Guyana Times Daily

Backer flown to U.S. for treatment P13

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 2006 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Mom kills self after son ends life – father, sister had also committed suicide See story on page 10

West Dem residents bolt home early before bridge closes

PRICE

$60 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Govt says analysis P7 of lost investments imperative

Terry Holder passes on P7

See story on page 17

Cabinet P9 approves $170M for construction of One Mile Primary

Urling floats three-step P approach for solid waste management 12

West Demerara residents boarded several speedboats that were offering their services late Wednesday evening to facilitate emergency repairs to the Demerara Harbour Bridge. In photo, this boat is about to leave the stelling with a full load of passengers

TravelSpan saves the day for snow-bound Guyanese

See story on page 12

Bandit shot, two others nabbed during Haslington robbery See story on page 2

Husband forgives wife for 'belna' P beating

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2 news

thursDay, January 9, 2014 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Bandit shot, two others nabbed during Haslington robbery

O

ne man was hospitalised and two others arrested on Wednesday morning after they invaded the home of an East Coast Demerara (ECD) woman. The incident occurred sometime around 05:30h.

Reports received suggest that the three men staked out the Lot 1 Haslington South, ECD home of Dularie “Gloria” Rajkumar before attacking her early Wednesday morning.

According to a police release, one of the men was armed with a firearm at the time of the incident.

“The men held up Dularie Rajkumar and began assaulting her while demanding cash and jewellery.

Rajkumar’s son Deonauth Rajkumar, who is a licensed firearm holder, was alerted and came downstairs to his mother’s assistance,” the release stated.

The police said the men fired a round and in defence, Deonauth returned fire, hitting one of them.

They all then fled the scene to a house some distance away but were later apprehended.

The injured bandit has been identified as Devon

Manroop, 31, of Bee Hive, ECD. He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital for treatment while the other two men, both of whom are from Haslington, were taken into police custody.

The 63-year-old woman and her 37-year-old son were the lone occupants of the two-storey house. When Guyana Times visited the house, the elder woman had just returned from the hospital where she received five stitches to her jaw for an injury she sustained during the ordeal.

According to the woman, the incident lasted about 10 to 15 minutes. She recalled that she got up to cook in the morning, and as usual, she opened the door since it was already “day clean”.

Rajkumar said she was facing the stove when she felt someone grab her on the neck.

Fight back

“I feel they scramble me on my neck and point the gun to me and start cuss up saying they gone kill me.

Then they start beating me and I fight back. The one with the gun de holding me and then he push me down and the other two try to go

were spying on her movements before attacking.

Fourth attack

The outhouse in Dularie Rajkumar’s yard where the bandits hid

upstairs but my son was there,” she recounted.

Rajkumar explained that when she was attacked, she began screaming to alert her son, Deonauth. She disclosed that upon seeing her son, the bandits fired a round and her son returned fire, hitting one of the robbers on his hand.

This, the woman said, caught the men off guard and they escaped by scaling the fence. She noted that neighbours had seen the men running up the road but did not know what was happening until moments after.

Rajkumar said the bandits wore disguises, noting that one had on a “tope” while the two others tied kerchiefs around their faces. She added that the men were hiding in an outhouse in the yard where they

For the 39 years that she has been living at her current residence, Rajkumar said that this is the fourth time bandits have attacked her family. The woman, who owns a grocery stall at the Bourda Market, disclosed that the last attack was in 2010 when robbers invaded her home just before midday and “clean out” everything.

“Everything they take, all the money, jewellery and even sheets and so.

Now I don’t have anything, so why they come back I don’t know what they coming for now,” the elderly woman lamented.

Meanwhile, a neighbour who requested anonymity said he too has been the victim of attacks. The man

disclosed that a few months ago, two men jumped into his yard but a neighbour saw them and alerted him.

The man, who also operates a business, said that he was up Wednesday morning when he heard two gunshots fired and then Deonauth called out to him. The two of them then jumped into a vehicle and followed the men to a dam where they saw them enter a house.

“Well they didn’t see we so when go in the house and lock up, we call the police and wait till they come and arrest them,” the neighbour said.

The man related that he was attacked three times in the past year, and noted that while the police responded to Wednesday morning’s report promptly, there is still the need for security in the area.

Linden IMC still troubled by cash flow issues – Gordon

L

inden Interim M a n a g e m e n t Committee (IMC) Chairman Orrin Gordon said 2013 was a challenging year for the municipality, which has been struggling with cash flow problems over the past years.

He noted that while the committee had managed to accomplish some of the things it had set out to, it “failed" in some other areas.

The Linden IMC, as an administrative arm in the community, has over the years been tasked with the responsibility of solid waste management in the town, including solid waste disposal and also road upgrade works, among others.

Relating to the August 21, 2012 agreement signed between government and the Region 10 administration, Gordon said so far many aspects of the agreement have not been fulfilled, as was expected.

Agreement with govt

The agreement which was signed by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon following protests in the community had sought to provide economic and social stability in the town.

“For the municipality, 2013 would have been considered a very tough year. There was a lot of expectancy on the part of residents in terms of... the economic study and the study as it relates to electricity... the television station...,” he said.

He said it was the hope of residents as well as the municipality that these studies would have already been on the road to completion so that some improvements as it relates to long- and short-term economic development would have already been achieved by 2014.

“Obviously, that would have left us in some form of anxiety and stress. So we

minimum discomfort... we have been having monthly meetings so that some of the concerns of residents could be addressed.

“A few more roads in the community have been re-surfaced, again we still have serious problems with the quality of the works, because most times when the roads are finished, in a very short time we would see holes appearing and that put pressure on the municipality,” he noted.

Linden IMC Chairman Orrin Gordon

would have had the usual financial woes, the toll booth closure, which, to some extent, would have been a real hard blow to the municipality,” said Gordon.

The Local Government Ministry last year ordered the closure of the toll booth at Kara Kara, Mackenzie, which had been in operation for some 16 years. The reason cited for the closure was its illegality.

Gordon, however, pointed out that the municipality, as a local organ, was tasked with the responsibility of selfdevelopment, and as such the tolls collected would have assisted greatly in boosting the municipality economically.

“That situation would have been a very hard one for the municipality and we are still struggling with that... there has been no solution on the horizon in terms of filling that gap...”

The IMC chairman said the municipality's budget was submitted to the Local Government Ministry one week late, but he did not wish to get into the reasons why.

He said some road repairs were completed in the Linden community over the past year, owing to the fact that the IMC had partnered well with contractors, its partners, and citizens.

“We are working to ensure that residents are at a

Solid waste management

Gordon also noted some improvements in terms of solid waste management in the community, but pointed out that supervision was a major concern. Adequate equipment to perform tasks in the management of solid waste was not an issue, according to Gordon, noting that more than sufficient equipment is available.

However, he related that the issue of not having enough drivers to operate solid waste trucks continued to pose a problem. He said currently there are about three drivers.

“In terms of the D&I [drainage and irrigation], which we have been working very closely with, we are still not very happy with the coordination that has been taking place between these agencies.

"We need to do a lot more and we need more money because it (works) are done in the name of Region 10 and Linden and if it is claimed that Region 10, and Linden, is enjoying $93 million from D&I every year, then we need to see $93 million worth – all the work within the community and that is something we need to zero in on,” he stated.

He said the community of Linden needs a lot of development, noting that the IMC will continue its mandate, regardless of the many challenges.

News

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thursDay, January 9, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Thursday, January 9 until 04:00h. Commuters are asked to contact the Demerara Harbour Bridge for further updates.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Wednesday, January 8 from 09:35h-11:05h

WEATHER TODAY

Countrywide: Heavy rain showers are expected during the day with clear skies in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations.

Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 27 degrees Celsius.

Wind: East north-easterly between 30.5 and 3.61 metres per second.

High Tide: 10:55h and 23:32h reaching maximum heights of 2.27 metres and 2.18 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 04:22h and 17:01h reaching minimum heights of 0.98 metre and 0.97 metre respectively.

Govt: No talks on USAID under duress

BY MICHAEL YOUNGE

T

he government of Guyana said that it will not enter into any negotiations with the U.S. government in relation to the rejected United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Leadership Enhancement and Democracy Project (LEAD) if attempts are made to continue the implementation of that initiative despite its strong objections.

Government’s chief spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon on Wednesday reiterated government’s stance on the project, while dismissing any expectation that the government was experiencing a change of heart towards the project.

He was at the time responding to questions posed by journalists at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing.

No negotiation

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“We ain’t negotiating under duress,” the Cabinet secretary insisted while disclosing that “we are not discussing a project and its implementation while it is being implemented”.

He announced that steps are already being taken to formally provide the U.S. government Guyana’s final position on the project after receiving a response to a list of inquires about the said project from Washington on Monday.

Dr Luncheon told journalists that the U.S.’s response to the concerns raised by the government merely invited the authorities here to engage its bilateral partners in the U.S. in discussions on the project and its design.

He reasoned that any such engagement must include the examinations of the contentions of the government while declaring that despite the host of public exchanges between the two sides on the project, “its merits are of lesser significance” at this stage.

“What is of most significance is the fact that the government of Guyana, the sovereign authority, has declared what it has declared... it has decided what it has decided... and a foreign government has in essence said to the government of Guyana: we have no respect for what you said and what you decided and what conclusions you came to... we

Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon

U.S. Ambassador D Brent Hardt

are going ahead,” the Cabinet secretary said.

Asked more pointedly whether the response from Washington actually mirrors the public utterances of U.S. Ambassador D Brent Hardt on the project, Dr Luncheon said that it did not address his comments or the specifics raised by the Guyana government.

“They have not said that they have taken the Guyana government’s concerns into consideration and they either have taken a decision to abandon the project or nothing... they have not said anything,” he responded when questioned by Guyana Times.

Asked what inference can be drawn from such a diplomatic response about whether the project is progressing, he stated, “Well... if they didn’t say so... is so.”

objectionable posture of the U.S. will be dispatched to Washington before the end of the week, noting that the “crafting” of the response has begun.

Dr Luncheon has been the lead spokesperson championing the government’s concerns and reservations about the project since it was presented to the Donald Ramotar administration.

Despite the position of government, the two rightwing political parties in the country, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) have signalled their full support for the USAID LEAD project.

Sovereignty

However, Dr Luncheon maintained that government will have to discuss the response before it makes any other decisions that could see the relations between the two sides on this project further deteriorate, but it will not surrender its sovereignty to any foreign power.

“We need to discuss this... most of my colleagues feel that this is not an insurmountable matter, problem to be resolved but there are principled ways to address the issue.”

The Cabinet secretary also admitted that government was not willing to let the fruitful relations with the U.S. worsen, explaining that it can “allow this one swallow to be made sour”.

He disclosed too that Georgetown’s response to the

Opposition parties

Some political analysts told Guyana Times on Wednesday that the opposition parties have adopted their current position on the project because of the benefits that they would get directly from the content and resources available under the project.

“They are not seeing past the free aid and support to do their political work. They are not understanding the political implications of the project and how it undermines the very democratic ideals that the U.S. says it stands for,” another political analyst

opined.

The analyst posited that the International Republican Institute (IRI) funded and contracted by USAID to execute the LEAD project claims to be a non-partisan organisation whose mission is to advance freedom worldwide by developing political parties, civic institutions, open elections, good governance and the rule of law.

“Unfortunately, the magnanimous goals of the IRI have been distorted by a quest to advance rightist U.S. initiatives. Instead of promoting impartial, better understanding of certain ideas and concepts, they are actually trying to further the cause of the Republican administration,” the analyst said.

Methods

The analyst also reasoned that the IRI’s strong-arm methods often include training corrupt opposition leaders and providing funds that effectively undermine often democratically-elected officials that the U.S. government views unfavourably.

In addition to running training camps, the IRI also conducts “secret polls” with the intention of skewing public opinion in order to yield a desired outcome.

“The main IRI project in Haiti involved the overthrow of the country’s democratically-elected president, JeanBertrand Aristide in 2004 and a failed coup in Venezuela in 2002,” the analyst explained.

The U.S. ambassador has maintained that there was no truth in the claim that the administration had not been consulted and the U.S. embassy released a series of correspondence showing that from the start, the administration was actively engaged on the project.

The ambassador had also maintained that US$300 million project was good for Guyana and the embassy will go ahead with it.

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, January 9, 2014

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

Foot-dragging on IMF

I

t would seem that everyone agrees that it is a changing world, excepting the countries that dominate the decisionmaking process at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

More than three years ago, in an apparent shift, the IMF’s governing body had agreed to reform the organisation’s governance so as to better reflect the increasing economic weight of dynamic emerging market economies in the world economy.

But the changes that have been made are so insignificant the old status quo still dominates. This is not an inconsequential circumstance for Guyana and the region, and, in fact, all the countries that constitute the Emerging Market and Developing Countries (EMDCs). Jamaica and Barbados, for instance, are having to jump through the old hoops of the IMF because of structural conditions that have impacted negatively on their economies, and which could have received a more sympathetic hearing if the EMDCs’ representation on the board had been greater.

These countries have become increasingly frustrated with Western states, as the latter have clung to power in the IMF and other important international economic governance organisations in the same proportion they divvied them up after WWII. The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) have evidently become so frustrated at the intransigence of the West that they are now in advanced-stage negotiations to establish a Development Bank and a Contingent Reserve Arrangement. The West will carry a heavy responsibility for eroding global multilateral governance if it continues to drag its heels on the needed adjustments.

Some may believe the IMF has already taken steps to raise the voting power of the “emerging” market. In 2010, its member countries agreed both to boost the lending power of the IMF and to shift 6.2 per cent of quota shares, and hence voting power, in favour of “dynamic” EMDCs. In March 2010, then-Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn hailed this agreement as “the most fundamental governance overhaul in the IMF’s 65-year history and the biggest-ever shift of influence in favour of emerging market and developing countries”.

Moreover, the key shift from developed countries to EMDCs is only 2.6 per cent, the rest being shifts within the category of emerging market and developing countries from “over-represented” EMDCs to “underrepresented” EMDCs. Such a small change comes nowhere close to aligning shares of votes with any plausible measure of economic weight. If economic weight is measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), then the agreed 2010 reforms will still leave very large discrepancies between shares of economic weight and shares of voting power.

Voting power-to-GDP ratios vary five-fold, from 0.45 in the case of China to 2.15 for Belgium. This results in the aggregate voting power of the EU4 being higher than the aggregate voting power of the four BRICs, despite the fact that the GDP of the BRICs, as a share of world GDP, is almost twice as large (24.0 per cent) as the GDP of the EU4 (13.4 per cent).

Additionally, while most member states agree that, in the interests of simplicity and consistency, economic weight should be measured by GDP, the Europeans insist that economic weight is not just GDP but also “openness”. IntraEurope trade boosts Europe’s weight, while intra-U.S. or intraChina trade does not boost the weights of those countries. The BRICS argue that if measures beyond GDP are to be included in the determination of quota (and vote) shares, criteria of “contributions to global growth” should be among them.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) was the one multilateral organisation where the smaller countries had a measure of influence. But with the developed countries willing to sideline the Doha Development Round and push their mega-regional trade blocs, it appears that, along with those same countries refusing to open up the IMF, the structural factors that have consigned many nations in the region to low growth rates will remain unchanged.

What you’re looking at is Niagara Falls encased in ice. You can see the falls, still roaring in the back, but pretty much everything else near the Canada-U.S. border has slowed down to a glacial pace. The photo comes courtesy of Google Earth Pics which tweeted out the photo on Tuesday just as much of North America was contending with the fallout of a polar vortex, a system of tundra-like cold air that descended on the area to bring abnormally cold weather (Huffington Post)

A peaceful struggle (Part one) Dear Editor, January 3, 2014, marks a new anniversary of the usurpation by Great Britain of our Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas. A total of approximately three million square kilometres that belongs to the Argentine people and the deprivation of which disrupts Argentina s territorial integrity.

The year that has just ended saw an escalation of verbal attacks by British officials when referring to the Question of the Malvinas Islands.

In contrast, Argentina’s willingness to engage in dialogue and its resolve to settle a colonial conflict by peaceful means have received renewed and more vigorous support the world over, including in Britain.

As a corollary to a year in which the British government spoke about intervening foreign countries, to such an extent that the British parliament itself had to reject military actions in the Middle East, the same British government devoted a paragraph of its Christmas address to refer to the military defence of the Malvinas Islands, forgetting the peaceful message that this celebration should inspire.

Perhaps this was the expression of a failed attempt to confuse the world on the colonial and military occupation of the Argentine territory, and the result of the lack of legal and historical arguments.

The referendum a misnomer, by which 1500 British nationals on the islands decided to remain British, is a violation of the resolutions of the United Nations.

Neither resolution 2065 nor the others include the principle of self-determination in the Malvinas Question.

Moreover, in 1985, the United Nations General Assembly rejected on two occasions British proposals to include this principle in the draft resolution on the Malvinas. None of the requirements that give rise to the application of the principle of self-determination are present in the Question of the Malvinas Islands.

It should be noted that the United Nations Committee on Decolonisation made no mention of the self-styled referendum in any of the resolutions it adopted during the year that has just ended.

The lack of arguments and the wide support for Argentina's right to territorial integrity prompt the United Kingdom to act and express itself with the undignified aggressiveness of a nuclear power that is also a permanent member of the Security Council. Such behaviour undermines the international community's attempts for all countries to accept UN decisions in order to achieve the peaceful settlement of conflicts. Britain has no moral authority in this regard, being the country that has most often ignored the decisions of the United Nations, especially when it comes to bringing colonialism to an end.

Aggressive statements are no novelty in the Malvinas question. Suffice it to recall the comments published in 1842 in The Times, the informal mouthpiece of the British Crown, when a new request was made by the Argentine representative in London to begin discussion on the Malvinas Question: we do not know

what is to be admired the most: the insolence of the South American or the resignation of the Queen’s minister who refrained from kicking him down the stairs.

For Argentina, the past year was one of intense activity undertaken to highlight its sovereign rights and defend the natural resources plundered by the colonial power.

For the first time ever, all African countries adopted the Malabo Declaration recognising Argentina’s legitimate rights over the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas, thus echoing the position of Latin America and Caribbean countries.

All African and American countries with shores on the South Atlantic condemned at the Montevideo Summit the militaristic expressions of the occupying power and the significant number of weapons deployed in the South Atlantic including nuclear submarines.

In March 2013, our country went to the United Nations headquarters in New York to request Secretary-General Ban-Kimoon to act under his good offices as mandated by the general assembly. In an unprecedented gesture, the foreign ministers of Cuba and Uruguay and the deputy foreign minister of Peru, as countries holding the Pro Tempore Presidencies of CELAC, MERCOSUR and UNASUR respectively, were present to support Argentina’s position. The UN authorities themselves were surprised at the strong support displayed by the three organisations that represent all Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The government carried

out a sustained information campaign worldwide.

Brochures on the question of the Malvinas Islands containing historical antecedents and information on the UN consideration of the matter, were published in German, Greek, Japanese, Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish and Serbian.

Progress was also made in the translation of materials on the question of the Malvinas Islands into Arabic and Hebrew. The documentary Malvinas: A History of Usurpation was re-released with subtitles in English, French, Portuguese and Arabic.

A key aspect of our peaceful struggle are the more than 90 supporting groups in countries on all five continents that work towards a definitive solution to the colonial conflict. Last year, as part of their various activities, some of the groups established took the following steps: From February 5-7, 2013, the First Meeting of the European Pro-Dialogue Groups on the Malvinas question took place in London, attended by members of the Executive and Legislative branches of Argentina.

From June 17-19, 2013, the First Meeting of the Malvinas Solidarity Groups from North America was held in Mexico City.

On September 12-13, 2013, the First Meeting of the Malvinas Solidarity Groups from Central America and the Caribbean was held in Havana.

Sincerely, Hector Timerman, Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister

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

Flouting the return and refund Getting serious with littering, illegal dumping of goods policy Dear Editor, Many business men and women in today’s society are quite unscrupulous and it is time for us consumers to become more responsible and aware of our business transactions.

It is quite established that many business entities across the country are flouting the return and refund of goods policy. In fact, I have seen notices to this effect and this alone should indicate the need for legal intervention.

Moreover, there always seems to be some complica-

tions in the event that a return policy is in place. The process itself is often time consuming and aggravating to consumers.

Also, many stores have this policy where if you choose to return your purchase, then you are required to buy something in place of what you returned in order to balance the money spent.

If I am not satisfied with my purchase and I choose to return it, I should not be obligated to buy something else at the said store.

It is my right to look somewhere else if I wish to. This

is another aspect of the policy that urgently needs to be addressed.

Another situation that is upsetting me is the luring of customers by advertising huge discounts and sales on several products, only to discover that the items have in fact expired, thus the huge discount. This is quite dishonest and disrespectful of the store owner who in fact becomes quite evasive when approached.

I strongly believe that the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) should become more proac-

tive as it relates to addressing the issue of stores who fail to implement the return and refund of goods policy.

Guyanese need to be treated with self-respect.

In fact, the 2011 Consumer Affairs Act caters for persons who want to return goods within seven days, once whatever is being returned has not been tampered with. As consumers, we need to expose any kind of flouting of this law.

Respectfully, Tyrone Carmichael

We need to monitor our teens Dear Editor, The respective parents of an 18-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl are now concerned about the activities of their children after the two teens were found in a house of affiance. The teenage girl was said to have been found in her school uniform at the time of the act, which immediately accounts for a case of truancy.

In some countries, when a child does not show up to school, it is the teacher’s responsibility to follow up with the parents or guardians of the child to find out the reason for the child’s absence. I strongly opine that if schools

in Guyana don’t already have this system in place, then they need to implement it soon.

This will ensure that students remain in school during the time that they are scheduled to be there and moreover, those who decide to skulk will be reported and when caught, will face the necessary consequences. It therefore means that law enforcement officers, teachers and parents must all be at the forefront when it comes to education and the curbing of truancy.

Additionally, I am advocating that the bags of all

schoolchildren should be searched, if not upon entry to the school, then on a selective basis. Many female students often have a change of clothes in their haversack.

Other students, particularly males have been found with small weapons in their possession.

In most cases, some amount of blame is always placed on the parents of the erring children. However, I strongly believe that it is our youths that should be chastised and held accountable for their actions.

Moreover, I believe that both teens should attend

Support local products Dear Editor, Brian Ramsarran, also known as Ice Cream Man, has over the last four years successfully managed to make his mark in locally producing and supplying delicious ice cream to the New Amsterdam community. He has over the years become quite a local celebrity known for his ice cream.

Just recently, I was at a

local supermarket and they had quite a variety of locally made products including ice cream and yogurt. Guyana has all the prerequisites needed to establish a growing ice cream making industry. In fact, our variety of locally grown fruits will surely allow us to experiment with producing different flavours of ice cream.

As Guyanese, we should

support those who aim to promote what Guyana is made of and what it has to offer other countries. I therefore urge all Guyanese to continue to support and buy our locally made products.

Sincerely, Resident of New Amsterdam Name withheld by request

The routine examination of various mails prior to leaving Guyana Dear Editor, The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) wishes to take this opportunity to further respond to the letter published in a local newspaper on January 1, headlined, “Envelopes received from Guyana had been cut open and retaped.”

We wish to thank the writer for the interest shown in the post office’s service and wish to assure that we do appreciate the feedback.

As acknowledged in a previous GPOC release, var-

ious mails may be identified by the respective authorities and subjected to routine examinations prior to leaving Guyana.

This is the case particularly during instances of sample checks for narcotics.

It must be noted that such examinations are out of the corporation’s remit and control.

Please be advised that the GPOC remains committed to serving all our customers and protecting the integrity of mail entering

and exiting our system.

Customers with issues as alluded to by the consumer in the print media are requested to contact the GPOC’s Customer Services Department on telephone number 226-3127 for further clarification and/ or to enable us to conduct an investigation if warranted.

Yours faithfully, Telesha Whyte Public Relations Officer Guyana Post Office Corporation

counselling sessions.

For some reason when teens are disciplined in Guyana, it is often considered abusive, and when the situation is not addressed, it is considered neglect.

We must learn how to strike a balance between the two. Our children’s futures are our responsibility until they become old enough to make sensible decisions for themselves.

Sincerely, Collis Jackman

Dear Editor, Chapter 28:07, Section 277 4 C of the Municipal and District Councils Act states that anyone who throws litter on the council’s roads must be arrested and fined.

Additionally, Chapter 8:02 of the Summary Jurisdiction Offences Act speak of minor offences and give constables the power to arrest anyone who litters or dumps refuse improperly.

It is one thing to have laws documented, but it is another to ensure that they are implemented. With that said, I gladly take note of the 269 persons who have been fined in 2013 for littering and illegally disposing of garbage.

The degree of the act determined whether the accused was expected to undertake community service, pay a fine of $10,000 or be sentenced to three months in prison.

Another aspect of addressing littering that we need to consider is the right for any citizen to report people who litter to the relevant authorities. He or she will be deemed as an eyewitness, and all that is required is a statement to be given.

We all have a role to play when it comes to keeping

our surroundings clean and it is unfair for those who don’t litter to have to dwell in an unclean environment.

It is therefore imperative for us to report those who persistently continue to break the law.

In England, littering is being taken to a whole new level. Consequences are now even in place for people who spit in public. Not so long ago in New Jersey, a truck driver was fined for dumping truck loads of roof shingles and debris off a dirt road.

Here in Guyana, a junk yard at the junction of Annandale West and Lusignan was not so long ago reported to the relevant authorities. It is said that old vehicles and vehicle parts are continuously being dumped at the site and is beginning to inconvenience those utilising the road.

It is important for the perpetrators to be caught and they should be used as an example to the nation to assure the public that this form of uncivilised behaviour will not be accepted.

Yours truly, Resident of Annandale Name withheld by request

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Foundation

The role of grammar in improving students’ writing (continued from Wednesday)

BY BEVERLY ANN CHIN

T

o help students revise boring, monotonous sentences, teachers might ask students to read their writing aloud to partners. This strategy helps both the partner and the writer to recognise when, for example, too many sentences begin with “It is” or “There are.” Both the partner and the writer can discuss ways to vary the sentence beginnings. After the writer revises the sentences, the partner can read the sentences aloud.

Then both can discuss the effectiveness of the revision.

Teachers can help students edit from passive voice to active voice by presenting a mini-lesson. In editing groups, students can exchange papers and look for verbs that often signal the passive voice, such as was and been. When students find these verbs, they read the sentence aloud to their partners and discuss whether the voice is passive and, if so, whether an active voice verb might strengthen the sentence. The student writer can then decide which voice

guyanatimesgy.com

is most effective and appropriate for the writing purpose and audience.

Teachers can help students become better proofreaders through peer editing groups. Based on the writing abilities of their students, teachers can assign different proofreading tasks to specific individuals in each group.

For example, one person in the group might proofread for spelling errors, another person for agreement errors, another person for fragments and run-ons, and another person for punctuation errors. As students develop increasing skill in proofreading, they become responsible for more proofreading areas.

Collaborating with classmates in peer editing groups helps students improve their own grammar skills as well as understand the importance of grammar as a tool for effective communication.

As teachers integrate grammar instruction with writing instruction, they should use the grammar terms that make sense to the students. By incorporating grammar terms naturally into the processes of revising,

editing, and proofreading, teachers help students understand and apply grammar purposefully to their own writing. Strategies such as writing conferences, partnership writing, grammar minilessons, and peer response groups are all valuable methods for integrating grammar into writing instruction.

How does the teaching of grammar address the national content standards for students?

The National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association (1996) published Standards for the English Language Arts, which defines what students should know and be able to do with language. The twelve content standards are closely intertwined and emphasise the complex interactions among language skills. Standards four, five, and six most directly address students’ ability to write.

The national content standards for English language arts are based on professional research and best classroom practices. While

the standards acknowledge the importance of grammar concepts, they clearly recommend that students learn and apply grammar for the purpose of effective communication. By embedding grammar instruction in writing instruction, teachers can positively affect students’ actual writing skills.

Standard Four: Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (example, conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

Standard Five: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

Standard Six: Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (example, spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts. (uwplatt.edu)

r o f s p i T ping l e h ldr en e i s h i r c o m me

M

any of us underestimate our children’s ability to memorise.

Those little sponges absorb and retain a phenomenal amount of information.

Here are some tips/methods for helping your children memorise: Put it to music – Children can hear a silly rhyme or song once and sing it again days later. Something about the rhythm, rhyme, and melody helps it stick. Think about it. How do we teach them their ABC’s? We sing them. Whatever you want your children to learn, your chances are increased significantly if you put it to music. Fourth graders are able to memorise all 10 administrative regions...IN ORDER...in just a couple of days by learning a catchy tune.

Echo – Slip on a “magic” glove (any ole’ glove will do) – When it points to mom, it’s her turn; when it points to the child, it’s

his turn. Recite just a few words at a time and then have the child repeat (echo) what you say. Add on one or two more words each time.

Recite in different voices – This is a fun way to increase repetition while minimising boredom. Have the children recite it in baby talk, in a British accent, in an army sergeant’s command, in an opera singer’s voice, in a whisper, in a fast-speed chipmunk voice, in a robot voice, in a Donald Duck voice, country western style, etc. Be creative and have fun with it.

Erase it – For children who can read, write out the entire verse on a dry-erase board or chalkboard. Have them read it aloud and then choose one word to erase.

Read aloud again (including the missing word) and choose a second word to erase. Continue to repeat.

Eventually, the entire verse will be erased and they will recite it on their own.

Create an acronym – Instead of writing out the entire verse, just give them the first letter of each word as sort of a “cheat sheet”.

For example, if they were memorising The National Pledge, you would write “I A T T A ...” Often, this tool with “Erase It”...works great for adults too!

Review often – If you don’t use it, you lose it.

Review especially right before bedtime. I once read that we should pay close attention to what enters our child’s mind right before sleep. Whatever a child hears, sees, or experiences immediately before dozing off sticks with them throughout the night.

Knowing this, I would much rather have a poem about honesty or obedience in their impressionable little minds than the nightmare of mom screaming at them to get into bed.

Create an acrostic – What the heck is an acrostic? I’ve used them many times, but didn’t know they had a name. Lists can be challenging to learn, especially in the right order. For example, many school age children learn the planets in order the same way. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto =“My Very Energetic Mom Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.” Cool tool, huh? (kansasdrakes.blogspot.com)

TO BE CONTINUED

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thursday, January 9, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Govt says analysis of lost V investments imperative

Terry Holder passes on

An artist's impression of the Amaila Falls Hydro power project

By Michael Younge

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abinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon has described as “imperative” the need for an effort to be undertaken to quantify in real nominal terms the investments that had been lost as a result of the opposition’s continued assault on the government proposals to develop Guyana’s economy.

Luncheon was at the time responding to questions put by the Guyana Times as to whether there was need for such an assessment, politics aside, given the fact that the ruling administration continues to harp about the damage being done to the economy when largescale development projects are voted down by the opposition in Parliament and the media is used to wage war on private investors.

Analysis

He remarked that such an undertaking in the form of quantitative analysis cannot be seen only as the work of the Guyana Office for Trade and Investment (GOInvest) but should be a collaborative effort between the private sector of Guyana and the body politic, as well as other critical stakeholders. “...Because once investment in the economy and economic development will be held hostage to the cut and thrust of politics in Guyana, those responsible have the responsibility to explain the impact,” he reasoned strongly.

Luncheon was adamant that once any analysis is done of the Amaila Falls Hydro power project, which was rejected by the opposition, one would draw the inescapable conclusion that “billions of dollars” were lost, given the magnitude of Sithe Global’s Investment.

He said the same could be said about the Muri Brasil investment, while declining to give any financial assessments of what would have been lost in that particular scenario. Luncheon maintained that Cabinet has been examining the implication of Muri Brasil’s pullout and was of the view that Guyana stands to lose as a result of the irresponsibility of the opposition.

“...once again, the outcome in this case was regrettable,” he opined before explaining that investments also could be chased as a consequence of the opposition’s decision to reject the anti-money laundering bill.

The head of the Presidential Secretariat also shared with the media the hardships the private sector is suffering and the loss of investors’ confidence as a result of the voting down of the bill.

“The Cabinet was convinced that these impediments to the government’s plans were real impediments being created and sustained by the parliamentary opposition... Investors’ confidence in Guyana as a destination for their finances is indeed under attack,” the Cabinet secretary disclosed.

He has not said whether government has undertaken any real or formal quantitative analysis of the situation which would have informed its position on the actions of the opposition and the damage that was done last year to the economy.

But he noted that despite the obstructionist attitude of the opposition, the economy grew by five per cent.

Development

Dr Luncheon insisted that the ideal situation is for the opposition to stop playing politics with economic development.

“We have to elevate,… the economic development... is paramount and we will not make a political issues about aspects of our economic development,” he stressed, questioning the opposition’s commitment to advancing the socio-economic reality of all Guyanese.

This assault on investment and the need for an assessment is linked to the number of jobs being lost

and denied to Guyanese who are jobless and could benefit significantly.

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh has also strongly condemned the assault on the private sector and investment climate in Guyana.

Speaking during an interview with Guyana Times, Singh admitted that he has taken note of the “unrestrained” assault by the opposition which is all about politics.

“If we look at the unrestrained manner in which investors have been insulted, rebuked or otherwise had their project undermined, you will see that this opposition clearly has a design to chase investors out of Guyana,” he maintained.

Dr Singh gave examples such as the Amaila Falls Hydro power, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion, and the Specialty Hospital projects, as well as private initiatives which were shelved owing to the opposition’s behaviour.

Leadership

“There are at least two possible explanations. I’ve heard many explanations, and there are two that I hear most frequently. One of the explanations I hear most recently is that the opposition, particularly under the economic leadership of Mr [Carl] Greenidge has a philosophical difficulty with the private sector,” he posited.

He recalled that it was under Greenidge’s stewardship during the People’s National Congress (PNC) – now A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) – administration that the private sector was decimated.

“Recall that Mr Greenidge served as finance minister from, I think, 1983 to 1992.... and for the greater part of those years there was no private sector…. It

had all been nationalised and chased away. An environment was created that was extremely unfriendly to private businesses... the entire entrepreneurial class left Guyana because of antiprivate sector policies,” he stated.

Private sector

He said it was clear that the PNC then, and the APNU now, has a philosophical problem with the private sector and with a private sector-led economy.

“There is another school of thought that this is simple raw politics and that anything that would make the PPP/C look good in government, the opposition will try to undermine and hopefully destroy, so that the PPP/C will not look good even if it means cutting your nose off to spoil your face.

"Even if it means hurting the potential for the Guyanese people to get jobs and to earn incomes, they will undermine these projects,” the finance minister said. “Because if these projects happen, Guyana will do well under a PPP/C government and the PPP/C will look good. And so there’s a political agenda to undermine these projects.”

eteran broadcaster and former Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Company General Manager Terrence Holder passed away on Wednesday after battling a chronic illness for several years. He was aged 73.

Holder had retired from GT&T after he took ill.

He started his broadcasting career at the now defunct Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) rising to the level of general manager. During that period, he also served as secretary general of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU).

Well-respected for his current affairs productions such as documentaries, he moved on to become the GBC general manager in the 1990s. After the change of government in 1992, he served on the board of directors of GBC’s successor, the National Communications Network (NCN).

He had also worked at the Information Ministry under the previous administration and served the Guyana Cricket Board and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA).

Commenting on Holder’s death, broadcaster and public relations consultant, Alex Graham said it was a privilege to have worked with Holder in broadcasting, in cricket, and at GT&T when he came back from the CBU. “Terry was a consummate professional and distinguished gentleman from whom you were always learning. I remember helping to lampoon Terry on ‘No Big Ting’ and the ‘Link Show’ but none of that diminished our respect for him and the esteem in which he was held.

We are diminished by his loss,” Graham said.

Back in July 2007, Holder’s wife, Yvonne Holder, the then Technical Action Services Unit (TASU) technical coordinator at the Caricom Secretariat collapsed and died while at the Johan Pengel Airport in

Terry Holder

Suriname, awaiting a flight home.

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat had said then that Mrs Holder was awaiting a flight to Guyana in Suriname where she had gone to complete a mission on behalf of the Suriname secretariat when she died.

She was 64.

The release added that she had worked at the establishment since its inception and was instrumental in ensuring that the unit fulfilled its mandate of responding to the needs of member states.

8 news

thursday, January 9, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

Trinidadian charged for cocaine trafficking

T

he Trinidadian national who was pulled off a flight on Monday after cocaine was discovered in his suitcases at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Tuesday was arraigned at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for co-

caine trafficking.

Edward Jones, a Trinidadian based in Canada, pleaded not guilty to the charge of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Police said Jones was taken off a Caribbean Airlines flight bound for Canada by ranks of the Police AntiNarcotics Branch after they found a suspicious substance in his luggage.

The man was reportedly on the aircraft when his

baggage was scanned by members of the drug enforcement unit at the main port of entry. This, airport officials related, is a norm.

It was during the scanning process that the illegal substance was detected. The man was taken off the flight and asked to identify his luggage. He was then taken to an isolated room where his suitcases were searched, and the 9.545 kilograms of cocaine were unearthed in the false bottoms.

He immediately denied having any knowledge of the substance and accused airport authorities in Trinidad, where he boarded the flight, of framing him. He was subsequently arrested and taken to police headquarters.

The defendant was remanded and the matter transferred to the Providence Magistrate’s Court for January 13.

GDF lance corporal accused of taking gun

A

Guyana Defence Force (GDF) lance corporal of Friendship, East Bank Demerara, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday on two fireman charges.

Devon Harris, 34, pleaded not guilty to a charge which alleged that between December 27, 2013 and January 4, 2014, at Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri, he stole one national pistol numbered 75C61408 valued $35,000.

He also denied a second charge which alleged that on the same day at Friendship, he had the weapon in his possession, without being the holder of a firearms licence.

Attorney Patrice Henry, who appeared on behalf of the defendant, told the court that his client has served in the GDF for more than 12 years. Henry further argued that from the time his client has been working in the arms store, he had the firearm in his possession.

Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru told the court that on the day in question, a physical check was carried out on the lance corporal and the missing firearm was discovered. Mangru said Harris was not authorised to have any firearm in his possession while off duty.

Harris was remanded and the matter was transferred to the Providence Magistrate’s Court for January 13.

Eyew tness

Man on a... ...string? resident Donald Ramotar’s under fire from the opposition and its media camp-followers for “not being his own man”. Or more specifically, for supposedly being under the thumb of former President Bharrat Jagdeo. But what else is new? Ramotar’s always been one of the most underestimated politicians around.

And Jagdeo’s refusal to be cowed by that opposition – especially after he took on and crushed even their armed insurrection – has them hating his guts.

Truth is, the opposition parties are so traumatised by the thought that they haven’t really seen the back of Jagdeo, they’re breaking out in cold sweat. Don’t you remember how they went on (and on) for more than a year about Jagdeo changing the Constitution and going for a “third term”? Then the man surprised them all and went off the stage. But that didn’t stop them, did it?

They predicted Jagdeo would seize control of the PPP/C party machinery...by becoming general secretary.

Well, he proved them wrong again, didn’t he? He’s just another Central Committee member. Now the latest drumbeat is, like a Guyanese Svengali, Jagdeo’s pulling the strings behind the stage! This has got to be the biggest joke around. On one hand, the opposition’s screaming that the president has so many powers he’s practically a dictator – and yet he’ll kowtow to an individual without any institutional power? Boggles the mind.

So you have to ask, where are the signs of Jagdeo’s influence? The way the opposition carries on about Jagdeo, you’d expect him to be here, there and everywhere. But for one, the man’s practically invisible in the country. How more self-effacing can you get? But has this cut any ice with the opposition parties? Not in this lifetime. They then whipped up these accusations about Jagdeo controlling from behind the scene – claiming that President Ramotar isn’t changing any of the policies established by his predecessor.

I mean...how ridiculous can you get? As the Americans say, “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!” Jagdeo’s policies brought the country on a trajectory of rising GNP that is unsurpassed in the region – and one that’s continued unabated. Unlike the petty dictators in the opposition, the president remains part of a wider PPP/C decisionmaking collective. Why should he change anything substantively just to show he’s “different”? He is different in his personal style of governance. Isn’t this enough?

Not for this opposition and its media supporters.

We have to see this attempt for what it really is: a calculated but transparent attempt by the opposition to create divisions where there are none.

P

...slide Poor Patrick Yarde. Here was his big chance to hit pay dirt once again...and these ungrateful public servants just won’t stand behind him. The U.S. has cranked up its destabilisation machinery against the PPP/C once again...this time not through the back door via the CIA but through the front door via the IRI. “Democratisation” sounds so much gentler and friendlier than “coup”. And labour was to reprieve its role from the 1960s and join the gravy train.

But the Americans are old hand at this game. They demanded that Yarde show what muscles he could flex before payday. And now after all the huffing and puffing about bringing Georgetown to a halt during the busy Xmas season, all Yarde could muster were a dozen or so stragglers on their lunch hour. But give Yarde credit...he’s not going to let go of potential dough, so easily.

He promised to take his “massive strikes” to the outlying regions. He’s hoping of course, the press wouldn’t show up. He can then photoshop massive “support” – just to drink some of that Yankee soup. ...circle Months after he nixed the reappointment of the chief elections officer, and promised a replacement, GECOM’s Chairman Surujbally’s still hemming and hawing. But no shortlist and definitely no new CEO. Maybe Boodoo’ll be back?

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thursday, January 9, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Works on crumbling Mahaica sea defence 80 per cent complete – ministry tem.

Meanwhile, a team of officials from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) led by shadow public works minister Joseph Harmon on Monday visited area.

The APNU team was there at the request of concerned residents, to inspect the crumbling sea defences in the area, the party said in a statement.

After viewing the gaping holes and the crumbling sea wall, Harmon said that what he had witnessed was the result of systemic neglect, and a lack of a structured national plan to deal with the nation’s sea and river defences.

Livelihood threatened

Sand bags being placed into the cavity by the Force Account Unit team

W

ork on the undermining sea defence is currently underway at Mosquito Hall/ Lancaster, Mahaica and is 80 per cent complete.

Staff from the Public Works Ministry’s Force Account Unit are scheduled to seal the remaining section by this afternoon.

The ministry in a release said the contractor – M&B Construction – hired to rehabilitate a section of the earth-

en embankment and slope has begun stockpiling materials [rocks and clay] to begin capping the undermined area. It is expected that within another two weeks, work in that area will be completed.

According to the ministry, as was reported previously, two major contracts involving the rehabilitation of concrete river defences at Mosquito Hall/Lancaster were executed during the

period 2011 to 2012. These works addressed problematic sections of sea defences which were undermined and frequently overtopped during spring tides.

In addition to concrete works, a total of 700 metres of eroded earthen embankment was rehabilitated and adjacent façade drains constructed for the storage and conveyance of overtopping discharge in order to reinforce the flood defence sys-

The Member of Parliament opined that because of this neglect, the lives of the residents of Mosquito Hall were now in jeopardy and residents, most of whom are fisherfolk, are now threatened by the very sea from which they earn their living.

Harmon said in his 2013 budget presentation, he had warned that the $1.9 billion allocated for sea and river defences and the $143.4 million to deal with critical works were not enough.

“We are in a constant battle to protect and main-

The Force Account Unit team members sealing a section of the sea defence with gabion rocks

tain the structural integrity of our sea and river defence structures, and to develop sustainable shore management systems to contain the ravages of the ever encroaching Atlantic Ocean and the People's Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) administration is not doing enough to safeguard the lives and livelihood of the residents of coastal communities like Mosquito Hall, Mahaica,” he lamented.

APNU called on the administration to act now so as to avert a catastrophic event.

The nation’s sea and riv-

er defences are all in need of urgent attention. APNU also called on the Public Works Ministry and all other relevant government agencies and departments to expedite repairs and structural rehabilitation work to the Mosquito Hall sea defences.

Harmon was accompanied on his visit to the Mosquito Hall sea defences by APNU Region Four councillors Shondel Hope and Ramrattie Jagdeo, and Ronald Backer from the Office of the Opposition Leader.

Cabinet approves $170M for reconstruction Dredge owner refused bail on firearm charge of One Mile Primary and upgraded.

“So though the general infrastructure will be dealt with based on the government’s budgeting for that school, the rebuild project will deal more specifically with advancement and upgrading those infrastructure,” he explained.

No-objection

Residents clearing the burnt-out site of the One Mile Primary School in Linden during the early stages of the rebuilding effort

C

abinet has given its no-objection to a recontract of $170.22 million to construct the One-Mile Primary, which was burnt down during the Linden unrest.

Residents had commenced an ambitious plan to reconstruct the school, but made little progress despite the People's National Congress Reform (PNCR) offering 36 sacks of cement as a donation.

Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon had said that with government undertaking to rebuild the school, the rebuild committee will be seeking instead to upgrade

school facilities.

A project to rebuild the school through self-help was launched in October 2012 and drew the attention of multiple donors across the country and the diaspora, who contributed monies and equipment towards its reconstruction in an effort to assist the 900 displaced students who were alternatively placed in various schools across Linden.

The focus, now, according to Solomon, is to achieve more modern facilities during and after the school’s reconstruction.

“I had a discussion with officials of the Ministry of Education and I know that

there is a $50 million allocation that is in the budget for that school, so the discussion was to move as soon as possible to a tendering process or a process that will allow for the works to begin as soon as possible. So that is where the discussion with the ministry is right now.

“What the rebuild project will do is move towards a new arrangement. What we’re going to do with that committee is have them focus more on other needs of the school, so it will move towards the establishment of a more modern computer lab and putting in other amenities in the school that makes it more modern

Meanwhile, Cabinet has also given its no-objection for the procurement of licence-free materials, consultancy and accessories for the University of Guyana (UG) online degree programme to the tune of $32.1 million; $21.9 million for the supply and delivery of office furniture and equipment for the Health Ministry; and $45.4 million for the procurement of fuel meters and one generator for the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD).

Additionally, a $52.6 million contract was passed for the supply of photovoltaic systems, cable switches and accessories for the Hinterland Electrification Programme; $20 million for the construction of parking lot and cycle shed at the National Park; and $32.5 million for the construction of a petting zoo at the Zoological Park.

There is also a $22.29 million for the rehabilitation and continuation of the main access road at Hague, West Coast Demerara.

A

32-year-old dredge owner on Wednesday appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry charged with discharging his firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Carl Couchman pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on December 21, he fired two rounds at his former employee, Jared Hamilton.

According to reports, Hamilton had seen Couchman earlier in the day and had approached him enquiring about some monies owed to him. An

argument had subsequently ensued between the two, and Hamilton left. Later that day, the defendant saw Hamilton and dealt him a blow to the head with his firearm. He then fired two rounds in the direction of Hamilton. A report was made to the police station, and Couchman was arrested.

Attorney George Thomas, who appeared on behalf of the defendant, asked for bail in a reasonable amount. Bail was granted in the sum of 150,000 with the condition that the defendant report to the Brickdam Police Station on specified dates. He is to return to court on February 7.

20-year-old remanded for robbery

A

20-year-old mason of Canterbury Walk, Beterverwagting on Wednesday appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry charged with robbery.

Wendell Austin pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that, while in the company of others on January 4 at Longden Street, he robbed Kishan Persaud of items valued $216,000, including a laptop computer, a BlackBerry Bold smartphone and some jewellery.

Reports are that on the said date, the virtual complainant was making his way to the Linden bus park via Longden Street when the accused and two others approached him. One of them proceeded to hold a knife to his neck, while another relieved him of his valuables. The men then made good their escape.

A report was subsequently made to the police station.

Investigations led to the subsequent arrest of Austin who was identified by the victim.

Austin was remanded and will return to court on January 24.

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News

Mom kills self after son ends life – father, sister had also committed suicide

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32-year-old woman on Wednesday succumbed at the Skeldon Public Hospital after she ingested a poisonous substance last Saturday, allegedly in reaction to her son who also committed suicide a few weeks ago.

Dead is Nandranie Oudit of Number 68 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

According to the mother of

the deceased Surujdai Singh, her daughter drank the poisonous substance because she could not cope with the loss of her 16-year-old son Arjune Oudit, a former third form student at Tagore Memorial High School who also died as a result of consuming gramaxone some five weeks ago.

Surujdai said her grandson was involved with a girl

for several months; however, their relationship ended abruptly and he subsequently drank poison because he could not handle the break up.

According to reports, the family has a history of suicide. It was disclosed that the father and a sister of Oudit had also committed suicide but by hanging themselves.

“Why me gotta punish so,

me husband dead and left me, me second daughter hang she self too and me work hard and mind me next two gal picknie and now me big data go kill she self,” Surujdai wept.

The woman said she is left with her youngest daughter who is so devastated by the loss of her eldest sister following that of her beloved nephew that the family had to take her to a doctor.

“She get blackout steady and she only crying and fall down, we gotta take she doctor,” the woman said.

Surujdai believes her family is affected by a suicide curse. She is also fearful for her remaining child.

“Me big daughter dead and left one pickney and she lil sister and when pickney fa bury mama, mama gotta bury dem pickney, it is hard for me to bear this pain of losing me family like this,” Surujdai tearfully stated.

Oudit leaves to mourn her husband Navin and a young daughter.

Meanwhile, according to reports, since the start of the year, several persons have succumbed to suicide while others have recovered from suicide attempts and some are in the process of recovery.

Only Wednesday, Guyana Times reported that a 19-yearold University of Guyana second year student died after drinking poison. Two other teenagers are listed as critical at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, following separate suicide attempts.

Pressure mek Rum Jhaat bawl P

ressure does buss pipe and pressure does mek people bawl out whah dem tryin to hide inside dem mind all de time. Rum Jhaat under a lotta pressure these days. Rum Jhaat was under pressure when he bawl out haul yuh ass. As soon as he open he rum mouth and run it in de Kocheur, de minister put he under more pressure. Even de lil gyal put he under pressure.

But Rum Jhaat own ass was under pressure from a long time, although that kinda pressure was not from de minister. Dem fellas in New York wheh de KFC money comin from got Rum Jhaat ass under a lotta pressure to give account fuh de money. And this is a man who wanna run de country. Whah he really wanna do is run away wid de country money after runnin away wid de party money.

Apart from de cricket club, Rum Jhaat like to lime in he own backyard. He does babble and spray pun people in he backyard. Soon even dem MPs who sittin near to Rum Jhaat gon ask de Speaker to walk wid umbrellas in de House.

Is one ting to run yuh mouth in yuh own backyard.

But is another ting to even open it when yuh not in yuh backyard. Rum Jhaat was friken to come out he backyard and go to de press conference. And de Kocheur is all dem boys backyard. Plus dem boys specialise in backyard talk.

In fact, any ting to do wid back is right up dem boys alley.

So when Rum Jhaat and Mook Lall knockin glass or knockin one another, mouth does open and de real story whah deh pun dem mind does jump out. In Rum Jhaat case, ass was pun he mind. So sheer ass come out he mouth.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie!

Now it look like de ass ting ketchin on. Rum Karran write a whole column bout ass. And de whole time he defendin Rum Jhaat ass. But old people seh is only a rummie does defend another rummie ass.

GTA predicts 15 per cent increase in tourists arrivals this year

O

ver the past 10 years, visitor arrivals have increased significantly to Guyana, and in 2013, it was one of three countries in the Caribbean to record double-digit growth, with an

11.7 per cent increase in arrivals.

According to the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) last year, there was an average of 2630 tourists per month. In August alone, Moleson Creek recorded 3581 arrivals and in September, 3602. More than 11,600 persons visited Lethem, Region Nine during the year.

The increase represents visitors from across the Caribbean region, especially from Suriname, Brazil, and Jamaica. This is as a result of several initiatives undertaken by the Tourism Ministry, along with the GTA. Some of these include familiarisation trips, the British Birdwatchers’ Fair in London, and trade shows in New York and Canada.

The inaugural trade shows in New York and Canada created firsthand opportunities to showcase the country’s tourism potential and products on the international market.

The British Birdwatchers’ Fair has been significant in terms of disseminating information about Guyana as a tourist destination, taking into consideration that as a sport it was virtually unknown to many locals, when Guyana first participated in this event.

Many tourists who have had the privilege of experiencing Guyana have recommended the country as a tourist destination. Through this event, they have helped to create an excitement about Guyana and its rich, abundant diverse nature.

The familiarisation (FAM) trip is the most proactive, cost-effective means of promoting Destination Guyana.

The Tourism Ministry is determined to market Destination Guyana, and, in 2014, it projects a 15 per cent increase in arrivals.

Several FAM trips are scheduled to be conducted, and will result in more persons visiting Guyana.

11 News

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, January 9, 2014

Baksh addresses concerns of Essequibo residents – during community outreach

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nteracting with the grassroot people to ensure issues affecting their livelihoods are addressed has been a norm of the government, and a policy the junior agriculture minister has been continuing. This is according to the Government Information Agency (GINA) During the weekend, junior Agriculture Minister Alli Baksh paid a visit to Region Two where meetings were held with residents and farmers of Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast.

Concerns raised during the visit centred on the development of a playfield in the community, the high rate of teenage pregnancy,

school dropouts and the establishment of a bakery in the community.

With respect to the establishment of a playfield, Minister Baksh welcomed the idea, alluding to the fact that the recreational facility is indeed a welcoming one especially for the children of the community.

The matter has since been referred to the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry for consideration.

“The issues of teenage pregnancy and school dropouts are indeed an alarming situation and one which should be addressed with urgency,” Minister Baksh said.

Requests were also made by farmers for assis-

Residents of Dartmouth during the community outreach

tance through the allocation of planting materials.

A commitment was made to have the materials procured.

The drainage and irrigation works at the community level by the ministry and the regional administration also came in for high praise by residents who noted that such a project has come a long way in alleviating flooding.

“I want to thank the government and the region for assisting us in ensuring that we have proper drainage, especially at the community level…. we are a farming community and as such, drainage is essential,” one resident said.

Honeybee shortage threatens crop pollination in Europe greater protection. They are the unsung heroes of the countryside, providing a critical link in the food chain for humans and doing work for free that would otherwise cost British farmers £1.8 billion to replace.”

UK apples need a buzz

A shortage of honeybees means that European farmers are increasingly reliant on wild pollinators

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n more than half of European countries, there are not enough honeybees to pollinate crops, according to new research.

Scientists believe that a boom in biofuels has sparked a massive increase in the need for pollination.

The shortage is particularly acute in Britain which has only a quarter of the honeybees required.

The researchers believe that wild pollinators including bumblebees and hoverflies are making up the shortfall.

The study is published in the journal Plos One.

Food for fuel

The number of honeybees in the UK and elsewhere has been in decline in recent years, with both pesticide use and disease being blamed for losses.

Across Europe though, overall numbers of honeybee colonies increased by seven per cent across 41 countries between 2005 and 2010.

But in the same period, the area of biofuel feed crops, like oilseed rape, sunflowers and soybeans, in-

creased by almost a third.

“There have been big increases in lots of countries with oilseed rape,” said lead author Dr Tom Breeze from the University of Reading.

“In Greece in 2005, there were a few hundred hectares grown, but since then it has exploded because they can get biofuel subsidies for it.”

The scientist says that the deficit across Europe now amounts to 13.4 million colonies or around seven billion honeybees.

Britain is one of the countries with the biggest shortfall – only Moldova, with an economy 300 times smaller than the UK, has a bigger honeybee shortage.

Little is known about the number of wild pollinating species as they are not being monitored in the UK. The researchers believe this reliance on them could be hampering yields and putting UK crops at risk.

“We face a catastrophe in future years unless we act now,” said Professor Simon Potts, from the University of Reading, a co-author on the paper.

“Wild pollinators need

The UK apple industry is particularly dependant on pollinators, say the researchers. The wild creatures add £37 million a year to the value of just two varieties of British apples, Gala and Cox. “Pollinators not only increase the number but improve the quality of the apples you get. They are bigger, firmer and sell for a better price,” said Dr Breeze.

If anything happened to these wild species, the industry would be in trouble, he said.

“We just don’t have the honeybees to compensate for them.”

While steps have been taken at the EU level to protect bees by introducing a moratorium on neonicotinoid pesticides, the researchers say other European legislation is exacerbating the pollinator shortage.

Under the EU renewable fuel directive, 10 per cent of transport fuel must come from renewable sources by 2020, though the final figure is still being negotiated.

Whatever the ultimate target, the directive has seen large increases in the planting of oil crops including soybeans, oil palm as well as oilseed rape.

“There is a growing dis-

connection between agricultural and environmental policies across Europe,” said Professor Potts.

“Farmers are encouraged to grow oil crops, yet there is not enough joined-up think-

ing about how to help the insects that will pollinate them.

“We need a proper strategy across Europe to conserve wild bees and pollinators through habitat

protection, agricultural policy and farming methods – or we risk big financial losses to the farming sector and a potential food security crisis.” (BBC News)

12 News

thursday, january 9, 2014 | guyanatimeSGY.com

TravelSpan saves the day for snow-bound Guyanese

Urling floats three-step approach for solid waste management

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eorgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President Clinton Urling said Guyana needs a holistically integrated management plan to address the solid waste problem across the country by focusing on a three-step process that starts from waste generation and storage, moving to safe collection, and culminating in environmentally responsible disposal.

Writing in a viewpoint, Urling said while short-term, fragmented approaches can be welcomed, “we will not get anywhere in the longer-term if we do not take into consideration all three components in achieving an effective solid waste management system”.

Initiatives

TravelSpan staffers were commended for their assistance

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espite the recent snowstorm which shut down area airports and crippled air travel across the U.S., the eightyear-old Guyana travel agency, TravelSpan, successfully airlifted hundreds of passengers from New York’s John F Kennedy Airport to Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan Airport from December 14, ending the monopoly and high airfares of other carriers.

Using the 767-200 series aircraft operated by Dynamic Airways, TravelSpan was able to leave New York ahead of the storm on January 2, amid criticism from the hordes of expatriates who blasted management for not informing them ahead of time to catch the outbound flight which was rescheduled from 15:00h to midnight.

Stranded

Many travellers who had trekked from across Guyana to catch the return flight to New York, were turned away at the airport and told to return at 19:00h; leaving them stranded at the airport with no access to a phone to call relatives to pick them up. But they prevailed and were able to depart on time and arrive at JFK in record time, despite a stopover in Trinidad to pick up additional passengers.

Their plane was one of a few carriers cleared

for touchdown in the snow-covered JFK runway. Marketing and Public Relations Manager Vanita Jagnerain, who was on hand to deal with the traveller’s angst, vigorously defended the airline, saying it was beyond their control.

Jagnerain, who joined TravelSpan, Georgetown in 2009, said the airline, in business from 2006 to 2008 was on hiatus, waiting for the right time to return to the market, when there was a need for direct, round-trip flights to the republic.

Sold out

She noted that all flights during the festive season, were completely sold out, adding that it was “a testament to passengers’ confidence that the carrier is here to stay”.

With offices on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn and Richmond Hill, Queens, TravelSpan is positioned to airlift passengers twice weekly on Thursdays and Saturdays to Guyana, and Wednesdays and Saturdays to Trinidad, throughout the year,” Jagnerain said.

The company, she added, “is a customer-friendly airline that has maintained strong relationships with customers and the Guyana government”.

That is the reason the airline was able to return to the market “without any hassle” to resume on-time com-

petent service, she added, reiterating that “all airlines have travel-related issues”.

She promises, however, that TravelSpan would “work hard” to make the traveller’s experience with the airline “as pleasurable as possible”.

Passenger Deowadtie Tulsie from the Bronx, who sat in seat 5C on the inbound flight on December 23, described her first experience on TravelSpan as “a great one”, and plans to continue using the airline.

Natalie Bishop, a member of a medical group said she was “pleased that the airline is back in service” and assures that her organisation would use the carrier to fly to Guyana.

Layover

However, Bibi Kamadulin of Queens, who was travelling with her ill mother, was not too happy about the layover in Trinidad.

“I was told that this would be a direct round-trip flight. I like a straight flight,” she complained. Jagnerain explained that the Trinidad stop was “a temporary measure” to accommodate passengers during the Christmas season.

Overall, the TravelSpan crew did an excellent job in ensuring that travellers were comfortable, and even provided warm, white towels to those in the front section of the plane before their meal. (Caribbean Life)

Several programmes planned to observe prophet’s birth

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he Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) will be hosting a series of programmes to mark the birth anniversary of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.

The programmes, according to the CIOG, will commence during the Islamic month Rabbi-ul-Awwal (the month in which the prophet was born), commencing January 12. These pro-

grammes will be graced by Maulana Siddiq Ahmad Nasir, a son of Guyana residing in Trinidad.

He will commence his schedule for programmes of which the first will be hosted at the Adventure Masjid, Essequibo Coast on January 12 at 10:00h, followed by the second programme in collaboration with the Anjuman Hifazatul Islam (HIFAZ) at the Windsor Forest East

Masjid at 14:00h.

On January 14, the CIOG will conduct another programme at the Queenstown Jama Masjid at 10:00h, where Maulana Siddiq will be the main presenter.

“These programmes will highlight and remind us of the life of the prophet of Islam as well as the importance of showing love and gratitude for the greatest of all human beings,” the CIOG said.

He said at the operational levels of waste generation and storage, there are many initiatives that could be pursued.

These include awareness programmes, emphasising the importance of reducing waste and using environmentally responsible storage methods; the sorting or source segregation of waste, initiatives encouraging household composting; and the provision of large public waste receptacles.

Additionally, at the collections stage, he said initiatives can encompass timed and increased collections of solid waste, use of appropriate collection equipment, outsourcing to private enterprises, the provision of an incentive- or market-based schemes for collectors of recyclable materials (that is, such collectors could be formally organised under umbrella organisations or categories).

At a more creative level, upgraded judicial rules could allow for community service

local businesses and other entities.

“Other essential considerations should encompass adequate, stable funding for relevant institutions as well as financial oversight, transparency and accountability in the procurement and budgetary allocation process. More critically, the plan should promote the use of appropriate technology, such as biomethanation for organic wastes and composting equipment,” said Urling.

GCCI President Clinton Urling

sentences and collaboration with the reformed prison system to carry out garbage collection with working prisoners who have been classified as low security risks.

According to Urling, at the point of final disposal, the country needs a technologically updated recycling plant; proper landfill and dumpsite management sites across the country; and tipping fees to ensure sustainability of landfills and landfill composting facilities.

It is widely acknowledged that finished compost has a marketable value and can be sold to enrich soils, improve vegetation and reduce the need for fertilisers.

However, for this threestep process to work, he said it must rest on a foundation where appropriate laws are adopted upon the principle of zero tolerance for irresponsible solid waste disposal.

“Likewise, efforts must engage participation of citizens and residents through community programmes and awareness campaigns involving schools, non-governmental organisations, citizens’ groups, municipal authorities,

Stakeholders

According to him, at the most significant level, the plan should be coordinated through a central coordinating agency (for example, at the ministry level of local government or other governing unit) that involves the broadest spectrum of stakeholders representation, among others, municipal departments, private enterprises, waste collectors, NGOs, and residential groups.

A central policy clearing house will help avoid the potential problems of disintegrated approaches, duplicated efforts, waste of resources, or an unwieldy solid waste management programme.

Finally, he said local government reform and regularly held elections are also critical components, as they ensure accountability from municipal authorities and gives the people of Guyana their duly merited say in how and who should manage the day-to-day affairs relevant to their geographic constituency.

“Indeed, the proper, responsible management of solid waste disposal is a hallmark of an effectively functioning government and society,” he said.

Plans afoot for overhaul of prison service

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n keeping with the strategic plan of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS), the Home Affairs Ministry is working aggressively to overhaul the institution; moving it away from one that focuses solely on incarceration to one with a correctional purpose.

According to Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, this would be done mainly to the Lusignan Prison; transforming it into a modern facility. The strategic plan has already been completed and sanctioned by the Cabinet.

Currently, the ministry is looking to fill vacancies for the soon to be established strategic management department. These include a person to head the department, a policy analyst, and two technical officers; one to deal with prison management and another for planning and research and resource mobilisation.

Notwithstanding this, work has already com-

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee

menced on modernising the GPS. A Standing Orders Committee has been established to compile standing orders for the institution and various boards, all of which include civilians. These boards are the Guyana Prison Service Recruitment Board, the Guyana Prison Service Training Board,

the Guyana Prison Service Agricultural Development Board and the Guyana Prison Service Sentence Management Board.

Last year, out of its $129 million capital works budgetary allocation, $122 million was spent on improving infrastructure. Some of these projects include construction of the Brick Prison at Camp Street (phase two), construction of the Lusignan Prison (phase one), rehabilitation of trade shops and procurement of cell locks.

These projects are all intended to provide a more secure environment for both prison officers, as well as inmates. With regards to the name change from GPS to Guyana Prison and Correctional Service, Minister Rohee informed that he has already approached Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall requesting that he tables a bill that will effect the said name change.

news

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thursday, january 9, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Husband forgives wife Backer flown to U.S. for treatment for 'belna' beating

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woman appeared before Magistrate Rhandele Weever in the Number 51 Village Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday to answer to an assault charge which stemmed from her beating her reputed husband with a 'belna' (rolling-pin).

Vidyawattie Budnarine, 36, of 58 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, initially pleaded guilty to the charge but later changed her plea to not guilty. It was alleged that on December 15, 2013 at Number 43 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, she unlawfully assaulted Robert

Joseph.

According to police prosecutor Althea Solomon, on the day in question, about 15:00h, the virtual complainant and a friend were at a shop consuming alcoholic beverages when the defendant went to the said shop and asked Joseph to leave and go home.

Joseph refused to do so and the woman then became annoyed and armed herself with a 'belna' and dealt the complainant several lashes about his body.

The prosecutor also disclosed that the matter was later reported at the Number 51 Village Police Station af-

ter which the accused was subsequently arrested and charged.

However, in court, Joseph requested of the magistrate that the case be dropped, saying he wished not to proceed with the matter.

“Mam, she mek ah mistake... we still ah live together although we getting problems and the matter in court... I forgive her and I don’t want no court story,” the man stated.

After hearing the case, the magistrate dismissed the matter and placed Budnarine on a bond for three months to keep the peace.

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iling A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) parliamentarian and Deputy Speaker Debra Backer was on Wednesday flown to the U.S. to undergo treatment.

Guyana Times was told that Backer will undergo treatment at a hospital in Florida.

APNU leader David Granger had previously said that Backer’s condition was stable.

At that time, he did not divulge details about her illness, stating that he does not want to speculate on her medical condition.

He wished her a speedy recovery, noting that he hopes she gets well and can return upon the resumption

Deputy Speaker Debra Backer

of the National Assembly on January 16.

When questioned about whether the party will contemplate replacing her as was the case earlier this

year with member Richard Allen, Granger said the two situations cannot be compared.

“Mr Allen fell during the budget debate and there were some critical actions which had to be taken together with the Alliance For Change at that time and the budget scenario is quite different to what is taking place now. So situations are different and as I said you know Mrs Backer’s condition is stable and we don’t have any reason to speculate on her attendance,” he said.

Backer reportedly fell ill a few weeks ago and was initially being treated at a private city hospital. Efforts to contact her family have been unsuccessful thus far.

Caribbean urged to brace for Raids for smuggled goods, illegal impact of climate change connections carried out at Orange Walk

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ith the region projected to suffer billions in losses over the next several years as a result of climate change, Jamaica Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Minister Robert Pickersgill, said Caribbean states must work together to boost technical expertise and infrastructure in order to address the effects of the challenge.

“As a region, we have to assist each other in every conceivable way imaginable,” he stated. The minister, who was speaking at the opening ceremony of a regional training workshop on climate change, at the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Mona campus on Monday, said global climate change is one of the most important challenges to sustainable development in the Caribbean.

According to a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) report, citing a recent report from the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), he noted that while the contribution of Caribbean countries to greenhouse gas emissions is insignificant, the projected impacts of global climate change on the Caribbean region are expected to be devastating.

Impact

Pickersgill informed that according to experts, by the year 2050, the loss to the mainstay tourism industry in the Caribbean as a result of climate change-related impact could be in the region of US$900 million. In addition, climate change could cumulatively cost the region up to US$2 billion by 2053, with the fishing industry projected to lose some US$140 million as at 2015.

He pointed out that weather activity in sections of the Eastern Caribbean over the recent holiday season is a prime example of this kind of devastation. The low pressure system, which brought heavy rain, floods and landslides to the region not only

Jamaican Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Minister Robert Pickersgill

resulted in the loss of some 18 lives in the three most affected islands – St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia and Dominica – but also resulted in significant infrastructural damage. Preliminary estimates of damage in St Vincent and the Grenadines alone are in excess of US$60 million or J$6 billion.

Cannot be valued

“For a country the size of St Vincent and the Grenadines, this loss is significant and could result in their having to revise their GDP (gross domestic product) projections. (Therefore), while one cannot place a monetary value on the loss of lives, the consequences in terms of dollar value to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is also important,” the minister said.

He noted that “it only takes one event to remind us of the need to become climate resilient in a region projected to be at the forefront of climate change impacts in the future”.

Pickersgill said it is his hope that the regional training workshop will, in some meaningful way, advance the Caribbean’s technical capabilities to meet the future projections head-on and be successful.

He said the workshop has particular relevance to Jamaica as one of the SIDS that is most vulnerable to climate change. The two-week

programme is being held by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) in partnership with several regional governments, including the government of Jamaica, and UWI’s Physics Department, under the theme “The use of sectorspecific biophysical models in impact and vulnerability assessment in the Caribbean”.

The training course also forms part of the European Union (EU)-funded Global Climate Change Alliance Caribbean Support Project, which is geared towards the creation and financing of policies that can reduce the effects of climate change as well as improved climate monitoring within the region.

The Global Climate Change Alliance project is to be implemented over 42 months and will benefit Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

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everal business places on Orange Walk, Bourda, Georgetown, were raided on Tuesday during a joint exercise by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) and the police.

The raids were carried out around 15:00h on three business places, one of them being the popular liming spot Sweet Point. An eyewitness at Sweet Point claimed that ranks went into the business place without a warrant and seized all the alcohol. The eyewitness said even costumers were searched.

When asked for a reason for the crackdown, the sister of the proprietor said she is at a loss.

GRA Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur

Persons at the scene when Guyana Times arrived were heard saying that the search was an act of jealousy, stating that Sweet Point is a

flourishing business and persons do not want to see the owners prosper. The three business owners were escorted to Brickdam Police Station.

In an invited comment, GRA Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur said the search was “just a routine” exercise, noting that “it’s something that we do every day”.

Sattaur said raids are conducted whenever the GRA gets a tip off about business places or persons having uncustomed goods in their possession. He added that the raids are not meant to drive fear into the Guyanese people, but to check to see if businesspersons are selling illegal goods.

Major overhaul for Wartsila generators

Institutional capacity

CCCCC Programme Manager Joseph McGann informed that the project will include several activities including enhancing national and regional institutional capacity in areas such as climate monitoring, data retrieval and the application of space-based tools for disaster risk reduction, development of climate scenarios and conducting climate impact studies using ensemble modelling techniques, vulnerability assessments that can assist with the identification of local/national adaptation, and mitigation interventions.

For his part, UWI, Mona Campus Deputy Principal, Professor Ishenkumba Kahwa, expressed appreciation to the government of Jamaica for recognising the importance of climate change and giving it such a central position.

GPL said it would be upgrading 11 of the 13 Wartsila operated and maintained units this year

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uring 2014, major overhauls are scheduled on 11 of the 13 Wartsila operated and maintained units, with seven of these overhauls being due by the end of July 2014, when the new generation facility at Vreed-en-Hoop is expected to be commissioned.

The overhauls are performed in keeping with manufacturers’ recommendations and are expected to

last for 10 days each. They also form part of the Guyana Power and Light Inc’s (GPL) rigid maintenance programme aimed at ensuring efficient and reliable power generation.

According to a GPL statement, overhauls are executed to ensure that all engines are in proper working condition to facilitate a reliable supply of electricity to valued customers and to mitigate any potential risk(s)

that may result from lack of maintenance.

“GPL wishes to assure all customers that our company will continue to maintain all of its generating engines across the country to ensure their continued reliability to supply quality electricity. The company wishes to thank all customers for their support in 2013 and encourages your continued support and cooperation in 2014.”

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thursday, January 9, 2014

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional TT going all out against Rift deepens within St Lucian opposition criminal elements

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has re-affirmed her administration’s commitment to dealing with the crime situation

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he coalition People’s Partnership (PP) government announced an all out attack on criminal elements in Trinidad and Tobago as the island recorded its 19th murder in just seven days.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, speaking to reporters after a meeting of the National Security

Council (NSC) said that she was re-affirming her administration’s commitment to dealing with the crime situation.

“As prime minister, today I re-affirm my commitment to our citizens that whatever we have to do to defeat criminals within the law, wherever they hide we will do it.

“I will not allow an evil and violent minority to continue to inflict harm, fear and tragedy on the lives of our citizens. Where ever you hide, whoever your accomplices are and whatever you believe you have done with impunity, we will find you and you will be punished.”

She said at the meeting it was decided with “immediate effect, the commissioner (of Police Stephenson Williams) has advised that all leave has been restricted in Trinidad and the Tobago Police Service so we can have all hands on deck in the fight against crime.

“This means all officers from the top to the bottom.

There is to be a greater collaborative effort between the police and the defence force to maximise the use of all their resources in this matter.” (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Opposition Leader Stephenson King (left) and United Workers Party (UWP) political leader Allen Chastanet

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rior disagreements within the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) in Saint Lucia, which were exacerbated in the aftermath of the Christmas storm, appear to have deepened into a serious rift between two competing factions.

Differences first became apparent last month

when leader of the parliamentary opposition in Saint Lucia, former Prime Minister Stephenson King, denied “passing on the mantle” of leadership to the new political leader of the UWP, Allen Chastanet.

The UWP has been struggling for some months to deal with a dichotomy of leader-

ship roles after Chastanet was elected to replace former party leader King. However, as Chastanet has no seat in parliament, King has remained the official leader of the parliamentary opposition – a constitutional office appointed by the governor general.

Following the recent storm, Prime Minister Kenny Anthony invited King as opposition leader to a meeting with the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) in order to discuss the way forward regarding the resulting damage, which King attended as invited.

Chastanet apparently took offence at King’s “unilateral decision” to attend such meeting without first seeking approval and direction from the UWP executive. According to Chastanet, this was not the first time that King has “aggrieved the party” by making such unilateral decisions.

(Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

TT opposition says Extradited former Iron fist for beauty crime can topple premier arrives in queen killers government Turks and Caicos

TT Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley

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o not be hoodwinked by the government’s attempt to lessen the severity of the increased crime rate when it blames gangs, said Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley. Speaking at a meeting at City Hall, Port of Spain, to promote himself as the leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM) for the party’s upcoming internal election, Dr Rowley said if changes were not made at the highest level, the country would not be

able to evade the difficulties which lay ahead.

He said the government and its agencies were trying to convince citizens everything was fine, yet up to the sixth day of 2014; there had already been 16 murders.

“What you expect them to say?” he asked rhetorically. “I can’t recall any time in this country a bloodbath taking place like this week,” he added. He conceded the PNM lost the general election in 2010 “badly”, attributing it to spiralling crime. “The main issue was the PNM’s failure to reduce the violent crime,” he said.

However, Dr Rowley commented on the crime rate and the ineffectual measures by the present government, saying the only way to address the issue was to change the government. He said as murders piled up for 2014, there was silence from Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar and an attempt to blame gangs for the spike in killings. (Excerpt from Trinidad and Tobago Guardian)

Former Turks and Caicos Islands Premier Michael Misick

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he Governor’s Office in the Turks and Caicos Islands has confirmed the arrival of former premier Michael Misick at the JAGS McCartney International Airport in Grand Turk on Tuesday morning following his extradition from Brazil.

“The UK government welcomes the arrival of former premier Michael Misick in Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) to face a number of serious charges relating to corruption and maladmin-

istration during his time in office. They are most grateful to the Brazilian authorities for their swift handling of TCI’s extradition request,” a statement by the Governor’s Office read.

“It is important for the people of TCI, a UK Overseas Territory, that the rule of law is respected and due process is followed. It will now be down to the TCI courts to consider Michael Misick’s case as well as that of 14 others charged with similar offences,” it concluded.

Premier, Dr Rufus Ewing said he was officially informed on Monday morning by Governor Peter Beckingham of the impending arrival of the former premier and, on receiving confirmation of Misick’s arrival on Tuesday, Ewing said, “I welcome the return of Premier Misick to the Turks and Caicos Islands, the home that he loves, and to his family and friends, who have all been praying for his safe return.” (Excerpt from Caribbean News

Now)

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Monica Spear

enezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced he will act “with an iron fist” after former beauty queen and actress Monica Spear was murdered.

Spear, 29, was shot dead along with her British-born ex-husband Thomas Berry, 39, in their car on Monday.

Their five-year-old daughter, who was shot in the leg, is reportedly in a stable condition.

The attack, thought to have been a botched robbery, has highlighted Venezuela’s skyrocketing murder rate.

President Maduro said

the couple had been “slain with fury”.

He told a delegation of actors who had come to his office to demand those behind the crime be brought to justice that “violence is an evil we have [in Venezuela]”.

He assured them the full weight of the law would be brought to bear on the perpetrators.

At a news conference, Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez said five people had been arrested on suspicion of committing the “vile killing”.

Rodriguez said he had called an emergency meeting of the governors of Venezuela’s 23 states and of the 79 towns with the highest levels of violence in Venezuela.

“The fight against violence has to involve all the authorities so the criminals know they’ll face the full rigour of the law, because we’ve had enough already,” he said.

He promised to “use everything we have, the police, the army, against those who will not go down the path of peace”.

Venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in the world. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Jamaica: 2014 might be a bumper year for agriculture

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he agriculture sector likely contracted last year.

Having declined by 4.9 per cent during the first nine months of 2013, it would have had to register over 16 per cent growth in the last quarter to edge out 2012.

On the other hand, momentum has been building over the past 12 months.

After registering an 11.6 per cent decline in real value added during the first three months of 2013, according

to the Planning Institute of Jamaica, contraction in the second quarter was much lower at 6.6 per cent, while the third quarter saw five per cent growth.

“If you look at it, the first two quarters of 2013 were poor due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Sandy. And since that recovery, we have seen significant growth,” said Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) President, Senator Norman Grant.

Consultant Johnny Haer (left) explains to CB Group Director Lori-Ann Lyn, Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke and CB Group Chairman Karl Hendrickson, the technical properties and benefits of growing sorghum in Jamaica

Recovery aside, four more agro-parks covering 1800 acres of land are slated to start operations

by March 2014, on top of the three currently in operation, although at least one of them has hit a major snag — mismanagement by the Agro Invest Corporation (AIC) has resulted in the loss of a projected J$50 million worth of onions at the Plantain Garden River (PGR) AgroPark in St Thomas. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

15 Around the world Mark Duggan killing Polar vortex driven north to Canada lawful, says jury guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, January 9, 2014

A man walks past a car that is partially covered in ice Wednesday, January 8, in Baltimore

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Mark Duggan’s family said he was “executed”

ark Duggan, whose death sparked riots in England in 2011, was lawfully killed by police, an inquest jury has said by a majority of eight to two.

The 29-year-old was shot dead by armed officers in August 2011 in Tottenham, north London.

Following the verdict at the Royal Courts of Justice, his aunt Carole Duggan said her nephew had been “executed”.

Duggan’s brother Shaun Hall said: “We still fight for justice.”

Jurors concluded Duggan did not have a gun when he was shot by officers.

They also said it was more likely than not that Duggan had thrown a gun from a taxi just before he was killed.

The weapon was found about 20 feet away from the scene.

The panel of seven women and three men said police had not done enough to gather and react to intelligence about the possibility of Duggan collecting a gun from Kevin Hutchinson-

Foster, who has since been found guilty of supplying the firearm.

But the jury said the taxi had been stopped in a location and in a way that “minimised to the greatest extent possible recourse to lethal force”.

Following the verdict his mother Pamela Duggan was led out of the court in tears, while Duggan’s brother was seen screaming and shouting.

One man shouted: “A black life ain’t worth nothing.” (Excerpt from BBC News)

C

ongratulations, Duluth, Minnesota, you are waking up to much warmer weather!

That’s right – temperatures 30 below zero with wind chill.

That’s up 20 degrees from Tuesday.

That is still ridiculously frigid. But soon, the nation will get to send the iceman packing. A Southern onetwo punch is set to knock the mighty polar vortex back up to Canada, CNN meteorologist Jenny Harrison said.

A blustery high-pressure area rising from the Southwest to the Northeast

will throw the Arctic blast a broad left hook this week, pushing it into the upper midwest and plains states. Then, balmy Southeastern air will rush up from the gulf and hit it straight on to finish the job, Harrison said.

Case in point: Chicago, which is already known for cold winters, but this week has been nicknamed – even by the National Weather Service – “Chiberia”. The city saw a high of only three degrees Tuesday, but should reach one Wednesday and 25 Thursday. By Friday, temperatures should be above

freezing, CNN meteorologist Sherri Pugh said.

By Saturday, across the country, most highs will be at or above average, she said In New York, it was just four degrees in Central Park on Tuesday, still well off the all-time low of 15 below zero in 1934. But by Saturday, New Yorkers will be thawing with highs over 50 degrees, the weather service said.

North Dakota, which saw some of the worst weather this week – with wind chills in the 50s below zero – will drift back into normal winter lows in the 20s. (Excerpt from CNN)

German charged over Morsi trial delayed due to infamous French bad weather WWII massacre

T

he former member of a Nazi armoured division was charged with 25 counts of murder for his role in the slaughter, in which 642 men, women and children were killed in reprisal for the French Resistance’s kidnapping of a German soldier.

Cologne’s state court said that Werner C, whose last name was not given in accordance with German privacy laws, was also charged with hundreds of counts of accessory to murder in connection with the massacre.

The suspect is believed to have belonged to a unit that attacked the tiny village in western France, around 25 kilometres (15 miles) northwest of Limoges, on June 10, 1944.

“The prosecutor’s office in Dortmund has charged an 88-yearold pensioner from Cologne in connection with the murder of 25 people committed by a group, and with aid-

ing and abetting the murder of several hundred people,” a court statement said.

The Oradour massacre, as it is known, left a deep scar in France that lasted long after the war had finished.

Virtually the entire population of the village was wiped out in the atrocity, which began when close to 200 German soldiers of the SS “Das Reich” division encircled the town and rounded up its population in what residents thought was a routine identity check.

First the men were separated and moved to barns, while the women and children were forced inside the town’s church.

German soldiers then set the church ablaze and used machine guns to mow down anyone that tried to escape. (Excerpt from France24)

T

he judge in the trial of Egypt’s deposed President Mohamed Morsi has ordered the hearings adjourned until February 1 after bad weather prevented bringing Morsi to court, according to state media.

State media reported that the helicopter that was to fly Morsi from a prison near the Mediterranean city of Alexandria to the court in Cairo could not take off because of fog on Wednesday.

Morsi and 14 others are on trial for inciting the killing of protesters outside a Cairo presidential palace in December 2012, when at least 10 people were killed and hundreds wounded.

It is one of three trials that Morsi faces. Charges in all three carry the death penalty.

Mohammad Salim al-Awwa, Morsi’s lawyer and former

Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi

aide, told Al Jazeera he believed the decision to adjourn the hearing had nothing to do with the weather.

“The decision is purely political,” he said. “The authorities do not want protests to erupt following the trial and ahead of the vote in the referendum,” he said.

Egyptians in the country are set to vote in the constitutional referendum on January 14 and 15.

Voting for expatriates began on Wednesday.

Clashes erupted on Wednesday in Cairo’s Nasr City district between pro-Morsi protesters and security forces, injuring several people, Al Jazeera’s correspondent said.

Morsi first appeared in court in early November, insisting that he was still president and being held against his will. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Rodman sings Happy Birthday to Kim Gates' book lambastes Obama, Biden

U

.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman has sung Happy Birthday to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in front of a crowd of thousands in the capital.

Rodman said Kim, who was in the audience with his wife and other senior officials, was his “best friend”.

The former NBA star is on his fourth North Korean visit to mark Kim’s birthday with a basketball match.

He has angrily defended his visit after criticism from rights groups. The U.S. said

he does not represent the country.

The crowd of about 14,000 at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium clapped and waved as Rodman sang Happy Birthday on Wednesday, the Associated Press news agency says.

Rodman is with a team of former National Basketball Association (NBA) players who played an exhibition match. He said the match was to celebrate Kim Jongun’s birthday, although the leader’s official birthday and age have not been con-

firmed.

The celebration comes weeks after the execution of Kim’s uncle, Chang Songthaek, once seen as a major power in North Korea. His rapid and brutal purge has sparked concern over stability inside the country.

Meanwhile, state news agency KCNA has announced that elections for North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament will be held on March 9, an event which could provide a hint of who the key players are in the wake of Chang’s execution. (Excerpt from BBC New)

R

epublicans quickly pounced Tuesday on some controversial details from former Defence Secretary Bob Gates’ new book in which he highlights an admission from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that he found “dismaying” and fiercely lambasts Vice President Joe Biden.

Both are potential 2016 presidential contenders.

Gates, who led the Pentagon under two presidents from 2006 to 2011,

also offered scathing critiques of President Barack Obama and Congress in the memoir, “Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War”, which was obtained by CNN and is set to hit bookshelves next week.

Gates said Clinton told Obama that she opposed the 2007 troop surge in Iraq for political reasons, as she was running against Obama in the Iowa presidential caucuses at the time.

“The president conceded vaguely that opposition

to the Iraq surge had been political,” Gates wrote. “To hear the two of them making these admissions, and in front of me, was as surprising as it was dismaying.”

In early 2007, Washington was split on whether to increase the number of troops in Iraq or to start bringing them home. Clinton was among Senate Democrats, including Biden and Obama, who opposed boosting troop levels. (Excerpt from CNN)

16

thursday, january 9, 2014

guyanatimesgy.com

Caribbean

Africa

MoU will prevent financial crimes Zimbabwe: Nation aims for – Rambarran commodities exchange

C

entral Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran is confident that the new memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Central Bank will bring greater stability to the financial system and will protect citizens from financial crimes.

“As financial regulators, we have a shared responsibility when it comes to the effectiveness of the regime in place to protect our country and its citizens from organised financial crime. Both the SEC and

the Central Bank are demonstrating that we are incorporating international best practices into our own regulatory and supervisory regimes,” he said.

Rambarran spoke on Monday at the official signing of the signing of the MoU between the SEC and the Central Bank at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain.

He also said the MoU will go a long way in addressing money laundering.

“Such collaboration among the country’s three financial regulators is also a

further step in supporting our efforts to combat money laundering and terrorism financing. The region is the transit point for a torrent of narcotics whose street value far exceeds the value of the entire formal economies of the Caribbean. Caught in the crossfire of the international drug trafficking network, financial regulators have an important stake in TT’s efforts to make it more difficult for organised criminal groups to move money through our financial system,” he said.

(Trinidad Guardian)

North America

Barnes and Noble appoints new boss after six months

U

.S. bookseller Barnes and Noble has appointed a new chief executive after six months without anyone in the position.

Michael Huseby, previously head of its e-reader business Nook, will fill the role following William Lynch’s departure in July 2013.

He will lead the company as it grapples with tough

competition and consumers increasingly shop for books online. Barnes and Noble’s reports holiday sales on Thursday.

Leonard Riggio, chairman at Barnes and Noble, said Huseby was an “excellent” financial and business person.

He said: “Although a relative newcomer to the retail book business, he has quickly de-

veloped a comprehensive understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges the company faces.”

Huseby said he was “honoured” to have been chosen.

He said: “My role, as I see it, is to enhance and unlock the value of these [Nook and retail] businesses for our shareholders.” (BBC News)

Europe

Mothercare shares plunge 30 per cent on Christmas trading profit warning

M

othercare shares plunged by 30 per cent on Wednesday after the mums and baby store admitted Christmas trading had been hit by heavy discounting and poor toy sales.

Mothercare was the biggest faller of all companies listed on the London Stock Exchange after the retailer revealed weak trading both at home and abroad.

After the trading figures, Numis, one of Mothercare’s house brokers, more than halved its expectations for the retailer’s annual pre-tax profit to £8 million from an earlier forecast of £17 million.

Sales in UK stores open a year or more fell four per cent in the 12 weeks to January 4 and total UK sales fell 9.9 per cent the company revealed, saying it had been forced to

cut prices amid higher levels of high street discounting than the previous Christmas, on both toys and clothing.

The group’s international business was also hit by weakening currencies and tricky economic conditions in Russia, Indonesia and India – three of its five biggest markets. Total group sales were down 6.1 per cent. (The Guardian)

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

$337.57

$341.80

CAN

$190.32

$192.51

USD

$205.73

$208.18

U.S.

$1335.00

Cambio

$202.67

Gross

$254,331

Net

$236,527

Selling

$262,426

Indicators as on January 8, 2013 Live Spot Gold

USD Per Once

Bid/Ask

$1225.90

$1226.90

Low/High

$1217.90

$1229.80

Change

-5.90

-0.48

USD GBP EUR

Jan 7

AM

PM

1226.50 747.37 902.50

1221.00 742.07 897.60

AM

PM

Silver

Last: 16462.74

1227.50 748.89 901.18 Changes: -68.20

Open: 16515.40

High:16515.98

% YTD: -0.69

52Wk Hi: 16174.51

USD GBP EUR

1237.50 754.44 907.92

Price

Platinum

London Gold Fix

Jan 8

Indicators Crude Oil

US$ per barrel

$107.35 USD per Ounce

$19.52 $1414.00

Change %

+0.58 Change %

-0.32 +1.00

Z

imbabwe’s hopes of establishing an Agriculture Commodity Exchange (ACE)

by March 2014 have been dampened by persistent low grain and cereal output, analysts say.

The southern African country must address production challenges as part of a broader strategy to re-

Asia

vive agricultural production to peak levels and sustain the exchange, said Takunda Mugaga, senior reseacher at Research firm Econometer Capital Global (Econometer).

“A depressed supply does not make setting of a commodities exchange feasible so it has to be addressed,” said Mugaga, who also sits on the board of Zimbabwe’s

largest industry body, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce.

The country has been pushing since 2011 to establish a commodities exchange to address crop-pricing problems and stimulate production, but the project is yet to take off due to lack of funding and bickering within the government. (allAfrica)

China to allow foreign ownership in telecom services

C

hina will open up some telecom and Internet services to foreign ownership. Five areas, including call centres and home Internet access, will be open to full foreign ownership, the state-owned Xinhua news agency has said. Firms providing online data and analysis services will have a cap of 55 per cent foreign ownership.

Foreign companies looking to offer these services will have to base their infrastructure in

the Shanghai free trade zone, Xinhua said. However, overseas firms will be allowed to offer services across the country, the Xinhua news agency quoted Wen Ku, head of the telecom development department as saying. The only exception is home Internet access, with foreign-owned firms allowed to offer the service only to consumers within the free trade zone. The Shanghai free trade zone was launched in September last year as part

of efforts by China to open up parts of the economy.

Policymakers said at the time of the launch that restrictions on foreign investment will be eased inside the area. The move is seen as an attempt by policymakers to spur a fresh wave of economic growth. Earlier this week, the government said that it would allow foreign firms to make video games consoles within the free trade zone and sell them in China. (BBC News)

Middle East

UAE eyes more foreign tie-ups in oil, gas projects

T

he UAE is likely to allow more foreign partners, especially from Asia, to take stakes in its oil and gas concessions, the chief executive of Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company said on Tuesday.

Abu Dhabi, which has the largest share of the UAE’s oil, plans to invest US$60 billion over the next five years to boost its oil production capacity from 2.7 million to 3.5 million barrels per day (bpd)

– and oil concessions lie at the heart of its ambitions.

The concessions system allows oil and gas producers to acquire equity hydrocarbons from the OPEC member in return for investing in projects.

Western oil majors like ExxonMobil, Shell and Total have been partners with Abu Dhabi for decades, but concession renewals starting from 2014 could allow Asian companies to boost their presence in a country which now ex-

ports nearly all its oil to Asia.

“The principal of the tender is to be more open for partners... In the last three years there has been a change towards more openness, some additional partners,” ADMAOPCO CEO Ali Al Jarwan told reporters. “There’s consideration to have newcomers in these marginal fields,” Jarwan said when asked if Korean and Chinese companies could be awarded some field rights. (Arabianbusiness)

Investors' guide

How to invest in people

I

n an investment context, one of the primary skills of successful venture capital investors involves the ability to discern how to invest in people to produce future profits. What investing in people means to such venture capitalists is identifying a talented and motivated individual or team that has the strong potential to take their company to new heights of success.

Such people are generally inwardly driven to pursue excellence, and that special quality gives them a higher chance of having a positive impact on their firm’s bottom line.

If this anticipated increase in profits materialises, it will in turn spur growth in the value of an initial investment in their venture, thereby making the venture capitalist a hand-

some return on their invested funds. Of course, the challenge here involves correctly identifying such individuals at a sufficiently early stage to make the investment worthwhile.

A considerably more personal method of how to invest in people involves investing your funds directly in a specific individual’s future, rather than in a company they are working for. Such an investment is typically a private arrangement that might often take the form of a loan made to the individual by the investor over a given term with interest and principal payments expected.

Furthermore, in recent years, some enterprising individuals have reportedly been soliciting substantial up-

front payments from investors in exchange for a modest percentage of their future income. Such an investment proposal would offer an investor a return more like a stock on their investment in that particular person.

Alternatively, from a business or personnel manager’s perspective, how to invest in people probably refers to the choices that the leadership of their company makes when it comes to furthering the abilities and improving the job satisfaction of its valued staff.

Taken in this context, investing in people usually involves such things as employee recruitment and training, compensation, lifestyle accommodation, workplace enhancement and offering attractive perks. (Business Dictionary)

Business concept – Cognitive % Change: -0.41 Low: 16416.69 52 Wk Lo: 12471.49

Psychological processes involved in acquisition and understanding of knowledge, formation of beliefs and attitudes, and decision making and problem solving. They are distinct from emotional and volitional processes involved in wanting and intending. Cognitive capacity is measured generally with intelligence quotient (IQ) tests.

news

17

thursday, January 9, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

Guyana committed to supporting regional climate change effort – Ramotar

West Dem residents bolt home early before bridge closes

C

ognisant of the 22:00h closure of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Wednesday night, West Demerara residents wasted little time in getting home, leaving a handful to board some of the Stabroek Market/Vreeden-Hoop speedboats that had worked late hoping to cash in on the last-minute rush.

When Guyana Times visited the Stabroek Market stelling Wednesday evening it was evident that most residents did not take any chances staying in Georgetown late.

The area which would normally be crowded looked like a ghost town. Guyana Times spoke with a speedboat operator who explained that they were given instructions

by Maritime Administration Department personnel to extend their cut-off time from 20:00h until midnight to transport passengers to and from Georgetown and West

From left to right: Head of the Office of Climate Change Unit, Shyam Nokta; Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) Deputy Director and Scientific Adviser, Dr Neville Trotz; President Donald Ramotar; CCCCC Executive Director, Dr Kenrick Leslie; and Technical Specialist, Dr Mark Bynoe

P

resident Donald Ramotar said Guyana remains committed in promoting and supporting increased action in the Caribbean region on the issue of climate change.

He gave the assurance on Wednesday during a meeting with a delegation from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) which included Executive Director, Dr Kenrick Leslie and Deputy Director and Scientific Adviser, Dr Neville Trotz.

According to a release from the Office of the President (OP), President Ramotar indicated to the delegation that in light of the increasing and devastating impacts to the region from extreme weather events linked to climate change, Guyana will be advocating for climate change to be a main item for discussion at the next session of Caricom heads of government.

The president welcomed

the recent statement by incoming Caricom Chairman St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, which calls for Caricom’s prioritisation of climate change issues.

Strong presence

President Ramotar underlined the need for the region to be more vocal on climate change and the need for a strong presence by Caricom heads of government in 2014 at two main climate change fora; the UN Secretary General’s Climate Change Summit slated for September on the margins of the UN General Assembly and the Conference of Parties meeting of the Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) in Lima, Peru in December.

The need for enhancement of the region’s efforts at the technical level, particularly the negotiations in the UNFCCC for a targeted 2015 global agreement, was also

raised.

The president stressed the need for the region’s negotiators to be provided with clear guidance in accordance with the region’s position on key issues.

Strong position

President Ramotar indicated that while the region has a strong position on climate change as outlined in the Liliendaal Declaration of 2009, perhaps there exists room for a strengthening of that position. Ramotar indicated Guyana’s willingness to work with the CCCCC and Caricom to support briefing sessions for the negotiators prior to major UNFCCC sessions.

President Ramotar took the opportunity to express Guyana’s recognition and unwavering support for the work of the CCCCC and introduced Shyam Nokta, Guyana’s representative to the board of governors of the centre.

The president noted that the centre has a crucial role to play in providing scientific and technical advice to the region, while supporting the implementation of regional initiatives on climate change and fostering a progressive agenda on which the region can access opportunities for financing to support climate action.

President Ramotar also took the opportunity to underline Guyana’s interest in sharing its experience in developing and implementing a Low Carbon Development Strategy and its REDD+ initiatives, and to work with countries in the region that might be interested as is already being done with Suriname.

The president informed the delegation that in 2014, Guyana will be giving priority to climate resilience and integrated water resources management under its LCDS, issues which he contends are also of importance for the region as a whole.

Demerara.

The routes 31 and 32 bus park, which is normally packed with commuters nightly, was almost desolate as the few stragglers hurried into buses. The bridge closure comes as a result of a fuel tanker crashing into the floating structure around 05:15h on Sunday. Two clusters were knocked out, while four special connecting posts were damaged causing the floating bridge to be misaligned.

Demerara Harbour Bridge General Manager Rawlston Adams on Monday at a press conference said that the corporation has the necessary resources to fix the damage and bring stability to the structure. The fuel tanker agent, the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC) said after an extensive evaluation with engineers from both parties, it will stand the cost of the entire repair.

Efforts being made to springboard tourism in 2014

G

overnment is keen to expand the burgeoning tourism and hospitality sector and several initiatives are to be tabled to accomplish this, head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon said.

Highlighting the fact that 15,000 people attended the recently held John Legend concert at the Guyana National Stadium, the Cabinet Secretary said that the impact and benefits from the influx of tourists who came for the event, was not lost on Cabinet.

In response to a question about a new strategy proposed by acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali recently, the Cabinet secretary said that “Cabinet embraced a strategy for promoting and developing tourism in Guyana” following a meeting with the sector minister and tourism sector

authorities.

The current modest incentive package in place has yielded benefits and will be expeditiously upgraded, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported Dr Luncheon as saying. The new incentive programme may be brought to Cabinet for approval by Minister Ali, before the presentation of the 2014 national budget, the Cabinet secretary stated.

Minister Ali had proposed that among various ideas to boost the sector was making Guyana a tax-free zone so as to attract more world class artistes.

The influx of tourists and visitors along with the injection of foreign exchange and increased international awareness would, it is expected, redound to the benefit of the economy and all Guyanese.

ACIC hosts "International Mawlid in the City" on Saturday

T

he Anna Catherina Islamic Complex (ACIC) will create history when it joins Muslims in 69 cities around the world in an event themed “International Mawlid in the City" on Saturday at 18:30h at the complex. The special guest for the programme is Maulana Muhammad Waffee of Trinidad and Tobago.

The ACIC, which is representing the Republic of Guyana, will join cities in North, South and Central America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia in an event for which the original inspiration was drawn from the hugely successful event held a year ago outside Google’s London headquarters, the organisation said in a release.

The organisers have a very simple concept – offer a rose as a peaceful gesture to people and at the same time, convey the true

The Anna Catherina Islamic Complex

message of Islam.

This can be viewed as an extension of the sharing of the mes-

sage of Islam, the celebration of mawlid; in many eyes, an extension of the substantial work be-

ing done to uphold the honour of the Prophet (sas) – by presenting the beauty of his teachings and the positive message of true Islam.

Islam and Muslims are not represented by extremist Muslims and others, nor should they be given such a platform by the mainstream media. Islam is of the balanced middle way and always has been, and Muslims need to reaffirm this position, the ACIC said in its release.

The rose-themed events seek to further isolate extremists of all kinds and to promote peace.

It seeks to bring out the beautiful qualities of the most excellent of all creation – the Prophet Muhammad (sas). The event will target especially the media, which, by and large, has been guilty of portraying Muslims as an angry, violent and bloodthirsty community.

This year, “rose-themed” events are organised throughout the world with Guyana, (through ACIC) being selected, as “our great country can be an example” to others on how to integrate, strengthen ties and live together as one community.

A wide cross-section of Guyanese, including politicians, leaders of other religious groups, members of civil society, representatives of the print and electronic media, etc, have been invited to participate in this event, the ACIC said.

“This will allow them to experience firsthand the warmth, kindness and compassion which we have learnt from the noble character of the blessed Prophet Muhammad (sas).”

The objective is to engage the local community by promoting peaceful dialogue and spreading peace and understanding.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, january 9, 2014

thursDAY, march 11, 2010 | guyanatimesGY.com

archie

By Bernice Bede Osol

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) Good things come to those with patience, tolerance and understanding. Emotional interaction will allow you to see all sides of a situation.

Ponder over your findings before passing judgment.

dilbert

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19) Someone is likely to play with your emotions.

Step back and bide your time until you are fully prepared to deal with the people giving you a hard time.

Calvin and Hobbes

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) It’s a good day to mix and mingle. You’ll do well in social settings, and will fare even better when trying to formulate and sign deals. Let your confidence lead the way to a better position.

Peanuts

SUDOKU

CANCER (June 21July 22) Get involved, be a participant and make your voice heard. Helping others will bring high returns. Socialising with people who share your sentiments will lead to a prosperous venture.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22) Don’t let anything get you down. Give an emotional situation a positive spin, and, above all, keep moving. Being willing and able to make a tough choice or change will help you excel.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) Traveling, taking on a project or meeting new people will lead to new beginnings. Children or elders can help you realise what you need to do to improve. Be open to different philosophies.

ARIES

LIBRA

(March 21-April 19)

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Your erratic feelings can lead to an impulsive decision regarding your future or the status of a partnership. Don’t do anything that you may end up regretting. Focus inward, on self-betterment.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Enjoy the people and things you get the most satisfaction from. Keeping the peace will help you stabilise your relationships with important people. Live, love and laugh.

Problems will surface if you can’t come to terms with what someone wants. Spending time on your own or with a friend will help you sort through your course of action.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22) A personal change is headed your way. Someone special will influence your life, but before you make a move, consider your motives. Re-evaluate your relationships before effecting change.

Wednesday's solution GEMINI (May 21June 20) Financial deals should be signed, sealed and delivered. Making plans to network with peers or to celebrate with someone you love will help boost your confidence and ego.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21) Spend some time on personal goals. Consider your career options and what’s required of you to reach your destination.

Don’t be fooled by what someone tells you. Get facts and figures before you proceed.

news 19

YELLOW PAGES

thursday, January 9, 2014

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Get your visa approved. High success rate. Balwant Persaud & Associates.

Certified Immigration Consultants, 68 Sixth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown (Between Cummings & Lights Sts) Tel: 225-1540, 622-8308, 655-3105.

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Contact Accomplished Restaurant & Bar. Lot 9 W ½ Lamaha Street or call 684-5976 or 684-3371

Professional Key Shop, 125 Carmichael Street, Georgetown.

Phone: 225-3923, mobile: 6213249. We cut any type of key, service and repair all types of locks.

Get your extra key today.

lAND FOR SALE

T

he Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) says it continues to receive numerous complaints from consumers, and is working hard to address them.

CCAC Legal Officer Alicia Primo told Guyana Times on Wednesday that the commission has teamed up with both businesses and consumers, in educating them on the 2011 Consumer Affairs Act and consumers’ legal rights.

Primo said the CCAC received 96 new complaints in 2013 alone.

However, most of the issues have been addressed. Primo said the commission is working to educate more persons about the act, so that businesses comply with the law and consumers are not ripped off. According to her, one of the main issues is the illegal “No Exchange, No Refund” policy of many stores.

CCAC Legal Officer Alicia Primo

The CCAC legal officer said in addressing some of the issues, the commission would send one of its officials to meet with the business owner, who, if reluctant to do the right thing, is written to officially. If this does not work, then legal action is taken against that specific business. So far, the commission has not taken any business to court, but is in the process of doing so now. Primo told Guyana Times that one will be taken to court shortly, as charges will be laid against it.

While the CCAC official stressed that education plays a pivotal role in addressing these issues, she said there has been some level of abuse and disrespect for the law. She pointed to various businesses displaying “No Return,

Compliance The CCAC is tasked with monitoring compliance with the law, and carrying out enforcement activities, such as a responding to consumers’ complaints and ensuring that adequate information is available so that consumers can make informed choices. The Consumer Affairs Act puts all businesses under tight scrutiny to ensure that they comply with the provisions of the law.

The CCAC said it would welcome consumers’ reviews and comments, and remained willing to entertain complaints whereby stores are in breach of the law.

While the commission has a small staff, the team has been working not only to educate consumers about the new policies the act covers but to ensure that business owners are made aware of their shortcomings and correct them forthwith. Persons wishing to make a complaint can do so by contacting the CCAC on telephone number 219-4411.

H

MEDITATION

aiti and the D o m i n i c a n Republic have agreed to undertake measures that will guarantee the rights of people of Haitian descent living in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country, according to a joint communiqué issued after their talks on Tuesday.

According to the communiqué issued after the meeting held in the northern town of Ouanaminthe, officials from both countries discussed mainly how to solve the issue caused by a ruling by the Constitutional Court in Santo Domingo last September that stripped citizenship from thousands of Dominicans of Haitian origin.

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No Refund” signs in store and others charging an excessive restocking fee on returns.

Primo indicated that no business should have such a sign on their premises and those culpable should remove theirs immediately. She said the CCAC has found that some businesses are charging more than the standard 10 per cent of items’ purchase price as restocking fee, when a good or item is returned.

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Progress made in meeting between Haiti and Dominican Republic officials

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Fines Primo declared that the CCAC will not be soft on businesses who fail to comply with the law. If found in breach, businesses face fines of $20,000 to $1 million. Primo said in most cases when businesses are made aware of the sanctions they could face, they move swiftly to correct their deficiencies. The CCAC, she said, started an intense campaign last year to educate consumers on their rights and how they can obtain a refund or exchange a purchased item.

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Concrete measures “The Haitian party has solicited the guarantee that concrete measures will be taken to safeguard fundamental rights of people of Haitian descent,” the communiqué said, adding “the Dominican party has confirmed the guarantee”.

The Haitian delegation as led by Prime Minister

Minister of the Dominican Republic’s Presidency Gustavo Montavo (left) and Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe

Laurent Lamote, while the Presidency Minister of the Dominican Republic, Gustavo Montavo, led his country’s delegation.

Dominican authorities have unveiled a plan that would help regularise the situation of undocumented people living in the country with a population of nearly

10 million.

“The Dominican party announced the adoption, within the coming weeks, of a legislation that will address cases which had not been taken into account in the regularisation plan,” according to the communiqué, noting that both governments also reiter-

ated their will to regularise the situation of Haitian workers in the Dominican Republic. It said the Dominican National Council of Migration last week approved a programme to provide visas to all temporary workers on the other side of the border. (CMC)

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thursday, january 9, 2014

Edwards, Bravo set up WI’s Pietersen, Flower are in dispute, says Vaughan crushing win over NZ

Kirk Edwards and Dwayne Bravo were both among the runs

A

few days ago, West Indies barely had enough fit players to field an XI but, almost out of nowhere, they produced an outstandingly powerful display to square the one-day series 2-2. Their victory by the overwhelming margin of 203 runs - New Zealand’s second heaviest ODI defeat – was based around hundreds from Kirk Edwards and Dwayne Bravo who formed a 211-run stand for the fourth wicket in West Indies’ highest ever oneday international total.

For Edwards it was his maiden ODI hundred while Bravo’s was just his second in a 154-match career where his runs return have been far below what they should have been for his talent. The overall total of 363-4 surpassed a mark from back in 1987 when West Indies scored 360 against Sri Lanka. Although West Indies had taken the opening match in Auckland, there would have been long odds on this team producing such a performance after two insipid displays in Queenstown and Nelson.

Conditions

They could hardly have wished for better conditions to try and overturn their poor batting form; a flat pitch, small ground and a fast outfield. Brendon McCullum was happy to bowl first, backing his team in a chase, but the final carnage was probably 80 runs more than he would have wanted. This was one of those occasions when mishits reached the boundary and chip shots clear them, but that is to take nothing away from the performances of Edwards and Bravo, who both produced textbook one-day innings consisting of a period of rebuilding, then increasingly fierce strokeplay as the innings progressed. The fact they did not join forces until the 25th over highlighted how dominant they were.

Edwards had not previously passed fifty (which he reached with a flick for six over midwicket) in the first ten matches of his career, but was able to start his innings from a rare position of strength after Kieran Powell, who raced to 73 off 44 balls, had dominated an opening stand of 95 in 12 overs. His hundred came from 90 deliveries with an inside edge past the stumps - the second fifty requiring 28 balls

as he cut loose in excellent batting conditions. He favoured the leg side, where he hit two of his four sixes, but also drove strongly through the covers as McCullum struggled to stem the flow.

Bravo had joined Edwards with the innings at a tipping point on 143-3 after New Zealand had hauled back the early charge but after a few overs of consolidation – aware that West Indies did not have a huge amount of batting to follow – opened his boundary account with a six over longoff and produced the stylish strokeplay that has been so often lacking during his international career.

Good series

This, though, has been a good series for him with the bat and he moved to his hundred from 79 deliveries (his second fifty taking just 25 deliveries) in the penultimate over of the innings which was followed by his third six, straight towards the sightscreen off Kane Williamson.

The last 10 overs – six of which cost double figures for the bowlers, including 21 off the 44th bowled by Corey Anderson – produced some severe damage as West Indies scored 117 runs; the five-over block from 40-45 brought 75 runs. Although it was a tough ground to defend on, New Zealand’s bowlers did not help themselves by often delivering a hittable length.

Powell, the tall left-hander, set the tone in the opening over when he collected consecutive

boundaries off Tim Southee and in the paceman’s next over another pull carried for six.

His innings kicked into a higher gear during the sixth over of the innings, from Mitchell McClenaghan, which cost 19 runs including another six: this time it was caught, onehanded, by a supporter in the crowd which earned the lucky man a prize of NZ$100,000.

Powell’s fifty came off 28 balls and he was eyeing a rapid hundred when he went to sweep McCullum and was taken on the boot. Replays showed it would have missed leg stump but Powell declined to use the review available. In the 14 overs following Powell’s wicket, there were only three boundaries, the pressure helping to bring about Lendl Simmons’ wicket when he drove to point, but it was the only period where New Zealand were not chasing the game.

Poor run-chase

Given what the home side achieved in Queenstown – albeit in a reduced game – they could not immediately be ruled out of the chase, but hunting down such a vast total is a very different challenge when compared to setting one. It needed a hundred from one of the top four, but instead they were all dismissed by the 11th over.

Martin Guptill was beaten by a nip-backer from Bravo, Jesse Ryder top-edged behind square, Williamson walked across his stumps to the impressive Jason Holder and Ross Taylor edged a delivery that turned from Nikita Miller. When Brendon McCullum skied into the deep, the challenge was already verging on the impossible and the sight of him losing his bat trying to slog Miller was apt given he will see this as a series victory that his team let slip from their grasp.

The final mention, though, should go to West Indies. The last two wickets came courtesy of a superb running catch from Bravo and a direct hit

by Holder. They were as brilliant today as they had been woeful earlier in the series.

It was only a shared series, but given their recent woes it probably felt like a lot more.

(Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD West Indies innings KOA Powell lbw b NLMcCullum 73 J Charles run out (NL McCullum) 31 KA Edwards not out 123 LMP Simmons c Williamson b Anderson 9 DJ Bravo* c NL McCullum b Williamson 106 AD Russell not out 6 Extras (lb-4, w-11) 15 Total (4 wickets; 50 overs) 363 Fall of wickets: 1-95 (Powell, 12.1 ov), 2-116 (Charles, 18.3 ov), 3-143 (Simmons, 23.6 ov), 4-354 (Bravo, 48.6 ov) Bowling: TG Southee 10-0-64-0 (3-w), MJ McClenaghan 8-0-640 (2-w), NL McCullum 10-0-641, Corey J Anderson 10-1-771 (5-w), KD Mills 8-0-60-0, KS Williamson 4-0-30-1 (1-w) New Zealand innings (target: 364 runs from 50 overs) MJ Guptill b Bravo

6

JD Ryder c Simmons b Holder 17 KS Williamson lbw b Holder 16 LRPL Taylor c †Ramdin b Miller 9 BB McCullum* c Charles b Miller 6 Corey J Anderson c Bravo b Russell 29 L Ronchi† hit wicket b Miller 15 NL McCullum c †Ramdin b Russell 18 KD Mills run out (Holder) 26 TG Southee c Bravo b Miller 9 MJ McClenaghan not out 0 Extras (lb-6, w-3) 9 Total (all out; 29.5 overs) 160 Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Guptill, 3.1 ov), 2-37 (Ryder, 6.6 ov), 3-45 (Williamson, 8.6 ov), 4-50 (Taylor, 10.3 ov), 5-65 (BB McCullum, 14.2 ov), 6-94 (Anderson, 19.2 ov), 7-123 (NL McCullum, 23.1 ov), 8-125 (Ronchi, 24.6 ov), 9-151 (Southee, 28.2 ov), 10-160 (Mills, 29.5 ov) Bowling: JO Holder 5-0-35-2, DJ Bravo 5-0-12-1, NO Miller 10-1-45-4, SP Narine 5.5-0-310, AD Russell 4-0-31-2 (3-w)

Kevin Pietersen

F

ormer England captain Michael Vaughan is convinced there is an issue between England coach Andy Flower and Kevin Pietersen.

On Wednesday, Flower denied he issued an ultimatum that would see either him or Pietersen, 33, quit the team.

But Vaughan says the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Pietersen should “bang their heads together” to ensure they remain in the setup.

He said: “There’s clearly an issue between Kevin Pietersen and the team.”

In an interview with BBC Radio 5 live, Vaughan added: “Andy Flower has seen all the headlines. He might not have said exactly what is reported, but there is clearly an issue between him and Kevin Pietersen.

“The best player, the maverick, the X-factor player is stood on the boundary during games. He is never involved in any of the team discussions.”

Flower has committed his future to English cricket and Pietersen stated he has no intention of quitting Test cricket.

Strong desire

The batsman said: “I wish to repeat my strong desire to continue playing for my country and to help us regain the Ashes in 2015.”

Now Vaughan, who captained Pietersen during England’s 2005 Ashes win, is calling on the ECB to demand the pair hold a clearthe-air meeting.

He added: “Give it a week or so and take a little bit of time to breath, then have a mature meeting.

“Let’s get them both together and try and get English cricket moving forward because it will be a great shame if Kevin Pietersen never represents England again.

“The dust needs to settle, then people need to bang heads together and get them

in a room together and get it sorted out.

“It would also be a shame if the management can’t manage that sort of person to make sure he is an important member of the side.

They need to give him a bit of responsibility and say, ‘right we need you until the end of 2015. We want to get these Ashes back’.

“The two can carry on.

Both of them and the team need space away from each other because it has been such a pressurised tour.”

Scapegoat

But former South African captain Clive Rice is convinced Pietersen is being made a scapegoat for England’s Ashes humiliation and fears he may not return to the Test arena.

Rice, 64, played a key role in bringing South Africanborn Pietersen to England when persuading him to join Nottinghamshire in 2001.

All-rounder Rice had spent 12 years with the county from 1975 to 1987, twice leading them to the County Championship title.

He revealed he spoke to the batsman early in the Ashes.

“I told him to make sure he performs because he will be made a scapegoat if England lose the series,” BBC Radio 5 live.

“Certainly my predictions to him are coming true right now because they are looking for an excuse for the losses and I think you can’t kick out your best player because of that.”

Rice feels Pietersen has been singled out because of his unwillingness to conform to the ECB’s rules.

He added: “They may think if they do that, they can have everyone acting as they want them to do,” he added.

“But he is the match-winner and a world beater, and you can’t just ignore his talents.”

He lost the captaincy of the England team when

he demanded former coach Peter Moores was removed from the England setup in 2009.

And he was dropped from the team in August 2012 after sending text messages to South African players that were reportedly critical of then captain Andrew Strauss.

Problematic past

Vaughan added: “Kevin has had problems in the past and I’m sure there will be things come out about this tour that will relate to Pietersen and I am sure, at times, he will have been a bad influence around the team.

“But he can’t be the only one. It can’t just be Kevin Pietersen’s fault that the team were hammered 5-0.

He got more runs than anyone else. He played Mitchell Johnson as well as anyone - none of them played him well.

“I think it is sad we can’t get the best out of someone like that. It would be a great shame if the one player that people would turn up to watch him play, and the one player that excites crowds for good and bad reasons, he never plays for England again.”

Vaughan also suggests Pietersen will need to make changes to his own persona if he wants to remain in the England line-up.

“Kevin will have do things differently but mainly it is the management that will have to change how they deal with that kind of character,” he added.

Captain Alastair Cook is being urged by Vaughan to get involved in the dispute as part of a push to take more control of the England side.

“Cook needs to say, ‘This is my team, this where we want to go, this is how we want the team to play’, and then go and pick the players to play that brand. I really think Alastair Cook has a big role to play in this.” (BBC Sport)

thursday, january 9, 2014

guyanatimesGY.com

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Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Dubai, 1st day…

Sri Lankan quicks vindicate Mathews’ decision S ri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews made the unprecedented decision to bowl in Dubai - the first time in six Tests a captain had put the opposition in at this venue - and then watched his three frontline fast bowlers consistently test the Pakistan batsmen for scant reward before lunch. They bowled with similar accuracy and skill in the remaining sessions too, but Pakistan’s luck and Khurram Manzoor’s resolve had withered, and the returns were rich for the visiting side.

The rationale behind team selections - both sides decided against a second specialist spinner - at a venue that traditionally favoured spin was not immediately clear. However, as the day wore on, it became apparent that the early seam movement and bounce extracted by Sri Lanka’s bowlers was not going to disappear. The deviation was not extravagant, but it was more than enough to pose a constant challenge.

Suranga Lakmal maintained pressure on Pakistan through the day and took two quick wickets before tea

Good judgement Pakistan opener Manzoor batted with good judgement in the middle of a largely empty stadium but there were jitters at the other end.

They made it to lunch on 57-1 only because two edges were dropped - one chance causing Mahela Jayawardene to split his webbing and go off the field for the day and several seaming deliv-

eries beat the outside edge.

The crash began early in the second session, though: Pakistan slumped from 78-1 to 165 all out, with the Sri Lankan quicks claiming the first seven wickets.

Perhaps Mathews had decided to bowl because Pakistan had been routed for 99 the last two times they batted first in Dubai, or because the team batting sec-

prevented further loss, taking Sri Lanka within 108 runs of a first-innings lead when bad light ended play.

The pace of this Test had taken a few quick twists around the lunch break.

Pakistan had been cautious all morning but Manzoor and Mohammad Hafeez began the second session aggressively. Manzoor cut twice and edged once to the boundary in the first over after lunch, from Nuwan Pradeep, and Hafeez pulled and cut short balls from the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.

The spurt of runs had taken the second-wick-

et partnership to 50 when Pradeep, playing his first Test since January 2013, nipped one in off the seam to bowl Hafeez between bat and pad. Pradeep’s first wicket, in the morning, had also come via an inswinger that struck Ahmed Shehzad plumb in front. Manzoor carried on, seeing off deliveries from Suranga Lakmal that seamed and bounced, to bring up his sixth half-century after twin failures in the Abu Dhabi Test. He then charged Herath, lofting over the straight boundary for the game’s first six.

Pakistan were fragile at the other end, though, and

SCOREBOARD

ond had won three out of five Tests at the venue. After Sri Lanka’s bowlers had vindicated his decision, his batsmen began to do so as well.

With Pakistan’s quicks not seaming the ball as much at the start, Sri Lanka’s openers added 40 in 11 overs before Dimuth Karunaratne had a marginal lbw upheld against him. Kaushal Silva and Kumar Sangakkara

Pakistan 1st innings Khurram Manzoor c †HAPW Jayawardene b Lakmal 73 Ahmed Shehzad lbw b Pradeep 3 Mohammad Hafeez b Pradeep 21 Younis Khan c †HAPW Jayawardene b Eranga 13 Misbah-ul-Haq* c †HAPW Jayawardene b Eranga 1 Asad Shafiq c Silva b Lakmal 6 Sarfraz Ahmed† c †HAPW Jayawardene b Pradeep 7 Bilawal Bhatti not out 24 Saeed Ajmal c Silva b Herath 8 Rahat Ali lbw b Herath 0 Junaid Khan lbw b Herath 2 Extras (lb-7) 7 Total (all out; 63.5 overs) 165 Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Ahmed Shehzad, 9.3 ov), 2-78 (Mohammad Hafeez, 27.5 ov), 3-107 (Younis Khan, 38.1 ov), 4-109 (Misbah-ul-Haq, 40.1 ov), 5-118 (Khurram Manzoor, 46.5

ov), 6-127 (Asad Shafiq, 50.2 ov), 7-129 (Sarfraz Ahmed, 53.4 ov), 8-151 (Saeed Ajmal, 57.2 ov), 9-151 (Rahat Ali, 57.6 ov), 10-165 (Junaid Khan, 63.5 ov) Bowling: RAS Lakmal 21-6-45-2, RMS Eranga 14-4-25-2, N Pradeep 18-2-62-3, HMRKB Herath 10.5-326-3 Sri Lanka 1st innings FDM Karunaratne lbw b Junaid Khan 32 JK Silva not out 12 KC Sangakkara not out 12 Extras (lb-1) 1 Total (1 wicket; 16 overs) 57 Fall of wickets: 1-40 (Karunaratne, 10.6 ov) Bowling: Junaid Khan 7-1-26-1, Rahat Ali 7-1-28-0, Saeed Ajmal 1-1-0-0, Bilawal Bhatti 1-0-2-0

Younis Khan’s habit of pushing away from his body at deliveries that shaped away from him eventually resulted in an edge to the keeper, giving Shaminda Eranga his first wicket. Eranga took another with the first ball off his next over, drawing another edge to dismiss Pakistan’s captain Misbahul-Haq, reducing the innings to 109-4.

Breakthroughs Pradeep and Eranga had provided the breakthroughs while Lakmal, arguably Sri Lanka’s best bowler on the day, had gone wicketless. He was soon rewarded with the biggest scalp, when Manzoor’s patience thinned and he prodded and edged to give Prasanna Jayawardene his third catch. Lakmal picked up Asad Shafiq before tea too, via a tame chip to cover, and Pakistan had lost four wickets for 20 runs.

Sri Lanka made short work of the Pakistan tail in the final session, with Herath picking up the scraps left by the quicks.

Resuming on 128-6, Pakistan lost their wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed for the addition of only one run.

His wicket went to Pradeep, who bowled an accurate outswinger to draw the outside edge to the wicketkeeper.

Herath mopped up the rest, completing a clinical and collective performance by Sri Lanka’s bowling attack, setting the Test up for their batsmen. (Cricinfo)

Gayle to miss Ram Man City thrash Slam T20 Challenge West Ham

Chris Gayle

C

hris Gayle has said that he will “skip” joining up with Dolphins for South Africa’s domestic Ram Slam T20 Challenge, as he is still recovering from injury.

Gayle announced in a television interview during the Big Bash League match

between Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat that he would not be travelling to Durban, and instead be focussing on making a return for West Indies’ regional 50-over competition, which begins at the end of January.

This will be the second time Gayle has withdrawn from Dolphins, after a similar situation two seasons ago. Gayle originally signed with Dolphins for the 2011-12 tournament but did not play a game.

On that occasion, he arrived in South Africa carrying an injury, received treatment in Durban and then left when it became apparent that he would not recover in time.

This time, Gayle’s participation was thrown into doubt when he tore his hamstring during an ODI against India in November.

He was initially expected to be out of action for up to five weeks, but has still not returned to full fitness.

Gayle took no part in

West Indies’ ongoing series against New Zealand either and last week, Dwayne Bravo confirmed that Gayle would not be playing in the upcoming T20s because he “has a while to go” with his recovery.

Despite the injury, Dolphins were expecting Gayle to arrive in Durban next Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the franchise tweeted, “The countdown to Chris Gayle arriving has started. Expected 15th Jan. Get ready to give @henrygayle a warm Dbn welcome.” But a day later, Dolphins said they would release a statement regarding Gayle on Wednesday afternoon, and that they were still “sorting a few things out.”

With Shahid Afridi already pulling out from joining Knights due to family reasons, Gayle’s no-show is a double blow for the competition which was aiming for a much larger foreign presence. (windiescricket)

W

est Ham United’s fans turned their fury on manager Sam Allardyce as they suffered a second cup humiliation in a week - this time at Manchester City’s hands.

Allardyce was given the public support of co-

owners David Gold and David Sullivan after the embarrassment of a 5-0 FA Cup third-round defeat at Championship side Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

But their travelling supporters delivered a

different verdict after Manchester City went one better in the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg, winning 6-0.

Alvaro Negredo scored a hat-trick as City made it 59 goals in 15 home games this season, while rainsoaked West Ham supporters chanted venomously against Allardyce after showing commendable patience in the face of this latest fiasco.

City were, as usual on their own ground, irresistible in attack but West Ham’s lack of resistance or passion was nothing short of pathetic.

It was eventually all too much for the Hammers’ fans, whose views will have been heard loud and clear

by Sullivan as he sat looking thoroughly miserable in the directors’ box.

Negredo’s treble was the centrepiece of another dazzling attacking display by City, who have effectively secured a place at Wembley by making the second leg at Upton Park a formality. (BBC Sport)

22

guyanatimesGY.com

thursday, january 9, 2014

GDF trainers begin work with national cricketers

By Avenash Ramzan

W

ith the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) NAGICO Super50 tournament set to bowl off monthend, the national cricket squad currently encamped ahead of participation in that competition has commenced a rigorous training regime under the guidance of two fitness experts from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

The 26-member squad was involved in a high-tempo mid-afternoon session on Wednesday, which was conducted by certified fitness trainers Patrick King and Carl Stephenson of the GDF. When Guyana Times Sport visited the Everest ground on Wednesday, King and Stephenson were observed leading the players through several drills, including intense runs and tedious free-arm exercises and stretches.

Paying rapt attention to the work of King and

Stephenson and the players’ response to the training were head coach Esaun Crandon, coach Julian Moore and Chairman of the Senior Selection Panel of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Rayon Griffith.

Also present to observe the cricketers in action were GCB Secretary and WICB Director Anand Sanasie and Director of Sport Neil Kumar.

Quality preparation Sanasie said the GCB is investing in quality preparation and it would be up to the squad selected and the management team to deliver positive results. He further stated that the feedback from the coaching staff so far has been good and it is expected that the team should perform well during the January 30- February 17 competition in Trinidad and Tobago.

A release from the GCB earlier this week when the two trainers were appointed to work with the national team stated, “It is expect-

ed that all national players achieve a certain level of fitness and the addition of these two specialists will contribute significantly to the players attaining and maintaining that required standard.”

Practice matches In addition to the training, which will continue today at the same venue, the players are scheduled to be involved in six practice matches, two of which will be day/night encounters at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

The first warm-up game was played on Tuesday at the Everest ground, while the second match will take place on Friday at the same venue.

When the action bowls off month-end, the Guyanese will be aiming for a 10th regional 50-over title, the last of which was achieved in 2005 when they defeated Barbados in near darkness in the final of the KFC Cup at the GCC ground, Bourda.

Prior to that, Guyana

Pollard ruled out of Super50

reigned supreme in 1980, 1983, 1985, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2003.

The first phase of preparation commenced in December with 37 players, but it has been narrowed down to 26 for the second stage, which started on January 3 and will run until January 25.

The 26 still in contention for a place in the final 14, which should be announced today, are: Leon Johnson, Devendra Bishoo, Veersammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Robin Bacchus, Assad Fudadin, Zaheer Mohamed, Royston Crandon, Christopher Barnwell, Ronsford Beaton, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Vishal Singh, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tagnarine Chanderpaul, Rajiv Ivan, Amir Khan, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shaquille Williams, Narsingh Deonarine, Trevon Griffith, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson, Jason Sinclair, Paul Wintz, Rajendra Chandrika and Sewnarine Chattergoon.

James, Ageday enjoying scholarship experience

By Treiston Joseph

G

uyana’s top prospects in Stephan James and Chavez Ageday, who received a twoyear scholarship to the ASA College in New York, U. S. A. spoke with Guyana Times Sport recently about their experience thus far.

James and Ageday are not the only two athletes in receipt of the scholarship as three-time Carifta gold medalist Jevina Straker and Inter Guiana Games (IGG) gold medallist Alita Moore were also awarded the scholarship and are at the college with their male counterparts.

However, this publication understands that while the semester has not begun, the athletes are try-

ing to cope with their new surroundings, environment and training.

“Well we haven’t started school as yet; our semester is starting in February and the coldness, I’m not fitting too good with that, it’s hard,” James told this publication during the exclusive interview.

Ageday, on the other hand, was a bit more positive about the weather, noting that he is getting somewhat acclimatised to the cold.

“Everything is going good but this weather is crazy. I am getting accustomed to it as the days go by,” Ageday stated.

Looking at their training, both males were optimistic of their time thus far in the foreign nation

as they try to familiarise themselves with the style of training.

“Training wasn’t coming good at first, breathing was hard, but it’s good now; only thing is the indoor running and the turns and stuff like that is hard because it’s a 200 metres track and the bank track is more hard,” James mentioned.

Ageday in his comments about training noted that he is experiencing a new learning curve. “Well training is going okay, I learnt some new stuff but it’s going great, it’s just a bit different.”

Meanwhile, the athletes are required to train no less than six days a week, but they are enjoying it so far.

“They are treating us

good and everything but in terms of competition it’s just higher and the athletes here are better so it’s good,” Ageday noted.

Further, James also noted that they were settling in comfortably at the college, while noting the competitive atmosphere. “Yes, they are doing good with us but the competition here is very stiff so you just have to train hard and I’m getting accustomed to that,” James explained.

It has been just over a month since the athletes departed the shores of Guyana and both James and Ageday noted that they are looking forward to making their country proud on the track while making the best of their academia opportunities.

WICB congratulates Dr Hunte on knighthood

K

Dr. Julian Hunte

ingston, Jamaica – President of the West Indies Cricket Board Mr. Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron has sent congratulations to former WICB President, Dr. Julian Hunte, following the announcement of his knighthood.

The Government of St Lucia recently announced that Dr. Hunte is to be given the award of Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (KCMG) for his outstanding contribution to the public and private sector in Saint Lucia and the Commonwealth Caribbean

community.

“Dr. Hunte’s service to St Lucia in the realms of politics, sports, diplomacy and government and his service to cricket in the Windward Islands and the West Indies make him unquestionably deserving of this illustrious honour,” president Cameron said.

“The West Indies cricket family is extremely proud to salute Dr. Hunte as he is set to receive such esteemed recognition for his contribution to sport and society,” Mr. Cameron said.

Dr. Hunte was elected president of the WICB

in 2007 and served until 2013. He was also president of the Saint Lucia Cricket Association and the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control for over two decades. Dr. Hunte also served as a Director of the International Cricket Council during his tenure as WICB president and chaired the global governing body’s Governance Review Committee.

Hunte is the third former WICB president to be knighted after the late Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Wesley Hall.

Kieron Pollard

W

est Indies allrounder Keiron Pollard will not represent Trinidad and Tobago in the upcoming Regional Super50 tournament because he is still recovering from an ankle injury.

This was revealed by chairman of the national selection panel, Alec Burns.

The former fast bowler was speaking on the Monday Night Cricket Show on WinTv. He said Pollard was not yet fully fit and cannot be rushed back to cricket.

Big blow

“We will not have the services of Keiron Pollard because of his injury. A player like Pollard not being there is a big blow but we cannot look to rush the player back into action after his injury.”

Burns also revealed that mystery spinner Sunil Narine will be out for the first game.

“Narine has a previous engagement to take care off and he will not be home in time for the first game of the tournament. However, after that, he is available and will be a major boost when he arrives to play.”

Narine will be in South Africa where he will be playing in the South African domestic T20 tournament.

The NAGICO Regional Super50 starts on January 30 and T&T will go into action the following day.

Narine will be arriving home

on January 30 and will immediately join the camp.

All-rounder Rayad Emrit is expected to be chosen for the series but the selectors will be eyeing his progress as he is still getting back to full fitness following his shoulder injury.

Emrit, an important part of the T&T set-up, fell awkwardly on his shoulder during the semi-finals of the Champions League against the Mumbai Indians and since then he has been out of action. According to Burns, he has started to train but his fitness will be monitored leading up to the tournament.

The selectors met yesterday evening to finalise the team for the tournament which will be staged right here in Trinidad and Tobago.

Formidable team

Apart from Pollard, all the other West Indian players are available for selection and T&T should be able to put out a formidable team for this series.

The team that is selected will play two matches against a Rest Team on January 22 and 25 before moving on to play their first match of the tournament.

Preparations continue on Friday for the Regional Four Day tournament, as the players would take part in a three-day trial match at the National Cricket Centre in Couva. (windiescricket)

thursday, january 9, 2014

as

guyanatimesGY.com

Chanderpaul still available for all formats H

First Guyanese

Only last month during the series against New Zealand Chanderpaul became the seventh player in history, second West Indian and first Guyanese to pass 11,000 Test runs. Immediately after, he scored 122 not out – his 29th Test century – to draw level with the great Australian Sir Donald Bradman and remained second behind Brian Lara (34) as the West Indians with the most Test hundreds.

While the “Tiger” continues to reel off the runs unabated in Test cricket, his One Day International (ODI) career was abruptly cut off after the 50-over World Cup in 2011 on the premise that he was part of a band of “senior players” who simply did not hold their weight and were

Super50

Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s last appearance in an ODI was during the 50-over World Cup in 2011

blamed by coach Ottis Gibson for the team’s departure from the tournament at the quarter-final stage.

Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Kieron Pollard were also chastised for their showing – or lack thereof – and while they have all regained selection to the team at some point, the left-handed Chanderpaul remains on the sidelines.

It has been two years, 10 months since Chanderpaul last played an ODI, during which time he has remained fit and active to last five days of Test cricket and still produce heavily in the most difficult of circumstances.

Over the past two decades, the gritty middle-or-

der batsman has risen to the demands of international cricket, and to this day, the desire and eagerness to prolong his ODI career are as strong as 1994 when, as a teenager, he walked out to face England on his Test debut at Bourda.

“I’m still available for all formats,” Chanderpaul told this Guyana Times Sport on Wednesday.

The 2008 ICC Cricketerof-the-Year reiterated that he has never retired from limited overs cricket, and would want to scale similar heights in ODIs as he has done in Tests.

“My desire has always been to score 10,000 runs in both forms- Tests and ODIsand while it’s a dream come

The NAGICO Super50 regional tournament is set to bowl off on January 30 and run until February 17 and Chanderpaul will be available to represent Guyana throughout the competition.

He is also looking forward to the regional Fourday competition, which will follow, before heading off to honour his contractual obligations with English county side, Derbyshire.

International engagements thereafter mean Chanderpaul is faced with a packed year of cricket, but unfazed by the hectic schedule, he is prepared to make a return to ODI cricket.

Recalling the services of the Shiv may help to salvage some pride for a team languishing in the bottom half of the ICC rankings, especially with the 50-over World Cup just a year away.

Could the NAGICO Super50 spring the “Tiger” back into the maroons?

Only time will tell.

Schumacher was travelling at speed of “very good skier”

Michael Schumacher investigators say

F

deliberately

ootage from Michael Schumacher’s helmet camera shows him going at the speed of “a very good skier” when he hit a rock and fell, investigators say.

Investigators probing the former F1 driver’s accident said he was eight metres off-piste when he crashed.

Prosecutor Patrick Quincy said he could not as yet estimate the 45-yearold’s speed but said it was

Prior, Broad rescue man from edge of Sydney bridge

through to get past 11,000 Test runs a few weeks ago, I still feel I can contribute in ODIs and I’m always available for selection,” Chanderpaul explained.

With 8,778 runs from 268 ODIs, Chanderpaul is the second highest runscorer for West Indies in the format behind Lara, who has notched up 10,348 runs from a record 299 games.

By Avenash Ramzan

e may not be dashing as Viv Richards, imposing as Chris Gayle, flambouyant as Brian Lara or classy as Rahul Dravid. Yet, Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s dogged presence at the crease has frustrated many a bowlers the world over.

His stats are mind-boggling: 443 matches at the international level in a career nearing 20 years speak to his fortitude and desire to excel.

A total of 20,340 runs at the highest level, inclusive of 40 centuries and 121 half-centuries, makes him a modern day giant and places him among the greats of the game.

23

chose

to

ski

off-piste,

“not an important element of the investigation”.

Schumacher suffered a severe head injury in the December 29 accident.

He is currently in a medically induced coma at a clinic in Grenoble where doctors describe his condition as critical but stable.

Fans gathered outside the hospital on January 3 to mark the racing legend’s 45th birthday.

Speaking at a news conference in the French city

of Albertville, the investigating team said they had so far attended the scene of the accident in the resort of Meribel, spoken to witnesses and the medical team.

They have also reconstructed events leading up to the crash, examined the helmet and skis and viewed footage filmed on a camera attached to his helmet, they said.

Mr Quincy, who is heading the investigation team, refused to be drawn on Schumacher’s speed at the time of the accident saying they needed to go through the two-minutes of footage “image by image”.

But another investigator, Lt Col Benoit Vinneman said the video appeared to show “completely normal behaviour by a good skier on this terrain”.

Schumacher had deliberately chosen to go off piste, an area between a red and blue piste that was clearly signposted, the investigators said.

He hit a rock that was 8m (26ft) from the piste, and landed 9m (30ft) away from the piste, they outlined. “[Mr Schumacher] is ev-

idently an extremely good skier, but one of his skis hit a rock that was sticking out... it caused him to fall and he hit his head on the rock,” Mr Quincy said.

Stephane Bozon, one of the local policemen involved in the investigation, said the skis were in “perfect condition” and had not been the cause of the accident.

Mr Quincy stressed their investigation into Schumacher’s accident was no different to that given to other skiing similar skiing accidents. He said they had investigated 50 such cases.

Schumacher’s family have been by his bedside since the accident, and have appealed for privacy in recent days, asking journalists to leave the clinic where he is being treated.

Michael Schumacher won seven world championships and secured 91 race victories during his 19-year career.

He won two titles with Benetton, in 1994 and 1995, before switching to Ferrari in 1996 and going on to win five straight titles from 2000. (BBC Sport)

Stuart Broad (backing camera) and Matt Prior

M

att Prior and England teammate Stuart Broad helped rescue a man preparing to jump off a bridge in Sydney, Australia.

The pair found the man on the edge of a bridge in Darling Harbour and Prior helped to pull him down.

The 31-year-old wicketkeeper told The Daily Telegraph: “We just did what anyone would do in that situation.

“We were trying to help a bloke who was struggling and in a bad way. I look back and I’m just glad we left the bar when we did and we were there for him.”

Broad and Prior, who both featured in England’s 5-0 Ashes defeat by Australia, were returning to their team hotel from a Barmy Army fundraising event when they found the man, who said he was from Cheltenham.

After speaking to him

for over an hour, Prior pulled the man down from the bridge before New South Wales police arrived.

“Matt Prior is a best friend of mine and I’m very proud of him. It was a tough situation but so glad he was there,” tweeted Broad, 27.

Terry Minish, the team’s security officer, was with the England duo and claimed the man had indicated he wanted to drown.

“Walking back to the hotel we spotted a young man on the edge of the bridge about to jump,” Minish said.

“He was saying he just wanted to drown. Matt helped to pull him down off the edge of the bridge and sat with him until the police arrived.

“It all happened very quickly and we acted on impulse. It is what you do in these situations.” (BBC Sport)

Messi scores twice for Barcelona on injury return

The Spanish club’s only two defeats this season have come when Messi has not been playing.

L

ionel Messi scored twice on his return from injury as Barcelona beat Getafe 4-0 in the Copa del Rey. The Argentina midfielder hit the third and fourth goals after replacing Andres Iniesta as a 63rdminute substitute in the last-16 first-leg clash, with Cesc Fabregas earlier netting two.

Messi had been out with a hamstring injury since November 10.

His return comes as the

Spanish league leaders prepare for a trip to secondplaced Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Barcelona only lead Atletico on goal difference, with both on 49 points from 18 La Liga matches.

Messi was troubled by injuries in 2013 and the latest of those came when he limped out of a 4-1 win at Real Betis two months ago.

He was initially treated in Barcelona but was then allowed to return to Argentina before Christmas to continue his rehabilitation.

He returned to Spain at the start of January but was not fit enough to figure in the win over Elche on Sunday.

“He came back [from Argentina] and has been working like any other member of the squad,” said Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino.

“Obviously he is lacking a bit of playing time but seeing as we are talking about Leo it is not really an issue.

“He has told me he is feeling fine and that’s why he is in the squad.” (BBC Sport)

thursday, January 9, 2014

TOP SCORES

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

CRICKET: WEST INDIES 363-4 V NEW ZEALAND 160; PAKISTAN 165 V SRI LANKA 57-1

GDF trainers begin work with national cricketers Se e on stor p y 2 age

2

GDF trainers Patrick King and Carl Stephenson (in white vests) leading the players through their paces on Wednesday at the Everest ground (Photos: Avenash Ramzan)

INSIDE TODAY’S SPORT

Schumacher was travelling at speed of “very good skier”

James, Ageday enjoying Chanderpaul still scholarship experience available for all formats ry sto ge e Se n pa o 3

2

Stephan James

Chavez Ageday

By Treiston Joseph

not the only two athletes in receipt of the scholarship as three-time Carifta gold medalist Jevina Straker and Inter Guiana Games (IGG) gold medallist Alita Moore were also awarded the scholarship and are at the college with their male counterparts....

G

uyana’s top prospects in Stephan James and Chavez Ageday, who received a twoyear scholarship to the ASA College in New York, U. S. A. spoke with Guyana Times Sport recently about their experience thus far.

James and Ageday are

See full story on page 23

Fit and ready! Shivnarine Chanderpaul has maintained a high level of fitness during his sterling career. Here he is seen with former West Indies opener Sewnarine Chattergoon during a training session at Everest on Wednesday (Photo: Avenash Ramzan)

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