Guyana Times Daily

Three security firms sued for breaching minimum wage order P9

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 1987 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Cabinet roasts dirty Kaieteur News column on Sooba

See story on page 14

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

President attends P2 ALBAPetroCaribe Summit Parties could have cashed in on scrapped USAID P7 project P8 Imam Roshan Ali passes away

Special constable dies while on duty P14 at NIS Cartoon character Dora The Explorer moves through the crowd of children who were feted at a party hosted by Parliament on Wednesday (Carl Croker photo)

Gun robberies top list of crimes in 2013 See story on page 3

No end to Essequibo power woes See story on page 10

... despite GPL’s assurances

Cooperatives, friendly societies P17 being investigated

2 NEWS

THURSDay, december 19, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

President attends ALBA-PetroCaribe Summit

H

eads of state and government of the member countries of the

mechanisms of ALBA (the Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of our America) and

PetroCaribe met Wednesday evening in Caracas in a second combined Summit of

ALBA-PetroCaribe under the chairmanship of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

Moros.

The summit addressed strengthening the institutional mechanisms governing the integration process of Latin America and the Caribbean. In this regard, the heads deliberated on the proposal for the establishment of a complementary economic zone among the countries of ALBA, PetroCaribe, Caricom and MERCOSUR, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a release.

President Donald Ramotar is attending the summit and is accompanied

by Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Guyana’s ambassador to Venezuela Geoffrey DaSilva.

Before the start of the summit, President Ramotar joined ALBA and PetroCaribe heads in paying homage to Liberator Simon Bolivar, 183 years after his death.

President Maduro said the regional bloc has risen above economic and political spheres to become a truly human integration mechanism.

“PetroCaribe has transcended the energy sphere, spreading out to economic, commercial, cultural, humanity and political areas,” he told journalists.

The creation of the exclusive economic zone was proposed by Maduro during the Summit of Heads of State of Alba, held in Guayaquil, Ecuador in July. Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica, Ecuador, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

President Donald Ramotar

and Antigua and Barbuda are all ALBA members.

PetroCaribe, formed in 2005, comprises Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Granada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Venezuela.

Meanwhile, Surinamese Foreign Minister Winston Lackin said that the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) will join ALBA and PetroCaribe in the mission of forming an economic zone and ensure food security in the region.

“As president pro tempore of UNASUR, I want to express that we will take this idea and we will send it to all members of the body,” Lackin said.

Suriname currently holds the pro-tempore presidency of UNASUR since August.

GT&T services to be disrupted in Grove/Diamond areas

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s works continue on a portion of the East Bank Demerara Public Road between Diamond and Grove, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) is alerting its valued customers that they will experience some disruptions in its services.

In a release issued by the telephone giant, it said while it was aware of the disruptions earlier in the ar-

eas, these will possibly increase in frequency, unless and until the contractor, BK International, works closer with the company to ensure that stipulated guidelines are followed.

In addition, the company stated that identification markers are complied with in order to preserve the integrity of the telephone plant buried alongside the road.

“The telephone plant facilities, which are most vulnerable to damage and degradation by the contractor’s activities, serve a total of 452 households in the two contiguous communities.”

However, thousands of other customers, associated with both of the two national telecommunications providers, are also adversely affected insofar as they are unable to reach customers in Diamond and Grove during periods of service disruption, the release added.

GT&T wishes to apologise for the inconvenience customers have suffered as a result of these disruptions.

“We have a vested interest in keeping your telephone service working,” the telephone company noted.

GT&T assures customers that the company will continue to collaborate closely with both the Public Works and Communications Ministry and the contractor with a view to ensuring care and caution in the execution of the works.

News

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Thursday, December 19 from 05:30h to 07:00h.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Thursday, December 19 from 05:35h to 07:05h.

WEATHER TODAY

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THURSDay, december 19, 2013| guyanatimesGY.com

Gun robberies top list of crimes in 2013

Countrywide: Sunny intervals are expected today over coastal regions and near inland locations.

Partly cloudy skies are expected during the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees and 27 degrees Celsius.

Wind: East north-easterly between 3.61 and 3.88 metres per second.

High Tide: 05:24h and 17:35h reaching maximum heights of 2.50 metres and 2.62 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 11:09h and 23:35h reaching minimum heights of 0.71 metre and 0.60 metre respectively.

WEDNESday, December 18, 2013

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cting Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud on Wednesday disclosed that gun robberies were the most prevalent crime this year, as he announced that serious crimes have increased by four per cent.

Speaking at the police's annual awards ceremony, Persaud noted that there have been 136 murders for the year, with 92 firearms being seized, but the police force is concerned about the escalating number of robberies that have been perpetrated by gun users. According to Persaud, there has been an increase of 15 per cent in gun robberies, which are mainly perpetrated in A Division on the streets and carried out on vulnerable people.

Results-oriented

LUCKY 3

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Some of the top awardees with top ranks of the Guyana Police Force

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He added that with the reformation of the Guyana Police Force, there will be much better networking that will assist the force in its crime-fighting. He said thus far, police stations on the coast are all interlinked and those in G Division will soon come on stream. He further revealed that other police stations, particularly in Linden and Bartica, will also be added to the network of stations, to form an integrated electronic crime information system, which

will keep tabs on crime reports and what actions were taken by investigating officers.

The system will also help commanders assess the performances of their ranks which will lead to them making adjustments in their divisions. He also added that the police force will soon implement a “resultsoriented planning model” which will see them moving away from the traditional operations and more into a businesslike method.

Commanders will have to submit plans which are designed to meet the goals of the force and, more so, give an account of the deployment of resources to meet these goals to the police commissioner. He said that with the implementation of the various programmes, the force is likely to benefit in the long term rather than the short term.

“These reforms are taken place incrementally and there is a need for a certain amount or percentage of implementation before it can actually impact on the force’s operations,” Seelall said.

Nevertheless, he said, in the new year, plans will be on stream to target crime prevention and disorder prevention in a holistic manner. They will depend heavily on the youths who

were engaged in skill training and intrapersonal training via various mediums that the force has already implemented, including youth clubs, scout groups and more importantly, the Cops and Faith Network.

Challenge

He noted that staffing the force remains a challenge, reiterating that it has recruited 285 new members in 2013, but, at the same time, lost 194 trained and experienced members.

Presently, Persaud added, the Home Affairs Ministry is working with various consultant groups to address the issue.

With respect to statistics, the acting commissioner also revealed that the police force has done well in 2013, with 92 illegal firearms seized, 555.077 kilograms of cannabis destroyed, 20kg of cocaine seized along with 1.7kg of LSD. As a result of these interventions, 775 persons were prosecuted.

With respect to traffic, he declared that there have been 98 fatal accidents which resulted in 106 fatalities, an increase over the

figure recorded during the corresponding period last year.

Meanwhile, the highlight of the day was the award ceremony which saw the best cop prize going to Sergeant Garfield Headley. Headley was instrumental in the force’s solving of seven murders in the E and F divisions.

He was presented with $250,000; a plaque; a contribution from the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA); and a trip and other incentives from Roraima Airways.

Cadet Officer Das from the Tactical Services Unit was the runner up. Corporal Boyce, Mitchell Caesar, and police officers Martin, Alleyne, Headley and Ramnarine each received $150,000 for being adjudged the best cop in their various divisions.

More than 1663 ranks were awarded for their courage and exemplary work. Also, 23 community policing groups and 34 community police officers were recognised. A total of $13.9 million in prizes was distributed.

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURsday, december 19, 2013

Views Editor: Nigel Williams Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134 Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Reparation issues

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ecently, the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Reparations Commission Chairman, Professor Hilary Beckles, hosted a press conference where he detailed the key focus areas the commission has identified as it relates to reparations for native genocide and slavery. British law firm Leigh Day is taking on the legal challenge on behalf of the Caribbean nations.

The debate on reparations is gaining momentum at the highest level of governments and the international community. The key focus areas have clearly been established and the commission has a definite plan as to the direction it is taking. It is hoped that in 2014, there will be some movement in achieving the aims set by the body.

Representatives of governments, civil society, academia and individuals fighting the cause of reparations for native genocide and slavery, met in September this year, for the first major event on reparations following the 34th Conference of the Heads of Government of Caricom in Trinidad and Tobago in July.

Heads of government agreed to the establishment of a national reparations committee in each member state with the chair of each committee sitting on a Caricom reparations commission. Already these countries have started legal proceedings against the governments of the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands over what they say is the “lingering legacy of the Atlantic slave trade”.

Among the issues identified by the commission to receive reparatory diplomacy and action are: public health, education, cultural deprivation, psychological trauma, and scientific and technological backwardness of African descendants.

Professor Beckles noted that the African descendant population in the Caribbean today has the highest incidence in the world of chronic diseases such as hypertension and Type II diabetes. He is of the view that this was as a direct result of their nutritional exposure, endemic inhumane physical and emotional brutalisation and other aspects of the stress experience of slavery and post-slavery apartheid.

As it relates to the issue of education, Professor Beckles recalled that at the end of the colonial period, the British left the African descendant population in a state of general illiteracy. This illiteracy continues to plague Caribbean societies and accounts for significant parts of their development challenges.

Professor Beckles stated that there was no development of institutions such as museums and research centres to prepare Caribbean citizens for an understanding of their history. There was a sense of cultural deprivation. According to Beckles, the primary cultural effect of slavery was to break and eradicate African commitment to their culture.

He suggested that the African culture was criminalised to a high degree, citing low ethnic self-esteem, the devaluation of black identity, broken structures and diminished family values, delegitimisation of African derived religious and cultural practices, and disconnection from ancestral roots and culture as factors which have impacted the development of African culture.

Professor Beckles recalled that during the time of slavery, Africans were classified in law as non-human, chattel, property and real estate. They were denied recognition as members of the human family by laws and practices derived from the parliaments and policies of Europe. This history, he argued, has inflicted massive psychological damage upon African descendants and is evident daily in their social life.

Additionally, it was highlighted that for 400 years, the policy of Britain and Europe had been that the Caribbean should not participate in any manufacturing or industrial process, and should be confined to the production of raw materials. Some believe that this policy has rendered the Caribbean a technologically and scientifically ill-equipped civilisation for which it continues to experience debilitating backwardness in a science and technology globalised world.

These are indeed critical areas which the commission has identified to engage the attention of the United Nations (UN) International Court of Justice. The next meeting of the full commission will be in January 2014 where it is anticipated that its first interim report will be ready for submission to the Caricom heads of government meeting in February 2014.

The issue of reparation should be kept high on the agenda.

Mr and Mrs Claus entertain children at the Hope Children’s Home on Wednesday at their Christmas celebration

Voters don’t agree with opposition gloom and doom Dear Editor, Speaking with Guyanese who visited Guyana recently and my own recent travel there [to Guyana] as well, as recent electronic communications with Guyanese, I think a lot is going for the country’s development despite all the disappointments over governance issues.

People don’t endorse the gloom and doom being portrayed by the opposition media and the opposing parties in Parliament. People (older ones) feel they are much better off than under the People’s National Congress (PNC) ethnic dictatorship.

By and large, the citizenry say they are able to enjoy a much better quality of life than during the pre-1992 days when there was mass starvation, triple digit inflation, run away crime, and lack of press freedom.

Voters say while there re-

main issues of servicing of communities – especially People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) supporters who have been neglected in favour of supporters of other parties, corruption on the perception index and serious law enforcement and criminal justice issues, it is not all gloom and doom as being suggested by critics and naysayers.

People feel a lot of things could have been done differently, but the government, according to voters, is doing the best it could under the restricting conditions.

The general consensus from voters is that President Donald Ramotar and his government in general appears to be getting a sound grip on governance.

Since the government lacks a majority and is unable to pass bills, I believe it will prefer that the majority opposition votes it out of office so voters can get an opportunity to choose a major-

ity government in fresh elections.

Voters see the next election as close and note there is no guarantee PPP/C will get a majority, but if the PPP/C does the right things and has the right candidates, favoured by its traditional supporters, it could win comfortably.

People say the parliamentary opposition is behaving like demolitionists turning off their own supporters and, in so doing, is offering the non-partisan or the free floating voters to look at them again in deciding who should govern.

Voters say one party has shown it has not changed at all, doing the same things it did while in government and is seeking to shut down the country. People favour the new Ramotar acting tough and stop appeasing opponents seeking to reverse gains the country has made over the last 21 years. It seems Ramotar is

making fewer mistakes than during his first year in office and he is not engaging in name calling, which generally turns off voters.

Voters complain a lot about the cabinet and they want the president to take a look at his ministers and members of parliament circumspectly, and remove from the PPP/C list in upcoming elections those who are not up to the job or who have run into problems with voters.

There have been many complaints about some of them.

Some of these individuals are inelectable and are draining support from the PPP/C. Voters say once Ramotar presents a credible team to the electorate, it will improve his chance of winning a second term in office.

They feel the president should look to a young credible team with more females.

Sincerely, Vishnu Bisram

365-day open hunting season must stop Dear Editor, It was indeed a pleasure reading that three persons were arrested for illegal hunting. Many Guyanese have a false belief that Guyana can never be overhunted because of the large percentage of our land that is covered by jungle.

This is a myth as the massive increase in forestry and mining activities has led to the opening up of our jungle.

There are now many roads and paths that lead to areas that were once inaccessible This, coupled with huge numbers of shotgun and rifle licences issued by the Guyana Police Force to members of the public, has resulted in the slaughter and smuggling of our wildlife. Miners kill our wildlife by the thousands to feed their camps and the exportation of wildlife is rampant. This is exacerbated by

our population’s insatiable appetite for wild meat.

Guyana prides itself on its biodiversity. Almost every poster that promotes Guyana contains pictures of our wildlife. Yet the government continues to allow the mass hunting of our animals.

Aren’t we selling a lie to eco-tourists when our advertisements practically guarantee a sighting of wildlife in their natural habitat? It would be interesting if data is collected from tourists’ showing actual sightings.

How can we as a nation allow such senselessness to continue unabated? What are we leaving for future generations? Won’t it be sensible to restrict hunting at certain periods of the year to allow for the resuscitation of wildlife stock?

Costa Rica is a perfect ex-

ample where government interventions have led to a complete revival of wildlife stock.

Tourists now flock to that country in the thousands for the eco-tourism experience, where it is practically guaranteed that there will be an actual sighting of an animal in its natural environment.

Must we always remain a third world country with a third world mentality? Look at the developed world – they rake in millions of dollars every year from the sale of hunting and fishing licences and some of this money is used to pay wildlife wardens. Why can’t we do the same? We desperately need the money, much more than the U.S.A. or Canada.

To those of you who will argue that it would be impossible to enforce more stringent hunting and fishing laws, I

believe that once the fines are set very high (much higher than the cost of the licence), I guarantee you that every police officer will be on the lookout for hunters because the bribes would be very big.

This is obviously not the ideal situation, but it would undoubtedly result in a massive reduction in illegal hunting, as hunters will not want to pay the bribe. Being an optimist, I believe at some point our police will become professional and stop taking bribes.

A way of achieving this would be to give a monetary reward to the police who are responsible for arresting illegal hunters. The reward can come from the funds received from the sale of licences.

Yours sincerely, R Singh

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, december 19, 2013

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

Bridging the Berbice River The Holocaust Dear Editor, Bridging the Berbice River is one of the most invaluable projects executed and delivered for the people of Guyana. This is one of the structures that came at a time when direct stress was passed on to the general citizenship of Guyana and moreso to tourists when commuting to the region.

No one knows the stress levels and lost time incurred with the previous model, so the opposition should shut up and face the reality of opportunity time.

I am hoping the opposition knows that people’s time is valuable, and they realise how much it is really worth.

The opposition must go back to the basics and try to analyse the stress about a delayed boat with a long line, is it possible to quantify – to put a concrete number on – the time being wasted? To say not just “my time is valuable!” but “that’s US$250 of my time down the drain!”

It turns out the answer is yes. And to do so you only need to use one of the most basic principles of economics – opportunity cost, let the opposition do some work rather than them using the “empty barrel makes the most noise” concept.

The call for reduced tariff is not justifiable. They are comparing the Demerara Harbour Bridge tariff structure which is heavily subsidised by the government with the Berbice bridge which is fully self reliant.

If the opposition is ready to offset the tariff differences for the reduction they are calling for, then they should sign on to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) and proceed with their call.

It’s not too hard to see how crucial time lost is (the opposition should conduct a time and motion study on the Berbice crossing now with data from the ferrying model)

and with time reduction that goes with increasing justification for increasing people’s social benefits. How much is an hour of your time worth?

The bridge role in the ease of commuting, for the farmers, construction workers, tourists to name a few, and very important reduced time for life saving events, transporting medical cases to the public/private hospitals in Berbice and also to the national referral hospital in Georgetown.

We have to be thankful for the many investors for coming on board with this project since, from an economic standpoint, social dimensions and environmental impacts, this bridge has closed the gaps within each dimension so translating all benefits to the people and that is what this government is all about, giving its general citizenship cause to develop themselves.

Why only Berbice bridge?

The opposition has their personal vendetta against some

of the direct private investors.

This is not professional analysis from the opposition side, but, rather ‘an eye for an eye’ game that will only see the entire Guyana going blind.

I call on the opposition, it is wake up time, work with the government in Parliament to ensure our country is taken off the black list with the passing of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing Terrorism Bill – this is more important at this time.

This is what the private investors did with the Berbice bridge, since the private sector has the bottom or the operating core of the country at heart, they made this investment possible so that the hardship of commuting to and from the region becomes a model to push Guyana forward, and that is what the outcome is.

Sincerely, Michael Khan

There was no intent by the minister to subvert due process Dear Editor, I would like to respond regarding the debate surrounding the Permission for Geological and Geographical Survey (PGGS) recently granted to Muri Brasil Ventures Inc. Regardless of whether the language in the contract constituted a guarantee or not in reference to a prospecting licence (PL), I do not believe there was any intent by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud to subvert due process and instead engage in some underhanded arrangement with the company.

It must be noted that this is not the first time such a PGGS permission was issued with similar wording.

In fact, Pharsalus Inc was granted a PGGS permission in 2007 by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds,

which was recorded by then Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) Commissioner William Woolford.

This permission contained similar language and included this clause: “During the duration of the permission, the permittee shall have the right to apply to the GGMC for, and shall be granted, a maximum of 20 prospecting licences for radioactive minerals and rear earth elements.”

Again, in this instance, similar conditions had to be satisfied in order to certify approval of the licences.

Moreover, the conditions set out in the Muri Brazil PGGS contract, which will pave the way for the granting of a maximum of 18 PLs, are in line with the requirements of the Mining Act that spell out issuances of such a licence.

In the Mining Act, Article 30, Chapter 2 sets out that a PL shall be granted if the applicant can demonstrate adequate financial and technical expertise to carry out an effective prospecting operation and can show that it has an adequate prospecting programme or operational plan.

I do not envision any issue meriting serious concern with the granting of such a PL if the company were to apply to the GGMC and to meet all the requisite criteria for such licences. The only issue that should be addressed is if the government is willing to revise its current policy of not permitting mining in the specified area.

Also, the government will have to ensure that if it indeed changes its policy on mining in the area, then it should take into consideration commitments

related to the GuyanaNorway agreement on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and how funding from that arrangement can be affected if mining in the specified area negatively affects control of Guyana’s total forest degradation levels.

The security issue is a non-starter, I believe.

The land area belongs to Guyana and we should not be too overly concerned with Suriname’s reaction, lest we think that the nation has a legitimate claim.

This raises another issue for our government to consider, and that is to find a diplomatic solution in resolving the disputed territorial claim made by Suriname.

Regards, Clinton Urling

Dear Editor, When World War II ended, I was only one-year-old.

I did not see if the Holocaust really happened. Holocaust is a crime against humanity. In such a crime, a court of justice asks eyewitnesses. I asked old Germans in 1970-73 in West Berlin if the Holocaust really happened. They all asserted to me that the Holocaust had been a big lie. I cannot prove what old Germans told me.

Most old Germans, who lived in 1930s and 1940s in Germany, are dead.

They surely told their children and grandchildren if the Holocaust really happened. If Germany repealed the Holocaust denial law for being unconstitutional, Germans would say publicly without fear what their parents and grandparents told them if the Holocaust really happened.

I doubt that Germany will voluntarily repeal the Holocaust denial law.

Countries, who oppose Israeli violations of the international law, can easily oblige Germany to repeal the Holocaust denial law.

Citizens of these countries can demonstrate everyday against the Holocaust denial law. They can brandish banners with different languages including German reading “the Holocaust is a big lie”.

Germany will finally repeal the law. Israel will be obliged to comply with all United Nations resolutions and international court decisions. Islamic fundamentalism will accordingly die out.

Spain has overturned the Holocaust denial law (see http://balder.org/judea/SpainOverturns-Holocaust-DenialLaw.php).

I remind you that the constitution of your country guarantees freedom of belief and freedom of speech.

Sincerely, James Monroe

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Foundation

Eating Ice – A common sign Steps to avoiding back to school anxiety of iron deficiency anaemia (Continued from Tuesday)

many people do even though they’ve likely heard from a dentist that they shouldn’t.

Believe it or not, chewing on ice can do serious damage to your teeth, and it’s important for you to understand why so you’ll think twice before chomping down on a nice cold piece of ice.

BY VINCENT IANNELLI

C

hildren are sometimes given ice chips when they are sick, especially when they are recovering from surgery, so parents are often surprised that eating ice can actually be a sign that their child is sick.

While children with iron deficiency anaemia more commonly eat non-food items, such as paper, clay and rocks, some crave and eat ice.

Eating ice (pagophagia) does seem to be more common in adults, while children often have other compulsive eating behaviours, such as eating uncooked starch (amylophagia), dirt or clay (geophagia) or even paint chips.

The general term for all of these types of compulsive eating of non-food substances is called pica.

While people often think of pica as involving non-edible things like sand, plaster or paper, it can also include edible things that aren’t usually thought of as food, especially if it is eaten compulsively. * Other typical pica substances can include: * uncooked corn starch * uncooked flour * uncooked rice * ash * baby powder * chalk * charcoal * pottery The fact that it has to be eaten compulsively is likely why eating ice isn’t more common in children with pica. They don’t usually have easy access to ice, or at least not as easy access as other

Chewing ice may harm your teeth Your teeth are made up of enamel and dentin.

According to OralAnswers. com, when you chew on ice, you’re putting a great deal of pressure on your teeth and are at risk of wearing down the enamel, which can cause cracks or chips. When the enamel is chipped and dentin is exposed, your teeth will weaken and you may experience sensitivity. non-food things they might eat, such as the carpet, stuffing from the couch or just about anything else they can get their hands on.

Iron deficiency anaemia Talk to your paediatrician if your child is eating ice or other non-food items.

Eating ice is most often a sign of iron deficiency anaemia, for which your paediatrician can easily test and treat your child.

If your child who is eating ice compulsively does not have iron deficiency anaemia, then your paediatrician may do testing for other nutritional problems (zinc or calcium deficiency, etc) or see if it is caused by a behavioural or developmental problem.

Surprisingly, no one really knows why children with

iron deficiency anaemia eat ice or other non-food substances. None of the things they crave have iron in them, so it is not like it fixes their anaemia. Some people even think that pica causes anaemia, as eating a lot of ice and other non-nutritive things replaces healthier foods.

Whatever the link, parents should know that in paediatrics, it is usually thought that eating ice and other nonfood items is associated with iron deficiency anaemia.

Why is chewing ice bad for your teeth?

There are many seemingly harmless habits that you’re doing every day that could be wreaking havoc on your dental health. One of the top offenders is chewing on ice, which is something that

It’s a dangerous cycle When you chew ice, you’re creating a repetitive hot and cold cycle in your mouth, which can cause small cracks in the enamel. Not only will this weaken your teeth, but it could also cause serious problems with any fillings you may have. According to OralAnswers.com, a filling may expand faster than the tooth when exposed to hot and cold temperatures, which can shorten the life of the filling.

It can hurt your gums Finally, bits of ice can be sharp, and you run the risk of puncturing your gums when you chew on them. Consider carrying sugar-free gum around so you’ll have something else to chew instead of ice. (About.com and Dentalplans.com)

BY HILARY PEREIRA

Grant them independence

Suggest coming with her (or trailing her from a distance if she prefers!) the first day or so, or see if someone she knows will be taking the same journey so they can go together.

Help out with homework

With high school comes homework – and usually plenty of it. Help your child to keep on top of it by providing him with a wipe-clean weekly planning board. This way he can write up what needs doing and when by, then rub things out as he completes them.

It’ll help him feel more organised as well as giving him a sense of achievement each time the list gets smaller. If he’s finding it hard to cope with the volume of work at first, consider undertaking some of the less learning-based tasks yourself, such as finding a newspaper story; doing a little internet research; colouring in a chart or cutting and pasting.

He’ll soon pick up the pace and want to do things for himself.

Be positive

If your child finds herself in a new class where she’s separated from all her good friends, as does happen in some schools, approach things with a positive attitude: it’s an opportunity for your child to make more friends among her year group; it’ll mean she’s not as easily distracted (at least at first!) and you can assure her that you’ll make more opportunities for her to see her old crowd outside of school – so really it’s a winning situation all round!

After-school clubs

If you’re moving to a new school in a new area, your child is going to have to make friends from scratch.

See if you can find out what after-school activities there are in the area and whether some of his new schoolmates attend any of them. You could join him up to one or two so he sees the children he likes best more often and in other contexts than just school, and this might help him make friendships more quickly.

Keep in touch with his old group and encourage him to invite people for weekends if he wants to.

In it together

After a long school holiday, your child may be a bit reluctant or tearful about going back to school. A new year means a new teacher – or teachers – and a different classroom environment, so a few nerves are perfectly normal, plus she’s been used to being around you all the time and enjoying long, lazy days.

Reassure her that all her friends will be in the same boat, and start getting her back into more of a termtime bedtime routine a little in advance of the first day of term so she’s not out of her routine or over-tired before she even starts.

Line up a few treats for the first couple of weekends so she has something to look forward to. (ivillage.co.uk)

news

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thursday, december 19, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Parties could have cashed in on scrapped USAID project – govt says some activities still ongoing

T

he Guyana government on Wednesday said that despite it cancelling a multibillion-dollar U.S.-sponsored governance project, some activities of the programme are still ongoing. And it has been revealed for the first time that political parties could have received commodity support valued US$50,000 under the programme.

“There have been repeated reports that activities in the disapproved project are being implemented, currently, by either the U.S. embassy or the USAID or the International Republican Institute,” Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon told a news conference at the Office of the President.

When questioned about a number of the activities being conducted in Regions Three and Four, and Cabinet members having reported that activities involved “political parties and their mobilisation”, women and children, Dr Luncheon said he had not received any reports that any activities involved the governing People's Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

On the issue of the funding for political parties, he told reporters that U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, D

Brent Hardt had assured him during talks up to October 2012 that political parties would not have been funded intentionally or otherwise.

“If the man tell me so, what you want? Watch the ambassador in he face and tell he he lie?” Luncheon asked.

Pulls out

Government had announced last month that it pulled out of the 2012 project, as a consequence of the flaws in the agreement.

Dr Luncheon said the project proposal presented to Guyana did not reflect the input of the government, as well as that of USAID, and on that basis, considerable reservations were expressed by the administration.

He explained that the design was considered by Cabinet and both the project and the design were rejected.

“The project that habitually and conventionally is an engagement between Guyana and its development partner USAID – this one in 2012 departed from that convention. Firstly, we were presented with an agreement to sign, over which we had zero contribution. Secondly, when we officially got the design, there was considerable objec-

Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon

tion, as far as the administration was concerned. This design would have never ever been provided for in any bilateral relationship; as a consequence, it was rejected.”

The Cabinet secretary added that the design allowed for the involvement of USAID in the national life and politics of Guyana.

The US$13.1 million bilateral agreement was to advance development in health, economic growth and democracy and governance. It is believed that government had become uneasy with some of the project outlines.

Under the strengthening of the National Assembly, the project had set out to support the legislature in maximising

Construction works to be done on Liberty river defence dam

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he Region Two administration will commence construction and repair works on the river defence dam at Liberty, Upper Pomeroon River.

Region Two Chairman Permanand Persaud, speaking at the region’s monthly statutory meeting in the Regional Democratic Council boardroom in Anna Regina, said the works will assist in helping to prevent flooding at

the Liberty Primary School during high tides.

Persaud gave the commitment in response to A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Councillor Prince Shepherd, who raised the issue about flooding at the school, particularly during high tides.

The chairman said he is aware of the situation as he inspected the school during the last flood and had prom-

ised to provide a more conducive learning environment for students.

The chairman said a contract will be awarded for the construction of the river dam to save the school from flooding during high tides.

Shepherd said he visited the school and saw the compound waterlogged, calling the situation unacceptable.

He urged the chairman to address the problem urgently.

the effectiveness of its existing website and other technology. This may include live broadcasts of proceedings to better inform citizens, bringing the National Assembly closer to the public and encouraging greater public involvement.

According to the project, support would have included consultative processes drawing on international experts, the public, members of political parties and representatives of Parliament.

Long-term interest

On key reform issues and agendas, including needed reforms to the Guyana Elections Commission, reforms of the Constitution, local election policies, decentralisation and political party financing.

The US$1.5 million project was also expected to build capacity within the political parties, support holding local government elections and supporting women and youth political leadership.

Meanwhile, according to the project document, the U.S. government said the spread of stable democratic governments was in its

U.S. Ambassador D Brent Hardt

long-term interest. It said assistance in strengthening political parties, both in government and opposition, is one way that Washington can support its friends and allies engaged in democratisation.

Moreover, the document said political party assistance provides an important means to engage a nation’s future leadership, a factor often key to advancing U.S. interests overtime.

Additionally, the goals of the USAID political party assistance are to develop and consolidate representative democracies; develop trans-

parent political environments; establish viable democratic parties; and ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.

The USAID said the political party assistance was a new policy priority, one that requires commitment and innovation. Two principal of the assistance policy are: USAID programmes support representative multi-party systems and USAID programmes do not seek to determine election outcomes.

According to the project document, these principle guidelines include USAID programmes that must make a good faith effort to assist all democratic parties with equitable level of assistance; assistance to non-democratic parties is prohibited; where there are too many democratic parties, to assist all effectively; and USAID will assist all significant parties, which will be determined by U.S. mission.

Additionally, it said commodity support valued US$50,000 or less may be provided annually to each party that qualifies for assistance.

8 news Imam Roshan Ali passes away

thursday, december 19, 2013| guyanatimesGY.com

Eyew tness

Buried treasure... ...gold e’ve just surpassed last year’s record production of gold...and it’s very likely we might just reach 500,000 ounces. Now that’s a whole lotta gold...1250 of those large gold bullion bars we’ve salivated over in movies about in the Ocean 11 heist. With each of those bars weighing in at 27.4 pounds... you’ll need a special 18-wheeler to cart that away!

Even with gold selling in the US$1230s, that’s also a whole lotta money. We know everybody got real excited when the price hit the US$1800s, but volatility is the name of the game in gold and we’d better get used to it.

Apart from India, where they buy gold for reasons that are completely unrelated to economic matters, the rest of the world pretty much fall back on it as a “store of value”.

So basically, when the U.S. dollar – the major international currency around – goes up, gold heads south and vice versa.

With the U.S. economy on a roller coaster without too many highs, we can expect gold to eventually rise – on the average.

While there’s been a lotta talk about the Chinese Yuan or Renimbit gradually replacing the U.S. dollar as an international currency...movement in that direction has been glacial. But then, this is good news for gold and for us. That is, until the gold runs out. And run out it will – since unlike sugar, we can’t plant more of it. (Well, most people excepting the Guyana Sugar Corporation can!).

Maybe not tomorrow...but the end of the gold rush is nigh upon us. So what’re we doing about it? We’ve been hearing talk about a “sovereign wealth” fund, into which the government could plunk the royalties from gold – to tide us over on a rainy day, or when the gold runs out. But at this time, the talk’s mostly just that – talk.

And not from the authorities.

But there’s the other side of the (gold) coin that’s not being examined – the fellas who’re raking in the gold. With the departure of Omai, there hasn’t been any

W

Imam Roshan Ali (third left seated) and family members

I

mam Roshan Ali who hailed from Charity, Pomeroon died on Thursday afternoon, following a brief illness.

Imam Ali, 87, popularly referred to as Uncle Roshan, was the father of nine children, including Guyana’s Honorary Consul in Florida, Ramzan Roshanali.

A businessman and farmer in his earlier days, Uncle Roshan was very active in the Muslim community in Guyana. He received the Indian Arrival

Committee’s Award in 2009 for his outstanding contributions to the religious and business sectors.

He spent his early childhood in Siriki, Pomeroon and later moved to Wismar and then back to Charity from where he migrated to Canada in 1983. He returned to Guyana in 1995 with his wife and resided here until last year when he joined his children and grandchildren in Florida.

Over the years, Imam Ali officiated at several

special events in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Antigua, the United Kingdom, and the United States, including Guyana’s Republic anniversary and Indian Arrival Day celebrations in Florida in February and June respectively, this year.

The funeral service for the late Imam Roshan Ali will take place on Friday, December 20, at 14:00h at Fred Hunter Funeral Home on Taft Street in Hollywood, Florida.

massive player hogging all the pickings. So it means that most of the money from gold’s been circulating among fairly ordinary folks – who’re now extremely wealthy.

What have they been doing with the loot? One fella from Essequibo has invested in some real estate and shopping centres in his hometown and in GT. But where are the others? This is Guyana: a billion U.S. dollars every year should’ve resulted in even more spectacular changes than we’re witnessing.

And we’re not talking about just wearing more bling. ...rare earths They say there’s a silver lining behind every dark cloud. There might even be some truth to it. Look at the opposition’s all out assault at the government’s developmental effort. If it wasn’t for their torpedoing of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electricity Project, would we have ever learnt about water flowing in the Kuribrong River? Would we have even learnt we had a river named Kuribrong?

And before we’d even had a chance to digest all of that, here comes all this info about “rare earths” in their latest sally to derail development. According to the opposition, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud was about to hand over all our “rare earths” to mining interests. And what’s so special about “rare earths”? Well while they’re not so rare, they’re rarely found in high concentrations. So it’s costly to mine and there fetches high prices.

The opposition probably thinks we should keep them in the ground. Maybe for a rainy day when the gold runs out. So what if we can’t finance a bridge across the Demerara River in the meantime? ...in garbage We hope in the new year we’ll finally have a reputable company pay us for all the gold we keep dumping as garbage. By that time, hopefully, we’d also have dumped Mayor Hamilton Green, who’s old, but no gold.

news

9

THURSday, december 19, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Three security Giftland OfficeMax treats children firms sued for breaching minimum wage order T hree security firms have been taken to court for failing to adhere to the new National Minimum Wage Order and the 40-hour work week, Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul said on Wednesday.

Speaking at his end of year press conference at his 1 Water Street, Stabroek, Georgetown office, Dr Gopaul said some 2218 inspections were done at various businesses countrywide, which led to the ministry taking legal action against three security firms, who are not in compliance with the new minimum wage order.

The three firms are Home Safe Security Services, Supreme Security Service and Strategic Action Security Service.

The labour minister said cases have been filed so far and more will be filed for all workers who are not being paid accordingly.

He said the security firms have not been paying workers their rightful salaries even prior to this year’s new minimum wage order, which he believes is blatant and totally disrespectful to the working class.

“We are pursuing prosecution, we have 19 cases against them so far and we intend to file all the cases for the workers who have

not been paid en bloc,” he said. According to the labour minister, the trial is continuing and this will be monitored to ensure workers get there due sum.

On the other hand, commercial entities were also taken to court and will be up for trial. The ministry will be seeking the assistance of the Attorney General's Chambers and private lawyers will be sought to ensure that these companies comply with the law.

Dr Gopaul added that the assistance of the Attorney General's Chamber and that of private lawyers will be sought to ensure that these companies comply with the law.

Some 35,000 workers at the lower level are said to have benefited from the introduction of the national minimum wage and the 40hour work week order.

In addition to the inspections carried out, the ministry also received approximately 1100 complaints from persons working in various industries about issues relating to dismissal, termination of employment, outstanding wages, overtime and annual leave. The Labour Ministry has secured $14.1 million from employers for payouts to aggrieved employees.

Man remanded on narcotics charge

O

n Wednesday a man was remanded to prison after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where he was slapped with a possession of narcotics charge.

Thirty-eight-year-old Michael Mark Wong of Kamaka Stretch, North West District, pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on December 15 at Kamaka Stretch, he was in possession of 22 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that a search was conducted and in the defendant’s bedroom, the substance was found on the vanity. He subsequently confessed to the offence saying “officer it belongs to me, I got that thing long now”.

He was represented by Attorney Pamela De Santos who made an application for bail for her client stating

that the substance was found in the premises in which he resides and not on his person.

She further stated that Wong lives in an area where the electricity goes out at 23:00h and when the raid was conducted, it was at 02:00h. The raid was conducted by another officer because the inspector did not want to since it was too dark.

The attorney alleged that her client was threatened by the said rank who conducted the raid stating that the defendant once shared a relationship with the rank’s present girlfriend.

Prosecutor Deniro Jones objected to bail citing the seriousness and prevalence of the offence, adding that his facts differ from those of council.

The matter stands adjourned to December 19 in Court One.

O

Children from the children's homes with Giftland OfficeMax officials

n Tuesday, the children of Cornelia Ida Children’s Home, the Ruimveldt Children’s Home and Centre Care of the Vedic Mandir, received an overwhelming treat at the Mario’s Pizza, complements of Giftland OfficeMax.

The orphans enjoyed three hours of non-stop fun together, although they came from different organisations. Giftland’s ambassador Hugh Ross was there to impart knowledge and to mix and mingle with the little ones. It was quite an experience

for them.

Representatives from the organisations extended their heartfelt appreciation for being selected and treated, and wished the company a successful remaining 2013 and productive 2014.

80

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, December 19, 2013

News

No end to Essequibo power woes ...despite GPL’s assurances

Dem boys friken a big woman bad

E

Sanjay Persaud’s fishing equipment has been laid up

Spoilt sausages, ice cream and chicken which had to be dumped

ower outage continues to hurt Essequibo businesses with a complete shutdown of the network on Wednesday despite a Guyana Power and Light statement saying that power supply is back to near normalcy.

Small businesses which cannot afford a generator as yet were busy searching for ice to cool their items.

Poultry farmers said they are now forced to sell “live” chicken since they cannot say whether there will be a daily power supply.

One poultry farmer, Jean Samaroo said she is losing

to sea. Persaud sells fish in large quantities and if the power is unreliable, his customers would not buy fish since they would have to incur additional expenses to buy ice.

Meanwhile, GPL in a press release said all remedial work on the 11kV busbar at the Anna Regina generating station has been completed and power supply has returned to a state of near normalcy.

According to the company, intermittent outages are, however, still being experienced as faults develop on its distribution network

P

on her chickens since she cannot pluck them due to frequent power outages.

Samaroo related that she earns more from plucked chicken but due to the unreliable power supply, plucking is a risk. Many offices on Wednesday were unable to function due to the blackout Sanjay Persaud, a fisherman from Cotton Field, said he has not gone out to fish, owing to the unreliable power supply which hit the Essequibo Coast since last week.

He said GPL is unreliable and even if he purchases a generator, he cannot go

as a result of high winds.

“Be assured that no effort is being spared to deal with this situation. We apologise for the inconvenience caused, thank you for your forbearance over the past week and a half and we appeal for your patience over the next few days as we work towards ensuring that you have a Christmas that is free of outages. We also urge you to limit your use of electricity during the holiday season and to visit our website at www.gplinc.com for more information on energy conservation.”

very body does look fuh some body to blame. Man does blame woman and woman does blame back man when any ting go wrong – especially one if dem give blow. De guvament blamin de opposition. De opposition blamin back de guvament.

In between Rum Sammy and de Met Office, dem does blame de weather. When de rain done fall and flood out every body is then de weather advisory does come. And when de advisory finally come in time it does be wrong.

As soon as Rum Sammy seh plenty rain gon fall fuh Christmas, de rain stop fall.

De G-PEE-Hell people is another set who lookin fuh excuse de whole year. Every time some ting wrong, G-PEE-Hell does blame some ting else. Now dem blamin de weather again. As soon as dem seh no more blackout fuh de holidays, is then de blackout start all over de country from Essequibo Coast to Berbice and all through East Coast and East Bank.

Even de G-PEE-Hell poles does have a hard time standin up straight when de rain fall. Some body seh Din Dhal got de same problem. De more Din Dhal talk, de more G-PEE-Hell poles fallin down flat. Even lil hard breeze blow dem down. Is either de poles too soft or dem rotten. Is no wonder Din Dhal lookin fuh overseas poles!

Well, who woulda tink that dem boys who seh dem is boys, but who is not really boys, but does dress like boys, and tell people dem is boys, ain’t tekkin blame either? Dem is de boys who does play big and bad. But big mouth does get lil a lotta times. And dem boys mouth get lil overnight!

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! Dem boys ain’t able wid de pressure. Dem boys write tings bout a big woman and dem seh dem ain’t write. Who woulda tink that dem boys woulda friken a big woman so bad!

Blacklisting could affect trade, payments – Republic Bank

A

regional anti-money laundering body has called on Caribbean countries to “consider implementing counter measures to protect their financial systems from the ongoing money laundering and terrorist financing risks emanating from Belize and Guyana”.

The counter measures, which amount to a financial blacklisting of the countries, will mean that all financial transactions between TT and Guyana and Belize will be placed under much greater scrutiny, with the possibility that wire transfers and other payments would be delayed or denied.

Responding to questions on the impact of the counter measures on trade and payments between TT and the affected countries, Republic Bank executive director, Nigel Baptiste, said: “These measures will undoubtedly negatively affect trade and payments between the countries as the enhanced monitoring will result in longer turnaround time, higher costs and possibly the re-

fusal of accepting payments where information requirements are not met.

“Where correspondent and other banks or parties restrict the types of business being done, this will negatively affect trade income and payments and may lead to investors withdrawing from Guyana and Belize.”

Republic Bank has a significant subsidiary in Guyana, having acquired 51 per cent of the shareholding in National Bank of Industry and Commerce Limited on November 1997.

The subsidiary was officially rebranded as Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited on June 2, 2006.

The virtual blacklisting of Belize and Guyana is a directive of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), an organisation comprising 29 jurisdictions in the Caribbean Basin region that have agreed to implement international standards on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT). (TT Guardian)

91 Environment

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, DEcEMBER 19, 2013

Let’s go green this Christmas!

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mid all the festivity, shopping, hustling and bustling, redecorating and cleaning, let us give a thought to our environment which is very special and important to our health and wealth. Let us be charitable, not only to our friends and families, but also to the environment!

There are many things that we can do to prepare for a ***green*** or ecofriendly holiday season that reduces our negative impacts on our beautiful environment and health.

One easily doable thing is to keep in mind the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and use them in our holiday preparations.

This would go a long way towards improving the aesthetics of the environment, conserving our resources and keep our economy strong.

Eco-friendly and nature inspired décor will bring a natural a n d

the future.

Decorating the house

your home, that is true to the festive nature of the season. So let us make a difference in our lives and our country this holiday by trying simple preparation tips for a holiday with less waste and better use of materials around us. Here are some to start you off:

Cleaning

u yo r fo t g n u thi abo e m k So thin to

* Look for the ozone friendly label on products before you buy. * Make use of natural cleaning agents such as vinegar and baking soda.

What did our foreparents use before plastics and Christmas decorations?

unique

touch

to

What will happen to the next generation if we continue to be excessive and indiscriminate in our actions towards the environment?

* Keep materials that are recyclable and in good condition as you will see the need for it in

* Use natural or recycled materials to make decorations. * Wrap old jars with coloured paper and place candles inside. * Use low energy (LED) fairy lights. * Cut down on energy use – use candles for Christmas dinner. * Reuse old Christmas cards for gift tags, decorations etc. * Put sweets or other goodies in old jars and set them on the table or give as gifts.

* Make Christmas decorations – bring out the glue guns, old papers, paints, old décor and old clothing to create crafty projects this season.

Shopping

* Buy recyclable or reusable products for the home and as gifts. * Buy goods in bulk – you will save more money and time. * Instead of buying new clothing for the holiday, make your own or you reuse your old clothing and mix them in different ways. * Do not impulse shop – you will save more (you will need that money next year).

Gift preparation

* Make Christmas cards (be creative).

* Make gifts, example: flower baskets or fruit baskets. * Reuse wrapping paper.

Sources: http://www.ecocentric.co.uk/acatalog/greenchristmas.html Best wishes for the holiday season from the Environmental Protection Agency!

You can share your ideas and questions by sending your letters to: “The Earth Our Environment”, C/O EIT Division. Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, Georgetown or email us at eit.epaguyana@gmail. com.

We must be the change we want to see in our country.

12 News

thursday, December 19, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

No security concerns in survey deal – Urling

High Court among other courts to get recording systems

… but govt must consider Norway pact

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eorgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President Clinton Urling said Guyana should not be concerned about any security threat resulting from its grant of an exploration permit to a company to carry out geophysical survey in the New River Triangle area, asserting that the land belongs to this country and that Georgetown should not be too overly bothered by Suriname’s reaction.

He said that the only issue that should be addressed is if the government is willing to revise its current policy of not permitting mining in the specified area, noting that the administration will have to ensure that if it indeed changes its policy on mining in the area, then it should take into consideration commitments related to the Guyana-Norway agreement on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and how funding from that arrangement can be affected if mining in the specified area negatively affects control of Guyana’s total forest degradation levels.

Urling is the latest public figure to add his voice to the growing storm over the granting of the Permission for Geological and

Geophysical Survey (PGGS) to Muri Brasil Ventures Incorporated and why Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud did not tell a parliamentary committee about this when he had met the body.

Persaud, his ministry and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) have been criticised for the deal after a copy of the PGGS was leaked to the media.

No underhand arrangement

In a letter to the editor, Urling said “I do not believe there was any intent by Mr Robert Persaud, the minister of natural resources and the environment to subvert due process and instead engage in some underhanded arrangement with the company.”

According to Urling, the issuance of PGGS is nothing new to Guyana, pointing out that Pharsalus Incorporated was granted a PGGS in 2007 by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds. At the time, the GGMC was led

by Commissioner William Woolford. It was pointed out that the PGGS issued in 2007 is not far flung from the one issued in November 2012.

“During the duration of the permission, the permittee shall have the right to

GCCI President Clinton Urling

apply to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission for, and shall be granted, a maximum of 20 prospecting licences for radioactive minerals and rear earth elements,” a clause in the 2007 PGGS read.

In accordance with the 2012 PGGS, Muri Brasil Ventures can apply for the maximum of 18 prospecting licences (PL). According to the Mining Act, Article 30, Chapter 2, a PL shall be granted if the applicant can demonstrate adequate financial and technical expertise to carry out an effective prospecting operation and can show that it has an adequate prospecting programme or operational plan.

On Tuesday, Muri Basil

Ventures broke its silence on the PGGS it was issued on November 7, 2012 for several types of minerals in South East Berbice in the vicinity of the New River Triangle.

The locally registered company disclosed that exploration activities have not commenced in the disputed area as permission is being sought for the construction of a small airstrip to facilitate the airborne aspect of the survey. However, other research activities have taken place.

While making it clear that it was never issued a prospecting licence or mining licence, the Muri Brasil Ventures expressed the hoping of acquiring the relevant documents to facilitate mining if the study proves to be feasible.

“These kinds of exploration activities cost millions of U.S. dollars, which can only be sourced as exploration investments from outside of Guyana. No such investments would be available if the investor is given no assurance that he will be granted prospecting licences. The investor takes a risk.

If he or she is not assured of a potential return, investment capital will dry up and so will Guyana’s mining industry.”

C

abinet has approved US$98,000 (G$20,318,208) for the purchase, installation and configuration of the verbatim voice recording system at the court of the Chief Justice, the Commercial Court and the Court of Appeal.

There have been calls for all of the courtrooms to be equipped with the facility. Cabinet Secretary, Dr Luncheon made the announcement during his regular media briefing on Wednesday.

Also, US$200,000 has been approved for procurement of consultancy services under the Guyana Solid Waste Management Project for the design of a hazardous waste management facility in Georgetown.

In the public works sector, $28.1 million has been cleared for the construction of 45 metres of rip-rap sea defence at Hague, Region Three; $42.2 million for

similar works at Greenwich Park, Region Three; and $498.2 million for the construction of the four-lane highway from D’Andrade to Good Hope under the Highway Improvement Programme.

Additionally, Luncheon said $28.9 million has been approved for construction of a hatchery for the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara; $29.9 million for the construction of a teaching block at St Agnes Primary School; $25.7 million for the reconstruction of classrooms and the administrative section of the L’Aventure Secondary School, which was destroyed by arson and $59.9 million for rehabilitation of Factory Road and Backstreet at Helena, Number Two, Mahaica under the Community Roads Development Project (CRIP).

Sawn-off shotgun found in abandoned car

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olice have launched an investigation into a report of armed robbery committed on a motorist about 20:15h on Tuesday by two men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, at Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

During the robbery, the

victim’s motor car was stolen. The vehicle was subsequently recovered at Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, the police and a sawn-off 20 gauge shotgun with one cartridge was found in the vehicle.

Investigations are in progress.

TV thieves nabbed

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wo men who allegedly stole a television set and a remote control from a family at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara (WCD) were eventually caught by the police.

According to a police release, about 03:55h on Wednesday, ranks responded to a report of burglary

committed on a home at Cornelia Ida, during which a 32” television set and remote control were stolen.

Quick response by the police led to the recovery of the television set and remote control and the arrest of two men at Den Amstel, WCD. The men are in police custody assisting with the investigations.

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thursDAY, december 19, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

14

thursday, December 19, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com

News Cabinet roasts dirty Kaieteur Bureau of Statistics launches web portal News column on Sooba T M embers of Cabinet have criticised what they deemed the unwarranted and malicious attack on the recently appointed Town Clerk Carol Sooba by the Kaieteur News.

The appointment of Sooba has sparked outrage in some quarters. At a press conference earlier Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon said that members of Cabinet are disgusted and have vehemently objected to the Monday edition of the “Dem Boys She” column titled “Dem boys seh…

Parbattie aka Carol was a night nurse”.

“Sexist, racist, libellous – were terms used with re-

gards to the content of the “Dem Boys She” piece and the feeling of Cabinet is shocking and indeed it took the kick as we said in terms of records in Guyana,” Luncheon stated.

In the most often scandalous column, Sooba was referred to as “Carol Ganga”, an alleged night nurse who operated in Corentyne, Berbice. Luncheon said that this malicious article is an example of the pit in which Kaieteur News and the media fraternity has descended.

The Cabinet secretary further stated that efforts have been made over the years to render the expres-

sion of press freedom a more responsible exercise. He noted that while various remedies have been exhorted, anarchy still prevails in the journalistic world and in Guyana that is being practised by the Kaieteur News.

“Kaieteur News reigns supreme in this regard in Guyana and even one might hazardous guess butcher shop in the English speaking Caribbean. While we Guyanese have become inured to the KN’s excesses and occasional apologies, this most recent one is most offensive: even the tough cringe,” said the Cabinet secretary.

Special constable dies while on duty at NIS

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ays before Christmas, three children are now motherless after a woman collapsed and died in the compound of the National Insurance Scheme’s (NIS) Bent and Camp streets location on Wednesday.

Desiree Ann Williams, 53, of Lot 211 Garnett Street, Kitty, Georgetown, was found dead by one of her colleagues at the insurance scheme. The body of Williams, a special constable, bore no marks of violence and it is suspected that she might have died of natural causes.

Synobia Kingston, the eldest daughter of the woman, explained that a few days ago, her mother had cried out for stomach aches and went to the hospital where she was diagnosed with gas.

The doctor, she added, gave her mother a bottle of Gas-X and sent her home.

As a concerned daughter, she explained that due to the diagnosis, she recommended that her mother purchase a flask to keep her food warm and at the same time, encouraged her to eat on time.

Kingston further stated that she even offered to buy the flask, but her mother swore that she will buy one. This, she noted never happened. The grieving daughter stated that on Wednesday morning, her grandmother telephoned her with the dreadful news.

Upon enquiring, she was told that her mother had died after she collapsed in the NIS compound.

She worked the night shift and was supposed to have been relieved at 07:00h on Wednesday.

The daughter recalled seeing her mother a few days ago when she began cleaning up for Christmas.

“She was crazy about Christmas and Mother’s Day… she never pay heed to her birthday as Christmas… she would clean and decorate days in advance,” Kingston added.

Another daughter, Tandy Fortune told Guyana Times that her mother loved Christmas “and it will never be the same again… she was the first to put away and started to paint and decorate”, Fortune reiterated.

She explained that about

06:00h, her family received a call from NIS, informing them that her mother had collapsed and they had summoned an ambulance to take her to the hospital.

Fortune said she was accompanied by a cousin who took her to the medical facility, but there was no sign of Williams.

She then decided to go to the NIS office at Bent and Camp streets and upon her arrival; she saw her mother’s body covered with a tarpaulin.

Fortune said while she does not want to speculate, she is questioning if the NIS security had indeed called an ambulance to take her mother to the hospital or they left her to die.

The daughter stated that her mother was a workaholic and was always willing to help anyone.

Williams has been a part of the Guyana Police Force for the past 15 years. Two years ago, she was transferred from Eve Leary to NIS. A post-mortem is expected to be performed on the woman’s body on Friday.

She leaves to mourn her two daughters and a son.

he Bureau of Statistics has implemented a new web-based information portal called Guyana’s Development Information Database (GuyD_Info) that provides users the opportunity to share and access human development national statistics.

The information database, developed with support from the United Nations Group of Organisations in Guyana, provides updated statistical data that play a key role in informing the planning of policies and programmes for the country.

It was today demonstrated at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) Liliendaal in the presence of Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh; United Nations Development Programme, Resident Coordinator Khadija Musa; and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative Marianne Flach.

Decision making

Minister Singh noted the importance of having hard evidence to inform discourse, decision making and management within every sphere of activities in the country, and more so in today’s world where resources are finite.

Clarifying his statement, he pointed to the target set by government to realise widespread secondary education.

“We have set ourselves the target of achieving universal secondary education, and we do so, not against the background of limitless resources, so that we can build schools everywhere… we do so against the background of finite resources and making an informed decision about how best, and the most efficient and effective (way) to achieve universal secondary education,” he noted.

The minister said government recognises the importance of having hard data devoting considerable effort to building and developing the country’s statistic capacity as part of a larger programme that includes establishing and strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems, and raising effectiveness in government.

Government has been updating many of its statistical databases and building capacity at the Bureau of Statistics, but this is not the end, as Minister Singh pointed out.

“We are working hard to build similar suitable statistical capability in the sector ministries… we are collaborating closely with our

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

private sector partners to provide data reporting, to ensure better compliance with the Statistic Act and more timely submission of data, all with the aim of ensuring that we achieve this objective of better informed decision making,” he said.

Useful purpose

He said therefore that the importance of the GuyD_ Info database, “cannot possibly be over-emphasised”, as it serves an extremely useful purpose.

Government has already devoted considerable effort into capturing and making available data through websites of the different ministries and agencies.

GuyD_Info is Guyana’s adaptation of the Dev_Info programme, a tool developed under the auspices of the UN and endorsed by the United Nations Development Group, for countries to compile their human development with the specific purpose of monitoring their performances as it relates to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs.) Dev_Info itself was originally adapted from UNICEF’s ChildInfo database technology.

UN Representative Musa noted that the GuyD_Info database will be a strong tool for the UN in Guyana in helping to address the disparities, and to target the most vulnerable sections of society. She said the UN could use the database to monitor national data, disaggregated by sex, location, age, education and other factors related to groups at risk.

“We are pleased with the partnership with the Ministry of Finance and the Bureau of Statistics in launching the GuyD_Info database through which we can inform our future plans for sustainable development including poverty reduction strategies, health and nutrition, and continue to contribute effectively to national development strategies

UN Development Programme Resident Coordinator Khadija Musa

and priorities,” she said.

She warned that for the programme to be effective, every effort must be made to ensure that the data accessible is regularly updated.

The Bureau’s Chief Statistician, Lennox Benjamin said that the launch continues what has been the bureau’s most recent history of instances of collaboration and cooperation with the United Nations Group of Organisations in Guyana.

Rapid strides

He said too that the launch was symbolic of the rapid strides that been made by the bureau in the last 25 years, “to tap into and take advantage of the rapid global stride that have been made in the field of information technology” and the latest technologies pioneered by the United Nations system for more rapid efficient measurement and dissemination of national statistics.

The bureau’s first tentative step in building its institutional capacity as it relates to the world of information technology was in 1988, when with the support of the United Nations Group of Organisations’ first computer was installed at the agency.

GuyD_Info allows for quick data search; it has visualisation tools that make it easier to explore data, a gallery that provides for users to save their visualised output for future use, which also allows for sharing with others via social media, email and webpage embedding.

The bureau will in time, among others seek to link the database system with those of other sectors and other private sector companies, to build a net of users and to advocate and eventually install a GuyD_Info help desk.

Thus far, globally, 125 countries have adopted the Dev_Info programme.

15 Around the world

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, dECember 19, 2013

Haiti, Dominican Republic resume Arrest, strip search of Indian diplomat in talks over migrant court ruling U.S. sparks uproar

T

he leaders of Haiti and the Dominican Republic agreed on Tuesday to set up a joint commission to discuss and find a final solution to the migration problem caused by a recent Dominican Constitutional court ruling, which has created tensions between the two Caribbean countries that share the island of Hispaniola.

Haitian President Micheal Martelly and his Dominican counterpart Danilo Medina met on the sidelines of a meeting of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of our America (ALBA) and of Petrocaribe, in Caracas, Venezuela, under the auspices of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The two leaders agreed to address, through a constructive dialogue, the issue of the denationalisation of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian decent, among other issues.

“I announce the creation of a highlevel committee with representatives of both sides to address various issues on the bilateral agenda,” Maduro said on Tuesday in Caracas where he wel-

T

The Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina (left) greets his Haitian counterpart, Michel Martelly on the sidelines of an ALBA meeting

comed heads of state, prime ministers and other representatives from different countries of the region that are part of ALBA and of the PetroCaribe oil agreement.

Maduro announced that the joint committee will be comprised of five

representatives of the Haitian government and five delegates from The Dominican Republic government, while Venezuela, the United Nations, the European Union and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) have been invited as observers. (Caribbean News Now)

Jamaica’s Tessanne Chin is “The Voice”

P

rime Minister Portia Simpson Miller on Wednesday led the praises for singer Tessanne Chin, who won the NBC’s “The Voice” season five competition on Tuesday night, landing herself a record deal with Universal Music and a first prize of US$100,000.

“By being ‘The Voice’ you have joined the ranks of a long list of outstanding Jamaican achievers who have held the flag high internationally and confirm to the world that we are a nation of world beaters on the world class stage.”

“You have been a fine ambassador for Jamaica during this grueling competition and your voice; your victory will now serve to set the new standard for others to follow. We in Jamaica tonight feel a special pride that you are one of us and we look forward to celebrating with you in a larger and appropriate way on your return to the is-

A

Indian diplomat in New York Devyani Khobragade

U.S. prosecutors allege in an 11-page complaint that Khobragade stated in the visa application for her housekeeper that she would pay her at least $9.75 per hour, the minimum wage in New York, and require that she work no more than 40 hours per week. But prosecutors allege that the woman, identified as Sangeeta Richard, wound up receiving less than $3.31 per hour and was required to work far more than that during her time of service, which began in November 2012 and ended last June. (Excerpt from CNN)

Argentina overturns sex slave ruling Tessanne Chin receiving her award

land,” Prime Minister Simpson Miller said in a statement.

Chin had been stunning audiences with her renditions over the past

four weeks and crowned her success on Monday night with her rendition of the late Whitney Houston’s hit “I Have Nothing”. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

U.S. spy agency Egypt’s Morsi urged to curb charged with snooping “terrorist acts” White House panel has recommended significant curbs on the National Security Agency’s (NSA) sweeping electronic surveillance programmes.

Among its 46 recommendations, the five-member panel said the NSA should cease storing vast amounts of data on calls processed by U.S. phone companies.

Details of the snooping programme were leaked by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden, now a fugitive in Russia.

In its 308-page report, the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology recommended the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), a federal court that handles sensitive na-

he arrest and detention of an Indian consular official in New York on visa fraud charges has created a diplomatic uproar, with punitive steps taken against State Department officials in New Delhi and questions being raised about what level of diplomatic immunity she was due.

Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general for political, economic, commercial and women’s affairs, was arrested by agents from the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security on December 12 after she dropped her daughter off at school.

Pending her appearance before a federal magistrate judge, the 39-year-old woman was transferred to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Khobragade was held in a cell with other women and subjected to a strip search that included a cavity search; she posted bond and was released.

The U.S. Marshals Service said her treatment was standard procedure and that no policies were violated.

tional security cases, only authorise the collection of phone data when it was related to a specific international terrorism investigation and was “reasonable” in scope and breadth.

The data should no longer be stored wholesale by the NSA, the panel recommended, instead remaining in the custody of the phone company or a third party.

It also suggested limits on national security letters, which are legal orders giving the government authority to demand financial and phone records without prior court approval. It recommended intelligence agencies obtain a prior “judicial finding” showing “reasonable grounds” that the information sought is relevant.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

E

gypt’s deposed President Mohamed Morsi will stand trial on charges of “conspiring with foreign groups” to commit “terrorist acts”.

Morsi, toppled by the military in July and already on trial for alleged involvement in the killings of opposition protesters, was also accused on Wednesday of divulging “secrets of defence to foreign countries” and “funding terrorism for militant training to fulfil the goals of the International Organisation of the Muslim Brotherhood”, according to a prosecutor document seen

by Al Jazeera sources.

Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered Morsi and 35 co-ac-

cused to stand trial on charges including conspiring with foreign organisations to commit terrorist acts in Egypt and divulging military secrets to a foreign state In a statement, the prosecutor said that Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood had committed acts of violence and terrorism in Egypt and prepared a “terrorist plan” that included an alliance with the Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Some defendants, including Essam Haddad, Morsi’s second-in-command when president, were also accused of betraying state secrets to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. (Except from Al Jazeera)

Marita Veron (left) disappeared when she was 23, leaving behind her daughter Micaela (middle) and her mother Susana (right)

A

court in Argentina has convicted 10 people for the kidnapping and sexual exploitation of Marita Veron, who has been missing since 2002.

The court in north-western Tucuman province overturned a 2012 ruling which had acquitted all 13 defendants in the case of human trafficking.

Veron’s mother, Susana Trimarco, had appealed against the ruling, which had triggered protests in Argentina.

The court upheld the acquittal of two defendants.

Another died in February.

The tribunal in Tucuman said that four of the defendants had conspired to “hold and conceal [Ms Veron] for the exercise of prostitution”.

Six more had “participated” in her abduction and

forced prostitution, the judges said.

Marita Veron disappeared from the city of San Miguel de Tucuman in 2002, when she was 23 years old.

She had been on her way to a local hospital for a medical appointment.

Sex workers reported spotting her in several locations in the country, where they said she was forced to prostitute herself.

Her mother launched a campaign to find her and the case soon became a symbol of the fight against human trafficking in Argentina.

During her search, Trimarco infiltrated herself into human-trafficking gangs pretending to be interested in “buying” women. However, she has not been able to find her daughter and it is not clear whether Veron is still alive. (Excerpt from BBC News)

16

thursday, DECember 19, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com

Africa

Caribbean

Local Content Chamber president: TT Ugandan miners eye US$5B contractors facing economic apartheid bonanza

U

nder the guise of government to government arrangements economic apartheid is being practised against local workers and contractors. That is the claim by President of the TT Local Content Chamber TTLCC Lennox Sirjuesingh who complained about an influx of foreign contractors and workers for major infrastructural projects across the country. Speaking at the TTLCC’s annual awards ceremony at Linx Suites Restaurant, San Fernando, Sirjuesingh called

for more opportunities for locals.

“As the TTLCC, we face the vexing question of undue foreign labour, contractors and goods, which we can supply in both quality and quantity,” he told the audience which included San Fernando Mayor Kazim Hosein and Public Administration Minister Carolyn SeepersadBachan. Sirjuesingh said on his way to the awards ceremony, he drove past a dormitory at the Ato Boldon Stadium and another almost opposite,

at the Couva Hospital construction site, both housing Chinese labourers.

“And if you tip toe here you’ll see yet another at the Debe University,” he added.

He praised the TT Guardian and reporter Radhica Sookraj for exposing SNC-Lavalin, the Canadian firm chosen to design, finance and build the Penal Hospital, which is facing allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption on several projects in Canada, Algeria, Bangladesh and Libya. (Trinidad

Guardian)

North America

G

old miners and prospectors in eastern Uganda say the country can earn between US$2.5 billion and US$5 billion from exploiting the precious metal in Bugiri and Namayingo districts.

The miners during a meeting with local leaders said they are going to invest US$100 million into the exploration and eventual mining of gold in the districts over the next seven years to reach this target.

Ghanaian firm Blaze

Australia

Metals Resources Ashanti Ltd together with Lynks FZC and Amor Mines Limited hold licences to explore for gold in the districts under the Bugiri Exploration Programme.

Their objective is to prospect, explore for produce, exploit, refine, process, manufacture products and bi-product, distribute, supply and otherwise deal in gold.

They are to identify, addvalue, and promote areas of heightened economic mineral potential to known or respon-

sible investors and national policymakers.

The miners recently met district leaders from the two districts during a community sensitisation workshop to familiarise them with their exploration programme and also their long term plans for the development of the licence areas.

The two districts form part of a larger Busoga region which is gifted with a number of minerals including gold which are yet to be tapped.

(AllAfrica)

Civil aviation seen leading U.S. Budget deficit may last a decade aerospace growth next year

T

he U.S. aerospace and defence industry expects sales to grow modestly in 2014, helped by the civilian sector, after a relatively flat performance in 2013 under the shadow of budget cutbacks, the industry’s chief trade group said on Wednesday.

The Aerospace Industries Association forecast sales of US$232.1 billion in 2014.

That is up from US$220.1 billion this year, which in turn

will be down slightly from US$222 billion in 2012.

Civil aircraft sales are seen rising to US$72.1 billion in 2014, up from US$67.0 billion this year. U.S. aerospace exports grew by US$12.5 billion this year, resulting in a US$73.5 billion favourable balance of trade for the industry, up from US$65.7 billion in 2012, the AIA said in its annual report. Export growth is forecast for the next several

years due to a large backlog of civil aircraft orders.

Industry employment is forecast to have declined by 13,000 jobs to a total of 618,200 employees.

U.S. budget cuts, including the across-the-board cutbacks known as sequestration, are “clearly hurting our industry’s skilled and professional workforce and ultimately may stifle U.S. global competitiveness,” the group said. (Reuters)

Europe

A

ustralia’s budget deficit may last for a decade if urgent “remedial action” is not taken to improve the country’s finances, its government has warned.

In its latest economic outlook, the deficit was forecast to rise to 47 billion Australian dollars (US$42 billion; £26 billion) in the year to June as a result of a weakening economy.

That compares with a forecast for a A$30 billion deficit made in August.

The country’s 2014-2015 growth forecast was also downgraded to 2.5 per cent from three per cent.

Treasurer Joe Hockey said the economy was undergoing a tough transition and pledged to tighten spending.

“This is an unsustainable fiscal position and the government is committed to taking the hard decisions to live within its means,” Hockey said.

“More than half the deterioration in the budget posi-

tion is due to the softer economy,” he said. “This reflects a sharper-than-forecast fall in resources investment and a slower recovery in the nonresources sectors.”

Australia’s Holden Cars, a unit of General Motors, will stop production by 2017 Australia’s economy has been lifted by a mining boom over the past decade, driven

by China’s seemingly insatiable demand for natural resources such as iron ore and coal. (BBC News)

Middle East

Russia cuts Ukraine gas price Dubai govt to hike staff pay by a third by up to 100 per cent

R

ussia has given Ukraine a discount of almost a third on Russian gas and said it would buy billions of dollars’ worth of Ukrainian government bonds.

The moves come amid Russian attempts to stop Ukraine moving towards the EU.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych annnounced the moves, but said they had not discussed Ukraine joining a Russian-led customs union.

Protests continued in Kiev over the deepening ties with Russia.

After talks between the

two men in the Kremlin, it was announced Russia would buy US$15 billion worth (£9.2 billion; 10.9 billion euros) of Ukrainian government bonds.

The cost of Russian gas supplied to Ukraine has been slashed from more than US$400 (£245; 291 euros) per 1000 cubic metres to US$268.5. (BBC News)

Market statistics Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Cambio Rates

Fixed as at July 24, 2013 Calculated at 94% purity

Bank of Guyana Cur

Buying

Selling

GBP

$335.95

$340.15

CAN

$193.21

$195.44

USD

$205.49

$207.93

U.S.

$1335.00

Cambio

$202.67

Gross

$254,331

Net

$236,527

Selling

$262,426

Indicators as on December 18, 2013 Live Spot Gold

USD Per Once

Bid/Ask

$1218.70

$1219.70

Low/High

$1215.60

$1245.70

Change

-12.40

-1.01

USD GBP EUR

AM

PM

1233.25 754.05 896.97

1230.50 750.35 894.26

AM

PM

Dec 16

USD GBP EUR

1229.50 754.57 892.62

the statement added. In total, 32 per cent of government staff will benefit from the new move.

Practising doctors, financial controllers and auditors in financial control department will be eligible for a maximum allowance of 100 per cent of their basic salary, provided it does not exceed Dhs25,000 per month.

Engineers, legal officials, financial planners, investment managers, dispute settlement staff in the Dubai Ruler’s Court, internal audi-

tors at government departments, university teachers and specialised staff in HR and IT are entitled to a 50 per cent increase fixed at a maximum of Dhs10,000 per month.

Accountants, paramedics, nursing pharmacists, emergency medicine technicians, inspectors related to health, environment, public safety and customs inspection, and specialised media personnel will get a 30 per cent hike of the basic monthly salary, set at a maximum of Dhs6000 per month. (Gulf Business)

Investors' guide

Traditional vs online universities – what’s the difference?

(Conclusion)

Indicators Crude Oil

Price Silver

Platinum

London Gold Fix

Dec 18

T

he Dubai government has increased the basic salaries of certain public sector employees by up to 100 per cent, according to a Dubai Government Human Resources Department statement. The ‘nature of work allowance’ will be granted to 32 government entities, with employees receiving wage hikes of between 30 and 100 per cent.

The increment will be paid retroactively as of June 2013 and will be adjusted in the December 2013 salary,

Last: 16167.97

1234.75 757.38 897.28 Changes: +292.71

Open: 15876.57

High:16173.04

% YTD: 23.38

52Wk Hi: 16174.51

US$ per barrel

$110.41 USD per Ounce

$19.73 $1332.00

Change %

-0.05 Change %

-0.22 -14.00

% Change: +1.84 Low: 15808.92 52 Wk Lo: 12471.49

At a brick-and-mortar university, many courses require your physical presence, enforcing an attendance policy that can often significantly impact your grade. While attending class, students are also required to listen and take notes during the lecture and are often tested on the material as it’s presented in class – some of which is not found in the companion reading material.

As a result, instructors must provide more detailed feedback to ensure the information has been presented clearly, as the student does not have the luxury of reviewing a streaming video feed or re-browsing a web page.

In addition, many colleges are rushing to market with online courses in an attempt to capture this rapidly-growing segment, and are providing versions of their cours-

es that – though technically still providing the same information – do not fulfil the requirements for accreditation.

This lack of accreditation often means credits earned may not transfer or be applicable to a degree.

So when signing up for an online university, make sure the curriculum is (a) accredited and (b) transferable or applicable to your end goal.

(Business Dictionary)

Business concept – Affluenza Social condition that affects a society because of the elevated number of individuals striving to be wealthy. People within the society feel that the only measure of success is determined by how much money and prestige a person has.

NEWS

17

THURSday, December 19, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

DPP orders reopening Cooperatives, friendly societies of murder case against being investigated cricketer

Acquitted murder accused, Carlyle Barton

D

irector of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Bibi Shalimar AliHack has instructed that the Preliminary lnquiry (Pl) into the murder of a man on Orange Walk earlier this year allegedly by Carlyle Barton be re-opened.

The decision was made in accordance with Section 72 (2iia) of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, 10:01.

In November, Magistrate Fabayo Azore discharged the case at the PI stage after police witnesses did not show up and video evidence of the murder was not rendered, saying that a prima facie case was not made.

The video evidence showed the cricketer when he allegedly shot Nelson, with whom he had a longstanding friendship.

A release issued by the DPP chambers stated that in a letter dated December 16, to Magistrate Azore, the DPP has directed that the Pl be re-opened for some witnesses to complete their testimony and to allow for other witnesses who had not testified during the first Pl, to be given the opportunity

to do so.

Subsequent to the discharge of the accused, a perusal of the police file revealed that there was a need for certain investigations to be carried out. On the DPP’s advice, the file was sent to the police on December 6, for these investigations to be carried out. On December 11, the police file was returned to the DPP’s Chambers for further legal advice and is presently in the hands of the prosecutor.

Justice to be served

Hours after the magistrate’s decision was handed down, relatives of the dead man vented their frustration, calling for justice to be served. During a recent interview with this newspaper, Police Complaints Authority (PCA) Chairman, retired Justice Cecil Kennard said that disciplinary actions should be taken against the errant police ranks, who failed to testify in the said case.

Kennard, a former chancellor of the judiciary, said it was sad that despite the fact that sufficient evidence was gathered for the case, the police ranks did not show up in court. “If it is a case where the police ranks all teamed up and decide not to give evidence in the case, then I think that they should be charged with conspiring to defeat the course of justice.”

But, the police will have to determine if that was the case.

He added that this is one of the issues that have been hampering the judicial system over the years, and will take some time to correct unless something drastic

A

Murdered mason, Shawn Nelson

happens. The retired justice also highlighted that another sad affair was the missing footage of the shooting, which was supposed to be presented in court.

Magistrate Azore had announced that she was forced to set Barton free, owing to the lack of evidence since the witnesses failed to show up. Barton made his first court appearance on May 28 before Magistrate Sueanna Lovell and was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which stated that on May 27 at Orange Walk, he murdered Nelson.

The matter was then transferred to another court where the PI commenced.

As the PI continued, several prosecution witnesses did not show up to testify, which brought a halt to the proceedings and forced the case to be adjourned.

The entire shooting incident was captured by surveillance cameras and based on the evidence, the cricketer was charged with the man’s death. The surveillance recording that was collected from a nearby business was reportedly not presented in court.

Murder accused appears in court

T

he man accused of murdering his mentally challenged brother made his first court appearance on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Neville France, 38, was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on December 12 at Fallstop, in the North West District, he murdered Richard France.

Based on reports, the two brothers were under the influence of alcohol when an argument ensued between them. During the argument, the now dead man, who is mentally challenged, reportedly hit his elder brother Neville, and in retaliation, the latter picked up a knife and dealt him a blow to the back.

Upon seeing this, their father who was at home, ran to the rescue of his son, only to find him lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Further information revealed that earlier in the

t least two cooperatives and two friendly societies are being investigated for failing to produce all the necessary paper work and financial accounts of their operations.

Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul said this was discovered after the ministry closed its deadline for having all cooperatives and friendly societies submit an audited report, which speaks to the proper functioning of these organisations.

Some 42 cooperative audits were submitted, with 47 out of 50 audited reports on friendly societies completed, four new cooperatives and 30 new friendly societies registered.

The ministry found that nearly 250 cooperatives have not been functioning,

have been in default and will be blacklisted within a month’s time.

Some of them have not functioned for more than a decade or two.

“We did 61 field visits during the year for all cooperatives and nine field societies. We also did training for cooperatives and staffer of the ministry,” Dr Gopaul added.

Nobody, he said, will be disenfranchised of their land, as the ministry will be moving to ensure that care is taken and those who are occupying lands will be given individual leases instead to address the issue.

Despite the challenges, the ministry said that other cooperatives are also performing well, especially in the rice and sugar industries. Credit unions such as the Guyana Agriculture

and General Workers Union (GAWU), the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Public Service Union (PSU) and the Guyana Police Force have also been doing well and will be monitored.

Approximately 1000 coops are registered under the Cooperative Societies Act, but a large number of them are dysfunctional or on the brink of collapse, owing to financial difficulties.

Some co-ops have not held elections for an extensive period, creating a series of problems such as poor financial records.

Systems will soon be put in place for the holding of elections for co-ops whose progress have been stymied as a result of the lack of elections.

The cooperative movement owns in excess of $15 billion in assets.

269 fined for littering, illegal dumping A

total of 269 persons have been fined for littering and illegal dumping of garbage for 2013 so far.

This was revealed by Chief Constable Andrew Foo on Tuesday, during an interview with Clean & Green Guyana/ Guyenterprise.

The articles that govern the institution of these fines are the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:07, section 277 4 C, which states that anybody who throws litter on the council’s roads must be arrested and fined – and the Summary Jurisdiction Offences Act, Chapter 8:02, which speaks to minor offences and gives constables the power to arrest anyone who litters or dumps refuse improperly.

According to a release from Guyenterprise, the fine for any magnitude of littering or dumping is $10,000 or an alternative of three months’ imprisonment, community service, or any other measure the presiding magistrate sees fit for the offender.

According to Foo, arrests are made when offenders are caught in the act of lit-

Chief Constable Andrew Foo

tering or dumping by constables. Any citizen who witnesses dumping can also make a report. In such cases, “They are called the eyewitnesses and they would be required to issue a statement for the report they make,” Foo said.

He noted that constables would use their judgment whether to caution or fine persons, depending on the size of their litter. Foo said the issue of enforcing solid waste management bylaws is one they have been addressing aggressively; however, the department is currently understaffed.

Some 316 ranks would be adequate to efficiently carry out the constabulary’s mandate, but it is current-

ly working with some 170 ranks to monitor markets and other commercial areas.

The chief constable explained that ranks would usually stake out common dumping sites to catch defaulters in the action, but this inevitably results in them shifting to other locations to dump garbage. The concern about lack of mobility for the constabulary was also raised by the chief constable at a recent public awareness workshop held

by Guyenterprise. He noted that there was no functioning vehicle for the council to carry out its daily duties.

“For us to respond to reports that are made, there’s a need for ranks to be mobile, we cannot have ranks out there on the ground and if they are expected to arrest persons, there’s no means of transportation to get to the area where the report was made and then to arrest the person and move them to the station,” he explained.

Foo said despite the lack of resources, the council has been active in prosecuting persons and placing them before the courts for littering and dumping.

Miner remanded on larceny charges Neville France leaving the courthouse, escorted by a policemen

day, the now dead man had an issue with a neighbour, resulting in him receiving a few lashes.

It was immediately after that commotion, the argument broke out between the

two brothers.

France was remanded to prison and the matter was adjourned to today where he is set to appear before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

A

46-year-old-miner was on Wednesday remanded to prison after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the charges brought against him.

Carl Crandon, also called “Charlie” of Lot 6 Portland Village, Corentyne, Berbice

was not required to plead to the indictable charge that stated between December 9 and 10 at Waterfront, Port Kaituma, North West District, he stole a quantity of tools valued $200,000, property of Mark Mendonca.

It was also alleged that between December 10 and 11, he broke and entered the

business place of Ran Katu and stole a quantity of items totalling $203,000, property of Renata DeSuza, again, Crandon was not required to plead to the charge.

The matter was transferred to Court One where it will be heard before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry today.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, december 19, 2013

thursDAY, march 11, 2010 | guyanatimesGY.com

archie

By Bernice Bede Osol

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) A partner could fail to appreciate your change in attitude. Make your feelings clear, but consider his or her point of view.

An unexpected visitor may disrupt your private affairs.

dilbert

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19) Your creative abilities will come in handy. You will be able to easily impress others with your vibrant presence. Don’t allow anyone else to take credit for your work. Show off and make others aware of your potential.

Calvin and Hobbes

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Get involved in crafts or creative endeavours today. If you have been considering starting a family, now could be the time.

Have fun with your life.

CANCER (June 21July 22) Be sure to communicate openly today. Air your grievances rather than harbouring hostility. Only then can you move past your difficulties and create an atmosphere conducive to accomplishment.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22) This is not a good time to try to influence others.

Stick close to home and focus on finishing projects that you’ve already started. Alone time will be the key to productivity.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) Your commitment in contributing to worthwhile endeavours will allow you to share your time, energy and suggestions. Your dedication will be very highly valued.

Peanuts

SUDOKU

ARIES

LIBRA

(March 21-April 19)

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Emotional distress is likely to trigger your temper. Try to mitigate your reactions to irritations relating to home and family.

Distract yourself with private interests.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Now is the time to mix business with pleasure. You stand to secure a prosperous deal with a new partner. No need to hesitate – your intuition will be accurate.

A stubborn and erratic someone will be impossible for you to deal with.

You are better off focusing on professional advancements and working on your self-esteem. Make an effort to leave your mark in some way.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22) Seek out secure investment opportunities. This is a great day for broadening your mind and learning something new. Listen carefully, and you may pick up a secret or two.

Wednesday's solution GEMINI (May 21June 20) Unusual circumstances could complicate legal matters when dealing with someone else’s finances. Make sure you get all the facts and that you understand the information at hand.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21) If you’ve neglected to look after your health, fevers and infections will be the likely result. Preventive measures will be necessary. Transportation hassles or delays regarding the reception of important information may be upsetting.

Try to take setbacks in stride.

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Classified Ads $5+VAT per word Call: 226-9921

news 19

World Bank deems corruption public enemy number one D

eclaring corruption “public enemy number one” in developing countries, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim Wednesday described how the group is stepping up its fight against corruption.

He called upon developing world partners and the private sector to be part of the solution.

“In the developing world, corruption is public enemy number one,” said Kim, speaking at an event hosted by the World Bank’s anti-corruption investigative arm, the Integrity Vice Presidency. “We will never tolerate corruption, and I pledge to do all in our power to build upon our strong fight against it.”

Important step

Kim was joined on stage by former World Bank President James D Wolfensohn, former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, Transparency International Chair Huguette Labelle, and Philippines Finance Secretary Cesar V Purisima.

It was Wolfensohn in 1996 who publicly declared corruption a “cancer”, the first time a World Bank president spoke openly about the issue.

Kim described the pernicious effects corruption can have in developing countries.

“Every dollar that a corrupt official or a corrupt business person puts in their pocket is a dollar stolen from a pregnant woman who needs health care; or from a girl or a boy who deserves an education; or from communities that need water, roads, and schools. Every dollar is critical if we are to reach our goals to end extreme poverty by 2030 and to boost shared prosperity.”

An important step toward fighting corruption

and helping more people lead better lives is to build institutions with greater integrity, Kim noted. He described three key elements in the World Bank Group’s approach: “First, we need to improve the way we share and apply knowledge about building institutions with greater integrity; second, we need to empower citizens with information and tools to make their governments more effective and accountable; and third, we need to build a global movement to prevail over corruption.”

Kim announced that the World Bank Group will be creating a single pool of technical experts in rule of law, public sector, financial and state management, and public procurement. He said this “global practice on good governance” will become a major player in the anti-corruption effort for years to come.

Clean business practices

To show how progress can be made in the anticorruption fight, Kim gave specific examples of how the World Bank and its partners have had an impact on the problem.

“When corruption threatened to derail a critical power project for southern African countries, the World Bank intervened, preventing more than US$6 million from being misused. In Afghanistan, we supported the Network for Integrity in Reconstruction which trained 980 people who have monitored 281 infrastructure projects worth US$247 million.”

In addition to anti-corruption governmental action, Kim called on other partners to join the fight, including the private sector.

“The private sector has to be part of the solution as well. Oil, gas, and mining

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim

firms are increasingly disclosing their contracts with governments. This gives everyone a chance to scrutinise the behaviour of corporate and public officials.”

Kim noted that through innovative solutions in key sectors like engineering consulting, the World Bank has convinced major firms to commit to clean business practices.

Integrity Awards

At the event, three recipients of the World Bank’s “Integrity Awards” were honoured: the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, whose cooperation in an investigation resulted in World Bank sanctions and legal action; a senior financial management specialist whose vigilance in reviewing a project prompted corrective actions in the audit and treasury functions of the local government in China; and a person working in Timor Leste who unveiled fraud and corruption affecting US$44 million of World Bank-financed contracts.

“Inspired by these examples, the World Bank Group is more committed than ever to continue the fight against corruption – that will be a critical part of our work to end extreme poverty and to boost shared prosperity,” said Kim.

Nothing sinister about issuance of PGGS – GGDMA

T

he Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) said there is nothing sinister about the issuance of a Permission Geographical and Geological Survey (PGGS) to Muri Brasil Ventures Incorporated.

According to GGMC, it has analysed the facts of the matter and has detected nothing wrong.

“Stabroek News and other officials need to get their facts right about the operation of the gold mining sector and the Mining Act or Regulations, and not to make uninformed statements, attacking agreements legally entered into between government and other parties.”

On this note, that the association calls on the media and concerned citizens to

propel development within the country through the process of identifying the Guyana’s mineral potential, which can then be exploited for the benefit of Guyana.

Constant aerial surveys and exploration activities are necessary to develop the mining industry, the GGMC said, noting that the issuing of a PGGS is a methodology utilised to get mineral information over large areas.

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thursday, december 19, 2013

Kohli century helps tourists recover V

irat Kohli struck 119 to help India to reach 255-5 on the opening day of the first Test with South Africa.

Batting in the num-

ber four position vacated by the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar last month, Kohli hit 18 boundaries in his fifth Test century.

He had come to the

crease in the 16th over after the India openers were dismissed cheaply in Johannesburg.

Kohli departed in the 76th over but Ajinkya

Having reached his first Test hundred against South Africa and become only the third India batsman to make a century in Johannesburg, Kohli fell when he scooped a wide ball from Jacques Kallis to cover, the 289th Test wicket for the veteran all-rounder. (BBC Sport)

SCOREBOARD Virat Kohli scored his fifth Test century on the opening day

Rahane, in only his second Test, recorded an unbeaten 43.

The 25-year-old, who made only seven and one on his debut against Australia in March, shared an unbroken partnership of 36 with skipper Mahendra Dhoni who had earlier chosen to bat on a wicket offering some assistance to the bowlers at the start of the twomatch series.

Paceman Dale Steyn dismissed Shikhar Dhawan,

who top-edged a rapid short-pitched delivery to Imran Tahir at fine-leg, before Murali Vijay edged a full-length ball from Morne Morkel to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers.

Kohli seized on anything short but having shared 89 with Cheteshwar Pujara he called for a quick single only to send his partner back when he had almost joined him at the striker’s end, with Pujara easily run out for 25.

India 1st innings Vijay c AB de Villiers b M Morkel 6 Dhawan c Tahir b Steyn 13 Pujara run out (Tahir) 25 Kohli c Duminy b Kallis 119 Ro Sharma c AB de Villiers b Philander 14 Rahane not out 43 Dhoni not out 17 Extras (1-nb, 14-w, 3-lb) 18 Total (for 5 wickets; 90 overs) 255 Bowling: Steyn 23-5-56-1, Philander 21-2-55-1, M Morkel 19-10-27-1, Kallis 14-4-37-1, Tahir 8-0-47-0, Duminy 5-0-30-0 Fall of wickets: 17 (Dhawan), 24 (Vijay), 113 (Pujara), 151 (Ro Sharma), 219 (Kohli)

Ramdin, Chanderpaul halt collapse

W

est Indies showed they could collapse regardless of the pitch, conditions or bowling. Put in on a slow surface that was nowhere close to being difficult for batting, they went from 77 for 1 to 86 for 5 in the space of 34 deliveries. On a day they could have dominated for once in the series, they consigned themselves to recovery mode. At tea, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin were doing a fine job, having added 56 for the sixth wicket.

SCOREBOARD West Indies 1st innings KC Brathwaite c Williamson b Southee 45 KOA Powell c †Watling b Wagner 26 KA Edwards c †Watling b Southee 6 MN Samuels c Williamson b Anderson 0 S Chanderpaul not out 33 N Deonarine lbw b Anderson 2 D Ramdin† not out 40

Extras (b 2, lb 1) 3 Total (5 wickets; 57.4 overs) 155 To bat: DJG Sammy*, SP Narine, TL Best, V Permaul Fall of wickets 1-41, 2-77, 3-78, 4-82, 5-86 Bowling: TA Boult 13.41-42-0, TG Southee 141-31-2, N Wagner 12-326-1, Corey J Anderson 8-1-12-2, KS Williamson 4-014-0, IS Sodhi 6-0-27-0

Armstrong cover-up claim denied

by Verbruggen

H

ein Verbruggen, the former head of world cycling, has rejected a claim from Lance Armstrong that he helped cover up a positive drug test for the disgraced American cyclist.

Last month, Armstrong claimed that in 1999, the year he won the first of his seven Tour de France titles, Verbruggen encouraged him to stay quiet over a positive test for a banned steroid.

When asked if he col-

luded with Armstrong, Dutchman Verbruggen said: “It is not true. Lance is mixing up two things, purposefully perhaps.”

Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles last year, before admitting he had taken performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

Verbruggen, 72, was president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) when Armstrong tested positive at the 1999 Tour de France.

Armstrong claims Verbruggen agreed to blame a backdated prescription for a steroid cream to treat saddle sores to help protect the image of the sport. However, Verbruggen, still a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), told BBC Sport’s Matt Slater: “He is mixing up an adverse analytical finding and we have about 3,000 adverse analytical findings per year from all sports.” (BBC Sport)

Former Team Sky rider Rogers fails drugs test

M

ichael Rogers, a former Team Sky rider and three-time world time trial champion, has failed a drugs test. The 33-year-old Australian tested positive for clenbuterol at the Japan Cup in October. The International Cycling Union (UCI) says Rogers is provisionally suspended while his national federation investigates the case.

Team Sky’s Jonathan Tiernan-Locke is also being investigated after an anti-doping violation. Rogers’ team released a statement which stated that the Australian feared the posi-

tive result was due to a contaminated food source.

The Tinkoff-Saxo statement read: “Michael Rogers immediately informed SaxoTinkoff’s management about the notification from the UCI. “The Australian explained to the team management that he never ingested the substance knowingly nor deliberately and fears that the adverse analytical finding origins from a contaminated food source.

“Michael Rogers participated in Tour of Beijing the week before the Japan Cup and travelled directly from

China to Japan.”

Clenbuterol, which helps build muscle and burn fat, is the substance two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador tested positive for at the 2010 Tour.

Rogers joined Contador at Team Saxo-Tinkoff last season from Team Sky, where he rode in support of Britain’s 2012 Tour winner Bradley Wiggins. Rogers left Sky after being named in evidence in the Lance Armstrong case as working with the American’s favoured doctor Michele Ferrari. (BBC Sport)

thursday, december 19, 2013

guyanatimesGY.com

Pakistan hang on to clinch 11-run win

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Djokovic appoints Becker as head coach

M

isbah-ul-Haq had implored his top order to produce an innings of substance in the approach to the series but even he may not have expected his top four to respond as emphatically as they did. Two young batsmen stroked alluring half-centuries, while Mohammad Hafeez ended his poor form with a canny 122, to set up Pakistan’s third-highest total in 115 matches at Sharjah.

Misbah had also warned his side that Sri Lanka don’t stop fighting, and he perhaps hadn’t expected his side to ignore that advice so flatly either.

When they had Sri Lanka at 221-7 in the 42th over, Pakistan allowed feeble bowling and inept fielding to creep in, and Seekkuge Prasanna and Sachithra Senanayake produced a courageous 87-run stand that drew Sri Lanka to within 15 runs of the target with eight balls remaining. In the end, the Sri Lankan tailenders could not sustain their fire. Senanayake toeended one to deep cover and the chase unraveled quickly after that, handing Pakistan an 11-run victory. (Cricinfo) Sharjeel Khan and Mohammad Hafeez were instrumental in Pakistan posting a strong score

SCOREBOARD Pakistan innings (50 overs maximum) Sharjeel Khan c Senanayake b Prasanna 61 Ahmed Shehzad lbw b Lakmal 11 Mohammad Hafeez c Chandimal b Lakmal 122 Sohaib Maqsood run out (NLTC Perera/†Sangakkara) 73 Shahid Afridi b NLTC Perera 34 Umar Akmal† not out 9 Bilawal Bhatti not out 1 Extras (lb-4, w-7) 11 Total (5 wickets; 50 overs) 322 Fall of wickets: 1-35 (Ahmed Shehzad, 6.2 ov), 2-118 (Sharjeel Khan, 22.2 ov), 3-258 (Sohaib Maqsood, 43.6 ov), 4-301 (Shahid Afridi, 47.4 ov), 5-320 (Mohammad Hafeez, 49.4 ov) Bowling: RAS Lakmal 10-073-2 (1-w), SL Malinga 101-59-0, SMSM Senanayake 9-1-46-0, NLTC Perera 6-053-1, AD Mathews 5-0-290, S Prasanna 8-0-39-1 (2w), TM Dilshan 2-0-19-0 Sri Lanka innings (target: 323 runs from 50 overs) MDKJ Perera lbw b Mohammad Hafeez TM Dilshan c Mohammad Hafeez b Junaid Khan

64 30

KC Sangakkara† c †Umar Akmal b Shahid Afridi 23 LD Chandimal run out (Saeed Ajmal) 46 HDRL Thirimanne c Sohaib Maqsood b Shahid Afridi 10 AD Mathews* c Sohail Tanvir b Junaid Khan 31 NLTC Perera c Misbah-ul-Haq b Bilawal Bhatti 6 S Prasanna c Sharjeel Khan b Junaid Khan 42 SMSM Senanayake c sub (Anwar Ali) b Sohail Tanvir 42 SL Malinga run out (Bilawal Bhatti/†Umar Akmal) 0 RAS Lakmal not out 1 Extras (b-8, lb-4, w-4) 16 Total (all out; 49.4 overs) 311 Fall of wickets 1-66 (Dilshan, 12.5 ov), 2-113 (MDKJ Perera, 22.4 ov), 3-127 (Sangakkara, 25.2 ov), 4-141 (Thirimanne, 29.4 ov), 5-214 (Chandimal, 39.6 ov), 6-216 (Mathews, 40.4 ov), 7-221 (NLTC Perera, 41.2 ov), 8-308 (Senanayake, 48.5 ov), 9-310 (Malinga, 49.1 ov), 10-311 (Prasanna, 49.4 ov) Bowling: Mohammad Hafeez 10-0-52-1, Sohail Tanvir 10-069-1 (1-w), Junaid Khan 5.4-044-3 (1-w), Saeed Ajmal 10-048-0, Shahid Afridi 7-0-30-2, Bilawal Bhatti 7-0-56-1 (2-w)

World number two Novak Djokovic (right) has appointed sixtime Grand Slam winner Boris Becker as his head coach

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orld number two Novak Djokovic has appointed six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker as his head coach.

The 26-year old Serb, who has also won six major titles, will start work with Becker before the Australian Open, which starts on January 13.

Djokovic’s long-time coach Marian Vajda will continue as part of his team.

“I am proud Novak invited me to become his head coach.

I am sure we can achieve great things together,” said former Wimbledon champion Becker, 46.

Defending Australian Open champion Djokovic has been with Vajda since 2006 but other coaches have come and gone on a regular basis during that period.

“Boris brings a fresh approach and together with Vajda he will make a winning combination,” said Djokovic.

“Boris is a true legend, someone who has great tennis knowledge, and his experience will help me win new trophies, Grand Slams and other tournaments.

“He is a great person too, and I am sure he will fit in

our team in the best possible way. The team is now strengthened and we hope for maximum results.

“My goal for 2014 is to play my best tennis and to get in shape for the grand slams and Masters 1000.

These tournaments have the most weight in our sport, and I want to prove my worth at them.”

Becker first shot to prominence by winning Wimbledon as an unseeded 17-year-old in 1985.

During a 15-year professional career, the German won 64 ATP Tour titles, including three Wimbledon singles crowns.

Djokovic will be hoping to reclaim his world number one spot from Spain’s Rafael Nadal in 2014.

Vajda, who has worked with Djokovic since 2006, will attend events in Indian Wells, Madrid, Toronto and Beijing as part of his scaledback role, but welcomed Becker’s arrival.

“I realised that Novak needed a new head coach in order for him to continue improving certain parts of the game,” said Vajda. (BBC Sport)

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thursday, december 19, 2013

NAGICO Insurances signs on as new sponsor of Regional Super50 S

T JOHN’S Antigua– The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Wednesday announced a three-year sponsorship deal with NAGICO Insurances as the new title sponsor for the Regional Super50 One-Day cricket tournament.

The event is the WICB’s marquee limited-overs event and will be known as the NAGICO Super50. The winning team will take home the Clive Lloyd Trophy – named in honour of the legendary former West Indies captain.

The 2014 event will feature eight teams– Barbados, Combined Campuses and Colleges, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Islands and Ireland. The tournament will be tel-

evised live throughout the Caribbean on ESPN. Matches will be played from January 30 to February 16 in Trinidad and Tobago and there will be day/night fixtures.

Michael Muirhead, Chief Executive Officer of the WICB, expressed great delight with the new partnership.

“The WICB is pleased to welcome NAGICO on board as a partner in West Indies cricket. Sponsorship is vital part of any sport and we applaud NAGICO for their commitment to the game of cricket,” Muirhead said.

“We look forward to a long and fruitful association which will enhance the game in the Caribbean. This new commitment by NAGICO, we believe, will be a great

benefit to West Indies cricket and the development of the game in the region.”

Muirhead added: “NAGICO is a strong and respected brand and they have demonstrated their passion and love of the

game by sponsoring this important event in the WICB calendar. The 2014 NAGICO Super50 will be crucial for the players as we look ahead to the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup – a tournament we believe our team

can win.”

“We are very excited to partner with WICB in the NAGICO Super50 format and thus support West Indies cricket as we have been doing for many years on a smaller scale” said NAGICO Group CEO, Imran McSood Amjad.

“Personally, I eat, drink and sleep cricket so to reach a sponsorship deal is even more satisfying. I look forward to an amazing tournament and will definitely be in Trinidad to hand out the Clive Lloyd Trophy to the winning team.”

“Partnering with WICB was the next most logical step for us to take”, explained Paul Dijkhoffz, NAGICO’s Executive Marketing Manager. “As one of the fastest growing and

the largest privately held insurance company in the Caribbean serving 19 territories regionally, NAGICO was looking for a suitable partner who could provide us with a platform to elevate our brand presence and market our first-rate products to a vast cricket loving audience throughout the Caribbean”.

The tournament’s host venue was allocated following a commitment from the government of Trinidad and Tobago through the Ministry of Tourism to play a major role in the execution of the tournament during the three-year period– 2014 to 2016.

The full list of schedule and fixtures for the NAGICO Super 50 will be announced at a later date.

Vrymans Erven Training Centre PMTC/Shariff horse race donates boxing gear to NOC meet confirmed for Sunday

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Officials of the NOC and the Vrymans Erven Training Centre pose with the boxing equipment

I

n keeping with the spirit of sharing and goodwill, the Vrymans Erven Training Centre in Region Six presented a quantity of boxing gear to the New Opportunity Corp (NOC) in Region Two. Both of the centres come under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport’s training programmes.

Assistant Director of

Youth, Davanand Ramdatt noted that a survey was done at the NOC to determine how training and the students’ participation in sports and cultural activities can be enhanced at the center. The survey indicated that the students had an interest in participating in boxing.

The department has since met with the Deputy

Permanent Secretary, Steve Ninvalle and discussed the re-launch of boxing at the NOC. The managers of both of the centers, Mark Dover of the NOC and Omeshwar Sirikishun of Vrymans Erven Training Centre, expressed satisfaction in the presentation of the items.

Ramdatt explained that the NOC has a sports club

that was launched about six months ago, and the aim is to have youths from the surrounding community go to the NOC for sport activities.

This he added will help with the re-integration process.

So far the students are strong with cricket, athletics and football. The institution also has a history of producing many athletes, including boxers.

he Port Mourant Turf Club’s (PMTC) horse race meet has been confirmed for Sunday at the club’s race track at Corentyne, Berbice, according to chief coordinator, Kris Jagdeo.

The meet was originally scheduled for last Sunday, but persistent rainfall, which swept most of the coastal plain last week, left the facility under water, giving the authorities no alternative but postpone the event.

“As of this [yesterday] morning the weather looks good; the venue remains a little soft, but once there is no heavy rains in the coming days the meet is on Sunday,” Jagdeo told this publication via telephone on Wednesday.

The meet will be staged in collaboration with the Shariff Business Enterprise and Racing Stable and eight races are scheduled for the day with over $8 million in prize monies and trophies up for grabs.

The feature race is clas-

sified for A and Lower allotted weight horses. The race will run over 1200 meters for the top prize of $1.2 million. In the co-feature, for Three-year-old West Indies bred horses, the winner will receive $500,000 and a trophy over 1200 meters.

Other events on the day’s card are the D3 median and E and Lower and Two-yearold West Indies median and Guyana Open. Both races carry a winning purse of $400,000 and will run over 1200 meters.

Both the Three-year-old Guyana Open and the G1 and Lower races will run over 1200 meters with the animals running for a winning purse of $300,000.

The I and Lower contest has a winning purse of $200,000, while the G and Lower class match-up will see the winner pocketing $150,000.

The meet will be run under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA). Race time is 12:30 hours. (Rajiv Bisnauth)

thursday, december 19, 2013

guyanatimesGY.com

23

Berbice crowned Inter-county champions

– GCB names provisional squad for Regional Four-day

By Rajiv Bisnauth

B

erbice reclaimed the senior Inter-county Four-day title at the end of the rain affected third and final round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) organised tournament on Wednesday.

By virtue of their tenwicket victory over defending champions Demerara in the second round and first innings win over the President’s XI in the opening encounter, the Berbicians accumulated 22 points to win ahead of the President’s XI (19), Demerara (16) and Essequibo (four).

Meanwhile, both third round matches in the GT&T/ Hand-in-Hand Insurance sponsored competition, were drawn after rain hampered play for three and half days.

At the Everest Cricket Club ground, Berbice in reply to Essequibo’s first innings 159, reached 27-1 when play was called off at 16:30 hours.

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who was later adjudged Best Bowler and Most Valuable Player in the tournament, was the chief wrecker, scalping 6-53 to end the tournament with 25

Members of the Berbice team pose with the Inter-county trophy

President’s XI for 102 in 55.2 overs.

Shemroy Barrington (36), Jason Sinclair (26) and Robin Bacchus (19) were the batsmen to reach double digits.

Randy Knights, Christopher Barnwell and Zaheer Mohamed picked up a wicket each. In reply, Demerara raced to 28-2 in 1.5 overs when the both captains brought the proceedings to a halt.

Barnwell, who made

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo receives the Best Bowler award from former West Indies fast bowler, Colin Stuart

wickets. Royston Crandon ended with 2-48, while fast bowler Keon Joseph had 1-3.

Dellon Heyliger (39), Kemo Paul (36), and Mark Gonglaves (22) were the main contributors with the bat for Essequibo.

With 17 overs remaining, Berbice lost opener Sewnarine Chattergoon for four, while Kandasammy Surujnarine and Assad Fudadin were not out on seven and 16 respectively when the game was called off.

Across at the Uitvlugt Community Centre ground, leg-spinner Amir Khan claimed 6-17 to help Demerara destroy the

a rapid 26, and Chris Pattadin (nought) were the batsmen dismissed. Kellon Carmichael claimed 2-1.

Meanwhile, at the presentation ceremony held at the Everest Cricket Club ground, GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie expressed the board’s gratitude to both sponsors, adding that corporate support is vital to the development of the game.

The tournament formed part of Guyana’s preparation for next year’s Regional Four-day competition organised by the West Indies Cricket Board.

After the presentation ceremony, the GCB

announed a provisional 37-member squad that will be required to attend a fit-

ness test on December 28 as preparations continue ahead of the Regional tour-

nament in 2014.

The squad reads: Leon Johnson, Devendra Bishoo,

Veerasammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Robin Bacchus, Vishal Singh, Zaheer Mohamed, Royston Crandon, Christopher Barnwell, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Assad Fudadin, Tagnarine Chanderpaul, Ronsford Beaton, Rajiv Ivan, Amir Khan, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shaquille Williams, Narsingh Deonarine, Jonathan Foo, Steven Jacobs, Trevon Griffith, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson, Jason Sinclair, Paul Wintz, Anthony Adams, Collis Butts, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Rajendra Chandrika, Gudekash Motie, Shemron Hetmyer, Andre Stoll, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Ryan Ramdass, Chris Pattadin, Rayon Fredricks and Totaram Bishun.

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

thursDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2013

TOP SCORES

CRICKET: PAKISTAN 322-5 V SRI LANKA 311 ALL OUT; INDIA 255-5 V SOUTH AFRICA

Berbice crowned Several youngsters graduate from Bourda Inter-county Jaguars Dojo champions See story on page

23

– GCB names provisional squad for Regional Four-day Berbice captain Sewnarine Chattergoon collects the winner’s trophy from Hand-in-Hand Insurance’s Marketing Coordinator, Andrea Jodhan-Khan (Photos: Rajiv Bisnauth) INSIDE TODAY’S SPORT

NAGICO P22 Insurances signs on as new sponsor of Regional Super50

The Bourda Jaguars Dojo recently held a grading examination where several youngsters turned in outstanding performances and moved up the rankings. Five students- Godfrey Taylor, Isareal Desir, Zackary Persaud, Ahren Singh and Thomas Singh- gained their Shodan (Black Belt), while Jennifer Singh, Simon Taylor, Nigel Sundar, Ashton Persaud and Javed Nurhussain were also exceptional during the grading, which was conducted by Master Frank Woon-A-Tai. In photo, Master Woon-A-Tai (standing second right, back row) and Senseis of the Bourda Jaguars Dojo pose with the youngsters who participated in the grading

Guinness Street Football – Georgetown leg …

Stevedore Housing Scheme, Queen Street-Tiger Bay to contest final S

tevedore Housing Scheme and Queen Street-Tiger Bay have advanced to the final of the Georgetown leg of the sixth annual Guinness Street football competition, set for Saturday.

Playing in the semi-finals, Stevedore Housing Scheme won 5-4 on penalties against Albouystown B after a goalless draw, while Queen Street- Tiger Bay defeated Hope Street- Tiger Bay 3-1.

Scoring for Queen

Street- Tiger Bay were Deon Alfred with a double in the 13th and 23rd minutes and a single from Dion Fredericks in the 28th minute, while Stephan Moore netted the consolation for Hope Street- Tiger Bay in the 27th minute.

Earlier in the evening in quarter-final action, Queen Street- Tiger Bay defeated Berlin Massive 4-0, Stevedore Housing Scheme edged California Square 1-0, Hope Street-Tiger Bay needled West Front Road-

Gold is Money 1-0, and Albouystown B got the better of Island Allstar 2-0.

Alfred also netted a double in the quarter-final for Queen Street- Tiger Bay, scoring in the third and 16th minutes, while Alpha Fletchman and James Meredith were on target in the 18th and 24th minutes respectively.

Hope Street- Tiger Bay’s winning goal against West Front Road- Gold is Money came from Dwayne Dickson in the 32nd minute, while

Quason Winter netted the all-important goal for Stevedore Housing Scheme against Californie Square.

Marlon Nedd, with a double in the 10th and 23rd minutes, accounted for Albouystown B’s goals against Island Allstar.

The final and third place playoff, as well as a few exhibition games, are billed for Saturday.

The champion team will receive $500,000, while the runner-up will collect $300,000, third $200,000

and fourth $100,000. All the other teams will receive participation stipends of no less than $10,000.

Zone competitions will also be held in Berbice, East Coast, West Demerara, Linden and Bartica in the coming months with the top two teams advancing to the national playoff. The winner of the national playoff will earn the right to represent Guyana at the Caribbean Street Challenge in July 2014 in Trinidad and Tobago.

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