Guyana Times Daily

Outgoing Miss Guyana India Worldwide Katherina Roshana crowning the 2014 Miss Guyana India Worldwide Divya Sieudarsan in the presence of the franchise holder Chandini Rambalak

Air traffic controllers back on job

– given administrative positions

The three persons suspended after an Air Traffic Control Officer abandoned his post while a Caribbean Airlines plane was midair have returned to work, but not as air traffic controllers, a source told Guyana Times

Alistair Williams, Yannick Murray, and their supervisor, Trevor Dailey, are now behind desks performing administrative duties.

Williams was the Air Traffic Controller who left his post on the day in question, while Murray was supposed to relief Williams but called in sick. Dailey, the supervisor on shift, had to take up the slack and land the aircraft safely.

The three had been on leave for at least two months with pay and a decision was taken by the board of directors to allow them to return to work, but not to have any dealings with the landing of

aircraft. It is unclear what was the outcome of the investigation that was facilitated, but the final decision was supposed to be taken by a Board of Inquiry.

To date, the Timehri Air Traffic Control Tower is understaffed and with the absence of the three qualified air traffic controllers, the existing staff is under pressure.

A few years back, a former Air Traffic Controller

Nigel Solomon was dismissed by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) after he left his post in the control tower to accompany his fiancée to the airport. He was never given another opportunity to use his air traffic control licence. He was subsequently hired by the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) as a Duty Officer.

Attempts to make contact with the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Hugh

Dembo proved futile.

Meanwhile, with respect to a recent decision to send three senior staff on leave pending the outcome of an investigation involving discrepancies within the GCAA, action is yet to be taken.

This suspension, according to reports gathered, stemmed from an inspection done by Caribbean Air Safety Oversight System (CASOS).

The inspection reportedly unearthed several deficiencies within the system in 2007. One of the persons earmarked to be sent home was

not working with the GCAA at the time the inspection was done. Guyana Times was further informed that there were also complaints about certain managers’ management styles which pertained to alleged “autocratic behaviour and acts of nepotism”. Further, the complaints pointed to proper systems and policies not being implemented. It was reported that the Regional Aviation Safety Oversight System (RASOS) is likely to conduct an investigation.

Pensioner killed in motorcycle accident

Apensioner succumbed to her injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital while another person is nursing injuries following an accident at the intersection of JB Singh and Thomas Roads, Georgetown on Tuesday evening.

Dead is Harriet Philadelphia, 66, of Pike Street, Kitty, while the injured person was identified as Jason Lashley, 25, of Sixth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown.

According to information received, Philadelphia and Lashley were riding motorcycles when they collided at the intersection. They were both admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where the pensioner succumbed to her injuries while receiving medical attention.

A relative of the dead woman told Guyana Times that she last saw her about 17:30h when she was leaving home with a cooking gas cylinder. Philadelphia

would normally buy gas at a Vlissengen Road Service Station and was heading back home at the time of the accident, the woman added.

The relative stated that as a result of the impact of the collision, Philadelphia fell off her motorcycle, hitting her head in the process. She reportedly sustained two gashes to her head, and was rushed to the hospital where she succumbed an hour later. Lashley received injuries to his head as well and shoulder.

He remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The injured young man reportedly told relatives that he was riding along Irving Street when the pensioner suddenly appeared in front of him, hence the collision.

The wrecked motorcycles were taken to the Alberttown Police Stations and a probe was launched into the accident.

Toshao remanded for alleged rape

AToshao was on Wednesday remanded to prison when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on a charge of rape.

The man was charged with raping and impregnating a 10-year-old relative. The incident was said

to have occurred in Region One.

The Toshao was arrested last week after the child fell ill and was taken to seek medical attention, after which the startling discovery was made.

The welfare officials and Police were called in and tests prove that the girl was four months pregnant.

The Air Traffic Control Tower at Timehri

Bank of Guyana Governor passes away

Bank of Guyana (BoG) Governor Lawrence Williams died on Wednesday morning, the Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon announced later in the day.

Williams, 59, lost his battle with cancer at a local hospital.

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, in a condolence message, said it was with great sadness that he learnt of the passing of Williams. “I offer my personal, sincere condolences to his immediate family and many friends,” Dr Singh said.

He said he and Williams shared a long professional and personal association dating back to well before Williams was appointed Governor and himself a Minister. “His elevation through the Bank and my own appointment as Minister provided us with additional opportunities to collaborate.?”

Dr Singh recalled that Williams was a man defined by quiet competence, attention to detail, thoroughness, an ability to remain calm under pressure, quiet wit, sharp intelligence, and impeccable demeanour. “He was a gentleman and an astute professional. Over the years, we developed a strong personal friendship and I came to value his wise counsel and ?level-headed advice,” the Minister stated.

Profound loss

According to him, only Tuesday night he visited Williams in the hospital and was inspired by his remarkable courage even in the ?most difficult of circumstances as he fought this battle of all battles. “I told him our country needed him to continue the excellent work he was doing and

that we could not afford to lose him. Little did I know at that time that it would be the last time I would see him alive. Words cannot describe the profound sense of loss I personally feel, and more so, the loss to the Bank of Guyana and to our country, more generally, on the passing of this outstanding professional and fine gentleman,” the Finance Minister said.

In his message of condolence, Opposition Leader, Brigadier (retired) David Granger said the nation has been robbed of the extensive knowledge, experience, and expertise which were embodied in the form of Williams. “Our deepest condolences to his close family, relatives, and friends.”

Williams leaves to mourn his wife, Valerie; his three children Runda, Lauren, and Lawrence Jr also known as Gavin and grandson Andrew Brown. A book of condolences will be opened on Friday at the Bank of Guyana.

Appointed Governor of the Central Bank in 2005, Williams had over a quarter of a century of diverse cumulative central banking experience. In 1979, just after successfully completing a Bachelor of Social Science

Degree (Management), he joined the staff of the Bank as an Assistant Principal in the Exchange Control Department where he held major responsibility for implementing and maintaining the system for monitoring exports and collection of export receipts.

Foreign exchange management

Subsequently, in 1982, he was appointed Principal, at which level he undertook the accounting and investment function of the Export Development Fund.

In January 1984, Williams was appointed Supervisor of Export Development Fund. His duties included dayto-day management of the World Bank-funded project, which provided the foreign currency financing for nontraditional exporters to meet the cost of imported raw materials, capital and intermediate goods. During the six years that Williams served as Supervisor, he acquired considerable experience in foreign exchange management and investments.

Consequently in January 1991 he rose to the position of Senior Supervisor of the Exchange Control Department. However, his stay there was shortlived, since by the following January, he was named Assistant Head of the Debt Management and Exchange Control Department where he held major responsibility for the domestic debt operations and the administration of exchange controls.

Soon after, in January 1995, Williams was appointed Director of the Operations Department. There he held day-to-day responsibility for the management of the Banking, Currency, and Money Market Divisions. His vast experience over the years especially in manag-

ing the Export Development Fund, coupled with his exposure to the Debt Management and Exchange Control Department prepared him for even greater challenges.

Fostering monetary stability

In August 1995, Williams was appointed Banking Manager by the Minister of Finance. At this level, he was responsible for overseeing the operational departments of the Bank (Accounts and Budgeting Department, International Department, and Banking, Currency and Money Market Divisions). In addition to other duties, he chaired a number of Standing Committees and was also a Trustee of the Staff Pension Scheme. In November 2004, Williams was appointed acting Governor of the Bank by President Bharrat Jagdeo. Less than a year later, on Wednesday, June 8, 2005, Williams was sworn in as Governor by the President. As the Chief Executive Officer, he was responsible for the overall management of the Bank. As Governor, he was also Chairman of the Board of Directors. At this forum, he was responsible for guiding the deliberations of the Board with a view to ensuring the achievement of the Bank’s principal objectives of fostering monetary stability and promoting credit conditions conducive to growth.

Earlier in his career, Williams was a member of the Guyana Gold Board and the Guyana Rice Export Board. He attended a number of professional training programmes, as well as numerous seminars, conferences and meetings, including Caricom Central Banks Governors’ Conferences.

Bank of Guyana Governor Lawrence Williams

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

A new economic paradigm

It does not seem to have hit Guyana as yet, but a tsunami is washing over the economic wonks in the US right now.

Just when the US insists it is best qualified to “teach” us, and the rest of the world, about democracy, the premise on which that democratic order rests – equal opportunity to all and sundry to rise to the top, economic or otherwise – has been proven to be false.

In a 700-page tome, “Capital in the 21st Century”, the French economist Thomas Picketty has earned the plaudits (amounting to adulation) with at least a dozen Nobel Prize winning economists, such as Paul Krugman (“awesome”). For good measure, the book on a subject usually dubbed “esoteric” shot to the bestsellers list on Amazon and is presently not available.

What are the ideas in the book that are so...well, revolutionary? And why should the ideas of this obscure economist, from France, who is more noted for abstruse philosophical disquisitions, be a harbinger of change of the democratic premises of the US?

Referring to the influence of ideas, John Maynard Keynes had famously remarked, “Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually slaves of some defunct economist.” He was quite modest, since his ideas practically shaped the post war economic policies of the Western world, even when he was alive and certainly not defunct.

He emphasised the effect of aggregate-demand on the levels of economic output and rejected the then dominant view that economies were basically in equilibrium. He showed that government interventions could boost production – and employment, especially in periods of economic decline or recession.

And so the now ubiquitous “mixed economy” was born. Unlike the Marxist critique that was based on a totally different premises than classical economics, Lord Keynes worked with the latter tradition – he just pushed the envelope to address the then real problem posed by the Great Depression.

The Keynesian revolution coincided with a long period of prosperity, lasting up to the waning years of the 20th century – even as it was challenged by advocates of the “night watchman” state. Then came the eye opener of the crash of 2008.

What was different this time from the experience of the first Great Depression in the 1930s – and which is roiling the waters right now – is not the intractability of the downturn to respond to Keynesian inspired stimuli – but overwhelming evidence that the entire system of capitalism is in itself responsible for the astounding inequalities that are apparent everywhere.

The incontrovertible evidence presented by Picketty demonstrates that inequalities in the US are presently as bad as it was in France before the revolution in France when the top one per cent owned 90 per cent of the wealth. In the US, one family – the Walton’s of “Walmart” fame – own as much as the bottom 48 million American families.

Picketty demonstrates that it is to capital that the greatest wealth flows: the rich get richer. And that the postwars equalisation effects were just that – effects of wars. The US and the rest of the developed world have now reverted to the status quo ante.

The evidence shows that over the long run, ordinary labour income grows at about the same rate as the broader economy – approximately two to three per cent annually. Capital, however, tends to produce real returns of four to five per cent. This means that over the course of, say, 50 years, labour income will increase about 3x while capital stocks will increase about 9x. That in turn means that income from capital will also increase 9x.

The shorthand for this is r > g. That is, r (the return on capital) is historically greater than g (economic growth), which means that people with capital will always see their incomes grow faster than ordinary wage slaves.

Is this the “democracy” Guyana needs?

Guyanese are prepared to stand up for sovereignty

Dear Editor,

People’s National Congress (PNC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Leader David Granger’s unfamiliarity with foreign policy and international diplomacy has been revealed.

His inadequacies as a leader have been exposed as he continues to make irrational and uninformed utterances against the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) Government with respect to the revocation of a work permit for Glen Bradbury in relation to the PPP/C Government’s rejection of the USAID LEAD project in its present form.

Mr Granger’s outburst renders him a stranger to foreign policy and, therefore, incapable of making any meaningful contribution on such matters.

His criticism of the Government poses direct

and immediate dangers as it promotes disrespect to Guyana’s right to defend its national interest and to take independent positions. Granger makes it appear as if it is a crime for the Government to protect the country’s sovereignty.

The PPP/C will not countenance any position which will render Guyana a mere flag-bearing mendicant which clearly Mr Granger wants us to be.

There is little understanding on APNU’s part in respect to the many ways in which foreign policy is managed and we, therefore, condemn his unpatriotic offerings. It could only be that Granger is so preoccupied and perplexed by his own knowledge deficiency on this subject, that he has demonstrated such inability to evaluate this matter from a broader, objective, and na-

tionalist perspective.

As far as APNU is concerned, protecting the national interests is a crime.

Other countries, all over the world, have stood up for their right to independence and sovereignty, not excluding lessons from Guyana’s history, including our fight for independence.

As a historian of some acclaim, Granger ought to be familiar with the anti-slavery movement and our struggle for independence and the right to self-determination.

The PPP/C and thousands of Guyanese are prepared to stand up and pay the price for exercising our right to sovereignty and protection of our national interests. Our history is replete with lessons of struggles for dignity and respect.

The APNU’s cowardly and weak-hearted position is out of sync with the reali-

ty of today’s world. Such foreign policy utterances are without traction among the populace who are keen on the need for Guyana to protect its national interests. Bradbury has engaged himself in the internal political affairs of Guyana. His counterproductive approaches would not be entertained by any self-respecting nation. The PPP/C has found that Bradbury has been engaging institutions without their approval. He has also been misrepresenting reality and abusing long-established protocols. The PPP/C is disappointed that the US Embassy would associate itself with Bradbury who has exposed himself to the disgust of stakeholders.

Vickram Bharrat

PPP/C Freedom House

Why Local Govt Elections are needed

Dear Editor, The current public spat between the Mayor and Councillors and the Town Clerk of the Georgetown Municipality serves to remind us why the nation needs the urgent hosting of Local Government Elections. This is just another

example and manifestation why citizens across the country need to elect new representatives to look out for their interests when it comes to the management of their community affairs.

The situation in Georgetown also serves to underscore why local government reform

was necessary and one can only hope that the recently-passed bills in the National Assembly addressed issues that would render the administrative arm of our municipalities accountable to the directions and instructions of our elected representatives. If this is not the case, then

our entire democracy is meaningless.

Minister Whittaker, you owe the residents of Georgetown the exigency of announcing a date for Local Government Elections. I am ready!

Faithfully, Chontelle Sewett Blue CAPS

Education Minister Priya Manickchand with the help of students of the Resource Unit for the Visually-Impaired, cutting the ceremonial ribbon to commission the building on Wednesday

Residents don’t deserve to be subjected to these deplorable events at City Hall

Dear Editor,

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is extremely concerned about the rapidly deteriorating relationship between the executive and administrative arms of the Mayor and City Council.

The events as reported in the local media are a clear indication that now more than ever there is an urgent need for Local Government Elections and more importantly,

the necessary amendments to relevant legislation to clarify unequivocally who has the right to do what in terms of the governance and administration of this municipality.

The Chamber wishes to remind all factions that they have a fiduciary responsibility to effectively manage the affairs of the City of Georgetown and that the continuing contretemps will only add to the enormous challenges al-

Gabriel García Márquez, a brilliant writer

ready being faced by this city on a daily basis.

The Chamber wishes to encourage all parties to make every possible effort to settle their differences so as to concentrate on providing the critical services so badly needed by the city’s residents. They deserve a lot more than to be subjected to these most deplorable series of events.

Bonita Marissa Lowden, Executive Director GCCI

Mr Mentore was granted approval to proceed on vacation leave

Dear Editor,

The Ministry of Home Affairs refers to an article in another section of the press dated May 4 indicating that the Head of the Strategic Management Department (SMD) was sent on administrative leave. The records at the Ministry of Home Affairs have revealed that Mr Mentore was granted approval to proceed on vacation leave with effect from April 28, as a result of an application made by him. This was in keeping with

the terms and conditions of his employment as Head of the SMD of the Guyana Police Force.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is unaware of the suggestion in the article that Mr Mentore was sent on administrative leave.

It is a fact that a Management Audit of the SMD is about to commence. This is not an unusual event as it forms part of the monitoring and evaluation mechanism for the SMD that was implemented by the Ministry of Home

Affairs by virtue of its oversight responsibility for the Guyana Police Force.

The issue of the assignment of a vehicle to the SMD is a matter that falls under the purview of the Guyana Police Force.

Further, the Ministry of Home Affairs disassociates itself from the negative comments about the SMD that appeared in the said newspaper article.

Respectfully submitted, Ministry of Home Affairs

The well-being of India is close to the heart of Guyana

Dear Editor, The Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) strongly condemns last week’s killing of 30 innocent people, including women and children, in India in the state of Assam.

The well-being of India and its people is close to the heart of Guyana, especially since about 50 per cent of our people are of Indian decent and they include

Muslims and Hindus.

Hence, communal violence in India and those behind it should be condemned, since it has ramifications for the well-being and stability of our multicultural, multireligious democracy here in Guyana.

We strongly condemn statements that incite violence and killings by leaders and all parties who are responsible for this mayhem that took the lives

of 30 innocent men, women and children in Assam, India and especially those seeking political mileage during the ongoing national election in India.

We call on all Non-Governmental Organisations, FaithBased-Organisations and all to join in condemning this atrocity.

Respectfully, CIOG

Deal with animals on the roadways

Dear Editor,

The Ministry of Home Affairs continues to pursue their assiduous efforts to enhance road safety on Guyana’s roads by all means necessary, inclusive of the impounding of stray animals.

Though statistics show a very flattering accomplishment, I am not convinced that the count is reflective of permanent removal. In fact, I am convinced that a large percentage of the animals seen on the road ways are actually animals that were once impounded and subse-

quently released and once again, found their way back on to the road.

Additionally, the owners of these animals are not going to practise better monitoring of their animals unless they are forced to pay severe consequences for their irresponsibility. Many of them see the current stipulated fee required for the release of their animal as a joke.

Numerous complaints have been made to the Ministry regarding the inconveniences and threats that these animals bring to the nation and so it is impor-

tant that we come up with better approaches to address this matter.

Animal owners must be advised accordingly by the relevant authorities as it relates to the proper supervision of their animals during their grazing period in order to enhance the well-fare, well-being, and the safety of persons and properties.

Failure to keep one’s cattle off of the road way should result in severe consequences and fines.

Sincerely, Annette

Wilson

Dear Editor, Gabriel García Márquez, who passed away in mid April, was a brilliant writer who influenced many Guyanese who studied or read literature and radical political thinkers. Marquez was honoured with a Nobel Prize for his writings. He was well known for his political thought through his writings; and around the world, writers and politicians lavished praise on the 1982 Nobel Prize winner. Even in India, where I read of his passing, journalists and academics praised his writings and his contributions to literature. Indian newspapers carried obituaries describing him as an outstanding Latin American writer.

García Márquez was a true Latin American, a nationalist, deeply proud of his Spanish roots. He was perhaps the greatest, the most respected, and the most read Latin writer of all time with a special gift for writing and was often described as a magical wordsmith – perhaps in the same mould as VS Naipaul

and Derek Walcott. In fact, Naipaul praised his works.

García Márquez had a tremendous influence on those of us who read literature in American colleges and/or were engaged in radical thought on nation building, including in the Anglophone Caribbean.

At CCNY, where I did my undergraduate studies and where thousands of Guyanese were schooled, Marquez’s works (along with Naipaul’s) were required reading in my Latin Studies classes and Professor Arthur Schlesinger’s course on the Novel as History at CUNY Doctoral School.

García Márquez used the novel to explore the political landscape of Latin America and he was very critical of Latin governments, particularly his native Colombia’s. However, he was not critical of Cuba or Castro. Every Caribbean leader should read him because some of his arguments are also applicable to the Anglophone region and García Márquez was in search of better governance and life for his people.

As so many tributes pointed out, García Márquez’s novels opened students’ minds to unlimited possibilities of imagination, creativity in their writings. And students in my Latin American Studies classes read and presented papers on him with a deep passion. As many penned in tribute, he possessed a mastery over the language and the craft of storytelling using imagination. He focused on the harshness of life to expose the failure of governments to address peoples’ problems. And in his Nobel Prize speech, he said life succeeds in Latin America in spite of its painful existence that was brought about by centuries of exploitation and isolationism of the region by European empires.

García Márquez also gave his views on journalism and the free press. He is reported to have said at the General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) in 1996 that “journalism is the best job in the world”, because it opens up writers to limitless possibilities. “Journalism is an insatiable passion that can only be digested and humanised by its brutal confrontation with reality,” he said. He implored reporters to go after their stories with passion and drive and to never compromise their vocation, advice that Guyanese writers should heed. García Márquez was a writing genius. Although he is no longer with us, his works will influence future generations of politicians and writers.

Yours truly, Vishnu

Bisram

with pictures to: Guyana Times, 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Guyana

Page Foundation

Signs of parental abuse:

What to do when your child or teen hits you

BY KIM ABRAHAM AND MARNEY STUDAKERCORDNER

Jennifer’s son began hitting her when he was 14 years old. “I just didn’t know what to do,” she told us. “If anyone else had hit me, I would have called the Police. But this was my son! I didn’t want him arrested but I wanted the abuse to stop. I was ashamed to admit to my family what was going on and I knew they would take action, even if I didn’t. The situation was intolerable but I couldn’t take action. I felt trapped, like I was in a car without brakes.”

Parental abuse occurs when a child – usually a teenager but sometimes a pre-teen – engages in behaviour that is abusive toward a parent. It may be a one-time incident or it may escalate in frequency, even to the point of a daily oc-

currence. It can range from verbal abuse (calling a parent foul names, threatening a parent) and intimidation to outright physical assault. If you are the target of parental abuse, you’re probably living in fear every day of what your teen will do next, always waiting for what will set off a volcanic eruption. In other cases, the abusive behaviour may occur with no emotion: a quiet, deliberate act of harm used by a teen to maintain power over a parent.

Parental abuse can leave a person feeling embarrassed, ashamed, angry and terrified. These emotions are what we call

“Parent Paralysers”: feelings that are so intense they overtake logic and reason. Feelings that leave us questioning ourselves, trapped in uncertainty about what direction to take. If you’re in this situation with your child, know that it doesn’t mean you are weak or not intelligent. In

fact, many parents who are the victim of a teen’s abuse at home are successful in the workplace or other settings.

Is my child’s behaviour abusive? If your child or teen is harming you physically, you are being abused. It’s that plain and simple. One man raising his granddaughter admitted, “I knew her behaviour was unacceptable; she would throw things whenever she got mad and one time she hit me in the chest with an ashtray. After that, she started throwing things with the intention of hitting me. I just never thought of it as abusive.”

No one wants to believe their child could be abusive. Emotion can “muddy the waters,” make us question whether or not things are as “bad” as our gut tells us they are. Ask yourself: if your child was anyone else – a neighbour, a co-worker – would you consider his or her actions to be assaultive or abusive? This will help you take the emotion out of evaluating a situation.

Warning signs of parental abuse

Sometimes a situation escalates without us even realising it. The following are some potential warning signs that a child’s behaviour is bordering on abusive:

Feeling intimidated . It’s normal to feel your child is pushing boundaries to get what he wants.

Children will ask over and over for something they want, until a parent can finally snap, “I told you no!” What’s not typical is to feel that if you don’t give your child what she wants, she will retaliate in a way that is harmful to you. Intimidation is a way of frightening someone else into doing something. It may be the words, the tone of voice or even just a look. Extreme defiance. Yes, children can be defiant, even your typical child. But when it reaches a point that your child has no respect for your authority as a parent, outright defying the rules of your home with no fear or concern of consequences, it’s a potential sign of escalation. Many children can be defiant without violence; however, extreme oppositional behaviour can be part of a more serious picture.

An escalating pattern of violence. Children get angry, slam doors, throw things in a fit on the floor in their room. You can probably remember a time when you were growing up that you got mad and smashed something. But you learned that this behaviour didn’t get you what you wanted and – in fact – may result in you having to rebuy things you valued. On the other hand, if a child or teen’s behaviour continues to escalate to the point of destroying property, punching walls, shoving, hitting things near you or throwing things that “almost” hit you, making verbal threats or violating your personal boundaries (“getting in your space”), this is a pattern that may indicate abusive behaviour. (Empowering Parents)

Things parents can do Does your child challenge authority?

(Continued from Wednesday)

BY KIM ABRAHAM AND MARNEY STUDAKERCORDNER

Back to school note:

School offers daily opportunities for conflict when a child defies authority. You might think of school as a preparation for the future workplace environment your child will potentially encounter. There are principals, teachers (bosses) and peers (co-workers). There are rules, expectations and rewards. You may be dreading the start of school, anticipating phone calls home about your child’s behaviour.

Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind for the upcoming year:

Remember: school is your child’s job, not yours. Whenever possible, allow your child to remain responsible for his or her behaviour and performance. As a parent, you can encourage and support your child. If he asks for help because he’s struggling, you may provide assistance or arrange tutoring. But it’s your child’s job to remain motivated. We’ve known well-intentioned parents who completed a child’s homework so she would receive credit or lied and said

a child spent time reading when he didn’t. Remember, your child is learning habits for a lifetime. In 15 years, his co-worker won’t write his reports for him! Keep the focus on your child when communicating with the school. When a child defies authority, teachers and principals may try to hold you accountable for her behaviour. Why? Because your child doesn’t care (or is acting like she doesn’t). School staff will look to someone who does care, in order to change the behaviour. Often, that turns out to be the parent. If you find that happening, redirect the focus back to holding your child accountable as much as possible. In general, when it comes to not following the rules or completing class work, remind school staff that you want your child to learn these life lessons now. You are all on the same page – working toward teaching your child to be a productive member of society. What will his consequence be for certain behaviours? Detention? Suspension? Staying in from recess? Even though it may be hard to see your child uncomfortable, that’s the only way he will make the choice to change his behaviour. Make sure you are doing your part. Yes, your child is responsible for her behaviour and choices. But make sure you’re also meeting your responsibilities as a parent. This means ensuring your child has the tools necessary to do her “job” as a student: materials, support and encouragement. If your child is younger or struggles to remember things, you may need to prompt her by asking if she’s completed homework. There’s a difference between prompting in order to support her education and rescuing from having to do the work by doing it for her.

One final note: On the surface, it might sound like a great idea to teach our children how to comply with authority all the time, without questioning it. But in doing so, we would be losing many of our “rebels,” the individuals who challenge society’s status quo and teach us about ourselves and our own values. We want our children to learn to be “critical thinkers.” The key is to encourage that independent thinking while also teaching our children to be respectful and think through the consequences before they act.

(Empowering Parents)

Guyana ranks second highest for maternal deaths in Caribbean – UN report

Anew United Nations (UN) data report shows that Guyana is among five countries in the region with the highest Maternal Mortality Rate and among six nations where the rate has increased significantly between 1990 and 2013.

Listed as the highest with 380 between 1990 and 2013 is Haiti followed by Guyana at 250. Bolivia comes in third at 200, Guatemala (140) and Suriname (130). Guyana also featured among the six countries where the rate increased between 1990 and 2013.

The other countries are Canada, Cuba, Suriname, the United States and Venezuela. However, levels in Canada, Cuba and the United States are considered low, according to the report. Guyana recorded a total of 18 maternal deaths in 2013, while in 2012, the figure stood at 25.

In 2013, 2.8 per cent of maternal deaths in the Caribbean were HIV-related and in Latin America, 1.2 per cent. By comparison, 3.8 per cent of maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa were HIV-related and 2.6 per cent globally.

Meanwhile, the report states that Barbados and Haiti are among 11 countries in Latin America and Caribbean that have made significant progress in reducing deaths from pregnancy-related causes since 1990.

The new report indicates that the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in the 11 countries has been reduced by 40 per cent or more since 1990. Besides Barbados and Haiti, the other countries are Bolivia, Brazil, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru.

The report, however, said that no country in the region is on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing maternal mortality by 75 per cent by 2015. Despite this progress, it said an estimated 9300 women lost their lives in Latin America and the Caribbean due to pregnancy-related causes in 2013, down from 17,000 maternal deaths in 1990.

Changes estimated

The new report titled “Trends in Maternal Mortality Estimates 1990 to 2013” estimates changes in maternal mortality worldwide and by region and country. It was produced jointly by the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Bank and the United Nations Population Division.

The report found that in Latin America and the Caribbean, maternal mortality declined an average 40 per cent between 1990 and 2013, less than the global average and short of the 75 per cent MDG target for 2015. However, the region’s overall MMR of 85 deaths per 100,000 live births is considered “low” less than 100 among developing regions.

“We have seen progress in saving mothers’ lives in the Americas, and we welcome that,” said Suzanne Serruya, Director of the Latin American Centre for Perinatology/Women’s and Reproductive Health (CLAP), a Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) technical centre.

“But the fact that more than 9000 women lost their lives from maternal causes last year is unacceptable and means we have a major challenge to reduce those

numbers,” she added. PAHO said globally, maternal deaths have declined 45 per cent since 1990. It said an estimated 289,000 women died worldwide in 2013 due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth, down from 523,000 in 1990.

Spotlight

Another WHO study, published in “The Lancet Global Health”, casts light on why these women are dying.

“Gobal Causes of Maternal Death: A WHO Systematic Analysis” finds that more than one in four maternal deaths are caused by pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes, HIV, malaria and obesity, whose health impacts can all be aggravated by pregnancy.

However, based on these latest trends, PAHO said many low- and middle-income countries, including countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, will not achieve the goal.

PAHO said the lifetime risk of a woman dying from a maternal cause in Latin America was one in 570 and, in the Caribbean, one in 220.

Although these compare favourably with the average risk of one in 160 in all developing regions, PAHO said they are considerably higher than the risk in the United States (one in 1800) and Canada (one in 5200).

“Despite advances in the last 20 years, there has been too little progress in preventing adolescent pregnancies, abortions, maternal deaths, sexually-transmitted infections and HIV, and there are significant gaps in availability, quality and access to comprehensive sexuality education and services for young people, especially in low-income countries,” PAHO said.

Selection process for Caricom Triennial Award begins

The selection process for the 11th Caricom Triennial Award for Women 2014 got underway in Bridgetown, Barbados on Monday. The Selection Committee comprised representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica and Montserrat. This year there were eight nominees from five member states.

The aim of the award is to honour a Caribbean woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the development of the community. The recipient of the Caricom Triennial Award will receive a 15 carat gold broach/pendant with the Caricom logo presented in a jewel box, as well as a scroll with a citation in a leather cylindrical holder.

The 11th Caricom Triennial Award for Women will be presented this year at the opening ceremony of the 35th meeting of

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) said Latin America and the Caribbean will need to implement policies that guarantee the region’s agricultural sector stability and greater legal security following the enactment of the United States Farm Bill.

In a technical note sent to Caribbean Agriculture Ministers, IICA Director General Víctor M Villalobos, said the Southern Cone countries will feel the impact of

the Conference of Heads of Government to be held in Antigua and Barbuda in July 2014.

Since its inception, 10 distinguished individuals have been recipients of this award.

The individuals honoured for their significant contributions to politics and academics in their respective countries and to the

the new regulations especially hard, while other nations will be affected to a lesser degree.

The new act implements an agricultural safety and risk coverage network for US farmers that will offer them guaranteed profit margins and larger production volumes, and at the same time allow them to compete in international markets under advantageous conditions.

IICA said this development will undermine the ability of major Latin America and Caribbean countries com-

region are Nesta Patrick of Trinidad and Tobago, 1984; Dame Nita Barrow of Barbados, 1987 (deceased); Dr Peggy Antrobus of St Vincent and the Grenadines, 1990; Magda Pollard of Guyana, 1993; Dr Lucille Mathurin Mair of Jamaica, 1996 (deceased); Professor Joycelin Massiah of Guyana/Barbados, 1999; Professor Rhoda Reddock of Trinidad and Tobago, 2002; Justice Desiree Bernard of Guyana, 2005; Professor Barbara Evelyn Bailey of Jamaica, 2008; and Professor V Eudine Barriteau of Barbados, 2011.

The Selection Committee has arrived at a recommendation of the two top candidates who will be presented to the Council on Human and Social Development (COHSOD) being held in Georgetown, Guyana on May 14-15 for a final decision.

modity producers and exporters to compete with their US counterparts, while tropical countries will enjoy the benefit of cheaper agricultural imports.

Rafael Trejos, a specialist with IICA’s Centre for Strategic Analysis for Agriculture (CAESPA), explained that the Southern Cone countries would be hardest hit, while the Central American and Andean nations would benefit from lower prices of the products they import. (CMC)

Retired Justice Desiree Bernard

Sade Stoby murder trial

Defence makes nocase submissions

… as prosecution closes case

By Vahnu Manikchand

Defence attorneys for the two accused indicted with the murder of nine-year-old Sade Stoby made no- case submissions on Wednesday after the prosecution led by State Counsel Judith Gildharie-Mursalin closed it case.

The state is claiming that 23-year-old Jevon Wharton and 21-year-old Colwyn Charles Cush of Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara, murdered Stoby on November 2, 2007 after raping her at Sixth Field, Barnwell North. At the time of the incident, Wharton and Cush were 16 and 14 years old respectively.

Defence counsels Raymond Ali for Wharton and George Thomas for Cush both made no-case submissions before presiding judge, Justice Navindra Singh, in the absence of the 12-member jury panel. The attorneys argued grounds as to why their clients should not be called upon to lead their defence and why the case should not be sent to the jury. State Counsel Gildharie-Mursalin responded, telling the court why the accused should be called to lead their defence.

Wednesday’s session also saw the aunt of Cush testifying that she was present throughout the investigations involving her nephew. Wendella Knights is the maternal aunt of

Cush. She told the court that on November 5 around 15:00h, she received a call from her sister, who informed her that Cush was taken into custody.

Initial investigation Knights said she went to the Providence Police Station; however, her nephew was being transferred to the Ruimveldt Police Station, so she went there and saw Cush in a room with his mother, who subsequently left the room crying and so she (Knights) went to console her. Knights continued that

she took over from her sister and was present when the Police questioned her nephew about the murder of Stoby. She added that they were then taken to the Brickdam Police Station where Wharton was and after the Police were done with their questions, she and Cush were taken home. They returned to the station the following morning. The aunt recalled that after a series of questions, she, Cush and Corporal Royston Blair went to Dr Mohan Persaud’s office in Grove, where her nephew was examined and a report was

subsequently prepared.

Knights added that she was also present on November 6, when a confrontation was held between Cush and Carlos Hubbard, an initial suspect. During questioning by the prosecution, the accused’s aunt said she cannot recall when she witnessed the taking of a caution statement, but noted that she had signed as a witness everything Cush was asked to sign. She was also asked whether her nephew was beaten, threatened or promised anything in her presence and replied no.

Knights was then crossexamined briefly by the defence attorneys. During questioning, Attorney Thomas suggested to the woman that the caution statement was taken after they returned from the doctor and she agreed. While being led in her evidence in chief by the Prosecutor, Knights could not recall when the caution statement was taken.

On Wednesday, Corporal Blair also returned to the stand for continued crossexamination by Attorney Thomas. Blair began his testimony on Tuesday telling the court of the various roles he played in the investigations. When the case is called again today, Justice Singh is expected to rule on the no-case submissions. (vahnum@guyanatimegy. com)

Eyew tness

Nonsense on stilts...

...on Pharma

People doling out medical advice in the press routinely caution that the said advice is “not of a diagnostic nature”. It’s for the good reason that the human body’s so complex there’s no “one cure that fits all”. But when it comes to law, people have no such compunction. No wonder it’s said that “the law’s an ass”.

Take this voyeur fella in the Muckraker who claims the pre-qualification criteria for the procurement for pharmaceuticals may be legally challenged. Sure you can challenge the law...if you have money; you can challenge the proposition that you shouldn’t have to drive on the left side of the road. The question is whether you have a case...in other words...is it legal?

The voyeur’s worried that the pre-qualification rules aren’t “fair to external” companies. The poor dear...so virtuous that he carries the worries of the whole world on his shoulders, like a modern day Atlas. But his worry about “external” companies, is just a beard for waging his sponsor’s vendetta against local companies doing well.

The voyeur talks glibly about WTO rules on “nondiscrimination” and “fair competition”. How dare this nation – trying to pull itself out of poverty by its own efforts – stop giving preferences to local companies and their products!!! Why!!

The entire WTO might collapse under the contradiction we introduced. Never mind that the US buys all its rice from local US producers – even when they want to dump it into third world countries like Haiti to compete against our exports!!

The rules should just apply just to us at the bottom of the ladder. We wonder why the voyeur doesn’t demand Caricom take the US to the WTO to charge violations of the WTO’s “non-discrimination” rules.

The voyeur also has problems with the Government demanding suppliers have large, air conditioned warehouses. This will also discriminate against “free trade”. Oh my! We don’t know what the Government could be thinking of with this silly rule.

The reason proffered – that the supplier can’t dump the entire year’s Pharma purchases into the Government’s warehouse, so must store enough Pharma safely for requisition “refills” – doesn’t cut any ice. Why should foreign companies be saddled with this burden?

So what if one company had the foresight to do this – while the other locals are still running bottom-house operations? As the voyeur said, our struggle is for “free trade”. The principle’s the thing. Never mind we’ll be starving into the next century.

Quoting fancy words out of context simply produces “nonsense on stilts”.

...at City Hall

It was a real theatre of the absurd at City Hall Tuesday. Forget the old adage that only “mad dogs and Englishmen” venture out into the tropical sun. They should include Georgetown’s Mayor-for-life Hamilton Green and his band of pilferers. They held an “extraordinary” meeting on the tarmac in the heat of the midday sun. Why?

Well duh!!! To get rid of the troublesome Town Clerk (AG) Sooba. What else? She’s “troublesome” because she insists on weird things like asking the Mayor’s wife to cough up the $9 million in taxes she owes to the bankrupt City. The Mayor and his troupe voted Sooba out and voted in their loyal PR flak, Royston King.

King has experience in the Town Clerk job. He once held it for one day – and immediately erased $36 million in taxes owned by one company. But the thing is – the Mayor and City Council have no authority to fire or hire a Town Clerk – acting or otherwise. It’s arrogation on stilts.

...Rohee’s thin-skinned?

How dare some claim Rohee holds grudges. The real reason he revoked the visa of the American Glen Bradbury, is because, once upon a time, they revoked the visa of Glenn Lall. They claimed that Saint, who used to tattle on his friends, was into backtracking. What nonsense on stilts!!!

The two murder accused being escorted from the courtroom

Police wrapping up shot-in-mouth probe

Crime Chief Leslie James said his ranks are wrapping up their investigation into the shooting of a 15-year-old boy by a Cadet Officer last week Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, James said the Force is at the “conclusive aspect of the investigation” and has found that the bullet used in the shooting of Alex Griffith is consistent with the firearm carried by the Cadet Officer who allegedly shot him.

James said the matter is being thoroughly investigated, noting that they have been able to get a statement from the child, although it was somewhat difficult to do so. He said too that the Police are also in possession of statements from the other officers who were with the Cadet Officer at the time of the shooting.

According to James, the officer who was stationed in C Division had come to the city and was on duty. Asked if the officer had violated any protocol by carrying out Police functions in another division, the Crime Chief responded in the negative, pointing out the officer lives within the district. Asked about his detention, James noted that the officer has been released since, and

like any ordinary citizen, he was released after the stipulated 72 hours. The Cadet Officer was initially under close arrest. He said too that the Force is in contact with the officer.

Griffith was on Wednesday night shot in the mouth by the officer who had accused him of being a witness to a robbery in the North East La Penitence Squatting Area earlier in the day. The incident occurred during a response to a report of robbery with aggravation committed on a relative of the rank. Griffith was released from the Georgetown Public Hospital on Tuesday. According to reports received, the teenager was

at home when at least five Police ranks appeared at his door with guns. They reportedly called out for “Caveman”, a nickname that Griffith responds to. His mother, Marcelle Griffith told Guyana Times that after the policemen started to “Bram down de door”, she opened and enquired the purpose of their visit.

At that time, they told her that they wanted to question her son in connection with a robbery, claiming that he was not involved but rather he might know who committed the act. The teenager held out that he was at a friend’s house all day and did not have any knowledge of the incident.

Guyana’s laws to fight drug trafficking adequate – Rohee

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Clement Rohee said while the laws of Guyana are adequate, the courts are generally empowered to lay the final course of action against offenders of drug smuggling.

He was at the time responding to questions by journalists at the party’s weekly press conference at Freedom House on Tuesday. Rohee said that as Home Affairs Minister, he is very much concerned about the transshipment of cocaine out of Guyana in various products.

However, there is still little that law enforcement officers can do, since, even when charges are laid, the courts have the final say.

“Within the meaning of the criminal justice system, the court is the appropriate authority to address such issues. I would say that the laws are adequate. The question is whether the courts are being as stringent or draconian in meting out the penalties.”

Rohee said it has been observed in recent times, there have been numerous attempts to legitimise and decriminalise the use of narcotics, with attempts being made to provide cover for drug lords.

“The key question to that is where is that coming from and who is responsible.”

Unlike popular thoughts, Rohee said he was sure there is no weakness in the law. He pointed out that legal technicalities tend to step into the

system between prosecutors and defence lawyers in the court.

With the intercession of those technicalities, persons may be exonerated. He continued that with frequency of bail applications in the high courts, especially with respect to the possession and trafficking in narcotics, there is a constant bout of such incidences. He said much is left to question what signal it sends to persons who are bent on violating the laws.

Acknowledgement

The US Government earlier this year had acknowledged the strides Guyana has made in its drug fight, but said it is looking forward to tangible progress on investigations, prosecutions, extraditions, security sector, and port security capacity enhancement.

It also said serious work needs to be done to engage at-risk communities and enforce laws against money laundering and financial crimes. According to the US, Guyana is a transit country for cocaine destined for its shores, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, and West Africa. Cocaine originating in Colombia is smuggled to Venezuela and onward to Guyana by sea or air.

The comments were contained in the US 2014 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR). The report is an annual publication by the Department of State to Congress prepared in accordance with the Foreign

Assistance Act.

It describes the efforts of key countries to attack all aspects of the international drug trade in Calendar Year 2013. Volume One covers drug and chemical control activities, while Volume Two covers money laundering and financial crimes. In the report, the US said efforts to increase law enforcement capabilities, protect borders and ports, strengthen workforce development, and promote antimoney laundering effectiveness directly address priority concerns shared by Guyana and itself.

Washington said the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI)-funded programmes support Guyana’s maritime operations by providing interdiction assets, including riverine patrol boats delivered in December 2013 and relevant command and control systems, as well as associated logistical support and training.

PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee

Alex Griffith

GBTI predicts slow growth rate

... urges political maturity to pass AML/CFT Bill

Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Chief Executive Officer John Tracey said 2014 will pose significant challenges for the local economy, warning of a slow growth rate. He also urged more political maturity to get a key anti-money laundering legislative regime in place to avoid international sanctions.

The Bank’s prediction runs counter to forecasts by both the International Monetary Fund and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean that projected a growth rate of over four per cent for Guyana this year. Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh has also projected growth of 5.6 per cent in 2014, with the non-sugar economy projected to grow by 5.2 per cent.

AML/CFT Bill

Political gridlock has left the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Amendment Bill comatose for over a year now. The Bill is being scrutinised and amended at the Select Committee level. Currently, the Oppositionproposed amendments are being formatted by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel Cecil Dhurjon.

Would the Opposition endorse the Bill when it is placed before the House?

This is the question that lingers. Both the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) have made it clear that they will not support the Bill in the National Assembly until the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) is functional.

They are also pushing for President Donald Ramotar to assent to key Opposition bills that were passed in the National Assembly, but were

rejected by the President.

Based on the advice of Attorney General Anil Nandlall, President Ramotar said he would not buckle under pressure, explaining that the Opposition-initiated bills were unconstitutional. Recently, Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) Chairperson Allison Maynard-Gibson and Executive Director Calvin Wilson met with the Government, Opposition and private sector and indicated that Guyana will face draconian measures if it fails to pass the AML/CFT Bill by May 29. From May 25 to 29, there will be the staging of the XXXIX CFATF Plenary Meeting in Miami before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Plenary from June 15 to 20.

Significant challenges

Tracey made the comments in his report to the Bank’s directors. He warned that 2014 will pose significant challenges as the global economy continues to struggle, emerging economies will continue to have slower growth and may even slip into recession. “The heavily indebted narrow economies of the Caribbean may experience marginal growth, but remain vulnerable to external shocks.”

Haslington murder

Tracey said Guyana could face the most serious of challenges that it has had to face for some years, noting that: “an uncompromising and uncertain legislative environment already resulted in the country being “blacklisted” by the CFATF”.

He said with another deadline looming, international sanctions seem likely, as key amendments to the AML/CFT legislation still cannot be agreed on. He warned that the consequences of international sanctions are dire and political maturity is required to avoid this.

GBTI Chairman Robin Stoby also expressed disappointment at the gridlock involving the Bill. He said in his report that the banking sector remains disappointed that necessary measures required to bolster and strengthen the legislative regime to combat money laundering were the victims of the ongoing political impasse.

“We join with the other members of the local banking fraternity in urging meaningful dialogue aimed at ensuring that our country’s anti-money laundering laws are compliant with global standards, while, at the same time, respectful of our constitutional safeguards.”

FATCA

Tracey also made reference to the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) becoming effective in July this year, noting that this legislation on reporting requirements places further obligations on banks and increased operational expenditure. “This USA law requires foreign financial institutions such as GBTI to report on US citizens’ holding of account above certain threshold.”

The Bank’s CEO said the key rice and sugar sectors

will also be challenged, noting that with rising rice production, sales agreements such as the Venezuelan rice agreement are imperative for the continued success of the industry. However, he said new markets also need to be established.

Turning to sugar, Tracey said this industry continues to lag and faces the challenges of adverse weather, shortage of labour, and mechanical failures. He noted that with depreciating currency, the need for export earnings becomes more vital.

Regarding the Bank, the CEO said it will continue to be conservative in its approach this year, pointing out that expansion is expected to continue within the banking sector, but at a slower pace. He said emphasis will be placed on improving asset quality as the Bank consolidates its position in the industry.

“Unprofitable lines of business will be reviewed and discontinued if need be. Focus will be placed on ensuring compliance with new regulations and legislations,” Tracey added.

He said branch expansion will continue this year, with the opening of at least one new branch and also the removal of the present operations from rented premises

No body listenin to de Pee-N-C

It got some strange people in this life. Dem does seh one ting one time and seh another ting bout de same ting another time. Old people does call people like dem two-face. But usually is not that de whole face gotta problem, is does be only de mouth.

Every body know de Pullice gotta a lotta wuk to do. Well, only de other day, de Opposition tell de Pullice whah dem must do and whah dem mustn’t do. And one a de main tings de Pee-N-C tell dem is to solve de crime problem in de country. Somma de crimes petty like Rum Jhaat and somma dem big like Feel Licks.

Although de Guyana crime problem not like de Tee-T crime problem, it still is a problem. If yuh go to de interior is one setta problems. Yuh go to Berbice, is another setta problems. Yuh come to GT, is another setta problems, startin wid de chief citizen. And it musbe by divine design that chief rhyme wid thief.

Goin back to whah old people call two-face people, Pee-N-C and KFC was tellin de Pullice that dem must be in touch wid de people. Now de Commishunner gone to All Boys Town to meet de people, and de whole Opposition start fretting. Dem want de Pullice to solve dem own problems inside before goin to solve any problems outside. If that was to apply everywhere, then de Pee-N-C not suppose to do any ting outside until dem solve dem own inside problems too. Number one inside problem is Green Bridge. He not only short, but he was shorta votes in de secret poll. Then yuh got Core Bin, who de Pee-N-C throw away in a bin long time.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! Yet, wid all these inside problems, only de other day de Pee-N-C was holdin dem own outreaches all over de country after de secret poll. So if de Pee-N-C not listenin to dem own advice, is no wonder nobody in de country listenin to dem either!

to the Bank’s own building at Port Kaituma.

ATM Switch

Speaking about the much-anticipated Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Switch Service, where customers would be able to use the ATM of any Bank regardless of where their account is, Tracey said this is expected by the end of the year and will coincide with the launch of the Bank’s Kaieteur Classic Visa debit card. This card

will allow customers limited international access to their funds at the Bank.

“With the challenges ahead, we would continue to work hard to achieve our objectives as we enter into the third year of our fiveyear strategic plan,” the CEO said, adding that it is hoped that the major investments the Bank has made in its Information Technology system and infrastructure will start to pay dividends in greater efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Wife confesses lover killed husband

Lomattie Ramdat, the wife of slain fisherman Chetram Bharrat, told investigators that it was her lover, Errol Khan, who carried out the fatal attack on her husband on Friday at the couple’s Haslington, East Coast Demerara home.

The woman who initially stated that she and her now dead husband were attacked by two bandits on the day in question confessed on Tuesday evening that Khan entered the home and attacked her husband with a cutlass in the wee hours of Friday.

Ramdat reportedly told investigators that after she intervened, the man had threatened to kill her and her family thus she retreated, but was still chopped about her body. She added that after the attack, Khan left but not before again threatening to “wipe out” her family if she told the Police that he killed her husband.

Ramdat, a source told Guyana Times, is in protective custody at the Georgetown Public Hospital and Police are presently analysing the fingerprints gathered at the scene to confirm

it was indeed Khan who committed the heinous crime.

Police had already issued a wanted bulletin for Khan for questioning into the murder of Bharrat based on initial information gathered during the investigation.

Ramdat reportedly told the Police that Khan had threatened to poison her husband and children before, so out of fear, her children moved in with her sister at Clonbrook, East Coast Demerara.

She also confirmed that she and Khan lived together for about four months af-

ter her husband went to Suriname.

Her husband, she added, knew of the affair, but forgave her and reportedly asked her for reconciliation. In his attempt to salvage the marriage, Bharrat instructed Ramdat to stay at her sister’s home until his return.

Spurned

At that point, she reportedly broke all ties with Khan, but that did not go down well. Ever since, he has been attempting to contact her. The desperate man even visited the woman’s sister at

Clonbrook and requested a meeting with her.

Ramdat’s brother-inlaw, according to information received, intervened and warned Khan not to return to his home. A few weeks later, Bharrat returned from Suriname and they moved back to their home at Haslington.

However, Khan persisted in his attempts to contact the woman and requested to meet her, but was repeatedly rejected. On the morning of Friday, he reportedly entered the couple’s home via a window and attacked Bharrat

who was sleeping on the bed. Ramdat told investigators that she pleaded with the man to leave her husband alone, but he continued to throw chops indiscriminately, leaving her husband in an unconscious state. Bharrat subsequently bled to death. A post-mortem performed on Bharrat proved that he died as a result of multiple chop wounds.

Ramdat remains a patient of the Georgetown Public Hospital nursing chop wounds to her head, arm, face and leg. The Police are yet to make an arrest.

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

GBTI CEO John Tracey

Independence Exhibition opens at Castellani House

The National Gallery of Art at Castellani House will be holding an exhibition to observe Guyana’s 48th Independence Anniversary and the 176th Anniversary of Indian Arrival.

The exhibition showcasing the work of renowned artist Bernadette Persaud will be open today by invitation and then on Friday to the public and will continue until June.

Persaud’s paintings tell stories of nature, life, death, love, beauty, repression and freedom.

During the 1980s, her work epitomised a difficult time in Guyana’s history capturing the dark moments of political oppression.

“I used to love playing around with colour, my father had bought me a nice tin of oil paint, so I started painted everything that caught my attention,” she said.

She explained that she

never really looked at painting as a profession, as her father wanted her to become a lawyer, but after spending some time at the art school in Georgetown, she loved the concept of expression through art.

Intriguing pieces

Even though she was expelled from the art school, Persaud never let that get her down and actually used it as motivation to pursue her newfound love and as they say the rest is now history. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, internationally, regionally and locally, for her intriguing pieces.

Acting Curator of the National Gallery Ohene Koama said Persaud’s work was chosen because it depicts many aspects of independence and over 40 pieces will be on display.

He noted that Persaud’s

Enmore/Hope NDC repaired roads

Fifteen roads and the Enmore/Hope Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), which were rehabilitated under the Community Roads Improvement Project (CRIP), were commissioned on Tuesday by Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali.

The Minister assured the residents of the Government’s commitment to further develop the East Coast Demerara community.

The CRIP programme facilitated the rehabilitation of the NDC building; training of staff; development of a maintenance manual; rehabilitation of 5.5 kilometres of roads; the cleaning, reshaping and realigning of existing roadways and drains; and the construction of new drains in Nursery School Street, among other areas.

“There is a lot of work indeed that is needed for the development of this community and we are going to continue as a Government to provide investments that are required to improve the lives of every citizen of Enmore and its environs,” Minister Ali said while delivering his address at the commissioning ceremony held at the NDC compound.

Enmore/Hope NDC Chairman Jainauth Bhikhari stated that the roads were in dire need of

“India:

“Her work in the collection: we haven’t had her recent ones, so we think from this exhibition we can acquire a few to fill that gap. We are currently working with the artist and we have a few professionals and gallery staff who will be working on laying her series of collection in sequence from the 1980s to present,” Koama explained. Her recent series is known as “Rainforest”. Other series include: “Gentlemen at the Gate”, “Birds of Sunlight”, “The Wounded Canvas”, “Readings from the Quran” and “Lotus”. All of these will be on display.

Koama is encouraging everyone to come out and view the exhibition. Persons will have the opportunity to interact with the artist and experience firsthand the beauty and stories portrayed by Persaud spanning more than 40 years.

repairs and residents complained continuously about damage to their vehicles and the horror they would have to go through to get to their homes when it rains.

Improving access

He concluded his brief remarks by thanking the Government of Guyana for paying attention to their community and addressing their needs.

CRIP is a US$18.7 million project to construct numerous community roads, amounting to 100 kilometres (km). The project is funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and Government.

It is aimed at improving the livelihoods of residents living in Regions Three, Four, and Six in selected communities by improving access to housing, education, health and other social infrastructure.

The roads that were repaired in the community of Enmore/ Hope include: First Cross Street, Blossom Scheme; Station Street; Dennis Morgan Street; Gulcharran Street; Pudicombe Street; Izeck Joe Street; Samlall Street; Community Centre Road; Market Street; Shiek Street (Logwood); Chandi Street; Two Stick Street; Salim Street; and Station Street (North of the Railway Embankment.

One of the rehabilitated roads in Enmore

work was last displayed in 2005 at Castellani House in a solo exhibition sponsored by the High Commission of India, titled

A Glimpse”.

Lotus in the time of the Arab Spring, Acrylics (2001)

thursday, may 8, 2014 | guyanatimesgy.com

Curtains come down on Linden Town Week

The curtains for Linden Town Week (LTW) came down on Monday with residents reflecting on the gains made over the years as the town celebrated its 44th birth anniversary.

The town was transformed into a hub for entertainment, economic and social events, as numerous activities were conducted from April 26 to May 5, under the theme “With cultural stability, we’ll build our economy”.

While scores of persons from across Guyana and the diaspora flocked the community to be entertained by sporting events, others visited to see the showcase in culture, arts and expo. This

Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon, Opposition Leader David Granger, and LTW Committee Chair Eric Harry, among other dignitaries.

Top students in the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) and the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) across Linden were awarded.

Over the course of events, a two-day career and job fair was hosted on April 29 and 30. This saw the participation of over 25 companies and organisations, including the Linden Mayor and Town Council (M&TC), the Guyana Geology and Mines

from the various organisations were also in attendance, while booklets and handouts showcased services which were being offered by the various companies.

Additionally, on April 29, various primary school students within Linden participated in the first “Jump Rope for Heart Freestyle competition”, organised by the Education Ministry. Held on the Wisroc/Amelia’s Ward bus parks, the event saw 26 jumpers participating, while patrons flocked the area to catch a glimpse of the action.

Emerging victorious in the overall competition was Shania Liverpool who represented the Christianburg Primary school, followed

year’s activities were organised under the Linden Town Week Secretariat, headed by Coordinator Keeran Williams. The Secretariat was established this year and saw the organisational shift from the usual ‘committee’, which was responsible for organising the events in past years.

Linden Town Week 2014, started off with an opening ceremony at the Linden/ Georgetown minibus park, Mackenzie.

It saw the attendance of Junior Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker, Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green,

Commission (GGMC), Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Incorporated (BMGGI) and the Youth Friendly Services (YFS) peer education group, among others.

Firsthand information

Attendees who turned out to the exercises at the Linmine Constabulary Hall and the Linden Technical Institute (LTI) benefited from firsthand information on various jobs, including safety at the workplace and what employers pride in their employees.

Interviews were also conducted at the locations. Human resources officers

by Shannea Worrell and Serena Drakes of the Saint Aidan’s Primary school, who tied in second position.

Meanwhile, at the same location, the Linden Hospital Complex hosted a health fair, which attracted scores of persons. Health checks and screening were conducted, while persons were educated on ways to stay healthy.

Luncheon

On April 30, over 300 senior citizens were treated to a luncheon. This event was held at the Egbert Benjamin Centre at Mackenzie and has been conducted since

1996, starting off with only 35 senior citizens. It now forms part of the LTW annual calendar of activities. This year, the older folks were treated to poems, oldies music, gift bags and monetary donations. BMGGI made a contribution by donating 50 gifts towards the initiative, while Digicel and other stakeholder groups also stepped in.

The annual Linden Expo was also featured on May 1 and 2 at the Egbert Benjamin Centre, and saw scores of entrepreneurs, craftsmen and businesses on showcase.

Caricom Bottling, NAMILCO, Denise catering Institute, AINLIM, Linden Utility Services Co-op Society Limited (LUSCSL)

and Dillans Sewing Establishment were among some of the companies and organisations on showcase.

Speaking at the event on Saturday, Williams said the event achieved what it had set out to do, which is to bring various businesses and entities together on showcase under one roof.

He said the Secretariat will work towards the improvement and development of not only the Linden Expo in the years to come, but all other flagship events on the LTW calendar.

On the social and entertainment side, community-based activities such as Upper and Lower Half Mile Days and Wismar Night were hosted. The Miss Linden Town Week

Pageant, which was won by Luella Figueira, was hosted on April 26 and set the stage for the other entertainment events.

Conceptualised and implemented for the first time in 1996 as the Linden Town Day, and transformed to the Linden Town Week in 2006, this activity is one of the most anticipated events in the hearts of Lindeners and many Guyanese across the diaspora. It seeks to be a fusion of expo, culture and fete with the aim of promoting social cohesion, economic stimulation and culture. During the annual week of activities, events in the areas of tourism, entertainment, sport, education, health and welfare are usually featured.

Amerindian Affairs Ministry continues

to support Amerindian villages – Wowetta and Massakenari receive close to $3M in support

Over the last weekend, whilst on the visit to North Rupununi, Region Nine, Amerindian Minister Affairs Pauline Sukhai handed over to the Wowetta Village Council a cheque valued $1.5 million to support the improvement of the village’s eco-tourism. The funds which will provide for the installation of an internet system in the village’s tourism office will further assist in building the capacity of the village, more especially the young people in the use of the technology, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.

Senior Councillor of Wowetta Village Council, Bertie Xavier, explained that the young people will have access to the system to

obtain information and also to communicate with friends

in and out of Guyana.

“This is a huge plus again for us. I see it as a positive enhancement for my village, and more so for the people of Wowetta, and I am so excited that in spite of the situation within the country that we can be able to access additional funds to continue to improve the development of Woweta village,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Amerindian Minister Affairs also handed over $785,000 worth of assorted items to the Massakenari Village Council.

These include two sewing machines for sewing groups in the village, as well as utensils inclusive of knives, forks, plates, and other items for the village kitchen. Two chain saw and six pairs of long boots were among the items.

The Parliamentary Opposition’s disapproval of the Ministry’s 2014 capital budget will greatly limit Government’s ability to support Amerindian villages’ development for this year, but nevertheless, Government continues to press forward, using financial resources available, in the knowledge that it must seek to work to address the gaps in Amerindian development, that still remain, following years of neglect by the PNC Government.

Denise Institute of Catering at the Linden Expo

Senior Citizens at the Linden Town Week luncheon

Persons at the job fair

Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai hands over assorted items to the Massakenari Village Council, Region Nine

Shell customer wins trip to VIP Ferrari Experience in Belgium

Adeserving Shell V-Power customer is now living the dream of every motor-sport enthusiast as she prepares to jet to the Ultimate VIP Ferrari Experience at the 2014 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix from August 22 to 24, at the iconic SpaFrancorchamps in Belgium.

Samantha Foster emerged as the winner of the trip for two to Belgium, Grand Prix tickets, and US$1000 in spending money in the Grand Prize draw recently held at the main office of Sol Guyana Inc, the licensed operator of Shell Service Stations in Guyana. Sol Brands Inc uses the Shell trademarks under licence across its regional Shell Service Station network and is the sole distributor of Shell’s fuels and lubricants, which are fully backed by Shell’s world-class technical expertise.

According to a release by the company, there was rousing applause during the presentation ceremony held Friday, May 2, as the lucky winner was congratulated and presented with her prizes by Sol Guyana Inc Sales and Marketing Manager Donna Hope.

Noting that the response by customers to the promotion had been inspirational, Hope said Shell V-Power was a major part of Shell’s longstanding Technical Partnership with Ferrari, which began over 60 years ago. Hope added that Shell continued to provide the Ferrari team with fuels and

lubricants, essential to the operation of the Scuderia Ferrari F138.

Reenergising market

Commenting further on the success of the promotion, the Sales and Marketing Manager thanked Shell Service Station dealers, site staff and participating customers for their enthusiasm. He noted that the promotion had achieved its main goals of rewarding a valued customer with the experience of a lifetime while reenergising the market by sharing the key attributes associated with the Shell brand.

Hope said Sol was passionate about offering quality, high performance fuels.

“We encourage all our customers to keep using Shell V-Power, which features a unique double-action formulation designed to actively clean your engine and reduce friction to help deliver more power throughout the

life of your vehicle,” Hope said.

Customers became eligible for participation in the promotion with every $3000 spent on Shell V-Power gasoline or Shell Diesel. Several customers also benefited from instant prizes of Ferrari watches, and fuel vouchers of $5000 for entrants receiving calls from 98.1 FM.

Belgian Grand Prix

Every summer, Formula 1 enthusiasts converge on Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix. Located 87 miles from Belgium’s capital city of Brussels, Spa is in an idyllic wooded valley surrounded by hills and many rivers and springs. Famous for its healing cold mineral springs, Spa became famous as early as the 14th century among royals and wealthy persons who visited the city’s water sources believing they possessed health-giving properties.

Miss Guyana World contestant Rafieya Husain begins outreach

Already one of the contestants for Miss Guyana World has begun her quest for the crown with outreach meetings in Region Two. Rafieya Husain, Contestant Number Two for the Miss World Guyana Pageant slated for Independence Night at the National Culture Centre, Georgetown, is representing Region Two.

Husain said her passion for fashion prompted her to join the pageant. She is spending three days in Region Two, taking pictures, meeting Government officials, hospitals and businesses, to build confidence for the pageant.

Her first visit was at the Anna Regina Town Council, where she met Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker, Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud and Town Clerk Diane Critchlow, among other top regional officials, while formally introducing herself.

Husain also visited the Regional Democratic Council, where she met with officials

from the various departments, as well as students and teachers from the Anna Regina Multilateral School.

She met too with staff of the Education Department, the Suddie Public Hospital and Region Two and the country’s 2013 top student at the last Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), Yogeeta Persaud.

Husain is expected to visit Capoey, Mainstay Resort and a few cultural groups on Thursday and Friday.

She said her greatest dream is to win the Miss World title and walk the fashion runways in the USA,

Paris and Milan.

Husain said her passion for modelling started at a very young age, noting that acting and pageantry gave her the opportunity to showcase her talents.

Her platform is domestic violence and finding steps towards raising awareness to address the scourge.

Husain said if she won the Miss Universe crown, she would work with the Miss World Organisation to achieve its goals and would use her platform to address corporate and public leaders, community service groups, the media and others about issues to generate for a variety of causes, including poverty, domestic violence, diabetes, awareness, education and literacy.

“I would like to be more hands on with people sharing my experiences, listening to their challenges and finding support and alternative solutions for a better life,” Husain said.

Husain is one of eight contestants competing for the Miss World Guyana crown.

US Ambassador’s remarks on press freedom in Guyana

preposterous,

Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS)

Dr Roger Luncheon today stated that Cabinet was outraged at the United States (US) Ambassador Brendt Hardt’s outburst at the celebration recognising World Press Freedom Day 2014 which was held at the Ambassador’s residence on Friday, last.

The Ambassador was at the time quoting from a joint report issued by the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Association of Caribbean Media Workers in addition to making his own views public.

Dr Luncheon stated that the Ambassador inveigled against the Government of Guyana for not respecting freedom of the press, and for among other things, intimidating the media. He noted that Cabinet’s visceral responses are understandable in the context of such a preposterous and outrageous claim by the US Ambassador.

The HPS observed that the excesses of Kaieteur News and the Stabroek

outrageous – Dr Luncheon

News in letters published are done openly without policy or regret.

He stressed that both newspapers have failed Guyanese with gross untruth and misinformation.

“This the US Ambassador knows, he claims otherwise and those claims fly in the face of reality,” Dr Luncheon said.

He added that the Ambassador’s claims of intimidation are both hilarious and cynical, “if intimidation is at work, threats of denial of US visas seem more intimidatory to journalists than mere Government criticism.”

The HPS declared emphatically that the rejoinders made at the event by Attorney General Anil Nandlall fully represent the Government’s views about the Ambassador’s “studied impertinence and double standards”.

He added that the remarks were preposterous and outrageous, “particularly when the very action of the US authority in the White House with regard to their own media house is projecting insight that the

Ambassador does well in concealing, not highlighting,” Dr Luncheon added.

The AG, in response to Hardt’s statement, made it clear that Guyana has come a far way in terms of press freedom, and is making moves to advance this effortwhich is the context in which the subject of press freedom must be viewed.

“Before we assess today’s state of the press in Guyana, I believe it is incumbent that we reflect on what existed before we can make an accu-

rate assessment…not so far in our distant past, we lived in a society where the press was absolutely controlled by the Government of the day. The medium through which information was disseminated was singularly from the Government sources,” the AG stated at the function.

Newsprint was denied to opposition political parties for the publication of their newspapers, and when a legal challenge was launched against that restriction on the importation of news-

print, the highest court of the land ruled that there is no direct impact between newsprint, (the importation of which was necessary at the time), and freedom of the press.

“We come from a history where journalists were beaten, brutalised, jailed, and murdered. I hope persons are paying attention to the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry, a lot of important aspects of life in Guyana 30 years ago are unfolding before that Commission.”

The AG pointed out that today, Guyana has Government newspapers, private newspapers, private media houses operating –some 20-odd television stations, Internet-generated news agencies, and the opening of the radio spectrum where eight radio stations are currently operating, only two of which are controlled by the Government.

Nandlall said: “There is absolutely no attempt by the Administration, of which I am a part, to influence what those private media houses publish. None at all! There is no attempt to censor any

journalist practising his trade or professional pursuit in this country. None at all!”

The AG added that what obtains in Guyana is press freedom sometimes being abused.

Nandlall agreed with the ambassador that there is need to regulate press freedom.

He said, “It is important that Government remains accountable, and every effort is being made to achieve this objective. The press, as an important watchdog, must also, through self-regulation or other mechanism, remain accountable as well.

“…I don’t believe that there is any sector in the country that should operate in a manner that is unaccountable and less than transparent; we are living in a different world.”

The AG also pointed out the state of press freedom in the United States of America and other countries. “So every country has (its) own peculiar biases and prejudices, and the news is going to be slanted in a particular way…Guyana, I suppose, is no different.”

Miss Guyana World contestant Rafieya Husain meeting with Region Two Regional Executive Officer Sunil Singh in the presence of others

Miss Guyana World contestant Rafieya Husain

Samantha Foster receives her cheque from a representative of Sol

Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS) Dr Roger Luncheon

Final report on American Airlines crash landing released

Five years after an American Airlines jet ran off the runway at the Norman Manley International Airport in Jamaica, the final report on the investigation into the incident has been released.

In the report, the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) stated that the incident could have been avoided, if the crew aboard American Airlines flight 331 took certain precautions.

Just under 150 passengers were injured on December 22, 2009 when American Airlines Flight 331, flying from Miami to Kingston, overshot the run-

way at the Norman Manley International Airport and came to a stop inches from the Caribbean sea just off the Port Royal main road.

The report, released on Tuesday has documented a wide range of issues that contributed to the crash on the night of December 22.

It noted “While the crew of American Airlines flight 331 was very experienced, they did not sufficiently apprise themselves of safety procedures in approaching and landing in the weather condition on December 22, 2009.”

According to the report although there was heavy rain in Kingston on that

night, resulting in a wet runway – the First Officer, in his statement, said he did not recall the weather conditions on the Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS)

The report also said the flight crew selected to land on runway 12 despite being informed by the Tower Controller about the unfavourable wind direction and strength.

It stated that there was no evidence that the flight crew requested or received a report on the condition of runway 12 or braking action during the approach, until less than five minutes before landing. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

US legislators favour US-Cuba dialogue on equal footing

Four US lawmakers agreed in Havana that there are favourable conditions for direct and unconditional dialogue between Havana and Washington to normalise bilateral relations.

The four US legislators visiting Cuba are democrats Barbara Lee and Sam Farr from California, Emanuel Cleaver from Missouri and Gregory W Meeks from New York.

In a press conference at Havana’s Saratoga Hotel, the US lawmakers said that their visit to Cuba was

aimed at enabling possible negotiations to achieve the release of US citizen Alan Gross, who is jailed in Cuba, and of the three Cubans held in US prisons since 1998.

Gross, a contractor with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), was arrested, tried and convicted in 2009 for having violated Cuban laws after he tried to introduce a project financed by Washington, which consisted in the setting up of covert and illegal communication systems based on

non-commercial technology.

Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino and Antonio Guerrero, members of the group known as the Cuban Five, have been incarcerated in US jails for having monitored Miamibased organisations that planned terrorist actions against Cuba.

Last April 9, Cuba reiterated its willingness to find an acceptable solution for the two cases, which takes into account the humanitarian concern about Gross and also about the three Cubans. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Drought conditions force Trinidad and Tobago to implement water rationing

Trinidad and Tobago has joined other Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries that have instituted water rationing as they deal with the impact of a prolonged dry season.

The Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) said it is introducing a temporary water supply schedule for parts of the twin island republic as a result of “below normal” rainfall conditions in April.

WASA said a similar

pattern is forecast for this month. It said the temporary schedules go into effect in Trinidad as of Wednesday, May 7, while Tobago has been under such a schedule since April 13.

The statement from WASA quotes the Director, Meteorological Services of Trinidad and Tobago, Marlon Noel, who explained that the below normal rainfall observed is in relation to long-term averages over a 30-year period.

Noel said that Tobago is

Cuba arrests four Miami-based exiles suspected of attack plot

Cuba has arrested four Miami-based Cuban exiles suspected of planning attacks on military installations with the goal of promoting anti-government violence on the communist-run island, the Interior Ministry said.

Labelling the suspects terrorists, it said in a statement late on Tuesday that they were linked to Luis Posada Carriles, a Cuban exile and former CIA operative living in Miami.

Cuba said it would contact US officials about the investigation, and that the

four admitted to planning the attacks. Three of them had been travelling about the island since the middle of 2013 to plan its execution, according to the Interior Ministry statement published in official media.

“The pertinent gestures with the appropriate U.S. authorities will be made to investigate these facts and avoid acts by terrorist organisations or elements located in that country that would put in danger the people and safety of both countries,” the statement said.

The four suspects were identified as Jose Ortega

Amador, Obdulio Rodriguez Gonzalez,

and Felix

said they were working for three others in Miami who all had close ties to

is wanted in Cuba and Venezuela over the bombing of a Cubana Airlines jet in 1976 that killed 73 people. He is also suspected of involvement in hotel bombings aimed at destabilising Cuba and scaring away tourists. He was convicted of the plane bombing in Venezuela but escaped from prison in 1985. (Reuters)

Seetahal shooter feared in the underworld

Dana Seetahal on Sunday morning has been operating with impunity for more than four years.

SNo arrest has been made four days later. Intelligence sources said the Carapo man (named called), who received the call to wipe out Seetahal was “not only well connected” but is also “feared in the underworld by many”.

He and two other men from Curepe with the initials NM and the other from Malabar called DB are being sought by Police for questioning into the executionstyle killing of Seetahal.

NM, intelligence sources say, was tipped off by a Police officer and has since gone underground. Police sources say the Carapo man, like NM and DB, has ties to a Muslim-based organisation and was released from jail in 2011 after beat-

ing a murder rap. “He has been a major player in bringing in guns and ammunition into this country from Venezuela and one or two other countries,” said one source. In 2007, he had escaped from Golden Grove prison and months later surrendered to the Police.

Last August, sources inside the Customs and Excise Division said they had obtained information that the man had ordered nine millimetre ammunition and 10.62 ammunition through a relative in the United States. The package was sent to Piarco International Airport but no one ever came forward to collect it. They say the package with the illegal ammunition is still lodged at the property keeper’s room at the airport.

(Excerpt from Nation News)

Ecuador rejects vote on Amazon oil drilling in Yasuni park

experiencing what is termed a “dry spell” which began in March and has extended into May. A “dry spell” represents consecutive periods of below average rainfall, which is deemed unusual; or a deviation from the normal rainfall pattern, recorded for that particular time. As a result of the overall rainfall condition, production at several of WASA’s surface water treatment facilities has been negatively affected. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Ecuador has rejected a petition for a referendum on whether the Yasuni National Park in the Amazon should be opened to further oil exploration. The National Electoral Council said not enough signatures were collected to force a referendum.

Activists from the group Yasunidos, who had gath-

ered the signatures, accused the council of “fraud”. They oppose more oil drilling in the park, saying it would damage one of the world’s richest areas of biodiversity.

The electoral authorities validated 359,781 of the 850,000 signatures collected, well under the 583,323 needed by Ecuadorian law. They said that some of the

signatures were repeated up to nine times, or were found to be incomplete or written by children.

Other people, they said, had used fictional names like Bruce Wayne from Batman and Darth Vader from Star Wars. But Yasunidos, which brings together environmentalists and indigenous groups, claimed the council was biased.

“Almost seven out of 10 signatures were thrown in the bin,” it said on Twitter.

“The council talks about irregularities. We talk about fraud.” It has vowed to take the issue to the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights.

Last month, it announced it had collected enough signatures, saying it was “certain” that the referendum would go ahead. (Excerpt from BBC News)

The impact of the crash rendered the aircraft inoperable

Raibel Pacheco Santos

Monzon Alvarez. Cuba

Posada Carriles. Posada Carriles

enior Police sources say the main man who fired the fatal shots that killed Senior Counsel

Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal was shot to death Sunday morning

Activists said they had gathered enough signatures to force a vote on further oil drilling in the Amazon

Ukraine crisis: Russia’s Putin ‘backs May 25 election’

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine’s presidential election on May 25 is a step “in the right direction”.

But he said the vote would decide nothing unless the rights of “all citizens” were protected. Ukraine’s PM described as “hot air” Putin’s call for an independ-

ence referendum, planned this weekend by separatists in the east, to be delayed. Putin also said that Russia had pulled back its troops from the border, as tension remains high. Moscow has said it will protect the rights of the largely Russian-speaking people in the south and east against

what it calls an undemocratic Government in Kiev.

Kiev has rejected proRussian activists’ demands for greater autonomy, fearing it could lead to the break-up of the country, and has sent in troops in recent weeks to seize back official buildings occupied by rebels. Putin suggested that Kiev’s military operation in eastern Ukraine could be halted in exchange for a postponement of the referendum scheduled to take place in several areas on Sunday.

But Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Putin of “talking through his hat”. Earlier on Wednesday, pro-Russian separatists took back the city hall in the southern port of Mariupol after it was briefly taken over by Ukrainian Government forces. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Boko Haram attack kills hundreds in Nigeria

ABoko Haram attack has killed hundreds in Nigeria’s north-east, multiple sources have said, as police offered US$300,000 for information leading to the rescue of more than 200 schoolgirls held hostage by the armed group. The latest attack reported on Wednesday targeted the town of Gamboru Ngala on the border with Cameroon, where gunmen earlier this week razed scores of buildings and fired on civilians as they tried to flee.

Area Senator Ahmed Zanna put the death toll at 300, in an account supported by numerous residents. Zanna said the town had been left unguarded because soldiers based there had been redeployed north towards Lake Chad in an effort to rescue more than 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram on April 14. The mass abduction has sparked global outrage and offers of help from the United States, Britain, France and China.

Nigeria’s response to the kidnappings has been widely criticised, including by activists and parents of the hostages who say the military’s search operation has been inept so far. President Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration has sought to appear more engaged with the plight of the hostages in recent days, especially after Boko Haram Chief Abubakar Shekau released a video threatening to sell the girls as “slaves”.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Canada’s first pot vending machine starts operation

The first cannabisdispensing machine in Canada has begun operating in Vancouver, following on from the first machine installed recently in the US state of Colorado. The difference? The Canadian machine does not ID you. Despite the controversy surrounding the plant and the endless bickering that

has marked the discourse around it, the machine looks strangely ordinary and even less threatening than a cigarette pack, with big green leaves and certainly no indication that it contains something that is so hotly debated.

“We put it in the vending machine to cut down on theft and handling,” says Chuck Varabioff, of the BC

‘FBI agent’ detained

Pakistani Police on Wednesday questioned an American who allegedly attempted to board a plane with ammunition and knives after US authorities said an FBI agent on an anti-corruption taskforce had been arrested there.

Pakistani Police officer Rao Anwaar declined to say whether the detained American was the FBI

in Pakistan

agent. He said investigators had not received any written evidence proving the man worked for the US Embassy in Pakistan.

The American arrived in Karachi on May 1 and was detained on Monday when he was about to board a flight for Islamabad, Anwaar said. He said officials found the man carrying ammunition and three knives, as well as electron-

ic devices that were being examined.

“We have sent his laptop and other gadgets for forensic examination,” Anwaar said. He declined to comment further. A law enforcement official in the US identified the man as an FBI agent and said he was in Pakistan as part of a multi-agency, anti-corruption programme. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

South China Sea tensions rise as Vietnam says China rammed ships

Vietnam said on Wednesday a Chinese vessel intentionally rammed two of its ships in a part of the disputed South China Sea where Beijing has deployed a giant oil rig, sending tensions spiralling in the region.

The Foreign Ministry in Hanoi said the collisions

took place on Sunday and caused considerable damage to the Vietnamese ships. Six people suffered minor injuries, it said. “On May 4, Chinese ships intentionally rammed two Vietnamese Sea Guard vessels,” said Tran Duy Hai, a Foreign Ministry official and deputy head of Vietnam’s national border committee.

Thai court orders Yingluck

to step down as PM

TPain Society, the dispensary where the machine was installed. “It’s packaged up and sealed professionally. So you come in, you buy your product, it’s fresh, it’s quick and easy, and you’re out of here in minutes.”

The box contains a whole host of strains and flavours that are sure to trigger people’s memories of films containing the plant: “Purple Kush, Bubba Kush,” and a range of sativa and indica strains. The product is sold in quantities slightly bigger than an eighth of an ounce (3.7 grams) and the machine only accepts cash.

But one key difference really sets the machine apart from the Colorado one: it does not take your ID, purchasing is anonymous. This is evident from the video posted by the dispensary on YouTube. You just pay the money and your choice of candy just falls down into the slot. (Excerpt

hailand’s caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, has been ordered to step down after a court found her guilty of abusing her power – a decision that could result in huge protests after six months of political impasse.

The constitutional court ruled that Yingluck had acted with a hidden agenda when she transferred a senior civil servant to another position, shortly after taking office in 2011. “The

Prime Minister’s status has come to an end,” one of the judges said in a statement broadcast live on television. “Yingluck can no longer stay in her position acting as caretaker Prime Minister.”

The Commerce Minister, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan, is expected to replace Yingluck as Prime Minister. A general election is planned for July 20.

Yingluck’s Pheu Thai party released a statement soon after the decision, calling the

“Chinese ships, with air support, sought to intimidate Vietnamese vessels. Water cannon was used,” he told a news conference in Hanoi. Six other ships were also hit, other officials said, but not as badly. Dozens of navy and coastguard vessels from both countries are in the area where China has deployed the giant rig, Vietnamese officials have said.

“No shots have been fired yet,” said a Vietnamese navy official, who could not be identified because he was not authorised to speak to media. “Vietnam won’t fire unless China fires first.”

The tensions between the two Communist nations come as both are trying to put aside border disputes and the memories of a brief border war in 1979. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Shinawatra

court’s ruling a conspiracy to remove the democratically elected Government and a virtual coup, according to the English-language Nation newspaper. Yingluck’s supporters – who mainly come from Thailand’s rural north –have vowed to hold a rally on Saturday and argue that the courts have sought to topple her at the behest of antigovernment protesters, who have tried since November to remove her from office. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

India: 22 former Ministers yet to give up Govt quarters

At least 22 former Union Ministers from UPA-II continue to occupy luxurious ministerial bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi, long after demitting office, according to the response to an RTI query. The RTI response has also revealed how Buta Singh and Lalu Prasad got special rent concession on extended lease of ministerial bungalows.

The list of ex-ministers includes Dayanidhi Maran, Mukul Roy, S M Krishna, Dinesh Trivedi, Subodh Kant Sahay, Pawan Kumar Bansal and Harish Rawat. It was also revealed that

the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation allowed Buta Singh to keep the bungalow on a special concessional rent, after a recommendation from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The RTI response obtained by Subhash Agrawal has revealed that PM in his letter to Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath on January 3 wrote, “Buta Singh continues to enjoy Z+ category security cover. He and his family members face very severe threats from various terrorist groups, especially from terrorists in Punjab due to action taken by him in the state.” He also requested Nath to consider the revision of increased market rent for Buta’s bungalow at 11A, Teen Murti Marg. PM’s recommendation came after Singh pleaded his case. In February, the CCA had approved cases of VIPs, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad, to occupy bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi even on payment of rent less than the market rate. Times Of India had first reported on February 21 highlighting how the Government was in a haste to regularise the accommodation of VIPs. (Excerpt from Times of India)

President Vladimir Putin said ahead of talks with the OSCE chief that he was ready to “seek ways out of this crisis”

Still from a video uploaded on YouTube of a customer about to make a purchase

A Vietnamese naval soldier stands guard at Thuyen Chai Island in the Spratly archipelago in this January 17, 2013 file picture

Visually-Impaired Resource Unit commissioned

BY SVETLANA MARSHALL

The Education Ministry is now in a better position to address the needs of the differently-able population, subject Minister Priya Manickchand said as she commissioned the Visually-Impaired Resource Unit at Albert Street, Georgetown.

Minister Manickchand said major attention has been given to “Special Education Needs”, but noted that the commissioning of the unit will be followed by greater investments.

Manickchand made it clear, however, that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government has invested heavily in the development of the Education Sector. Turning back the pages of history, she said when the PPP/C took office in 1992; the Education Sector was in a terrible state.

“We found a broken country, we found a di-

lapidated education system… our buildings were in a state of disrepair,” she contended. She further pointed out that there was a lack of resources and trained teachers. Understanding the importance of education in transforming a country, Minister Manickchand said the PPP/C in 1992 took a decision to undo the harms done. Boosting of the achievements made thus far, Manickchand said Guyana has moved from having 30 per cent trained teachers to more than 70 per cent today. For the past five years, approximately 15 per cent of the national budgets have been dedicated towards the Education Sector. Because of the choices taken by the Government, every student in the primary education system is given text books for the four core subjects: Mathematics, English, Science and Social Studies. Grades Seven to Nine

students in secondary schools are also given texts for the main subject areas, including Spanish and Agriculture Science. She said it was necessary to better the system before venturing into other areas.

“I believe that we are perfectly poised now to look at some of the things that we did not look at before, perhaps because we were so busy fixing basic infrastructure and to cater for the majority, which is what I believe governments’ will have to admit to because at the end of the day, the priority will be catering to the needs of mass numbers,” she said.

Promise fulfilled

Manickchand said too that the commissioning of the Visually-Impaired Resource Unit is a fulfilment of a promise made to the people of Guyana, in particular the disabled population. She explained that prior to the 2011 General and Region

Elections, the PPP/C in its manifesto had pledged to strengthen the Special Needs Education system by ensuring that the differently-able are empowered to achieve personal fulfilment and make a contribution to the country. “That manifesto has guided... Government.”

She added: “We in the Government of Guyana understand perfectly that if we are to take Guyana in higher levels, the better place that we must invest in is the Education Sector. Throughout the years, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic has been in office, you would see a consistent investment in the Education Sector.”

The commissioning ceremony of the VisuallyImpaired Resource Unit was attended by scores of student, teachers and educational officials, including Principal Education Officer (Georgetown) Baydewan Rambarran and National Commission on Disability Chairperson Evelyn Hamilton.

Vanessa King, a teacher of the resource centre said education for the blind in Guyana was a part of the programme at the David Rose School for the Handicap, which was founded in the 1970s. The Visually-Impaired Unit; however, was officially opened on November 10, 1980 at the St Rose's High School.

Developing potential

“The major aim in creating this unit was to give visually-impaired students; especially those who they felt had significant potentials, the opportunity to have more focus attention and to be able to achieve their full potential

in a more integrated school environment,” King explained.

The initiative, dating back to the 1970s and 1980s, has proven to be successful, she said, noting that students were given the opportunity to write the Secondary School Entrance Examination (SSEE), the Secondary School’s Proficiency Examination (SSPE) and the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams.

Additionally, the Caribbean Council for the Blind assisted in sending teachers from Guyana to the Mico Training College in Jamaica to be trained.

“Since its establishment, the unit has produced a number of successful students who through their devotion and dedication are now gainfully employed,” she boasted.

Julie Lewis, a Supervisor at the National Communications Network (NCN) is testimony of the school’s successes. At the

age of six, Lewis attended the David Rose School for the Handicap, but it was only in her teens that she was exposed to mainstream education after the unit was established at the St Rose’s High School. Lewis, who served as an inspiration to the disabled children, said she was the first totally blind person to attend secondary school in Guyana. Lewis was also the first completely blind person to write CSEC, CAPE and do a degree programme at the University of Guyana.

“When we started, we had practically nothing… it wasn’t in the days of computers and all the technological advances, here now. It was cassettes, having to rely on people to do all your readings for you,” she recalled, but said today, visually- impaired children have a better chance of elevating themselves. Lewis urged them to capitalise on the opportunities that exist.

New Miss Guyana India Worldwide crowned

Amid much pomp and ceremony, 25-year-old Divya Sieudarsan was crowned Miss Guyana India Worldwide 2014 at the New Thriving Banquet Hall by the outgoing queen Katherina Roshana.

Sieudarsan, who is no stranger to the pageant world, has now taken up the mantle to represent Guyana at the Miss India Worldwide Pageant in Dubai come June. In delivering her maiden speech as Miss Guyana India Worldwide, Sieudarsan pledged to campaign against child abuse. This scourge that continues to affect the lives of children all across the world must be eradicated, she stressed. It was with sadness, Sieudarsan said, she watched the brutal beating of a 12-year-old girl who posted inappropriate pictures on Facebook.

The Trinidadian teen was beaten by her mother who subsequently uploaded the video on Facebook to register her disgust. The new queen said child abuse must not be condoned despite the justification given.

“Now, if that were a man disciplining his wife or a policeman disciplining an average citizen, most of the people who were saying that mother was a good parent for her actions would have been up campaigning against domestic abuse or police brutality. This makes no sense to me, that same brutality we condemn and see as wrong when committed by adults against adults, we condone as right and fitting when adults commit it against children,” she explained.

Sieudarsan said “abuse is abuse”. According to her, this global problem is yet to be adequately addressed

on the international arena. “It is my belief that all that beauty and all that light is most useful when they work to place focus on and erase the darkness and ugliness in the world….and there are only a few things darker and uglier than the

abuse of children.”

Persistence

The beauty queen said she was overwhelmed with joy to see President Donald Ramotar on the front page of local newspapers commissioning the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s hospice for abused children. “This is, however, just the beginning – a significant step towards the day when hopefully, as a society, we do not have the need for such institutions.”

Sieudarsan, who hails from the Number 69 Village, first appeared on the pageant scene as a delegate of the 2010 Miss Guyana Universe Pageant. She subsequently vied for the Miss Guyana India Worldwide crown in 2011. Her failure did not deter her spirit. Determined to be crowned queen, Sieudarsan applied to be the 2014 Miss Guyana India Worldwide earlier

in the year. Of all the intellectuals and beauties that applied, Sieudarsan stood out. The Miss Guyana India Worldwide Franchise Holder Chandini Rambalak, supported by a panel, selected Sieudarsan.

But before Sieudarsan was crowned, Apsara, which is also owned by Ramnarine, put on a fascinating show, highlighting the rich Indian culture in Guyana. The Apsara Dance Troupe swept the audience off their feet with its enticing dance performance. The entertainment level went to a new high when upcoming artiste Andy Rattan took the microphone. His melodic voice left the elegantly dressed participants craving more.

But it became an emotional scene when Miss India Guyana 2013 Katherina Roshana took her last walk. Decked in an exquisite rose pink sari,

Roshana gracefully walked about the hall. In her final words as the reigning queen, Roshana said it was a privilege to serve the vulnerable population of Guyana, especially differently-able children. Tuesday night marked the end of an incredible chapter of her life, she said. As an Indian Ambassador of Guyana, she was given the opportunity to build on her potential, while being a positive influence in the lives of her peers and even the older folks.

The event was also attended by Miss Guyana World 2013 Ruquayyah Boyer and the recently crowned Miss Earth Guyana Stacy Ramcharan. The first Miss Guyana India Worldwide was selected in 2010 and Alana Seebarran won the global competition in 2012, bring home Guyana’s first international pageant crown.

The Education Ministry’s Visually-Impaired Resource Unit

Little Mekyla Belgrave and Angelica Bassoo singing “I Can”

Miss India Guyana 2014 Divya Sieudarsan

The Mayor wants publicity – Sooba

… in wake of extraordinary Council meeting to vote her out

Acting Town Clerk of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, Carol Sooba said she was not bothered by the motions passed by Mayor Hamilton Green and his councillors at the extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to remove her from office, noting that the meeting was both illegal and unlawful.

In an interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday, she related that the extraordinary meeting was held without her and Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker’s permission and as such, was not recognised. She went on to say that the Mayor wanted some attention and this is why he and his councillors held the meeting in the parking lot of the City Hall compound while she sat in her office undisturbed.

The installation of King came about through one of three motions which were successfully tabled and passed by the Council headed by Green.

The 13 councillors present voted unanimously to send Sooba packing and to have the Council’s Public Relations Officer Royston King appointed to act in that capacity. The

Officer of the Council.

“Business continues as per normal. I am still sitting in my office as Town Clerk,” Sooba said. She posited that if the Council wanted Royston King to perform the duties of the Town Clerk, then it must make available to him an office to carry out his duties, since she has no intentions of vacating hers.

According to Sooba, part one of the sixth schedule of the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01 states that the Town Clerk has the responsibility of con-

U.S. Embassy donates shoes, athletics gear to hinterland youths

Tillegal and void and will not have any effect on her and her position, since they were not in keeping with legislation.

She maintained that while the councillors have the right to call for an extraordinary meeting whenever they see it fit through the Mayor, it has to reflect an urgent or emergency situation and the summons must be signed by the Town Clerk.

She is currently engaging the Local Government Minister and Attorney General Anil Nandlall on the matter.

During his weekly post-

motion stated that Sooba was unlawfully and unjustly appointed by a Minister who had no power or authority to do such. The motion also said Sooba was incapable of executing the responsibilities required of the Chief Executive

vening any meetings of the Council, preparing the agenda, minutes, and reports of any such meeting for the local government officials.

Sooba disclosed that the decisions which were taken by the Council will remain

Cabinet briefing at the Office of the President on Wednesday, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon said the Mayor had no such authority and the motions are null, void and illegitimate.

Management audit for police oversight body

The Home Affairs Ministry has commissioned a management audit of the much-vaunted Strategic Management Department, which was set up to lead sweeping reforms of the Guyana Police Force. This was confirmed by the Ministry in a statement responding to a Kaieteur News article. Noting that the audit is not an unusual event, the Ministry said, it forms part of the monitor-

ing and evaluation mechanism for the Strategic Management Department that was implemented by the Ministry by virtue of its oversight responsibility for the Guyana Police Force.

The Kaieteur News article had raised the issue of Head of the Strategic Management Department, Patrick Mentore being sent on administrative leave. However, the Ministry said its records have revealed

that Mentore was granted approval to proceed on vacation leave with effect from Monday, April 28, as a result of an application made by him. This was in keeping with the terms and conditions of his employment as Head of the Department.

The Home Affairs Ministry said too that it was unaware that Mentore was sent on ‘administrative leave’ as was suggested by the Kaieteur News.

he U.S. Embassy Humanitarian Assistance Programme (HAP) recently donated track and field equipment to the Mabaruma community. The donation consisted of starter blocks, batons, shot-puts, discuses, javelins and other track and field equipment.

According to a release by the Embassy, this donation supports the community’s efforts to provide an afterschool sport programme that will engage the children of six local schools. Mabaruma District Education Officer Doreen Roberts noted that this sport programme will challenge the local youths to work even more diligently to increase self-discipline and become more physically fit.

After the presentation of the equipment, a HAP representative taught several students the proper form and technique of throwing the javelin, shot-put, and discus.

In collaboration with the Non-Governmental Organisation Shuz and representatives from

Wakenaam and Leguan Islands in Region Three, the HAP team provided more than 300 pairs of new shoes to children on both islands. The donations were accepted at the Wakenaam Computer School and the Maryville Masjid, Leguan.

Community organisers thanked HAP, and the U.S. Embassy, for its support of the children. HAP is an initiative under the U.S. Embassy to assist Guyana’s communities in the areas of social, economic and medical development. HAP works to bring together multiple local and international agencies to reach common goals.

First Dutch Ambassador to Caricom presents credentials

The first-ever Ambassador to Caricom from the Netherlands, Lucita MoenirAlam, presented her credentials to the regional bloc’s Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque.

At a simple ceremony at his office in the Caricom Secretariat in Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, on Wednesday, the two parties solidified relations.

Both Ambassadors agreed that the accreditation was a step forward in the deepening of relations between the Netherlands

and Caricom. Ambassador MoenirAlam said the Netherlands was “eagerly awaiting” Caricom’s response to the applications by Sint Maarten and Curacao for associate membership. The Secretary General explained the process and the issues to be addressed in respect of the applications.

Secretary General LaRocque said that in deepening the cooperation between the two sides, there was a need to identify areas of common interest. In that regard, he cited climate change, the negotiating of the Post-2015

Development Agenda and the issues facing middle income countries as matters of interest to Caricom. It would be important, he said, that the “Kingdom of the Netherlands be sensitised to the realities” of the situation.

Ambassador MoenirAlam recounted the Netherlands' assistance in the area of maritime counternarcotics operations and identified regional security, sustainable development, and good governance as areas in which the relations could be broadened and deepened.

Caricom strengthens efforts to advance gender equality

The Caribbean Community has resolved to strengthen its efforts to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment following the Sixth Meeting of Directors/ Coordinators of Women’s/ Gender Bureau held on May 6-7 in Bridgetown, Barbados.

The meeting was held in partnership with the UN Women Multi-country Office (MCO) for the Caribbean, and the Caribbean Development Bank.

It focuses on institutional strengthening of gender equality mechanisms within the post-2015 and SIDS agenda. The aim is to begin planning for Beijing 2015 progress review and discuss items related to gender and economic security and labour. The meeting

will also address items including gender impact of the CSME; harmonisation of labour legislation; addressing gender equality and reducing discrimination; advancing the role of information and communication technology (ICT); and gender and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Issues and recommendations coming from the Women’s/Gender Bureau meeting will be discussed at the 26th meeting of the Council on Human and Social Development (COHSOD) being held in Georgetown, Guyana on May 14-15.

The COHSOD meeting will focus on gender and labour and will bring together Ministers and/or their representatives from

Caricom Member States and Associate Member States as well as representatives from various international organisations, including the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It is expected that decisions emanating from COHSOD will serve to advance policy, legislation and other relevant matters toward gender equality in the region.

In addition to the participation of women’s/gender bureaus, the meeting will bring together representatives of commissions responsible for gender equality, representatives of international and regional organisations while taking into consideration those that were formerly part of the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC).

A Mabaruma student learns how to properly throw a javelin

Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba

Mayor Hamilton Green

City Hall

SUDOKU

By Bernice Bede Osol

A financial upturn is just around the corner. Invest time in your ideas and plans for the future. A social engagement will bring you closer to someone you respect.

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

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Your heightened emotional state will lead to personal difficulties. Keep your wits about you when dealing with domestic and family matters. Selfimprovement projects will help ground you.

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Be open to practical advice offered by a recent acquaintance. Take a good look at what you have and still want to achieve. Make a to-do list and start the process.

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You will be at your best today, bringing added respect and greater opportunities. Your talents will be put to good use as you assume a position of leadership in your community.

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Don’t be limited by the expectations of others. Do something out of the ordinary. Making minor improvements around the home will help boost your confidence and ease your stress.

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dilbert

GCB Inter-County U-19 Tournament….

Paul magic seals Essequibo win – spinners bowl Berbice to big win over Demerara

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Kemo Paul’s tremendous power hitting lifted Essequibo to a momentous three-wicket win over the President’s X1 on Wednesday in the second round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-County three-day tournament.

Paul shouldered the responsibility and smashed an unbeaten 118, as the Essequibians reached the winning target of 260 in 59.1 overs.

Resuming the final day on 112-6 at the Demerara Cricket Club ground, the President’s X1 lost their further four wickets before lunch while adding 49 runs.

Off-spinner Akil Wallace, who took his second fivewicket haul in the match, finished with 5-74 and Akini Adams (2-21) had polished things off with the President’s X1 all out for 161, an overall lead of 259 runs.

Essequibo then lost both openers, Avenash Persaud (0) and Ricardo Peters (17) before lunch in their run chase.

However, after lunch the right-handed Paul laid the platform for victory and seemed unstoppable during his 126-ball innings, smashing 10 fours and three sixes. He paced his innings well, chipping the ball around when the boundaries were

not coming, and using his feet well against the spinners.

He received support from Keno Harry (42), Ryan Adams (25 not out), Shivindra Hemraj (23) and Travis Drakes (13), being the other batsmen to reach double figures.

Daniel Lewis (3-44) and Vivian Albert (2-56) were the most successful bowlers for the President’s X1. Meanwhile, the Demerara line-up had no answers to the guile and deception of the Berbice spin-

ners as they were bowled out for a meagre 74, while chasing 212 for victory, giving the Berbicians a massive win by 138 runs.

Losing wickets frequently, the hosts’ innings never really looked set to take off and stuttered and stumbled all the way through.

Off-spinners Sharaz Ramcharran and Balchand Baldeo demonstrated their wiliness by taking four wickets apiece for a mere 20 and 30 runs respectively.

Sherfane Rutherford was the only Demerara batsman

to offer some resistance, topscoring with 25.

Leg-spinner Viendra Gooniah and Niall Smith also chipped in with a wicket each for the winners.

Earlier, Berbice captain Sharaz Ramcharran declared his side’s second innings at 5/265 early in the day’s second session, leaving the hosts with a run-chase of 212 runs in 49 overs.

The deceleration came after David Latchaya stroked an unbeaten 103 (11x4s, 1x6). Latchaya’s innings lasted for 207 balls after he started the days play with Viendra Gooniah, who made an even 50 off 178 balls.

However, when Gooniah was eventually dismissed, Latchaya was joined by the talented Ashkay Homraj and together they frustrated the hosts.

Homraj went on to make 61 off 69 balls with Arif Chan being the other not out batsman on three.

Left-arm medium pacer Daniel Basdeo (3-51), was the most successful bowler for Demerara with Steven Sankar and Kevin Paul claiming a wicket apiece.

The third and final round starts on Friday. Berbice will play Essequibo at the Everest Cricket Club ground, while Demerara will face the President’s X1 at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground.

Fernandes unmoved in latest world ranking

Guyana’s marquee squash player

Nicolette Fernandes, has remained unmoved in the latest world ranking issued by the World International Squash Players Association (WISPA).

In the May 2014 release, the 30-year-old Fernandes is ranked 19th, maintaining the same ranking she received at the start of April.

The phenomenal athlete will look to further improve on her career-best ranking when she competes in the British Open, set to be held from May 11-18 at the Sports Arena, Hull, England.

A victory in the opening round would certainly boost Fernandes’s chances of moving further up the rankings, as she is pitted against world number nine, Madeline Perry of Ireland.

Perry, 37, recently created history by becoming the oldest player to ever be ranked in the top 10.

Remarkable turnaround

Her rise up the ranking is a remarkable turnaround for Fernandes, who only at the start of 2009 was rated a lowly 249, after a recurring knee injury had kept her out of competition for a protracted period.

Since returning from injury however, Guyana’s

most decorated squash player has been on the rise, significantly moving up the rankings with each passing competition.

Such was her outstanding performance that at the end of 2009, Fernandes, who is based in England and is under the expert guidance of award-winning coach Carl Ince, had taken her ranking below 100, ending the year at 88.

Since then, it has been a steady climb up the ladder for the multiple National Sportswoman-of-the-Year, consistently racking up points and making her way up the WISPA leaderboard.

In 2013, Fernandes played in 13 WSA World Tour/Series in seven countries, namely the United States of America, Malaysia, Ireland, England, China, Monaco and Hong Kong. So far in 2014, she has been involved in four competitions.

In August last year, Fernandes returned home to claim her fifth Caribbean senior title, taking less than 30 minutes to dispose of perrenial rival Karen Meakins of Barbados 11-6, 11-2, 11-5 in the final of the Caribbean Area Squash Association Senior Championships at the Georgetown Club, Camp Street. (Avenash Ramzan)

Nicolette Fernandes

The Berbice players appeal successfully for a lbw verdict against Daniel Basdeo

David Latchaya gathers runs on the off-side

World Cup 2014: Kaka and Robinho omitted from Brazil squad

AC Milan duo Kaka and Robinho were among the big names to miss out on Brazil’s provisional World Cup squad on Wednesday.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s 23man selection was also without Ronaldinho and PSG midfielder Lucas Moura, who cost a reported £32m last year.

Midfielder Kaka, 32, had been hopeful of playing in his fourth World Cup.

Chelsea’s Brazilian quartet of defender David Luiz and midfielders Oscar, Ramires and Willian made the cut.

There was no place for Liverpool midfielders Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Leiva despite their important roles in the Reds’ Premier League title bid.

Kings XI v Super Kings, IPL 2014

Maxwell, 90, leads rout of Super Kings

boundary.

MS Dhoni later said that the inability of the spinners to contain Maxwell and Miller was the turning point. He turned to Ishwar Pandey to limit the damage and he too was spanked, for 18 in an over. Length balls were duly smashed and attempted yorkers turned into low full tosses that were dispatched. Jadeja tried bowling it flat and quick as a defensive option but Miller put him away, slashing past short third man and launching one over deep cover. Miller and Maxwell brought up the century stand off just 8.5 overs.

World Cup hosts Brazil have until 2 June to decide whether to make any changes before their final 23-man squad has to be named.

The five-time world champions will face Panama in a friendly in Goiania on 3 June.

Scolari’s side will then conclude their preparations with a warm-up match against Serbia in Sao Paulo three days later.

Brazil will face Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon in Group A of the tournament.

Tottenham’s Paulinho and fellow midfielder Fernandinho, of Manchester City, are in the squad. Fernandinho, 28, has only featured only once for the national side since February 2012, scoring his first international goal in a friendly against South Africa in March.

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Toronto FC, on loan from QPR), Jefferson (Botafogo), Victor (Atletico Mineiro).

Defenders: Marcelo (Real Madrid), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (AS Roma), Maxwell and Thiago Silva (both Paris St-Germain), David Luiz (Chelsea), Dante (Bayern Munich), Henrique (Napoli).

Midfielders: Paulinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Ramires (Chelsea), Willian (Chelsea), Oscar (Chelsea), Hernanes (Inter Milan), Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg), Fernandinho (Manchester City).

Forwards: Bernard (Shakhtar Donetsk), Neymar (Barcelona), Fred (Fluminense), Jo (Atletico Mineiro), Hulk (Zenit St Petersburg). (BBC Sport)

Balanced Heat take Game 1, top Brooklyn 107-86

Turns out, the Miami Heat can beat the Brooklyn Nets.

And rest hardly led to rust for the two-time defending NBA champions.

LeBron James scored 22 points, Ray Allen added 19 and the Heat stayed perfect in this postseason by beating the Nets 107-86 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series. It was the first win for Miami in five meetings with Brooklyn this season.

‘’It’s one,’’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ‘’But I liked the energy, the activity.’’ Chris Bosh scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dwyane Wade finished with 14 points and Mario Chalmers had 12 for Miami, which recorded at least one regular-season win against every team except Brooklyn, losing four times by a total of 12 points.

This one was a different story. A 24-9 run in the third

LeBron James

quarter blew things open for the Heat, who hadn’t played in eight days after sweeping Charlotte in the opening round.

‘’It was great that we were able to come out the way we did after being off eight days,’’ James said. ‘’We got a lot of work in. We had eight days off of not playing a basketball game but Spo got us in the gym. (We) got

each other in the gym. We made each other accountable throughout the layoff and it proved tonight.’’

Deron Williams and Joe Johnson scored 17 points each for the Nets, who got only eight from Paul Pierce and no points from Kevin Garnett in 16 minutes.

Game 2 of the best-ofseven series is Thursday night. (Yahoo! Sports)

Glenn Maxwell fell within touching distance of a century for the fourth time in the competition, but neither he nor Kings XI Punjab were complaining in the end as the side maintained their winning run each time Maxwell made a massive contribution. Maxwell and David Miller set off fireworks in Cuttack to lift Kings XI to the season’s highest total - 231 - and though Super Kings managed 187, at no stage were they serious contenders in the chase. The win took Kings XI to the top of the table.

Such was the carnage by Kings XI that it was easy to forget that only 69 came off the first ten overs. The next ten produced a whopping 162, an IPL record, of which the last five produced 78.

The Miller-Maxwell partnership was worth 135 and after both departed, there was no respite for Super Kings as George Bailey and Mitchell Johnson swung their bats around to add 49 off just 16 balls to end the innings.

Both captains weren’t quite sure how the pitch would play out, given that it was Cuttack’s first match, but Virender Sehwag’s rousing start was an indication that the batsmen would have it easy. However, at 37 for 2 and with Maxwell having just arrived, Kings XI abandoned their strategy of sending in the relatively passive Wriddhiman Saha and instead promoted Miller. Investing in their power hitters with nearly 15 overs remaining was the way to go.

The blitzkrieg began in the 11th over. R Ashwin

continued with his triedand-tested plan by bowling round the wicket to the right-hander, but his variations had no effect on Maxwell who smashed two sixes over deep square-leg. A rattled Ashwin strayed too wide either side of the stumps to check Maxwell but he was penalised. Ashwin was in for greater punishment in his following over as Maxwell smashed two fours and two sixes, including one that was reverse swept over third man.

Three overs of spin, including one from Ravindra Jadeja, leaked 52 and Ashwin was carted for 38 off two overs. The boundary barrage started to wear down the fielders as the normally safe Brendon McCullum let one slip at the

Dwayne Smith broke the partnership when Miller inside edged on to his stumps. Prior to that, though, Maxwell had biffed Smith for three sixes, including two audacious reverse pulls over third man. With a century in sight, however, Maxwell didn’t slow down and his knock ended on 90 when he slogged a slower ball from Mohit to Jadeja at deep midwicket.

The depth in Kings XI’s batting took them past 200 for the second time this season, both against Super Kings, though the previous occasion was a successful chase. Bailey and Johnson took 40 off the last two overs to push the score to 231. Super Kings failed to put on partnerships even close to the tune of Miller and Maxwell. Their best hopes rested on their successful opening pair of Smith and McCullum, but their association ended in the first over. Following Jadeja’s departure in the 11th over, Super Kings dropped the idea of attaining the target and focused on getting as many as possible for the sake of net run-rate. Du Plessis made an attractive fifty, but his efforts were lost in the din of Maxwell and Miller. (ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Punjab T20 innings (20 overs maximum)

V Sehwag b Hilfenhaus 30 Mandeep Singh c Pandey b Sharma 3

GJ Maxwell c Jadeja b Sharma 90 DA Miller b Smith 47

GJ Bailey* not out 40

MG Johnson not out 11

Extras: (lb 5, w 5) 10

Total: (4 wickets; 20 overs) 231

Did not bat: WP Saha†, R Dhawan, AR Patel, M Kartik, Sandeep Sharma

Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Mandeep Singh, 4.3 ov), 2-38 (Sehwag, 5.2 ov), 3-173 (Miller, 15.6 ov), 4-182 (Maxwell, 17.2 ov)

Bowling: BW Hilfenhaus

4-0-36-1, IC Pandey 4-0-410, MM Sharma 4-0-38-2, DR Smith 3-0-36-1, RA Jadeja 3-0-37-0, R Ashwin 2-0-38-0

Chennai T20 innings (target: 232 runs from 20 overs)

DR Smith c Johnson b Sandeep Sharma 4 BB McCullum run out (Johnson) 33

SK Raina c Miller b Maxwell 35 RA Jadeja b Dhawan 17 F du Plessis c Kartik b Johnson

wickets; 20 overs) 187 Did not bat: BW Hilfenhaus,

Glenn Maxwell thumped 90 off just 38 balls (BCCI photo)

Kaka Robinho

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Daredevils v Knight Riders, IPL 2014

Gambhir, Uthappa end KKR’s losing streak

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Avon Guyana; now recruiting and training new representatives on Saturday, May 17 from 10:00h at the Georgetown Club. Contact Ms Nanda on 680-9624/652-3949 or email: ramoutar_nanda@yahoo.com

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Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa put together their second century stand in two matches, and unlike the spectacular collapse that followed against Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders did not mess up to win comfortably against Delhi Daredevils. Gambhir and Uthappa added 106 in 11.5 overs after Knight Riders had allowed Daredevils to recover to 160 for 5, with JP Duminy and Kedar Jadhav looting 54 off the last four overs.

The victory broke a run of four straight defeats for Knight Riders, while Daredevils crashed to their third successive loss at home. While Knight Riders finally converted a strong performance into a win, Daredevils were unable to defend a decent total yet again. Their previous two losses were by margins of eight and seven wickets.

About the only clear opportunity Daredevils created, barring the usual odd mishit falling in vacant areas, was when Gautam Gambhir feathered a slower one from Siddarth Kaul, but the wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik failed to take the

ball as it dipped in front of him. That was in the sixth over, and by that time, Knight Riders had already gone past 50.

Mohammed Shami did begin with a testing opening over, but Daredevils were never able to create any pressure. Gambhir and Uthappa began with a four each in the second over off Wayne Parnell. Uthappa took Shami for successive boundaries in the next over, and Knight Riders were always in front for the rest of the

Delhi T20 innings (20 overs maximum)

Q de Kock c Gambhir b UT Yadav 10

M Vijay c Narine b Kallis 24

KP Pietersen* run out (†Uthappa) 6

KD Karthik† c Kallis b Shakib Al Hasan 36

JP Duminy not out 40

LR Shukla b Narine 10

KM Jadhav not out 26

Extras: (lb 6, w 2) 8

Total: (5 wickets; 20 overs) 160

Did not bat: WD Parnell, S Nadeem, Mohammed Shami, S Kaul

Fall of wickets: 1-14 (de Kock, 2.3 ov), 2-26 (Pietersen, 5.3 ov), 3-61 (Vijay, 8.6 ov), 4-85 (Karthik, 11.5 ov), 5-105 (Shukla, 15.5 ov)

Bowling: SA Yadav 1-0-8-0, JH Kallis 4-0-38-1, UT Yadav 4-0-26-1, Shakib Al Hasan

At the other end, Uthappa hit Shahbaz Nadeem for successive boundaries to bring up the hundred of the stand. He went leg-before to Parnell for 47 off 34, Knight Riders needing 55 off 49 from that point. There were to be no flutters this time, as Gambhir stayed in the middle to push the score past 150 before he was caught behind off Parnell for 69 off 56. Knight Riders reached home in the 19th over, the ten deliveries to spare further driving home the ease of the win.

Daredevils were tied down for 16 overs when they batted, and were 105 for 5 when Duminy and Jadhav came together. The openers weren’t able to get going and Kevin Pietersen could not handle the spinners before running himself out. Karthik made a quick 36, but Daredevils still needed a final push if they were to make a competitive total. Duminy and Jadhav provided that, even taking Sunil Narine for 29 in his last two overs, but it barely tested Gambhir and Uthappa. (ESPNcricinfo)

4-0-13-1, SP Narine 4-0-381, R Vinay Kumar 3-0-31-0

Kolkata T20 innings (target: 161 runs from 20 overs)

RV Uthappa† lbw b Parnell 47 G Gambhir* c †Karthik b Parnell 69

MK Pandey not out 23

JH Kallis not out 10

Extras: (lb 11, w 1) 12

Total: (2 wickets; 18.2 overs) 161

Did not bat: Shakib Al Hasan, YK Pathan, RN ten Doeschate, SA Yadav, R Vinay Kumar, SP Narine, UT Yadav Fall of wickets: 1-106 (Uthappa, 11.5 ov), 2-151 (Gambhir, 17.2 ov)

Bowling: Mohammed Shami 4-0-23-0, WD Parnell 4-0-212, LR Shukla 2-0-19-0, S Kaul 3-0-29-0, JP Duminy 2-0-240, S Nadeem 3.2-0-34-0

FlOWERS

Da

Gautam Gambhir goes over the top (BCCI photo)

Independence Cup is unauthorised, unapproved

–

GCB

– Organising Committee calls for better sense to prevail

Drubahadur

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has deemed the upcoming Independence Cup T20 competition as “unauthorised and unapproved”, claiming that it does not fall on the list of “approved cricket for Guyana” as endorsed by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

The competition, which is a collaborative effort of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association, is slated to be held on May 25 at the Albion Community Centre ground, with proceeds from the event going towards charitable organisations, such as cricket clubs, orphanages, schools and health-related activities, among others.

The GCB, in a release issued to the media on Wednesday and signed by president Drubahadur, claimed that it became aware of the competition via the media.

“All players, clubs, officials, venues and administrators are reminded that the list of approved cricket for Guyana can be viewed on the WICB website, www.windiescricket.com,” the GCB release stated.

The release went on to state, “I take this opportunity to remind all stakeholders that the authority for approving cricket, not on the pre-approved list, is the West Indies Cricket Board, who may delegate such authority to the Guyana Cricket Board. The Berbice Cricket Board is not authorised to approve cricket not listed on

Plans ongoing for Chris Gayle’s 100th Test

Head of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), Wilford ‘Billy’ Heaven, says plans are under way to make opener Chris Gayle’s 100th Test a memorable one.

The match will be played on June 8 at Sabina Park and will see the West Indies taking on New Zealand.

“We are not quite sure as to what exactly the West Indies Cricket Board has in store for the occasion,” Heaven said.

the WICB list of approved cricket. All players, clubs, cricket associations, members of the GCB, officials and sponsors are hereby informed that the competition called “Independence T20 Cup” is unauthorised and unapproved cricket.”

Responding to the news on Wednesday, members of the Organising Committee said they were surprised at the stance taken by the GCB, especially since the tournament was hosted two years before and they had no issue with the GCB nor the WICB.

They noted that the tournament has been endorsed by the regional administration as part of the county’s activities to mark the nation’s 48th Independence anniversary.

Deeming the GCB an illegal body, the Organising Committee called for “better sense to prevail”, as they pointed out that the tournament will not only be beneficial to cricket, but to society as a whole.

They further explained that proceeds will be donated to charitable organisations, while the tournament will also be used to raise funds for the cricket development programmes of the BCB, since the board no longer receives a subvention from the GCB. Two star-studded teams from Berbice are down to challenge two strong teams from Georgetown.

Players such as Assad Fudadin, Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Royston Crandon, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Rajiv Ivan, Shimron Hetmyer, Kandasammy Surujnarine, Jonathan Foo, Kevin Ramdeen, Keon Joseph and Raun Johnson will be in the Berbice teams, while Demerara’s teams will have the likes of Christopher Barnwell, Trevon Griffith, Leon Johnson, Zaheer Mohamed, Chanderpaul Hemraj and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, among others. Also on the day’s agenda is a feature softball game between Memorex and Universal DVD Club.

“However, as the host territory, we intend to make the milestone a memorable one.

“The aim is to have presentations and activities before, during and potentially after the match, that will signify to the world how proud we are to have a Chris Gayle.

“He is a national icon, who has represented the

WICB,

IChris Gayle

country and the region well, and we want him and the world to know that we appreciate his efforts,” he added.

The activities, Heaven outlined, are set to feature

partnerships with interests in the tourism, entertainment and culture sectors, including the Jamaica Tourist Board.

“A committee has been set up and has been look-

ing at several activities we want to execute, and as soon as details are finalised, they will be revealed,” he said. Runs Machine

The 34-year-old Gayle, who made his Test debut in 2000, has scored 6,933 runs in the format at an average of 42.01.

This includes 15 centuries and 34 half-centuries with a highest individual score of 333 against Sri Lanka in 2010.

He also has the distinction of being one of four players in the history of the game to have scored two triple centuries.

The others are Australian Sir Donald Bradman, fellow West Indian Brian Lara and Indian Virender Sehwag. New Zealand are down to play three Tests and two Twenty20 internationals on their tour of the region.

(Windiescricket)

USACA announce joint partnership

n a move designed to open up more high-performance cricket opportunities for United States players, and accelerate cricket development in the USA, the West Indies Cricket Board and USACA today announced a longterm joint partnership.

As part of the partnership, a member of the WICB Board of Directors will sit on the USACA board. This will facilitate, among other things, the exchange of higher performing players from USACA member leagues and clubs into WICB development programmes. In addition, USACA’s new Chief Executive Officer will have a position on the WICB’s Chief Executive Committee to help develop stronger eco-

nomic best practices going forward for the US market.

WICB President Mr. Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron commented: “This is the right way for us to help develop the US market. We are going to be engaged on a day-to-day basis on the three core pillars for development. The closeness of a full member country to the US means we can easily help develop pinnacle performance in US players as well as build a stronger base for economic development hand-in-hand with USACA.”

“We will rapidly build plans and open up infrastructure for bringing top US players into the West Indian development system, and we are supporting the finalization of the current

USACA governance changes,” Cameron added.

Gladstone Dainty, USACA President noted, “having the opportunity to work closely with another full member country offers exciting opportunities for US players looking to sharpen skills and experiences with world-class cricketers. The ongoing sharing of best practices on sponsorships, high- performance development and governance with the WICB gives USACA access to a very close geographic partner that can help drive the development of the sport in the US on a day-to-day basis.”

“The WICB will also, via their board member on the USACA board, support the governance change pro-

gramme that the USACA board is currently managing. This is a long-term strategy to help build the three foundations for a highly successful US cricketing market: high performance development, models for economic growth and modern day governance.”

John Thickett the USACA Treasurer said, that it is, “very exciting that the WICB is dedicating the time and resources to working with us on these three pillars. Both regions and leagues preparing for the national championships in Indianapolis, and youth players looking for development opportunities in their futures should see this as a very beneficial long-term development.”

(WICB/USACA Joint Media Release)

Parker’s 33 leads Spurs to 116-92 Game 1 win

After nearly falling on their face in the opening round of the playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs found their footing Tuesday night and ran the Portland Trail Blazers off the court.

Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and

San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

‘’He’s been doing that for a lot of years,’’ Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ‘’It’s

nothing different. He’s the guy that’s our attack guy. (He) creates for everybody and starts the offense. He’s also played very good defense this year and most people don’t really see that.’’ Parker, who had 32 points in Game 7 against

Dallas, scored 13 points in the first quarter on a series of drives and capped it with a corner 3 as San Antonio built a 10-point lead 8 minutes into the game. The Spurs never led by less than 20 in the second half. (Yahoo! Sports)

Gatlin: Jamaican fans can inflame global passion

American sprinter

Justin Gatlin who won the 100m race at the Jamaican Invitational on Saturday says athletic fans in this Caribbean island are capable of inflaming global track and field passion.

Gatlin, who got the better of Jamaican pair Andrew Fisher, 10.21 and Nesta Carter, 10.22, to stop the clock in 10.11 seconds, has described track and field fans on the island as passionate and encouraged them to show that passion

to the world.

“My message to the Jamaican people is thank you and keep showing the world what passion really means,” said Gatlin, who received a mixed reaction from the near 15,000 spectators inside the National Stadium.

“That’s what we need in track and field. If we can teach the world what passion really is, I think track and field can take over all the other countries”.

Gatlin believes the strong headwind inside the

National Stadium during the men’s 100 metres robbed the crowd of a spectacle at Saturday’s event.

“I wanted to put on a show but because of the headwind it became really difficult,” said Gatlin, the Olympic bronze and World Championships silver medallist.

“If we had better wind or turned it around (direction of the race), I think we would have seen something really good here”.

The American, who had to chase down fast starting

University of Technology (UTech) student, Andrew Fisher, also had some words of encouragement for the young Jamaican.

“I think that Fisher is a brave athlete to be able to run with someone like Nesta Carter, myself, Weir — athletes, who have put out great times in the last couple of years,” he said.

“To be able to seize the moment and make an impression like he did especially in the early stages is a sign of bravery”. (Trinidad Express)

Republic Bank Nets win second-division b’ball tourney

– Kanhai, Causway electrify sports hall

By Treiston Joseph

One play overshadowed the Republic Bank Nets 48-35 second- division victory in the final of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) organized tournament on Monday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

In the exhibition game between the Georgetown Elites and the Georgetown Stars, Dave Causway made eye contact with a baseline-

cutting Akeem Kanhai, who rose to meet an alleyoop pass and finished the alley-oop play with a thunderous one- handed tomahawk dunk that left the small sports hall crowd amazed.

The play emphatically ensured a 102-55 victory for the Elites as president of the Guyana Amateur basketball Federation

Nigel Hinds reacted to the play by saying it was one of the best plays he has ever seen in his time by local

Digicel kicks off coaching clinics ahead of football tourney

The highly anticipated Digicel schools football competition is just months away and the company is wasting little time in ensuring that its preparation is spot-on.

est level of professionalism and commitment from our organisers,” Tournament Coordinator, Lavern FraserThomas, said at the conclusion of the two-day clinic.

attracted massive crowds and produced quality football by the country’s next generation of ballweavers.

players.

Long-time Pacesetter coach and chief statistician, Dennis Clark, also echoed Hinds’s remarks .

However, the Nets were able to defeat the Pacesetters in a tough physical game.

The Nets attacked the rim as their game plan to score in the paint proved effective against the Trinity Grid Holding (TGH) Pacesetters, ?who were having trouble defending the perimeter and keeping the Nets guards from penetrating their defence.

Meanwhile, the Pacesetters had to play without their most impacting player in Calvin Harding ,who was given a double technical for showing his frustration to his coach and not the referee.

Mortimer Williams ended with a game- high 19 points, while Tariq Cave had a team- high 11 for the Pacesetters.

In the exhibition game which was set up to pick the final Georgetown team for the inter association tournament set for May 17, the Elites dominated the Stars

Dominic Vincente had a game- high 25 points for the Elites and was hit from downtown.

Causway and Stephon Gillis both had 18 points, while Kanhai had 10 points none more thrilling than his alley-oop dunk.

Shelroy Thomas was the high points man for the stars with 22 points, while Travis Burnett had 18 and Ryan Stephney 10

The company recently hosted the first in a series of coaching clinics at the Tabatinga ground in Lethem, where 19 participants, teachers and community members from Aishalton, Sand Creek, Annai, Mahdia and St Ignatius were trained by coaches Bryan Joseph and Joseph Wilson of the Guyana Football Coaches Association.

“We are keen on ensuring that these participants know what is expected of them on all levels during the matches that will be played in their region; there are strict rules and guidelines [and] we expect the high-

According to a release from Digicel, “The format of these coaching sessions are both theoretical and practical and are the first in a series of preparatory works that is being conducted to ensure all parties involved are totally equipped and are ready for this year’s tournament. Several of these coaching sessions are planned for Regions One, Two and Five.”

Arguably the leading schools football tournament in the country, the Digicelsponsored competition is envisaged to be the biggest ever when it kicks off later this year.

The competition was first staged in 2011 and has since

According to FraserThomas, the number of schools to have already submitted their registration forms hover in the vicinity of last year’s total, while there is still a large number who have expressed interest and are expected to submit their registration forms in the coming week.

The launch is scheduled for June 6, and according to a member of the Organising Committee, the plan is to have it done outside of Georgetown which has hosted it since the start.

Christianburg /Wismar Secondary School has been the defending champions for the past two years, having defeated Waramadong on both occasions in the final.

GASA to host officials’ clinic

The Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) will look to up the level of officiating with an officials’ clinic commencing from May 10 at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) headquarters on High Street, Kingston.

The two- day clinic is open to members of the public who are interested in be-

coming officials attached to the sport of swimming, while those who are already officials can join the clinic to refresh their skills and gain a certificate.

In addition, the hosts of the clinic will be vice- president of the GOA Charles Corbin, Joanne Lowe, Coaches Sean Bask and Stephanie Fraser.

The sessions will run

from 09:00h-to 13:00 h on both Saturday and Sunday,and a $1,000 administrative fee will be collected on the first day of the course from the participants.

Persons who are interested in being a part of the clinic can contact Vice President of GASA Elke Rodrigues on 614-3602 or via email on relkeys@yahoo. com.

GABF release dates for Inter-association tourney

The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) will host their inter-association basketball tournament commencing May 17 at the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court in Linden.

The inter-association tournament will be used to shortlist and then finalize the male and female Guyana national teams that will head to the Caribbean Basketball Championships (CBC) in July.

May 17 will see Georgetown clashing with Linden in Linden, while the

Georgetown females will go up against the Linden females with action beginning from 20:00h.

May 18 will see Berbice making their way to the city to face Georgetown at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) with two supporting games preceding the inter-association clash. Action will begin from 18:30h.

May 25 will have the deciding game to name the winner of the tournament ,when Georgetown face Linden at the CASH. Two supporting games will precede the main

game as action will commence from 18:30h. The final game of the tournament will be on May 31 at the Mackenzie Hard Court with Linden taking on Berbice. The Georgetown females will also take on their Linden counterparts, with action set to begin from 20:00h on the final night of the tournament. Meanwhile, after the tournament, both squads will be in training throughout the month of June for the CBC set for July 1-12 in the British Virgin Islands.

Coach Joseph Wilson has the attention of coaches during the sessions in Lethem

Akeem Kanhai catches the ball way above the rim to finish an alleyoop play with a thunderous dunk (Treiston Joseph photos)

Mortimer Williams goes up for an easy lay-up to lead the Nets to victory over the Pacesetters

West Indies Fullbore Shooting c’ships, Jamaica

Braithwaite increases lead on rain-shortened day

Athunder storm just after lunch brought a premature end to day two of the individual competition, but defending champion Guyanese Lennox Braithwaite has increased his lead at the West Indies Fullbore Shooting championships at the Twickenham

Park ranges in Spanish Town, Jamaica,on Wednesday. With only two ranges (300 and 500 yards) possible yesterday, Braithwaite shot a possible at 600 yards, 35 points with 5 V-bulls and also recorded 48 points with 4 V-bulls at 300 yards to lead the Grand Aggregate with

212 points with 15 V-bulls. He is followed by Canadians Serge Bissonnette with 210.13 and Alpar Katona with 209.12 ,while Trinidad and Tobago’s Norris Gomez is on 208.14.

The other top shooters in the Grand Aggregate top 10 are Jamaicans Jose Nunez with 206.14;David Rickman - 205.13; Wayne McNair 205.11; Guyana’s Ransford Goodluck with 204.14; Thomas Greenaway of Antigua/Barbuda 203.12; and Dylan Fields of Guyana with 202.10. (Story and photos by Troy Peters in Jamaica)

Nicolette Fernandes will look to move up the rankings when she competes at the British Open next week

Shooters in action just before the tunder storm

Lennox Braithwaite leaves the rangs after shooting a possible 35 points with 7 V—bulls

Kemo Paul acknowledges his team-mates and spectators applause after reaching his milestone (Photos: Rajiv Bisnauth)