Guyana Times Daily

Albion woman strangled

– reputed husband attempts suicide

By Bhisham mohamed

Amother of three was on Sunday evening found dead in her home in Berbice, suspected to have been strangled by her spouse who later attempted to commit suicide. The man is being held under police guard at the Port Mourant Hospital.

The body of Geeta Bissondyal, 27, of Lot 67 High Reef Albion, Corentyne, Berbice was found about 21:00h by her sister while her reputed husband Probhudyal Tarachand, 34, also called “Ramesh”, attempted to hang himself.

His intentions were thwarted after a family member walked in and cut the rope that was around his neck. It was also confirmed that he drank a poisonous substance. He was rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital but later transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he is currently under police guard. Police said in a statement that they are investigating the murder of Bissoondyal, which occurred about 20:00h on Sunday, allegedly by her reputed husband.

According to police, investigations revealed that Bissoondyal and her reputed husband had an argument at their home. A post-mortem was performed on Monday by Dr Vivekanand Brijmohan, who gave the cause of death as manual strangulation.

Later, the suspect reportedly drank a quantity of paint thinner and then attempted to hang himself, but was prevented from doing so by a family member.

Meanwhile, according to information reaching Guyana Times, about 21:40h on Sunday, Brian Luke, also called “Brian”, of Albion Squatting Area, Corentyne, Berbice went to the Albion Police Station and reported that, at about 18:00h on Sunday, he went to the home of his cousin, Ramesh, where they had a discussion in relation to his wife Bissondyal.

Further information revealed that during the discussion, Tarachand went into his yard and locked his gate leaving Luke outside. He reportedly took his wife into the lower flat of their two-storey house and locked the door behind them.

Guyana Times understands that after a while, Luke reportedly heard Bissondyal screaming, but did not intervene since the situation was already tense.

Later in the evening, Luke reportedly scaled the fence and opened a door where he saw the woman lying motionless on a bed and Tarachand hanging with a cord tied around his neck attached to a rafter next to her. Staying calm, Luke reportedly cut the rope, resulting in the suspect falling to the ground after which he went to the police and filed a report.

Two police ranks accompanied Luke to the house about 21:45h, where they observed Bissondyal lying on a bed. She was taken to the Port Mourant Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Her body was then taken to the Rammo’s Funeral Home and a post-mortem proved that she was strangled.

Tarachand was transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital and is presently receiving medical attention. Luke was also taken into police custody and is assisting with investigations.

New test

may not be needed

to grow black-eye corn – Joe Singh

Former head of the defunct Guyana National Service, retired Major General Joseph Singh, said there may be no need for a research or test to see whether black-eye peas and corn can grow here, as these should be available in the Agriculture Ministry’s archive, noting that large quantities of the crops were produced in Guyana before.

Singh’s comments come in wake of the ministry announcing on Saturday that it was embarking on a plan to grow these crops here in commercial quantities to reduce the country’s food import bill. He said the crops were produced under the Guyana National Service programme.

In a release, the ministry said most of the corn and peas in Guyana are imported from the Central American country of Belize and, in an effort to reduce the food importation bill on these

I believe that Guyana should be an important producer of black-eye peas and corn… these are crops that Guyanese farmers can grow, so I have instructed the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) to use its land in Essequibo, and to plant

With the Barbadian company Santa Fe in Region Nine growing corn and with the ministry now getting onboard, Minister Ramsammy said, “We are hoping that some of the farmers will

two products, the Agriculture Ministry is moving to grow them.

Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said his ministry is working anxiously on this plan which will see the crops being test grown, in small quantities and later following successful testing, introduced to local farmers for cultivation.

“I believe that we should not be importing black-eye peas and corn,

10 acres of black-eye peas just to demonstrate it can be grown in Guyana,” the minister said. Similarly, the minister said he also instructed the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) to work with the GSA and utilise 10 acres of land at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara and cultivate corn to demonstrate to farmers that it can be grown locally.

take this on, so if not eliminating importation of those products that we can in fact reduce their importation.”

Meanwhile, Singh commended the development, saying that it should be lauded and supported. However, he said his concern is that the ministry is reported as saying that it is working anxiously on this plan which will see the crops being test grown.

Dead woman: Geeta “Dian” Bissoondyal

Major General (retired) Joe Singh Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy

Guyana is looking to ramp up its production of corn

NBS slashes home mortgage rates

House mortgage lender New Building Society (NBS) has announced new reduced mortgage interest rates, which will take effect from July 1.

The building society said the reduction is in recognition of the need to provide affordable housing to all Guyanese. In a release to the media, NBS said, “The directors of the New Building Society in their continuous quest to ensure that mortgages

are affordable have taken a decision to reduce mortgages’ interest rates once again.”

While the low income mortgage range will remain $4 million and less with an interest rate of 4.25 per cent, the middle income mortgage range of $4 million to $8 million will move to $4 million to $10 million, and the interest rate to 6.15 per cent from 6.25 per cent.

The middle income mortgage range was increased, since it was observed that persons who utilise these loans frequently request more money.

Meanwhile, mortgages of $10 million and above will now attract an interest rate of 6.75 per cent, a reduction of 0.70 per cent from the old rate of 7.45 per cent.

The society stated that over the years it has asserted itself as the major player in the residential mortgage market, noting that in recent times it has been significantly increas-

ing advances it makes to mortgagors.

“In 2011, we made advances to mortgagors totalling $4.2 billion, while in 2012, we disbursed $6.75 billion and based on what we achieved thus far in 2013, we are well positioned to comfortably surpass that.”

In 2012, NBS recorded $825 million in profits, a seven per cent increase over 2011 when it made $772 million. Commenting on the performance of the

society, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ahmad Khan had said, “This remarkable achievement was as a result of our philosophy to be prudent with our investment strategy, maintain our asset quality, and adhere to our strong risk management culture.” Khan pointed out that the partnership with the Housing Ministry enabled NBS to penetrate the housing market with affordable mortgage products.

Simple larceny suspects denied bail

Aduo on a joint charge of simple larceny from the person appeared before Chief Magistrate PriyaSewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

Jason Lawrence, 20, of Lot 7 Broad Street, Charlestown and Jonathan Sudoo pleaded not guilty to the charge

Town clerk, city treasurer positions to be re-advertised

The Local Government and Regional Development Ministry will re-advertise for the positions of the town clerk and city treasurer at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), after it was found that persons who applied for the posts lacked the relevant experience and qualification.

Minister in the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, Norman Whittaker, during a press conference at the ministry’s Kingston office on Monday, said that the panel that interviewed the applicants for senior positions at the M&CC made some recommendations with respect to the positions of solid waste director and city engineer.

Minister in the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, Norman Whittaker

The ministry, with full consensus from the M&CC, has since identified two individuals to fill these positions, and has dispatched letters to the two persons

in this regard, said the Government Information Agency (GINA).

The minister said, however, with respect to the town clerk and city treasurer, it was the consensus that these positions must be re-advertised because the applicants interviewed did not possess the experience, skills, and knowledge required for the positions.

The town clerk, city treasurer, and city engineer posts become vacant after the officeholders were among four employees that were in the latter part of 2012 sent on leave and subsequently fired following an inquiry in the functioning of City Hall, which revealed financial improprieties on the part of these workers.

which states that on May 31 at High Street, they stole one gold chain valued $300,000, property of Odetta Greene.

According to the facts on May 31 around 16:30h, the virtual complainant (VC) was walking on High Street when the defendants approached her and snatched the gold chain. Police that were in the vi-

cinity saw what happened and went to Sudoo’s residence where they conducted a search and the item was found. The duo was arrested and taken to the Brickdam Police Station.

Defence Attorney Paul Fung-A-Fat, who represented Lawrence, made an application for reasonable bail and told the

court that there was no ID parade held. Sudoo was represented by Attorney Melvin Duke.

The prosecution objected to bail, stating that if granted bail, the defendants may not return to court and may interfere with the VC.

Bail was denied and the defendants were remanded until today.

NBS CEO Ahmad Khan

New Building Society head office

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

Infrastructure for growth

We have just received the preliminary report on Chinese President XI Jinping’s meeting with the nine members of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) that have recognised his country. Alluding to the visit in our Sunday editorial, “China in the Caribbean”, we wrote, “It is rather fortuitous, but not coincidental, that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden also dropped in the region last week. In the months ahead, we will have an opportunity to compare and contrast the relations and benefits that the two countries will actually deliver as opposed to the promises made.”

We do not have to wait “months” to see the difference. In contrast to Biden’s revival of a 14-year-old initiative, which produced absolutely nothing and had to be revived six years ago to produce more “nothing”, Jinping offered US$3 billion in aid. Half of it to be in the form of grants and the remainder in concessionary loans with the focus on building infrastructure.

Reminding readers of the assistance for infrastructure already provided on the two projects being held up by the opposition in Guyana, Amaila Falls Hydro and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) modernisation, we noted: “We have to keep in front of us the cold fact that China has over US$3 trillion in foreign reserves for which it is seeking safe investments, while the U.S. is up to its neck in debt –mostly to China.” It is a vote of confidence in the region that the Chinese are willing to use some of their surplus towards our development. It is a reward for those Caribbean countries that faced opprobrium for the “one China” policy they adopted back in the 1970s.

But it should not be thought, as the Guyanese opposition imply, that the acceptance for infrastructural development is simply accepting a largess that will ultimately come back to haunt us in a top-heavy debt portfolio. At this stage of development, we in Latin America and the Caribbean are right where the sub-Saharan economies are – woefully lacking in infrastructure as compared to the Asian economies that are forging ahead.

In its report of March 2013, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which distributed loans and grants worth US$11.4 billion to 26 Latin American countries in 2012, also offered some policy advice. In addition to elaborating on “taxation as a development tool”, it said that the key to moving beyond the 4-5 per cent growth rate where we have been stuck for a while, is “infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure” .

While the growth rate is healthy, overall investment on infrastructure in Latin America has fallen about 2.5 per cent in the 2000s from the 1990s. We would have to double this rate of investment in this area and maintain it for 20 years just to catch up with developing Asia, which is now leading the pack. One reason, as we pointed out before, is that our savings rate which could finance infrastructural development is not too high. The country with the highest savings rate in Latin America and the Caribbean saves less than the country with the lowest savings rate in Asia, according to the IDB. While we can berate private investors for not plunking their money into infrastructure, the furore over the Berbice Bridge with the public-private BOOT model, reminds us that the returns for what the populace considers to be “public goods” will remain problematical. But this is where the Chinese loans come in. The World Bank has forgotten that its mission was encapsulated in its official name: “International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)” and its official role was to reduce poverty. It has concentrated more as the handmaiden of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to preach “austerity” to poor nations.

China, on the other hand, has focused on rebuilding infrastructure for development in Africa and now in the Caribbean. The opposition must rise beyond partisan politics and promote the national interest.

Indian embassy Gandhi protest is not “interference in sovereignty”

Dear Editor,

This letter was sent to Kaieteur News (but not published) with regard to the attack on Mahatma Gandhi. Contrary to what Colin Bascom feels in, “As an independent country, our message should be loud and clear” (Kaieteur News, May 20), about the protest of the Indian Embassy on Freddie Kissoon’s unjustified and unsubstantiated attack on Mahatma Gandhi, Guyana’s sovereignty is not infringed.

It is standard practice for governments to voice anger and to lodge protests, including demands for apology, whenever an injustice is committed against their national or their nation, or an icon.

In the case of Gandhi-ji, Kissoon deliberately lied on the non-violent hero. Various groups within Guyana, as well as some overseas, requested a retraction or at least a correction of Kissoon’s attack and a reprimand of Kissoon. None was provided. The request was not censorship, as Bascom and others felt. And contrary to what Leonard Craig, et al, penned in, “We believe this issue should be debated” (Kaieteur News May 19), arguing that it is a freedom of the press issue on revisionist views. That was not the issue.

The objection from the Indian Embassy and others, including me, had to do with, among other things, accuracy in the media or in academia – both of which Kissoon flouted. What is interesting is Sharon Harding,

Dennis Atwell, Simon Duggan, Leonard Craig, Penda Guyan and Elton Mc Rea did not chide Kissoon for his inaccurate comment on Gandhi but they rebuked the Indian High Commission for demanding a retraction and an apology for the distorted statement. Is there an agenda from these guys? I agree with Bascom that it is legitimate journalism to write on any subject (including Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, among others) and to critique others, and I support revisionist views. But there must be balance, accuracy and objectivity in all writings and there should be a right to respond.

In the case of Kissoon’s column, he wrote about the Mahatma out of context. Kissoon injected the comment about the Mahatma’s sex life that bore no relationship or reference to the rest of his column. Clearly he had an agenda. And in addition, he misled readers, as is his penchant in most of his writings, that Gandhi-ji was homosexual when that was not proven or substantiated, and in fact was denied by the author, who Kissoon cited for his claim.

Kissoon made reference to reviews of a book on Gandhi-ji by Joseph Lelyfeld, but deliberately left out the quotation from Lelyfeld that “Gandhi was not bisexual”. Lelyfeld made it absolutely clear that he did not uncover any evidence to suggest Kissoon’s conclusion and

that he “never made a case that Gandhi was bisexual”. Kissoon deliberately left that information out from his column so as to malign the reputation of the Mahatma.

It should be pointed out that Kissoon routinely penned insulting comments about prominent Indians but he never attempted to malign the reputation of iconic figures of other ethnic backgrounds.

Contrary to what Bascom penned, or what Craig, et al insinuated, officials of other countries routinely protest against inaccurate information in the media including in publications such as the Washington Post, New York Times and NY Post.

That is part of the job of representatives of governments as anyone who studies international relations would know. One has to be sensitive to what is in the media on allies like India, which is the largest aid donor country to Guyana. We would not like to publish false information, like what Kissoon penned and is supported by Bascom, Guyan and Craig), to damage the relations.

Hundreds of Afro- and Indo-Guyanese study in India for free, thanks to the generosity of the Indian government, which these guys now criticise for its protest of a Kaieteur News column.

Kaieteur News knows that Freddie has a penchant for lies, distortions, misstatements and exaggerations and should have carefully read Freddie’s claims

and inserted Lelyfeld’s denial of Gandhi’s bisexuality as an editorial comment.

Bascom misunderstood the protest by the Indian High Commission and objection to Kissoon’s comment. The Indian High Commission did not dictate what can and cannot be debated or discussed in Guyana and it did not seek to suppress freedom of speech. Press censorship used to be the norm under the dictatorship in Guyana from 1966 through 1992. Guyana is now enjoying freedom of the press that was denied us for 26 years under the dictatorship. Kissoon’s comment is not about “revisionism” or freedom of speech. It is about accuracy in journalism. It should be noted that the writers made no attempt to chide or reprimand Kissoon for his misleading statement. Instead, they lashed out at the Indian High Commission.

Clearly, it suggests that the writers themselves have a hidden motif. Would it not have been more appropriate for the writers to call on Kissoon to write accurately instead of penning misleading statements? Do these individuals, like Kissoon, have a nefarious design calculated to do harm to the reputation of the Mahatma?

Bascom, et al, insulted the intelligence of those who have studied Gandhi’s biography and who read Lelyfeld’s work.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Members of the Youths For Guyana organisation, which is undertaking the Keeping Guyana Beautiful One Block-A-Week Project , doing their part. The project is one of many being conducted to clean up Georgetown and Guyana at large

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

Guyana needs more eye care outreaches

Dear Editor, I wish to thank the kind people who conducted the recent joint eye care mission that was led by the University of California, the University of Guyana (UG) and the University of the West Indies (UWI). It was met with great success. I believe people should

be urged to take that all important eye test. Many assume that their vision is fine or that their eyes are healthy, but paying just that one visit to a professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the only way to really be sure. I am now a living example of this.

People should be much more enlightened and concerned about the health of their eyes. At least this time around, they went in droves to be screened and treated, and quite a large number of them received free spectacles, based on their needs.

The occasion also proved

an excellent opportunity for the students from the various universities to get hands-on experience, for which there is no substitute. I think we need more of these outreaches in Guyana.

Yours sincerely, Name withheld

People should report when things are going wrong

Dear Editor, It never ceases to amaze me why things take so long to get the attention of the relevant heads in this country.

The Ministry of Education is claiming that it has received numerous complaints from parents, regarding the amount of money requested by teachers and ParentTeacher Associations (PTAs) for various school activities. This prevailing pattern is well entrenched and so why it took so long to be addressed I can never understand.

The same holds true for what is obtaining as regards noise nuisance and the conditions of roads. People have been complaining until they have now become totally fed up. So when the areas of noise pollution and shoddy road works are only now getting some ‘knee-jerk’ reactions, I am left to wonder.

Getting back to the school situation, I will advise the Ministry of Education to check and see what is happening at the Annandale West Nursery School. The rented bottom house is near

to a squalor when it rains. Many parents are trying to transfer their children, but this is not easy. The school is small but very ill-kept. However, the money drive is on, including selling ice cream to the children. They are told how much to bring too. If education is free, then all this money drive must stop and schools must not have their little businesses going on. I call on the ministry to have this school checked out. Parents have been complaining for too long.

Getting to noise nuisance and this phenomenon is most wide spread. It is to the point that I see some of our police officers at many of these sessions. Every weekend, driving across Buxton is a problem at nights. The vehicles are lined up, the noise is horrible, and going to the gas station is impossible. The pandering to these kinds of revelry is of such, that even a gas station is swamped by it. Have people been complaining? You sure bet. So the noise nuisance

is where it is, because for too long it was allowed. I do not care even if it is a wedding, the celebrations must not affect next door. This is so wrong. What irks me is that weddings and parties in New York among Guyanese are not disruptive to the society. The hosts and revellers have to use specialised rented halls. So if people want to make noise indiscriminately, then let them do likewise here. I just cannot stick people who violate laws here, but quickly adapt when they go elsewhere.

It is the same with roads. Guyana, even the main highways, is characterised by bad roads. How come? Some of these stretches are newly laid, and yet the deterioration is of such that it would have been better to never touch them in the first place. People have been complaining too, even taking to the streets and protesting, yet nothing or little was ever done. It just keeps going on all the time. And when it rains, it is even

worse.

Soon people will park on the highway and I envisage a tractor shuttle to take them in. Yes it is that bad. One man recently toppled off his bicycle and broke his arm, having dropped into a mini-cave on the road.

As a little caution, I am not blaming heads of the various sectors for these things directly. I feel that those who have been entrusted with responsibilities have been taking for granted the passive nature of Guyanese. Also, if ministers and other government officials have to micromanage, then what time will there be for them to sit and plan and govern the nation properly?

That is why I am calling for citizens to cooperate and voice their objections for as long as it takes to weed out these unscrupulous people or their terrible practices. We want proper running schools, quieter neighbourhoods, and better roads.

Yours faithfully, Annalisa Ally

Eliminate child labour!

Dear Editor,

I would like to bring to your attention that child labour still exists in Guyana. Unfortunately, it happens throughout the world. Millions of children work full time .They do not go to school and have little or no time to play.

Many do not receive proper nutrition or care. They are denied the chance to be children. Besides more than half of them are exposed to the worst forms of child labour, such as working in perilous environments, slavery, or other forms of forced labour like drug trafficking and

prostitution.

I would like to appeal to the employers to stop the employment of children as labourers. Instead of employing children as labourers, take them and put them in an orphanage and help them get educated in an organisation, which will impact their

lives for the better.

In addition, it is the duty of all governments, international organisations and corporate bodies to ensure that they do not allow child labour to continue.

Yours sincerely, Artie Sookram

Road fatalities have been trivialised for too long

Dear Editor,

“I wonder why these taxi drivers don’t slow down. All you need to do is slow down,” was the kind of reaction of one person after a Chinese restaurant owner was killed after she was struck down by a taxi.

Concerning taxi driving, I want to know how come there are so many rookies on the road doing this job. I believe the inexperience in driving and the desire to make a fast buck are two reasons we have for reckless driving. The third factor is that of levity of responses when fatal accidents take place.

The sectorUG-privatecombination

Dear Editor, I am very upbeat about what the University of Guyana (UG) is touting these days. I think of more collaboration with other universities, openness and willingness to embrace the private sector, internal discipline where professionalism is concerned, and better facilities even as the present ones are being shored up. The campus at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara is large and a lot can be done.

Recently, the grounds men at UG uprooted a number of trees and they simply garbaged them all. I looked at one massive trunk and I said to myself where are our sculptors and whittlers. I walk down Main Street in Georgetown and I see unnoticed talent. UG has a Creative Arts Department, and I am thinking this is a lost opportunity.

In the George Walcott Lecture Theatre (GWLT) there is a wooden master piece, but it is not even noticed. In fact, for many it is a humbug. Someone could have done some sculpting with that discarded tree trunk and enhance the environment at UG.

Getting directly to what UG Vice Chancellor Professor Jacob Opadeyi said about collaborating with the private sector so as to introduce new programmes while investing in the institution’s development. I know of a few entities that are thinking like this already. These groups sponsor students and have them work for them during their student tenure, but only when it is convenient. Upon graduation, these students go full blast for their sponsors. I am therefore urging more companies to think like this.

The other idea on my mind is that companies can group themselves, ac -

cording to their needs, and then collaborate on setting up a programme or an entire department that can offer quality education in the specified areas. This will really get the university to expand and, at the same time, there will be great correlation locally, with training matching relevant needs.

I believe that the private sector can contribute to the advancement of the university in so many ways. All that it calls for are a few brainstorming exercises, and then, when an idea seams feasible, to go after it. It will call for hard work, but then, in the long run, the dividends will be great for everyone.

As Professor Opadeyi said, the collaboration means that the private companies simply provide resources that UG needs to offer the course. The course will be an approved programme of the university, the students will be enrolled because they are qualified and would have to write exams like everybody else, and then attend a graduation ceremony like everybody else.

The private sector can even suggest what UG can implement in terms of courses and programmes. After all, many companies have specific needs and I see no reason for them to shop overseas. If we do the foundational work now, in another four to five years, Guyana can have qualified personnel in any chosen field.

In closing, I remind interested persons that the competing schools for higher learning are quite diverse now. Many students are taking to offshore universities, distance education and online programmes. It means that UG must step up.

Yours respectfully, Simon Barnwell

At one time I was reading and hearing about streamlining of the taxi services in Guyana – colour, dress code, no random soliciting and a hotline for breaches, among other things.

Road fatalities have been trivialised for too long. It must be wake up time now for the authorities.

Yours truly, Mark Pemberton

Page Foundation

How to raise an emotionally intelligent child

Toddlers bring new meaning to the word “mercurial”. One moment your child is king of the world, running around full of glee; the next he’s a raging bull, crying in utter frustration and hurling his toys across the room. Like many parents, you may find it hard to know just how to respond during these trying times.

Experts believe that these childhood meltdowns are the best opportunities to teach your child at an early age – when he’s making leaps and bounds in his emotional growth – how to manage strong feelings and calm himself down. And the secure circle of the family is the first and best place to teach these life lessons.

In his book Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child , psychologist John Gottman says that when you help your child understand and handle overwhelming feelings such as anger, frustration, or confusion, you develop his emotional intelligence quotient, or emotional IQ.

And, says Gottman, a child with a high emotional IQ is better able to cope with his feelings, can bring himself down from emotional high-wire acts, understands and relates well with others, and can form strong friendships more easily than a child with a lower emotional IQ.

Other experts have joined the chorus, touting the role of emotional IQ in helping children become confident, responsible, and successful adults who navigate skilfully through interpersonal relationships.

How can you help raise your child’s emotional IQ? Gottman teaches a tactic he calls “emotion coaching”, a series of steps you can use to teach your child to analyse feelings and handle conflict. Here’s how it works:

Listen with empathy

Pay close attention to your child when he says how he feels, then mirror what he’s shared back to him. If you suspect that your child feels abandoned because you’ve been spending lots of time with the new baby, for example, ask him if that’s what’s going on. If he agrees, you can say, “You’re right. Mommy’s been really busy with the baby.”

Then, use examples from your own life to show him you understand what he’s said. Tell him about how you felt when your own sibling got to go to the amusement park with your father and you didn’t, and how your own mom or dad made you feel better. This tells your child that everyone has these feelings, and that they will pass.

Help your child name his feelings

With limited vocabulary and rudimentary understanding of cause and effect, toddlers often have trouble describing what they feel. You can encourage your child to build an emotional vocabulary by giving him labels for his feelings. If he’s acting disappointed about not being able to go to the park, you might say, “You feel sad about that, don’t you?”

You can also let him know that it’s normal to have conflicting emotions about something – for instance, he may be both excited and scared during his first week at day care.

If your child seems sad or upset for no immediate reason, try looking at the big picture and thinking about what might be troubling him. Have you moved recently? Did you and your spouse have an argument in his presence? If you’re not sure what’s going on, watch and listen to him while he plays. If he makes the Mommy doll shout a lot, you’ll have a pretty good idea what’s bothering him.

Validate your child’s emotions

Instead of saying, “There’s no reason to get so upset” when your child gets mad and throws a tantrum because he’s unable to put together a puzzle, acknowledge how natural his reaction is. Say, “It’s really frustrating when you can’t finish a puzzle, isn’t it?” Telling him his reactions are inappropriate or excessive will make him feel as if he should muzzle them.

Turn tantrums into teaching tools

If your child gets upset when he hears that he has an appointment with the dentist, help him feel in control by

preparing for the visit. Talk with him about why he’s afraid, what he can expect during the visit, and why he needs to go. Tell him about a time you had stage fright before a recital or were scared to start a new job and one of your friends made you feel better. Talking through emotions works the same way for children as it does for most adults.

Use conflicts to teach problem-solving

When your toddler goes head-tohead with you or another child, make his limits clear, then guide him toward a solution. For example, you can say, “I know you’re upset with your sister for knocking over your block tower, but you can’t hit her. What else can you do if you get mad?”

If your child doesn’t have any ideas, give him options. Anger management specialist Lynne Namka advises telling your child to first check his tummy, jaw, and fists to see if they’re tight, breathe deeply “to blow the mad out,” and to feel good about recovering control. Then, Namka says, help your child use a strong voice to talk his anger out, beginning with something like, “I feel mad when you yell like that.” Children should know that it’s okay to be angry, as long as they don’t hurt other people for that reason.

Set an example by staying calm

You’ll also want to check how you react to your child’s display of emotions. It’s important not to be verbally harsh when you’re angry. Try saying, “It upsets me when you do that,” rather than “You make me crazy,” so your child understands that the problem is his behaviour, not him. Be careful to avoid excessive criticism, which tends to chip away at a child’s self-confidence.

And above all else, stay in touch with your own feelings. Some parents ignore their own negative emotions, hoping to spare their children discomfort or difficulty. But hiding your real feelings will only confuse your child. By acknowledging that you’re displeased without acting upset, for instance, you show your child that even difficult feelings can be managed. (www.babycenter.com)

Childproofing around the house

Safe and sound

Parents worry endlessly about how to protect their children from stranger abduction and violence, but many overlook one of the biggest threats to their children’s safety and well-being – their own home. Experts say that children between the ages of one and four are more likely to be killed by fire, burns, drowning, choking, poisoning, or falls than by a stranger’s violence.

About 2.5 million children are injured or killed each year by dangers right in their own home, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). That’s why it’s so important to carefully childproof your home.

Because childproofing and other safety measures can seem overwhelming, we’ve created three checklists that let you see at a glance what to do before your baby arrives, before your baby crawls, and before your baby starts toddling and climbing. You’ll also find safety tips in our articles about childproofing your nursery, kitchen, and

bathroom.

Here are some additional recommendations – along with some revealing statistics –about what you need to do to keep your preschooler safe at home.

Gadgets galore

You’ll find all kinds of gadgets for sale that can really help your home childproofing efforts. Or, if you can afford it, you can hire a professional child proofer to choose and install safety devices for you. But keep in mind: Gadgets are no substitute for your eyes and ears.

“The best device is still supervision. I’d rather not recommend a product than suggest one that gives parents a false sense of security,” says Anne Altman, a childproofing consultant and contractor in Santa Rosa, California.

Scope out the territory

The most effective way to ensure your preschooler’s safety is to take a child’seye view of your home. Get down on your hands and knees and see how things look from down there.

What’s within reach? What looks tempting? Where would you go if you could crawl, toddle, or walk? This will help you figure out which cupboards, drawers, and other spaces your child might get into. As he starts walking and climbing, you’ll have to re-evaluate again, looking higher each time.

Carefully lock up or stow away every potential poison or other hazard, including cleaning products, medicines, vitamins, and knives. Another option is to use gates to limit your child’s access to areas of your home that might contain dangerous items. Keep an eye out for any tiny objects that your preschooler could choke on. Pick up any coins, marbles, beads, paper clips, and other small objects that you find on low tables or the floor or in low drawers or cupboards. Be watchful when you have visitors, too. No matter how carefully you’ve childproofed the house, GreatAunt Jane probably hasn’t applied your standards to her purse. Aspirin, lipstick, and other items that people typically carry with them are dangerous to small children.

(www.babycenter.com)

Region Four REO will not be removed – Persaud

By Svetlana MarShall

Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud on Monday thrashed recommendations made by Region Four Chairman Clement Corlette to have Regional Executive Officer (REO) Deolall Rooplall dismissed.

In May, during an extraordinary statutory meeting chaired by the regional chairman, Councillor Leslie Glasgow moved a no-confidence motion against thee REO. The motion after being seconded by Councillor Linda Gomes was approved by the council.

However, on Monday during a press conference at his Kingston Office, Minister Persaud said the motion moved by the council was highly flawed, noting too that the allegations pending against Rooplall are fallacious.

The local government minister said Corlette misguided the council into using a section of the Municipal and District Council Act, Chapter 28:01 although it is not applicable to regional democratic councils.

He explained that in moving the motion, the Region Four councillors used Section 117 of the Municipal and District Council’s Act, Chapter 28:01.

“The act which allows for certain parts of the Municipal and District Council’s Act to be used by the regional democratic councils is referred to as Act 12 of 1980 and Act 12 of 1980 is very specific to which sections of the Municipal and District Councils Act is applicable to the RDC.”

Minister Persaud made it clear that the Municipal and District Council’s Act, Chapter 28:01 is not applicable to RDCs in its entirety.

He explained that Act 12 of 1980 states that sections 43 to 332 are applicable to RDCs with the exception of sections 95 to 120.

It therefore means Section 117 which falls between sec-

tions 95 and 120 is not applicable to the RDC; hence the motion is null and void.

In addition, the local government minister said the allegations made against the REO have no bearing, tagging it a character assassination on Rooplall.

In presenting the noconfidence motion, Glasgow alleged that the REO had persistently failed to submit the plan to repair broken school furniture. However, Minister Persuad said this allegation comes although the RDC spent approximately $4.2 on furniture

under the education programme in 2012.

Another issue of contention was Rooplall’s failure to account to the regional chairman and the Regional Democratic Council for over $126 million in savings from the 2012 approved work programme.

“This is interesting, extremely mischievous... because here is an REO who prudently managed the financial allocation in your region to the tune of having a savings of $126 million. Having executed all the programmes that was approved by the Parliament, this regional executive officer was able to bring to the region a savings of $126 million. One thought that such prudency would have been applauded, not in the judgment of the RDC Region Four,” the minister lamented.

Ironically, the $126 million was used to execute several projects with the approval of the regional chairman and the Works Committee, yet the minister said that an explanation is being sought on the utilisation of the funds.

Documents presented to the local government minister indicate that $1.8 million from the $126 million was used to clear the Cane Grove drains using an excavator. Similar works were conducted at Buxton, but to tune of $2 million, in addition to the construction of a revetment road at the cost of $1.3 million. Persaud fur-

ther pointed out that the Good Hope Road was rehabilitated using some $3.1 million, while a vehicle was purchased for the RDC. These are just a few of the projects executed using the money, the minister explained.

Another issue which surfaced during the extraordinary meeting was the purchasing of three vehicles: PPP 6238, PPP 7631 and PRR 1639. In 2012, the council was given money to purchase the vehicles, but instead of registering the vehicles under the RDC, Rooplall registered them under the Local Government Ministry. He was flayed by the RDC for his action. However, Persaud said that the REO did nothing wrong. According to the minister, the procedure of registering vehicles across the 10 administrative regions is the same. He explained that his ministry is the authorised entity to seek duty-free and other concessions on behalf of the regions; hence, the ministry is the custodial of all the state vehicles during registration.

Minister Persaud reiterated that all the allegations levelled against Region Four REO are flawed, leaving him with no other choice than to rejection the recommendation for his dismissal.

Speaking with reporters, Rooplall said not only that he was wrongfully accused, but the council has no authority to remove him from office. “The RDC doesn’t have the authority that is vested in the minister of local government.”

He said as the REO, his role is to support government policies and will continue to do so with or without the cooperation of the regional chairman and his councillors.

“I have been serving the people of Region Four and I will continue to do that... but I am prepared to work with the chairman, I am prepared to work with everyone in Region Four to fulfil my mandate to serve the people.”

UGSS president repays $800,000 loan

By leana BradShaw

University of Guyana Student Society President Ganesh Mahipaul has delivered on his promise to repay the loan he took from the student body some time ago.

He disclosed this during a brief phone interview with Guyana Times on Monday. Mahipaul said he deposited the $800,000 into the UGSS’s Republic Bank account.

He was given up until May 31 by the student body to repay the money or undisclosed steps would be taken, which he believes may have been court action. However, Mahipaul still maintains that the loan was legitimately taken under the UGSS constitution. Because of this, he noted that he could have fought for his right to receiving it, contrary to other executive members’ views, but he preferred to “let sleeping dogs lie”.

“I could have contested the decision that was made by the UGSS for me to repay at this deadline, because the loan was approved, nonetheless, whether by the whole body or just two people, I still got the approval,” Mahipaul argued.

He reiterated that it is because he did not get the full support of the entire executive committee, that it made

such a move to demand repayment.

UGSS Junior Vice President Marisha Bowen confirmed that while she had not received any official receipt or document for the payment, she got an email informing her that the money was paid into the account.

Last month, she told this publication that the student society was awaiting the money from Mahipaul to start two rehabilitation projects at the campus – reconstruction of the back entrance of the university and the staircase to the facility that houses the Spicy Dish canteen.

The UGSS president was chastised by his executive members for taking a loan from the UGSS for person-

al needs, even though it was approved in accordance with the body’s constitution.

He noted that while the entire situation tarnished his reputation, it has both unfortunate and fortunate consequences. He explained, “The constitution is old and speaks about borrowing money… this incident has assassinated my character significantly, but it gives the UGSS an opportunity to ensure proper and amended regulations are instituted in the financial legislation of its constitution.”

The UGSS president added, “It is good, as it will be a boost for the UGSS to work with a better procedure and I am sure that when the audit is completed, my name will be cleared and I could be reinstated, but I wouldn’t want the position.”

The constitution, he said, speaks to the possibility of borrowing funds, but does not detail the procedures that should and should not be followed when doing so.

This publication understands that several executive and council members have called for Mahipaul’s resignation over what they say is a misappropriation of the limited funds of the UGSS, and an audit is currently being conducted. (leannab@ guyanatimesgy.com)

UGSS President Ganesh Mahipaul

Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud

Region Four Chairman Clement Corlette

Regional Executive Officer (REO) Deolall Rooplall

tuesday, june 4, 2013| guyanatimesgy.com

Fisherman charged with manslaughter for colleague’s death

Rafeek “Baby” Khalel, 25, of Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara was on Monday slapped with a manslaughter charge for the death of Leroy Khan, who was killed during a scuffle at Goed Fortuin on Thursday evening last.

He was remanded to prison by Magistrate Sherdell Isaac-Marcus when he appeared before her at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate's Court. He was not required to plead to the charge which stated that on Thursday, May 30 at Goed Fortuin, he killed Leroy James.

He was represented by Attorney Pamela De Santos who told the court that her client was acting in self-defence. She stated that it was Khan who attacked his client first with a knife which was instead used on him.

De Santos instructed her client to show the court the injuries he received as a result of the fight between him and the deceased. The man had marks of violence to substantiate his arguments. The prosecution was asked to present the facts of the case, after which the magistrate set June 29 for reports. Guyana Times

understands that the file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions Bibi Shalimar Ali-Hack, who recommended that Khalel be charged with manslaughter.

This recommendation obviously did not go down well with the dead man’s relatives. A sister of the dead man told this newspaper that she was not pleased with the order by the DPP and believes that the accused should have been charged for murder.

She added that there were persons at the scene who can verify that her brother was brutally killed by the fisherman. From reports gathered, she stated that after the fight started, the accused collected a knife from his camp and stabbed her brother. Her brother, she added managed to get out of his hold and ran but

Ammo, cocaine accused remanded

Aman charged with illegal possession of ammunition and drug trafficking was remanded when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

Odingo Greene, 36, of Lot 65 East Ruimveldt, Georgetown pleaded not guilty to both charges which state that on June 1, he had in his possession live rounds of 50mm ammunition and 3.5 grams of

cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

According to the prosecution, the police were on patrol when they observed the defendant with a box in his hand, so they stopped and searched him. They discovered the ammunition and carried out a further search which led to the discovery of the cocaine. Greene was subsequently taken to the Brickdam Police Station.

Defence Attorney James Bond related to the court that the defendant was in a car with a number of per-

sons and he had no knowledge and control of what was in the box. Greene stated in the court that on the night in question, it was raining and when he entered a car with the box, he had no idea that he was in possession of the items.

The prosecution objected to bail, since the accused was found outside the car with the box in his hand with the articles.

The chief magistrate refused bail and the matter was transferred to Court Five.

slipped as a result of the mud.

Khalel then gave chase and dealt him several other stabs. She stated that persons are not willing to come forward and give evidence that can prove that Khan was murdered.

Khan was stabbed to death on Thursday evening last by Khalel of Goed Fortuin Koker, West Bank Demerara. Leroy Khan, 37, of Lot 79 Barkley Street, Goed Fortuin was stabbed during an altercation which stemmed from a catch that came in earlier in the day.

He was minutes later pronounced dead on arrival at the West Demerara Regional Hospital by doctors. Khan was stabbed in the region of the heart while his arm and forehead also bore other marks of violence which he received from the fight.

21-yearold charged with simple larceny

Awoman charged with simple larceny appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

Melissa Hamilton, 21, of Lot 75 Railway Embankment, Kitty, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charges which state that between May 23 and 30 at Sheriff Street, Georgetown, she stole one Apple iPad valued $81,200, property of Electronic City.

According to reports, on May 23 around 10:00h, the item was placed in a showcase, but on May 30, when a check was made, the item was not there. The security camera was checked and showed the accused taking the item, so the matter was reported.

Hamilton, who was represented by Attorney Paul Fung-A-Fat, stated that she has never had a matter with the police prior to the present offence.

The chief magistrate granted bail in the sum of $100,000, and the defendant is scheduled to return to court today.

Eyew tness Convenient memories...

...on Rodney’s inquiry

Eusi Kwayana wrote a 4000-word novella on his take on the (now “on-hold”) Tambo Award for Burnham and also on the Dr Walter Rodney killing – which evidently killed the South African decision to honour Forbes Burnham. The letter, which had been long in its construction as hinted in several recent letters, is vintage Kwayana. Sententious in tone, it offers him the opportunity to get in some vicious digs at his opponents.

He says he didn’t sign some petition against ex-President Bharrat Jagdeo receiving an honorary degree. Then came the sly jab: “He got the degree and hopefully is now more learned than he was before.” The old racist, who would’ve partitioned Guyana, knows that an honorary degree is for recognising someone’s achievement – and not to bestow “learning”. Claiming he’d criticised both Burnham and Dr Cheddi Jagan in his days, he had nothing negative to say about Burnham now, but on Jagan, he gratuitously invoked an old chestnut about “President Jagan touring Southeast Asia, courtesy of some admirers in the timber trade”. Burnham was purer than Julius Caesar’s wife.

But now to the evidently incidental matters on Kwayana’s radar: Dr Rodney’s assassination and why there’s been no inquiry into it. But here, while his recollections are spot on when it comes to all sorts of esoteric data (People’s National Congress (PNC) UK experts, Dr Frank Skuse and Dr Hugh Johnson, in the 1980 inquest, etc) and the call of the Dr Rodney Commemoration Committee for an inquiry, he somehow fails to remember why the latter never got anywhere.

The call by the committee was in August 2005 during the parliamentary recess. After the recess, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government, as a matter of priority, placed the need for an inquiry on the Order Paper. They insisted on calling the event an “assassination” as almost everyone, not PNC, does. The Working People Alliance (WPA) and PNC, the latter for obvious reasons, wanted it labelled a “killing”.

But as Kwayana admits, the PPP/C allowed the bill, modified by WPA, to please the PNC, to be passed. So the question is why the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) was never established even though we had an act of Parliament –highest forum in the land, we hear ad nauseum nowadays. It is a sordid tale of the betrayal of Dr Rodney by the WPA to save the skin of its evolving ally, the PNC.

...WPA’s

betrayal

Kwayana reminds us of the treacherous line they took immediately after the parliamentary vote: “President Jagdeo... want(ed) to hold the inquiry during the election year, 2006. I am among those who opposed the holding of such an inquiry during an election year, a short-sighted proposal. It would have made Dr Rodney’s name as well as the names of others political footballs.”

Since the previous elections had been held in 2001, in which the WPA participated, it was always known that elections were due in 2006. It was the Dr Rodney Commemoration that scheduled the call for an inquiry in late 2005. The PPP/C was commended for putting the matter so promptly before Parliament. The bill was passed.

So the PPP/C is to be blamed that the CoI was to follow in 2006? When the WPA found out that their new ally would’ve been exposed, they brought up the red herring of “Dr Rodney as political football”. They were in charge of putting together the commission, but to justify their delay they made a big blunder. Dr Rupert Roopnaraine claimed “the family of Rodney” agreed with the commission to be deferred because of the “football” nonsense. Dr Rodney’s wife later denied there was any such agreement by her family. Oh, what a tangled web we weave...

...on BBC

The Alliance For Change (AFC) says they want the National Communications Network (NCN) to be reconstituted to function “just like the BBC”. They mean they want to have elderly television hosts sexually abuse young boys and girls for years. And then have management cover the whole scandal up? What a bunch of perverted wankers!!!

Dead fisherman: Leroy Khan

Police reform team says change won’t come overnight

Head of the Strategic Management Department, the body set up to implement sweeping reforms within the Guyana Police Force, Patrick Mentore said changing an ingrained organisational culture that has been in place for decades will not happen overnight.

However, Mentore said he and his team stands ready and committed to be the drivers of change the force needs. In an effort at instituting sweeping reforms in the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Home Affairs Ministry has employed the high-level team of 10 civilian professionals that make up the Strategic Management Department.

This team of civilian professionals will work alongside members of the GPF in addressing the key priorities laid out in the force’s strategic plan. The civilian professionals come from a variety of academic disciplines, and were carefully selected by an esteemed panel of individuals from within the private and public sectors.

They are Mentore; Rosanne Purnwasie – team leader; Mona Bynoe – strategic planning officer; Kenneth Bentinck – project coordinator; Hermanetta Andrews –monitoring and evaluation coordinator; Enid ThomAlleyne – risk management officer; Richard Francois –

change communication officer; Trovana Azeez – change facilitation officer; Shameza David – research officer, and Ian James – analyst.

Optimise GPF’s performance

The Strategic Management Department, headed by Mentore, is expected to help optimise the collective performance of the GPF, guiding it towards significant organisational renewal and change.

Mentore, in expressing his confidence in the team’s ability to achieve all performance targets set out in the strategic plan said: “The Guyana Police Force is positioning itself to become a modern police institution in Guyana. With its strategic plan in place and the establishment of this new Strategic Management Department, along with the resolute commitment of the senior management of the force, I am very confident that together we can transform the force into a modern police entity.

This strategic management team is especially convinced that all strategic objectives and goals will be achieved with efficiency and effectiveness.”

“Citizens must be patient and give the strategic management team time and space to do its work. We have a herculean task ahead of us.… But we stand ready

Mahaica gasoline explosion

and committed to be the drivers of change this force needs, ” he said.

Mentore, a strategic management professional with more than four decades of experience in the areas of project and public management, strategic planning and law enforcement, said he is a strategic thinker with a keen sense of imaginative leadership.

He was recently the project coordinator of Line Ministries HIV & AIDS Prevention and Control Health Sector Development Unit of the Health Ministry.

Mentore has trained extensively in a number of strategic management areas including: improving the design, delivery, and evaluation of capacity building programmes, and monitoring and evaluation of leadership development programmes, and management and organisational sustainability.

He served 15 years as a police officer, leaving as an assistant superintendent. Mentore brings a vast amount of institutional knowledge and experience to the Strategic Management Department and is committed to seeing the department achieve all of its change objectives. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in political science and a post graduate diploma in international studies.

Man still critical, niece in pain

Anil Ramdat, who was badly burnt after a container of gasoline exploded is still in a critical condition while his twoyear-old niece is in a lot of pain.

Ramdat, a fisherman, is nursing severe burn wounds about his body after a container of pure gasoline exploded at his River View, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara home on Sunday around 16:00h. His niece, Priya Mohamed, was badly scorched from the flames of the fire.

They are both admitted at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Ramdat was placed in the High Dependency Unit and is still in a critical condition while his niece is in a lot of pain.

Samaroo Ramdat, the father of the young man and grandfather of the toddler, told Guyana Times that he went to visit his son on Monday morning. “They put he on life machine and he

get a set of tube hook up to he, them push one down he throat fah help he breathe,” the man said.

The worried father related that doctors told him that they are trying their best to help his son, who had not gain consciousness since the incident. The man explained that his son underwent a CT scan on Sunday evening for costs $33,000, but does not have the money to pay.

This newspaper understands that the father had bought the gasoline to use for his fishing boat. The man had said that he usually mixed the gasoline with oil and was about to leave the yard to go buy the oil when he heard his daughter screaming.

“When I turn and rush back, I see meh son pon fire on the landing and me granddaughter on the step so we hurry and grab she and dem me son jump from the landing straight down on the ground and he knock

he head pon a piece of block (concrete),” he recalled.

The father explained that his son had returned from sea on Saturday and was lying on the veranda “takin a lil drink” and the two-year-old was sitting on the step. He noted the jar with the gasoline was not too far from them and suggested that his son might have unconsciously thrown the cigarette in that direction. He further stated that there might have been a drop of gasoline on the ground which ignited the fire and caused the jar to explode.

The man added that after the explosion, neighbours gathered and helped to put out the fire. “After me son jump down, people come out and we hurry fah out the fire pon he so we use pipe water and water from the drain because we na had sand around deh fah use and then me see them people out the fire on the veranda.”

tuesday, june 4, 2013

Miner dies after being set ablaze

Two weeks after he was set ablaze, a miner succumbed to his injuries while being a patient in the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Dead is Elroy Sealey, 30, of Lot 45 Yorkshire Hall, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara. He was doused by a colleague who emptied a gasoline tank on him during an argument. According to a police release, Sealey was at Chinee Landing, Cuyuni, when a man confronted him and drenched him with gasoline before setting him on fire. The police said that the suspect has not yet been arrested, but the police continue their hunt for the assailant.

Sealey received burns to his upper body; from his waist up to his neck. Hospital sources confirmed that the injured miner was admitted at the Georgetown Public Hospital on May 24 and died sometime around 07:15h on Monday morning. Relatives of the dead man said that they are not aware of what transpired at the in-

terior location that led to the death of their loved one, but received various conflicting reports of the incident.

The man’s mother, Shelia Sealey, explained that she does not know whether her son had problems with anyone in the interior, while noting that he has been working as a miner since he was 18-years-old and never got into trouble with anyone.

The man’s sister said that they last spoke to Sealey the same week that the incident happened when he called home, but he did not tell them anything about having problems with anyone.

Sealey’s sister disclosed that since the incident, neither the police nor co-workers of her now dead brother contacted them or even tried to explain what actually happened.

She went on to say while her brother was staying with them, he lived in a separate apartment and kept to himself. She also noted that they are not too familiar with whom Sealey worked

at the time of his demise. The aggrieved woman said her brother’s death came as a surprise to the family since he was recovering well from his injuries. She added that her brother was talking a bit while he was admitted in the hospital and was slipping in and out of consciousness.

“Before he die, he was coming around and even the doctor them was saying that he gon make it,” she related. She noted that her brother’s death has taken a toll on their mother, who is suffering from high blood pressure.

The sister said during the time he opened his eyes; he hardly spoke, thus making no attempt to tell them what happened. Sealey was not married nor did he have any children. The man leaves to mourn his elderly parents and three siblings. The miner was described as a well known, friendly and jovial person. His body is at the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

Labour Ministry engaging businesses on implementation of minimum wage

B y S amuel S ukhnandan

The Labour Ministry has been engaging businesses as regards the implementation of the national minimum wage, which was announced by government recently. Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul told Guyana Times that officials of his ministry have met or are in the process of meeting with businesses to alert them of this change, which they will have to adhere to, commencing on July 1 this year. The minister said that public advertisements will be placed in the daily newspapers to this effect.

This initiative is in keeping with the International Labour Convention 138, as it relates to minimum wage, which Guyana has now ratified. This clause calls for the abolition of child labour, the minimum age of employment to be above 15, a progressive increase in the age of employment and ensuring that the age of employment is no less than 18 for any type of work which can jeopardise, health or morals of the persons employed.

Earning more Sales attendants working for various city stores have been complaining about the need for an increase in the minimum wage, and

said they are waiting to see this put into effect.

Several of them contacted this newspaper to say that their employers are not aware of the changes that are to be made to their wages and salaries.

A 19-year old female, who wish to remain anonymous and who works for a Chinese store located on Rob Street, said she has approached her employer about the increase, but he does not seem similar with the change.

The woman currently works for $7000 weekly. This she said can hardly provide her with a comfortable life, but, despite the odds, she has been able to live on this. The store clerk said the increase in wages, which she looks forward to in great anticipation, will allow her to do a lot

Guyana to forge closer cross-border cooperation with Roraima State

The officer in charge of the Lethem Police Station, the regional chairman and officials of the regional administration, Region Nine and members of the public and private sectors, recently held a meeting with a delegation from Bon Fim, State of Roraima, Brazil. This delegation was headed by the Mayor of Bon Fim.

The main purpose of the meeting was to forge closer cross-border coopera-

tion, said the Government Information Agency (GINA).

Issues that fall under the purview of the Guyana Police Force that were discussed at that meeting included: the improvement of the relationships between members of the force and their counterparts in the State of Roraima, and the intensification of actions to address trafficking in contraband, a Home Affairs Ministry press release stated.

more for herself and family. Gavin Singh, who hails from Canal Polder Number One and works for the Ravina’s store, told Guyana Times that he too looks forward to earning more.

Singh said as a sales boy who worked for a number of years in the dry goods store, he was happy to see that the government has taken a step to improve not only his life, but the lives of many other Guyanese who have been working for less than $35,000 per month.

The 22-year-old father of one said that many people would be looking forward to this increase, especially those who work in small stores in various capacities including as sales clerk, porters and billing clerks.

Government through

its chief spokesman, Dr Roger Luncheon announced that the new national minimum wage of $35,000 monthly will take effect from July 1. Government in January had established a ministerial team to work to fine-tune the necessary procedures that would facilitate the establishment of a national minimum wage. This effort was led by Minister Gopaul.

This initiative is strongly supported at the level of the tripartite committee which consists of government officials, representatives from the various labour organisations and the private sector. The new wages are as follows: monthly wages –$35,000; weekly – $8000; and hourly – $200.

In 1977, the public service minimum wage was promulgated. Workers who are not covered under this new structure include those who work on a part-time basis. Other statutes such as the annual increases and orders that deal with categories of unskilled and semiskilled workers, issued by the Labour Ministry, will apply to them. The new minimum wage will be one that is truly national – cutting across all sectors of the economy, including public, private and corporate. (samuelsukhnandan@ guyanatimesgy.com)

Honesty may not always be de best policy

De other day a conductor beat up a passenger in a minibus pun de East Coast and de man drop down and dead in a another minibus all de way pun de East Bank. De driver who was helpin to part de fight lie to de police and seh he never see any fight, because when he drivin he does be lookin in front, not at de back of de bus.

De driver tell a bigger lie and seh that even when he got nice girls at de back, he don’t be lookin back.

So the police let the driver go, who see every ting, and de conductor alone get hold up.

De other night, one car knock down a man and kill he pun de East Coast, and de driver get away. Another innocent driver come and run over de man and he get de blame fuh knockin down de man just because he report de matter. De police can’t find de other driver yet, so dem hold on to de one driver who was honest enough to turn heself in.

It look like wid de police, honesty can never be de best policy. De honest people gettin a hard time and de scampish people gettin off. So de police gettin just like all dem politicians now. Dem never tellin de truth and dem never believin de people who tellin de truth. De bribe website just open and a lotta people don confess bout who get bribe and who give bribe. Is some body always tekkin a bribe fuh do sum ting fuh some body. A woman even tek bribe and give some body a driver’s licence de other day. But wid all de confessions pun de bribe website, nuttin ain’t happen yet.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! Now in Berbice a man turn up by he friend house fuh tell he that he sleepin wid he wife. De man turn round and kill he wife, then try fuh hang he self. Now de police arrest de other man just because he tell de truth. Honesty may not always be de best policy!

Essequibo man acquitted of murder charge

Relatives of 20-yearold Naiomi Singh broke down in tears on Monday after her alleged killer was freed.

After spending just over four years in prison, Rudolph Williams, of Morasi, Essequibo River, became a free man after he was found not guilty by the jury of the murder of his employer’s daughter at her Morasi home on May 1, 2009.

A 12-member mixed jury was empanelled two weeks ago and the trial began in voir dire (trial within a trial) to determine the authenticity of a written caution statement allegedly given by the accused in which he admitted he had murdered Singh.

At the end of the voir dire, which was held in the absence of the jury, Justice Brassington Reynolds found that the caution statement was given freely and voluntarily by the accused and allowed it into evidence.

In the statement,

Williams reportedly said that he went to Singh’s home on the day in question and after he had a “talk” with the young woman, he became vexed. He then picked up a cutlass from under the house and chased after Singh; when he caught up with her, he dealt her a chop to her neck.

The prosecution was led by state counsels Natasha Backer and Diana Kaulesar, who presented seven witnesses in the main trial, including the father of the deceased who testified that he last saw his daughter alive earlier on the day she was killed. The prosecution’s case was built on the caution statement and evidence to substantiate the case.

Conflicting timeline

Defence counsel George Thomas contended that the timeline given for the murder conflicts with the alibi of his client.

The prosecution closed

its case on Thursday after which the defence attorney made a no-case submission; however, Justice Reynolds ruled against the submission and called on the accused to lead his defence.

Williams elected to gave a sworn statement from the dock saying he was forced to “make up a story” after the police beat him with a truck spring and threatened him with a revolver.

The man alleged that the police told him that they will “shove” him through a window and shoot him under the pretext that he was trying to escape.

On Monday, the judge summed up the evidence presented. Afterwards, the panel retired to the jury room to deliberate on a verdict. They returned about two hours later with unanimous verdicts of not guilty of both murder and the lesser count of manslaughter.

Before setting the man free, the judge told him that

he is fortunate and should thank God because he got a close shave.

According to reports, Williams used to work with Singh’s father as a labourer and on the day in question, she was home alone talking to her fiancé around 18:20h when someone came to their house. She reportedly left to go check who it was and never returned to the phone. Singh’s fiancé said that he heard her saying “No! No! No!” and then there was silence for about 15 minutes after.

The worried groom-tobe alerted Singh’s family and her father went home to investigate; however, he did not find the young woman and a search party was quickly formed. About two hours after, Singh was discovered partially buried in a drain behind her home. Her body was covered with a layer of mud and was barely spotted. She was fully dressed and had on all of her jewellery.

Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul

Takutu River Bridge

200 more Georgetown residents receive laptops

– several persons with disabilities among beneficiaries

Two hundred residents from a catchment area from Camp Street to Norton Street, Georgetown are now the proud owners of laptops, courtesy of the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme.

The exercise was conducted on Sunday at the Church of Heavenly Light on Norton Street by a ninemember OLPF team, along with two trainers, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

The distribution was welcomed by the residents, among them, Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities Chairperson Leon Walcott, who said it was certainly a high point to receive the computer which will help to further improve the quality of his life.

“When you’re physically disabled, you have to rely on people for so many things and any little thing that can reduce that dependence is good for you,” Walcott said.

Several other disabled persons also received laptops including a nearby resident, a shut-in, whose computer was delivered to him

by OLPF staffers who went to his home.

The exercise was a success according to OLPF Oversight Quality Assurance Manager Ganand Chanderpaul. He said that despite the inclement weather, when they arrived at the location to begin the distribution effort, more than 20 persons were waiting. He added that more than 60 residents were exposed to preliminary basic introductory training before midday by the two designated trainers for the location and this

would be ongoing.

More than 31,000 laptops have been distributed since the exercise commenced in 2011, to families in various communities countrywide. The current phase, which commenced on May 21, targets 6000 beneficiaries from Region Four.

The OLPF programme was set up by former President Bharrat Jagdeo with the aim of equipping 90,000 families with laptops, to expand the use of Information Computer Technology (ICT) across the country.

Bandits steal old age pension, policeman's rifle

Two armed robbers on Monday morning staged a brazen attack at the Wismar Post Office in Linden, escaping with over $2 million, which was intended to pay old age pensioners on the Wismar shore, and also stealing a policeman’s rifle.

The incident occurred around 08:00h as pensioners and other persons were present and conducting transactions at the office. At the time of the incident, there were nine staff on duty; however, six were working in the field. The Post Mistress Romona Singh and another employee, along with the police constable assigned to the office were on duty at the time. A counter top glass inside the office was observed to be shattered in an apparent attempt by the bandits to cart off the loot.

In a statement, police said that about 08:15h, two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, entered the Wismar Post Office and held up the police constable who was on duty guarding the cash. The perpetrators took away the policeman’s service FN rifle and 20 rounds and then held up the postmistress and a female clerk. The men took away an undisclosed sum of

cash from a drawer and over $2 million from a safe and escaped.

At the scene, Singh, who appeared traumatised, and other employees were reluctant to speak to the media about what had transpired.

Guyana Times understands that monies were made available to be paid to pensioners on Monday since there was a countrywide delay in having it paid at the end of last month.

Eyewitnesses disclosed that close to 8:00h the said morning, two men clad in dark coloured jerseys were spotted in a car scouring the area in the vicinity of the post office. The car was then parked a few yards away beneath a hill also known as “Tar Hill” by residents, 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, who were armed with guns and unmasked, returned to the scene and carried out the blatant act.

Pensioners were redirected to the Mackenzie Post Office as a result of the incident. At the scene on Monday, Police Inspector

Teen chops mother’s abusive lover

An East Canje man is in a critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital suffering from chop wounds allegedly inflicted at the hands of his lover’s son on Sunday evening.

The chopping incident occurred about 20:00h. Thirty-nine-year-old Clifton Ramsarran also called “Witch” of Lot 102, Number Two Village, East Canje, Berbice was chopped about his body after threatening his estranged lover to shoot her if she does not agree to reconcile their broken relationship.

According to reports reaching this publication, Ramsarran went to the home of his lover at Lot 198 Sukhu Street, East Canje, Berbice, and threatened to kill her with a .38 revolver. The woman, whose name was given as Simone, became afraid and raised an alarm. Her son, Kevin Mohabir, who was in the sitting room of the house armed himself with a cutlass and ran in the direction of Ramsarran, who was standing in the yard and dealt him a chop to his left arm and head.

Mohabir was arrested and Ramsarran was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was examined by a doctor on duty. He was sub-

sequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he remains a patient. Guyana Times understands that Ramsarran and Simone were in a relationship for about six months, but it ended about two weeks ago. According to reports, the now injured man would normally use threatening language towards Simone and more recently, he threatened to kill her.

Tatranie Ramsarran, the mother of the injured man explained that her son and Simone stopped dating recently and when they were in to each other, they used to visit each other’s house intermittently. She said that on Sunday, the woman’s daughter telephoned her and requested for her son not to visit their home in the future while threatening to kill him.

The elderly woman said she did not take it for granted but nonetheless passed on the message to her son who visited her later that day.

After passing on the message to her son, she reportedly went to the lower flat of the house and upon returning to the upper flat, she saw him on the phone and upon enquiring, she was told that the woman had requested his presence.

The mother said she warned her son not to go, but he paid no heed. He left home

and went to a function close by, where he said he had to leave a little early since he had a date. Upon finding out that it was the woman he was going to meet, they reportedly attempted to talk him out of the meeting, but it proved futile.

Ramsarran said that she was sitting on her verandah when she saw her son leaving and called out to him with the hope of him changing his mind, but he was too stubborn and left. About 20:00h, her telephone rang and her grandson answered, only to be told “come collect Witch… we just chop he up like fish”. She went on to say that her grandson was confused and asked if he was hearing the truth. Upon checking, their worst fears were confirmed.

The woman stated that she rushed to the hospital but was prevented by staffers from seeing her son, apparently because of his condition.

The mother said she went to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she later saw her son hooked up to oxygen and saline. He reportedly received 99 stitches to his head and one of his ears was also severed. He remains in a critical state. His mother is hoping for justice to prevail since Witch did nothing wrong. The police are investigating the matter.

Stabroek Market vendors want relief from counterfeit cash

BOwen Trotz and other policemen were seen searching the area for clues. There was also beefed up police presence throughout the community, as the ranks combed through areas such as Wisroc, Silvertown and Block 22 in search of the suspects. Several road blocks were also set up at strategic points in and around the community. Several persons were taken into police custody on Monday following the investigations. The office remained closed as business was redirected to the Mackenzie facility.

An old age pensioner, who noted that she had turned up shortly after the incident to receive her payments, expressed shock over the incident.

“Well, when me show up here, I hear how they ain’t paying no money here because the post office get rob, so we got to check over at Mackenzie. That is pure wickedness – thiefing money from old people, is wickedness,” she reiterated. In November 2009, two masked, gun-toting bandits escaped with $7.6 million in old age pension, before escaping through nearby Half Mile, Wismar, in a car. Several persons were later arrested and released.

usinesses in the Stabroek Market area are seeking relief from the circulation of counterfeit money, which they say is benefiting from the unregulated sale of gold and other illegal activities there.

Speaking with Guyana Times, numerous vendors related that the circulation of counterfeit money is not as prevalent as it was in the past; however, they still encounter a few fake ‘$1000 bills’.

“During the busiest… rush hour is when these notes are passed to us and we have no idea how and when this is given to us, because we are just so busy,” said a wellknown shopkeeper James Darell. “We don’t know when we get it, but after, when we counting our profit, we would see one and two of them.”

Market place

Others noted that a few years back the issue was more of an epidemic within the market place. “I get a few once in a while… it always comes in the $1000 bills… one time I catch the woman who try fuh pass it onto me and when I tell she about it, she tell me she husband got it from his workplace and she nah know what happened,” said Boodhan, a provision vendor, “she beg not to involved the police and she give me another real one.”

On Sunday, a member of the public via phone told this newspaper that his wife encountered the same problem

of counterfeit money in $500 and $1000 bills.

Meanwhile, some shoppers around the market area contended that the businesses’ proprietors are in the ones taking part in the illegal act of passing over counterfeit notes during the exchange process of goods and services.

“ I don’t know about any counterfeit money circulating but I know that one time meh son bring home a $500 bill and it was fake… when me ask him, he said he buy something and it was the change he collect,” said Dorry, who was purchasing some vegetables.

“Only yesterday, I got a $100 bill that was fake, but it feel real, but when I look at it more close… you can see it wasn’t real… this got to stop, the police and banks have do something more about it,” said Elizabeth James, a regular shopper at the Stabroek Market.

However, a police officer patrolling around the market area stated that to his knowledge, no one has ever reported receiving counterfeit money to the outpost or to any other patrol officers.

Cache found

The issue of counterfeit money in Guyana had resurfaced in early 2009 when Customs officers unearthed $14 million in counterfeit currency hidden among some items in a barrel, which had been sitting at the John Fernandes Wharf for almost two years. The stunning dis-

covery was made after a decision was taken to open the barrel, which was shipped from London through the Harrison Shipping Company, in May 2006, to an Essequibo Coast resident, according to a Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) statement.

Sources said that the money was in numerous stacks hidden among items in the barrel which included pens, towels, and tools.

Earlier, in 2005, in a bid to keep in line with international best practice, the Bank of Guyana introduced upgraded $100, $500 and $1000 bank notes with improved security features. The upgraded banknotes had several security features that are really easily checked with the naked eye. It was, however, noted that the security features on the Guyana currency banknotes are only useful if people make use of them, thus it is every user’s responsibility to get to know the upgraded banknotes and to check for the security features.

The notes carry the enhanced feature of a “new wide security thread”. The complete thread is visible when held up to the light, and the legend “Bank of Guyana” can be seen. A metallic sheen is seen on the $100 bill and a colour-shifting sheen is seen on the other notes.

The denomination of the bank notes displayed at the top left corner of the notes was enlarged to facilitate easier identification by the visually impaired.

Empretec to feature loan competition at largest Venture Out

Guyana prepares for third Inter-Guiana Festival –

50-member delegation to storm Cayenne

Empretec Managing Director Judy Semple-Joseph said the organisation in collaboration with Republic Bank will on Tuesday stage one of its largest Venture Out programme for female entrepreneurs.

Joseph indicated that given the success of the programme over the last three years and in consideration of the desire of small businesses to enjoy improved access to financing, a loan competition has been added to this year’s programme.

Republic Bank Guyana Limited is partnering with Empretec for the fourth successive year on the Venture Out programme first implemented in June 2010.

Credit facilities

The competition with prizes totalling $1 million is open to all participants of the Venture Out 2013 Programme. “The highlight of this year’s programme will therefore be on guiding participants on how to meet the bank’s requirements for financing – notwithstanding the existing mechanism for easy access to Republic Bank’s credit facilities from which previous participants have benefited.”

Joseph disclosed that the participants will also be able to connect with like-minded women, supporters and advisors. She stated that the programme also entails an outreach to follow-up on businesses that would have germinated under the Empretec programme.

According to Joseph, Venture Out 2013 will commence in Region Four with the largest number of registered participants for a single workshop to date.

She stated that the programme will culminate on June 21 in Region Three,

which has been specially included based on a request from previous participants. Other regions where the Venture Out programme will be conducted are Regions Six, Nine and 10 on June 6, 17, and 10 respectively.

Joseph explained that the Venture Out programme is designed to provide target participants with relevant business development tools towards achieving their business goals. The programme advises participants on the requirements for establishing a viable business and provides a framework on how to run a business successfully.

She added that the empowerment exercise is intended to help build selfconfidence by creating entrepreneurial awareness as well as providing business skills in critical areas relevant for business success.

“Consequently, the development of an entrepreneurial spirit is expected to encourage the use of sound business practices; build up positive linkages within the community and in the long run improve the standard of living of participants,” Joseph said.

She detailed that the programme has to date targeted women entrepreneurs in Regions Two, Four, Six, Nine and 10.

At the end of the Venture Out 2013 Programme, in excess of 500 women entrepreneurs would have been reached; over and above the projected target. Empretec has been adapted for use with communities and groups with low literacy levels and basic courses have been shortened from 72 to 32 hours.

Based on the target audience, exercises and training materials are designed through audio/visual information. Empretec also supports the development of curricula in formal education programmes and participates in the Global Entrepreneurship Week, a worldwide initiative to inspire young people around the world to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity.

Methodology

In some countries, Empretec’s methodology has been selected by governments to develop curricula for primary and secondary schools on the strength of its excellent, decade-spanning track record. Empretec is an integrated capacitybuilding programme of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) which works to support entrepreneurs in building innovative and internationally competitive small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

It is a United Nations programme which was established by UNCTAD’s Division of Investment and Enterprise to promote the creation of sustainable support structures that can assist SMEs.

Empretec is of the view that entrepreneurship and the development of the private sector are essential to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of Eradicating Poverty.

Bond restructuring has not fixed Caribbean economic problems – Moody’s

Amajor international credit rating agency says three bond restructurings in the Caribbean this year, totalling about US$9.7 billion, have still failed to ignite economic growth and may not help the region avoid more defaults.

Moody’s Investors Service said the bond swaps this year did not go far enough to fixing the Caribbean’s “unsustainable” mix of debt and deficits. It said, among Caribbean island economies, only The Bahamas is expected to grow more than 1.5 per cent this year, compared with four per cent for Latin America.

The Wall Street-based rating agency said the average debt for a Caribbean nation compared with the size of its economy stands at 70 per cent, with Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada above the 93 per cent ratio that forced Cyprus to seek a European Unionbrokered March bailout.

Moody’s said Jamaica’s debt-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio reached 140 per cent last year. “A sustained reduction in debt in the region over the next decade will require a combination of aggressive fiscal consolidation and increased economic growth,” said Edward Al-Hussainy,

Moody’s analyst for the Caribbean, in the latest report. However, both goals are increasingly out of reach.

Referring to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report, AlHussainy said higher interest rates tied to previous restructuring agreements contributed to a 12.7 per cent jump in Caribbean debt from 2008 to 2011, reversing a 15 per cent decline over the previous three years. He noted that Antigua and Barbuda and St Kitts and Nevis restructured their debt in 2010 and 2012, respectively, making the past three years the highest on record for Caribbean defaults.

Guyana is again preparing to wow an international audience with its magnificent display of artistry as preparations move apace for the third annual Inter-Guiana Cultural Festival.

The festival, which is a fusion of the cultural diversion of the three Guianas, is slated to be held from July 11-15 in French Guiana.

It will feature creative thinkers in all sectors of the arts including literary, culinary, visual, performing, music, fashion, film and craft.

The Inter-Guyana Cultural Festival is in its third year and is an initiative of the governments of Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname.

Last year, Guyana was the host country with Suriname hosting the inaugural event in 2011 and this year it is French Guiana’s turn to take up host position.

The Guyana government is expected to sponsor 40 to 50 delegates among them artistes, artists, coordinators and media. Fashion Committee Coordinator Carol Fraser providing an update on the plans and preparation of the group, stated that all plans are in train for this year’s event.

She noted that French Guiana is considered to be the city of high fashion and therefore a lot will be expected from participants on the local front.

“We had raised the bar so high in Suriname and did the same when they came to Guyana last year so we are going to French Guiana with these two countries having the same expectations of us.”

Fraser will leave Guyana on Monday for the fashion week extravaganza in French Guiana before skipping over to Suriname for the fashion week there.

She noted that French Guiana is very conscientious

about promoting natural fibres; a lot of which they witnessed during the presentation of her line at the first Inter-Guiana festival.

“They love it and they have requested my presence to present a few pieces. I’m going to use this opportunity to help local designers who have never had the opportunity to showcase their pieces on the international scene,” the coordinator said.

According to Fraser, the Guyanese fashion delegation will be given 40 minutes to strut 40 pieces on the French Guiana catwalk.

Some of the local designers are Marcia DeSantos, Zarinah Hameed, Mwanza Glen and Sharon Gittens.

The show will be opened with national fibre pieces of various traditional wear and closed with two of Guyana’s national designs.

Fraser disclosed that the coordinators are trying to accommodate designers who are eager to participate and are willing to furnish their individual expenses.

“We will also try to work with those persons who may want to send their pieces. They don’t have to send a whole line but four to five pieces. Last year, we carried the pieces of six designers and they were well received,” Fraser said.

While Suriname and

French Guiana would normally showcase one or two designers with their entire line, Guyana’s fashion industry is in the development stage.

As such, the local fashion committee is intent on providing the exposure to as many designers as possible whose work is of a high quality and standard.

“So we want to give them the exposure. Without that, their stuff wouldn’t get out there,” she said.

The Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry said the festival will showcase the best in the cultural traditions and contemporary artistic offerings of French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana.

At a meeting initiated by Suriname, it was decided by the three Guianas, that the festival would contribute significantly to the strengthening of friendly relations among the people of the countries.

“Such a festival, it was further accepted, would also serve to promote the cooperative development agenda of the countries in the field of arts and culture,” the ministry said.

Affirming too that the three-nation festival would be an appropriate vehicle to develop closer cultural relations among the neighbours, it was decided that an InterGuiana Cultural Festival would be held annually in rotation among Paramaribo, Georgetown and Cayenne.

Cultural representatives of the three countries will stage exhibitions, performance workshops, lectures and master classes in the performing arts, literary, culinary and fashion, craft and visual arts, including film.

Under the guidance of the Department of Culture, the six local sub-committees for the chosen disciplines are already at work fashioning Guyana’s contribution to the festival.

Carol Fraser

Empretec Managing Director Judy Semple-Joseph

A scene from last year’s event

tuesday, june 4, 2013 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana signs on to global arms trade treaty City clean-up campaign kicks off

Guyana on Monday joined a number of countries around the world in signing on to the United Nations Global Arms Trade Treaty.

The treaty calls on states to explicitly consider the risk that an arms transfer could facilitate serious acts of violence against women and children before allowing it to proceed. This is according to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Chief of Child Protection Susan Bissell.

“This is critical given that weapons are now one of the leading causes of death of children and adolescents in many countries, including many that are not experiencing war,” she added.

Treaty Guyana’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador, George Talbot signed on behalf of his country. The treaty will enter into force 90 days after it is ratified by the 50th signatory. It regulates all conventional arms within the following categories: battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small arms and light weapons.

According to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, the treaty will not do any of the following: interfere with domestic arms commerce or the right to bear arms in member states; ban the export of any type of weapon; harm states’ legitimate right to self-defence; or undermine national arms regulation standards already in place.

The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng welcomed the inclusion in the treaty of a prohibition on the transfer of arms which would be used in

the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity and certain war crimes, and called on states to act quickly to apply this prohibition, pending its entry into force.

“Genocide depends in part on the availability of arms and ammunition,” he said in a statement. “Despite some shortcomings of this treaty, its adoption represents an important step forward in the struggle to prevent genocide and provides a new legal tool to protect those at risk of their lives, and groups threatened with destruction.”

Historic opportunity

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stressed that countries have a historic opportunity to eliminate excessive and poorly regulated weapons transfers through the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which opened for signature on Monday at the world body’s headquarters in New York.

“With the ATT, the world has decided to finally put an end to the ‘free-for-all’ nature of international weapons transfers,” Ban said at a special event marking the treaty’s opening for signature.

“The ATT is substantive and robust, but its effectiveness will depend on the willingness of states to ensure its full implementation.” Ban appealed to major arms-trading countries in particular to be “first movers” and bring their national legislation in line with the requirements of the treaty, which will come into force 90 days after it has been ratified by 50 nations.

Although the ATT will not control the domestic weapons use, once ratified, it will require states to establish national regulations to control the transfer of conventional arms and regulate arms brokers, among other objectives. “The eyes of the world are

watching arms traders, manufacturers and governments as never before,” Ban said.

“The treaty will provide an effective deterrent against excessive and destabilising arms flows, particularly in conflict-prone regions,” Ban said. “It will make it harder for weapons to be diverted into the illicit market, to reach warlords, pirates, terrorists and criminals, or to be used to commit grave human rights abuses or violations of international humanitarian law.”

Arms trade

The ATT is the first international treaty regulating the global arms trade. It was overwhelmingly approved two months ago in the UN General Assembly by a vote of 154 to three – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Iran and Syria –with 23 abstentions. The vote was the culmination of a decades-long push to halt illegal shipments of weapons such as missiles, combat aircraft and attack helicopters.

Ban underlined that the ATT brings hope “to millions of women, men and children who live in deprivation and fear because of poorly controlled international arms trade and the proliferation of deadly weapons,” and added that it will also enhance the enforcement of arms embargoes imposed by the Security Council and help promote social and economic development.

During the special event Monday morning, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane said the day opens “a new chapter in which states will sign up to an international contract bringing responsibility and transparency to the global arms trade”. While the treaty is “not perfect”, she said it is certainly “robust”.

By Svetlana MarShall

On Monday, the ministries of local government, agriculture, tourism, health, and public works joined hands with the Georgetown Mayor and City Council to commence what was anticipated to be a massive cleanup campaign. However, Minister within the Local Government Ministry, Norman Whittaker was not impressed.

Five groups were dispatched across East and West Ruimveldt, and along Trench Road, Church Street and Parade Street to clear unofficial dumpsites and canals. But when Minister Whittaker visited the sites on Monday, he was not impressed with the quality of work done on the first day of the three-day clean-up campaign.

“In all of the areas we have gone to except for East Ruimveldt Public Road, where the persons involved in weeding the shoulders in my view did a commendable job, the other areas I am not satisfied that enough work was done during the period allotted.”

He contended that the

hiccups developed mainly because of coordination issues between the participating agencies and the City Council. It was also noted that some of the groups commenced after the 07:00h scheduled starting time. As a result, the local government minister held an emergency meeting with supervisors and foremen with the aim of solving the issues.

It is anticipated that today the five groups will work in keeping with the plan. Whittaker emphasised that the objective must be achieved within the threeday period. “It is an exercise aimed at addressing the issue of drainage, and in the process removing garbage and other forms of litter from the trenches, and the drains and also an exercise to remove the grass on the road shoulders.”

Water Street; Young Street to Cowan Street, Kingston; North and South Cummingsburg; Thomas Street; and Lacytown from Water Street to Camp Street and North to South Road are among the areas to be covered by Wednesday. Major emphasis will also be placed on the Stabroek, Bourda and La Penitence

markets.

Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba, who accompanied the Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud on Monday, said in addition to the clean-up campaign, the City Constabulary has been charged once again to detain persons caught dumping garbage in an indiscriminate manner. Sooba said while the government and the City Council are working to clean Georgetown, residents and visitors must play their part by using available receptacles.

The clean-up campaign forms part of a range of activities being held in observance of World Environment Day set for June 5. World Environment Day was first celebrated in 1973, after being established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. It is celebrated annually on June 5, with focus on a particular theme to draw attention to specific environmental issues. This year’s theme is “Think. Eat. Save.” and it focuses on food wastage and food loss.(svetlanam@guyanatimesgy.com)

China’s president lauds Ramotar’s efforts in promoting Guyana-China friendship

In what can be described as a historic bilateral meeting during his twoday visit to Trinidad and Tobago, Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Donald Ramotar that his efforts to promote the longstanding friendship with China are greatly admired.

Speaking on Sunday through his interpreter, across the table from President Donald Ramotar and his team – Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, President Xi recalled Guyana being the first English-speaking Caribbean country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and the mutual benefits that have accrued since.

“Since the founding of

(PAC), the forerunner to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

“It was in that capacity as general secretary of the party (PPP), I visited the People’s Republic of China as a guest… one of our leaders too, another founder of our party, Mrs Janet Jagan, had the opportunity of having met with Chairman Mao and Chou-en-lai when she visited China in 1960,” President Ramotar told the Chinese premier.

Indians and Portuguese, would later make their mark in Guyana’s diverse ethnic and cultural society. Today, Chinese nationals constitute the largest portion of foreigners in Guyana, and are predominantly involved in the commerce sector.

our diplomatic ties, there have been constant highlevel exchanges between the two sides,” President Xi Jinping said. President Ramotar said in the bilateral meeting that preceded one with eight fel-

low Caricom heads of state, along with himself, and the Chinese premier that Guyana had been in solidarity with the Chinese government and people since in the days of the Political Affairs Committee

Long before the establishment of diplomatic relations, association between the two countries dates to the mid 19th century when the first batch of Chinese immigrants arrived to work as indentured labourers.

Long and proud history

They, along with other immigrant groups – the East

Three years ago, the Guyana government announced automatic citizenship for Chinese nationals residing in Guyana lawfully for more than seven years and an increase in the duration of work permits, easing fears, and bringing satisfaction to many who had inquiries.

The long and proud history of friendly relations and cooperation between Guyana and China has been marked by frequent exchanges at the political, diplomatic, economic and cultural levels.

Along with its generous gifts of the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) and two roll-on/ roll-off ferries, the Chinese government has been an integral partner in bauxite operations, infrastructure to boost the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector, and the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.

In health, Guyana has been accommodating visiting Chinese medical missions, and is the only country in South America to have such an arrangement.

The construction of the modern sugar factory at Skeldon and upgrades to the country’s electricity transmission and distribution systems are physical symbols of the Guyana/ China partnership.

City Council workers cleaning a section of West Ruimveldt

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) meets with President Donald Ramotar in Port of Spain, Trinidad just before a conference with a number of Caricom heads (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

Regional

China to fund new children’s hospital in Trinidad

Trinidad and Tobago will have a brand new children’s hospital by 2015, funded through “a government to government arrangement” between Trinidad and Tobago and China. The self-contained structure will be constructed in Couva and will cost US$150 million (TT$975 million). It will come with a rooftop helipad for emergencies and a multi-training centre for

medicine, nursing and pharmacology.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar told the audience at a 2012 sod turning ceremony for the facility that the hospital is very close to her heart.

“It is a dream which I have cherished for quite some time,” the prime minister said.

The children’s hospital is expected to have a centralised medical facility

Grenadian public servants get salary increases

The Grenada government said it has started paying public workers salary increases five years after their last hike in wages.

The Keith Mitchell government, which came to office in February, complaining of a high national debt and urging the population to help turn around a sluggish economy, said that the new salaries went into effect from the end of last month.

It gave no details as to the size of the new salary increases, but said they are consistent with agreements reached with several trade unions, including the Public Workers Union (PWU), the Grenada Union of Teachers (GUT) and the Technical

and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) for the period 2009 – 2012.

“The government and the unions are continuing their discussions about the schedule for the payment of retroactive pay for the same period,” according to the official statement, adding the Police Welfare Association (PWA), which is the bargaining unit for police officers, will be meeting with the Government Negotiating Team (GTN) shortly, to discuss their new salaries.

The statement said that pensioners have also received increases “consistent with the convention to pay them the same increase as public servants”. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

equipped with the most modern high-end medical equipment. It will have a housing facility that will serve as a hotel, a guest house, shopping mall and other amenities that will make it an integral part of health tourism in Trinidad and Tobago.

Persad Bissessar said, unlike other projects under the previous administration, the hospital will not become a white elephant.

“We are not about erecting white elephants willynilly; we are not about creating edifices of political egos, monuments of pretentious aggrandisement at the expense of ignoring the plight of the people. We are carefully planning the development of Trinidad and Tobago that encompasses the entire country, north, south, east and west, urban and rural. And we are about being people centred,” the prime minister said. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Mexican activists found dead

Police in Mexico say they have found the bodies of three leftwing activists who went missing on Thursday after a protest in support of local farmers.

Five others are still missing. The bodies were found by the roadside in southern Guerrero state.

Two bodies had bullet wounds, while the third victim seems to have been beaten to death. Mexican police say it is not clear whether the activists have been killed for their political work. They may have become the latest victims of drug cartels operating in the region.

Among the dead is the local leader of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), Arturo Hernandez Cardona. Cardona, a well-known politician in Guerrero state, was also a leader of the Emiliano Zapata Peasants’ Union (UCEZ).

Caribbean

Fellow PRD activist Angel Aguirre Rivero has exempted rival politicians of responsibility for the deaths, but called for a thorough investigation.

“We live in different political times. Our party cannot accuse anyone. All we need is that those behind these deaths be punished,” he told La Jornada newspaper.

Aguirre Rivero believes the militants have been killed by common criminals. The bodies of the three activists were found outside the city of Iguala, which is inland from the popular resort of Acapulco. (Excerpt from BBC News)

urged to be prepared for “very active” hurricane season

The new CDEMA head has called for greater regional and national investment in comprehensive disaster management

The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on Saturday, June 1, and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency

Portmore gun battle victims want payment

Aweek after a gun battle between police and robbers left five vehicles with bullet holes, the people of Hamilton Gardens in Portmore, St Catherine, are seeking compensation for their properties.

The problem, however, is that they know not where to turn. They are unsure of who is ultimately responsible for fixing the damage.

When the Jamaica Observer visited the sleepy community on Thursday, Milton Billett – whose picket fence was mowed down by the Nissan Tida motorcar in which the three gunmen were travelling, and whose Mitsubishi Lancer was damaged by bullets – had already reinforced his front lawn with concrete.

He said he could not bare

to see his place looking “shabby”, and so he spent over J$3000 to purchase blocks and cement to repair the fence. His car’s rear bumper was damaged by a bullet that flew through it, leaving cracks in its paint. That should cost anywhere between J$3000 to J$5000 to repair, he estimated. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Colombian FARC rebels deny threatening trade unionists

Colombia’s largest leftwing rebel group, the FARC, denies it was behind letters threatening trade unionists.

In a statement published on its website, the FARC leadership said it was “not its policy to threaten social or trade union leaders”.

Its statement came just hours after Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos warned that Farc involvement in the threats could derail the peace talks.

The letter declared the head of a trade union a legitimate military target.

President of the General

Confederation of Trade Unions of Colombia (CGT) Julio Roberto Gomez said he had received the threat last week. The letter, signed “urban group Antonio Narino of the FARC”, accused the CGT of having “sold out” and of aligning itself with rightwing forces. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Response Management Agency (CDEMA) has urged Caribbean people to be prepared for a very active season.

Noted hurricane forecasters Dr William Gray and Philip Klotzbach of the Colorado State University have predicted an above-average season with 18 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes likely to occur during the sixmonth period.

The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting between 13 to 20 named storms, six to11 hurricanes, and three to six major hurricanes.

CDEMA Executive Director Ronald Jackson said these predictions are well above the season averages.

“The message is clear. The extent to which we could be impacted will depend on the level of investment we put into preparing for and preventing as best as possible the negative consequences of this hazard.

“We are advocating that there be significant efforts taken to boost sector level, business, family and individual readiness, a message being promoted by the national authorities. In this regard, I wish to commend the many NDMAs (national disaster management agencies) which have initiated their national campaigns,” said Jackson. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Geological problems cause suspension of Cuban oil exploration

The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated that Cuba’s offshore waters have “significant undiscovered conventional oil potential”

ARussian state oil company drilling off Cuba’s northern shores says it is temporarily halting its exploration.

Zarubezhneft said it was halting work because of “geological” problems but will resume oil exploration next year. The announcement signalled an end to the only ac-

tive exploration programme in Cuba, which now relies on heavily subsidised oil from Venezuela.

Cuba reportedly depends on an estimated 96,000 barrels of oil it receives daily from Venezuela, which amounts to about two-thirds of its consumption.

The Russians’ withdraw-

al comes as the Norwegian company that owns the drilling platform they have been leasing the Songa Mercur. Russia said it would be leaving Cuban waters in July for another contract. Zarubezhneft’s decision signals “another disappointment” for Cuba’s dreams of finding oil, according to Jorge Pinon, a Cuba energy expert at the University of Texas in Austin. The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated that Cuba’s offshore waters have “significant undiscovered conventional oil potential” –between 4.6 billion and 9.3 billion barrels. Cuban officials estimate the potential reserves at 20 billion.

“This is the second geological area in Cuba that seemed to be promising,” Pinon said.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Artist’s impression of the proposed children’s hospital in Trinidad to be funded by the Chinese government

Community police, or vigilante groups, have taken control of many communities in violence-ridden Guerrero state

Fire in Chinese poultry plant kills dozens

Afire at a poultry processing plant in China has killed at least 119 people, officials say.

The fire broke out at a slaughterhouse in Dehui in Jilin province early on Monday.

Accounts speak of explosions prior to the fire, which caused panic and a crush

of workers trying to escape. Most exits were said to be locked.

A labour activist told the BBC it was the worst factory fire in living memory.

The fire is now said to have been mostly put out and bodies are being recovered.

President Xi Jinping,

Turkey’s Erdogan takes on protesters

As tens of thousands of Turkish citizens took to Twitter over the past few days to find out what was going on in their cities,

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was characteristically blunt about his opinion of the social networking site.

“There is now a menace which is called Twitter,’’ said Erdogan in an interview with the Turkish daily, Haberturk.

“The best examples of lies can be found there. To me, social media is the worst menace to society.’’

Embattled world leaders who voice their disdain for the micro-blogging site often do so at their own peril.

Within minutes, a collage titled, “Why they hate #twitter,” went viral on the web. The image featured Erdogan

and some of the world’s most infamous political and religious leaders warning about the dangers of the social media site.

“It is time to stop the anarchy on the Internet,” Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is quoted as saying, while a 2009 quote by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad goes, “I don’t have a problem with it. But it should not be used for the wrong purposes.”

As a peaceful sit-in at an Istanbul park last week morphed into anti-government protests – fuelled by excessive police force – blogs and social networking sites began to comment on the mainstream Turkish media’s failure to cover the story.

(Excerpt from France24)

U.S. says actions of WikiLeaks soldier show arrogance

U.S. military prosecutors said arrogance drove the American soldier who went on trial on Monday accused of orchestrating the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history through the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website three years ago.

But at the opening of the court-martial of intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, 25, his defence lawyer portrayed him as a naïve young soldier who had leaked the documents, combat videos and other data because he wanted to reveal the human costs of the wars in

Afghanistan and Iraq.

Private First Class Manning faces a possible life sentence without parole if convicted at his courtmartial in Fort Meade, Maryland, for leaking more than 700,000 secret documents in 2010, angering the United States government.

“This is a case of what happens when arrogance meets access to classified networks,” lead prosecutor U.S. Army Captain Joe Morrow said in his opening comments in court at Fort Meade, Maryland. “This had great interest to our adversaries and to our enemies.”

(Excerpt from Reuters)

who is on a visit to the Americas, ordered every effort to go into the rescue operation and treatment of survivors, adding that the investigation into the cause of the accident would be vigorous.

Sources including the provincial fire department suggest there may have been an ammonia leak which either caused the fire or made fighting the blaze more hazardous.

Other reports speak of an electrical fault.

It is China’s deadliest fire since 2000, when 309 people died in a blaze in a dance hall in Luoyang, in Henan province.

About 100 workers had managed to escape from the Baoyuan plant, Xinhua said, adding that the “complicated interior structure” of the building and narrow exits had made rescue work more difficult. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Around the World

UN warns all sides over Syria's horrors

The United Nations chief warned Saturday that all sides will be held accountable for the killing of civilians in a besieged Syrian border city, where President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and Hezbollah fighters have been battling rebels for control.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s warning came as he urged forces loyal to alAssad and rebels to allow civilians to leave the town of Qusayr, the latest flashpoint in the more than twoyear-old conflict that has left about 80,000 people dead.

In a statement, Ban said “the eyes of the world are upon them, and they will be held accountable for any acts of atrocity carried out against the civilian population.”

As many as 1500 people are believed to be wounded and in need of medical care in the town, and the United Nations and the International Committee of

Three killed in Lebanese clashes as tensions over Syria persist

Three people were killed and 30 others wounded Sunday and Monday in clashes between rival armed groups in northern Lebanon’s port city of Tripoli, Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces said.

Clashes between the groups – one from a Sunni Muslim neighbourhood in Tripoli, the other from an Alawite Muslim neighbourhood – are the latest in longrunning political and sectarian tensions that have become more pronounced since an uprising in neighbouring Syria.

Two ISF personnel and two Lebanese army soldiers were among the injured in the clashes, the ISF said.

Clashes have happened intermittently in Tripoli over political differences since 2008, but have picked up in the last 10 days. Lately, the violence has been between those for and against the Alawite-dominated regime in Syria, whose border lies 20 miles to the north-east.

Lebanon has increasingly felt the effects of the Syrian conflict, which began more than two years ago with President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on demonstrators.

France says Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese Shiite militia backed by Iran and Syria, has dispatched up to 4000 fighters to Syria to bolster al-Assad’s forces. (Excerpt from CNN)

the Red Cross called on both sides to allow the wounded to be evacuated.

Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Valerie Amos, the emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations, called the situation in Qusayr “desperate.”

“We are also receiving reports that civilian neighbourhoods continue to be indiscriminately attacked, and that other major violations of human rights and international humanitarian law are being committed,” the two said in a joint statement. (Excerpt from CNN)

Africanised bee swarm kills Texan man

ATexas man died after a swarm of Africanised bees disturbed by his tractor attacked, stinging him more than 1000 times Saturday.

The bees were living inside an old chicken coop that Larry Goodwin, 62, was pushing over to clear off his Moody, Texas, property, neighbour John Puckett told CNN affiliate KCEN-TV.

“He lifted the whole hive and disturbed them all and they just came swarming out of there and trapped him on his tractor,” Puckett said.

His daughter and neighbours rushed to help, but they said there was nothing they could do to save Goodwin.

“When we got to him, he was purple, he had thousands and thousands of bee stings on his face and arms,” Tanya Goodwin said. Puckett said his wife and daughter were stung 100 times. “I came pretty close to losing my family,” Puckett said.

Allen Miller, whose company Bees Be Gone removed the hive after the attack, said he has seen more Africanised bee hives in the past few weeks than he normally sees in a year.

“If anybody has any brush or anything on their lands, please clear it, because they don’t want to go through this,” Tanya Goodwin said. “Nobody needs to go through this.”

(Excerpt from CNN)

Thousands flee as central Europe floodwaters rise

Thousands of people have fled their homes across central Europe as deadly floodwaters continue to rise.

Emergency operations are under way in Austria,

Germany and the Czech Republic to cope with river levels which have reached record heights in some places. Landslides and flooding have led to the deaths of at least seven people. More

than eight others are missing. The German army has been drafted in to help reinforce flood defences in the south and east of the country.

In the Czech Republic, a nationwide state of emergency is in force. Around 3000 people have been forced to leave their homes across the west of the country.

The authorities in the capital, Prague, are on high alert amid fears that the River Vltava could swamp its historic centre. On Monday morning, the river was flowing at 2800 cubic metres per second – 10 times its normal volume. As a precaution, the city’s metro system has been closed, metal flood defences are being erected and sandbags built up along the banks of the Vltava.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Firefighters battling the blaze at the poultry plant in Dehui, Jilin province

Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are seen near Qusair on Thursday, May 30

Passau, in the German region of Bavaria, is one of the cities worst hit by the flooding

Bureaucracy stifling Trinidad – Bharath

TT must reduce bureaucracy to survive in a world where the speed of doing business is increasing rapidly, Trade Minister Vasant Bharath has warned. “The negotiation between Canada and the Caricom region has been moving painfully slow. One of the reasons for that is the bureaucracy and how slow business is done in TT and the region. If that does not

North America

change then we will be left behind in our development,” he said.

Bharath said bureaucracy is so stifling in TT, people usually have to pay extra money to get the most basic services done. “For the last ten or 11 months I have been aggressively pursuing the ease of doing business. We have had too much bureaucracy and red tape and now even the most basic service peo-

ple should be getting done efficiently, they have to pay extra money to get the service,” he said.

Bharath was speaking at the release of the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) for the Caribbean and Latin American region at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Mt Hope. The LPI is an interactive benchmarking tool. (Trinidad Guardian)

Disney raises U.S. theme park prices by up to 9.6 per cent

Walt Disney Co raised single-day admission prices as much as 9.6 per cent at its theme parks in Florida and California, in a pattern of annual price increases at the company’s popular U.S. resorts.

As of Sunday, one-day entry to Disney’s Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida, rose to US$95 from

Europe

US$89 for people ages 10 and older, a 6.7 per cent jump.

At Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the cost of a single-day pass to one of two parks rose to US$92 from US$87, a 5.7 per cent increase. A park hopper ticket that allows entry to both Anaheim parks on the same day rose 9.6 per cent to US$137.

Prices for multi-day

tickets and annual passes also rose. Theme parks represent Disney’s second-largest unit, behind its media networks division that includes its powerhouse sports channel ESPN.

On May 7, Disney reported quarterly operating income of US$383 million for the parks division, a 73 per cent jump from a year earlier. (Reuters)

Eurozone’s manufacturing downturn eases in May

The pace of decline in the eurozone’s manufacturing sector eased in May as new orders picked up, according to a closely-watched survey. Markit’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the eurozone manufacturing sector rose to 48.3 from April’s 46.7, marking its highest level in 15 months.

A reading below 50 indicates shrinking activity. However, the sector

has now contracted for 22 months in a row, according to the Markit survey. In Germany, Europe’s largest economy, the PMI figure rose to 49.4, just below the 50 threshold and marking its highest level for three months.

Spain and Greece saw the most dramatic improvements. Spain’s PMI reading of 48.1 was a 24-month high, while Greece’s reading of 45.3 was a 23-month high.

“It is reassuring to see the rate of decline ease to such a marked extent,” said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit. “The sector still seems some way off stabilising, however, and therefore remains a drag on the economy.”

Williamson said the survey indicated that eurozone GDP was likely to have fallen by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter of the year. (BBC News)

Japan’s Shinzo Abe hails Africa as “growth centre”

Africa will be an engine for world growth in the coming decades and Japan has to invest more on the continent, Japan’s prime minister has said. Shinzo Abe was speaking at the end of a three-day conference on African development in Yokohama.

Japan pledged US$32 billion (£21 billion) in aid to Africa, including money to

Etackle militant Islamists. Japan appears to be worried that its rival China has built a strong presence in Africa, correspondents say. “Africa will be a growth centre over the next couple of decades until the middle of this century... now is the time for us to invest in Africa,” Abe said at the end of the conference co-hosted with the African Union (AU), World Bank and

UN. “Japan will not simply bring natural resources from Africa to Japan. We want to realise industrialisation in Africa that will generate employment and growth.”

Critics repeatedly accused China of simply making a grab for resources in Africa, but it denies the charge. It says it has invested heavily in building infrastructure on the continent. (BBC News)

Indicators present muddled picture of China’s factories

conomic reports seeking to gauge activity in China’s factories during the month of May have presented investors with a muddled picture, with official indicators from the state outpacing those of private forecasters.

Investors typically pay attention to two separate purchasing managers’ surveys conducted in China: one is performed by the state, the other by global

Middle East Asia Caribbean

bank HSBC.

Most of the time, both surveys deliver results that indicate factory activity is either expanding or contracting. But the surveys occasionally diverge, with one indicating growth and the other a slowdown.

That’s exactly what happened in May. The official government PMI released over the weekend came in at 50.8 for May, topping economist expectations and boost-

ing the index by 0.2 points over the previous month. Meanwhile, the HSBC survey came in at 49.2, the first time since October the index has dipped below 50. Any reading below 50 signals deterioration in the manufacturing sector.

There are a few reasons why one survey would suggest China’s factories are gaining momentum, while the other indicates slower growth. (CNN)

Lufthansa chief says open to Gulf carrier alliance

German carrier Lufthansa said on Monday it would not rule out a commercial tie-up with a Gulf airline. Christoph Franz, the airline’s chief executive, said he would consider a link with one of the region’s fast-growing airlines if it brought benefits to Lufthansa, but said he was in “no rush” to take a decision. His comments, published by Reuters, come just weeks

after Tim Clark, the president of Emirates Airline, also hinted at a possible working relationship with Lufthansa. Clark said last month that relationships in the international aviation industry were changing rapidly and if Lufthansa modernised, Emirates would consider an alliance. “It has been a difficult time but we move on and you never say ‘never’ to any bilateral commercial

agreement that can be sustained over a period of time,” he said. “It’s not impossible, things are changing, anything is possible. And as long as somebody in Lufthansa stands up and says ‘it’s a good idea to deal with Qatar, it’s a good idea to deal with Emirates and Etihad then you may find there’s a mesh of ideas. And maybe this could be the beginnings of something.” (Arabianbusiness)

How to value a company in three steps

Step 1b: asset value – intangibles

Google is no longer just the name of a company, it is a verb: how valuable is that? Lady Gaga reportedly held control of her song copyrights, as opposed to the record label. How much are those songs potentially worth? Could be millions, down the road it could be nothing. Complicated data models are used for estimates, but there are no real guarantees only educated guesses. The value of patents, copyrights, trademarks and reputation can be significant in driving up value. The more unique and

exclusive – the more significant the value added.

Step 2: Income value

What is the current income level? What are the key sources of income? Who are the clients? What contracts are in place? Are there current accounts receivable? Most importantly, how stable is the income level? Review the prior three years for income levels to show a trend. If the income chart is all up and away, do a little research to determine when it reasonably hit a plateau.

Next is the NET income. What are the ongoing ex-

penses of operating the company? Gross Income –Less Expenses = results in net income. Review the expenses for their completeness, meaning not only is the electric bill and facilities rental, but salaries, insurance, contractor expenses, licensing and permits etc. Business owners might forget to determine what they take out as discretionary income.

Overall a properly completed balance sheet tells you the income, outflow and net present value. Reviewing the numbers and the explanation behind them is paramount. (Business Dictionary)

OECS in US$20M loan programme

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) signed recently a US$20 million for a Global Loan Programme with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for projects in the four eligible Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) member countries. This loan was approved by the CDB’s board.

The CDB will lend the funds for the financing of public sector projects in Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. These small open economies are vulnerable to external economic shocks and natural disasters. They are also still reeling from the effects of the recent financial crisis.

The new approved programme will help address the social and economic challenges of these nonIDB member countries, constrained by their limited

access to longer term and lower cost credit resources. The loan will support areas such as education, infrastructure, mitigation and adaptation to climate change and also policybased operations (up to 25 per cent of the resources can be used to finance PBLs). Resources will be allocated

by CDB based on its country strategy and programming processes.

The IDB charter was amended in 1977 to allow the bank to provide financial resources to the CDB to support its member countries. Prior to the approval of the new loan, the IDB had financed four global loan programmes to the CDB totalling US$104 million, as well as various technical cooperation operations.

The approved programme will be financed by US$14 million from the IDB’s ordinary capital, and US$6 million from the bank’s Fund for Special Operations, (concessional funds) with an amortisation period of 30 and 40 years respectively. CDB has lowered its fees on the concessional portion of the loan, in order for the beneficiary countries to access these resources at more favourable rates.

Presidents of the Pacific Alliance agree to total elimination of tariffs

The presidents of Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Peru — the countries that make up the Pacific Alliance — agreed to completely eliminate tariffs among members of the group for all products and announced that 90 per cent of these products will be free of taxes upon the agreement’s entry into force.

Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos, Chilean President Sebastian Piñera, Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto and Peruvian President Ollanta Humala also agreed to study the creation of a Pacific Alliance visa for tourists visiting member countries and to carry out joint campaigns to promote tourism.

The announcements were made at the close of VII Pacific Alliance Summit, which was held in Cali on May 23. The leaders also announced the creation of a Pacific Alliance Partnership Fund and ratified agreements to share diplomatic and consular offices in Asia and Africa. Negotiations on the integration agreement are scheduled for completion on June 30.

A Pacific Alliance Business Encounter held concurrently with the summit brought together more than 500 business and government representatives to discuss trade and investment opportunities offered by the alli-

ance, as well as the initiative’s social impact and its effect on the movement of labour among the member countries.

During the business summit, the four presidents held a discussion on the theme “Much more than an alliance of four countries.” In the discussion, which was moderated by Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Luis Alberto Moreno, the presidents emphasised that they consider the alliance as much more than a free trade agreement. For example, they noted work already underway to create scholarship programmes among the countries, establish cooperation funds, and design a joint strategy to promote tourism in the region that will draw international visitors to the four countries.

Apple conspired with publishers to raise prices – U.S. says in e-book trial

Apple Inc conspired with publishers to raise the price of ebooks in a scheme costing consumers “hundreds of millions of dollars,” a U.S. government lawyer said on Monday.

A three-week trial got under way before a federal judge in New York in a case pitting the Justice Department against the popular iPad and iPhone maker that could shine a light on the secretive Silicon Valley giant’s business practices.

“Apple told publishers that Apple – and only Apple – could get prices up in their industry,” Lawrence Buterman, a lawyer at the Justice Department, said during opening arguments.

The trial came more than a year after the Department sued Apple and five of the largest U.S. publishing houses, accusing them of working together illegally to increase e-book prices and undo Amazon.com Inc’s market control.

The business meeting was organised by the government of Colombia, and the country’s export promotion agency Proexport, with the support of the IDB. During the summit a meeting was also held by the Pacific Alliance Business Council, in which the business leaders presented a series of proposals to the presidents and formed technical groups to examine issues raised by the business sectors.

The IDB is fully committed to supporting this regional integration process and will continue to provide technical and financial assistance to the different groups and to the business council.

The IDB also is supporting the Pacific Alliance’s first Macro Business Roundtable, which will take place in Cali on June 29.

Orin Snyder, an attorney for Apple, described the case as “bizarre”. Apple acted in its own business interests in negotiating deals with publishers in the run up to the debut of its iPad in January 2010, he said.

“What the government wants to do is reverse engineer a conspiracy from a market effect,” Snyder said.

Apple is going to trial alone after the five publishers agreed to eliminate prohibitions on wholesale discounts and to pay a collective US$164 million to benefit consumers.

The five publishers were Pearson Plc’s Penguin Group, News Corp’s HarperCollins Publishers Inc, CBS Corp’s Simon & Schuster Inc, Hachette Book Group Inc and MacMillan.

The U.S. government is not seeking damages, but instead an order blocking Apple from engaging in similar conduct. However, if Apple is found liable, it could still face damages in a separate trial by 33 state at-

torneys general, who would seek civil penalties on behalf of consumers.

“Tentative view”

The non-jury trial is proceeding before U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, who gave a “tentative view” at the last hearing before trial that she thought the Justice Department might win.

“I believe that the government will be able to show at trial direct evidence that Apple knowingly participated in and facilitated a conspiracy to raise prices of ebooks,” Cote said on May 23.

During opening arguments, Snyder expressed Apple’s “concern” about the

“I

ing model. Those tactics were unsuccessful, though, until Apple entered the market, he said.

Apple acted as a facilitator for the publishers, enabling them to reach agreements that would move their industry to an agency model, in which publishers set the price and Apple took a fixed 30 per cent cut, Buterman said.

believe that the government will be able to show at trial direct evidence that Apple knowingly participated in and facilitated a conspiracy to raise prices of e-books.” – judge

comment, adding later, “all we want is a fair trial”. Cote retorted that she made her comments only after the Justice Department and Apple asked for her view, which was based on hundreds of documents submitted in advance of trial.

“The deck is not stacked against Apple unless the evidence stacks against Apple,” Cote said.

The case has its origins in concerns by publishers that had emerged by 2009 about low prices for bestseller and new e-books sold by Amazon, which launched its Kindle e-reader in 2007.

Amazon, which by that time sold up to 90 per cent of all e-books, was buying e-books wholesale and then discounting them, selling new and bestselling books for US$9.99, sometimes at a loss.

Buterman, the government’s lawyer, said publishers became increasingly dissatisfied with those prices, which they considered too low. They tried a number of tactics, increasingly in parallel, to fight Amazon’s pric-

Buterman cited former Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, telling his biographer that, “we told the publishers, ‘We’ll go to the agency model, where you set the price, and we get our 30 per cent, and yes, the customer pays a little more, but that’s what you want anyway.’”

Buterman said, “Overall, average prices of e-books went up, costing consumers millions of dollars.”

“Makes no sense”

Apple’s Snyder called the government’s story a “fiction” saying many of Job’s emails and statements the prosecution will show will be taken out of context.

As for the agency model, Snyder said there was nothing wrong with it. He said both Amazon and Barnes & Noble Inc considered it before Apple did.

“Agency is good and beneficial to consumers and markets,” he said.

Moreover, Snyder said data showed that in the wake of Apple’s entry into the market, average e-book prices fell instead of increasing. In court papers, Apple said prices fell from US$7.97 to US$7.34. The case is United States v Apple Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No 12-02826. (Reuters)

An Apple iPad tablet held by a woman

The tariffs were eliminated to become part of the global economy more successfully and more forcefully, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, said President Santos

CDB President William Warren Smith

SUDOKU

There isn’t likely to be anything wrong with the way you think, but you might have to compromise to placate another.

By Bernice Bede Osol

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

Some lucky developments are a strong possibility. However, unless you’re willing to share the benefits with others, you could end up feeling dismal.

Your methods could be quite imaginative and innovative today. Don’t let associates who cannot match your thinking shut you down.

If you put too much emphasis on your own interests, expect to meet with resistance from others. Conversely, when you are considerate of other people, good things can happen.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

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

Most of your affairs will turn out favourably, with one exception. There is a possibility you might repeat an error in judgment that you’ve made before. Live and learn.

(March 21-April 19)

Don’t take anything at face value, especially financial matters. There could be hidden benefits as well as hidden pitfalls. Pay close attention to detail.

(April 20-May 20)

A willingness to cooperate and a desire to do what’s best for all will ease many of the day’s confrontations. Do more giving than taking.

(May 21June 20)

You’ll be more alert to opportunities and nuances in the morning than in the afternoon. As you tire, you could easily start to miss things.

Be extremely careful of your words when talking to a sensitive friend. What you think is merely a harmless comment could be construed as offensive.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

A project might require more resources than you have at your disposal. To be on the safe side, have someone at your side, ready to help out.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Even though you usually are a cooperative person, today you might not be a team player. Remember, when you make things tough on others, you make things tough on yourself as well.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

If you want to have a productive day, you must follow a realistic plan. If you don’t, all of your time will be spent cleaning up messes.

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Calvin and Hobbes

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CPL to give fans access to draft

– results to be updated via social media

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he Caribbean Premier League (CPL) draft will take place on Wednesday in Jamaica, and fans and players alike will be able to keep track of which players are going to which franchise team via social media and the CPL website, www.cplt20.com.

As of 12:00h, Jamaica time (13:00h Eastern Caribbean Time) on Wednesday, fans will be able to log on to the CPL website or the CPL Facebook page, found at www.facebook. com/carnivalt20 or follow the CPL Twitter feed, @cpl_ t20, to see the six franchise teams being filled with players as the draft goes on and the players are bought.

“There has been much anticipation about the draft; fans are eager to know which teams their favourite players are going to be drafted to play on, and the players themselves want to know which country they will be suiting up for so we will be using the power of social media to get the word out as quickly as we can,” said CPL Chief Executive Officer Damien O’Donohoe.

Selection committee

The selection committee for each team – which consists of the head coach, assistant coach, and the international and West Indian franchise players for that particular team – will pick the teams, and the process will be supervised by CPL Cricket Committee members former Prime Minister of Jamaica PJ Patterson, Walter Scott, QC, and Lance Gibbs.

Two outside officiators have been appointed by the tournament committee and will be present as well. They are former Jamaican Chief

Justice Lensley Wolfe and former PWC Senior Partner Tony Lewars.

“Although most of the West Indian and international franchise players are unable to physically attend the draft due to playing commitments, they will be with their coaches utilising technology and of course, they have been in touch with their coaches to talk strategy and possible draft picks already, the selection teams will all be connected via Skype during the entire draft,” explained O’Donohoe. “Obviously the franchise players have a vested interest in seeing the best possible team compiled and so they have been very involved in the process.”

Player draft

The player draft is exactly that, a draft. Unlike the Indian Premier League (IPL) which does an auction, CPL has chosen a more fair and controlled system for their first year. “A draft ensures that salaries are kept within the established range,” said O’Donohoe. “We wanted to provide solid income for the players, but move away from the auction/sale format and ensure consistency within the draft round picks. This format encourages picking of players who have been top performers and gives them higher salaries for being picked in the earlier rounds.”

Each team will be made up from 15 squad players with the first two players of each team being the pre-selected West Indian and international franchise players. The remaining 13 players will be four elite players (West Indian and international), seven eligible players, and two under-23 players who will be selected from three pools –Pool A, Pool B and Pool B.

More information on the three pools is available on the CPLT20 website.

Immediately following the draft, the team selection committees have a maximum of 24 hours to discuss internally and with other selection committees whether they want to do a trade for players among themselves, noted O’Donohoe.

“Only one trade will be allowed per team; players can only be traded from within the same pools; and no further trades may be done between teams after the 24-hour period following all draft selections,” he said. “We believe we have made the draft process as fair as possible, and that all teams will be given the opportunity to pick the best players possible. We are excited to see the outcome of this very first draft for the inaugural CPL, and we encourage our fans to follow the process online.”

O’Donohoe said on the tail of the draft, team names and captains will be announced soon. The inaugural CPL starts on 30 July in Barbados and concludes on 24 August in Trinidad.

Teams Meanwhile, Former West Indies off-spinner Roger Harper has been named head coach of the Guyana franchise. Harper, a former head coach of the West Indies cricket team, will be assisted by former fast bowler Curtly Ambrose.

Mystery off-spinner Sunil Narine has been assigned as the franchise player for Guyana, while Pakistan’s allrounder Mohamed Hafeez is the international star. Other assignments include Antigua, which will be coached by Vivian Richards, who will be assisted by Phillip DeFreitas. Marlon Samuels has been assigned franchise player, while former Australian Captain Ricky Ponting is the interna-

tional star.

The Barbados team’s head coach is Desmond Haynes and he will be assisted by Robin Singh. Kieron Pollard is the franchise player and Pakistani batsman Shoaib Malik is the international star.

Additionally, Paul Nixon will coach Jamaica, assisted by Junior Bennett. Chris Gayle is the franchise player and Sri Lankan legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is the international star.

The Team St Lucia franchise player is West Indies Captain Darren Sammy and former South African opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs, the international franchise player. The head coach is Andy Roberts and his assistant is Matthew Maynard. Team Trinidad will be led by Dwayne Bravo, while New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor is the international franchise player. Former West Indies opening batsman Gordon Greenidge is the head coach and he will be assisted by David Williams.

spiriTuAliTy

sErVicEs

International Star for Guyana Mohamed Hafeez

Franchise Player for Guyana Sunil Narine

Guyana Coach Roger Harper

Guyana Assistant Coach Curtly Ambrose

Efficient Pakistan ease to facile win

There were enough Pakistan supporters at The Oval to give the impression that this warmup ahead of the Champions Trophy mattered, but in essence it was pointless, not just in terms of the group stages but also in the general scheme of things.

Pakistan will claim a psychological advantage after breezing to a six-wicket victory against South Africa with more than four overs to spare on Monday, and their supporters celebrated a well-drilled victory with their usual enthusiasm, but it will not much matter in the morning.

These sides meet again at Edgbaston in a floodlit affair in Group B in a week’s time, but if Pakistan’s comprehensive victory will ensure they will go into the match with their confidence high, it will all count for little the moment the real match begins.

AB de Villiers, not surprisingly, took such a view. With South Africa so comprehensively beaten, he would have been a fool not to. “It’s not about the result, it’s about what you get out of it. I am sure each guy will stand up when the time is right. I think Pakistan’s loss in South Africa will have affected them more than us today. That was a competitive series; this was just a warmup game.”

Of more concern to South Africa will be the state of Dale Steyn’s back. “It’s a bit stiff and sore - we will reassess it in the morning,” de

Villiers said. Steyn departed at the end of the fifth over, clutching his side, but it could have just been that he does not like warm-ups, especially a warm-up which included his loss of a bouncer battle with Nasir Jamshed, who got two in three balls, top-edged the first one and then hooked the second over fine leg for six.

It is an odd thing that the top eight teams in the world are in England for the Champions Trophy and that some of them are practising against each other a few days before the off, but not in any sort of meaningful way, in the nonsensical “15-a-side, bat and field 11” hybrid that is gradually gaining currency as a way to provide decent practice, while quietly undermining the game in the process.

Pakistan rested arguably their two most threatening bowlers, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Irfan and took

a look at the rest of their attack. It was a shrewder move than playing all 15 and they were not complaining when

they made good use of helpful bowling conditions and reduced South Africa to 83 for 7 after 22 overs.

But South Africa did field 15 and, when that happens, the best XI almost invariably get to bat. With JP Duminy coming in at No 8 and Ryan McLaren one place lower, their position was in essence stronger than it appeared. The eighth wicket added 94 in 23 overs and South Africa escaped to the sort of score that gave Pakistan some decent batting practice.

That did not scrub out Pakistan’s good memories in the field. Hashim Amla lasted only two balls before Junaid Khan had him lbw. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

South Africa innings

A Petersen c Abdur Rehman

b Asad Ali 16

H Amla lbw b Junaid Khan 0

C Ingram run out (Misbah-ul-Haq) 7

AB de Villiers*† c †Kamran

Akmal b Asad Ali 15

F du Plessis c †Kamran Akmal

b Wahab Riaz 7

D Miller c Imran Farhat

b Wahab Riaz 26

F Behardien c †Kamran Akmal

b Wahab Riaz 1

JP Duminy c Shoaib Malik

b Junaid Khan 43

R McLaren b Asad Ali 55

R Peterson not out 6

R Kleinveldt not out 8

Extras: (lb11, w5, nb2) 18

Total: (9 wkts, 50 overs) 202

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-14, 3-43, 4-48, 5-61, 6-67, 7-83, 8-177, 9-188

Bowling: Junaid Khan 10-1-412, Asad Ali 10-1-30-3, Ehsan Adil 6-1-19-0, Wahab Riaz 9-2-30-3, Mohammad Hafeez 6-0-24-0, Abdur Rehman 7-037-0, Shoaib Malik 2-0-10-0

Pakistan innings

Imran Farhat c Morkel b Tsotsobe 56 Nasir Jamshed run out (Amla) 13 Mohammad Hafeez retired out 54

Asad Shafiq c Phangiso b Tsotsobe 17 Umar Amin not out 27 Misbah-ul-Haq* not out 24

Extras: (lb4, w8, nb4) 16

Total: (4 wkts, 45.3 overs) 207 Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-120, 3-150, 4-156 Bowling: D Steyn 5-1-260, L Tsotsobe 8-0-43-2, M Morkel 6-1-23-0, R Kleinveldt 7-0-30-0, F Behardien 8.30-43-0, A Phangiso 7-0-270, R McLaren 4-1-11-0

Barcelona complete £49m signing of Brazil’s neymar

Brazil striker Neymar completed his move from Santos to Barcelona for £48.6m (57m euros) on Monday.

The 21-year-old, who agreed to join the Spanish champions in May, passed his medical and signed a five-year deal.

He said: “Money is OK but happiness takes priority. We decided to come to Barcelona. I had a lot of offers but I followed my heart.

“I think adjusting to European football may be difficult but I hope to adjust quickly.”

The player - who was a target for Real Madrid - is to travel back to Brazil for the upcoming Confederations Cup.

After arriving in Catalonia on a specially chartered private jet on Monday afternoon, hundreds of photographers were waiting to take his picture as he posed in front of the club’s emblem.

Neymar - who has scored 20 goals in 33 appearances

for his country - then passed a two-part medical examination and put pen to paper on a deal which runs until 2018.

He was later presented on the Nou Camp pitch in front of tens of thousands of screaming supporters.

“The thrill of being cheered when I entered the Nou Camp - it was hard not to cry,” added the Brazilian. “My dream has come true.

“I’ve never worried about being the best in the world. The best is already here and that’s Messi.

“I’m one of the luckiest men in the world to be able to play with him and it’s an honour. I’m very happy to be realising my life’s dream.

“To have the opportunity to play with great players I admire like Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta - I’ve begun a new stage of my life and I’m

srinivasan could breach icc code

If, as reported, the BCCI is to allow N Srinivasan to be the Indian representative at ICC meetings, starting with the annual conference in London in the last week of June, it raises questions about his suitability according to the ICC’s Code of Ethics for its directors, as well as highlighting certain grey areas. Under clause 7 of the code, which deals with ‘Betting, Gaming and Gambling’, subsection 7.2, sub-para (d) reads: “It is not permitted and a Director shall be in breach of this Code if a member of his immediate family (being a spouse, parent, sibling, son or daughter) has a controlling interest in a betting business, a substantial relationship with a betting business or is employed in the day to day operational control of a betting business.”

Is Srinivasan, who is one of the ICC directors, in the breach of the above code, after the arrest of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan in relation to betting allegations. According to Srinivasan, he was unaware of the code. “If you’re looking at ICC’s rules, I mean I first have to see it myself, you’re reading something, number one,” Srinivasan said at the press conference after the emergency BCCI working committee meeting in Chennai. “I don’t have it with me, number two. I have not done anything wrong but we will see. If you’ve brought it to my attention, we will examine it.”

The ICC declined to comment on the issue but a closer examination only exposes uncertainty. Firstly, there is no mention of the word “son-inlaw” under various relations listed with reference to im-

mediate family. Then the fact that Meiyappan was not associated with any betting company. This may mean there has been was no direct violation of the code by Srinivasan. But does being the husband of Srinivasan’s daughter not make Meiyappan also immediate family? Meiyappan may not be part of a betting company but if allegations that he was actually betting on cricket during the IPL are proven, is that not illegal under the code?

Assistance on interpretation may be found elsewhere in the document. Clause 4 of the code, on ‘Conflicts of Interest’, lists the circumstances when a conflict can occur and makes it clear that “this list is not exhaustive, merely illustrative”. For the issue to be brought to the table, according to the ICC rules, one of the directors on the ICC board needs to raise it.

Another question that needs clarification pertains to the decision by the BCCI to absolve Srinivasan of the daily duties of the board until the internal probe into Meiyappan is concluded. But if he is not supposed to do day-to-day jobs, why should Srinivasan attend ICC meetings? Isn’t that part of the BCCI’s daily duties? That question has no clear answer as Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was appointed as the interim head of the BCCI at Sunday’s emergency BCCI meeting in Chennai, said the decision of who would represent India at ICC meetings was still to be made, contradicting the Mumbai Cricket Association’s interim president, Ravi Sawant, who told ESPNcricinfo that Srinivasan was the frontrunner. (Cricinfo)

james blames tactical error for his defeat to merritt

going to be very happy and achieve a lot.”

The signing ends years of speculation about which team would be the first to persuade him to make the move to Europe.

As well as Real, Neymar had also been linked with Chelsea and Manchester United since making his debut for Santos in 2009.

He led the club to their greatest run since Brazil legend Pele stopped playing for the club in the 1970s, helping them win the 2010 Brazilian Cup, the 2011 Copa Libertadores and three straight Sao Paulo state championships.

He is the club’s leading scorer in the post-Pele era with 138 goals in 229 matches.

Neymar is also considered Brazil’s key player for the 2014 World Cup, which they are hosting. Next on his agenda is the warm-up event for the tournament, the Confederations Cup, which runs from 15-30 June.

EUGENE, Oregon, June 3, 2013 –World and Olympic 400 metre champion Kirani James has conceded that it was a tactical error which cost him a first win over the former World and Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.

Merritt continued his unbeaten run against James on home soil to win the Prefontaine Classic in a season’s best 44.32 seconds.

James was second in 44.39 and American Tony McQuay took the third spot in 45.31.

“I allowed LaShawn to get ahead of me too much but it was a good overall race for me,” said James.

“Hopefully in the future it can be exciting as this one”.

Last month James won the one-lap event convincingly at the Diamond League in Shanghai, China. Merritt, who will be 27 this month, is not concerned about age but rather his health and preparation for the IAAF World Championships in Athletics.

“I know he (Kirani) works

hard and he’s growing every year. He understands the race but I am not going anywhere,” said Merrit who served a 21-month suspension for a doping violation and a hamstring injury which hampered the defence of his Olympic title. “It’s sort of like I am the older guy in these races but I still feel young, only 26. So I take that in consideration and know that they are just younger than I am, but I am not old at all”.

The rivalry between Merrit and James, 20, is setting the stage for a major Moscow showdown in the men’s 400m at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. However, Merritt will first have to qualify at the USA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, June 20-23.

“It means I’m working hard and I’m taking a race at a time and the ultimate goal is Moscow and getting there and win,” he said. “I go to Iowa and I will try to run three smart races to make the team and I look forward to Moscow and get there and go to work.”

Neymar

Imran Farhat

Sammy expects Windies to raise game

BIRMINGHAM, England – Things did not quite go according to plan when the West Indies played their opening warm-up match.

However, Darren Sammy is confident they will put up a better showing in their second match today against Sri Lanka.

The lion-hearted allrounder believes the Windies are genuine contenders to win the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy which features the eight top One-Day teams in the world.

The Windies lost to Australia by a four-wicket margin last Saturday at Swalec Stadium in Wales, but have remained confident they will do well against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.

First ball is 10:30h (05:30h Eastern Caribbean time/04:30h Jamaica time).

Windies have been drawn in Group B alongside the Indians, the Pakistanis and the South Africans. West Indies had a week-long camp in Cardiff before they travelled to Birmingham.

They will open their campaign against Pakistan on Friday at the Oval and return to the famous venue on June 11 to take on India.

The final preliminary match will be against the Proteas on June 14 in Cardiff. “One-Day cricket is an area where we have not done as well as we should. When you look at the calibre of the players we have in the dressing room we should be playing better. Hopefully in this tournament we will

Darren Sammy

come out and play the brand of cricket which helped us to win in Sri Lanka last year,” Sammy said.

“In order to do that we will have to do what we in the World T20, which is play with heart and play for the Caribbean people. It will require all of us playing together towards one common goal which is to win that trophy.

“All the teams are our main rivals. Whoever plays the better cricket over a longer period of time will win this tournament, so we will have to be at our best, we will have to be consistent and we will have to take it one day at a time.”

Sammy was a member of the West Indies team when they won the ICC Champions Trophy back in 2004. On that occasion they beat England by two wickets at the Oval.

Caribbean fans had to wait eight years for their team’s next international tournament tri-

umph. Sammy was the man at the helm when the Windies beat Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium to win the ICC World T20 Championship.

“Whenever I’m in the West Indies team it’s always good time for me. We have Dwayne taking over from me and I wish him all the best. I know he will do a very good job and he knows he can count on me for full support. They could be no better person to take over from me, he brings the excitement and we are going to bring a fresh new brain into the Champions Trophy. It is exciting times for us, the last time the Champions Trophy was played in England we won so we will look to repeat.”

The ICC Champions Trophy will feature eight teams: Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies. The tournament will be played across three venues from June 6-23. (WICB Media)

Anti-drugs campaigners blast Bolt over Internet picture

LONDON - Anti-drugs campaigners have blasted Olympic sprint king Usain Bolt for a picture posted on the Internet with t-shirts which they claim appeared to be promoting the use of marijuana.

The world record holder over both the 100m and 200m distances was not wearing the t-shirts but posed with them alongside a bed, drawing the criticisms.

The t-shirts are made by United States firm The Pothead Diaries whose website encourages potential

customers to “express your inner pothead and celebrate our love for the culture”.

Lucy Rowe, a representative of Skunk Sense, a charity for people affected by the drug, criticised the sprinter for using his influence to send the wrong message.

“I would hope that such a charismatic young man who is very much a role model for young people would have more common sense than to give free publicity to a company which so blatantly promotes cannabis use,” declared Rowe in an interview

with the Sun newspaper in the United Kingdom. Mark Dempster, an addiction specialist, in speaking to the Sun Newspaper as well, accused the sprinter of promoting something that poses a danger to many young people.

“He’s using his position to promote something that can cause not just addiction, but also create mentalhealth problems for young people.”

Bolt’s spokesman did not respond to requests for comment but the photo was removed over the weekend. (Jamaica Observer)

Djokovic fights back to reach French Open quarters

– Sharapova eases into last eight

Top seed Novak

Djokovic faltered for the first time at this year’s French Open before beating Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the last eight. The Serb, seeking the title that would complete his Grand Slam set, won 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 on Court Philippe Chatrier.

He later spoke about how he had coped over the last two days since learning that his childhood coach, Jelena Gencic, had died aged 77 in Serbia on Sunday. “It hasn’t been easy, but this is life,” said Djokovic.

“You know, life gives you things, takes away close people in your life, and Jelena was my first coach, like my second mother. “We were very close throughout my whole life, and she taught me a lot of things that are part of me, part of my character today, and I have the nicest memories of her.”

Djokovic will play 12th seed Tommy Haas in the quarter-finals after the German’s 6-1 6-1 6-3 demolition of Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny.

On the same side of the draw, seven-time champion Rafael Nadal celebrated his 27th birthday with his best performance of the

tournament so far as he beat Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-4 6-1 6-3.

“I played much better today than the first three matches, no doubt about that,” said the Spaniard.

“If you told me two days ago, ‘You will play like this today,’ I will say, ‘Give me the paper and I will sign,’

because I’m happy the way I improved my game today.”

An unconvincing first hour in particular will have given Djokovic’s rivals hope after he had begun the tournament in clinical style.

Kohlschreiber, trying to repeat his 2009 win over Djokovic at Roland Garros, broke first with a fine return

game at 2-2 but would pay for not breaking again until it was too late, despite a host of opportunities.

Djokovic was out of sorts, swiping his racquet in disgust at one stage, and saw a late charge to try to rescue the opening set foiled when Kohlschreiber took it with an unplayable net cord.

The turning point came during a second set in which the German converted none of his six chances to break, while Djokovic took his only opportunity in game four. It was far from vintage stuff from the six-time Grand Slam champion and his serve was continually under threat, but his ability to get out of jail took him all the way to the finish line.

Djokovic again took his only opportunity of the third set and broke twice more in the fourth. Meanwhile, Second seed Maria Sharapova eased into the French Open quarter-finals with a comfortable win over Sloane Stephens.

The reigning champion recorded a 6-4 6-3 triumph over the American 17th seed. Victoria Azarenka will meet Maria Kirilenko after defeating 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone 6-3 6-0. (BBC Sport)

Novak Djokovic

Maria Sharapova

Usain Bolt and the controversial t-shirts

GCB to run off Inter-County U-17 tourney shortly

By Rajiv Bisnauth

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) will host its Inter-County Under-17 tournament since the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has confirmed that the regional tournament will be played from June 29 to July 8 in Trinidad and Tobago.

In an invited comment on Monday, GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie said that logistics to host the tournament are being looked at, adding that the current inclement weather could be a major factor.

“We will definitely have an Inter-County Under-17 tournament from which the national team will be selected, but we have to take into consideration the weather,” Sanasie said.

Players participating in the newest regional agegroup tournament must be under the age of 17 years before September 1. Therefore, such a player must be born on or after September 1, 1996.

Jamaica are the defending champions after winning the inaugural tournament last year and will be looking to defend their title against the five other regional teams: Barbados, Guyana, Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago and Windward Islands.

Meanwhile, Sanasie indicated that the inter-county three-day under-19 tournament will resume when the inclement weather ceases.

The tournament, which

bowled off on April 25, was pushed back by one week in the hopes that the weather will change. However, persistent rains since have prevented further continuation of the tournament.

When the tournament commenced the match between the GCB President’s XI and Berbice was slated as one of the two first matches to be played but no ball was bowled due to the weather. However, the game between Demerara and Essequibo managed to get an hour of action before the weather intervened.

Batting first, Demerara had reached 36 for 3 at stumps. Andrew Gibson was the top scorer with 11. Fast bowler Kemo Paul had taken 2 for 19 in that period of play.

The selection of the national Under-19 team depends on this competition. If there is no on-field play, the selectors and players would be at a disadvantage; as a result it is still to be decided if the competition will start afresh or continue.

On the other hand, Sanasie indicated that an encampment period for the national under-15 squad is currently being finalised. The regional under-15 tournament is set for Jamaica from July 10 to 26.

Regulations

With regard to regulations for the under-19 , 17 and 15 tournaments, WICB outlined that all players under the age of 18 must wear protective helmets at all times whilst batting and fielding within 15 yards of the striker’s crease.

All wicketkeepers under the age of 18 must wear helmets when keeping up to the stumps. In addition an ICC Americas Under-21 Team will participate in the 50 over leg of the under-19 tournament.

St Kitts will host the Regional Under-19 tournament from July 17 to August 21. The full schedule for each tournament will be announced once finalised.

Yaw records impressive times in TT

Carfita Games 400 metres bronze me-

dalist Jason Yaw is becoming a mark of consistency as he ran a sub48 for the second straight week at the National Junior Championships in Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday.

After a preliminary round of 49.88s to qualify for the final of the boys’ under-18 400m, Yaw a few hours later clocked 47.97s to win the event ahead of Jamoul Pierre, who finished a distant second in 49.18s, while Kashief King was third in 49.50s.

A week before the championships Yaw went even faster at the Hamptons Games, clocking 47.76s to finish second in the boys’ under-20 400m behind Asa Guevara, who ran 47.69s.

The Running Brave athlete is emulating club mate Stephan James who also had a good outing at the Hamptons International

Jason Yaw

Games where he clocked 47.08s to win the men’s 400m event.

Meanwhile, with Yaw seemingly in top condition, clocking superb times and the World Youth Championships starting on July 14 in Donetsk, Ukraine, he should be able to go faster in order to possibly repeat some of his Carifta success.

YBG rewards players and teams – hosts players seminar

By tReiston joseph

Youth Basketball Guyana

(YBG) held a workshop and a presentation ceremony on Sunday to educate and honour the top players and teams from the East Coast and Georgetown Conferences which concluded on Saturday.

The seminar and presentation, which were held in the Marian Academy auditorium, saw a full turnout and Akeem “The Dream” Kanhai being a guest speaker. He spoke about the life of a student athlete, while social worker John Greaves lectured on the dangers of drug use.

Greaves spoke about the dangerous effects of marijuana, tobacco and alcohol and Kanhai, a former player in the YBG tournament, touched on the struggles of juggling sport and academia, which were well received by the

YBG players. Further, co-director of the YBG Chris Bowman gave some insight on what the workshop was really meant for: “ This is a part of YBG that is not always highlighted, everybody is seeing what YBG is doing on the court but I think the most important part of YBG work is what we are doing to reeducate and to train and to teach and to change the mentality.

“We are able to do that through players’ education seminar, this was a very successful players’ education seminar we would have had today it was well organised. We had speakers that spoke and things that would make them better players and also be able to make better choices.”

Bowman also recognised the work of Digicel, a main sponsor of the tournament and the players’ education programme.

“Digicel this year in addition to committing to the trophies and the administration and sponsorship as we know it to the tournament, specifically also zoomed in on players’ education so they were able to find a facilitator and they were one of the main sponsor for this part, it was very positive and the main purpose of this to talk the player and change the mind set in basketball what we need is not just good players but more intelligent players playing the sport,” Bowman highlighted.

Director of Sport, Neil Kumar, and Events and Sponsorship Manager of Digicel Gavin Hope highlighted the meaning of what the workshop means for sport.

Meanwhile, at the presentation ceremony, Marian Academy and Plaisance Secondary School received their respective conference trophies for the senior category.

In the under-17 category President’s College and Marian Academy received top honours for the East Coast and Georgetown conferences respectively while Marian Academy received their trophy and medals for winning the under-14 category.

Further, Nikkoloi Smith of Plaisance walked away with three awards from the East Coast conference, winning the MVP of the finals, best defender and leading scorer award while Selvaughn Moseley of Marian Academy also took three awards in the Georgetown conference, winning the MVP, best scorer and best rebounder awards.

On the other hand, with the end of both conferences, the top teams in each group will now await the final stage of the competition when the National School’s Basketball Festival begins in July.

Anand Sanasie

Nikkoloi Smith poses with all his awards after receiving them at the award ceremony

Students of the Plaisance Secondary School collect their winning medals and trophy from Events and Sponsorship manager of Digicel Gavin Hope

The scene of the workshop which was conducted just before the presentation ceremony

Top Scrabble players expect tough test at “nationals”

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

With the Courtssponsored national Scrabble championship set for month end, leading players from across the country continue to sharpen their skills by way of research and time management for the three-day activity.

The ultimate goal of the 25 players will be to emerge as national champion and earn the right to represent Guyana at the World Scrabble Championship in the Czech Republic from December 3-8.

While all the competitors are harbouring such thoughts, they are fully aware that only one person would be on that flight in December, making the battle at the national championship on June 29 to July 1 a highly anticipated one.

The highly ranked players in the Guyana Association of Scrabble Players (GASP) recently released rankings would want to feel they will start among the favourites. However, they are wary of the challenges the other players pose and are gearing themselves for a top challenge.

Not much separates the top five players heading into the championship with Abigail McDonald (1984 points), Leon Belony (1948), James Krakosky (1914), Moen Gafoor (1912) and Fred Collins (1866) leading GASP rankings.

Two-time defending

champion and number one ranked, McDonald, said her chances are as the other 24 players, but admitted it will take a “herculean effort” to come out on top.

“I’m very hopeful. I’m not cockily hopeful. I think my chances are good as anyone in the top five. Leon [Belony] was the runner-up the last time I won; he’s currently ranked number two and I think he’s primed to win it,” she told this publication.

McDonald added, “Moen Gafoor and Fred Collins can upstage anyone on their day, and for me the person to watch would be James Krakowsky, who has made significant improvements over the last two years. So while I’m hopeful, I’m also acutely aware that it’s going to take a herculean effort.”

Belony, the number two ranked player, is also the president of GASP. Like McDonald, he is also cautious of the challenge that

lies ahead.

“I’ve been playing with the top five players consistently over the past two months or so and the level of competition is intense. We recently had a round-robin with the top four players and we ended on three games apiece, so that in itself shows how competitive we all are,” Belony reasoned.

“At this point in time, I don’t think it’s a given that anyone would emerge the champion, but I intend to do my best. I’ve been putting a lot of work into it and I’ve never held the national title before so hopefully this year is the year.”

From all indications, number three ranked, Krakowsky is entering the tournament with an open mind. Questioned on what he thinks of his chances at the country’s premier Scrabble tournament, Krakowsy refrained from making a definitive assertion.

Bryden’s Super Classic Indoor Hockey...

“Scrabble is a game where anything could happen. The better players will be able to handle the pressure situation. The experienced, stronger players know how to get out of tough situation and I think that will be key,” he explained.

Gafoor, the number four ranked player, is looking to cop his maiden national title this year, but is fully aware that it wouldn’t be an easy task.

“I’ve never been national champion so obviously I would like to win it too. [But] the level of competition is pretty stiff among the top five and it’s not easy to win,” Gafoor reckoned.

He added, “I think during the actual games, whoever seizes the critical moments; who makes less mistakes, I think they are the ones who would come out victorious in the end. For me that’s what makes the difference, apart from your world knowledge,

which is important as well. Sometimes the strategy and not making mistakes, that’s crucial to the outcome of the game and the tournament.”

Three-time national champion Collins, who is ranked number five heading into the tournament, is looking to take his fourth title, but is not ruling out the other competitors, especially those in the top five.

“My chances are pretty good, [but] I would not be surprised if the rankings reflect the outcome. It depends on how much skills can be displayed during a particular encounter,” the experienced Collins pointed out.

Tough field

The top five players will face competition from 10 others ranked players and 10 others who would be drawn from this weekend’s qualifier tournament.

Those already through

The qualifying competition will be held on Sunday at the Malteenoes Sports Club.

Meanwhile, Courts (Guyana) Inc will be the exclusive sponsor of this year’s national championship after striking a deal with the local governing body, GASP.

The furniture and appliance establishment last Friday injected $250,000 into the three-day tournament, becoming the first company to ever sponsor the national tournament.

Apart from earning the right to represent Guyana at the World Championship later this year, the national champion will be $50,000 richer.

the generals, spice and Hikers are Bryden’s hockey champions

The curtain came down on a successful Bryden’s Super Classic indoor hockey competition with the Hikers Generals retaining the Men’s first division trophy, Spice wresting the gold in the Ladies’ competition and the Hikers managing a repeat in the Men’s second division competition.

A single goal separated the teams in the Kellogg’s men’s first division final as the Hikers Generals managed to upstage the Cadets in a close battle. Most Valuable Player, Jamarj Assanah, made the Generals work for their title as he scored all of his team’s goals, including the first of the match off a penalty corner in the ninth minute, to give the Cadets the lead.

Assanah and his troops seemed destined for the top podium spot when he scored his second goal aminute later and his third four minutes after, making it 3-0 for the Cadets.

With the Generals down, Shane Samuels and captain Robert France reigned the Cadets back into reach with two quick goals before the half. Within the first

five minutes of the second half, Colonel Heywood managed to fire home two goals of his own to turn the game on its head as the once trailing Generals took control of the match.

The Cadets scrambled to the finish trying desperately to recover the deficit but the solid defence of the Generals proved sufficient to deny them any additional goals and the victory. The Generals won 4-3 to retain their title in the Kellogg’s

Men’s first division.

The Tetley Tea Ladies competition saw the GCC Tigers almost creating a similar upset over Spice as the latter went up by three goal. Trisha Woodroffe netted the first two goals for Spice off a penalty stroke and penalty corner in the 13th and 17th minutes respectively. Captain Sonia Jardine added the third a minute after, going into the half-time break.

The GCC Tigers came out strong in the second half of

the match and created several goal-scoring opportunities in the opening minutes, but national goalkeeper and Most Valuable Player, Alysa Xavier was equal to the task on every occasion.

Ten minutes into the second half young Aliyah Gordon managed to slip her shot past the left foot of Xavier. The Tigers excitement was shortlived however, as Jardine managed a swift attack almost immediately upon the restart to slam home her sec-

ond and the team’s fourth to make the score 4-1.

It would take several rebound attempts for the Tigers to penetrate Xavier’s goal, but they managed the task through Ashley DeGroot, Marzana Fiedtkou and Kerensa Fernandes on the final buzzer. Xavier’s heroics continued into the ensuing penalty shootout but Spice would lift the Tetley Tea trophy for the first time.

A penalty shootout also decided the Mr Toppers Men’s second division competition as the youthful Western Union Hikers managed to edge past the aging Ol Skool side by two penalty goals. Once again the crowd was treated to a huge comeback and nail-biting finish as the Hikers reigned in three early goals through Jamarj Assanah, Leon Bacchus and tournament leading goal scorer Aroydy Branford in the fourth, seventh and eighth minutes.

Ol Skool finally found their footing after a cold start when Alan Fernandes slammed in two goals before the half, but the Hikers’ Branford would have the final say on the buzzer for intermission to leave his team up by 4-2. Upon resumption of the match, Philip Fernandes got into the act by converting two penalty corner goals in the 24th and 31st minute to tie the game and brother Alan added his third of the evening to push Ol Skool ahead by one. Just as all seemed lost for the Hikers, Jamarj Assanah produced one final moment of brilliance a minute before the end when he sprinted down the right flank and found a space to the left of the Ol Skool goalkeeper to tie the score. The Hikers would pull off the narrow victory in the penalty shootout that followed and retain the second division trophy.

Jamarj Assanah received the MVP for the Kellogg’s Men’s first division competition, while goalkeeper Alysa Xavier earned the distinction for the Tetley Tea Ladies competition. Tournament top scorer, Aroydy Branford, received the MVP for the Mr Topper’s Men’s second division competition. Brydens Marketing Manager, Mark Kendall, was on hand to distribute the trophies and prizes to the winning teams and awardees.

The Mr Toppers Men’s second division tournament was won by the youthful Western Union Hikers

with the top five are Colin Chichester, Orlando Michael, Yvonne Murray, Ruby Cummings, Wayne Cave, Devraj Deonarine, Maurice Munroe, Julian Skeete, Anand Mohabir and Robert Williams in order of ranking.

Abigail McDonald Leon Belony James Krakowsky Fred Collins Moen Gafoor