughes and Alex Doolan, who appear to be competing for the No.3 position for the first Test.
As the incumbent from the tour of South Africa earlier this year, Doolan seems the most likely candidate to play in Dubai, but should Hughes score heavily in the tour game he might come into contention. Left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe will be another player to watch against Pakistan A as he auditions for a possible debut, alongside Nathan Lyon.
(Cricinfo)
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson included in task force
Shahid Afridi: "Trust me, it is no bed of roses, and all of us who have captained Pakistan, including Misbah, are fully aware of it" © Associated Press
Michael Clarke will test out his injured hamstring during the four-day practice game against Pakistan A © AFP
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Flintoff closes in on BBL deal
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Stuart Law, the Heat coach and former Lancashire player, confirmed to the Manchester Evening News that talks are well advanced.
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If the deal does come off there is the enticing prospect of a head-to-head with Kevin Pietersen on December 28 when Heat take on Melbourne Stars.
Flintoff had previously agreed to play for Queensland in 2009 shortly before he was forced into retirement due to a knee injury. At the time he had planned to continue in the limited-overs formats, but The Oval Test against Australia proved to be his last professional match until the recent English sea-
son when he made a surprise return for Lancashire in the T20 Blast.
Flintoff only managed two group matches amid further injury setbacks but, with the ball especially, showed he could still hold his own. There was almost a fairytale conclusion to his first season back in the field when he struck 20 off eight balls in the final against Birmingham at Edgbaston but could not quite haul Lancashire over the line.
At the time of the Blast final, Flintoff said: "I have had offers to play in the Big Bash. I am going to sit down with my wife and see what we decide to do. But I would love to do that.
"If there is an opportunity there, then why
not? It is one of the things I have always wanted to do. I was about to sign for Queensland in 2009 but was forced to retire. I have never been over there and played in domestic cricket so would love to do it."
Although Flintoff's T20 comeback has so far been brief he continued to train as the English domestic season drew to a close and was seen in the nets during Lancashire's final Championship match against Middlesex at Old Trafford.
Since returning to the cricket field he has also continued with his TV projects, the latest of which involves travelling around the UK in a fish and chip van. (Cricinfo)
Pistorius' sentencing hearing adjourned until today
Oscar Pistorius' tears and anxiety following the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 'appeared to be genuine' according to his probation officer on day two of his sentencing hearing in Pretoria.
Watched by his father Henke and Ms Steenkamp's mother June, Annette Vergeer said Pistorius was 'sorry and heartbroken' at what had happened.
She added that he had accepted responsibility for the death of Ms Steenkamp, highlighting his apology to her family.
"Prison would not assist him but break him,” she said, adding that "a broken person would be introduced back into society".
Ms Vergeer, at times fanning herself during her time in the witness box, said Pistorius would 'carry a heavy load for the rest of his life' as a result of the killing and that he did not appear to be such 'a danger to society that he needs to be removed' with a prison sentence.
However, prosecutor Gerrie Nel attempted to pull apart her evidence by taking her to task over her knowledge of prisons, suggesting she gave evidence on issues she knows little about.
Pistorius was also portrayed as a 'poor victim' by Mr Nel, who attempted to
diminish the body of charitable works presented by the runner's agent Peet Van Zyl the previous day.
The athlete arrived at the North Gauteng High Court without his usual throng of Police and minders while Judge Thokozile Masipa appeared in court flanked by six armed guards, a move described as highly unusual by legal commentators.
Pistorius, 27, was cleared of murdering his former girlfriend last month but found guilty of culpable homicide – the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK – after the court found there was no basis to conclude he had intended to shoot her, but Judge Masipa admitted he had acted negligently. He was also found guilty of discharging a firearm in public, an offence relating to him firing a gun in a restaurant in Johannesburg.
The prosecution is pushing for him to serve a prison sentence for the killing, while his defence teams submit he should serve no more than house arrest or community service. The hearing has been adjourned until this morning.
(Sky Sports)
SerVIceS
Remember that pose? Andrew Flintoff celebrates his wicket on T20 Blast finals day at Edgbaston © Getty Images
Oscar Pistorius: Back in court in Pretoria
Williams: WI must treat 4th ODI as final
est Indies assis-
Wtant coach Stuart Williams believes the Caribbean side need to treat Friday’s fourth OneDay International like a final, if they are to find their edge and beat India in the series.
West Indies won the opening game by 124 runs last Wednesday in Kochi but went down by 48 runs on Saturday here at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.
Adverse weather from a dangerous cyclone forced the cancellation of the third ODI carded for Visakhapatnam on Tuesday and Williams said with the series reduced to four matches, it was important West Indies placed maximum emphasis on the next game.
“The fourth game you’ve got to play like a final. If you want to win the World Cup, these are the games that we have to win and first of all we would like to win this fourth game,” said Williams.
“We want to keep that self-belief – we’re stressing on keeping that self-belief –and play this game like a final.”
The fourth game is set
for Dharmasala with the fifth scheduled for Kolkata next Monday.
West Indies have not won a one-day series in India in a decade, but Williams said his side’s aim was to break this trend.
“Obviously we want to win the series. There are some points [to be had] in terms of the ranking so we want to win the series, we came here to win the series,” he stressed. “No disrespect to India – they are number one –but we want to win against
these good teams so we can be in good stead for the World Cup.
“As a unit, both batting and bowling, we’re doing well. We’ve exceeded our expectations. A lot of people thought India would have just come and roll over us, but we are showing that we have some fight in us and we’re up for the challenge.”
In the last ODI, West Indies seemed en route to victory in pursuit of 264 set by India but suffered a now familiar batting collapse to be bowled out for 215 runs.
Williams said despite this performance, he believed West Indies were still playing good cricket and simply needed to re-focus.
“The guys are batting well, bowling well and fielding well, it’s just to get everything [together]. There was a little blip in the second game but we will get it back together,” he said.
“We as a management group are charged with getting the guys together and we will try and keep them together as much as possible.” (WICB Media Release)
Pistorius should get house arrest, community service, social worker says
outh African track star
SOscar Pistorius should serve three years of partial house arrest and community service for the negligent killing of his girlfriend, a witness said on Monday at the first day of the athlete’s sentencing.
The 27-year-old Paralympic and Olympic star, whose lower legs were amputated as a baby, was convicted of culpable homicide last month for the shooting of 29-year-old law graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013.
The case has riveted South Africans and gripped millions around the world, shocked by the fall of a man widely admired as an inspiration for disabled people and a symbol of triumph over adversity.
Arguing against a prison term, correctional services social worker Joel Maringa said Pistorius was a “co-operative” person who should be sentenced to three years of “correctional supervision”, which would mean the athlete would have to spend a portion of the day at home.
Maringa also said Pistorius should carry out community service, such as sweeping the streets outside museums in Pretoria.
State prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who is pushing for a lengthy prison sentence, described the social worker’s recommendations as “shock-
into the court building. He declined to answer questions from the scrum of reporters but greeted his family inside the court with smiles and hugs.
After a dramatic sixmonth, on-off trial, opinion is starkly divided on the eventual outcome.
A non-custodial sentence would be likely to spark public anger, fuelling a perception among black South Africans that, 20 years after the end of apartheid, wealthy whites can still secure preferential justice.
Joseph scores 7 in NA Inter-Ward
Seven goals by Kevin Joseph helped to push Vrymen’s Erven to the top of the points table when action in the Revival 8-aside Inter-Ward Fastball tournament continued in New Amsterdam on Sunday night.
Joseph was unstoppable as he helped Vrymen’s Erven register the biggest win in the tournament so far as they beat Canje 7-1.
The win pushed them to eight points jointly with Tucber, but Vrymen’s Erven has played four matches while Tucber has played three.
Joseph scored his first goal with the white ball in the 18th minute then, as soon as the red ball was introduced, scored again to give his team a 3-nil half time lead in the feature game. On the resumption, he netted in the 47th and 48th minutes with the red ball to account for four more goals. Sherwin Parris scored the consolation goal for Canje in the 23rd minute.
In fastball competitions when goals are scored with the red ball, they are counted as two.
The loss was the first for Canje in four matches.
Meanwhile, bottom of the table Central NA picked up
Kevin Joseph
their first two points from a match when they held Savannah Park to a 3-3 draw but won the penalty shootout to claim the extra point.
Steffon Boucher netted in the 35th minute while Jermaine Samuels scored in the 45th and 46th minute for Savannah Park.
For Central, Horace Roach recorded a hat trick by scoring one goal with the white ball and another with the red ball.
The competition continues on Sunday with two more matches at the same venue. Canje will take on Savannah Park in game one while the feature game will bring together Tucber and Stanleytown.
ennis-Hill returns to training after giving birth
ingly inappropriate”.
Judge Thokozile Masipa adjourned the hearing early as Nel requested time to review documents before he calls at least two of the state’s witnesses on Tuesday. Sentencing is expected to conclude by the end of the week.
Earlier the court heard from Pistorius’ psychologist, Dr Lore Hartzenberg, who said the athlete was a caring, remorseful person who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and sometimes spent sessions weeping as she held him.
“What we are left with, My Lady, we are left with a broken man who has lost everything,” Hartzenberg said, as Pistorius stared at the floor in the packed Pretoria courtroom. “It is foreseen that Mr Pistorius will require
intensive and ongoing psychotherapy.”
Cleared of murder
Masipa cleared Pistorius of the more serious charge of murder, saying prosecutors had failed to prove his intent to kill when he fired four 9mm rounds through the door of a toilet in what he said was the mistaken belief an intruder was hiding behind it.
A murder conviction would have almost certainly carried a jail sentence. Culpable homicide, South Africa’s equivalent of manslaughter, can be punished by anything from 15 years in jail to a suspended sentence or community service.
A stony-faced Pistorius earlier stared straight ahead as police officers escorted him
“At the end of the day, a young lady was killed and someone should pay for it,” 57-year-old Mildred Lekalakala, a member of the Women’s League of the ruling African National Congress, said outside the court.
The decision by 66-yearold Masipa, only the second black woman to rise to South Africa’s bench, to absolve Pistorius of murder drew criticism from many legal experts and the public in a country infamous for violence, particularly against women.
Pistorius said the shooting in his upmarket Pretoria home was a tragic mistake, but at the trial prosecutors presented a written firearms licence test in which he acknowledged that using lethal force against an intruder was only allowed if there was a direct threat to a person’s life.
Britain's Jessica EnnisHill is back in training ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics after taking a break from the sport to give birth to her son.
The Olympic heptathlon champion, 28, revealed in January she was pregnant with her first child, ruling her out of the entire 2014 season.
"Back in the gym... building back into training," Ennis-Hill, who gave birth to Reggie in July, wrote on Instagram.
"Exciting and slight-
ly scary! My journey to Rio starts now."
Ennis-Hill won gold at the 2012 London Olympics with a British and Commonwealth record score of 6955 points but missed the World Championships the following year because of an Achilles tendon problem.
She then announced in January that she would take the year off, missing the European Championships and Commonwealth Games, as she was expecting her first child. (Sky Sports)
West Indies manager Sir Richie Richardson (right) and coach Stuart Williams
Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius is greeted by a supporter after the first day of his sentencing hearing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, October 13
Jessica Ennis-Hill
5-Stage cyclists, officials head to Berbice today
Cyclists and officials who will be part of the eighth annual ‘Ride for Life’ Five-Stage cycling meet will journey to Berbice today to overnight ahead of tomorrow’s start of the four-day event.
Information emanating from the office of Chief Organiser, Hassan Mohamed on Tuesday indicated that 53 cyclists have confirmed participation, included a number of overseas riders.
“We have so far 53 registered riders as we speak (on Tuesday morning), including riders from overseas but I expect more to register. I expect a very good race because I know the riders have been train-
ing hard for this event,” Mohamed said Speaking on the area of logistics, Mohamed said all the necessary arrangements have been put in place and it is now just a matter of execution.
Meanwhile, Mohamed reminded cyclists and officials that transportation to Berbice will leave the Sport Ministry headquarters on Main Street at 11:30h today. Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony and Director of Sport, Neil Kumar are expected to be among the officials sending the cyclists and officials off to the Ancient County.
The opening stage will be held on Thursday from Corriverton to New
Amsterdam (46.6 miles) from 07:30h; while Stage Two will be on the same day from Rosignol to Georgetown (60.4 miles) from 14:00h.
Stage Three will take place on October 17 from Wales to Parika (35 miles) from 09:00h, while the penultimate stage will be contested from 07:30 hours the following day from Supenaam to Suddie, covering a distance of 62 miles. The fifth and final stage will commence in Linden at 08:30 hours and finish in Georgetown on October 19, covering a distance of 62 miles.
As was the case in previous years, the event will be held with the objectives
of increasing awareness and knowledge about HIV/ AIDS among participants and the general public, and increasing HIV/AIDS activism and volunteerism among the participants and inspiring them to become ambassadors in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Team Coco’s Raynauth Jeffrey is the defending champion of the Open category, having won last year’s event in a time of 10 hours, 05 minutes, 33 seconds. Hamzah Eastman was the leading Junior rider with a time of 10 hours, 09 minutes, 56 seconds, while Raymond Newton was the top Veteran in a time of 10 hours, 09 minutes, 57 seconds.
GDF lead Police after first day of ISAC
By TreisTon Joseph
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has taken the lead after the first day of the Inter Services Athletics Championship (ISAC) on Tuesday at the GDF Sports Club Ground, Base Camp Ayanganna.
GDF ended the first day with 138 points after nine finals while the Guyana Police Force (GPF) trails with 130 points. The City Constabulary ended the day with 22 points while the Guyana Fire Service was in fourth with 19 points. The Guyana Prison Service brought up the rear with 11 points.
In track and field action, GDF’s Cleveland Forde did what he knows best by winning the men’s 5000 metres event in a time of 15:52.2s.
Tyshon Bentick was second with 16:02.4s and Nathaniel Giddings third with16:34.2s.
Patrick King was at the top of his game with a brilliant jump of 6.95 metres in the event for the GDF while Yoel Benjamin was second with a leap of 6.61 metres. Carlos Haynes was third
with 6.57 metres. In the women’s 3000 metres, GPF’s Jonella Jonas was unstoppable winning the event in a time of 11:14.2s to finish ahead of Carlissa Atkinson who clocked 11:18.8s. Alicia Jack was third with a time of 12:30.3s.
Tracey Moses of GPF
dominated the female long jump with a leap of 5.57 metres, while Letitia Myles finished second with a jump of 5.26 metres. Aniqua Powley was third with a jump of 5.01 metres.
National thrower and GPF’s own Natasha Alder was her usual self winning the women’s dis-
cuss with a massive throw of 30.72 metres while Sophina Vanderstoop was second with 28.28 metres. Wonnetta Wayne was third with a throw of 27.45 metres.
Meanwhile in preliminary action Olympian and GPF athlete Winston George was thrown out of the men’s 100 metres due to a false start but rebounded in the 400 metres heats to win heat one.
However, GDF’s Davin Fraser looked in top form with a 10.4s run to win heat one while a former ISAC champion Rupert Perry returned to the track with a 10.7s run to finish second behind Fraser.
GDF’s Akeem Stewart was the winner of heat two in 10.5s, while Shawn Semple finished second in 10.5. Semple, who competes for GPF, was able to win heat two of the men’s 400 metres prelims.
The ISAC championships also known as Joint Service Sports will continue today at the said ground from 10:30h.
Digicel using cycling...
Thompson further declared that cycling is a good way to spread awareness of the disease while highlighting that Guyana’s best cyclist will be a part of the event.
Further, Thompson noted that event will be “exciting and competitive” as the cyclists are pumped for the lucrative race.
Acting Chairperson of the ACHF, Juditha DaCosta revealed the ACHF plans of hosting a week of activities from October 19 while confirming that a breast cancer
walk will be done on October 25.
DaCosta also thanked Digicel for playing a major role in collaborating with the programme on breast cancer. The race will move off from Rosignol at 09:00h with the cyclists making their way to Georgetown circling the outer circuit of the National Park once before ending at the National Park’s Carifesta entrance. Female, junior, veteran and juvenile cyclists are all scheduled to receive prizes as well.
Wins for tsc, gyo, everest and Dcc
Transport Sports Club (TSC), Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO), Everest and Demerara Cricket Club were all victorious when the latest round of matches in the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/ Malta Supreme U-13 competition concluded last Sunday.
TSC defeated Diplomats by 194 runs at YMCA. TSC batted first and scored 3289 after 25 overs. Adrian Hinds led the way with 39, while Devon Allen and Joel Prostea made 11 and 10 respectively.
Anthony Kumar grabbed 2-26 for Diplomats, who suffered 19 dismissals in scoring 134 in reply.
Kumar (19), Al Feroze Zakir (14), Nicholas Williams (13) and Joshua Campbell (11) were the batsmen to reach double figures.
Ronaldo Fredericks captured 5-3, Jamal Michael 3-22, Ryan Latiff 2-6 and Riyad Latiff 2-7.
GYO thumped Bel Air Rubis by 60 runs. GYO rattled up 247, taking first turn at the crease before restricting Bel Air Rubis for 187. At GNIC, Everest beat Bel Air Rubis by 90 runs. Bel Air managed 185 off their allotted 25 overs, but suffered 13 dismissals, batting first. Vikash Jaikarran snared 3-7, Yeudistir Persaud 3-14 and Sachin Bhola 2-14. Everest responded with 275-3 in 25 overs. Shivnanan Gosain took 2-11. Diplomats went down to Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) by 208 runs. Diplomats were limited to 69 after their batsmen were dismissed 24 times, taking first strike. Ntini Permaul stroked 17; Nikosie Beaton bagged 5-1, Adrian Hackett grabbed 5-6, D Mootoo 3-4 and Dorian Thomas 3-21. DCC replied with 277-8 in 25 overs. Thomas scored 13; Deonte Luke claimed 2-15, Treyjohn Prince 2-19 and Wendell Dover 2-17.
Juditha DaCosta (right) receives the cheque from Digicel
GDF runs away with Rank’s 4x100 metres relay
Natasha Alder launches a throw into the air
Digicel using cycling to raise breast cancer awareness
Patel included for remaining WI ODIs
Akshar Patel, the Gujarat and Kings XI Punjab left-arm spinner, has been added as the 15th member to an otherwise unchanged India squad for the remaining two ODIs against West Indies. Akshar, along with Manish Pandey, has also been included in the 14-man squad for the only T20 international that follows the ODIs.
Suresh Raina, who hasn't played Tests since August 2012, will lead the Board President's side in the three-day match in Kanpur before the Test series. Rohit Sharma, who has been sidelined since the England tour in August with a finger injury, is also part of the squad for the Kanpur game, as is young chinaman bowler Kuldeep
Yadav.
Akshar, who has played three ODIs, made his India debut against Bangladesh in June following a strong IPL season. He was the second-most successful spinner in the recent Champions League T20 behind Sunil Narine with eight wickets from five games at an economy-rate of 6.15.
Pandey, the first Indian to make a century in the IPL, is yet to make his international debut. He has featured in every season of the IPL so far and made 2373 runs from 106 T20s at an average of 26.96 and a strike-rate of 116.43.
India ODI squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra
Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, M Vijay, Kuldeep Yadav, Akshar Patel
India T20I squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar , Mohammed Shami, Sanju Samson, Manish Pandey, Umesh Yadav Board President's squad: Suresh Raina (captain), Jiwanjot Singh, KL Rahul, Naman Ojha, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha, Karun Nair, Parvez Rasool, Pankaj Singh, Ishwar Pandey, Jasprit Bumrah, Karn Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav. (Cricinfo)
By TreisTon Joseph
igicel Guyana has partnered with the Avon Community Help Fund (ACHF) to raise breast cancer awareness with their third edition of a cycling road race set for October 26. At the launching on Tuesday at the Digicel’s headquarters in Kingston, the telecommunication giant said it will be shelling out approximately 1.3 million to ensure the success of the event with the top cyclist receiving $250,000.
Events and Sponsorship manager of Digicel Gavin Hope was keen on Digicel partnering with ACHF to spread awareness on breast cancer.
“The work this organisation has been doing has made us decide to have a signature event to help spread awareness and cancer and more so breast cancer. Its apart of our calendar of events and something we will look to continue,” Hope stressed.
President of the Guyana Cycling Federation, Cheryl Thompson was happy to be a part of the event and thanked Digicel for allowing them to be a part of the “prestigious” event.
Members of the head table including Gavin Hope (white) at the press conference
Hassan Mohamed
Akshar Patel had an impressive Champions League T20 for Kings XI Punjab © BCCI