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Commodore Gary Best cutting the ceremonial ribbon

Camp Stephenson, Timehri on Tuesday

wednesday, june 5, 2013 | guyanatimesgy.com

Some stores flouting goods return policy

– CCAC says it’s working on educating stakeholders

By Samuel Sukhnandan

The Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC)

is monitoring the return policy on goods, as it seeks to have local businesses comply with the new law. CCAC Consumer Affairs Officer Clifford Zemmett told Guyana Times on Monday that the body has been working assiduously to educate businesses on the return policy, whereby consumers have up to seven working days, to return a purchased item from any store.

According to him, while the commission has sought to bring all the businesses together at one forum, this has not been possible due to the lack of financial and other resources. Despite this, the CCAC has been writing various businesses about the new policy. This, the official said, has proven to be somewhat successful up to a certain level, but he noted that there is still some work to be done

in that regard.

“What we have found is that many businesses were not conscious about this section of the act, which states specifically that it is against the law to have up signs that say “Goods are Not Returnable”,” Zemmett asserted.

While admitting that there are a few stores that may still have up these signs, he said many of them are now taking them down after being warned of the penalties they could face.

The passing of the 2011 Consumer Affairs Act now caters for persons re-

turning goods within seven days, once the product was not tampered with. While this law is in effect, Zemmett said, the consumer also has the responsibility to be compliant and not to abuse the system. This, he noted, is one of the issues businesses had feared being confronted with on a daily basis.

Return policy

In explaining the return policy, the CCAC official told Guyana Times that while consumers have the right to return goods, the act also states that the goods must not be tampered with. The business, for which the goods are being returned, also has an obligation to charge 10 per cent of the value of the product, as a restocking fee. In other cases where the product is defective, consumers have the right to take back the product and have it exchanged or be refunded in full.

Zemmett said, “We

have been engaging the business sector in discussions about the regulations being made with specified things that would not be even considered, for example, underwear.”

On this note, he said that the CCAC has been consulting with businesses, to come up with items which the commission would consider non-returnable. He reiterated that it is against the law for businesses to have signs that indicate that they do not provide exchanges and refunds for goods and urged them to desist from this practice.

Shortcomings

The CCAC said it would welcome consumers’ reviews and comments, and remained willing to entertain complaints whereby stores are in breach of the law. While the commission has a small staff complement, the team has been working not only to educate consumers about the new policies the act speaks about, but to ensure that business owners are made aware of their shortcomings and correct them forthwith. In most instances, they do comply, Zemmett said. When questioned as to whether the commission has been able to engage foreign nationals who operate businesses here, the official said it has to some ex-

tent and this will continue. Zemmett added that while there have been no convictions, as it relates to businesses non- compliance with the return policy, the commission may have to move in that direction if necessary. “If they don’t adhere to it, then they will have to go through the procedure to deal with that,” he affirmed.

Prosecution

Over time, there have been many complaints about faulty products and unfair practices by local businesses. The Consumer Affairs Act of 2011 has made clear the rights of consumers, stating that an offence is committed when any business places a sign that reads: “No refunds, No Returns.” Penalties can be imposed for a breach of any provision of the act, which could range from $20,000 to $1,000,000 and up to one year’s imprisonment.

It must be noted that the court in imposing a penalty shall take into consideration the size of the business. One of the many issues the act highlights is the false and misleading information about certain goods, in addition to advertising goods at a particular price, then selling at a different price. This will also attract stiff penalties.

The CCAC is empowered with the approval of

the tourism minister to make regulations binding in law on an industry, trade or profession. Once this is done, non-compliance by the industry, trade, or profession subject to the regulation, constitutes a breach.

Compliance

This body is also tasked with monitoring compliance with the law, and carrying out other enforcement activities such as responding to consumers’ complaints and ensuring that adequate information is available so that consumers can make informed choices. The bill brings all businesses under tight scrutiny to ensure that they comply with the provisions of the law.

It imposes on suppliers obligations such as: giving consumers information about various goods, providing measuring equipment that meet the standards imposed by law for use by consumers when selling goods and services, issuing receipts and explicit warranties to consumers, compensating for damage, replacement and repairs in the case of defective goods, refunding payment for goods and services different from those requested, and being accurate with regards to claims for payment and instalments by consumers. (samuelsukhnandan@guyanatimesgy.com)

Death row inmate begs court to consider appeal

Adeath row prisoner is appealing to the court to give urgent consideration to his case after his attorney filed an appeal on his behalf.

Anthony Beharry called “Tony” was condemned to die for the September 20, 2004 arson/ murder of his cousin. He was accused of torching a house belonging to his aunt, which resulted in the death of a cousin, Yusuf Latiff.

Beharry, 43, of Reliance Settlement Canje was said to have torched the house after an argument with relatives, including his mother and sisters. His lawyer, Charrandas Persaud claimed that his client’s only crime was being under the influence of alcohol and having a dispute with relatives.

Several persons testified during the trial, including, Beharry’s mother and two sisters as well as the driver of the estate ambulance who spoke about turning up at the scene after receiving a call that a house was on fire and the

Anthony Beharry

burn victim was lying in the street.

Police said they had received a complaint against Beharry for threatening language and disorderly behaviour and had visited the scene a second time after receiving information about a fire.

Beharry’s mother, Ameena Boodhu had gone to police to inform them that he had blocked their path during an attempt to enter the burning building. However, Beharry’s lawyer claimed that police had already taken the accused into

custody after the first complaint was lodged when they received a second call that a house was being torched.

The prosecutor alleged that Beharry was seen pouring a substance at the doorway of the victim’s bedroom before the entire building became engulfed in flames. According to the facts of the case, on the day in question, Beharry was at Lot 51 Reliance, East Canje, where he lived with his mother, the victim and others.

Boodhu claimed she saw when Beharry threw out a liquid from a one-burner stove prior to spreading it around the house and striking a match which set the place ablaze. According to the prosecution, after the fire was extinguished, the charred remains of the deceased were removed from the premises.

Beharry was sentenced to death by Justice Dawn Gregory-Barnes after being found guilty of the capital offence in the murder of Latiff.

CCAC Consumer Affairs Officer Clifford Zemmett

Jagdeo urges new global pact with incentives to fight climate change

FWinds: East north-easterly to easterly at 4.47 to 3.57

High Tide: 01:58h and 14:27h reaching maximum heights of 2.42 metres and 2.35 metres per second.

Low Tide: 08:00h and 20:14h reaching minimum heights of 0.79 metre and 0.85 metre respectively.

ormer President Bharrat Jagdeo continued his global campaign to fight climate change telling a high-level Canadian audience Monday evening that fixing the energy mix, decarbonising sectors and charting a different pathway to development through a new global agreement with incentives and strong regulations is the way to go.

He was at the time one of several panelists at a Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research event titled “The Carbon Conversations: Charting a Sustainable Future”. The discussion series, now in its second year, addresses the core of the planet’s crisis – carbon and the world’s dependence on carbon by-products.

Carbon Conversations

The Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research engages a broad spectrum of thinkers in Carbon Conversations – from students and scientists to philosophers and consumers –to generate discourse about carbon-related sustainability issues and the future of the world. The panel focussed on the question: “Environmental sustainability and avoided climate change: mutually exclusive to development and for profit commercialisation?”

According to a release from the centre, Jagdeo spoke of his brainchild Low Carbon Development Strategy – as system of carbon credits he put in place for Guyana, which resulted in a bilateral deal with Norway. This, he said sought to balance human needs with sustainable practices.

The centre said during his presentation Jagdeo understood the scepticism of some in the crowd about the ability to align politics and economics with sustainability.

According to the centre, a theme quickly took shape as the panel discussion got underway with panelists advocating that sustainability can go hand-in-hand with sound investment and good business practices. The message was not lost on the diverse crowd, a mix of 150

business executives, environmentalists, community members, students and alumni of Trent. All with an interest in sustainability in common, they gathered in the heart Toronto’s financial district the evening of June 3.

Aside from Jagdeo, other speakers include Guyanese Dr Suresh Narine, director of the Biomaterials Research Centre at Trent, Ontario research chair in green chemistry and engineering and NSERC industrial chair. They were joined by David G Patterson, chair and chief executive officer (CEO), Northwater Capital, and Annette Verschuren, OC, CEO and chair, NRStor, and chair, Clean Energy Taskforce for Ontario to lead a discussion under the title of the event “Charting a Sustainable future”.

Lively exchange

The centre said in the spirit of the name of the series, the Carbon Conversation was a lively exchange between passionate and informed audience members and the panel of experts. Verscheuren described her earlier career as an executive with Home Depot, where she oversaw sustainability initiatives such as the simple repurposing of furniture for Habitat for Humanity. Once retired from her position, she wanted her next venture to “make a difference”.

She sees ethical, sustainable investing as a “convenient opportunity for Canada-led innovation” and invests in solutions-oriented companies undertaking environmentally-friendly and energy-wise initiatives like smart energy storage.

Paterson shared his philosophy that demands for smart technologies will spark innovation. Sustainable businesses will generate wealth and fuel economic growth. At Northwater Capital, his are not green funds – it’s simply a belief that reducing the impact of energy use is good business, “where demand meets profit”.

He went on to describe a series of smart sustainable companies, working to recycle the photo voltaic heat to produce electricity.

Verscheuren agreed that “there will be a system of carbon credits sooner than we think” and urged that businesses can be part of the solution. “The lack of capital coordination between governments, NGOs and the private sector are no excuse to stop doing things at the private level,” she said. Several comments and perspectives presented by audience members resulted in spontaneous applause.

Unique perspectives

Dr Narine thanked the panel of experts for contributing their unique perspectives to the ongoing discussion. The successful event was the fourth in a series of expert lectures and dialogues called The Carbon Conversations. The series is based on the concept that the crisis is carbon and the opportunity is for solutions through conversation. The core of the planet’s crisis is carbon – its use, management and ownership is at the fulcrum of fundamental issues in the world: climate change, environmental stewardship, economic development, culture, ideology and the consumption of resources.

The Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research engages a broad spectrum of thinkers in the Carbon Conversations – from students and scientists to philosophers and consumers –generating discourse about carbon-related sustainability issues and the future of the world.

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo making his presentation at the event

Countrywide: Thundery showers are expected during the day, with clear skies in the evening over coastal areas and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 and 27 degrees Celsius.

metres per second.

Editor: Nigel Williams

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

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

The quiet news

The news earlier this month that the planet’s concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels – measured in parts per million (PPM) molecules of air – has reached 400ppm passed relatively quietly as the country, either weary of climate change narratives, sceptical or uncaring, generally perceived little need to understand the significance.

But there is a significance. The increase in carbon dioxide levels impacts everything from our ability to produce our food to our nutrition, our health and to population displacement and conflict, just to cite a few.

When CO2 levels first started being recorded at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory in 1958, they were recorded at 337ppm. No one then could have predicted that it would reach 400pmm in just over half a century. After all, CO2 levels before the pre-industrial period, more than 200 years ago, were around 280ppm. Since then, human induced greenhouse gas increases that include CO2 and others, like nitrous oxide and methane, have obviously increased at alarming rates.

According to reports, the last time Earth’s heat-trapping gases reached such levels was three million years ago, and had ushered in sea levels 70 feet higher than today’s, with temperatures that were two degrees Celsius above current global mean temperatures, no doubt changing the face and feel of our Earth then, as it would do today.

And while climate change opponents cite this non-human induced level as proof of lack of human culpability in global CO2 emissions since humans were not around, the period for this natural increase covered much, much more than the century it took for industrial era humankind to increase CO2 levels. Indeed, humans were simply not around three million years ago to experience the impact of these global climatic changes.

Higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now have enormous implications for our quality of life. Now that humans are here on Earth, there are serious human health outcomes from global warming brought about by higher levels of this heat-trapping gas.

As moisture increases in a warmer atmosphere with higher CO2 levels, it leads to more devastating storms that create flooding and water damage. This in turn allows infectious respiratory diseases to flourish along with increasing mouldrelated illnesses and water-borne diseases.

Elevated levels of carbon dioxide also permit increasing vector-borne diseases, as warmer temperatures allow longer periods of reproduction and biting seasons for insects and pathogens, and intensify insect and thereby pathogen habitat ranges. Pathogens can also become particularly virulent.

Burning forests that put more CO2 into the atmosphere also produce particles or organic compounds that are small enough to be inhaled, and can penetrate and embed themselves deep into the lungs to prove more hazardous to our health. Such particles can be dispersed over far-ranging areas to affect millions around the globe.

Studies have proved that higher levels of CO2 can affect crop production and nutrition as yields and nutritional content decrease, since plants with increased CO2 levels are less able to defend against pests that prey upon their nutrients. This ultimately affects what humans receive as nourishment from crops, leading to mass malnourishment especially among many of the world’s poor who rely heavily on crops as a main source of nutrition.

Fewer yields in a world of increasing populations are a recipe for conflict. When Russian wild fires recently destroyed much of its wheat crop, to provide for its citizens the country banned exports. One of the countries Russia would have exported its wheat to then faced a wheat shortage that led to food riots there in which at least 13 persons were killed.

Additionally, as sea level rises, contamination of underground freshwater reservoirs near coastlines is inevitable as an osmotic effect introduces salinity to public water resources. In Bangladesh, pregnant women were increasingly diagnosed with hypertension due to salt water intrusion into underground water supplies, which led to dangerous conditions for both mother and child.

Even non-human environments unaccustomed for millennia to certain vectors may find themselves overwhelmed and devastated since they do not have the time to evolve their defences against these new arrivals. This is evident in the mass extinctions of several island plant and animal species when new species arrived either by accident or design into their balanced ecosystem over a relatively short space of time.

With little now to be done to meaningfully reverse carbon dioxide levels in the near future, it is time to acknowledge that our planet’s climate is undergoing change and we must all adapt and make efforts to mitigate the effects by looking at our food consumption patterns, our building habits and our urban planning schemes, if we wish to live a better quality of life here on a warmer Earth.

Forests provide an estimated one billion people globally with nutritious foods. Their products are consumed directly by people living in and around forests and are also sold, generating income for rural populations. In this way, forests and trees on farms make a major contribution to global food security. However, they have often been given little priority in national policymaking related to food security. As we celebrate World Environment Day 2013, whose theme is “Think.Eat.Save”, let us remember our forests

A procedural judicial dilemma

Dear Editor,

After spending the entire morning of May 31, 2013 in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to offer some testimony in a personal matter before the court, I observed a particularly troubling practice related solely to the procedural management of evidentiary recordation that I wish to briefly highlight and expound upon.

Before so doing, I wish to make clear that this criticism is not directed toward any particular individual or group thereof connected to that court, but rather, is specially intended to militate in furtherance of improving the administration and, hence, the quality of justice for all of our Guyanese brothers and sisters.

Courts and the magistrates who regulate and administer such should at all times seek to judiciously resolve legal disputes in a timely and prompt manner, keenly emphasising the promotion of efficiency and expediency to all subordinate court officials, thereby allowing for a more rapid and smooth flow of a court’s caseload. I have not brilliantly invented this concept. This is a straightforward, commonsensical public policy that anyone casually familiar with the legal process ought to know.

Magistrates should not, contrary to what I observed, be burdened with the task of having to manually record testimony and other evidentiary offerings by handwriting such, as it undoubtedly interrupts, impedes and may even dispel with the free-flowing nature that is inherently associated with the ability to convey ideas, perceptions and sensations by a testifying witness or an attorney presenting her case. How can a witness effectively recount and express the facts to which their testimony relates if the magistrate needs 25 seconds to record each 15 words spoken? How can an attorney zealously represent her client, including the invoking of emotion often required to do so within the parameters of the law, if she is forced to pause and/or repeat herself constantly to the magistrate?

While a single or even a few instances of this practice may not be a cause for concern, the most troubling aspect here is felt on an aggregate basis – imagine how many more cases could have been heard and resolved if a magistrate did not have to handwrite the testimony of 100 witnesses. What about 1000 witnesses? It is no wonder why our courts’ dockets are overflowing with matters that have gone unresolved for several years.

Aside from this, there are also justifiable concerns regarding the accuracy, preservability, interprability and reproducibility of a magistrate’s handwritten record of testimony and other evidentiary offerings.

Did the magistrate mishear or otherwise err? Have the contents of the record been confirmed by an independent court official? What happens to lost or damaged records? Is the magistrate’s handwriting legible enough to be read by most? How effective will the review of cases be in the event of an appeal? The point is that there are a multitude of legitimate questions that can be raised with regards to handwritten records.

Magistrates already have enough on their proverbial plates in having to play the gate keeping role of preserving and maintaining order, civility and peace, as well as having to remain impartial and unbiased in rendering their judgments and findings of fact and law. To be fair, it must be noted that our magistrates are making sincere, good-faith efforts to effectively fulfil their judicial functions and obligations.

However, there are some wrinkles in the procedural management process which must be neatly ironed out so as to improve the overall efficiency and expediency in

the administration of justice.

With all that is already expected of magistrates to dispense justice, it is unfair, even illogical, to have them assume the tedious, painstaking task of evidentiary recordation – this is a function better suited for court reporters, transcriptionists, and stenographers, who traditionally serve the role of recording and memorialising testimony, arguments offered and words uttered by the magistrate.

As such, we must begin to carefully carve a new role in our judiciary in the area of court reporting so as to alleviate the many responsibilities of our magistrates, which will ultimately serve the best interests of our nation’s administration of justice, through expediency and efficiency.

I understand that Guyana is a developing nation with limited monetary and human resources. However, to fully and truly modernise Guyana’s administration of justice, substantial efforts must be undertaken to catch-up to the modern world, whose continual advances in technology have set the standard for the expedient and efficient resolution of judicial proceedings.

Respectfully submitted, Cheddi B Jagan II, Esq

Allow the police to do their work

Dear Editor,

What is this about people and their complaining about the police even as they are doing their work? They are accusing them of indiscriminate shooting, as though these law enforcers are a set of mad men on the loose. Such wrangling resulted from the arrest of four young men in Sophia.

Relatives and residents are now trying to claim otherwise, saying that the police behaved in a dangerous manner, shooting indiscriminately. This kind of thing is quite recurrent when it comes to the police and their sweeping down on loiterers and people just

ganging up at certain locations.

Many young men are resorting to ganging up for I know not what. It is not like Guyana is short where employment is concerned. Then this gun business is another factor – they always seem to have some kind of dangerous weapons on them. Where they get these and what are their intentions are matters to be considered.

The police made good as regards arresting a few people over the weekend – they had guns and ammunition. So I think that law-abiding people should be glad with this kind of proactive police work. It is very disturbing

that youths are caught with guns and residents are complaining.

I am very fed-up too with people coming out and blaming the police after a loved one is caught in some kind of shady act. If these implicated youths had been gainfully employed, then they would not have had the time to lime and pose that-ever threatening presence to people. I personally get scared when I see any group of such young men. The police are right – get them off the streets. We need our streets to be safe.

Yours truly, Clairmonte

Emmanuel

Purge Guyana of child abuse

Dear Editor, I believe that children are our future and it is good to note that this is how the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) seems to be thinking. A one-stop centre, geared towards accelerating the response to reports of child abuse is set to become a reality sometime in June.

This centre will have representatives from nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), law enforcement and CC&PA, as well as prosecution and health services officials. This is indeed a significant move.

People are generally reluctant to report child abuse. Their reasons are usually that it is not their business, or that no one will do anything. Concerning the latter, government is serious and has been doing a lot of things.

This will only get more serious now with this centre. As for those who do not consider it their business to report cases of child abuse, I ask for them to think twice.

If children, who are victims of all kinds of abuse are left unrepresented, then it means that cruel

people will overwhelm us. We must resolve to stamp out child abuse from our country. It is hoped that this centre, one of many to be launched in Guyana, will do a lot of wonders in terms of nabbing child abusers.

This kind of planning and execution may be arduous, but I am surmising that we are thinking years down the road. In the meantime, please report cases of child abuse and let us resolve to purge Guyana of this sore.

Yours truly,

Shondelle Abrams

Do not put up with these kinds of robberies

Dear Editor,

We just cannot have this kind of random invasion of people’s properties and then nothing comes out of any of the incidents. People get robbed and beaten up and they are left to rebuild. The latest case is one of great irritation. It concerns a businesswoman, who was beaten and robbed at gunpoint by three bandits.

The Berbice case also comes to mind, where a man was beaten to death and a fe-

male was badly injured at the hands of an angry mob. This occurred when there was the break and enter at a store in Port Mourant.

To me, these robbers are now making mockery of the general citizenry. They rob and taunt, and even when money and jewellery are handed over to them, they still inflict wounds on their victims.

When someone is robbed, it leaves people very distraught and they end up do-

ing crazy things. There is need for more patrols on the beat, more community policing groups, and a good secret system of conveying information, so that a robbery can be intercepted.

We just cannot allow people, who have nothing to do, to be on the streets. People need their safety. Maybe Guyana has to implement and enforce anti-liming laws too.

Yours truly, Phyllis

Rose

There should be a “Don’t Drop It Campaign”

Dear Editor, I have been hearing on air about the “Pick It Up Campaign” and I keep saying that there is need for a change of approach. We need a “Don’t Drop It” campaign instead.

In Barbados, apparently there are long stretches of roads that do not have any houses and there are piles of garbage on them. Well that is how it is here too in many places.

The Railway Embankment is one such place. People drop off their garbage, sometimes not even in a bag, and this is left for animals and vagrants to rum-

mage through. This is so unsightly and it is also a health hazard.

For World Environment Day, there is now a special exercise for the Georgetown area. We have been trying this for a long time. It is like bathing a pig – it becomes dirty again.

The reason is that people are the problem. They go back to dispensing waste most indiscriminately.

There was a drive to catch and charge them, even using a decoy. This drive seems dead.

As the theme for World Environment Day suggests, let us think, eat and save, and focus on food wastage and food loss. Let us focus on environmental well-being as well.

Yours sincerely, Fiona Harris

You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Page Foundation

Cultures and customs: Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes

BY HELENA LEE

For 75 years, Finland’s expectant mothers have been given a box by the state. It’s like a starter kit of clothes, sheets and toys that can even be used as a bed. And some say it helped Finland achieve one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates.

It’s a tradition that dates back to the 1930s and it’s designed to give all children in Finland, no matter what background they’re from, an equal start in life. The maternity package – a gift from the government – is available to all expectant mothers.

It contains bodysuits, a sleeping bag, outdoor gear, bathing products for the baby, as well as nappies, bedding and a small mattress. With the mattress in the bottom, the box becomes a baby’s first bed. Many children, from all social backgrounds, have their first naps within the safety of the box’s four cardboard walls.

Mothers have a choice between taking the box, or a cash grant, currently set at 140 euros, but 95 per cent opt for the box as it’s worth much more.

The tradition dates back to 1938. To begin with, the scheme was only available to families on low incomes, but that changed in 1949.

“Not only was it offered to all mothers-to-be but new

legislation meant in order to get the grant, or maternity box, they had to visit a doctor or municipal prenatal clinic before their

Contents of the box

• Mattress, mattress cover, undersheet, duvet cover, blanket, sleeping bag/quilt

• Box itself doubles as a crib

• Snowsuit, hat, insulated mittens and booties

• Light hooded suit and knitted overalls

• Socks and mittens, knitted hat and balaclava

• Bodysuits, romper suits and leggings in unisex colours and patterns

• Hooded bath towel, nail scissors, hairbrush, toothbrush, bath thermometer, nappy cream, wash cloth

• Cloth nappy set and muslin squares

• Picture book and teething toy

• Bra pads, condoms

fourth month of pregnancy,” says Heidi Liesivesi, who works at Kela – the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.

So the box provided mothers with what they needed to look after their baby, but it also helped steer pregnant women into the arms of the doctors and nurses of Finland’s nascent welfare state.

In the 1930s Finland was a poor country and infant mortality was high – 65 out of 1000 babies died. But the figures improved rapid-

ly in the decades that followed.

Mika Gissler, a professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, gives several reasons for this – the maternity box and pre-natal care for all women in the 1940s, followed in the 60s by a national health insurance system and the central hospital network.

Dressing baby for the weather: Finland’s official childcare advice

At 75 years old, the box is now an established part of the Finnish rite of passage towards motherhood, uniting generations of women.

Reija Klemetti, a 49-yearold from Helsinki, remembers going to the post office to collect a box for one of her six children.

“It was lovely and exciting to get it and somehow the first promise to the baby,” she says. “My mum,

friends and relatives were all eager to see what kind of things were inside and what colours they’d chosen for that year.”

Her mother-in-law, aged 78, relied heavily on the box when she had the first of her four children in the 60s. At that point she had little idea what she would need, but it was all provided.

More recently, Klemetti’s daughter Solja, aged 23, shared the sense of excitement that her mother had once experienced, when she took possession of the “first substantial thing” prior to the baby itself. She now has two young children.

“It’s easy to know what year babies were born in, because the clothing in the box changes a little every year. It’s nice to compare and think, ‘Ah that kid was born in the same year as mine’,” says Titta Vayrynen, a 35-year-old mother with two young boys.

For some families, the

contents of the box would be unaffordable if they were not free of charge, though for Vayrynen, it was more a question of saving time than money. She was working long hours when pregnant with her first child, and was glad to be spared the effort of comparing prices and going out shopping.

“There was a recent report saying that Finnish mums are the happiest in the world, and the box was one thing that came to my mind. We are very well taken care of, even now when some public services have been cut down a little,” she says.

When she had her second boy, Ilmari, Vayrynen opted for the cash grant instead of the box and just reused the clothes worn by her first, Aarni. A boy can pass on clothes to a girl too, and vice versa, because the colours are deliberately gender-neutral. The contents of the box have changed a good deal over the years, reflecting changing times.

During the 30s and 40s, it contained fabric because mothers were accustomed to making the baby’s clothes. But during World War II, flannel and plainweave cotton were needed by the Defence Ministry, so some of the material was replaced by paper bed sheets and swaddling cloth.

The 50s saw an increase in the number of readymade clothes, and in the

60s and 70s these began to be made from new stretchy fabrics. In 1968 a sleeping bag appeared, and the following year disposable nappies featured for the first time.

Not for long. At the turn of the century, the cloth nappies were back in and the disposable variety were out, having fallen out of favour on environmental grounds. Encouraging good parenting has been part of the maternity box policy all along.

“Babies used to sleep in the same bed as their parents and it was recommended that they stop,” says Panu Pulma, professor in Finnish and Nordic History at the University of Helsinki. “Including the box as a bed meant people started to let their babies sleep separately from them.”

At a certain point, baby bottles and dummies were removed to promote breastfeeding. “One of the main goals of the whole system was to get women to breastfeed more,” Pulma says. And, he adds, “It’s happened.”

He also thinks including a picture book has had a positive effect, encouraging children to handle books, and, one day, to read. And in addition to all this, Pulma says, the box is a symbol. A symbol of the idea of equality, and of the importance of children.

The story of the maternity pack

1938: Finnish Maternity Grants Act introduced –two-thirds of women giving birth that year eligible for cash grant, maternity pack or mixture of the two Pack could be used as a cot as poorest homes didn’t always have a clean place for baby to sleep

1940s: Despite wartime shortages, scheme continued as many Finns lost homes in bombings and evacuations

1942-6: Paper replaced fabric for items such as swaddling wraps and mother’s bed sheet

1949: Income testing removed, pack offered to all mothers in Finland – if they had prenatal health checks (1953 pack pictured above)

1957: Fabrics and sewing materials completely replaced with ready-made garments

1969: Disposable nappies added to the pack

1970s: With more women in work, easy-to-wash stretch cotton and colourful patterns replace white nonstretch garments

2006: Cloth nappies reintroduced, bottle left out to encourage breastfeeding.

NDIA to lend assistance to conservancy dam farmers

National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Chief Executive Officer

Lionel Wordsworth said NDIA will make another attempt to aid farmers along the conservancy dam in Canal Polder Number Two who are currently affected by floods as a result of poor drainage.

For the past two weeks, farms along the conservancy have been covered by water. Farmers’ losses have been estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Recently, Wordsworth paid a visit to the affected area with the promise of lending assistance. He said although NDIA is not responsible for the vegetation clogged drain along the conservancy dam, within days a “long-reach excavator” will be deployed to clear the drain which runs for approximately two miles.

Currently, two excavators are clearing drains at Parika and Windsor Forest, when completed one of the two will be deployed to the conservancy dam. The NDIA CEO said this is the second time the authority will be offering assistance within the area. According to him in recent years, NDIA cleared the drain, but with the intention of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) maintaining it. He said that due to lack of maintenance, the problem of drainage and irrigation in the area has resurfaced once again.

NDIA CEO Lionel Wordsworth

This time around, he is calling on the NDC and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) to play their part to prevent future flooding. He pointed out that NDIA is only responsible for the main drains in Canal One and Two.

Last Wednesday, farmers along the conversancy dam vented their frustration over the persistent flooding in the area.

According to the farmers, for more than 15 years, the main drain in the area has remained clogged. One of the farmers, Narine Sukhan told Guyana Times several complaints were lodged at the NDC, RDC and the Agriculture Ministry. He said while NDIA is contending that the NDC and the RDC are responsible for the clearage and maintenance of the drain, the two entities continue to lay the blame at the feet of the Agriculture Ministry.

wednesday, june 5, 2013

Police recover rifle stolen during Wismar Post Office robbery

Police have recovered the rifle stolen from one of its ranks during the brazen robbery at the Wismar Post Office on Monday.

The discovery of the stolen service FN rifle without its magazine which had reportedly contained 20 matching rounds was made on Tuesday at Millie’s Hideout, Linden-Soesdyke, Highway, the day after the two armed unmasked bandits staged the robbery. Police were reportedly led to the scene by persons who had passed by the bushy area and spotted the weapon. They have since arrested three persons in relation to the incident.

In a release, police said about 07:30h, the rifle was recovered off the roadway in the vicinity of the Millie’s Hideout turn leading into Linden. “The Guyana Police Force wishes to express its appreciation to the citizens of the Linden community who assisted with the investigations and led to the quick recovery of the firearm.”

The money, which was stolen on Monday, was supposed to be used to pay old

age pensioners, some of whom had already assembled inside the office when the robbers entered and carried out the act. The situation caused a massive build-up of pensioners at the Mackenzie Post Office on Tuesday, since more than 500 pensioners were redirected there as a result of the Wismar office being closed.

On Tuesday, Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon had indicated that the situation created quite a backlog of persons within the facility and as such, a makeshift office was set up at the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN)

building on Republic Avenue, Mackenzie.

He noted that the move was made to facilitate scores of senior citizens who stood outside the Mackenzie Post Office building to receive their payment. He noted that after speaking to them, many were still reluctant to visit the makeshift office.

“There was a backlog after yesterday’s incident (Monday) because all of the post offices were closed (Wismar and Mackenzie). So all who should’ve been paid on Monday, which is about 500 persons had to be paid today (Tuesday),”Solomon said.

On Monday, at approximately 08:00h, the bandits escaped with more than $2 million after attacking Postmistress Romona Singh and a clerk who were on duty at the time. They also snatched the policeman’s rifle. At the time of the incident, there were nine employees on duty; however, six were working in the field.

Eyewitnesses disclosed that on the said morning, two men clad in dark coloured jerseys were spotted in a car surveying the area in the vicinity of the post office. The car was then parked a few yards away at the bottom of a hill known as “Tar Hill”, which is located a short distance away from the post office, after which one of the occupants exited and started looking around the area in a suspicious manner.

Minutes later, the eyewitness related that the men returned to the scene and carried out the blatant act.

Several road blocks were set up at strategic points in and around the community on Monday, and several persons were taken into police custody.

Consultations on Caricom strategic plan kick start today

Barbados is the country selected for the pilot of national consultations on a Five-year Strategic Plan for Caricom. The strategic plan is a critical part of the reform process within Caricom, which has been initiated by the Conference of Heads of Government.

The consultations in Barbados will take place June 5-7, and will be conducted by the Change Facilitation team based at the Caricom Secretariat Headquarters, Liliendaal in conjunction with Barbados’s Ambassador to Caricom Robert Morris.

According to a Caricom Secretariat release, the recruitment of a Change Facilitation team emanated from the discussions of

heads of government at their intersessional meeting in Suriname in 2012 after receiving a report on the review of the secretariat. The heads agreed that it was necessary to re-examine the future direction of the community and the arrangements for carrying this forward which would include the role and function of the Caricom secretariat.

The strategic plan will, among other things, identify the priority areas of focus for the community and guide the restructuring of the secretariat. The secretary general has begun some corporate reforms within the secretariat.

Heads of government approved the outline of the strategic plan at their intersessional meeting in Haiti, last

February, and agreed to appoint change drivers in each member state with overall responsibility for coordinating and facilitating the change process at the national level. Ambassador Morris has been designated as Barbados’ change driver.

The consultations in member states will include stakeholder groups including heads of government; opposition leaders; parliamentarians; and representatives of business, labour, youth, other civil society groups, Caricom institutions and other key organisations headquartered in member states.

These consultations are intended to address the vision, mission and core values of Caricom; priority are-

as in the period 2014-18; and the most appropriate and efficient governance and management structures for the community.

The consultations in Barbados begin today, with Caricom institutions and organisations, the private sector and Labour. On Thursday, the team meets with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart as well as with Caribbean Policy Development Centre and nongovernmental organisations. The facilitation team, which has a three-year mandate, is being assisted with resources from the United Kingdom through the Department for International Development (DFID) and began work in the Caricom Secretariat last November.

The Wismar Post Office shortly after the incident

wednesday, june 5, 2013| guyanatimesgy.com

Tearful drug dealer heads to prison

Twenty-eight-yearold Joel Figueira left the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts in tears on Tuesday after he was sentenced to 56 months in prison on a charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry also fined Figueira, of Lot 362 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, $96,420 for possession of the 60 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking. According to court docu-

ments, on July 13, 2012, police found the cannabis in a bag in the yard of the defendant, who, when questioned, admitted to owning the cannabis, claiming that he had bought it from a man in Albouystown to resell.

Figueira, who made his first court appearance on July 16, 2012, was represented by Attorney Candacia Rodney, who stated that her client was never found in possession of the drug and denied having knowledge of the substance.

Land fraudster robbed man of $13M – prosecution

Aman was remanded to prison for obtaining money by false pretence when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday.

Telford Layne, of Lamaha Place, South Ruimveldt Park pleaded to the charges which state that between December 4, 2012 and February 18, 2013, he obtained by false pretence $13,000,000 from Wayne Heber and converted it to his own use.

According to reports, the defendant had applied for mining land from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) but the application was not approved as yet. However, he went about collecting cash in the sum of $13,000,000 for the sale of the land, assuring the Virtual Complainant that all was well. Heber,

however, made enquires about the land and realised that the defendant did not have full possession of the property.

The defendant, who was represented by Attorney Linden Amsterdam, was refused bail and the matter is adjourned until June 12.

Sophia resident fired shots at police, court hears

Aman accused of firing upon a police officer was refused bail when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday.

Seon Mathurson, of Sophia, Greater Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charges which state that on May 31 at Sophia, he fired shots toward police constable 21109 with intent to disfigure and disable and cause

grievous bodily harm, and had possession of a .38 revolver and two spent shells.

Prosecutor Vernette Pindar said on the day in question about 14:40h, police ranks were in Sophia when they received a tip

that they should go to the defendant’s house. When they arrived at the house, they noticed four men; as the police approached the premises, the accused fired two shots towards them.

The prosecutor objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the offence. Defence Attorney Melvin Duke made an application for bail and requested an early trial date. The chief magistrate denied bail and the matter will be heard again on June 17.

Suspected thief

refused bail

Aman was remanded to prison when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday.

Shaka Duke, 29, of Lyng Street, Charlestown, pleaded not guilty to the charges which state that on June 1 at Lyng Street, he stole one gold chain valued $135,000 from Avril Garret.

Police reports state that the virtual complainant (VC) was in her yard when the accused came up to her and snatched her chain. He was subsequently apprehended and beaten by public-spirited citizens.

Attorney Paul Fung-AFat represented the defendant. The VC said she was compensated $160,000 and was unwilling to give evidence; however, the magistrate indicated to the prosecution that the VC could be compelled to give evidence. The VC later obliged the court. The defendant was refused his pre-trial liberty, and is scheduled to return to court on June 14 for filing of statements.

Eyew tness Shouting...

...the loudest

It’s truly said that those who shout the loudest about something, usually have the most to hide. Once again for the umpteenth time, the Alliance For Change (AFC) propagandists Rose and Thunderbolt have berated other political parties for practising “race” politics. The AFC, of course, is far removed from such practices. And if they get into power, all that racial politics from the last 60 years will disappear.

To paraphrase the Bard, methinks the dyspeptic duo protest too much!! But in their genetic dishonesty about the subject, while the AFC apologists may mention in passing that the People’s National Congress (PNC) engages in this pernicious practice, the examples they use invariably allege People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) “racial actions” – never the PNC. The PNC squeezed rice farmers in this country until they bled but that was not “racial” enough to earn a mention, but the lie that the PPP fired PNC supporters in the public service can be repeated with impunity.

The truth is that under the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) signed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1989, PNC’s Desmond Hoyte fired thousands of public servants. Maybe the AFC thinks that the “retrenchments” of Hoyte weren’t firings! But the truth is, the AFC doesn’t want to remind the supporters of their ally, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), that it was the Public Servant Union under George Daniels, in a historic move that came out against the PNC in 1989. But it was the PPP/C under the leadership of Dr Cheddi Jagan after 1992 that reversed the “retrenchments”. How quickly the AFC would have us forget.

But this is not just an instance of inducing amnesia: it exposes the modus operandi of parties that preach a “nonracial” line but on the ground are the most racial people around. If it was just the PPP/C and PNC who had invented racial politics, then it would’ve been just a Guyanese thing. But it’s not. In every country where there’s different races and ethnic groups this is the politics that plays out.

We may not like it but what is actually dangerous is when parties like the AFC run from one racial group to the other “setting strife”. Like when they scooted down to Linden and told them they should keep on receiving free electricity but that the PPP/C was “racial” and APNU had “betrayed” them. So what if three people died and billions went up in smoke? Then they went over to Berbice and told the folks there that people in Georgetown were getting roads and they were not.

This playing of two sides against the middle is what keeps racial politics alive in Guyana.

...for shouting’s sake

For the longest while, the opposition has been screaming their heads off about the two top judicial officers in the land – the chancellor and the chief justice – not confirmed in their positions. Jokes about more ‘actors’ being in our courts than in the Theatre Guild were common. They claimed the individuals weren’t confirmed because the government wanted to hold the threat of being denied “tenure” as the proverbial Sword of Damocles over their heads.

“Rule our way, or it’s the highway!!!” was supposed to be the mantra of the perfidious government. Martin Carter’s homily about mouths being muzzled by hands that fed them were trotted out. Well, the government just called the opposition’s bluff. That’s right: they told Opposition Leader David Granger, “Let’s appoint the incumbents Carl Singh and Ian Chang.”

Guess what? To no one’s surprise, Granger balked. He now wants to introduce a whole new system for filling these offices. Changes that would necessitate Constitutional changes since these are constitutional offices – and take years.

So all the shouting and drum beating was just for show.

...for chaos

The opposition, which controls the Committee for Local Government, also now wants to change some clauses that had already found consensus in the decade long process. This means no local government elections this year. Can Georgetown survive another year of Hamilton Green?

Tougher sanctions for litterbugs

wednesday, june 5, 2013 |

Young mom, foetus die during labour

– regulations to be signed today – inquiry launched

Government will today under the Environmental protection Agency Act sign into law tougher sanctions against those who litter the environment.

Environment Minister Robert Persaud will also be looking at the appointment of litter wardens. The judiciary has already been written to, requesting special courts in the magistracy, where environmental matters can be dealt with. Fines and a ticketing system will also be instituted, a Government Information Agency (GINA) release stated.

“We hope that from an enforcement standpoint, this will lead to greater respect and compliance across the country,” Minister Persaud was quoted by GINA as saying. The minister referred to the garbage situation in the city as a “national embarrassment” and said that, “it is sad that the City Council does not seem to be motivated enough to get its act together; instead it seems more inclined to be involved in politics and internal city warfare.”

Public awareness

There will be a grace period, between the signing of the regulation to the stage of implementation, during which public awareness will be intensified. “We have reached the point of national frustration; the government has been making resources available to the City Council, and I think the time for talking is over, we have to do something about this,” Minister Persaud emphasised. With regards to environment protection and the extractive sector, the minister said that recently, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) published a report on the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname

and French Guiana). That report highlighted that while Guyana has a large mining sector; it manages to maintain minimal impact on the environment.

“Our record is there, but we are not complacent. We recognise that there is still much more to be done and there is a genuine resolve on the part of the various stakeholders to address these matters,” he said. He also reminded that every citizen has the power to make a difference in environment protection.

Meanwhile, Persaud said the observance of the United Nations (UN) designated World Environment Day (WED) presents Guyana with the opportunity to highlight the leading role it has been playing in terms of protecting the environment.

Track record

The minister said that Guyana has had a very good track record in terms of how it has preserved and protected the environment by the way its indigenous population relate to it and by the way in which the country has been able to create an equilibrium between environmental protection and expansion of the extractive sector. WED will be observed today under the theme, “Think, Eat, Save” which is consistent with an anti-food waste and food loss campaign that encourages people to reduce their food print.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted. At the same time, one in every seven people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of five die daily from hunger. Today an observance will be held at

the Umana Yana from 09:00h11:00h. This event will include several presentations and exhibits. Stakeholders (including government agencies, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and the University of Guyana) will be speaking on ways in which citizens and organisations can enhance their role in protecting the environment.

“Green Walk”

On June 2, the ministry in collaboration with NGOs and the private sector led a “Green Walk” through the streets of Georgetown. The event, which started at the Umana Yana and concluded at the National Park, marked the beginning of a week of activities organised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to commemorate WED. “This is an opportunity for Guyanese, not only in Georgetown but across the country as well, to play a part in speaking of concerns and search for and implement solutions… We don’t want this to be another year of talking, instead we want it to lead to greater action and greater commitment,” the minister said.

The fact that the EPA Chairman Ronald Webster, who is also chairman of the Private Sector Commission and the head of Caribbean Container Inc (CCI) puts Guyana in a fortunate position, he stated. Webster has given the commitment that the business community will be encouraged to play a greater role as it relates to solid waste management, and to look at alternatives for materials such as Styrofoam and recycling. Similar commitment was made by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and other regional chambers of commerce.

By Umadevi BUx

Georgtown Public Hospital Chief Executive Officer

Michael Khan said an inquiry has been launched into the death of a young woman and her unborn child at the medical facility. Khan also offered sincerest condolences to the bereaved family.

A 28-year-old mother died while giving birth at the the hospital early Tuesday morning.

Louann Rodney and her unborn child of Meadow Brook Drive, Georgetown, succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital around 08:00h on Tuesday during induced child labour. According to the husband of the deceased Nigel George Rodney, his wife went to the hospital on Monday around 09:00h and was admitted around 15:00h.

Ultrasound

He noted that Louann was told by her doctor that her time for birth had passed and the ultrasound showed that everything was okay with the position and health of the baby.

He also stated that during the night of her admittance, she claimed to have contraction-like pain and prior to that, she had no other health issues.

He noted that the doctor

observed that she was not doing too well in the ward and took her to the theatre.

Labour

“There was a cousin that called her around 02:00h this morning and she said to her that she is getting pain every four minutes and I know when that happens it means you are ready for labour and I cannot understand why the report saying until 7:50h she died and I do not understand what happened during that time...,”said Rodney.

The deceased leaves to mourn a six-year-old daughter and her husband of six years.

The deceased’s husband noted that today he will visit the hospital and the doctors to inquire more about the death of his wife

and actions surrounding the tragedy.

Workshop

The Health Ministry recently at a workshop for health-care professionals in the field of maternity, at the Grand Coastal Inn, East Coast Demerara, held under the theme “A Promise Renewed”, said much needed interventions have been made to ensure Guyanese women experience safe motherhood before, during and after childbirth.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative for Guyana and Suriname Dr Suleiman Braimoh said in Guyana, there is no debate that the rates for both maternal and child mortality have been moving downwards and Guyana can achieve the Millennium Development Goals in this regard . Maternal and Child Health Programme Officer Dr Janice Woolford in giving an overview of Guyana’s position indicated that the Health Ministry has developed and implemented a Maternal and Neonatal Child Health Strategy 20112020, enforcement regulations for reporting have been strengthened, training in the area of obstetrics and paediatrics has been initiated and implemented and collaboration with the United Nations and other agencies strengthened. (umab@guyanatimesgy.com)

Dead: Louann Rodney

Buying local can help save environment, reduce food wastage – GNBS

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has stressed the need for citizens to buy locally-produced fresh foods and even grow their own vegetables and fruits at home as a means of helping to save the environment.

In a message to mark World Environment Day (WED) being celebrated today, the GNBS said such practices can have a positive impact on the environment as it reduces the need for energy required to process, package, store, and transport food and it prevents wastage, since it gives “us the privilege of harvesting just what we are able to consume in a particular time”.

“We can all improvise to reduce food wastage which ultimately reduces our food print. Good food does not have to find a place in garbage or compost pits,” the GNBS said in its message.

WED is being observed this year under the theme, “Think. Eat. Save. Reduce your food print.”

The day is celebrated each year globally on June 5 to create awareness of environmental issues and encourage action from all levels of stakeholders and interested parties.

The GNBS said this year’s theme for WED is very relevant, because it gives focus to the ways we produce and utilise food around the world. “Whether we eat to live or live to eat, in many areas along the chain, food is being wasted. For many of us, the wastage of food occurs daily, as we fail to buy only the amount we can consume in a particular time. Disposal as waste often seems like a better option rather than to give surplus food to the needy,” GNBS said.

According to the GNBS, the time has come for “us to change our attitudes, to think of better food conservation methods, and to make informed decisions that would purposefully cause us to select foods that have reduced environmen-

tal impact, such as organic foods that do not use chemicals in the production process. Choosing to buy locally can also mean that foods are not flown halfway across the world and therefore, limit emissions.”

The agency said a survey conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) indicated that 1.3 billion tonnes of food, which represent about one third of the global food production is either wasted or lost annually, which is equivalent to the same amount produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. Imagine we live in a world of plenty where food production outstrips demand, yet one in every seven persons in the world goes to bed without food and more than 20,000 children under the age of five die daily from starvation, because of the huge imbalance in lifestyles.

“Think. Eat. Save.”

“We are hopeful that the theme – “Think. Eat. Save.” would encourage people across the globe to not waste food, which is already causing a massive drain on natural resources and contributing largely to harmful environmental impacts. Thus, this theme comes at an opportune time, which allows us to understand how irrational it is that large volumes of perfect food never make it from the farm to the fork, as most of it is wasted along the food chain, which means that all the resources and inputs utilised during the production process are lost.”

The GNBS said like many standards institutions worldwide, it believes that the solution to many global crises, such as those we face in relation to food is the implementation of international standards. International standards are powerful tools that lead to positive change by detailing specifications that can open up global markets, create enabling business environments, spur economic growth, and help mitigate and adapt to changes in this competitive environment.

“International standards represent the consensus view of the world’s leading experts in industry sectors ranging from energy utilities and energy efficiency to transportation, management systems, climate change, healthcare, safety, information and communication technology (ICT), food safety and security,” the bureau of standards.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon noted, “We live in a world of plenty, where food production outstrips demand, yet 870 million people are undernourished and

childhood stunting is a silent pandemic.”

He said to create the future we want, we must correct this inequity. “We must ensure access to adequate nutrition for all, double the productivity of smallholder farmers who grow the bulk of food in the developing world, and make food systems sustainable in the face of environmental and economic shocks. This is the vision of my Zero Hunger Challenge, launched last year at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.”

Hunger gap

He said one way to narrow the hunger gap and improve the well-being of the most vulnerable is to address the massive loss and waste inherent in today’s food systems. Currently at least one third of all food produced fails to make it from farm to table. This is foremost an affront to the hungry, but it also represents a massive environmental cost in terms of energy, land, and water.

According to him, in developing countries, pests, inadequate storage facilities and inefficient supply chains are major contributors to food loss. “Those who grow for export are also often at the mercy of overstringent expectations of buyers who place a premium on cosmetic perfection. In developed nations, food thrown away by households and the retail and catering industries rots in landfills, releasing significant quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.”

Global awareness

The UN SG said food loss and waste is something we can all address. That is why the UNEP, the FAO, and public and private sector partners have launched the “Think.Eat.Save: Reduce Your Foodprint” campaign to raise global awareness and showcase solutions relevant to developed and developing countries alike.

He said infrastructure and technology can reduce the amount of food that perishes after it is harvested and before it reaches the market.

“Developing country governments can work to improve essential infrastructure and maximise trade opportunities with neighbours; developed nations can support fair trade and rationalise sell-by dates and other labelling systems; businesses can revise their criteria for rejecting produce; and consumers can minimise waste by buying only what they need and reusing leftover food.”

“On this World Environment Day, I urge all actors in the global food chain to take responsibility for environmentally sustainable and socially equitable food systems,” Ban said.

Don’t fix...

Satiricus was fond of Americanisms. And that’s why he really didn’t mind Rum Jhaat affecting an American accent and talking about “gonna” do this and “gonna” do that. Never mind the jerk hadn’t spent more than a couple of weeks in the States. Heck maybe he’d been looking at old John Wayne movies on TV. Lets mosey down to the saloon for some liquor, pardner.

But Satiricus would’ve never thought the ex-Talker Rum-Kara was also taken by the American way. In fact, Satiricus always believed that Rum-Kara was a very proper British gentleman who naturally thought the Americans loud and crass. But here was the man, if the Stabber News was to be believed, advising his old party the PPCEE to bruk up their party leadership and put in a new one.

The only people Satiricus knew who broke up things that worked perfectly well were the Americans. His cousin Albert who lived in the States was always telling Satiricus and the boys when he visited, about how those people would break down perfectly good buildings just to put up new ones. Satiricus figured this was what happened when you had too much and you had nothing to do. He didn’t think this was the situation with the PPCEE.

Satiricus thought about why Rum-Kara wanted change in the leadership structure. The old man had introduced the structure when the party had been under great pressure. But today the party was under even greater pressure. The party then had to speak with a united voice. Today the people needed that more than anything. The party had to stave off comrades who jumped ship. Today there were even more of those rats.

Satiricus asked himself which was the most successful leadership structure in the world today? He didn’t have to think long: the Chinese. They had done what no other leadership group had ever done before. Raised more people out of poverty than anytime in the history of mankind. Look at how that new Chinese president was handing out billions of dollars in aid, like if it was small change!!

And he did it with the very leadership structure that Rum-Kara was saying the PPCEE should “bruk-up”. And you didn’t have to be communist to use the same structure. Satiricus remembered that it was the same structure that Singapore and Korea had also used – and look how well they had done.

Then the thought struck Satiricus like a bolt of lightning. “Had Rum-Kara decided to take revenge on his old buddies for dumping him?” Revenge, Satiricus remembered, was always served cold. And to have his old party bruk up the only thing that had made it survive all the PNC pressures would be cold indeed!

But then Satiricus remembered. Pressie and his party leaders also had family in the States. They would remind him of another Americanism: If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.

Silent Temple Lodge plans massive medical outreach on East Bank Essequibo

The Silent Temple Lodge in Guyana in collaboration with the Health Ministry, the Georgetown Public Hospital Inc, the Cheddi Jagan Dental Clinic and the business community on the East Bank Essequibo and Georgetown plan to conduct a medical outreach for residents on the East Bank Essequibo and surrounding areas on Sunday.

A team of approximately 20 doctors and medical personnel from several disciplines will be deployed to address issues relating to maternal health, cancer,

skin problem, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, bone problem, eye, ear, nose and throat.

This is one among a number of benevolent events that will be undertaken by the Silent Temple members, a release from the organisation said.

The lodge said it has touched many families and will continue to use its efforts and time in the future to improve the quality of life for those in need wherever possible. “We anticipate reaching over 400 patients and we urge the sick to come out,” the lodge said.

Dubai advertising firm to invest in Guyana

Afirm in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is looking to make inroads on the local business scene with the establishment of an advertising agency here.

Toucan, an interactive advertising agency, will officially launch its services to Guyanese businesses with a complimentary breakfast seminar at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown today. The seminar promises informative and insightful discussions on the world of social media and online advertising, including how businesses can effectively build brand awareness, best practices, and launch a successful online ad campaign.

Emerging market

Toucan’s Managing Director Douglas Ames is confident that Guyana is a key emerging market for both businessmen and investors in the Caribbean and in the Americas.

“The outlook for Guyana’s economy is positive and the International Monetary Fund has in fact projected a growth rate of six per cent for Guyana’s economy in 2014,” Ames stated.

He mentioned that the ongoing drive to diversify the economy, stimulate new business and bring in foreign investment provide the perfect opportunity for businesses to harness the many advantages which the social media has to offer.

Ames pointed out that social media creates a scope and capacity to reach out to potential consumers, investors and partners not only in Guyana but around the world. “But what you need to know is how to use that capacity to achieve your goals – that’s where Toucan comes

in,” the managing director said.

He noted that although Guyana’s corporate world is still fairly new to the complex workings of interactive online advertising, there can be endless benefits to Guyanese businesses who correctly utilise social media.

Experience and creativity

According to Ames, anyone can set up a Facebook page, but Toucan has the experience and creativity to produce meaningful results from social media by increasing the online clientele of any business and engaging in dialogue with those clients and online fan base.

With Guyana’s economy set for continued growth, Toucan is depending on its appeal to encourage businesses to pursue new opportunities.

Ames expressed that the stage has been for Toucan to build a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with the Guyanese business community.

“It’s a perfect match. Guyana’s businesses are ready for growth and expan-

Still more work to be done before local govt bills clear House – Persaud

Lsion, and Toucan is the only international interactive ad agency with an innate, deep understanding of what it means to be a Caribbean business. We know what it takes to propel a Caribbean business to the next level with social media.”

Ames referred to the social media as an ever-evolving jungle and says his company recognises what forward-thinking, contemporary businesses need to stay on top of the various social media platforms. With offices in Dubai, India, Kenya and the Caribbean, the agency has a unique perspective on how to approach advertising in local, regional and international spheres and engage with a diverse online audience.

Reputable companies Toucan boasts a line of reputable companies including Caribbean Airlines, Digicel and Courts, and believes that its many successful international clients, are testament to the agency’s expertise and inventiveness and its understanding of regional businesses.

With clients throughout the Caribbean in Jamaica, Belize, St Lucia and Dominica, Toucan offers cutting-edge online and mobile apps, the latest web design technology, customised memes and animation and the highest standard of social media management across the full spectrum of social media network.

Toucan Limited, which is incorporated in Dubai, provides advice on Internet advertising, marketing, online consumer engagement, web designs and publishing, search engine optimisation and overall campaign management to businesses in emerging markets.

ocal Government Special Select Committee Chairman Basil Williams said he is moving ahead with the work of the committee despite there are a number of issues that are still to be addressed.

Williams recently announced that three of the four local government bills have been completed, but Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud on Monday noted that this is not the case.

Speaking at a press conference, the local government minister said the Fiscal Transfers Bill, the Municipals and District Councils (Amendment) Bill, the Local Government (Amendment) Bill and the Local Government Commission Bill have all been scrutinised.

Consensus

According to him, these issues have been parked and are yet to be deliberated on before a consensus can be achieved. He pointed to the Local Government Commission Bill where the members have not decided on the composition.

The People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) members on the committee have been pushing for three persons to be appointed by the president, three by the president based on the advice of the opposition, and one to be appointed by the local government minister. However, the joint opposition wants the one person to be appointed by the trade union movement.

“It is still parked, so I can’t see how you can approve a Local Government Commission Bill, unless the issue of composition is cleared up,” said the minister.

Turning his attention to the Local Authority Amendment Bill, Minister Persaud contended that the committee remains at gridlock on the appointment of duties to the minister and the commission. “The office of the minister’s name is being proposed to be substituted by

the commission, and we are saying now, by these amendments, the commission will dictate the subvention and the commission will operate on statutory rights,” he said.

He said while the formula for the Fiscal Transfer Bill remains a problem, it is likely that solution will arrive soon with assistance being garnered.

Although being informed that the committee, during its last statutory meeting on Friday, voted on the two of the three bills, Persaud said not because the opposition has voted on the issues have they disappeared.

Williams said three of the four bills have been completed with the fourth likely to be completed by next week when the next meeting is convened.

While admitting that there were several issues parked because they were debatable, Williams said in keeping with a request made

by the President Donald Ramotar, he decided to vote on the issues. Last Thursday, he said the PPP/C lost at the hands of the majority opposition when a vote was taken to remove the power vested in the local government minister to the Local Government Commission under the Local Government Amendment Bill.

Similarly, the opposition accumulated the most votes when the committee members voted on the composition of the Local Government Commission, which now allows the president to appoint three members, another three to be appointed by the president based on the advice of the opposition leader, and one to be appointed by a trade union. Williams is optimistic that the work of the Local Government Special Select Committee will be completed by next week, paving way for the four bills to be placed before the National Assembly.

Toucan’s Managing Director Douglas Ames

Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud Basil Williams

wednesday, june 5, 2013 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramsaran urges citizens to utilise community health centres

Health centres in Region Six are being underutilised, Health Minister Dr Bari Ramsaran told residents of East Bank Berbice on Sunday.

He said many persons are not aware of the services offered by health centres. Responding to claims by residents that they are forced to wait for hours at the New Amsterdam Hospital when they are seeking treatment, Dr Ramsaran said this is so because citizens were not utilising the various health centres in their communities.

“You get a simple headache or just some fever and you got to sit down and wait for sometimes four hours when you go to the New Amsterdam Hospital,”

one man told the minister who met with residents at Sisters Village.

Minister Ramsaran said this is because of poor management at the hospital, and not only that.

“Persons are not utilising the services offered at health centres.” According to the minister, many persons are of the view that health centres are for babies and women. “This is not so, you can get full medical care at the health centres and if it is a case that they cannot deal with then you will be referred to the hospital.”

Minister Ramsaran lashed out at the Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA) for having persons wait for long periods at the New Amsterdam Hospital to get medical attention, say-

ing that the BRHA needs to promote health centres and let more people go there and take some pressure off of the hospital.

The minister said he is looking at placing a health centre in the compound of the New Amsterdam Hospital. This, he said would take some of the pressure off of the doctors who can then focus on the more serious cases. Most health centres in the region, he said, are run by qualified medexes. He noted that doctors visit all health centres in the region. Meanwhile, Minister Ramsaran said before the end of the year, more than two dozen medics will complete their forty-two month training and will be dispatched throughout the country.

Jail awaits man who used pepper spray during robbery

Aman who used pepper spray to disarm a victim to rob him has ended up in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court charged with robbery with violence.

Jermaine Pollard pleaded guilty to the charge and will have to return to court on June 10 for sentencing.

The 18-year-old appeared before Magistrate Adela

Nagamootoo on Monday and was remanded. Police Prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Sherriff told the court that on May 28, Pollard went up to Mehendra Arjune at Providence, East Bank Berbice and threw the substance into his face and took away a bag containing $1,017,445 and a cellphone valued at $30,000, property

of Vishnu Arjune. There was a scuffle during which Arjune was cuffed several times. However, Pollard dropped the bag and ran away, but was pursued and caught by a public-spirited citizen. Pollard, who pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him, said “I ain’t really do the robbery. Dem just want frame me.”

New Amsterdam man gets jail term for ganja

Rajin Sahadeo, also known as Paul Robinson, 20, of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam was sentenced to one year imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to having in his possession 10 grams of cannabis sativa.

Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo handed down the sentence at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court on Monday. She also

fined Sahadeo $10,000, or an alternative of six weeks imprisonment. Sahadeo, who said he lived with his adopted parents, was observed acting in a suspicious manner when police saw him on May 29, in his hometown, a squatting community, located on the eastern fringe of New Amsterdam.

A subsequent search unearthed a plastic bag containing leaves, seeds, and stems

and portions of the prohibited plant in his waist. At his court appearance on Monday, Sahadeo pleaded for leniency, while expressing regret for his action. He told the magistrate that he was sorry. “I do not know this country’s terms of imprisonment.”

Questioned about the purpose of the illegal drug, the convict replied, “Your honour, I was not going to sell it. I wanted to use it.”

FAO urges focus on end of malnutrition as priority

– says social, economic costs of global malnutrition unacceptable

Denouncing the huge social and economic costs of malnutrition, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director General José Graziano da Silva on Tuesday called for resolute efforts to eradicate malnutrition as well as hunger from around the world.

In a recorded statement marking the launch of FAO’s flagship annual publication “The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA)”, Graziano da Silva said that although the world has registered some progress on hunger, one form of malnutrition, there was still “a long way ahead”.

“FAO’s message is that we must strive for nothing less than the eradication of hunger and malnutrition,” he declared. The report food systems for better nutrition notes that although some 870 million people were still hungry in the world in 20102012, this is just a fraction of the billions of people whose health, well-being and lives are blighted by malnutrition.

Deficiencies

Two billion people suffer from one or more micronutrient deficiencies, while 1.4 billion are overweight, of whom 500 million are obese, according to SOFA. Twenty six per cent of all children under five are stunted and 31 per cent suffer from Vitamin A deficiency.

The cost of malnutrition to the global economy in lost productivity and healthcare costs are “unacceptably high” and could account for as much as five per cent of the global gross domestic product – US$3.5 trillion, or US$500 per person. That is almost the entire annual GDP of Germany, Europe’s largest economy.

In social terms, child and maternal malnutrition continue to reduce the quality of life and life expectancy of millions of people, while obesity-related health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes, affect millions more. To combat malnutrition, SOFA makes the case that healthy diets and good nutrition must start with food and agriculture. “The way we grow, raise, process, transport and distribute

food influences what we eat, the report says, “noting that improved food systems can make food more affordable, diverse and nutritious”.

Specific recommendations for action include use appropriate agricultural policies, investment and research to increase productivity, not only of staple grains like maize, rice and wheat, but also of legumes, meat, milk, vegetables and fruit, which are all rich in nutrients; cut food losses and waste, which currently amount to one third of the food produced for human consumption every year. That could help make food more available and affordable as well as reduce pressure on land and other resources; improve the nutritional performance of supply chains, enhancing the availability and accessibility of a wide diversity of foods. Properly organised food systems are key to more diversified and healthy diets; help consumers make good dietary choices for better nutrition through education, information and other actions; improve the nutritional quality of foods through fortification and reformulation; make food systems more responsive to the needs of mothers and young children. Malnutrition during the critical ‘first 1000 days’ from conception can cause lasting damage to women’s health and lifelong physical and cognitive impairment in children.

Giving women greater control over resources and incomes benefits their and their children’s health, the report says. Policies, interventions and investment in

labour-saving farming technologies and rural infrastructure, as well as social protection and services can also make important contributions to the health and nutrition of women, infants and young children. Projects that have proved successful in raising nutrition levels include enhanced production, marketing and consumption of local vegetables and pulses in East Africa; promotion of home gardens in West Africa; encouragement of mixed vegetable and animal farming systems together with income-generating activities in some Asian countries; breeding staple crops such as sweet potatoes to raise their micronutrient content; and public-private partnerships to enrich products like yoghurt or cooking oil with nutrients.

Partnerships

Making food systems enhance nutrition is a complex task requiring strong political commitment and leadership at the highest levels, broad-based partnerships and coordinated approaches with other important sectors such as health and education, according to SOFA.

“A great many actors and institutions must work together across sectors to more effectively reduce under-nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight and obesity,” the report says. “Food systems governance that is providing leadership, coordinating effectively and fostering collaboration among the many stakeholders, is a first priority,” the report adds.

NA man charged with ganja possession

ANew Amsterdam man who was allegedly found with more than a kilogram of ganja was refused bail by Berbice Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo.

Godfrey Bruce was on Monday refused bail when he appeared on a charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. The 31-year-old man, who lives with his mother and wife, was caught at his home at Ferry Street, New Amsterdam on Thursday last with one kilogram, 903 grams of cannabis sativa. He will return to court on July 9th for trial.

On Thursday, acting on a tip-off, police went to Bruce’s home and made the arrest after discovering the drug during a search. Four persons were arrested, but only Bruce was charged.

Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran (seated, fifth left) interacting with residents of Sisters Village

FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva

New environmental assessment of Haags Bosch dumpsite completed

With the changing housing landscape at Eccles, East Bank Demerara and a plan to dispose of hazardous waste at the new Haags Bosch Land Fill Site, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has prepared an updated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report which is due to be discussed at a rescheduled public hearing in the coming weeks.

The meeting was planned for Monday, but it was rescheduled after a handful of residents showed up. The new meeting date is June 17. The meeting agenda included the updated consultation on the EIA conducted in 2005 on the Haags Bosch Land Fill Site, which will focus on the introduction of a hazardous waste site and an extension of the housing scheme.

Meeting

Those turned up for Monday’s meeting were officials from the InterAmerican Development bank (IDB), the Health Ministry, officials from BK International, members of Trow International Limited, officials of the Local Government Ministry and five residents from the Eccles area.

Speaking at the postponed consultation, junior local Government Ministry Norman Whittaker stated that there was a poor turnout of residents, and the meeting will be rescheduled.

“Weekly, we get complaints about odour and dust from the dump site, but the representation is poor,” said the minister. “I ask that the few present here to inform the others and to get a full representation of the people so as to get fruitful discussion,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Trow International Limited noted that their part in the Land

Fill site consultation is to offer technical support and assessment of the process.

However, an official from BK International noted that as contractor on the landfill site, the company is yet to be fully briefed on the entirety of the consultation and reasons for the EIA update. “BK recommends a postponement because the community is not fully represented and BK as operators of the landfill site is not fully aware for the reason of this meeting and were not fully informed,” said the official.

However, the reports by the EPA cite significant

change within the buffer zone because the Housing Ministry opened up of a new housing scheme in the area and the decision to accept hazardous and health-care waste at the site needs to have an updated public consultation process. The EIA update has been prepared in compliance with the IDB and EPA policies concerning environmental protection before moving forward on the Haags Bosch Land Fill Site Project. Hence, the initial EIA base report was initiated by Ground Structures Engineers Consultants Inc and modified/completed by

Trow International Limited in association with a company called Conestoga Rovers & Associates (CRA) in 2005.

The EIA (2005), through the community consultation process, established a buffer area of two kilometres, which has been planned by the government of Guyana.

Therefore, the buffer zone area would decrease from the two km originally agreed to approximately 450 metres because of the decision to accept hazardous and health-care wastes at the sanitary landfill and the new housing plan proposed by the Housing Ministry.

EIA report

It was noted in the recent EIA report that the proposed landfill for hazardous waste has not yet been developed to a buildable level and the hearing will somewhat highlight areas such as climate and air quality, regional geology, groundwater, surface water, biological resources, noise, traffic, socioeconomic environment, negative and positive environmental impact. After seven years from the preparation of the original EIA, and after three year of project implementation, according to the EIA report, there is now the need to prepare an update the

EIA by the EAB considering the new developments.

According to the online report by the EAB, theoretically and conceptually, the Haags Bosch Land Fill Site can function with the reduced buffer zone, provided that it is operated in an environmentally sound manner. However, there are significant operating issues, including matters of compliance that need to be addressed.

Hazardous waste

“With respect to the hazardous waste cell, it is our opinion that the proposed facility could be considered in the location shown but a number of specific items need to be put into place before it could be given final consideration and subsequent approval. The hazardous waste cell has extensive service interconnections with the sanitary landfill, and some of these items such as ‘leachate’ management for the sanitary landfill must be resolved before the final direction for the hazardous waste cell could be developed and finalised. As such, issues with the sanitary landfill site must be resolved before considering integration of a hazardous waste cell,” the EAB report said.

A section of the gathering that showed up for the hearing on Monday

Major tourism projects to be announced in Jamaica

Jamaica’s Tourism and Entertainment Minister Dr Wykeham McNeill is slated to announce details of several major projects being earmarked for implementation within the industry, when he makes his contribution to the 2013/14 sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on June 12.

Speaking at the

Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association’s 52nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ocho Rios on Saturday, McNeill pointed out that the projects are expected to be “transformational”, while pointing out that the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) will have a pivotal role in implementing these.

“The Tourism Enhancement Fund must

be a transformational body. I want to see big projects that make a difference to Jamaica,” he stated, while adding that the TEF’s input will also be outlined during his sectoral presentation.

The minister disclosed, however, that consultations have commenced with stakeholders in Ocho Rios regarding the projects to be undertaken in that area.

He pointed out that these talks have gained resonance among the parties with whom the ministry has been dialoguing.

Pointing out that projections for the 2013 summer and winter tourist seasons are “looking good”, McNeill appealed for continued collaboration among all sector stakeholders, “in the interest of the industry”. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Caricom leaders urged to support Liat re-fleeting loan

Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders are being urged to support a loan application by the regional airline, LIAT, for funds to undertake a refleeting exercise so as to sustain its operations and improve services.

A Caricom Secretariat statement said that regional transport ministers who met in St Vincent and the Grenadines last week, have agreed to put forward to the regional leaders a proposal that they support the LIAT loan application to the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The statement gave no details regarding the costs

of the re-fleeting exercise, but LIAT which flies to 21 destinations in the region and has 1000 flights week-

Brazil tries to defuse conflicts with Indians over land, dams

Lawmakers from the Brazilian farm state of Mato Grosso do Sul asked President Dilma Rousseff’s government on Tuesday to send troops to end land invasions by Indians claiming their ancestral territory.

Justice Minister Jose Cardozo said a request for troops would have to come from the state governor and announced he will meet with the Indians on Thursday in a bid to reach a settlement. The government is seeking to defuse mounting conflicts with indigenous tribes over farm land and hydroelectric dams in the Amazon.

Air Force planes flew 144 Munduruku Indians to

Brasilia for talks to end a week-long occupation of the controversial Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River, a huge project aimed at feeding Brazil’s fast-growing demand for electricity.

Tensions escalated last week on a farm in Mato Grosso do Sul that was invaded last week for a second time by Terena Indians angered by the fatal shooting of one of their tribe’s members.

“We must avoid radicalising a situation that goes back a long way in Brazilian history. We’re not going to put out the flames by throwing alcohol on the bonfire,” Cardozo told reporters after meeting the lawmakers.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

ly, said it was seeking to acquire French-made 48 and 63 seater aircraft.

The statement said that

the transport ministers had also recommended that air transport services be included among the group of essential services and the necessary legislation be enacted to give effect to this reality.

Last month, LIAT Chief Executive Officer Ian Brunton said that the aviation industry should also be classified as an essential service, with legislated restricted rights to strike.

Brunton said that tourism is the mainstay of the majority of the region’s economies and air services connect the countries of the Caribbean, feeding that primary revenue stream. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

El Salvador abortion woman has C-section

Aseriously ill woman who was denied an abortion by the Supreme Court in El Salvador has undergone a premature Caesarean section. The 22-year-old woman, who has lupus and kidney problems, sought to end the pregnancy, which doctors said posed a serious risk to her life.

The foetus developed without a complete brain and skull and died shortly after birth.

Last week the Supreme Court upheld El Salvador’s absolute ban on abortions.

Health Minister Maria Isabel Rodriguez said the baby had died five hours after the C-section.

Doctors decided the procedure had become neces-

sary when the woman started having contractions on Sunday night, Rodriguez said.

She insisted that the medical intervention did not contravene the court ruling. Under the ruling, she said, “mother had to be given all the necessary protection to save her life, while analysing how long one could wait and do the utmost to save the baby’s life”.

It is not clear how far advanced exactly the pregnancy was, with local sources saying the woman was 24 weeks pregnant, while Reuters news agency said she was 27 weeks pregnant and Agence France Press agency reporting she had the C-section after 26 weeks of gestation. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Close down Cayman Islands access to British parliament –House

of Lords member

An all-party group of British members of parliament, established to further the interests of the Cayman Islands, should be closed down, a senior member of the House of Lords, Lord Oakeshott, said on Monday.

The House of Commons standards committee is looking into allegations surrounding some all-party groups (APGs) after reports that Conservative Member of Parliament Patrick Mercer had boasted to undercover journalists posing as business contacts that he could get a group of “freeloaders” to join an APG on Fiji.

Oakeshott, a former

treasury minister, said on Monday morning: “Look at the Cayman Islands all-party group. Just see what this is all about. Just see who is running that and paying for that. That is not an appropriate way for the parliament to be used… in many cases, these are front organisations for commercial interests. Close down the APG on the Cayman Islands and make them pay their tax.”

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by any members of the Cayman Islands group, which has its secretariat supplied by the Cayman Islands government, but that did not deter Oakeshott. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Grenadian chocolate factory owner dies in tragic accident

The Grenada government says it is saddened at the death of David Friedman, the owner and founder of the Grenada Chocolate Factory who was electrocuted over the weekend. Friedman, who is also known as “Mott Green” was reportedly repairing equipment at his storehouse at the Belmont Estate when the incident occurred. Originally from the United States, he established the company in 1999. Tourism Minister Alexandra Otway-Noel described Friedman “as a friend of Grenada and entrepreneur who worked tirelessly to promote our cocoa and by extension our coun-

try,” adding “we feel a strong sense of sorrow for this loss to Grenada. Mott’s passing is also a blow to cocoa exports, in light of the campaign he has been leading”.

The minister said that Friedman “passionately led the creation of a company that manufactures and exports Grenada’s cocoa and while increasing Grenada’s profile internationally. He also provided employment for our people. “We feel that as part of our tribute to our friend Mott and to his legacy that we all work together to ensure his company continues to grow from strength to strength,” the tourism minister added. (Excerpt from Carbeean360)

TT: Integrity Commission hands over email to cops

The Integrity Commission on Monday handed over to the police an email document which former President George Maxwell Richards sent to the commission for investigation after first receiving the correspondence from Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, several months ago.

Police investigators met with Martin Farrell, registrar of the Integrity Commission, at the organisation’s offices in Port of Spain and requested the 31page email document which the commission received from the former president.

The special team of investigators, led by Superintendent Baldeo Nanan, spent close to an hour at the Integrity Commission’s offices in Port of Spain where they interviewed Farrell. Newsday understands Farrell indicated

to the officers that no investigation had been carried out by the commission with respect to allegations in the email document.

The police are seeking to authenticate the email document which refers to an alleged conspiracy among Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, Local Government and Works Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan and national security adviser Gary Griffith to pervert the course of justice and commit murder.

Rowley laid the email document in the House of Representatives during a noconfidence motion on May 20, disclosing to members that he had passed the document to former President George Maxwell Richards who handed it over to the Integrity Commission before his term ended in March.

(Excerpt from Trinidad and Tobago Today)

The case has drawn considerable attention

Munduruku Indians pass through a metal detector as they arrive for a meeting with the Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Gilberto Carvalho, at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, June 4

France confirms sarin use in Syria

arin has been used

S“several times and in a localised manner” in Syria’s crisis, said France’s foreign minister.

Laurent Fabius said lab tests in Paris confirmed usage of the nerve agent, adding that those who resort to chemical weapons must be punished.

But he did not specify where, when or by whom the agent was deployed, and the White House said more proof was needed.

Earlier, the UN said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe chemical weapons had been used.

In a new report, the UN commission of inquiry on Syria also urged foreign powers not to increase the availability of arms in Syria.

Syria’s government and the rebels have accused each other of using chemical weapons

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon described the atrocities listed in the report – which details evidence of fresh suspected massacres, sieges and violations of children’s rights – as “sickening and staggering”, said his spokesman.

U.S. tourist, Irish aid worker allegedly raped in India

An American tourist was allegedly gangraped by a truck driver and two of his accomplices in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, police said Tuesday.

“The 30-year-old was raped by men in a truck on Monday night. They offered her a lift and she accepted it,” police inspector Abhimanyu Kumar told AFP.

The incident took place in Manali, a tourist destination 500 kilometres (300 miles) from the capital New Delhi.

for nearly one hour,” he said.

an Irish charity worker after her birthday party.

Flood tourists inundate deluged Czech capital

Tourists curious to see cresting floodwaters inundated the historic centre of the Czech capital Prague Tuesday as the river Vltava peaked amid heavy flooding that has hit central Europe killing at least 11 people.

Prague mayor Tomas Hudecek bemoaned “an excessive surge in flood tourists” amid reports some had attempted to dismantle anti-flood defences to take home as souvenirs.

Foreigners and Czechs alike snapped pictures of angry muddy waters that surged under the capital’s historic Charles Bridge, prompting popular Czech news website novinky.cz to screech “Crazy Tourists”.

The 14th century iconic Prague landmark known for

its sculptures has been off limits since Sunday, with a 25-tonne excavator working on top of it to remove flood debris threatening to damage its pillars.

“It’s not so flooded really, it doesn’t affect most of the city, it’s just the river,” said Brent Tuttle, a young tourist from Los Angeles, who arrived in Prague on Sunday.

Sandbagged doorways and flood defences – of which Prague has installed 17 kilometres (10.5 miles) – have become as popular an attraction for snapshots as the city’s historic sights.

The flood wave on the Vltava that swept through Prague Tuesday surged north to the Elbe and bore down on hard-hit Germany. (Excerpt from Franace24)

The Queen has joined 2000 guests for a service at Westminster Abbey to mark 60 years since her coronation.

Some of those who took part in the 1953 service were among the congregation.

Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverend Justin Welby said the event honoured “60 years of commitment”.

The queen was accompanied by more than 20 members of her family, including the Duke of Edinburgh, who pulled out of an engagement on Monday night because he was feeling unwell.

Children have been taken hostage, forced to watch torture and even participate in beheadings, said the report.

Kumar said the medical tests have confirmed that the tourist was raped and police were hunting for the accused men.

Others have been killed while fighting in the twoyear uprising against President Bashar Assad’s regime that the UN said has left at least 80,000 people dead. (Excerpt from BBC News)

“The woman cannot remember the number plate of the truck and she could not understand what the accused were talking about. They drove the truck to an isolated spot and raped her

More than 100 dead in China plant blast

The 38-year-old man stands on the road outside the burned out poultry processing plant, yelling at passing vehicles and demanding answers.

He blocks the path of a local official’s car and shouts, “My wife’s just gone like that – what kind of country is this?”

Wang Shoufeng is very angry, and he is not alone.

He said he last saw his wife before she went to work on Monday to start her 14hour shift at the poultry factory in this town in the northeastern Chinese province of Jilin.

About two hours later, according to authorities, a fire broke out in the plant’s slaughterhouse and spread through the building. The lights went off, witness-

es say, and smoke quickly filled the rooms and passageways.

Workers rushed to escape the rising flames, stumbling into one another and slipping over in the confusion. Their panic deepened when they found many of the exits were locked or blocked.

It took firefighters several hours to quell the raging flames, according to state media.

At the latest count, authorities said that at least 119 people had died in the blaze and 70 others were injured, making it one of China’s deadliest workplace accidents in recent years.

It has focused renewed attention on lax safety standards in Chinese industries.

(Excerpt from CNN)

Queen marks coronation anniversary at Westminster Abbey

Several key items from the coronation were placed in Westminster Abbey for the service. They included the heavy,

solid gold St Edward’s Crown, displayed on the High Altar – the first time it has left the Tower of London

since 1953.

Beside it was the Ampulla, the gold, eagleshaped bottle from which the holy oil was poured for the queen’s anointing.

The coronation chair, one of the oldest pieces of English furniture still in use, was also on show.

The queen and Prince Philip entered Westminster Abbey to the same music that greeted her in 1953. Back then, aged 27, she was the 38th sovereign to be crowned in an abbey that has been the scene of such ceremonies since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066. (Excerpt from

Kumar said every truck driver in Manali had been ordered to report at the local police station as part of the investigation.

On Monday, police in eastern India arrested a local businessman for allegedly drugging and raping

A survey by a trade body released earlier this year found that the number of foreign women tourists visiting India had dropped by 35 per cent following several sex attacks that have made global headlines. (Excerpt from France24)

Unions join forces with Turkish protesters

Atop Turkish official apologised for the “police aggression” that fuelled nationwide protests against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as trade unions threw their weight behind the demonstrations Tuesday.

The 240,000-member KESK confederation of public sector workers called for a two-day strike to protest what it called the “fascism” of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party. The protests began over plans to replace an Istanbul park with a new development, but spread nationwide after a heavyhanded crackdown by police.

After chaotic scenes in the streets Monday that continued late into the night and sent tear gas wafting through the air, the situation

was relatively calm Tuesday in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, near the park where the protest movement began, and in the capital Ankara. Riot police around Ankara’s central Kizilay Square brought in armored vehicles topped with water cannon in a show of force Tuesday evening, but the demonstrations throughout the day were calm.

The protests have morphed into larger complaints against Erdogan, who has led Turkey for 10 years. His critics call him paternalistic and authoritarian, accusing him of accumulating more and more power and growing less tolerant of dissent. In Istanbul, the crowds have been chanting “Tayyip resign” – referring to Erdogan – and “shoulder to shoulder against fascism”. (Excerpt from CNN)

U.S. military chiefs face grilling over sexual assault

America’s top military officers told Congress on Tuesday that sexual assault represented a crisis in the armed forces but warned lawmakers against going too far with legislation stripping commanders of power within the military justice system.

The hearing comes after a wave of sexual assault scandals and new Pentagon data showing a steep rise in unwanted sexual contact, from groping to rape, that have deeply embarrassed the military.

In an exceptional display, the top uniformed officers of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard,

along with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all appeared at the Senate Armed Services Committee together to assure Congress they were taking the matter seriously.

The top lawyers from each service sat next to them.

“We are acting swiftly and deliberately to change a climate that has become too complacent,” said General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The service chiefs made clear that it was important to maintain the power of commanders, who now have the ability to decide which cases go to trial. (Excerpt from Reuters)

BBC News)

An American tourist was allegedly raped by a truck driver and two other men in India’s northern Himachal Pradesh state, police said Tuesday

The queen is the 38th sovereign to have been crowned in Westminster Abbey

Jamaica accepting proposals to develop casinos

Jamaica is accepting proposals to develop casinos on the island for the first time as it looks to boost its tourism industry. The Finance Ministry announced Tuesday that investors have until September 30 to deliver their plans. The review period for applications is expected to last four months after that.

Under an act passed by Jamaica’s legislature last year, developers can build casinos that offer traditional table games and slot ma-

America

chines. Currently, Jamaica has just a few facilities in the capital of Kingston and popular tourist areas where people can play gaming machines.

Finance Minister Peter Phillips believes offering casinos under the new regulations is how Jamaica will expand its hotel sector. Religious groups on the island have long worried that casinos will lead to more social problems. (Jamaica Observer)

Wall St flat after volatile sessions as Fed clues sought

Stocks were little changed on Tuesday as investors paused after two choppy sessions before a flurry of data and Federal Reserve speakers that may sway investor sentiment on the likelihood the central bank may trim its stimulus measures.

After a sharp selloff on Friday, the S&P 500 recovered some of the declines in Monday’s session when

Europe

weaker-than-expected manufacturing data buttressed the belief the Fed will keep its economic stimulus in place.

Many investors are likely to hold off big bets until the non-farm payrolls report due on Friday shows the employment situation, the key factor for the Fed’s monetary policy. On Wednesday, the market will get an anecdotal look at economic conditions

from the Fed’s Beige Book, labour market conditions in the form of the ADP employment report, and ISM services data.

“With no real catalysts to push us in one direction or another but with plenty of catalysts on the horizon I am not surprised to see markets trending sideways,” said Art Hogan, managing director at Lazard Capital Markets in New York. (Reuters)

IMF urges France to introduce fresh economic reforms

The gap between France and its European neighbours will widen unless the country introduces fresh economic reforms, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned. The IMF called on France to lower its labour costs and halt tax hikes to boost both growth and its competitiveness. In its annual assessment, the IMF also forecast France’s economy would contract slightly

more than forecast. It said GDP would fall 0.2 per cent this year.

“We see deep structural issues affecting growth potential in France due to loss of competitiveness,” said Edward Gardner, the chief of the IMF’s mission to France. The IMF expects the French economy to shrink 0.2 per cent this year, down from a previous estimate of 0.1 per cent. It predicts economic growth of 0.8 per cent

in 2014, just below its previous prediction of 0.9 per cent growth.

Gardner praised two recent reforms in France: a tax credit that reduces payroll taxes for companies paying low salaries and a change to employment law aimed at reducing the cost of firing staff. But he added: “We also consider them to be really initial steps of a process that needs to be deepened and broadened.” (BBC News)

We will help Ghana to grow – China

The Chinese Government has renewed its commitment to helping Ghana achieve economic growth and become a pillar in the sub-region, by supporting its infrastructure and other developmental projects.

According to the Chinese government, it attached great importance to the developmental agenda of the West African country, and would do its maximum best

to help it realise its goal.

The Vice Chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, HE Ma Biao, made this observation on behalf of the Chinese government during his interaction with the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Ebo BartonOdro. Biao and his entourage were met on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport by Barton-Odro

and five other Members of Parliament (MPs), who belong to the Ghana-China Parliamentary Friendship Association.

He is expected to spend three working days in the country before embarking to his homeland. Biao will use his visit to deepen China’s bilateral relationship with Ghana, and also have a feel of the country’s new leadership under President John Dramani Mahama. (allAfrica)

Abe to urge review of Japan’s public fund strategy – sources

Japan’s government is set to urge the nation’s public pension funds –a pool of over US$2 trillion –to increase their investment in equities and overseas assets as part of a growth strategy being readied by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to people with knowledge of the policy shift.

The steps, which could be announced as soon as Wednesday, represent the first time the Abe administration has looked to mobil-

Middle East Asia

ise Japan’s massive pool of savings to support a growth agenda that aims to spur more consumer spending and corporate investment by pushing the economy toward two per cent inflation.

It also suggests a new element of risk to the policies known as Abenomics since it would shift funding from the government to the private sector at the risk of driving interest rates higher. Specifically, the government will set up a panel in July to consider

the investment strategies of public funds, which, like other Japanese institutional investors, have relied heavily on investment in Japanese government bonds in recent years. The panel review will be included as part of a package of steps intended to boost growth set to be announced on Wednesday, according to the people with knowledge of the preparations who asked not to be named because an announcement has not been made. (Reuters)

Middle East’s rich see assets grow to US$4.8T

Wealthy individuals in the Middle East and Africa saw the value of their assets rise by 9.1 per cent to US$4.8 trillion in 2012, a study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) showed, as strong economies and rising equity markets fuelled regional growth.

If current trends continue, wealth in the region could rise to US$6.5 trillion by 2017, said the survey, published on Tuesday. Global wealth managers

have flocked to the region in recent years, lured by its rich energy and commodity reserves, relatively higher economic growth and rising population.

At the same time, Middle Eastern investors are becoming more comfortable investing domestically even though the percentage of assets held off-shore is relatively high, said Markus Massi, partner and managing director at BCG. Wealth held in equities grew by 18.3 per cent in 2012 in the re-

gion, the survey showed.

“You see less money getting invested in outside jurisdictions but this can change pretty quickly if political conditions worsen,” Massi said.

Private banks like Julius Baer and Sarasin Alpen, now compete with Credit Suisse, JP Morgan Chase and UBS in the region. Royal Bank of Canada expects to double the number of wealth management employees in its Dubai office in the near future. (Arabianbusiness)

How to value a company in three steps

Step 3: Market value

“Google” similar companies to see what they are selling for. Find three or four similar companies in size, offering and market share and find a maximum, minimum and average value among the list. Finding the market range, gives a viable benchmark for comparison.

Also, what is the perceived demand for what the company has to offer? Do they have a significant market share? Is there room for growth? How does the company maintain a competi-

tive advantage or is it just a matter of time before competitors start taking their share?

Conclusion

Valuing a company on your own can be a daunting task – consider bringing in professionals to help crunch the numbers and get into the details. If a business is for sale, look for a third party accounting firm to have confirmed and compiled the financial statements. If it is a much smaller business, ask your accountant to take a look. Most importantly, realise that looks can be deceiving and the company being evaluated has its own sense of value that may far exceed any calculated book value. Gather the facts on all that you can, and make educated guesses. Proper valuation sets up realistic opportunities return on investment. Keep in mind that an aged rock star that fills a coffee house may produce a higher return on investment than one with an empty stadium. (Business Dictionary)

Health Ministry addressing health issues among women miners

Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran on Monday formally engaged the Women’s Miners Organisation (WMO) as part of efforts to strengthen its ongoing strategic partnership with stakeholders, in order to ensure quality health care is delivered to every Guyanese, especially women and children.

The WMO is one of the newest organisations representing women, and it seeks to support the rights of women miners and other females earning a living in mining districts and hinterland communities. According to Minister Ramsaran, owing to the increasing number of women in the mining areas, as a result of the recent hike in gold price, the ministry is seeking to become partners with the organisation in promoting health literacy in the hinterland and mining areas.

The minister noted that more women are finding themselves in remote areas, in order to earn a living. At the same time, he said they continue to live their lives, having children and becoming ill or engaging in activ-

ities that may put them in harm’s way. As a result, the health minister said that the ministry will be placing special emphasis on the health and well-being of women miners. “This is an additional extension of a strategic partnership that will help to educate the women miners on how to live healthy even as they carry on their mining activities.”

The ministry will be looking at the possibilities of training additional medical personnel to be stationed in specific mining areas, not only to carry out medical services, but educational programmes dealing with issues such as alcoholism, smoking, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and cervical cancer.

Continued support

He said that the ministry will continue to support the WMA, and provide the necessary materials to carry out its work as it relates to health matters. The organisation’s president, Simona Broomes welcomed the partnership. She said that the association is willing to have some of their staff members

New environment...

The report mentioned that the site development and staging have been amended somewhat from the original design concept and the construction and sequence of development for the site have been altered and stressed by the early opening of the facility before the infrastructure was put into place. Thus, the sequence of filling is essentially moving forward in a random manner and the sequence of filling can be redesigned to be effective. However, the longer that it proceeds in the present manner, the more site capacity will be lost and the more difficult it will become to correct the operating conditions on the site. However, according to the documents, the interim and final cover does not appear to be well understood by the operating contractor and it was observed at times that large portions of the site were completely exposed with limited or no cover in place, while the lack of suitable equipment and resourc-

es are a key problem that needs to be corrected.

Proposed modification

The initially proposed leachate treatment system has been proposed to be modified as outlined in a report issued by Hydro Plan in August 2010. The basic concept can be made to work if implemented in a progressive manner with contingency provisions to upgrade and modify the sequential pond system as may be needed in the future. It is assumed that this need will be established by a suitable monitoring and enforcement programme. There are presently no measures in place for the leachate treatment system. As of this date, the leachate treatment consists simply of surface discharge into the former sugar cane ditches crossing the property and eventually discharging primarily to the canal adjacent to the northern limit of the site. The proposed Leachate Collection System (LCS) will still need

trained in such areas; however, it will have to fully sponsor those persons and will have the responsibility of monitoring and deploying them.

Broomes said the organisation has a health unit and the partnership with the ministry will boost its capacity. She promised to assist the ministry in carrying out its activities to ensure health services are delivered to all Guyanese. “We volunteer to work with the ministry and its policy in the best interest of providing better health care to all”.

Broomes also pledged to provide the ministry with suggestions to improve health care, especially in the mining areas. She has pointed out that in 72 Mile, Region Seven, there is need for a cold storage facility, especially for vaccines and a radio set at the health centre.

This community, she said, is small but growing, with a large number of women. The minister assured the organisation that the ministry will take these suggestions on board and have the items catered for in the 2014 national budget. (GINA)

from page 13

to be constructed in stages in conjunction with the development of each of the stages. The leachate pumping stations and force mains for adjacent cells need to be installed immediately to make the system functional.

It was stated that there needs to be contingency storage at the hazardous waste area in the event of a potential compliance problem; there needs to be plans developed for a pre-treatment step to be located at the hazardous waste landfill; and there needs to be rigorous monitoring programmes developed to confirm the health and performance of the wastewater treatment at the Haags Bosch Landfill that also considers more appropriate input parameters and the peaking effects through the site development and coordination with leachate input from the hazardous waste site. As such, there have been some changes in the institutional framework since the original EIA issued in 2005.

wednesday, june 5, 2013 |

June criminal session opens; 219 cases to be heard

The June Criminal Assizes opened on Tuesday opened with the normal pomp and ceremony at the High Court of Georgetown.

Some 219 cases are listed for trial. The session began with a march past by ranks from the Tactical Services Unit (TSU), who were accompanied by the Guyana Police Force’s band. Justice Navindra Singh took the salute during the parade and inspected a guard of honour on South Road, Georgetown. This assizes is the longest running session of the year and will have Justice Singh and Justice Brassington Reynolds presiding. After the ceremony, the judges empanelled matters in their respective courts.

A 12-member jury panel was empanelled before Justice Reynolds to try a murder case against Hameraj Rambachan called “Arun”. Rambachan is indicted with the murder of Rajpattie Jagroo between July 21 and 22, 2009. The prosecution will be led by state counsels, Renita Singh and Dhanika Singh, while the accused will be represented by Attorney Kim Kyte-John. The prosecution is expected to call witnesses during the trial.

Meanwhile, the April assizes ended on Monday after

the gall delivery was done before Justice Reynolds. During the two-month session, 12 cases were disposed of from a list of 219; 10 of those matters were murder offences while one was rape and the other was incest. Justice Navindra Singh along with Justice Reynolds and Justice James Bovell Drakes sat on the last session. Justice Singh heard eight cases that resulted in one hung jury, one guilty verdict and five not guilty verdicts while the other matter was dismissed because of the lack of evidence.

Only one murder case was tried before Justice Drakes at the end of which, there was a not guilty verdict. Meanwhile, Justice Reynolds dealt with four cases; two of which resulted in two guilty verdicts, one not guilty and a formal discharge due to insufficient evidence.

During this said period, the Essequibo February Criminal Assizes was also held with Justice Franklyn Holder presiding. Of the 22 cases listed for trial, only two cases engaged the court before the session ended. An attempted murder case was heard and the accused was found guilty with a jail term of 10 years. The other matter was a rape charge and was nolle prose-

qui by the Director of Public Prosecutions in accordance with the 2013 Amendment of the Sexual Offences Act 2010.

At the end of the February session, the Essequibo May 2013 Criminal Assizes opened and is currently in progress with a murder trial.

Meanwhile, in the ancient county, Justice Dawn Gregory sat in the Berbice February assizes in which 45 cases were listed for trial. During the session, three matters were tried by the court; one was a murder for which the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty, the other ended with a guilty verdict to the lesser count of manslaughter (the accused was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment) while the other was a carnal knowledge of a girl under 15 years and the matter resulted in a hung jury.

However, five matters were nolle prosequi by the DPP. In the case of a murder and attempted murder, they were nolle prosequi because the accused died while awaiting trial. The three remaining matters were not prosecuted since the victims no longer wished to proceed with their respective matters. The Berbice June session will begin in two weeks’ time.

Anaemia awareness taken to Vreed-en-Hoop students

The importance of a healthy diet was once again emphasised when the Health Ministry’s Food Policy Division met with students of the Vreeden-Hoop Secondary School on Tuesday. The food policy team spearheaded by Community Nutrition Officer Diekola Gittens told the more than 100 third and fourth formers that a balanced diet is critical to the prevention of anaemia.

Anaemia develops when the blood lacks sufficient iron; it is said to be prevalent among children in Guyana, hence the initiation of the educational programme. Gittens said anaemia can be damaging to a child’s academic life.

Serious implications

She explained, “Once a child is anaemic, that child would not be able to perform properly in school, especially when it comes to intelligence tests because of the lack of memory or poor memory. And when a child is anaemic, he will trouble from many episodes of illness and would most likely miss school.”

As a result, the community nutrition officer said the ministry, through the Food Policy Division, is edifying students on ways to detect and combat the disease. Unusual cravings for specific foods, painful cracks at the corners of the mouth,

difficulty swallowing, and jaundice are among symptoms prevalent in the latter stages of the disease; however, Gittens said the detection of the initial symptoms is also important.

“Some signs and symptoms you can see; persons sometimes get pale or feel extremely cold, others experience dizziness, nausea and blackouts,” she pointed out. In an effort to prevent the disease, the students were encouraged to use ironrich foods such as dark leafy vegetables, peas, beans and nuts. Poultry, fruits, and fresh fruit juices are also important in one’s diet, the community nutrition officer said. Black-eye pea’s buns, chicken-liver patties and callaloo drink were on display in the form of exhibits.

Gittens said parents should groom their children to develop healthy diets to prevent anaemia and other illnesses.

At the end of the workshop on Tuesday afternoon, the students were drilled on the information disseminated. They were rewarded with stationery after responding correctly.

This is the first anaemia workshop that has been staged for the year, with several other workshops lined up for later in the year across the country. Follow-up activities will be conducted as well, to ensure that students are complying with the advice given. Last year, similar educational activities were conducted at schools by the Health Ministry’s Food Policy Division.

Students of the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School viewing some of the exhibits which were on display during the workshop on Tuesday

Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran meeting with Women’s Miners Association President Simona Broomes and other members of the association

SUDOKU

tuesday's solution

A group project will fare better if you take a leadership role. The current commander might not be as talented as you.

By Bernice Bede Osol

(June 21July 22) (Jan. 20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

You are presently in an excellent cycle, so don’t waste this day. Visualise the results you want and work for them with all your might.

You should concentrate on your latest interest, because that’s where you’re likely to make your greatest strides. It won’t hurt to put your other hobbies on the back burner.

If you’re properly motivated, you can make some outstanding achievements. If you just coast along, however, you’ll actually lose ground.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

(July 23Aug. 22) (Feb. 20-March 20)

If you find yourself a bit restless, either mentally or physically, check out new project that has aroused your curiosity. It might be just what you’re looking for.

(March 21-April 19)

Don’t be surprised if you are unusually focused on your material interests. Even when you’re just having some fun, it’s likely to have something to do with money.

(April 20-May 20)

You’ll have no trouble asserting yourself in any kind of situation that calls for it, but you won’t go so far as to push others around to get your way.

(May 21June 20)

You might find it necessary to make a small but significant sacrifice for a loved one. Don’t make a big deal out of it.

Try to find time to spend with friends who share your philosophical beliefs. You can help one another to think bigger and better.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Your ability to uncover things that others are trying to keep hidden is unusually keen. Now is the time to investigate a work matter that hasn’t seemed right to you.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

One-on-one relationships will require grace and tact. To appease a certain individual, you might have to make a few concessions that you normally would balk at.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Don’t think your selfesteem won’t suffer if you fritter your time away. Many of your friends might get away with being unproductive, but you won’t.

Peanuts

Calvin and Hobbes

arCHie

dilbert

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GDF commissions Sergeants’ Academy

By Vahnu Manikchand

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) now has a new training facility, as Chief-of-Staff, Commodore Gary Best, commissioned the Sergeants’ Academy at Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri on Tuesday.

The academy was the brainchild of the GDF headquarters and will be used to provide training for senior and cadet officers. The building was used for several other purposes before it became the training centre. The commissioning came at the end of a 12-month course undertaken by the first batch of ranks trained in the building.

Opportune time

At a simple ceremony held at the camp’s location, Colonel Khemraj Persaud, the commanding officer of training corps, Base Camp Stephenson, said the commissioning of the academy came at an opportune time as it will be used to develop the backbone of the force. He said it signals the beginning of the strengthening of character for its occupants, as the force is committed to the development of its sergeants.

Persaud also talked about the work of past officers who have left the force with great

legacies. “Let us dedicate ourselves to our best performances, so that we can be reflected as great souls for those to come,” he urged the officers.

Giving a highlight of the course was Captain of the Sergeants’ Academy, Marvin Simpson, who said that the first batch had faced several challenges but emerged successful. The course, Leader Sergeants’ Course Number, began in October 2012 and the 12-month training commenced at the same time. He disclosed that there were 27 participants initially, drawn from various units of the army; however, only 13 tanks made it to the end and will be graduating on Thursday. The others were returned to their respective units because of disciplinary infractions.

Vigorous training Simpson mentioned that the participants underwent vigorous training across the country and the course also included reading, discussions, demonstrations, case studies, and practical exercises. “We, the Leader Sergeants’ Course, are committed to ensuring that we produce sergeants who are capable of administering and leading in the absence of officers and also produce sergeants that are capable of

functioning in the Guyana Defence Force,” he noted. In delivering his feature, Commodore Best stated that the commissioning of the academy shows the force’s dedication towards quality officer training and the development of middle management.

Leadership skills

“This building is dedicated in the spirit of investment in the trade of sergeants to achieve their calling to function effectively as the backbone of the Guyana Defence Force.,” he noted, “it is dedicated with the understanding that we provide the nurturing and leadership skills of men and women at the level of sergeant. It is dedicated in demonstration of the force’s vision for sergeants and is equipped with facilities to make these achievable.”

Best charged the ranks to work to the best of their abilities in becoming professional officers of the GDF and to create stories of excellence and perseverance. “You have to strive to make stories of discipline and determination, stories of resolve and persistence within the walls of this building and you should remain firm and focused and eager to serve the Guyana Defence Force.”

(vahnum@guyanatimesgy.com)

Canadian busted with cocaine at CJIA

An outgoing Canadian citizen was busted with a quantity of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Tuesday after-

noon. In a release, police said that about 12:40h Tuesday, ranks at the CJIA conducted a search on the baggage of a Canadian citizen who

was an outgoing passenger and found a total of 2.615 kilograms of cocaine concealed in his suitcase. He has been arrested and will be charged shortly.

“I’m being wrongfully accused,” says defendant on larceny charge

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man was granted bail for break and enter and larceny when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday.

George Khan, 36, of Second Street, Alexander Village, Georgetown pleaded not guilty to the charge. It was alleged that between June 1 and 2 at King and North Road, Khan broke and entered the premises of Mahadur Doodnauth and

stole 12 cases of beer valued $19,000; one microwave valued $30,000; a quantity of eggs valued $16,000; one garbage bin valued $3500; and other articles worth a total of $81,420. According to the prosecutor, Doodnauth is the owner of Roti Express and on Saturday, June 1, he secured his snackette and went home. On Sunday, he checked on the business place and observed that it was broken into. He then called the police and reported the matter. The defendant was subsequently arrest-

ed. The prosecutor objected to bail, citing the nature of the offence and the fact that the defendant was found with the items mentioned in the charge.

Defence Attorney Paul Fung-A-Fat made an application for reasonable bail, stating that his client has no pending matters in court, while Khan said he was being wrongfully accused. The chief magistrate granted Khan bail in the sum of $100,000 and he is to return to court on June 28.

Robber who escaped from custody returns to jail – says he was trying to get home to sick mother

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28-year-old man was sentenced to four years and three months on charges of robbery and escaping lawful custody by Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday.

Wayne Baker, of Linden, pleaded guilty to robbing Ashley Velgaro on Robb Street, Georgetown on June 2 and escaping from lawful custody later that day. On the day in question, the defendant snatched Velgaro’s purse, valued $1000, which contained $12,200.

According to the facts, the

virtual complainant (VC) was on her cellphone when the accused approached and held on to her, demanding that she hand over the items mentioned in the charge. Velgaro refused, so the defendant forcibly took the items and made good his escape.

A police rank who was in the area followed the accused and apprehended him.

A search was then conducted on Baker, the items were discovered, and he was taken to the Brickdam Police Station.

While Baker was being booked for the robbery charge at Camp Street Prison, he was left in a prison van unattend-

ed and he seized the opportunity to escape, walking out with the cuffs on his hands.

Baker told the court that his mother was sick and when the incident occurred he was trying to get money to return home to her. He said he then decided to escape since he is the only child and he wanted to be there for his mom who subsequently passed away on June 1. He begged for clemency, voicing his frustration and desire to return to Linden.

The chief magistrate sentenced the defendant to four years for the robbery and three months for escaping from lawful custody.

spiriTuAliTy

sErVicEs

Bravos steal the show as Sri Lanka lose by 17 runs

West Indies withstood a late surge from Sri Lanka’s tailenders to triumph by 17 runs, in the warm-up encounter in Birmingham on Tuesday.

Fifties by Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan, propelled West Indies to 297 for 6. Sri Lanka were unable to exert sustained control over the run chase as they lost wickets regularly. A 73run ninth-wicket stand between Dilhara Lokuhettige and Nuwan Kulasekara put Sri Lanka in sight of victory, but Dwayne Bravo mopped up the remaining wickets, and finished with a matchbest 3 for 26 from his five overs. Aside from him, the West Indies batsmen will take the most confidence from the match.

The result, as in many other warm-up matches, is largely irrelevant. West Indies would not have had the service of Tino Best with the ball had they fielded eleven batsmen. Sri Lanka

Ramnaresh Sarwan

SCOREBOARD

WEST INDIES

C Gayle c & b T Perera 22

J Charles c wkp Sangakkara

b Eranga 58

DM Bravo ret out 71

M Samuels c Chandimal

b Dilshan 18

R Sarwan ret. out 55

K Pollard not out 29

*DJ Bravo c Thirimanne

b Perera 12

+D Ramdin lbw b Malinga 1

S Narine b Eranga 5

Ravi Rampaul not out 1

Extras (b2, lb5, w17, nb1) 25

TOTAL (6 wkts, 50 overs) 297

Fall of wickets: 1-87, 2-87, 3-122, 3-248*, 3-248*, 4-263, 5-274, 6-281

Bowling: Malinga 8-0-68-1, Kulasekara 9-1-67-0, Mathews

5-0-24-0, Perera 9-1-48-2, Eranga 7-0-38-2, Herath 5-026-0, Dilshan 7-1-19-1.

SRI LANKA

K Perera c Pollard b Rampaul 24

T Dilshan b Roach 15

M Jayawardene run out 29

+K Sangakkara c wkp Ramdin b DJ Bravo 56

L Thirimanne c DJ Bravo

b Narine 8

*A Mathews c DJ Bravo

b Narine 4

J Mendis c wkp Ramdin b Best 17

T Perera c Roach b Rampaul 20

N Kulasekara not out 40

L Dilhara c Sarwan b DJ Bravo 42

R Herath c Pollard b DJ Bravo 3

Extras (b4, lb3, w13, nb2) 22

TOTAL (all out; 47 overs) 280

Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-39, 3-101, 4-124, 5-132, 6-166, 7-168, 8-196, 9-269, 10-280 Bowling: Roach 8-0-711, Rampaul 8-0-46-2, Best 7-0-57-1, Narine 10-0-262, Samuels 7-0-40-0, Bravo 5-2-26-3, Pollard 2-0-7-0. Umpires: N Cook, P Hartley.

meanwhile, could not have used Lokuhettige, or one of either Jeevan Mendis or Lahiru Thirimanne. Moreover, neither team plays a group match in Edgbaston. Though the warm-ups recreate match conditions to some extent, both teams are likely to encounter more lively pitches in London and Cardiff.

Charles dominated the early overs, while Gayle was reticent at the other end. As it became clear his partner was striking it well, as he had against Australia, Gayle was content to give Charles the lion share of the strike. Sri Lanka’s fast bowling was not devoid of discipline in the opening overs, but the pitch - another lifeless batting paradise - did not offer them much room for error.

Charles cut with particular ferocity, often when the ball was not more than a foot outside off stump, and he drove balls equally undeserving of punishment, almost as well. With no lat-

eral movement on offer, in the air or off the pitch, Kulasekara’s gentle pace became fodder for Charles, who took ten runs off his first over, and rarely let up after. Gayle eventually departed for 22, having hit no boundaries, and Charles followed eight balls later, having made his second successive fifty of the warm-ups.

Darren Bravo achieved the same feat during the middle overs, though his strike-rate was 74 in comparison to Charles’ 116. Tillakaratne Dilshan bowled the tightest overs of West Indies innings, and having seen Marlon Samuels perish on the fence to Dilshan’s second ball, Bravo and Sarwan played him with utmost prudence. Dilshan’s economy rate of 2.71 was substantially superior to what the front line operators achieved in either warm-up match.

As West Indies approached 250 with only three wickets lost, captain Dwayne Bravo retired both batsmen out after the 44th over, leaving their 126-run stand unbroken. Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard then began hitting out, but only Pollard succeeded in that regard. His 21-ball 29 featured two sixes off nearyorkers, in Lasith Malinga’s final over, which went for 16.

With a large total to chase, Sri Lanka’s explosive openers might have set them on course, but their assault was too short-lived to fire their side to a substantial advantage, and the remaining batsmen were left with plenty to do. Kusal Perera’s defensive technique has not faltered so far in international cricket, but as he has tended to do in the past, he threw away a promising start by playing one shot too many - this time into the hands of the fielder at deep square leg. (Cricinfo)

Digicel extends contract with WICB

KINGSTON, Jamaica –Telecommunicatioms Company Digicel on Tuesday announced that it was extending its sponsorship of the West Indies cricket team for another three years until September 2016.

Digicel’s renewed contract sees the company retain its title as team sponsor which includes all the marketing and branding rights for the team.

The new contract was signed on Monday at the company’s regional headquarters in Kingston by Digicel Group CEO, Colm

Delves and West Indies Cricket Board President, Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron. Cricket is synonymous with the Caribbean and as such, we are thrilled to have completed this contract agreement which sees Digicel retain its sponsorship of the West Indies cricket team,” said Digicel Group Head of Sponsorship, James Wynne.

“The agreement, together with our sponsorship of the CPL and our far-reaching youth programme, ensures Digicel’s support of the game is focused on maintaining the

on-going popularity of the game in the region, for generations to come”.

The announcement of Digicel’s continued involvement at the highest level of West Indies cricket comes on the back of the company’s individual sponsorship of Jamaican all-rounder, Marlon Samuels.

Digicel has also been announced as major sponsors for the upcoming WICB partnership with CPL Ltd.

“We are thrilled to be retaining our major sponsor, Digicel, for another three years,” said

A lot to look forward to, says Edwards

BASSETERRE, St Kitts – West Indies

A Team captain Kirk Edwards wants to see his side demonstrate their readiness to advance to “the next level” when they match skills against Sri Lanka A in the coming weeks.

The two teams will play a seven-match series – starting with the first four-day ‘Test’ match at the picturesque Warner Park today. First ball is 10:00h (09:00h Jamaica Time).

Speaking after the team’s training session on Tuesday, the 28-year-old Edwards said the team is happy with the preparations and focused on getting the better of their Asian opponents.

“This is a chance for the players in this team to show they are ready for the next level and also a chance to test our skills against opponents from somewhere else at the first-class level. It is a lot to look forward to.

A Team cricket is more important that people know. These games come in very handy,” Edwards told WICB Media.

“The main fact they have all been selected in the team to represent the West Indies means they have something to offer and hopefully [they will] kick on from here and reach the next level.”

WICB President, Dave Cameron.

“Digicel has been unwavering in its support of cricket in the Caribbean, from grassroots right up to elite level and together, we look forward to further developing the sport right across the region in the coming years.”

The CPL, starting July 30th, is expected to draw millions of viewers from around the globe as six franchise teams from across the region battle it out for a place in the final on August 24th in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. (WICB)

Edwards led Barbados to their capture of the WICB Regional 4 Day first-class title earlier this year and said he is relishing the opportunity to lead the West Indies A as well. He is one of eight players in the 13-man squad to have represented the West Indies in Test cricket.

The squad also includes three newcomers to this level – fast bowlers Miguel Cummins and Sheldon Cotterell, and wicket-keeper/batsman Jahmar Hamilton – all recent graduates of the Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre.

“I never set out to captain a team, but it is an honour to captain your country and lead a regional team as well and represent the region. I look forward to seeing

everyone

WEST INDIES A: Kirk Edwards (captain), Veerasammy Permaul (vice captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cotterell, Miguel Cummins, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton, Leon Johnson, Nikita Miller, Chadwick Walton; Junior Bennett (head coach), Lockhart Sebastien (manager), Stuart Williams (assistant manager), Oba Gulston (physiotherapist), Dexter Augustus (video analyst) SRI LANKA A: Dimuth Karunarathne (captain), Angelo Perera (vice captain), Chathuranga de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Lahiru Gamage, Ishan Jayaratne, Udara Jayasundera, Tharindu Kaushal, Madura Lakmal, Suranga Lakmal, Vimukthi Perera, Ashan Priyanjana, Malinda Pushpakumara, Kaushal Silva, Kithruwan Withanage; Romesh Kaluwitharana (head coach), Jayantha Seneviratne (manager), Champaka Ramanayake (fast bowling coach), Manoj Abeywickrema (fielding coach), Ranjith Nanayakkarawasam (physiotherapist), Mario Wellawarayan (fitness trainer), Dulip Samarasekera (video analyst), Lal Thamel (massage therapist), Hashan Thilakaratne (selector)

Schedule of matches June Wed 5 to Sat 8: 1st “Test” – Warner Park, St. Kitts Wed 12 to Sat 15: 2nd “Test” – Arnos Vale Multiplex, St.

do their bit,” said Edwards, who has played nine Test matches in his career so far.

Kirk Edwards

wednesday, june 5, 2013

Heat off to finals, beat Pacers 99-76 in game seven

MIAMI – Their season, their legacy, their reign atop the NBA was all at stake, and the Miami Heat responded in a manner befitting defending champions - with a blowout.

LeBron James scored 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds, ailing Dwyane Wade matched his postseason high with 21 points, and the Heat ran away from the Indiana Pacers 99-76 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference series on Monday night.

In the NBA Finals for the third straight year, the Heat will play the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 on Thursday in Miami.

‘’They’re just an amazing group of guys,’’ Heat managing general partner Micky Arison said after handing the East trophy to Chris Andersen. ‘’They’ve given us an incredible season so far, but it’s a long way from over.’’

It could have ended on Monday, of course. The Heat had alternated wins and losses with the Pacers in the first six games of the series, and were coming off their worst offensive outing of the year in Game 6.

They responded with a rout, despite shooting just

under 40 percent, well below their norm.

‘’By any means necessary ... we took care of business,’’ James said.

Miami led by as many as 28 points, a shocking amount for a series that had an aggregate score of Heat 569, Pacers 564 entering Monday night. The Heat actually trailed by six in the early going, were still down 21-19 after the first quarter and it was starting to look like it was starting to look like one of those down-tothe-wire nights.

Not even close!

‘’You never want to take anything for granted,’’ Wade said. ‘’Being here three straight years in a row, going back to the finals, is an amazing feat. I’m just glad we were able to do it.

Everything that happened in the first six games didn’t mean anything to us. It was about tonight. It was about Game 7. It was about finding a way to win here at home.’’

James exited with 5:08 left, shaking retired soccer star David Beckham’s hand as he made his way to the Heat bench for a relatively subdued celebration. Not long afterward, security personnel started what’s

become a familiar task in Miami - surrounding the court and stretching out a yellow rope, preparing to hold people at bay for the looming on-court trophy presentation.

More than a few people didn’t stick around to see the East title formally presented. After all, it’s an allor-nothing season for the Heat - and this trophy isn’t the one that will satisfy them.

Ray Allen added 10 points for Miami, which earned its 78th victory of the season, matching the 11thbest, single-season total in NBA history.

‘’It’s just a privilege to be with this great team, great teammates, and we have another opportunity to go back to where we are,’’ Heat forward Chris Bosh said. ‘’You never really want to get it out of the way too much. Game 7’s don’t happen too often. We enjoyed it and now we have to move on.’’

Roy Hibbert scored 18 points for the Pacers, who got 14 from David West, 13 from George Hill and 10 from Lance Stephenson. AllStar Paul George was held to seven points on 2-for-9 shooting and fouled out early in the fourth quarter. (Yahoo! Sport)

Tsonga upsets Federer, Williams fights back to reach Paris semis

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga upset second seed Roger Federer at the French Open to keep the home nation’s hopes alive of a first men’s champion for 30 years.

Tsonga, the sixth seed, won 7-5 6-3 6-3 to reach his first semi-final at Roland Garros, where he will face David Ferrer.

And expectation will continue to rise as the 28-yearold from Le Mans moves closer to emulating Yannick Noah’s victory of 1983.

“It’s extraordinary to be here and to have won,” said Tsonga. “I never dreamt of this moment. Today was my moment against a champion who has won everything.

“I didn’t think I would get this far without losing a

Slam for only the fifth time since he lost to Gustavo Kuerten in the French Open third round nine years ago. It is his earliest defeat at

set. But Ferrer has not lost a set as well, he’s in great form.”

“It’s here at Roland Garros, in France, on a big court with a lot of people, middle of the afternoon, and I just beat Roger Federer,” added Tsonga.

“I’m sure nobody expected that from me, in the past, to be there on this court against Federer and have a good win. So for me it’s maybe one of the best victories.

“You know, the tournament is not finished, and I hope I will have some more.”

The defeat meant Federer, 31, failed to reach the same-finals of a Grand

Sorry Australia fold for 65

An aggressive allround display by India, including another match-winning century from Dinesh Karthik and a five-wicket haul from Umesh Yadav, inflicted a stinging 243-run defeat on Australia in the teams’ second warm-up match on Tuesday.

Karthik was the batting star of the match, scoring his second consecutive ton in the warm-up fixtures, strengthening his case for a place in India’s starting XI in the tournament. “I think he has earned his place in the side and we’ll just have to see who misses out when we play against South Africa,” MS Dhoni said after the game. “I’d like him to play at the top of the order but we’ll [have to wait and] see.” The game was virtual-

ly over 54 minutes into the chase, when Australia were reduced to 34 for 6 in the face of some fierce fast bowling from Yadav, who picked up a five-wicket haul in his first, and only, spell of five overs. Yadav, who got married last Wednesday, had joined the Indian squad three days later and had been rested in the first warm-up match against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Australia’s troubles started in the second over when Matthew Wade, opening ahead of Phillip Hughes, played on while attempting a pull. David Warner’s horrific run continued as he went for an expansive stroke against a full delivery that was moving away, only to be caught brilliantly at first slip by R Ashwin. This was Warner’s third duck in his last four innings. In the fifth over, George

Bailey misread the line of a Yadav delivery that seamed away and was bowled for

1. Four overs later, Hughes went for an exuberant pull and played on. Mitchell

SCOREBOARD

w13, nb1)

Total: (6 wkts, 50 overs)

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-15, 3-39, 4-39, 5-55, 6-266 Bowling: M Starc 10-0-732, C McKay 10-0-39-2, M Johnson 10-0-52-1, J Faulkner 10-0-68-1, S Watson 5-023-0, M Marsh 5-0-47-0

Extras: (b3, lb1, w1)

of wickets: 1-6, 2-7, 3-9, 4-28, 5-28, 6-34, 7-50, 8-54, 9-60,

Roland Garros since he lost to Robin Soderling at the same stage in 2010.

Federer made the better start to Tuesday’s quarter-final with a break in the fifth game when he fired a forehand winner across the Frenchman.

That same shot let him down in game eight, however, and he found himself pegged back to 4-4 and struggling to keep down the error count.

The Swiss fought off three set points from 0-40 in game 12, the second with a beautiful flicked backhand, but he fired a forehand long moments later to hand over

the set.

Tsonga had just three wins in 12 previous matches against Federer, but the confidence flowed through him at the start of the second and Federer simply could not find any rhythm.

He found himself 0-40 down again at the start of the second set and there was no comeback this time as a wayward backhand gave Tsonga a break he would not give up.

Meanwhile, Top seed Serena Williams survived a major scare from former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova before reaching the French Open semifinals.

The 2002 Roland Garros winner took the first set with ease before being pushed all the way by the unseeded Russian en route to a hardfought 6-1 3-6 6-3 win. Williams was forced to dig deep after coming from behind in the third set to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the first time since 2003.

She had looked on course for a swift and straightforward victory after dropping just a solitary game in the opening set, yet Kuznetsova, the 2009 champion, rallied thereafter and, after levelling the contest, raced into a 2-0 lead in the decider. (BBC Sport)

Marsh was unlucky, given caught behind to a delivery that seamed in and flicked his trousers on its way to MS Dhoni. Australia’s hopes were extinguished when Shane Watson, who had scored a match-winning century against West Indies, attempted to cut Ishant Sharma and joined the club of Australian batsmen who played on.

India had also found themselves in a similar trap

at 55 for 5. That they recovered from that precarious position was solely due to the mature batting between Karthik and Dhoni, whose 211-run partnership powered India’s fightback. Though only one wicket fell to a spinner, the pitch wasn’t exactly a grassy, seamer-friendly one. Although it had good bounce and carry, there was not much lateral movement. (Cricinfo)

LeBron James

Serena Williams

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Dinesh Karthik

Sparta Boss presented with prizes for “Keep Your Five Alive” c/ships

By TreisTon Joseph

ANSA McAl, under the Mackeson brand, presented their 2013 Mackeson “Keep Your Five Alive” Futsal champions, Sparta Boss on Tuesday at a presentation ceremony at the company’s headquarters at Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara.

At the handing over ceremony national striker and captain of the Sparta Boss Devon Millington expressed his gratitude to the company for hosting the tournament, while offering recommendations for the improvement of the tournament.

“On behalf of myself and the team wise I would like to congratulate Mackeson on keeping a tournament like this, we worked hard and were favourites from the start even though we had some critics we just stuck as a team and did our job.

“Coming for the next

tournament we would like to know that thing would be a little more organised coming from the executives so things could be more in place like getting awards for most goal scorers, most valuable player and things like that,” Millington said.

Further, Mackeson Brand Manager Jamaal Douglas agreed with Millington for ways to improve next year’s tournament, hinting that some new additions are already being conceptualised by officials of the company.

“We thought the tournament was great, there was a lovely turnout from beginning to the end… we would like to congratulate the champions Sparta Boss and for next year we will probably be including more teams and probably will also go to different locations as well.

“Next year we will definitely put I place most valuable player, probably do

a goal scorer and we will also have more exhibition matches,” Douglas revealed.

In addition, organiser of the tournament Kevin Adonis also highlighted that more individual awards will be a great addition to the tournament, which he thought was a success especially since it was the first year for the tournament.

“Well I just want to give a lot of thanks to ANSA McAl and Mackeson to funding the venture but overall I was overwhelmed with the support that we got and it can only get bigger and better.

“However, like the player (Devon Millington) just mentioned before the players will be looking forward to more incentives but I had to explain to most of the players that this is Mackeson’s first year on board so we should have a bigger and better tournament next year,” Adonis stated.

Japan qualify for 2014 World Cup in Brazil after draw with Australia

Japan have become the first team to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and join hosts Brazil in football’s showpiece tournament next summer.

Keisuke Honda scored an injury-time penalty in a 1-1 draw against Australia to secure Japan’s place at the finals for a fifth successive time.

Japan have an unassailable seven-point lead in their Asian qualifying group.

Manager Alberto Zaccheroni said: “Just qualifying is not enough. We will aim even higher in Brazil.”

The Italian added: “I came to bring them to the World Cup – that was my

bottom line. I feel relieved that I achieved it.

“We have a very strong commitment to playing well. We are going to improve further and surprise the world.”

Australia, who had taken the lead against Japan through Tommy Oar, are third in the group and bat-

Windies the real danger – Wasim Akram

ONDON – Wasim

LAkram, the world famous swing bowling icon and former captain of Pakistan cricket team, has praised Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq for bringing positive change to Pakistani team by changing his one-day game as well as attitude towards it.

Speaking exclusively to Geo News after Pakistan beat South Africa at a warm up match here at the Oval, the Sultan of Swing said that the West Indies cricket team is the real danger in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2013 matches.

Akram was surprised that no one talked about the danger posed to all teams by the brilliant players such as Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, and others in the team.

“They have brilliant wicket taking bowlers. They have more one-day experience. It will be very interesting to see how the West Indian side plays,” Akram said.

Wasim Akram was of praise for the unity shown by the team at the Oval.

He said that Pakistan had struggled in South Africa during a recent tour but it was because of the gross and the totally different conditions. “It was also because we are poor in test matches.

But in one-day game, we gave South Africa tough time,” he said, answering a question what made the dif-

ference between then and the match Pakistan played on Monday at The Oval that outclassed South Africa in all departments.

“I really liked the way Pakistan played at The Oval. The main bowlers were rested but Junaid, Wahab, Ahsan Adil and Asad played brilliantly. From the first ball, the body language was good. The attitude was right. South Africa looked dead.

Pakistani team chased well and but I was scared that Pakistan gets under pressure when chasing and when wickets fall.”

Wasim Akram said that there is “no issue” with Pakistan’s bowling but the problem is in the batting area.

“The plan is that Imran Farhat will play as an anchor and will play as a test cricketer to last for 40 hours or so and the boys around him will play as they are in good forms and can play their game. Pakistani bat-

ting goes under pressure if there is an issue with the openers going down quickly.”

Akram said that Wahab Riaz was crucial in getting Pakistan win the match against Ireland but Kamran Akmal also did well. “I have told Wahab to take batting seriously. I told him that if you are dropped as a bowler you will be taken as a batsman. If he improves then Pakistan’s batting combination will improve tremendously.

When asked if Indian side will be under pressure due to the explosive IPL scandal involving many big names of the cricket world, Wasim Akram said that in such situation players normally don’t admit that they are under pressure but such situations does have affects.

“Media here is not doing anything about the IPL. There are no breaking news every two minutes here and players don’t feel pressured.”

Wasim Akram turned 47 on Monday. He told The News that he missed his wife Huma very much on this occasion. “First of all I want to thank everyone who has wished me.

“I miss my wife a lot. My sons misses her too. I have lived a very successful life and it’s only due to the prayers of Pakistanis that I am at this stage. I pray that my country Pakistan does good. I want Pakistan to see progress.” (WICB)

Dejected Ashraful apologises to fans

The regret of missing out on cricket was what finally broke Mohammad Ashraful. In his first appearance in front of the media, after he met with the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) last month, the cricketer broke down when asked if he regretted his actions at this phase of his career.

tling with Jordan, Oman and Iraq for the second automatic qualifying spot.

The third-placed team will go into a play-off against the team in third in the other group, with the winner of that to face the fifth-placed South American team for a place at the World Cup. (Japan)

“Obviously, I am feeling very bad... Please pray for me,” was all he could tell mediapersons, before being taken inside by his friends, who were standing near his house in Dhaka. Ashraful was sobbing, and was quickly taken upstairs to his apartment.

The 2012-13 season saw

Ashraful make his highest Test score, in a bid to come back into the Bangladesh team. His 190 against Sri Lanka was hailed by even his critics who quietly praised his patience. Though the subsequent Zimbabwe tour wasn’t as good, Ashraful still looked to be in good form. But his admission of guilt to the ACSU has now ensured that he stands in breach of several codes and awaits punishment from the BCB.

A few minutes before the press interaction began, he was trying to force a smile. He even let out a giggle when asked if he would talk off-camera after he repeatedly said he wasn’t prepared

to talk until the ACSU’s report is submitted to the BCB.

“Not talking in front of the camera got me into trouble in the first place,” he blurted out, and laughed. This was an attempt at seeking normalcy but, given what he has admitted to, normalcy will elude him even though the ACSU verdict is still a few weeks away.

“I made a mistake. This was the first time in my career that the ICC anti-corruption unit called on me. I did some bad things and I admitted to doing them. I am trying to help them for the sake of cricket,” he said. “After coming back from Zimbabwe, when they asked me, I told them what I had done. I didn’t want to keep feeling guilty, so I told them whatever I did wrong. I made a couple of mistakes, but otherwise I was honest to the cause of playing for Bangladesh.”

One of Bangladesh’s most admired cricketers, Ashraful also apologised to his fans. “I apologise to the entire nation, to all my fans and friends. I am guilty about everything. I have disappointed my fans,” he said. (Cricinfo)

Sparta Boss Captain Devon Millington (right) receives the winning trophy and cash prize from organiser Kevin Adonis at the presentation ceremony

Mohammad Ashraful

Wasim Akram

The victorious Japanese team

Digicel pulling out all stops to improve schools’ football tournament

Digicel, organiser of the nationwide schools’ football tournament, is pulling out all the stops to make this year’s event bigger and better than previous editions.

The company has embarked on ensuring that preparations to deliver another high quality tournament, recruiting former national players and coaches who will be assigned to the respective regions to improve the quality of the players.

The tournament, which started in 2011, has been a huge success with over 100 schools participating from around the country.

Tuesday, at the Wales Community Centre Coach Orville Bobb and his assistant Kelvin Robertsspoke about the preparation of the three schools they are assigned to. Bobb, who has been retained by Digicel, is currently conducting sessions at the centre for students from the Patentia, L’Aventure and La Retraite

Secondary Schools, said that the turnout has been good, but the inclement weather has been affecting the smooth flow of preparations.

“I’m quite satisfied with the attendance to date and this is despite the persistent rainfall which has left the ground waterlogged in some places and difficult to practice certain drills, while CXC is still ongoing and some of the players are taking extra lessons, but I must say that those two constraints have minimally affected the turnout,” Bobb stated.

He emphasised that the players are all enthusiastic and eager for action and this encourages him and his assistant to turn up and impart knowledge. Bobb said that the players have learned to trap the ball, dribble and retain possession of the ball.

Speaking on the importance of the tournament, Bobb pointed out, “This tournament to my mind is extremely important for the development of youth foot-

ball, especially when you consider that within the next 3-4 years manay of them could be vying for a place on the national team.”

In reference to the format of the tournament, Roberts said it is a good one since it will help players to play in front of partisan crowds should they emerge from their group.

Roberts and Bobb indicated that many of the players that participated last year will be returning this year and they expect the standard to be much higher than the previous year.

“I expect the level of skills that will be displayed this year will be much better and a lot of the players seem excited and committed to giving a better performance this time around,” Bobb mentioned.

Meanwhile, some of the coaches have been conducting sessions on the West and East Coasts of Demerara, while some have also been carrying on clinics outside of Demerara.

Local umpires for WICUA convention

Agroup of local umpires will be attending the West Indies Cricket Umpires Council (WICUA) convention which starts on June 28 in Trinidad and Tobago.

President of the Guyana Cricket Umpires Council (GCUC) Dhieranidranauth Somwaru will head the group with 13 confirmed members to date.

In an invited comment on Tuesday, Somwaru said it is a pleasure to attend

the convention where they will also observe the 50th anniversary of the WICUA. He said that for the first time Guyana will be represented by such a large contingent.

The umpires that have confirmed their participation so far are Somwaru, Zabeer Zakier, Eddie Nicholls, Arleigh Rutherford, Matthew Kissoon, Drepaul George, Hortence Isaacs, Delvin Austin, Asif Japal, Safil

National ruggers failed to stick to game plan, says Roberts

– focus now shifts to Sevens rugby

Manager of the national 15s rugby team, Robin Roberts admitted that his side failed to stick to the game plan in their 20-0 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago in the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association’s (NACRA) men’s 15s Caribbean championship last Saturday.

“We didn’t really perform to the game-plan we set. Frequently we failed to pass the ball from A to B, while the other key areas of our game did not function. We compounded errors and didn’t hold on to the ball as we should, all of that have benefited the hosts” Roberts said.

Roberts continued ““I think the guys were a bit overconfident. We beat TT 20-0 last year, so I think

the guys had felt they could have repeated that result with easy.”

The Guyanese needed a victory in order to progress to the final round, but the game was one-way traffic

for the twin island republic that will play United States of America in the final, scheduled to be played later this month.

Meanwhile, Roberts added that the focus will now shift to the domestic competitions and international sevens.

“We will regroup as a unit and prepare for the sevens rugby, the administrators will meet tonight (last night) to finalise the local competition which is expected to commence this weekend”.

According to Roberts, Guyana’s main aim later this year is to regain the NACRA Sevens title which they lost to Mexico last year after a six-year reign. The NACRA Sevens will be staged in November in the Cayman Islands.

Khan, Clement Brusche and Dawchand Nagassar.

Among the items listed on the agenda for the convention are elections of office bearers, umpires fees, playing conditions and issues affecting umpires in the Caribbean.

Also, interested persons who are willing to assist the GCUC to make the venture possible can contact Eddie Nicholls on telephone number 680-9581 or Zabeer Zakier on 696-3811.

Robin Roberts

Head Coach Orville Bobb (right) and Kelvin Roberts

CPL to offer 60 players development contracts

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

The inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will bowl off next month, bringing tremendous economic benefits to the region, while exposing domestic cricketers to the new concept of T20 League cricket.

CPL Commercial Director, Jamie Stewart, acknowledging the positives that will be derived from the six-team franchise tournament, noted that 60 players – comprising 10 from each franchise – will be the beneficiaries of CPL developmental contracts.

He made the disclosure during an exclusive interview with this publication this week during his visit to Guyana – a base for one of the six franchises.

Development contracts

“CPL, as part of its commitment to WICB [West Indies Cricket Board] and cricket, is putting 60 players on development contracts. So we’re putting 60 players from the region – 10 from Guyana incidentally – on development contracts so that they don’t have to worry about earning a living, so that they can concentrate on their cricket.

“In exchange for that, we’re asking them to go out in the communities and be ambassadors of cricket…to go into schools and underprivileged areas and talk about CPL and teach the

kids, who are the next generation of cricketers,” Stewart explained.

Stewart said the idea is to impact the lives of the players by giving them the opportunity to earn a living while honing their skills.

“[By doing this] you’re already profoundly impacting the players and their lives. One, they’ve got CPL contracts they never had, and two, below those WICB contracted players there is going to be a whole other layer of cricketers who can earn a living from the sport. Very powerful,” Stewart informed.

Favourite teams

The CPL official also pointed out that cricket fans across the region will be afforded the opportunity to follow their favourite teams and players whether they are at the venues or viewing the action on prime time television.

“As I said, all of a sudden you have a league and a competition that you can call your own, one which you can watch every night for almost a month. You can now follow your favourite team, just as American sports fans follow their basketball teams and baseball teams. Now you’re going to have that in the Caribbean: a proper league that is on prime time [television] every night with some of the best players in the world, I might add,” Stewart stated.

The opportunity to promote the

Caribbean as a tourism destination will also present itself, according to Stewart.

Tourism potential

He added that the tournament will be designed in such a way that the Caribbean lifestyle, as well as its flora and fauna will be prominently showcased during the July 30 to August 24 event.

“Here is a showcase for not just Caribbean cricket, but for the Caribbean lifestyle, for the Caribbean way of life…the beauty of the islands, the beauty of the people and their warmth because the television packaging of CPL it’s going to be very

much selling the Caribbean to the world…celebrating the Caribbean, the music of the Caribbean, the dance of the Caribbean, the ability to have a good time in the Caribbean, which I think is the most powerful exports you have,” the commercial director divulged.

Television programme

Last week CPL announced that a weekly television programme –CPLT20 TV – will be on air from this month, featuring the six franchise countries where the T20 cricket tournament will be played.

In six half-hour episodes, fans from around the region will be taken behind the scenes and get up close and personal with the families, friends and officials who have played a part in making the CPL T20 a reality.

Barbados company Merville Lynch Productions has teamed up with Line and Length Network Producer Barry Wilkinson to capture and document the historic conception of the CPL T20. When the first episode airs at the end of June, following the ICC Champions Trophy, it will be shown weekly on television stations in Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and Trinidad and Tobago. Stations in other territories are still to be confirmed to air the programmes leading up to the first ball of the tournament on July 30.

moments that made each of the territories unique.

Players’ draft Activities leading up to the start of the tournament will continue today with the highly anticipated players’ draft, which is slated for Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The six franchises have already been designated their West Indies and international franchise players, and today’s event is geared towards the composition of the respective teams.

At a ceremony in Trinidad and Tobago last week, it was revealed that mystery off-spinner Sunil Narine and Pakistan’s all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez will represent Guyana; former West Indies all-rounder Roger Harper will be the Head Coach and bowling legend Curtly Ambrose, his assistant.

Marlon Samuels and Ricky Ponting will play for Antigua; Kieron Pollard and Shoaib Malik will suit up for Barbados; Chris Gayle and Muttiah Muralitharan will play for Jamaica; Darren Sammy and Herschelle Gibbs will sport the St Lucia colours; and Dwayne Bravo and Ross Taylor will head up the Trinidad and Tobago franchise team.

TOP SCORES

West Indies 297-6 (Darren 71, Charles 58, Sarwan 55) beat Sri Lanka 280 (Sangakkara 56, Dwayne 3-26) by 17 runs; India 308 for 6 (Karthik 146*, Dhoni 91) beat Australia 65 (Yadav 5-18, Ishant 3-11) by 243 runs

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INSIDE TODAY'S SPORTS

The CPLT20 show will also take viewers to Antigua, Barbados, Guyana and St Lucia and look back at some historic cricketing

CPL Commercial Director Jamie Stewart

Darren Bravo