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Policeman found dead after chasing escapee

– believed electrocuted

By Bhisham mohamed

The police will be relying heavily on a post-mortem examination report to determine the death of a young constable whose body was found following a chase after an escaped prisoner in North Sophia, Greater Georgetown on Monday.

Dead is Dorwin Pitman, 23, of 23 North Road, Bourda. He was found lying face down in an alleyway in North Sophia, sometime after 07:00h by one of his colleagues. The man’s body bore no marks of violence, but he was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Based on reports received, about 07:30h on Monday, Constable Pitman went to the lock-ups at the Prashad Nagar Outpost to release prisoners. Further information revealed that while he was handing a meal to prisoner Akeem Edwards, who was scheduled for court on Monday, the man pushed Pitman and ran out of the outpost.

In response, Pitman and another rank gave chase to Edwards. A few minutes later, Pitman was found motionless in the alleyway. Edwards, who was charged for possession of narcotics was not recaptured.

Stacey Pitman, the mother of the dead police constable stated that a rank came to her house on Monday

morning, asked to speak with her, and delivered the dreaded news.

In tears at the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary, the woman explained that she was not too clear what took place, but was told that he was chasing a prisoner who escaped from the Prashad Nagar lockups and moments later he was found dead in an alleyway in Sophia. The woman broke down in tears, contending that something fishy is going on since she refused to believe that her son was electrocuted. Pitman said the last time she saw her son was on Sunday evening when he left for work.

“I would normally wait on him in the morning, but this morning (Monday), he did not show up at the regular time… I couldn’t take it when I get the news,” the woman said. In addition, the aggrieved mother related that she later learnt that her son was feeding a prisoner when the man pushed him to the ground and ran away. Her son and a colleague pursued the prisoner, but went separate with the aim of capturing the man.

The prisoner reportedly scaled the fence of a yard in the area and escaped, but minutes later, she said that her son was found dead. She also claimed that no senior rank from the police force has visited her and offer an explanation for her son’s death. Persons in the area claimed that the man might have been electrocuted since there are several illegal connections buried underground. A few pieces of electrical cords were seen at the scene.

Pitman joined the force almost two years ago during which he received training at the Felix Austin Training Centre. After graduation, he was placed at the Brickdam Police Station, Traffic Department but was subsequently transferred to the Prashad Nagar Outpost. He was there for the past three weeks. The rank is survived by his parents, two children, commonlaw wife and a sister. (bhisham@guyanatimesgy.com)

GT&T expands cellular service to Rupununi

Residents of North Rupununi in Guyana now have access to cellular service from the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T).

According to a GT&T release, a cellular site has been installed at Aranaputa Valley, North Rupununi District. The site, which will be formally commissioned on June 15 will serve Annai and its environs, and bridges that part of the corridor from Georgetown to Lethem.

The company said more than two thousand residents will now be able to engage in additional socio-economic activities as a result of this mobile connectivity.

“Residents of the communities are high in praise for GT&T’s installation of the

service, and reports indicate that they have already begun experiencing the usefulness of the service by announcing their connectivity both locally and internationally,” the telephone giant said in a release.

GT&T, the statement added, is pleased to once again lead the cellular penetration into another remote part of Guyana. “The company is in the final stages of completing another cell site in the Regions Eight and Nine; areas which will further boost service along the Georgetown to Lethem route.”

In September 2012, GT&T launched its cellular service at Orealla in Region Six. The company said plans are underway to continue its mobile expansion programme.

Dead: Police Constable Dorwin Pitman

GT&T cellular site at Annai, North Rupununi

Jagdeo calls on world leaders to address policy failures

GWinds: East north-easterly at 3.12 metres per

High Tide: 05:48h and 18:15h reaching maximum heights of 2.60 metres and 2.46 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 11:49h reaching a minimum height of 0.63 metre.

lobal Green Growth Institute (GGGI) President Bharrat Jagdeo believes that a combination of robust analytics, proof of action and an informed and critical mass of countries advocating for systemic, international policy change can transform global policies into becoming a reality rather than a vision.

Speaking to member countries at the Green Growth Summit in Songdo, South Korea, the former Guyanese head of state acknowledged that these are the very elements which present significant challenges. Jagdeo stressed that the world can ill afford failure at reaching a global climate deal that contains the level of ambition needed to achieve a two-degree pathway or less.

He noted that the agreement must be made by 2015 and implemented by 2020, with climate financing totalling US$100 billion by 2020 as agreed in Cancun.

“If today’s leaders and those who influence them sleepwalk through the next few years, the window to make these things happen will close, and they will be responsible for a catastrophic derogation of responsibility to the generation which follows.”

Valuable work Jagdeo emphasised that despite the valuable work of climate change advocates and many other enthusiasts, the scale of action to address such challenges is nowhere near what is needed. He called on member countries to deploy their individual and collective powers to address, what he described as a continued global failure of policy, without which, financing and innovation cannot be properly achieved at the pace required.

According to Jagdeo, US$207 million was invested in green technologies during last year, but he detailed that there is evidently need for up to US$2 trillion in addressing the global policy framework in order to create the impact needed.

The former president emphasised the need to maintain a case for inclusive green growth as the single most important form of growth with societal and economic value and work to develop the tools

that allow this form of growth to be implemented.

He also admonished the advocates to support persons who are building examples of inclusive green growth to prove that large-scale, transformative change is possible.

Global policy

Jagdeo stressed the need to deploy the power and legitimacy of the institute’s entire membership and networks to advocate for the requisite global policy shifts to engender sustained progress.

“… beyond high-level rhetoric, the case for green growth is still not sufficiently accepted or embedded in daily decisions, to make leaders, businesses and citizens fully commit to creating a new economy. In major part, this is because the conversation around green growth is still excessively focused on its costs rather than on its opportunities and benefits such as wealth creation, jobs and economic growth,” Jagdeo remarked.

He stated that the Global Green Growth Institute and its partners can add value and change the nature of the conversation by utilising worldclass analytics to indicate the capability of green growth strategies.

“Today, the science is clear and the high-level economic

argument is made. But more work is needed before green growth is seen as the only rational choice for countries and businesses. And GGGI can move the conversation on especially because there are many policies that can be implemented at little cost, but with real benefits,” Jagdeo stated.

He posited that the institute can popularise the argument for green growth by proving that it is the indispensable element for the achievement of other global priority objectives.

Poverty elimination

The former president underscored that inclusive green growth is essential to reaching the historic target of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030, as well as in the global fight for equity and justice.

“There is no solution to the problems of climate change if a billion people, mainly women, continue to use dirty stoves. There is no solution to food security unless hundreds of millions of small holder farmers are able to participate in a market which pays them a fair price for their food and labour. There is no solution to water shortages unless we are able to create incentives for the stewards of the forests and land that are responsible for our rainfall. All of these objectives are part of a hard-headed argument for green growth – as well as supporting the moral and ethical arguments that nobody should be left behind.”

The greatest greenhouse gas emissions reduction in history happened in Brazil, which since 2005 has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than the entire European Union combined, Jagdeo pointed out.

The former president mentioned Ethiopia, now one of the fastest growing economies in

the world, which aims to become a middle income country by 2025 through the achievement of green economy objectives and Guyana which will cut energy-related emissions by 92 per cent by 2017; more than any country in the developed world; while maintaining 99.5 per cent of its forest, and investing heavily in low carbon social and economic opportunities.

Jagdeo warned against misinterpreting the impressive gains as being sufficient to deliver the scale of required change and pointed to the essential outcomes that can be achieved through global agreement.

Policy obstacle

“Despite all the power in world class analytics to put forward the green growth argument, and all the usefulness of real world examples, we should not get blinded by the fact that these in themselves cannot deliver a solution at the scale required. The stark reality is that the remaining, over-arching obstacle to green growth today remains a policy obstacle.”

Jagdeo explained that while there is an abundance of policy expertise, there is certainly a lack of political will.

He called for climate policies that create public and private incentives to get the world onto a two-degree trajectory, sustainable energy and water policies that enable universal access; forest and land use policies that preserve vital biodiversity and eco-system services; and sustainable agriculture and mining policies to support universal food security and continued global development without excessive resource depletion.

Global Green Growth Institute President Bharrat Jagdeo

Countrywide: Thundery 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 and 27 degrees Celsius.

second.

Editor: Nigel Williams

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

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

World’s big brother

The news that the U.S. has been spying on its citizens through the interception of their electronic communications should not have surprised anyone. It had long been known that the U.S. government had established the National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on foreigners. The only question was whether American citizens believed their government's protestations that it would not extend their surveillance to them. From their expressions of outrage, it appears that they were extremely naive.

The Barack Obama administration has said rather blithely that this covert monitoring under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was “lawful” and fully authorised by the U.S. Congress. The fly in this ointment, however, is the FISA court is quite a law unto itself and amounts to a select group policing itself. The administration has also tried to downplay its actions against its citizens by claiming that only “metadata” is collected. What this means is that, for instance, the 97 billion pieces of data intercepted in March 2013 alone, are filtered into established categories and analysed.

Two results flow from this mode of analysis. Firstly, countries (which we now know included the U.S.) or groups within countries can be graded by the number of intercepts on key categories and then be slated for subsequent actions to counter the assumed “threat” being flagged. It was interesting, for instance, that more intercepts originated from India rather than China, even though the latter was claimed to present a “cyber threat” to U.S. defence interests.

Secondly, it can be safely assumed (we hope) that there would be some human evaluation of the data once a flag is raised before action is taken. This would necessitate recordings (whether audio or video) being reviewed and therefore the meta-data excuse does not really hold water. The trillions of pieces of data are on file at the NSA to be retrieved at will (of the government through the NSA) and conversations vetted.

But the most disturbing aspect of the revelations, which were made by a young contracted employee, who was disturbed by the totalitarian implications of the programme, was the involvement of the biggest names in the telephone, information technology, and Internet industry: Verizon, Sprint, Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, YouTube, Skype, AOL, and Apple. These companies all “got with the programme” after 2007 when Microsoft came aboard. Microsoft’s slogan for an ongoing advertising campaign, “Your privacy is our priority”, sums up the betrayal perpetuated on billions globally.

For users in foreign jurisdictions such as the Caribbean and Guyana, there is no comfort in being out of the physical USA: most of their domestic Internet Service Providers route data through servers in the USA, which can be mined for data. The named companies were all linked through “data mining” algorithms run under two programmes – Prism and Boundless Informant. These programmes are notoriously robust and the former allows NSA to bypass the need for server’s approval to harvest the information. The collaborating companies have all denied providing access to the NSA, but these ring hollow in light of information that has surfaced.

The revelations will certainly cause some red faces among the allies of the U.S., such as India, as to the level of surveillance to which their communications were subjected. For U.S. citizens, the lesson is that while it might have appeared rational to facilitate their government to spy on other countries, it was also rational for that government to turn the cynosure inwards once they could define a situation as sufficiently serious to warrant the move. 9/11 offered George Bush the opportunity and Afghanistan and Iraq were enough to have Obama ask for a renewal of the necessary congressional approval last year.

The lesson for the rest of the world is that big powers will always do what big powers have always done: act in their selfinterest, defined by their governors, not the people.

The Chinese doctors in Guyana

Dear Editor,

Our health sector received a good top-up, as some 19 experts in a number of areas have come from China for a two-year tenure. The Chinese medical education system engenders great confidence. It closely follows the British one, but with a reduced length from six years to five years, in terms of the educational cycle.

Modern medical education in China goes back to

the early 20th century. The country’s medical schools offer four or five-year undergraduate programmes as well as special two or threeyear programmes.

Also to control the medical education standard, the Chinese Ministry of Education functions in tandem with a quality control regulation team. So these 11 specialists are coming with a very solid reputation.

These doctors are ex-

pected to make a big impact in our medical sector then. They have the requisite training and possess important skills that are quite scarce in Guyana.

Let us take acupuncture for example. According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report on the efficacy of acupuncture, studies have shown that acupuncture is effective in inducing analgesia, protecting the body against infections and regu-

lating various physiological functions. It is found that although acupuncture is most often used as a measure to allay symptoms such as pain, it can alter the pathogenesis of the disease to provide relief from the disease as well.

Guyanese have every reason to be upbeat with these doctors.

Yours sincerely, Monique Rogers

Reading is important

Dear Editor,

There are so many frivolous explanations regarding why people do not read as much as they should. One is that many graduated from high school with poor reading skills. So they are challenged in this area.

Another reason why people do not read is that they have not been told how important reading is. Lifelong learning involves lifelong reading and this is the minimum requirement for suc-

cess in any field today.

If we are in sales, management, service, administration or any other field that relies on the written word to convey information and data, our ability to read well is absolutely critical to success. I think of radio and television, and it is recommended that professionals practise loud reading in a daily routine, and then replay and check for clarity and accuracy.

Some people do not read

because they are simply lazy. They are surrounded by so many distractions, especially television, radio, socialising and other activities, that they just never get around to doing any serious reading.

They are so busy and caught up in day-to-day activities and amusements that they put off reading and then never get around to it. If continued, this pattern could have devastating consequences, as read-

ing is a way to keep being informed.

Reading helps to reduces stress and brings great tranquillity, improves analytical thinking and bolsters vocabulary storing, and enhances memory and writing skills. So If I can mandate right now – it will be read, read, read and read – make time for it and use your spare time too.

Yours truly, Yollande Haynes

City clean-up exercises will never work

Dear Editor, Truth is finally dawning on some people, and now after some clean-up exercises, many are realising that vagrants form a major undermining group, in terms of the nature and amount of garbage in the city and elsewhere. I remember reading many letters to this effect, but first things first.

If we are acknowledging that vagrants are messing

up the place, then implicit in this acknowledgement is the fact that we have a vagrancy problem. Why are we stalling in this regard? Street wanderers are impeding traffic, going into people’s vehicles and sleeping all over the place. If we are going to make any progress in the area of keeping the place clean, then we cannot have vagrants in the streets. It is that sim -

ple. I have to point out too that when a place is filled with sleeping men, drug abusers, the mumbling and mentally ill, then it is bad for business and affects negatively the safety of a neighbourhood. So, is there anything that we can do, since this is like a foundational issue? It affects too many aspects of our lives. Now that most of us are

getting firsthand experience where vagrants are concerned, I am hoping that it will move many to get together and start to deal with the problem. It may mean more patrols on the road, and then eventually the setting up of shelters even if they only offer a meal and sleeping quarters.

Yours faithfully, Priya Devi Ramkissoon

Dancers at the Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan concert strike a pose (Carl Croker photo)

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

Preventing child abuse is everyone’s responsibility

Dear Editor,

For the first quarter of this year, the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) has received 1039 cases of child abuse, and who knows, maybe the same number went unreported. The plea from the CPA is that there must be collective action from professionals, community members, various groups and just about every

single person.

Anyone can report suspected child abuse or neglect. Even if this is done anonymously, it is better than being silent. Reporting abuse or neglect can protect a child and can lead to getting help. One may never know, but the intervention may have indeed saved a child’s life. I think for better partic -

ipation those who are working with children should be trained to pick up signs of child abuse.

The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, in 2013, wants to bring an end to all forms of children’s ill-treatment. It is hoping that there will be greater community involvement.

As the campaign goes

on, if we know of people, who are aware of cases of child abuse, but never did anything about them, then they should be held accountable.

I think that Guyanese are too locked into themselves. This kind of thing must come to an end.

Respectfully yours,

Lennox Marks

Many accidents caused by breaking the rules of the road

Dear Editor,

The statistics were only needed to confirm that fatal accidents have been rapidly rising. Many people see it as quite obvious – so far for this year, the number of accidents resulting in deaths has topped the 2012 January-to-May period. But first, I have to list the new practices that I have been noticing on the roads in Guyana.

I am seeing as the norm these days – undertaking, squeezing into lanes, racing for pole positions at stop lights, nosing unto the main road, blocking the traffic to get to the other side, and use of bright lights at

nights. It is like one thing is leading to another.

These days, speeding, overloading, sudden stopping and pulling off and stopping the traffic to solicit passengers have become standard practices. They are not seen as wrong by the people in general. They have come to accept them and have fully adjusted. Even our traffic police seem okay with these things. So what is the bottom line? The answer is obvious – more accidents and more deaths.

Many are doing too many crazy things – driving under the influence of alcohol, disregarding the

traffic lights, and the list just keeps getting longer. I agree that our roads are not that friendly in terms of surface conditions, and size and number of lanes.

I have to add here too that the volume of traffic has multiplied many times over. This makes it ever so much more important that all road users be very careful. If they will not do this, then the traffic department has to ensure it.

The count is staggering worldwide, where road fatalities is the subject for discussion. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 5000 pedestrians are killed on a weekly

Green had an empty title as prime minister

Dear Editor,

It has been reported in the media that Hamilton Green, Mayor of Georgetown, former vice president and prime minister, has written President Donald Ramotar, requesting that as a former prime minister, he should be given a pension and facilities analogous to former presidents.

The People’s National Congress (PNC) party, of which Green is a senior and influential member, has been vetoing former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s pension, claiming that such pensions and facilities are a waste of public funds.

Green’s request for an analogous pension does expose the opposition of the PNC/A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to

Jagdeo’s pension as being either a mock opposition or an opposition which is selective and vindictive and has nothing to do with public funds.

For if it had to do with public funds, Green would not have been permitted by his party to make such a request. After Green’s request, however, the PNC/ APNU party cannot convincingly oppose Jagdeo’s pension anymore in Parliament.

President Forbes Burnham felt that he could not appoint Green as prime minister, and indeed never did. It was President Desmond Hoyte who so appointed him. But Green was merely a minister in Hoyte’s office and he had no physical ministry or staff, and he did not re -

port to the president but rather to the Head of the Presidential Secretariat Winston Murray.

Green therefore had an empty title as prime minister and was certainly not a real prime minister as say Kamla Persaud-Bissessar of Trinidad or Samuel Hinds of Guyana. It would accordingly be very difficult for him to be granted a pension and perks for an empty and meaningless appellation without substance.

My advice to Green is that, as an aged citizen who has spent a lifetime in politics, he should apply for a special state pension in addition to his parliamentary pension and his Old Age Pension.

Yours faithfully, F Gibbs

Lawyer on the Corentyne may not be authentic

Dear Editor, Please permit me space in your newspaper to highlight a major problem on the Corentyne, Berbice. There is an individual named who is practising as a lawyer. As far as I am aware, he never went to any law school, but many people refer to him as a lawyer.

He does estate, land matters, transport, and you name it. For a fee anything is done. He has been practising for years. He actually has an office and a briefcase, only thing missing is the jacket to complete the charade.

basis on roads around the world.

Here in Guyana, it time for a concerted effort – all must fight against bad road users.

Yours faithfully, Nina Granger

Recently a close relative of mine purchased a property at on the Corentyne. She told me that she was going to the same lawyer. I advised her against it. I took her to my lawyer instead, who sat with us and explained in detail what had to be done, the legal fees, court fees, taxes that had to be paid, and how the charges are calculated. It all seemed fair and reasonable to me.

A few days later, my relative told me that she went to the other lawyer I mentioned earlier with the seller of the property. He told them the first lawyer was charging too much, that he would do it for less than half the price, and that they would not have to pay any taxes to the government. Only thing, he advised, is that the property had to be undervalued. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) did not accept the valuation this lawyer had done for the property, as it was ridiculously low. GRA is now investigating this matter and several other transactions done by this lawyer. My relative is now left in this mess and does not know if she would lose her hard earned money. Is there a bar association in Berbice? Would the attorney general have time to look at this issue? Can someone, anyone in authority do something?

Yours sincerely, Sultan Mohamed

Page Foundation

Over the past two decades, there’s been a phenomenal rise in the number of multiple births in the United States. Between 1980 and 2004, the number of twin births increased by 70 per cent and the number of births involving three or more babies has quadrupled.

What’s responsible for this dramatic rise in multiple births? And how should you prepare for your own multiple birth experience?

The miracle of multiples

Several factors contribute to the development of a multiple pregnancy:

Heredity: A history of multiple births on a woman’s side of the family increases her chances of having a multiple pregnancy.

Ethnicity: Women of African descent are the most likely to have multiple pregnancies.

Number of prior pregnancies:

Having more than one previous pregnancy, especially a multiple pregnancy, increases the chance of having a multiple pregnancy.

Delayed childbearing: Older women who get pregnant are more likely to have multiples.

Infertility treatment: Fertility drugs, which stimulate the ovaries to release multiple eggs, or assisted reproductive technology (ART), which transfers multiple embryos into the womb (such as in vitro fertilisation, or IVF), greatly increase a woman’s chance of having a multiple pregnancy.

It’s the last two factors that have been on the rise in the last couple of decades and are probably responsible for the increase in multiple births.

The types of multiples

There are two types of twins: monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic (fraternal).

Identical twins result from a single fertilised egg dividing into

Preparing for multiple births

separate halves and continuing to develop into two separate but identical babies. These twins are genetically identical, with the same chromosomes and similar physical characteristics. They’re the same sex and have the same blood type, hair, and eye colour.

Fraternal twins come from two eggs that are fertilised by two separate sperm and are no more alike than other siblings born to the same parents. They may or may not be the same sex. This type of twins is much more common, and only this type is

and the risk of having a premature delivery increases with higher-order multiples.

Premature babies (preemies) can have numerous health challenges. Because the care of premature babies is so different from that of fullterm infants, preemies are usually placed in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after delivery. The risk of developing health problems increases with the degree of prematurity – babies born closer to their due date have a lower risk.

In addition to the possibility of

affected by heredity, maternal age, race, and number of prior pregnancies.

”Supertwins” is a common term for triplets and other higher-order multiple births, such as quadruplets or quintuplets. These babies can be identical, fraternal, or a combination of both. But higher-order births are rare; triplets occur in approximately one in 7000 to 8000 births, whereas quintuplets are likely to be born only once in 47 million births.

The risks of multiple births

The most immediate risk involved with multiple births is pre-term (or early) labour resulting in premature births. A typical, single pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, but a twin pregnancy often lasts between 35 to 37 weeks. Nearly half of all twins are born prematurely (before 37 weeks),

premature births, other medical conditions that are more likely to occur during a multiple pregnancy include preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, placental problems, and foetal growth problems. Being part of a multiple birth can also be associated with long-term health problems in the infants. Developmental delays and cerebral palsy occur more commonly in twins than in single births, and there’s a higher risk of enduring health problems with higher-order multiple births.

Because of these concerns, many doctors who specialise in fertility treatments require prospective parents to undergo intensive counselling on the possibilities and risks associated with multiple births.

Staying healthy during a multiple pregnancy

Eating properly, getting enough

rest, and making regular trips to the doctor are critical measures for any expectant mother to stay healthy. And a woman with a multiple pregnancy might be scheduled for more frequent appointments with her obstetrician/gynaecologist (OB-GYN) than a woman who is pregnant with a single foetus.

The need for frequent, intensive prenatal care is of the utmost importance in a multiple pregnancy. You’ll want to be particularly careful about finding health care professionals who have experience with multiple births. Because multiple pregnancies are automatically termed high-risk, the need for specialised health care is vital to ensuring that you and your babies receive the best care available.

Because you may not know anyone who has experienced a multiple birth, asking for a referral from a friend may not be productive. Instead, ask your doctor or OB-GYN to recommend a facility that specialises in multiple births. You should be part of a pre-term birth prevention programme at your hospital and have immediate access to a specialised NICU should you go into early labour or if one of your babies is born with a health problem.

Your nutrition If you’re pregnant with multiples, you should follow general pregnancy nutritional guidelines, including increasing your calcium and folic acid intake. Pregnant women need additional calcium, so extra milk or fortified orange juice, broccoli, sardines, or other calcium-rich foods should be added to your diet.

As with all expectant mothers, folic acid is extremely important. Taking folic acid one month prior to and throughout the first three months of pregnancy will decrease the risk of neural tube defects (such as spina bifida) (Kids Health) (TO BE CONTINUED)

Double treble: What’s the chance of having three sets of twins?

BY BEN CARTER

Last month Karen Rodger, 41, from Renfrewshire in the UK, gave birth to a third set of non-identical twins. Doctors said the chance was 500,000 to one – but how accurate is this estimate?

Twinning rates vary around the world, but in the UK there is a 112-to-one chance of a pregnancy resulting in non-identical twins. That’s if we don’t include babies conceived through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), where twin births occur much more frequently. So in theory the odds of having two sets would be 112 multiplied by 112, which is around 12,500 to one and the odds of having three sets would be 112 cubed, or 1.4 million to one. But it’s not quite that simple, because non-identical twins come in clusters.

Rolling a six on a dice doesn’t suggest that another six is on the way, but having non-identical twins makes more twins much more likely next time. “Family studies have shown that a woman who has had DZ (non-identical) twins is more about four times more likely to have more” in a subsequent pregnancy, than a woman who has not, says Jane Denton, director of the Multiple Births Foundation.

So for a woman who has had one set of non-identical twins, the chance of another set is not 112 to one, but just 28 to one. Therefore, the probability of having three sets of non-identical twins is not one in 500,000, but one in 112x28x28... which is about 88,000. Identical twins are much less common. In the UK, they turn up once in 227 pregnancies on average – again, excluding IVF conceptions – and they do not come in clusters. So the chance of three sets of identical twins is 11.7 million to one against. These figures for the UK, however, do not apply to the rest of the world. Twinning rates vary enormously from one country to the next. In Vietnam, on average, there are 6.2 twins per 1000 births, while in the U.S. there are five times as many –33.2 per 1000 births. It’s not known why this is but it appears that body composition can influence the chance of having twins.

Several studies have shown that for tall women (164 centimetres and over), the relative chance of having twins is between 1.5 and two times higher than for short women (under 155 centimetres). Mothers of twins also have a higher body mass index (BMI) compared to mothers of single children – a BMI of less than 20 is associated with a lower probability of twinning while a BMI of 30 or more is associated with a higher likelihood.

GPL writes City Hall over $1.9B debt

– threatens disconnection

By Svetlana MarShall

ACity Council meeting was stunned Monday afternoon when it was revealed that the shortof-cash municipality owes the Guyana Power and Light Inc some $1.9 billion in outstanding rates. City Hall said that the power company also owes it hundreds of millions in rates and taxes.

Long-time Mayor Hamilton Green made the disclosure on Monday during the council’s statutory meeting. In a letter addressed to the mayor, GPL said that the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has a debt of more than $1,900,525,000. The financially-distressed power company said it has repeatedly encouraged the council to liquidate its arrears and pay the monthly electricity charges in full. The company pointed out that since the last letter was sent on August 30, 2012, the arrears have increased by a whopping $186,711,962.

This trend by the council has been deemed unacceptable. The council was given an ultimatum to pay a percentage of the outstanding money by June 15 or City Hall will be plunged into darkness. The money is owed for street lighting and for electricity supplied to all the buildings that are controlled by the M&CC.

Tempers flare

Tempers flared as the announcement was made.

Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, who was continuously cautioned by Mayor Green, said the council’s indebtedness to GPL comes as a major surprise since she was informed by Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba that the matter was been dealt with.

Finance committee

chairman Junior Garrett, however, told the disgruntled councillors that the City Council’s indebtedness to the power company is an age-old issue. According to him, many years ago, City Hall and GPL were ex-

pected to resolve the issue.

“The fact of the matter is that we have to have reconciliation,” Garret said.

It was explained that the council had raised concerns about the number of street lights operational in the city, since there were contentions that the council was paying for a service it was not receiving, since bills were estimated.

“All GPL does is estimate. They can’t read street lights so the verification is to ensure that, that the lights that we are being charged for are in working order – that should have been done years ago. It has to be an exercise jointly done by City hall and GPL,” the finance committee chairman explained.

$7 million currently being paid monthly

He admitted that the council had fell short in paying its electricity bills, but said an attempt was made to correct the situation by paying $7 million monthly to the power company. “City Hall normally pays $7 million a month, that is a figure agreed on years ago. It hasn’t been paid for some time, but it restarted late last year, so continuously $7 million is presently being paid to GPL.”

During brief interview with Guyana Times , Garrett said the municipality will only be able to pay the billion-dollar debt, if the billions of dollars owed in rates and taxes are paid

to the council.

“Well, City Hall presently is cash-strapped because there is in excess of $3 billion in rates and taxes outstanding, so if that is collected, of course, we will pay off GPL. City Hall is cash-strapped and unlike GPL, GT&T, and GWI, persons do not pay priority to rates and taxes,” he explained.

Garret said while the municipality is indebted to GPL, the power company also owes the City Council hundreds of millions of dollars in rates and taxes. “GPL owes us for rates and taxes, and we owe GPL for electricity.”

Response to GPL

Realising the severity of the problem, the council headed by the mayor has agreed to stage a special finance committee meeting to tackle the problem. It is anticipated that the council will draft a response to GPL with the hope of preventing City Hall from being plunging into darkness.

The acting town clerk during the meeting made it clear that she will not be attending the special meeting (today at 09:30h in the council’s chamber), since she has other engagements. Sooba placed on record the fact that she was denied the opportunity to comment on the debt to GPL by Mayor Green.

The acting town clerk’s comments created discomfort in the meeting. (svetlanam@guynatimesgy.com)

Region 10 gearing up to respond to flood threats

With the increasing heavy downpours across Guyana associated with the MayJune period, the Region 10 Democratic Council (RDC) is currently putting systems in place to mitigate the effects of flooding within the region.

Around this time last year, several areas prone to flooding, including the Hymara and Cockatara creeks, Kara Kara, Melville Street (Third Alley), Silvertown and West Watooka in Region 10 had suffered tremendously due to flooding.

Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon said although the effects of flooding in the region this year is not as significant as last year, the RDC has been strategising and will soon be implementing preventative measures.

“Two creeks: Hymara and Cockatara are part of the budget for regional programmes... the works to be conducted are dredging and de-silting. I’m trying to get the NDIA through the local programme to get those works started.

“So the NDIA should currently be putting investment into the community to get those creeks in the community done, for example, creeks in Silvertown and other areas,” Solomon said.

Over the years, residents and farmers in areas such as West Watooka, Dalawala and Canvas City had complained about suffering excessive losses during the rainy periods, with one of the major complaints being poor drainage and irrigation.

In an effort to bring relief to persons living in those and other affected areas, the regional chairman said a number of programmes were implemented to prevent flooding, and this year, same will be done.

Drainage programmes

“There are some to be done at West Watooka to the tune of $20 million in the NDIA budget for Region 10 that should begin as early as next month.

“We have not been receiving complaints so much as to the extent that it has been posing economical difficulties in the farming community, not so much that it has been causing major setbacks to farmers or even in the residential areas, there has not been any significant flooding, but nevertheless we have to prepare for it.

“... That is what we intend to do right now, to get most of the community groups (community development councils) prepared to start doing some drainage works on the drains, creeks and canals, desilting, removing vegetation and things like that,” he explained.

Severe flooding during heavy rainstorms and high tide last year had caused major flooding at Melville Street, Wismar last year, which had caused residents to voice concerns and point fingers at the local authorities. The approach this year to that situation is a different one, said Solomon, noting that the RDC now has a better understanding of the causes.

“I think what had happened last year were that the NDIA works was done late last year. Most of the significant clogging of those drains would have now been removed so even though we are having some rain now, it would not be detrimental as it was last year around this time, because most of those drains that hadn’t been cleaned were cleaned right down to the bottom last year into December.”

Solomon said also that the RDC is now moving towards frequent maintenance of drains within the region, and as such, will be seeking to have them cleaned every quarter of the year in order to prevent flooding.

SASOD to host photo exhibition, launch documentary

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) will host a photo exhibition and appreciation awards ceremony on June 24 at Moray House Trust on Camp and Quamina streets, Georgetown, as part of its ongoing 10th anniversary celebrations this month.

On the same day, the or-

ganisation will also launch a documentary called, “SASOD at 10”. The announcements were made during a press conference on June 7 at the Sidewalk Café on Middle Street, Georgetown.

Earlier this month, and also as part of its anniversary celebrations, SASOD re-screened its 2011 documentary, “My Wardrobe, My

Right”, which addresses the implications of cross-dressing in Guyana.

So far, the organisation has also hosted a concert, film festival and a panel discussion.

SASOD is a group based in Guyana, which is committed to eradicating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Garbage floating around during the flood at Melville Street last year

City Hall

Govt hopeful Amaila Falls road will be completed in time

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh said while there have been several setbacks with the Amaila Falls road project, government is hopeful that it will be completed in a timely manner.

“I think that story is wellknown; the fact of the matter is that construction did not progress as quickly as we anticipated. Government did act very decisively in response to the rate of progress,” he said.

He noted that some contracts were terminated and realigned. They have since been awarded once more.

“We awarded new contractors… following those contract terminations and

34

Trealignment, that work is now advancing… in terms of financial closure, we have to understand that we are working will several different institutions and you have many moving parts at the same time and each of those institutions are going through their own review process,” Dr Singh said.

Every hurdle has been overcome

He said the project has overcome every hurdle it has encountered. These challenges that would have arisen are normal when carrying out a project. The minister said the international partners are at a due diligence stage of the process,

and once completed, the project should be approved.

“But it is important to keep all of the parts moving to manage and to coordinate them and that is what we are doing, ensure that at every stage all questions are answered and information supplied and assurance is provided to demonstrate attractiveness of project,” he noted.

Since then, concrete progress has been made. The minister said stakeholders and other parties have agreed and endorsed the initiative, and the only group that has been sending mixed signals is the opposition.

He urged the opposition to let its position be known

as it relates to this project. After several delays since a 2011 deadline was missed, necessary steps are being taken to ensure the project’s completion this year.

The US$840 million Amaila Falls Hydroelectricity Project is designed to reduce Guyana’s dependence on fossil fuel for power, with a large percentage of its foreign earnings going back to pay for it.

The project framework agreement was signed on July 15, 2010 by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Sithe Global’s Amaila Holdings, China Development Bank, and the China Railway First Group, the contractor.

pints of blood collected during U.S. embassy drive

he U.S. embassy partnered with the Health Ministry to conduct a blood drive at the embassy on last Thursday.

In a release, the embassy said the National Blood Bank relies on donations of blood from public-spirited persons to assist in situations where a blood transfusion may be the only option to save a life. “United States government staff, as well as staff from other diplomatic missions and international organisations, donated a total of 34 pints of blood,” the embassy said.

According to the release, the U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has provided technical support for blood safety activities to enhance blood collection procedures and policies in Guyana.

“As one of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’s (PEPFAR) implementing agencies, CDC has

been involved in the rapid strengthening and improvement of blood transfusion services since 2004. CDC helps create strategies to recruit and retain low-risk voluntary blood donors.”

It also offers support for 100 per cent testing of all do-

nated blood units for HIV and other transfusion-transmissible infections. Physicians and other clinicians in transfusion practices are provided education and utilisation guidelines to reduce inappropriate use of blood as a clinical therapy, which has

been linked to shortages. CDC also trains personnel to build capacity in all aspects of blood collection, storage, testing, and utilisation. This collaboration has contributed to a steady increase in the percentage of voluntary blood donors in Guyana.

Man granted bail for fisherman’s death

Twenty-five-year-old Rafeek “Baby” Khalel of Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara was on Monday granted $800,000 bail after he made his second court appearance at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court for the death of Leroy Khan, who was killed during a scuffle at Goed Fortuin.

The bail application was made by Attorney Pamela De Santos before Magistrate Sherdell Isaac-Marcus, who listened to the mitigating

facts before making a ruling. De Santos reiterated that her client was acting in self-defence and it was Khan who attacked his client first with a knife, which was turned on him.

Khalel was charged two Mondays ago for the murder committed on Thursday, May 30 at Goed Fortuin, but after advice from Director of Public Prosecutions Bibi Shalimar Ali-Hack, the charged was downgraded to manslaughter.

Khan was stabbed to

death last Thursday evening by Khalel at the Goed Fortuin Koker, West Bank Demerara. He was stabbed during an altercation which stemmed from a catch that came in earlier in the day.

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

19-year-old accused of illegal ammo possession

Astudent of the Government Technical Institute (GTI) was charged with possession of ammunition when he appeared before Magistrate Fabian Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

Frane Mikhail Braithwaite, 19, of Lot 41 Station Street, Kitty, pleaded not guilty to the charge which states that on June

7 at Cummings Street, Bourda, he had in his possession three 9mm rounds of ammunition without being the holder of a licence.

According to the facts, on the day in question, the defendant was found with a Ziploc plastic bag in his mouth containing the ammunition and when asked if he had a licence for the bullets, he responded no.

The defendant, who

appeared first before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, was represented by Attorney Mark Waldron who informed the court that his client was adamant that at no point, he had the ammunition in his possession. Waldron made an application for reasonable bail.

Prosecutor Tracymay Gittens objected to bail, citing the nature, the serious-

ness, and prevalence of the offence, and that no special reason was provided. She also stated that the defendant was caught with the ammunition.

The magistrate denied the defendant bail, stating that she has not heard any special reasons for it to be granted. The date set for the commencement of trial is June 26.

Eyew tness Playing politics...

...with children

All of us know that poverty in the hinterland is the highest in the country. Our last two Household and Income Expenditure Surveys back in 1993 and then 1999 showed that even though urban living standards had improved dramatically, things were still not “regular” in the interior.

And this was so for several reasons – not the least being the way living standards was being measured as joined at the hip with “income and expenditure”. In the hinterland, quite of bit of what is consumed is reared or grown by the families and no money passes hands. But even with that, we all knew that “things were hard” there.

And the government took notice. We hope that even the most inveterate critic of the government would concede this. As the lawyers say, res ipso loquitur: the thing speaks for itself. In this case, the budgeted amounts for interior development. Let’s take this uproar being made by the Alliance For Change (AFC) over children being made to fetch firewood at Kato in Region Eight. A kitchen was built at the school at a cost of $250,000 by the government, so that those children who needed meals could be served. We understand that 23 out of a total enrolment of 132 took up the offer. The meals were to be provided by the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) from a monthly budget of almost $500,000 which catered for fuel, stipend for cooks, among other things, as well as the raw materials for the meals.

Now we come to the infamous picture of some children of Kato being “forced to fetch wood for their meals”. Invoking the Dickensian image of Oliver Twist begging, “Some more porridge, please”, the AFC councillor who had the children pose for the picture tried to make the scene emblematic of the government’s attitude to hinterland development. (The Muckraker wrote of “bare feet and oft times hungry” children, even though not a bare foot was seen in the pictures). All it did was expose the AFC’s genetic compulsion to play politics – even when children are involved.

First, the AFC cannot deny that this fetching of wood was an exception rather than the rule – caused either by poor management of resources or graft by the PTA. The PTA are the parents of the same children. Then there’s the fact that the picture was taken by the AFC councillor during a Regional Democratic Council (RDC) meeting. The chairman’s also from the AFC. Was the problem discussed at that meeting under “any other business”?

We doubt it, since the AFC chairman said he didn’t learn of the incident until it appeared in the newspapers! Or somebody’s lying.

...as guerrilla warfare

Fact of the matter is that the AFC councillor and his AFC chairman didn’t take any action to change what they assert is an endemic situation (the photograph was taken on April 17) but could take it a month and a half later to the Muckraker. The only game the AFC wants to play is the politics of creating divisions amongst our people for their narrow political gain.

We have to view their action on the feeding programme against the wider politics of Region Eight and also the national scene. At the last elections, the AFC cornered the largest number of votes regionally and then went on to select the chairman from their majority on the RDC. From day one, as in Parliament, they have tried to take absolute control by passing a motion to remove the regional executive officer, who is appointed by central government. The government has defied their power grab. So the children of Kato are simply pawns in the larger game of the AFC. Pity the poor children...

...with hinterland development

Defending the AFC’s $31 billion cut from the budget, Khemraj Ramjattan boasted that “pressure was building” on the government. No thought that the pressure was mainly on Amerindians, since most of the cut programmes were affiliated with the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

Dead fisherman: Leroy Khan

A U.S. embassy staff donating blood to the National Blood Bank

Labour force needs retraining to take up green jobs – ILO

International Labour Organisation (ILO) specialist Kelvin Sergeant said Guyana must ensure that a transition to a green economy requires new jobs, skill and changing occupations as well as appropriate labour market policies to address concerns that can prevent jobs from remaining decent.

Sergeant is the facilitator of a four-day workshop between the Labour Ministry and the ILO, which is designed to increase the technical understanding of how green jobs can play a crucial role in protecting the environment while supporting the country’s economy.

He noted that the training was organised in direct response to the capacitybuilding needs identified by the Labour Ministry and is one of the programmes of activities under Guyana’s decent work country initiative. It also uses the model of South/South Cooperation utilising the expertise of officials from Peru.

Sergeant remarked that the field of green jobs is an essential pillar in the transition to a green economy and is critical to the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

The ILO official stated that green jobs are decent jobs which reduce the consumption of raw material and energy, limit greenhouse gas emissions, minimise waste and pollution and protect the ecosystem.

This, he said, is critical to the development of small-island developing states as the move towards a green economy has been gaining momentum in parallel with international debate and negotiations on climate change.

New economic paradigm Sergeant pointed out that there is now a growing awareness of the need for a new economic paradigm of inclusive and sustainable development as a result of the increase in carbon footprint and resource depletion.

“The economic model of the past was one of the depletion, but when you take into consideration that when you deplete; you destroy the economic environment; there is now a hole in the ozone layer, the earth is getting warmer, this is now even more important when we consider the impact of the international economic crisis which this has had on

economies over the world and in the Caribbean,” Sergeant said.

He pointed to the significant loss in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which has caused growing unemployment and the shrinking of many economic sectors, including tourism and agriculture.

In addition, Sergeant mentioned that the economic costs of environmental degradation and the loss of ecosystems are increasingly compromising the social and economic gains accumulated over the years.

“The green economy offers an option that allows, at the very least, increased competitiveness and resilience of the economy which

balances growth and prosperity with sustainability,” the ILO specialist related.

He highlighted Guyana’s LCDS which clearly establishes the context of the developmental model as a low carbon, low deforestation and climate resilient path with the right economic incentives that ensure the forests are worth more alive than dead.

Sergeant emphasised that green jobs can work to stimulate economic growth, utilising clean energy with the resultant environmental protection.

According to him, the promotion of a green economy is supportive of a different way of doing things,

the result of which could be improved well-being and economic equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and economic scarcity.

Head of the Consultative Association of Guyanese Industry (CAGI) Samuel Goolsarran also echoed the call for the creation of green jobs and decent work, which help to preserve the environment and maintain it in a sustainable manner.

“We all, I’m sure, need to have a better understanding of the concept and potential of exploiting, fully, green jobs in national development strategies to look at good practices in other countries and explore the potential of job creation in Guyana and the impact it can have on the labour market,” Goolsarran said.

Trend must stop

He stressed that although the earth has absorbed harm and destruction for centuries, it cannot continue to do so indefinitely without placing the survival of humanity in jeopardy.

“Countries are challenged to realise that they have to promote the integrity of the environment and its sustainability. The well-

being of the waterways, forests and atmosphere, in addition to animal and plant life, should be of interest to all.”

Goolsarran said environmental issues must be seen in global terms and understood that the consumption of resources faster than they can be replaced and the exhaustion of non-renewable resources without concern for future generations can inhibit the creation of capital.

He remarked that the risk of climate change and the growing number of natural disasters call into question the present course of modern society.

“The global environment must be protected by all people, community, government agencies and international institutions. The common good transcends the local and national boundaries. So care for the environment is ultimately a call to reset all of creation and the natural environment and to assure that human activity, while transforming the earth, would not disturb the balance which exists among living things that depend on land, air, water for their existence,” Goolsarran cautioned.

Head of CAGI Samuel Goolsarran

ILO specialist Kelvin Sergeant

Bollywood singer thrills huge audience

By Bhisham mohamed

Gyoung talented singer who is a finalist in the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited Jingle and Song Competition. Maraj sang a tune from the popular Indian movie “Dhankan” and one from the movie “Dosti”, a tune that was first sung by the legendary Mohammed Rafeek.

Soon after, the Ishara Dancers performed an energetic medley dance that was enjoyed by the audience. Each performance had a storyline. It was colourful and beautifully presented.

Budget cuts, GWI and de mayor fuh life!

Alotta changes tekkin place in Guyana these last few days and weeks. De guvament start to scale down plenty projects because of de budget cuts, and GPL planning to increase electricity rates, also because of de budget cuts.

Soon de guvament might start fuh claim that is de budget cuts that mek dem can’t hold local guvament elections fuh de last 19 years, because any time sum ting can’t get done, de budget cuts gettin all de blame.

uyanese were on Sunday evening treated to an evening of melodious Qawwali and Sufi music by Bollywood playback singer Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara.

formed songs from the movies “Dabaang”, “My Name is Khan”, “Bodyguard”, “Dabaang 2”, and “Singh is King”.

After every performance, he was given a loud applause from the audience. His second segment

The evening can be described as sensational as Ali Khan and his 22 band members left their fans spellbound after dishing out some top class tunes from yesteryear to present. The band members appeared on stage about 21:15h and performed an instrumental rendition.

Ali Khan was given a standing ovation after which he took his place on the stage; plaited his feet and thanked his Guyanese fans for their tremendous hospitality. His voice undoubtedly created a stir, leaving fans no alternative but to dance to his songs.

He dished out some splendid tunes such as “Ishq Junoon Deewangi”, “Sajda”, “Teri Meri”, “Teri Ore”, “ Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal” and others. He also per -

was more saucy than the first and literally had everyone on their feet, dancing to the rhythms.

Keeping everyone in suspense, Ali Khan did not sing a popular tune, and as fans were walking out of the arena, he switched gear delivering “Tere Mast Mast Do Nain” which had them scampering back to their seats and having a grand time as he reeled out hits after hits.

The show culminated just after midnight, but some thought they have had their money’s worth after the singer would have performed in his first appearance on stage. It was indeed a magical night with patrons humming to Ali’s tunes as they left the national stadium.

The audience loved him as he sported a cream and burgundy kurta suite with his makeup elegantly done.

After a while, he gave a little “shake” and introduced, Neil Maraj, a

The show continued with Purnash Durgaprasad, a Guyanese who participated in the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contest in India. He left Guyana at the age of 10 and this was his third time returned to perform before his home crowd. He performed “Tum Jane Nah”, “Mitawah” and an English number, “Stand by Me”.

Durgaprasad left the stage after his first segment, but was forced to return a while since the feature performer was running late. On his return, he dished out a few hits that were enjoyed by the audience. The Ishara dancers also spiced up the evening with a few other dances before the man of the night made his grand appearance.

A number of government ministers, members of the diplomatic community, the Indian Arrival Committee and businessmen were present for the night of musical extravaganza. (bhisham@guyanatimesgy.com)

De FLAPNU leader Green Jah on de other hand seh de country ain’t feelin no effects yet from de budget cuts, while de man who seh he runnin tings at de KFC Rum Jhaat seh de pressure building pun de guvament and de country. And talkin bout pressure, that is exactly what de workers at GWI lookin to deliver in de water pipelines to people nowadays. But it look like de only water pressure that comin is in de rain from de skies. So de GWI workers prayin fuh more rain so dem don’t have to go to wuk. Plus de people seh that de rain water cleaner than de GWI red and black water. In de country side people getting red water and in de city people getting black water. But de more people use de rain water is de more de water bills goin up. So de people not sure if GWI chargin customers fuh usin rain water too.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! Then de mayor fuh life Green Ham decide again that he still ain’t got time wid lookin after de **ity. Now he want to debate de local guvament minister. So look out fuh more garbage in de Garbage Town (GT).

Region mourns passing of leading agri science expert

Academics in the region are mourning the passing of Professor Emeritus Nazeer

A Ahmad, who was one of the last associates of the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (AICTA), the Trinidad Express reported.

Ahmad was Professor Emeritus of the Department of Food Production in the Faculty of Food and Agriculture at the time of his passing on June 6. Principal of the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine Campus, Clement Sankat, in a statement on Friday, noted that Ahmad’s distinctive service included the development of the Faculty of Agriculture from a fledgling campus.

“He was the leading expert in the region in this area of our agriculture, and was often called upon to give expert advice on matters of this nature,” said Sankat, who, along with the UWI, has extended condolences to Ahmad’s family.

“He trained several undergraduate and postgraduate students to follow in this path. I am pleased he was able to complete his monumental book on soil science, published by Ian Randle, before his passing, so that we were able to launch it here

and in Guyana.”

Ahmad was born in 1932 and was an undergraduate from 1949-1952 (DICTA) and a postgraduate student (AICTA) from 1952-1953. He went on to do his master’s of science degree in Canada (McGill University and the University of British Columbia), and then his doctor of philosophy in the UK.

In 1957, he returned to the then-British Guiana and took up the position of agricultural chemist and head of the Division of Soil Science in the Agriculture Ministry.

In 1961, Ahmad assumed the position of lecturer at UWI, St Augustine, and became a professor of soil science in 1969.

He was the founding warden of Canada Hall of Residence. He was well loved by the residents, also known as the Hermits, and was a father figure to many who lived there, the UWI’s statement added.

“Prof Ahmad’s work in tropical soil is internationally acclaimed,” the statement added. “He was awarded the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) Gold Medal for his contribution to research in soil science in the Caribbean and Latin American region.

Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan performing at the Guyana National Stadium

Purnash Durgaprasad during one of his performances on Sunday evening

The lead dancers of the Ishara Dance Troupe thrill the crowd

Public hearing urged into GPL's proposed tariff hike

Stakeholders are urging the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to hold a public hearing into the proposed tariff hike by the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL).

On May 15, GPL submitted its Final Return Certificate (FRC) to the PUC that allows it to charge an increase in tariffs of 26.7 per cent, effective on May. The new rates have not taken effect but the GPL board is actively engaged in planning its implementation, the company said in a statement on Saturday.

Allowable increase

It added that the allowable increase of 26.7 per cent is calculated in accordance with the 1999 Electricity Sector Reform Act (ESRA) and its licence. The tariff filing, called the FRC computes annually how much GPL may increase (or decrease) its tariffs, using an internationally acceptable methodology that is based on a rate of return basis. This methodology calculates the tariffs looking at GPL’s in-

come and expenses, assets, debt and equity in the prior year (in this case 2012). The GPL FRC was accompanied by a notice of compliance issued by an independent firm of accountants and GPL’s 2012 audited accounts that shows GPL losing $7.6 billion in 2012. GPL last increased tariffs in 2008, some five years ago.

Service tariff

The computed increase in tariffs as stated in the 2013 FRC is based on a deficit of $5.2 billion, and a headline tariff or service tariff increase of 26.7 per cent that is computed to recover the deficit over an eight month period (May to December).

Meanwhile, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) said it is very concerned at the recent application by GPL to the PUC for the approval of a 26.7 per cent increase in electricity rates to consumers.

The party also laid the impending increase squarely on the Alliance For Change (AFC)/ A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) al-

liance which combined to slash $5.2 billion from the 2013 national budget that was allocated by government to GPL to prevent consumers having to face such a burden.

“This was despite several pleas by government, the management of GPL,

other stakeholders and the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic for the AFC and APNU to refrain from cutting GPL’s subsidy, but they ignored this and went ahead; fully aware of the consequences it would have on consumers.”

According to the party, the opposition cannot pre-

tend to be ignorant of the challenges and what is being done to correct them by GPL management as all this information has been presented to both the AFC and the APNU.

On the other hand, the AFC said even after spending billions every year through

loans and prohibitively high prices on new generating capacity, it is vividly clear that the government has no solution in sight in the context of its statutory duty to provide electricity at an affordable cost.

Sources of energy

“With abundant alternative sources of energy in this tropical land of ours in terms of wind, solar and hydro potential, the Guyanese people continue to suffer hourly blackouts with repeated adverse effects on homeowners’ appliances and goods, business-owners’ production equipment and school children’s education,” said the AFC.

The AFC is calling on the PUC to investigate fully GPL’s call for this rate hike and hear other stakeholders interested in the matter before it orders or ratifies any increases by GPL. Electricity increase by GPL is a matter which comes under the jurisdiction of the PUC, and this regulatory body must not exhibit itself as a tooth poodle.”

Don’t sell antibiotics over the counter

– pharmacists warned

The Guyana Pharmacists Association has warned its members to desist from selling antibiotics and other drugs without the requisite prescriptions and to refrain from tampering with expiry dates.

In a message at the association’s convention held at Ocean View Hotel on Sunday, President Malaika Persaud admonished: “To the community pharmacists, refrain from selling antibiotics and other prescription medication without prescriptions; refrain from tampering with expiry dates and there are incidences of this.

Compassion

To the hospital pharmacist – show a bit more compassion to the patients; to the manufacturing and distribution pharmacists, ensure your products are stored in optimum conditions and to the regulatory pharmacist –do not be tempted by bribery and corrupt dealings.”

She told her colleagues to remember they are experts on drugs and should have the patient’s best interest at heart. “We need to keep abreast with current affairs in pharmacy and above all, we must know our products and stop being mere tablet counters.”

She charged that together, the GPA can restore the profession. “I believe in us. We can do it by each giving a bit of ourselves, simply ask at some time, ‘How can I help advance the GPA?’ WE can do it by empowering ourselves, as a whole, in this diverse profession.”

The convention, the association’s 13th, was held under the theme: “Empowering pharmacists – in a diverse profession.” According to a media release, organisers hailed the event as a resounding success with an attendance of more than

230 delegates which included pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, and students. In addition to the delegates, 17 pharmaceutical companies were represented among them: Geddes Grant, Bayer Healthcare, ANSA McAL Trading, NEW GPC INC, Twins Manufacturing Chemists, Mike’s Pharmacy, Health 2000, and International Pharmaceutical Agency.

The convention was declared opened by Faculty of Health Sciences Dean, Dr Emanuel Cummings. The delegates were educated in

the diverse areas of paediatric care, veterinary medicine, and cardiology.

The convention also coincided with the observance of Commonwealth Pharmacy Week 2013 from June 9 to 16, 2013. The GPA’s observances will continue with a symposium in Linden on Friday where the pharmacists there will educate the general public on two major issues: storage, use, and expiration of medications in the home and the emergency contraceptive pill. Then on Saturday, the GPA, in collaboration with the Region

10 health team, will conduct a medical outreach in the Rockstone community. The GPA will end the week by celebrating Commonwealth Pharmacy Day on Sunday.

Persaud, whose address was delivered by someone else, expressed sincerest apologies for her absence, explaining that over the past weeks she had been managing a few businesses and “my body crashed”. She said, however, that she believed it happened for a reason, as she needed to slow down.

Pharmacy practice

Persaud stressed that the GPA belongs to all of its members – be them pharmacists, assistants and students, and extends to those with the betterment of pharmacy practice at heart. “Too often do we hear, “What is the GPA doing for me?” she said, noting that 100 copies of a questionnaire were circulated at the council’s last continuing education session, and only 50 were returned. “Compilation of this data indicated that some pharmacists’ inability to participate resulted from the fact that, quote ‘GPA needs to realise that pharmacists have personal lives’ and that they can contribute by, quote ‘giving moral support’.”

“As pharmacists, I implore you to take a more active approach. We started this year by electing a strong team of executive members. We need to realise that these persons do have personal lives also, and if they took the role of just offering moral support, you would not be here today at this highly educational programme with our colleagues from the healthcare team sharing their knowledge on topics of interest. Think of how much more we can accomplish with your pool of skills.”

Membership

On the pleasant side, Persaud said the association has seen an increase in its membership attendance at statutory meetings and increased participation at activities.

“To me, this is an indication that more pharmacists are ready to rise from our state of dormancy and regain our position in the health-care team as we give service to humanity. We must, however, remember that as members of this noble profession; we represent not only ourselves but are ambassadors for the profession at large; I implore you to be honest in your dealings – show integrity and concern.”

Guyana Power and Light Inc head office

Representatives of Bayer HealthCare display some of the company’s products at the GPA’s convention on Sunday

GNBS seizes 130 unapproved weighing scales

The Guyana Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has intensified its campaign against vendors using the unauthorised weighing scales in Georgetown and has seized at least 130 during a crackdown.

GNBS Director Evadnie Innis told media operatives on Tuesday that a team of inspectors of the GNBS conducted a campaign with the support of the Guyana Police Force at the Stabroek, Bourda and La Penitence markets and the fish wharf at Mc Doom, East Bank Demerara.

The devices seized were dial scales, which are not approved for commercial use. A few spring scales, often used to weigh provisions, but wear easily and rob consumers were also seized. The seized instru-

ments amounted to 74 dial scales, 24 spring balance scales, 12 hanging scales, 12 imperial scales, seven equal arm scales and one measure scale.

Innis said that the seized scale will be destroyed and discarded. However, she noted that the GNBS will have to continue its campaign to ensure that vendors do not repurchase these scales, but move towards getting the recommended scales.

The red equal arm scales which can be used for commercial trade, must however be tested and approved by the GNBS for a minimal fee of G$1000.

Although the GNBS engages in year-round surveillance activities and respond to complaints, the agency seizes scales twice yearly; April to June and October

to December. Verification of scales is done from January to March and July to September. Despite this, the GNBS said it is currently seeking to persuade importers to bring in the recommended type of scales for commercial use.

Head of Legal and Metrology Department

Shailendra Rai said steps are being taken to increase the fines under the old Weights and Measures Act. The agency intends to hold consultations on the draft metrology legislation.

The first round of public consultations on the new law is scheduled for June 18, at the Regency Suites, Hadfield Street, Werk-enRust, Georgetown. The body is also looking to impose heavier penalties on sellers caught with the unapproved weighing instruments.

Republic Bank now owns 32 per cent of HFC Bank Ghana

Republic Bank Limited has announced its acquisition of 68,854,703 shares in HFC Bank Ghana, moving its shareholding to 32.02 per cent, thereby making it the single largest shareholder in that bank. Republic Bank earlier held an 8.79 per cent shareholding in the Ghanaian bank, which it acquired in December 2012.

The share purchase was made on Friday, June 7 on the Ghana Stock Exchange with approval of the Central Bank of Ghana. The shares were previously held by Aureos Africa Fund LLC, Republic Bank said in a release.

In speaking on the recent share acquisition, Republic Bank Managing Director David Dulal-Whiteway confirmed that the bank had made an application to the Ghana Securities and Exchange Commission, for an exemption from the requirement to make a mandatory takeover offer for the remaining shares in HFC Bank.

Excited about new opportunities

He said that should the waiver not be granted by the Ghana SEC, Republic Bank would, subject to regulatory approvals, be obliged to make a mandatory offer to all shareholders of HFC Bank Ghana to purchase their shares, in keeping with the code on takeovers and mergers.

Dulal-Whiteway said Republic Bank was excited about the opportuni-

ties that this investment in HFC Bank Ghana would bring to its clients here in the Caribbean, who are desirous of doing business on the African continent. He was equally excited, he said, at the value that Republic Bank would add to the operations at HFC Bank, and said Republic Bank would soon be working closely with HFC’s executive management team on particular business growth areas already identified. He further revealed that Republic Bank Limited Corporate and Investment Banking General Manager Robert Le Hunte has been appointed to the HFC Bank board of directors.

Republic Bank Limited is an independent Caribbean bank with a history that spans 176 years. It has its roots in the Colonial Bank which started business in Trinidad and Tobago in 1837, later becoming Barclays Bank Trinidad and

Guyana Trade Show & Tourism Exposition gets corporate support

Corporate Guyana continues to show its support in promoting Guyana’s tourism product, with Fly Jamaica Airlines and the NEW GPC INC being the latest entities giving financial assistance for the staging of the Guyana Trade Show and Tourism Exposition to be held in New York and Canada later this month.

The expo will be held in the Toronto, Canada and New York to highlight what Guyana has to offer.

At a simple ceremony at the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry on Monday, Fly Jamaica handed over a cheque worth G$512,500 to Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Director Indranauth Haralsingh while the NEW GPC INC donated US$5000.

NEW GPC INC Marketing Manager Trevor Bassoo said his company has confidence in the staging and success of the trade show.

“We believe that this is the event for the Guyanese diaspora and the wider international buyers and busi-

ness investors as a whole, to see what opportunities lie in Guyana and more so, the capabilities of the Guyanese and to become familiar with some of the high quality produce that can be developed here,” Bassoo posited.

He said the NEW GPC has some 200 pharmaceutical products which are sold in the Caribbean and North America. As such, he thinks the expo is a good medium through which the company can enhance awareness of the products they have to offer.

Meanwhile, Wings Aviation Limited Director/ Company Secretary Patricia Reece, who represented Fly Jamaica, also believes the event will greatly impact Guyana’s tourism industry.

“Now that they (Fly Jamaica) will soon be beginning flights in Guyana as the minister said in July, this comes at the right time. I’m happy about the trade fair… because it will promote Guyana to a large extent to those who are there and hopefully some will be coming home on Fly Jamaica,” she said.

Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali pointed out that the event is as a result of meetings with tour operators, travel agents and various leaders, who have noted the need for an occasion to bridge the gap between communities in the diaspora and Guyana, to promote local businesses.

“We decided at that point to collaborate with the local private sector in an effort to ensure that we can create an opportunity where they can have access to a wide market and where they can come to a common goal in developing business relationships with the entities that can further expand their business potential,” the minister explained. The minister welcomed the support of the two entities, adding that they have also received another US$5000 from Mohammed’s Enterprise, while Banks DIH Limited, the Beharry Group of Companies, Caribbean Airlines and Air Services Limited among others entities have indicated their intention to support the initiative.

Govt committed to changing fortunes of sugar industry

GTobago Limited, and eventually Republic Bank Limited. Republic Bank boasts a current asset base of US$8.6 billion (TT$51.6 billion) and profit after taxation of US$88.09 million (TT$1.2 billion).

HFC Bank (Ghana) was licensed as a commercial bank in 2003, and today operates 26 branches throughout Ghana, providing a wide range of banking services, including mortgages and real estate services, commercial banking, investment banking, microfinance, private equity, and venture capital fund management.

It was instrumental in the development of the mortgage industry in Ghana and continues to be the leading home loan provider in that country, commanding 30 per cent of the market.

HFC Bank has an asset base of US$301 million and profit after taxation of US$7.7 million based on its last published financials.

overnment said it remained committed to the turnaround of the sugar industry and was seeking to ensure long-term viability and security of the Guyana Sugar Corporation.

This is according to Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh. While most countries have exited the international sugar production market, Guyana continues to be a viable player, producer, and exporter of sugar in the region, he said.

This is possible with the support of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government; and, according to Dr Singh, the administration continues to invest and capitalise with the intent of gaining profitability from the industry.

“The government’s commitment towards the sugar industry has never been in doubt or cannot be called into question,” he said, More recently, the party has demonstrated its commitment to the industry by ensuring all necessary steps

are taken to ensure long-term viability.

The industry has seen an investment of almost $40 billion within the last few years to deal with significant initiative like the Skeldon Sugar Factory and the Enmore Packaging Plant.

Also, a subsidy of $4 billion was provided to the industry in 2012 and this year, another $1 billion was allocated in the national budget.

Rectifying problems not easy

“Having worked closely with the board and management, with the aim of identifying the challenges faced by the industry and securing a turnaround in the industry’s performance, these challenges are fairly well-known, increasingly erratic weather has been a reality with which we have had to work through and this is not only in Guyana but around the world weather patterns have been changing,” Singh pointed out.

Industrial issues and cash targets are constraints also faced by company.

The minister said government was never under the illusion that it would have been an easy task to revive the sector. He argued that it was easy for persons to stand on the margin and make all kinds of comments pertaining to the shortcomings experienced by GuySuCo. However, he maintained that the managers at the sugar company are senior and experienced persons who have spent their entire lives dealing with sugar production. According to him, the senior managers have analysed the industry and identified the issues and solutions, and government has been working towards rectifying them.

Speaking about the assigning of a new chairman of the board, Dr Singh said that Raj Singh is eminently qualified for the position.

“… he has worked in sugar for a number of years at a senior level … he has expertise in the areas relevant to the management of large company like sugar companies,” he added.

The HFC Bank Ghana

From left to right: Fly Jamaica representative Patricia Reece, GTA Director Indranauth Haralsingh, acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali and NEW GPC Marketing Manager Trevor Bassoo pose with cheques donated for the Guyana Trade Show and Tourism Exposition

Barbados set to borrow Bds$100M to pay off arrears to UWI

Barbados is set to borrow more than Bds$100 million from a commercial bank in Bridgetown to pay off much of its arrears to the University of the West Indies (UWI).

“All the details have not yet been worked out but the plan will allow us to get the money and the Barbadian government will repay the funds to the bank over time,” the UWI’s vice chancellor, Dr Nigel Harris, told the Sunday Sun in an exclusive interview in New York.

“There is an intermediary who is taking responsibility for the loan and that intermediary will pay the university while the government will pay the intermediary over time. The intermediary is in Barbados.” Barbados is the UWI’s largest debtor with an outstanding bill of Bds$150 million. (Nation News)

Court adjourns sentencing of former Jamaicabased U.S. embassy security chief

AVirginia court has adjourned to June 21 the sentencing of David Rainsberger, the former security chief at the United States Embassy in Jamaica.

Rainsberger, 32, admitted to accepting two luxury watches worth approximately US$2500 from a Jamaican entertainer, identified only in court documents as “DB”, in addition to free admission to nightclubs, backstage access to concerts, and a birthday party hosted by the musician.

The incident occurred while Rainsberger, then a member of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, was sta-

tioned at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston from 2009 to 2011.

According to a release posted on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in February, while in Jamaica, Rainsberger “befriended” the well-known musician whose entry to the U.S. had been barred because of allegations of criminal conduct.

The statement said that Rainsberger’s investigation “of this individual” resulted in the reinstatement of his visa, “which allowed the individual to travel to the U.S. to take advantage of performance and recording opportunities”. (Jamaica Observer)

Brazil “on alert” over an oil spill from Ecuador

Brazil is “on alert” over an oil spill that originated in Ecuador and is travelling downstream towards the Brazilian Amazon.

In a statement, the Brazilian foreign ministry said the navy and other agencies had been informed, and help was offered to Ecuador and Peru.

Last month, an estimated 11,480 barrels of oil leaked from a damaged pipeline into the River Coca in Ecuador. The spill has already reached the Peruvian Amazon region of Loreto.

“Ibama (Brazilian Institute of Environment), Brazil’s navy and ANP (National Petroleum Agency) are on alert in the event that the oil slick reaches the country,” Brazil’s foreign ministry said.

“Brazil has offered aid to Ecuador and Peru to support the work of containment and dispersion of the oil slick in the two countries.”

On May 31, a landslide damaged the trans-Ecuador pipe-

U.S. diplomat robbed in The Bahamas

The Bahamas government is expressing “regret and concern” after a United States Embassy staff had been robbed while on her way to church on Sunday.

In a statement, the Foreign Affairs Ministry did not identify the “diplomat” saying only that “the government of The Bahamas deplores this and all acts of criminality in the strongest terms and the matter has been communicated to the National Security Ministry for an immediate and full investigation.

“The public is assured that the appropriate steps are being taken by the government to pursue the perpetrator,” the statement added.

Last month, the United States Embassy urged American nationals travel-

ling to The Bahamas to be wary of the crime situation in the country after a U.S. citizen was shot and killed during an armed robbery.

The U.S. Embassy said that more than 40 people had been murdered since the start of the year and that U.S. citizens “residing in and travelling to The Bahamas, to be aware of their surroundings and remain on heightened alert to avoid being a victim of crime”.

It said that “armed robbery remains a major threat facing US citizens in The Bahamas” and that since the start of the year “a number of U.S. citizens have fallen victim to armed robbery with some having been seriously injured in the commission of these crimes”. Tourism is a major contributor to The Bahamas’ economy. (Jamaica Observer)

Trinidad’s PM wants proof on all money matters

rime Minister Kamla

PPersad-Bissessar is now requesting evidence to substantiate all cabinet notes for payment, after the hefty TT$6.8 million paid to retrieve a fire truck that plunged over a precipice in Blanchisseuse last November.

Only last week, the TT Guardian understands, Persad-Bissessar requested from one of her ministers that documented proof be provided to support a note he took to Cabinet for payment of former workers at a state enterprise.

Persad-Bissessar implemented the new measure because cabinet was duped into believing that it would cost approximately TT$50-$60 million

to replace the firetruck. It was on this basis, two senior government ministers on Sunday told the TT Guardian that cabinet took the decision to pay TT $6.8 million to retrieve the water tender that ran off the road while responding to a road traffic accident.

“We were very concerned about the price and kept on asking how it was possible that it could cost that amount... we were told that it was a high-tech fire truck that was well equipped,” the minister, who did not want to be named, said.

“The money was spent and then cabinet was informed. It is not to say like if cabinet had a choice in the matter.

line, causing a spill of some 420,000 gallons (1.6 million litres) of crude oil. Some entered the Coca river, a tributary of the Amazon that also flows through Peru and Brazil. As it travelled downstream, the slick polluted drinking water in Coca, an urban area of about 80,000 people at the confluence of the Coca and Napo rivers in Ecuador. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Barbados must go after faith-based tourism more aggressively –acting minister

Barbados needs to go after the faith-based tourism market more aggressively and use its deep spiritual foundation to cash in on this multi-million dollar industry, said acting Tourism and International Transport Minister, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner.

She said faith-based tourism had “snowballed” into a multi-million dollar industry that had transformed the moral fabric of society.

The acting tourism minister said the concept that religious travel being centred on the notion of taking a pilgrimage was no more and, therefore, the market was “much larger and more segmented” with niches ranging from high-end

religious travel, volunteeroriented religious travel to modern-day pilgrimage.

Sandiford-Garner said government had a “great deal” to offer faith-based guests and pledged its support of any initiative that would build up this tourism niche.

“We are very well suited for this type of tourism. We have the infrastructure, the physical amenities... we have some of the most historic churches [to be found] in the region that are located in Historic Bridgetown; we have all denominations and we also have the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere as well as the St Michael’s Cathedral,” stressed Sandiford-Garner. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Major concerns remain about universal secondary education in Antigua

Anumber of major concerns remain on the nation’s readiness for universal secondary education (USE) just a week after more than 1500 students sat the inaugural Grade Six National Assessment.

On Observer Radio’s Big Issues programme, in an extensive discussion by a wide-ranging panel, key people expressed concerns and hopes over the system to be put into effect this year. “My objection is not that children should not go to secondary schools,” educator and executive secretary of the Board of Education, D Gisele Isaac, said.

“My objection is that we are sending children to secondary schools that they have proven at primary they are not equipped for.

“We already have universal secondary education. If you can pass pri-

mary school, you go to secondary school and that, to me, is universal. If you can’t pass, you don’t go because really and truly, if you can’t pass grade six what are you going to do in first form?” she added.

Isaac said she supports offering children that would have failed the Common Entrance exam a position in a vocational school, where she believes they would be more likely to succeed. President of the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers Ashworth Azille, while stressing full support for the concept, also raised concerns over the nation’s preparedness.

“We’re expecting it to be implemented this year. and to date, we still have not received any great clarification as to how the ministry proposes to fully implement USE,” Azille said. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

UWI’s vice chancellor, Dr Nigel Harris

Petroecuador says it will clean up the spill

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar

WWII bomber raised from English Channel

AGerman World War II bomber has been raised from the bottom of the English Channel.

The Dornier 17 aircraft was shot down off the Kent coast more than 70 years ago during the Battle of Britain.

said the weather conditions for the hour-long operation were “near perfect” on Monday evening.

Originally designed as a fast reconnaissance aircraft, slim and manoeuvrable, the Dornier had been converted by the Luftwaffe in the mid1930s into a medium bomber.

Around the world

U.S. to weigh arming Syrian rebels – official says

The United States (U.S.) could make a decision as early as this week on whether to arm Syrian rebels, U.S. officials said on Monday, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry put off a Middle East trip to attend meetings on the subject.

However, the U.S. government has debated for months whether to provide weaponry to the rebels in their civil war against Syrian President Bashar alAssad’s forces and has so far decided against.

Believed to be the only intact example of its kind in the world, it has laid in 50 feet (15 metres) of water on the Goodwin Sands. Attempts by the RAF Museum to salvage the relic have been hit by strong winds over the last few weeks.

The aircraft was a mainstay of the German bomber fleets during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The wreck is believed to be aircraft callsign 5K-AR, shot down on August 26 that year at the height of the battle.

The BBC’s Nick Higham on board the salvage barge

The salvage plan was three years in the making and involved divers attaching lifting equipment to what are believed to be the strongest parts of the Dornier’s frame and raising it whole, in a single lift. (Excerpt from BBC News)

One U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity stressed that while a decision on whether to start arming the rebels is possible as soon as this week, deliberations on the issue could easily take longer.

Kerry put off a planned trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories to at-

Four teens arrested after fire at London-area Muslim school

Four teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire at a Muslim boarding school near London, police said Monday.

Two of the teens are 17, and the other two are 18.

They were arrested late Sunday night.

The fire inflicted only minor damage to the Darul Uloom School in Chislehurst on Saturday night, the Metropolitan Police said. Two people were treated for

smoke inhalation.

The 128 students and staff evacuated during the blaze were allowed to return Sunday, police said.

The fire is the latest in a series of suspicious incidents at Muslim institu-

tions since the May 22 killing of a British soldier on a London street. Anti-Muslim actions and angry social media sentiment have emerged in Britain since the killing, including fires at mosques in north London and in the east coast city of Grimsby.

Prime Minister David Cameron’s government has formed a taskforce to examine the dynamics behind extremist groups in the country in the wake of the killing, which triggered demonstrations by a far-right group in several cities. The Metropolitan Police said it had increased patrols around “potentially vulnerable locations” in the area around the school and around London. (Excerpt from CNN)

Kuwaiti woman jailed over emir tweets

AKuwaiti court has sentenced a woman to 11 years in jail for insulting the emir and calling for regime change on social networking site Twitter.

Huda al-Ajmi, a 37-year-old teacher, has been also convicted of misusing her mobile phone.

She can appeal against the sentence.

Kuwait has punished several Twitter users in recent months for insulting its ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah, who is described as “immune and inviolable” in the constitution.

In May, an appeals court overturned a five-year sentence for prominent opposition figure Mussallam

al-Barrak who was convicted of “undermining” the ruling emir, says his defence lawyer.

The former Member of Parliament (MP) was arrested over remarks he made at a rally in October, urging the emir to avoid “autocratic” rule in Kuwait. Barrak was handed the sentence in April, but later freed on bail.

His trial prompted angry protests and clashes between activists and police.

There has been a recent clampdown in Kuwait, with activists and MPs being charged with insulting the emir through comments posted on social networking sites such as Twitter.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Afghan Taliban beheads two boys in Kandahar

The Taliban has beheaded two boys for spying in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, officials say.

The boys, 10 and 16, had been scavenging for food in bins near police headquarters when they were abducted.

They are thought to have regularly accepted food handouts from police. Analysts say the Taliban is known to target those suspected of colluding with police. But the Taliban has denied responsibility in this incident.

Spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi insisted to the BBC the group had not beheaded any children in the area.

Kandahar’s governor, however, condemned the acts as inhumane and unIslamic and the provincial

government has pinned the blame firmly on the militants.

Although the boys were abducted on Sunday, their bodies were only recovered on Monday morning in Kandahar’s Zhari district.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

tend the White House meetings, an Obama administration source said.

What has changed in recent weeks is the tilting of the battlefield against the rebels as Lebanese Hezbollah has entered the fray on the side of Assad’s forces, helping them to retake the strategic town of

That shift has made it less likely that a U.S. and Russian planned peace conference to bring the rebels and the government to the table would succeed in U.S. President Barack Obama’s aim of a negotiated political transition to remove

from power. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Taliban launches brazen attack on Kabul airport

Seven Taliban insurgents including suicide bombers attacked the main airport in the Afghan capital, Kabul, early on Monday, with explosions and gunfire heard near an area that also houses major foreign military bases.

The attackers took up positions inside a partially constructed building next to the international airport, interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said, and fought Afghan security forces for about four hours before the raid ended.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Roads were sealed off and flights out of the air-

port were quickly cancelled, while incoming flights were diverted to the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. Attacks on the heavily guarded airport, used by civilians and the military, are relatively rare and represent an ambitious target for insurgents, with recent assaults staged against less well-protected targets. While it did not escalate dramatically, Monday’s assault will add to mounting concerns over how the 352,000-strong Afghan security forces will cope with an intensifying insurgency once most foreign combat troops leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

(Excerpt from France24)

33 killed in Iraqi bombing

Arash of bombings and other attacks shook the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and the Baghdad area on Monday, killing at least 33 people and injuring many others, authorities said.

In Mosul, police appeared to have been targeted in a series of deadly attacks, starting with a suicide vehicle bombing at a security checkpoint.

That blast killed nine federal police officers and injured 28 other people, police and health officials in Mosul said.

The attack occurred at al-Sawas square in central Mosul, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

Later, three car bombs in western Mosul – two targeting federal police units, and one exploding near a hospital – killed five people and

injured 30 others, police said. Also in western Mosul on Monday evening, clashes between federal police and gunmen killed four people, police said.

And three mortar rounds landed on police headquarters in western Mosul, injuring 15 people, including 12 police officers, authorities said.

Near Baghdad, at least 15 people were killed and 30 were wounded Monday when three bombs targeting a vegetable market went off in quick succession, Iraqi parliament member Husain Hamham said.

The incident occurred in Jadidat al-Shat in Diyala province, more than six miles (10 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

Iraq continues to be beset with political and sectarian violence in recent months.

(Excerpt from CNN)

Qusair.

Assad

The salvage attempt had been held up by strong winds in recent weeks

A Free Syrian Army fighter rests in Aleppo’s Karm al-Jabal district, June 8

People gather outside the Royal Artillery Barracks, close to where Drummer Lee Rigby was killed, on May 26, London

Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah

Investors ready to inject US$4.5B into Trinidad

Phase Two of the Chaguaramas Boardwalk, which will include a mini golf course, rock-climbing facilities and a Carnival-themed Amusement Park, will cost government TT$35 million. And both local and foreign investors have expressed an interest in the development, noting they are ready to inject as much as US$4.5 billion into it.

During Friday’s sod-

North America

turning ceremony of the project, Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) CEO Joycelin Hargreaves told the media the boardwalk had already attracted local and international investors interested in partnering for the area’s development. “Phase Two of the boardwalk focuses on investment,” Hargreaves said. “We have investment opportunities for small as well as large investments. We have,

for example, vendor booths as well as mini-golf.”

Hargeaves said the CDA had partnered with InvesTT to assist with the investment opportunities. CDA chairman Daniel Solomon said the 1300-foot extension will start at the eastern end of the current boardwalk and end at Tembladora. He said Phase Two of the boardwalk was scheduled to be completed by the second quarter of 2014. (Trinidad Guardian)

Apple unveils music streaming service, revamps iOS

Apple Inc on Monday unveiled iTunes Radio, a free music streaming service that is a key part of overhauled mobile software that the company called the most revolutionary re-design of its operating system since the iPhone was introduced in 2007. As Apple kicked off its annual conference in San Francisco for its developers, executives also showed off a new line of Mac comput-

ers and said that updated Siri voice software used on the iPhone now incorporates Microsoft Corp’s Bing search engine.

iTunes Radio, which will compete against Pandora Media Inc, allows users to customise by genre and personal taste. The service is free with ads across Apple’s devices, including Apple TV. It is free of ads for subscribers to iTunes’ Match, a digital content feature. Called iOS

7, the smartphone and tablet platform redesigned by resident creative honcho Jonny Ive comes with a new edgeto-edge look that uses translucency to highlight underlying content, new typefaces, and new icons. Apple plans to make iOS 7 available in the fall. Kleiner Perkins venture capitalist Matt Murphy, who runs the firm’s iFund, tweeted that the new iOS platform “Looks livelier, happier, approachable.” (Reuters)

Italian tax authorities probe Glencore’s Sardinia plant

Swiss commodities trader Glencore said on Monday Italian tax authorities were investigating some transactions involving its plant in Sardinia. The news came after Italian tax police said they had uncovered tax evasion to the tune of more than 120 million euros (US$159 million) at a metals producer on the island of Sardinia.

The tax police did not name the company involved,

but said it was controlled by a Swiss-based international group. A source close to the matter told Reuters the business belonged to Glencore. Glencore, which owns a lead and zinc smelter at Portovesme in Sardinia, said the Italian tax authorities were reviewing transactions between the company and that plant. “All transactions were conducted in accordance with applicable Italian tax laws,” it said in

an emailed statement.

The tax police said they were investigating a Sardinia-based business that had in recent years evaded payments through “an audacious policy of ‘transfer pricing’” – buying raw materials at an inflated price from its Swiss parent.

Transfer pricing involves moving goods and services across international borders from one corporate unit to another. (Reuters)

Japan growth data revision adds to recovery hopes

Japan has revised up its growth numbers for the first three months of the year, adding to hopes of a recovery in the world’s thirdlargest economy. The economy grew one per cent between January and March, compared to the previous three months, indicating an annualised growth of 4.1 per cent, the cabinet office said. That is up from the initial estimates of 0.9 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth.

The data follows a series of aggressive policy moves aimed at spurring growth in Japan’s economy. The upward revision in the growth numbers helped lift investor morale, with the Nikkei 225 index jumping nearly five per cent.

The surge was led by Japan’s major exporters, with shares in Toyota rising 8.5 per cent and Sony up by nearly seven per cent.

“The overall impact of the

policy measures introduced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Japanese central bank is now starting to be felt,” Martin Schulz of Fujitsu Research Institute told the BBC. Market sentiment was also boosted by the drop in the yen’s value. The Japanese currency was trading close to 98.26 yen against the US dollar in Asia on Monday, down from the 94.98 yen high hit on Friday. (BBC News)

Deyaar set to launch two new projects in 2013

Dubai real estate firm Deyaar will launch two new projects this year, its CEO said, as well as starting sales on another major development. Saeed Al Qatami said that one of the new projects would be an AED500 million (US$136 million) residential development in the emirate’s Business Bay district, which it was in the process of securing bank financing for.

Al Qatami did not give any details of the second project, but said that the developer currently had a land bank of approximately one million square feet in Business Bay, located along Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai’s main thoroughfare.

“We have a good land bank and we’re going to start with Business Bay again. It’s promising, and more and more development is coming here,” he told reporters. Al Qatami added that Deyaar would also look to resume work on some of its projects that were halted during Dubai’s 2008 real estate crash, which saw property prices plummet by up to 65 per cent. “There were a number of projects put on hold after the crisis and now we’re going to start bringing those projects back,” he said, without specifying which projects. (Arabianbusiness)

What’s the right value for the NZ dollar?

The kiwi is finally falling as investors move their focus back to the U.S. economy. That’s good news for exporters but bad news for consumers who have become comfortable with the high dollar making everything cheaper – from books and clothes to overseas travel. So where are we hoping the dollar will settle?

Surely no one wants to see it hit lows of 38 US cents, which it touched at the start of the millennium. Petrol

above US$3 a litre anyone?

But there seems to be agreement, from the Reserve Bank down, that anything over 80 US cents is bad news for our export focused economy.

For the past few years, the kiwi and aussie dollars have been hot currencies for international investors. We have been among the only stable economies in the world that haven’t resorted to printing money. Our interest rates, the yield

the investors can get on a local currency, have been relatively much higher than in the U.S. and Europe. Markets are starting to anticipate an end to the stimulus in the U.S. They might be ahead of the gun and it may be some time yet before the U.S. Federal Reserve changes policy. But we are starting to get a taste of what is in store for us when America returns to more normal policy settings. (Nzherald)

Steps to developing an innovative solution to a problem

In today’s marketplace, the practice of innovation isn’t just about creating new products. It’s about discovering completely new markets that meet previously unknown and therefore untapped customer needs. And in the age of Internet commerce, the act of innovation becomes an even greater challenge, awash in a sea of new ideas. Therefore the drive toward selecting and executing the right ideas and bringing them to market before your

competitors takes on an urgency that has been previously unknown, yet is sure to increase in the rapidity of its scale in the years ahead. As a result, the driving forces behind innovation – previously technology and control of quality and cost – have shifted away from issues of efficiency and are now solely focused on the creativity and growth of the organisation toward a future state of competitiveness.

A perfect example can

be seen in the process of mobile payment via smartphone. Mobile payment has provided the ultimate in convenience to shoppers by preventing them from having to carry around credit cards and other means of payment. Though it has yet to become the norm for many businesses, mobile payment’s proliferation among start-ups is evidence of the desire to reach consumers through expediency and ease of use. (Business Dictionary)

All booths for building expo taken

–

no slowdown in construction boom, says housing minister

BY MICHAEL YOUNGE

All of the avail-

able space for the fourth staging of the International Building Exposition has already been occupied by new and old businesses, as well as exhibitors, even though the event is slated to be staged until next month.

This has forced the Housing and Water Ministry and the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) to resort to make alternative arrangements to accommodate another 20 exhibitors in light of what is being dubbed an “unprecedented wave of interest” in the event compared with previous years.

Housing Minister Irfaan Ali has since confirmed that the Building Exposition Committee is working feverishly to ensure that it identifies other parts of the Guyana National Stadium, which can be utilised to house more exhibitors who are still expressing interest in being part of this year’s event.

“I am heartened by the response from the private sector and several other businesses, both small and large scale that are part of the construction and building sectors,” said Minister Ali. “This unprecedented response, I dare say, is a signal of the confidence that our private sector and corporate partners have in the building exposition, which aims at creating an environment where new products, innovations and initiatives can take centre stage for businesses in the booming construction sector.”

Value added products

Minister Ali said he has advised the team to ensure that it dedicates a significant amount of its energies toward making provisions for new and existing exhibitors that show high levels of promise and interest in bringing value added products and services to consumers in the construction sector.

The minister is so far satisfied with the pace at which preparations for the Caribbean’s largest construction expo is progress-

ing, explaining that thus far a lot has been accomplished. He is adamant that the building expo is both “special” and “more promising” this year, when compared with previous years, noting that Guyanese will undoubtedly benefit from a wide array of deals and partnerships which could result in positive spill-over effects for entire households.

“We will again bring buyers and sellers as well as consumers to the same market place. Additionally, government recognises the role that the expo will play, particularly this year, in educating consumers while setting the stage for the country’s developmental thrust and potential to be showcases,” he said.

The minister strongly believes that the exposition this year will feature the creativity of key players in the building and construction sectors as far as making the construction of low income homes affordable is concerned.

Home ownership

Minister Ali said other offers and deals for new and existing homeowners can only be accessed at the exposition, and he encouraged Guyanese to exploit the benefits of an exposition of this magnitude. He said the team is already hard at work on executing the vision of the construction of the new “Silica City”, which is to be the main feature at Building Expo 4.

Ali said the ministry is involved in futuristic macroeconomic planning aimed at creating sustainable development, especially

where it related to meeting the growing demand for affordable housing.

“It is home ownership that transforms one’s lives. It is this simple accomplishment that sometimes breaks down barriers in the lives of thousands of Guyanese, allowing them the opportunity to live the Guyanese dream. Government is proud to roll out incentives like these that are designed for the betterment of our Guyanese people, regardless of geographic location, race, social standing or political associations,” he said.

Ali has dismissed assertions that there has been a decline in the “construction boom” in Guyana over the past two years. He said despite the regional and global crises, the country’s construction sector continues to make a valuable contribution to its Gross Domestic Product. “I believe what we have to guard against is a reduction in government spending which could come as a result of the highly charged political environment,” he said.

He said the ruling administration has no interest in reducing the amount of monies budgeted for the development of affordable housing for Guyanese. Nonetheless, he said that he was confident that decision makers and parliamentarians alike would do what is good for Guyana.

Job creation

“The right vision, the will, the commitment of a team, and strong partnerships with the private sector will continue to result in the execution of successful building expos. Our government is humbled by the transformation taking place in our economy and for us, this is our ultimate goal,” Ali concluded.

He said that this year’s international building expo is occurring at a time when expansion was engulfing the construction and building sector, which is responsible for the provision of jobs for thousands of Guyanese and hundreds of youths.

The minister said that each day, the sector pro-

vides temporary and in most cases permanent opportunities for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labourers to access jobs, thereby improving their livelihood. He acknowledged the work done by the men and women at every tier of the sector, explaining that they continue to make invaluable contributions towards the overall development of the country’s economy.

Ali believes that the work of his ministry has led to an unprecedented increase in the need for building materials and the services that the sectors offer. He acknowledged the fact that more and more homes are being erected in nontraditional areas and other housing schemes in the country at an improved pace.

Remigrant scheme

“More people are also returning to our country because of the initiatives of the government. As you know, we have devised and are constructing our new remigrant scheme for overseas-based Guyanese and so far, the response has been overwhelming,” he said with a big smile.

The International Building Expo was officially launched in 2010 under the presidency of Bharrat Jagdeo in July 2010, at the Princess International Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara. The first expo was held in August that year at the Guyana National Stadium.

At that event, Jagdeo joined thousands of other Guyanese to witness the official opening of the exposition and several other exhibitions and attractions that were on display. The expo was launched as a direct response to the growing demand in the building and construction sectors. It is a unique partnership involving the Housing and Water Ministry, the CHPA and the private sector.

The idea behind the event was to bring together all the stakeholders in building and construction from the block maker to the landscaper and the vision was to make the expo the premier building and construction exhibition in the Caribbean.

New 40-hour work-week announced

BY DANIELLE CAMpBELL-LOwE

Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul has announced a national five-day working week of 40 hours, which equals eight hours per day.

Gopaul made the announcement on Monday, stating that the new standard working will benefit 35,000 employees. He explained that flowing from this new initiative will be certain leave entitlements with respect to the national laws that are in place.

The minister added that all categories of workers will also benefit from the national minimum wage that will take effect on July 1 – the first in post-independent Guyana.

“This must be seen as protecting workers, 31,000 of whom would benefit… From domestic employees to retail store employees,” Dr Gopaul stated.

Protection for domestic workers

Government has also agreed to ratify Convention 189 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and auxiliary legislation to protect domestic workers. Gopaul noted that when Guyana signed on to the decent work convention in April 2012, government was given a commitment that the ILO would assist in executing training programmes for officials within the ministry in certain areas new to stakeholders.

Since then, the ILO has conducted seminars on occupational health and safety and coordinated programmes on various areas including green jobs. “As a country, we seek to grapple with climate change, we have to educate ourselves on the ramifications but we cannot create green jobs in a vacuum. We have to make other areas equally sound,” the minister pointed out.

As such, Guyana’s move to create a decent work environment by creating legislation and regulations is intent on protecting workers, their jobs, and rights.

Apart from that, government has committed itself internationally to the recog-

nition and ratification of important ILO conventions, such as the occupational health and safety standard.

Dr Gopaul revealed that arising out of that, the Labour Ministry, in collaboration with the Natural Resources Ministry, perused regulations for the mining sector and has since forwarded this to Cabinet for implementation.

He described the 308page document as voluminous, and noted that it will be ratified very soon with contributions from the ILO. “We intend very shortly to create other regulations for the forestry sector as governed by the occupational health and safety guidelines. We want to protect workers’ rights.”

Security for workers

Dr Gopaul stated that with continued support from the trade union movement in creating an atmosphere of security for workers, the ministry will be conducting a series of exercises with employees and shop owners throughout this month.

This, he said, is to apprise employers about their roles and responsibilities as it relates to the regulations that will come into being on the new minimum wage. The minister believes that once the groundwork is laid and the parameters are set, employers will fall in line. “We don’t want to wantonly prosecute employers or anyone. We want to ensure they are in strict compliance and that they understand their obligations as it relates to the regulations and labour laws in the country.”

It is for this reason the Labour Ministry recently conducted training with foreign employers by providing them with the relevant information and translating the labour laws into Portuguese and Chinese.

Gopaul stressed that the ministry will continue to work with the social partners in this development drive, and reiterated government’s commitment to the promotion of decent work for all, a healthy environment and better working conditions.

City councillors fume over stipend cut

Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green on Monday moved a motion to restore monies which were axed from councillors’ allowances based on the instructions of the acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba.

He received the majority of the council’s support when councillors voted on Monday during the staging of the monthly statutory meeting. In accordance with the Municipal and District

Council’s Act, Chapter 28:01, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council normally pays councillors $45, 000 each per month in allowances with the exception of the mayor and deputy mayor. But, Sooba recently took the decision to pay councillors based on the number of meetings they attend per month, contending that many of the councillors are often absent. However, on Monday, Mayor Green told the coun-

cil that the move to reduce councillors’ allowances is unconstitutional. He said recently he has been inundated with complaints from councillors about their allowances being slashed. “I want to advise that the monies be restored,” said the mayor According to Green, he has since written junior Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker for his intervention. Mayor Green

said the letter was delivered on May 17 and approximately two weeks after the council is left with no other choice than to make a decision for itself since the minister has not responded.

Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green said Sooba has no authority to cut funding stipulated by law. Alluding to Section 45, Chapter 28:01 of the Municipal Act, ChaseGreen said the council is mandated to pay council-

lors their allowances. She said nowhere in the law, it says councillors must be paid based on the number of meetings they attend. Before the voting took place, Finance Committee Chairman Junior Garret cautioned both the mayor and deputy mayor to await a response from the minister. He said while the council can rule for the restoration of the allowances, the treasurer only adheres to the in-

structions of the acting town clerk. Contacted on the issue, Whittaker told Guyana Times that the move to cut the allowances is constitutional. He said it was he who instructed Sooba to pay the councillors in accordance with the number of meetings they attend. He said the taxpayers’ money cannot be used to pay persons who are failing to take up their responsibilities.

Housing Minister Irfaan Ali

SUDOKU

Normally, you strive to be considerate with everyone you encounter. However, for some reason today, you might put your interests above all others.

By Bernice Bede Osol

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

It’s not like you to fail to display proper gratitude to those who do you special favours, yet that might be the case today. Sadly, it could leave a scar.

Much give-and-take might be required between you and your one-and-only. A lack of consideration on your part would do great harm, with wounded feelings resulting.

If a friend who has been kind to you many times in the past is now in need of your support, don’t disappear. It’s time to step up.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

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

Owing to an inability to accurately judge another’s character, you could form a relationship with someone who has a questionable reputation. Don’t make any permanent commitments.

(March 21-April 19)

To acquire something you want, you might deliberately step on someone’s toes. You’d be smart to make sure the prize is worth the price.

(April 20-May 20)

If you find that companions are not as infatuated with your plans as you are, be prepared to either compromise or go your way alone. Don’t force your desires on others.

(May 21June 20)

Watch out for a hotshot salesperson with a dazzling pitch, who will attempt to palm off what is clearly inferior merchandise. Don’t let your guard down for one minute.

Don’t put needless strain on a good friendship by making too many unreasonable demands. If you’re inconsiderate, you’re likely to break up the relationship for good.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

You may operate with great effectiveness in a competitive development, but your accomplishments will mean little if you use tactics that are dishonest or underhanded.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Surprisingly, someone who always endorses your ideas might be diametrically opposed to your way of thinking. Don’t use forcefulness to compel compliance.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

If this should turn out to be a financially trying day, don’t further aggravate the situation by yielding to extravagant inclinations. Live within your means.

Peanuts

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Husband remains prime suspect in Mahaicony woman’s death

A34-year-old truck driver remains in custody for the suspected murder of his wife, Vanessa Seeram, 32, who was found dead tied to a bed, sitting on a chair on Saturday evening in her Strong Broom, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara home.

According to a police source, investigators are treating the incident as a suicide, but he explained there is a little doubt that it was not, thus the deceased’s husband is the prime suspect until the post-mortem examination is performed on Wednesday.

He said the police will also have to take into consideration the 72-hour detention period, but inves-

tigators are relying on the post-mortem examination report to determine whether charges will be instituted against the suspect.

The couple’s 15-year-old son, who reportedly found the body was released, but is still in a state of shock and disbelief.

Seeram was reportedly found on Saturday evening about 21:25h by her eldest son, who called out to her and received no answer. The woman and the suspect are believed to be alcoholics and often engage in heated arguments, some reportedly ending in physical fights.

It was reported that the woman’s husband claimed that he left the house at about 21:00h to use the lavatory in the yard and, after

25 minutes, he returned to the house and found the woman sitting on a chair with a piece of rope around her neck, which was tied to the bed.

It was also reported that the woman was having an extra-marital relationship, which she had denied when asked by her husband

A neighbour explained that, on the night of the incident, the couple had a heated discussion after he again accused her of having an affair.

The argument escalated and punches where thrown at each other. After a few minutes, he said that the place became extremely silent and everything seemed normal until he heard the woman’s son screaming that his mother is dead.

Kuru Kururu woman was beaten to death – autopsy

Apost-mortem examination performed on the body of Shaneeza Ramdat of Kuru Kururu squatting area, who was allegedly killed by her estranged husband on Saturday on the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway, gave the cause of death as multiple lacerations to the neck.

The post-mortem examination was performed by pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh at the Georgetown Public Hospital on Monday.

However, police confirmed that the suspect, Shameer Ally, who attempted suicide by slashing his throat, has shown signs of improvement, but remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital under guard. His relatives have been denied access to see him and have expressed their displeasure of this de-

cision.

On this note, police sources told Guyana Times that they have to be extremely careful as to who they permit to see the man. They confirmed that only close relatives are allowed at this point in time, while underscoring that he is a murder suspect and there are certain privileges that are taken away.

On Sunday, relatives related that Ally claimed that he cannot remember what transpired on the fateful day, but investigators are however preparing charges against him as soon as he is discharged.

Shaneeza Ramdat, 23, called “Reshma”, formerly of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, was allegedly stabbed by her commonlaw husband on Saturday at the Kuru Kururu squat-

ting area, Soesdyke/ Linden Highway home where they were residing.

After the incident, Ally is believed to have slashed his throat with a knife and was found in a clump of bushes a short distance away from the house that the couple shared for almost three weeks.

According to reports, she was harvesting pineapples, using a knife, to take for her children who are staying with their father on West Coast Demerara when a heated argument began between the couple.

Guyana Times learnt that the argument led to a scuffle, resulting in Ally wrestling the knife from the woman’s hand and allegedly stabbing her repeatedly. He then escaped into the bushes where he reportedly attempted to commit suicide.

NSA leak prompts questions over U.S. reliance on contractors

The U.S. government may have to reconsider how much it relies on outside defence contractors who are given top security clearances after an NSA contractor exposed top-secret phone and Internet surveillance programmes.

Stewart Baker, former general counsel at the NSA and former assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Homeland Security.

screening protocols.

TO lET

289 Thomas St, middle and top floor of storey house. Phone: 2277365

Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old systems technician at Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp, admitted on Sunday that he divulged details of the National Security Agency’s programmes to The Guardian and Washington Post.

Booz shares fell 2.6 per cent on Monday, and peers such as SAIC and General Dynamics fell as much as 1.7 per cent.

“We do need to take another, closer look at how we control information and how good we are at identifying what people are doing with that information,” said

Baker said Snowden’s leaks show the need for the government to tighten up what can be seen by contractors, as well as government employees.

“Are we challenging him, are we auditing him? Are we taking measures to be sure he doesn’t have wide-ranging access to stuff that is not relevant to him?” Baker said of a theoretical contractor with wide-ranging access.

Companies like Booz became a cornerstone of the U.S. government’s national security efforts after the September 11 attacks. With a massive ramp-up in security operations came the need for organisations that could move quickly to implement new rules, regulations, and

But that did not always go smoothly. A notorious example is the company formerly known as Blackwater, which agreed last summer to pay fines for trying to operate in Sudan despite sanctions. The company had previously been a source of strained U.S.Iraqi relations over shootings there. The U.S. government spends more than US$300 billion a year on services that are contracted out, according to Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, an independent watchdog that investigates corruption and misconduct in government.

“The government workforce has pretty much stayed the same over the last 30 to 40 years but we’ve supplemented that with a contractor workforce that has grown dramatically,” he said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

TUESDAY,

South Africa win puts Pakistan on brink

Hashim Amla’s 81 and a disciplined bowling display gave South Africa a 67-run win that pushed Pakistan to the brink of Champions Trophy elimination on Monday.

Amla’s effort, along with 31 from AB de Villiers and 28 from Faf du Plessis, helped the Proteas to 234-9.

But, chasing what was no more than a par score on a slowing Edgbaston pitch, Pakistan were restricted to only 167.

South Africa could reach the semi-finals with a win over West Indies, while Pakistan must beat India.

West Indies first meet India on Tuesday, with the winner of that game well placed to secure a last-four spot.

Both South Africa and Pakistan were defeated in their opening games of the tournament but, while the Proteas, and their bowlers in particular, showed great improvement at Edgbaston, Pakistan displayed familiar failings.

Seam pair Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Ryan McLaren, who conceded 153 between them in the loss to India, went for only 42 in their combined 17 overs, while Chris Morris – in for the injured Morne Morkel –impressed on debut as the attack compensated for the batsmen’s earlier failure to capitalise on a sturdy start.

After Amla shared stands

of 53 with Colin Ingram and 59 with Du Plessis, the Proteas faltered badly, scoring only 112 runs in the final 22 overs – despite having nine wickets in hand.

That was down both to sharp Pakistan fielding and another strong showing from a bowling unit that almost rescued Misbah-ulHaq’s side after they were bowled out for 170 in the defeat by the Windies.

On that occasion, only Misbah and Nasir Jamshed reached double figures, and it was that pair on whom Pakistan again relied in Birmingham.

Displaying an early caution that invited pressure, Pakistan saw Imran Farhat lose his off stump and Mohammad Hafeez caught

Denesh Ramdin banned over catch claim

West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has received a two-match one-day international ban for claiming a catch he dropped in the Champions Trophy win against Pakistan.

The 28-year-old claimed a catch off Misbah-ul-Haq, but could be seen grounding and picking up the ball.

The International Cricket Council found him guilty of “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”.

He will miss the games against India and South Africa.

Ramdin, who has also been fined all of his match fee, pleaded not guilty and still has the right to appeal.

After initially taking the edge, Ramdin grounded the ball and was seen picking it up off the ground.

Misbah was initially given out caught off the bowling of Kemar Roach, only for the decision to be overturned on review.

Chris Broad, a member of the ICC’s panel of match referees, adjudicated over Ramdin’s case and said: “This is regarded as a seri-

Denesh Ramdin

ous offence as it is the responsibility of all players to act in the spirit of the game.

“I hope Mr Ramdin has learnt his lesson from this incident and that we will not see such behaviour by him or any player in the future.”

The West Indies’ twowicket win at The Oval on Friday means they will be close to a place in the semi-finals if they beat India on the same ground on Tuesday.

However, they will have to do so without Ramdin, and have no other recognised keeper in their squad. (BBC Sport)

on the hook – Morris the bowler on both occasionsbefore JP Duminy crept an off-break through Shoaib Malik’s defence.

Misbah joined Jamshed with only 48 on the board in the 18th over and the scoring rate was upped before Jamshed offered a return catch to Tsotsobe on 42.

Misbah sought to consolidate after the wicket and was booed by some parts of the partisan Birmingham crowd, but as the captain attacked during the batting powerplay, Umar Amin and Kamran Akmal fell in the same McLaren over –Akmal to a sharp catch by Du Plessis at point.

Misbah continued his aggression, only to shovel Tsotsobe to Amla at mid-

wicket for 55, effectively ending the contest. McLaren ran through the tail for figures of 4-19.

“As a batting unit, we can say we are totally lost,” said Misbah.

“One day it’s praise, one day it’s boos. When you perform well, everybody appreciates us. When you play like this, you deserve them.”

The insipid chase only served to highlight the importance of Amla’s earlier contribution and the costliness of Amin’s drop at point when the right-hander was on seven.

That was one of several fierce cut shots from Amla, who was also adept at working through mid-wicket and moving across his stumps to negate the Pakistan spin-

ners.

Reverse sweeps were also a feature of his play, but brought his downfall as he gloved Saeed Ajmal to Hafeez at short third man shortly after Du Plessis miscued a hook off Mohammad Irfan into the covers.

De Villiers announced his arrival by pulling Malik over the mid-wicket fence. However, his dismissal –run out in a mix-up with Duminy – was a signal of things to come.

Duminy, Morris and

Aaron Phangiso all went to direct hits as Robin Peterson and David Miller provided some rare late boundaries but Amla had already made the telling contribution.

“We didn’t have a lot to defend,” said Amla. “But the way we fielded and bowled up front made 230 seem a lot more than it was.

“In this competition, if you lose the first one you are pretty much under the pressure to win the next two. Fortunately we got on the board.” (BBC Sport)

SCOREBOARD

South Africa innings

C Ingram lbw b Mohammad Hafeez 20

H Amla c Mohammad Hafeez

b Saeed Ajmal 81

F du Plessis c Shoaib Malik

b Mohammad Irfan 28

AB de Villiers*† run out (Misbah-ul-Haq) 31

JP Duminy run out (Misbah-ul-Haq) 24

D Miller c Misbah-ul-Haq b Junaid Khan 19

R McLaren lbw b Shoaib Malik 4

R Peterson not out 16

C Morris run out (Wahab Riaz) 1

A Phangiso run out (†Kamran Akmal) 0

Extras: (lb5, w4, nb1) 10

Total: (9 wkts, 50 overs) 234

Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-122, 3-145, 4-186, 5-195, 6-203, 7-231, 8-234, 9-234

Bowling: Mohammad Irfan 7-1-27-1, Junaid Khan 8-045-1, Mohammad Hafeez 10-0-38-1, Wahab Riaz 9-050-0, Saeed Ajmal 10-0-421, Shoaib Malik 6-0-27-1

Jamshed c & b Tsotsobe 42 Mohammad Hafeez c Miller b Morris 7 Shoaib Malik b Duminy 8 Misbah-ul-Haq* c Amla b Tsotsobe 55

2

Umar Amin c Ingram b McLaren 16 Kamran Akmal† c du Plessis b McLaren 0 Wahab Riaz b Phangiso 13 Saeed Ajmal c Ingram b McLaren 5

BCCI initiates “Operation Clean-Up”

he BCCI has an-

Tnounced its first set of proposals to “clean up” the IPL, measures ranging from financial disclosures by players and team owners to curbing the tournament’s controversial “entertainment” quotient, including putting a stop to cheerleaders and after-match parties.

The measures are part of “Operation Clean-Up,” announced by acting BCCI head Jagmohan Dalmiya at the end of a working committee meeting in Delhi on Monday. It aims to curb corruption and remove “sleaze” in the IPL by enforcing a “strict code of conduct” for players, support staff and owners, after the 2013 season was hit by charges of spot-fixing against players and by allegations that team owners were involved in ille-

gal betting.

Players will be required to reveal sources of their earnings, and owners will have to furnish details of payments and their contractual obligations with players and support staff.

Access to the players’ dugout and dressing room has been tightened once again, with Dalmiya saying that team owners will be restricted from these areas during matches. Owners were allowed in the dug-out and dressing room during the first season in 2008, but following complaints had been prevented from entering those areas thereafter. They now have seating arrangements close to the dug-out. Top officials of two teams, Gurunath Meiyappan of the Chennai Super Kings and Raj Kundra

of Rajasthan Royals, have confessed to taking part in illegal betting, according to the Mumbai and Delhi police.

Dalmiya also said that “no selector will be allowed to get associated with any franchise in any capacity.”

No member of India’s current selection panel is attached to any franchise, but former selection chairman Kris Srikkanth was brand ambassador for the Super Kings for a period at the start of the IPL.

Players and support staff will need to provide their telephone numbers to the BCCI before the IPL, and there will be a larger number of officials from the BCCI’s AntiCorruption and Security Unit at grounds and hotels during the tournament. It was also said that cell phone

towers at the ground could be jammed during matches. No decision was taken on the strategic time-out, which accounts for five minutes of every IPL match. The two intervals of two and a half minutes each allow teams to strategise with support staff, and commercially it creates 300 seconds of advertising space. However, according to police investigations that led to more than 25 bettingrelated arrests, the time-out was also an ideal period for the syndicates to adjust their session and spot odds.

Operation Clean Up is a work in progress, Dalmiya said, and IPL captains will be called for a meeting and franchises will also be consulted before a blueprint could be finalised at another working committee meeting. (Cricinfo)

Mercedes and Pirelli tyre test hearing set for June 20

Mercedes and Pirelli have been called to appear before F1’s international tribunal to answer charges over their controversial tyre test. Tyre supplier Pirelli used Mercedes for a three-day test in May. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said it “may constitute a breach” of rules forbidding mid-season testing.

The hearing will take place on June 20 before a judging panel in Paris, with the FIA saying a decision will be published “as soon as possible”.

The tribunal was called after Mercedes’ rivals Red Bull and Ferrari protested against their use of a 2013 car to help Pirelli in a 1000-kilometre test in Barcelona.

Neither Pirelli nor

Mercedes told the other teams about the test, which took place for three days after the Spanish Grand Prix, and drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg wore nonidentifiable helmets.

Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn told BBC Sport the arrangements for their controversial Pirelli tyre test were based on “privacy not secrecy”.

But the team are deemed to be in breach of the in-season testing laws, with a widerange of sanctions available to the tribunal, including a fine, points deduction, race ban, or exclusion from the championship.

The exact nature of the charges faced by Pirelli, and any potential penalty for the Italian manufacturers, is not clear (BBC Sport)

Hashim Amla

Heat beat Spurs in game two to tie NBA Finals

MIAMI – Mario

Chalmers led the charge, James broke out to finish it with a flurry and the Heat used a 33-5 run to rout the San Antonio Spurs 103-84 on Sunday night and even the series at one game apiece.

James missed 10 of 13 shots through three quarters and the Heat trailed by a point late in the period before unleashing the lethal brand of basketball that led them to a franchise-record 66 wins this season.

Chalmers finished with 19 points, and James had 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three blocks – the best on Tiago Splitter’s dunk attempt – while shooting only seven of 17 from the field.

For two days following Game one, the thought was that James needed to do more for his teammates. Turns out, it was Chalmers and the supporting cast who did something for James.

points on five of 14 shooting for the Spurs, who were so precise in their 92-88 victory in Game one but threw the ball all over the white-surrounded court Sunday, committing 17 turnovers that led to 19 Miami points.

“In the second half they just run us over,’’ the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili said. “We didn’t move the ball at all. Their pressure really got us on our heels.’’

Tim Duncan shot three of 13 and finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

control of the scoring as the game was slipping away from the Heat.

He didn’t need to. Not with Chalmers making big shots, the Heat’s defence forcing the Spurs to look shaky all over the floor, and a barrage of second-half threepointers.

James finally got some openings late, hanging from the rim an extra second not long after a sensational blocked shot freed him up for a fast break.

“So I think Rio more than anybody kept us aggressive, him getting into the paint, him getting those and-ones and making a couple of 3s. It allowed me to sit back and wait for my time.’’

The Heat made 10 of 19 three-pointers and got 13

“Honestly, for me, when I was struggling offensively, my teammates continued to keep it in range,’’ James said. “And we even had a lead at one point, especially late in the second quarter when we made that run and I was struggling a little bit.

points from Ray Allen, and 12 points and 10 rebounds from the previously slumping Chris Bosh.

Danny Green made all six shots, including five three-pointers, and scored 17 points for the Spurs. They host Game three tonight.

Tony Parker had 13

Fearless Windies ready to battle India

LONDON – West Indies will look for their second victory and move a step closer to the semi-finals when they face-off against India at the Oval today.

Both teams enter the match with a win – Windies over Pakistan and India over South Africa – so the winners of today’s match will take a giant leap towards the final four of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.

West Indies are brimming with confidence following their resolute performance against the Pakistanis and Head Coach Ottis Gibson backed his charges to get the better of the Indians.

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

Pointing out that the ICC World T20 win in Sri Lanka last October has given the team supreme selfbelief, Gibson said: “Over in Sri Lanka... winning the tournament there gave us obviously huge belief that yes, we can win. We know we have the superstars, we know we have the players, and have the talent and the ability. Sri Lanka gave us a huge belief that we can win and you’ll see a sort of renewed attitude within the team that when we come to major tournaments we’re not just here to make the numbers up anymore.

“The rankings say that we are now eighth in the world. We know that on our day we’re capable of beating the number one team, we’re capable of beating any team in a format like this where it’s so short and every game matters, so we have to bring our A game. And that is why we put in all the time in the nets and stuff like that to make sure that every game we are on top of our game and looking to win.”

Gibson added: “Like I said just then about entertainment value, that’s the one thing you will get when you come into the stadium to watch West Indies play – you will be entertained. There was a time not long ago where we entertained you and ended up on the wrong side of the result, and we’re hoping to change that. We saw against

Pakistan a very close, entertaining match; low-scoring but very entertaining, and we actually got the right result.”

In the opening game Kemar Roach starred with the ball to win the Man of the Match award and jumped to 15th place in the ICC ODI bowling rankings. He took three early wickets as Pakistan were bowled out for 170. Roach’s pace and swing was well backed up by the clever offspin of Sunil Narine, who cemented his spot at the top of the ICC ODI bowling chart.

“Over the last two years of his career, he’s had a really good time. He’s done very well for us,” Gibson said of the 24-year-old Roach. “Coming into this tournament he hadn’t been at his best, and he’s put a lot of work in

and I’m really pleased for him that the work that he put in has paid off. He’s a big player for us and we needed a performance like that from him, and we’re very pleased for him, and we hope that he can do the same again tomorrow (today).”

Gibson said of Narine: “Of course we know what he can do for us, but he’s got a part to play in the game as well as the other five bowlers that we picked, so we expect everybody to play their part – the captain and the fielders around him – to take the pressure off him. Generally if you’re playing and you feel like you’re under pressure you don’t perform to your best, so we want him to try and be as relaxed and comfortable as he can and back his skills and his ability to get the job done for us.” (WICB)

“We didn’t play well. We didn’t shoot well. I know I played awfully,’’ Duncan said. “Whatever it may be, they responded better than us. So hopefully we can look forward to this Game three and regain some of our composure.’’

James insisted he wouldn’t force himself to do more after he had a tripledouble in Game one but never seized the opportunity to take

The often-maligned Chalmers is frequently found in Heat highlights being yelled at by James or another Miami veteran. But he’s as cocky as any of the superstars in Miami, and he has the big-moment plays to back up his bravado, from a tying shot for Kansas in the 2008 NCAA championship game to his 25 points in Game four of last year’s finals. (Yahoo! Sport)

CPL’s plans for...

The Caribbean Premier League will be going Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica despite some unforeseen challenges, and organisers are confident that the Jamaica fans will get their money’s worth and enjoy the full CPL cricket experience.

Sabina Park and Jamaica Cricket Association officials announced last week that the lights at the stadium that are being installed, and which would allow for night matches to be played, will not be ready in time for the inaugural tournament. The revelation has caused CPL officials to tweak the tournament schedule in order to accommodate the Jamaica matches.

“It is unfortunate that Sabina Park was unable to secure its lights in time for the CPL but we have done what we can to ensure that Team Jamaica fans will not miss out on home matches or be excluded from the CPL excitement,” said CPL CEO Damien O’ Donohoe. “Sabina Park is an important ground in the history of West Indies cricket, and a popular venue for fans so we felt it was vital to keep the matches at this ground.”

The Jamaica matches will now take place on Thursday, August 15 at 14:00h (Jamaica vs Guyana); Saturday, August 17 featuring a doubleheader at 10am (St Lucia vs Trinidad and Tobago) and 14:00h (Jamaica vs Barbados); and Sunday, August 18 at 14:00h (Jamaica vs Trinidad and Tobago).

O’ Donohoe also noted another change in the schedule, saying that as a result of feedback from fans, all matches in the other five franchise countries (Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia and Trinidad) will start at 19:30h. On days where there are two matches, the first match will take place at 15:00h.

CPL event organisers are pulling out all the stops to get fans to Sabina as they are well aware of the challenges that the new dates and times might pose

for people who want to come out to the matches.

“These four matches will be filled with lots of entertainment; fans will not feel left out of the CPL party experience or disappointed with what we have planned for them,” said CPL Event Director Rhonda Kelly. “Each match will open with live performances by popular local artistes, and there will also be a performance during the match break. Of course we’ll have a DJ and iron band and all the elements of a cricket match that Sabina is known for. We’ll also have stilt walkers and face painting for fans to show their team pride and lots of giveaways and promotions courtesy of Digicel, CPL’s major sponsor. As it is summer and the kids are out of school, there is a lot that we can do in terms of family entertainment and we hope that families will take advantage of these safe, fun and affordable events.”

Digicel excitement

Digicel is already creating major buzz and excitement around the CPL, and will increase its marketing efforts in order to fill seats at the Jamaica matches.

“The Digicel ‘Play Your Part’ promotion on Facebook where fans can win the chance to present the Man of the Match award or participate in the coin toss is already generating much interest but we’re going to do more to target the Jamaica fan base,” explained James Wynne, Digicel Group head of sponsorship. “We’re going to do some text promotions, give away some tickets, special access passes, smartphones and other cricket memorabilia, all with the intent of ensuring that everyone comes out to play at Sabina in August.”

The first ever Caribbean Premiere League begins on Tuesday July 30 in Barbados, and concludes with semi-final and final matches played in Trinidad. (CPL)

LeBron James (right) celebrate with Dwyane Wade (centre) and Ray Allen

West Indies training session at the Oval on Monday (WICB Media photo/Philip Spooner)

Wilson optimistic about George’s chances at World Championships

Coach of the Police Sports Club Lyndon Wilson is optimistic about Olympian Winston George’s chances at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia in August after he ran the 200m B standard time for the Saturday at the New Jersey International meet.

George, who clocked 20.59s to eclipse the B standard time of 20.60s, missing the A standard seven hundredth of a second, is expected to make the A standard time and qualify for the 400 metres by Wilson.

“First I must say that it is a great achievement for him and I can guarantee the public of Guyana that he will make both of the qualifying times and lower them to the A standard.

“He has been there for a month and he is breaking down his times very fast, I had a chat with him and he is scheduled to run in Canada soon and he guaranteed me that he will lower the time. The thing is, that was surprising for me; he ran the time one hour-he

ran the 400 metres and to do that with that type of lactic acid build up speaks of goods things,” Wilson told Guyana Times Sport.

Further, Wilson believes that if George is supported by Guyana he should do well at the World Championships.

“I can tell you he is very focused and dedicated and I must say thanks to the Guyana Police Force for

giving him this opportunity and I believe if everyone comes onboard; corporate Guyana, the government, the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG)…I’m seeing an athlete that can reach the semi-final and anything can happen,” Wilson stated.

Meanwhile, George is expected to run in Canada next weekend and will return to Guyana in August after the World Championships.

West Demerara lift DCB Inter-Association U-17 title

– DCB

names squad for Inter-County U-17 competition

West Demerara lift-

ed the Demerara Cricket Board

(DCB) Inter-Association Under-17 title after recording the most victories in the tournament that prematurely ended on Monday due to the inclement weather.

West Demerara won two of their matches with the third game being washed out. On Saturday they defeated Georgetown by 21 runs before thrashing East Coast Demerara by 73 runs on Sunday.

GHRA approves amendments to draft legislation

– to be re-submitted to

By Rajiv Bisnauth

The Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) approved the changes made to the draft legislation at a special general meeting on Sunday at the Kennard Memorial Turf Club, paving the way for the legislation to be re-submitted to Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony.

In an invited comment on Monday, President of the GHRA, Cecil Kennard said that the draft legislation will be re-submitted to the minister on Friday.

The amendments to the draft legislation were made after they were requested by Anthony following a meeting with the body in May.

The approved changes to the GHRA Act, which will allow the “Sport of Kings” to be run more effectively, include: increasing the number of the racing authority’s members from nine to 15, including the Bush Lot United Turf Club as a member of the GHRA, and implementing a two-year term for members of the GHRA.

Another change will see the GHRA having the power to schedule race dates for race meets in the event a club is unable to run off an event.

“The draft legislation is very straight forward, so I don’t think the Parliament will have any problem in dealing with the legislation” Kennard said.

sport minister on Friday

Kennard reiterated that the lack of adequate legislation remains the main reason for the sport still not being properly administered.

“Things are not to the level as it ought to be and people are still doing what they feel like, and we cannot nail them because there is no legislation,” Kennard explained.

The GHRA president also said that unless there are legislations in place, various forms of indiscretions by many unscrupulous horse and stable owners will continue to plague the sport. The former judge noted that many owners and trainers apply questionable practices to win, including doping, which significantly shortens the life span of a race horse.

“If we have the legislation we will ensure a saliva test taken and analyse and any persons found to have been responsible for the dop-

ing, be it owner or trainer will be punished, providing we have the legislation. At the moment we cannot do that because we do not have the power to ban anyone,” Kennard added.

In April, a horse from the Jumbo Jet stable collapsed and died midway through the race. Observers are of the opinion that the animal was overdosed with a banned substance.

Also at the meeting, a decision was taken with regards to jockeys and trainers, who are not registered and have outstanding licence fees. It was agreed that they have until July 15 to settle their accounts and become registered.

The GHRA president further mentioned that if a club is unable to run off its race meet on the original scheduled date, the club must seek approval for a new date from the GHRA.

Ming wins Trophy Stall golf tournament

Meanwhile, the DCB announced their squad for the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-County Under-17 competition which is scheduled to bowl off on Friday.

Squad: Travis Persaud (captain), Tevin Imlach (vice captain), Ronaldo Renee, Chetenarine Pooran,

East Coast Demerara and Georgetown won one game each. Georgetown defeated East Bank Demerara on Friday, while East Coast Demerara defeated East Bank Demerara on Saturday.

Sherfane Rutherford, Clitus Johnson, Devendra Chunilall, Navindra Seeraj, Navendra Persaud, Keshram Keyhodan, Mark Hamilton, Daniel Basdeo, Carlton Jacques, and Shamar Grayham.

Standby: Samuel McKenzie, Sahadeo Ramkellwan, Nioli Reddy, Steven Mangal, Devroy Williams, and Josha Ram. The manager is Robert Adonis while Gavin Nedd has been appointed head coach.

Colin Ming defied tough conditions and a strong field to win last Saturday’s Trophy Stall sponsored Medal Play golf tournament at the Lusignan Golf Course, East Coast Demerara.

Ming shot net 68 from gross 81 playing off 13 handicap to come out victorious after rain had threatened to force the postponement of the tournament. He also had the best gross of 81.

Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) president Jerome Khan copped the second position after he shot net 69

from 87 gross playing off 18 handicap.

Lakeram Ramsundar, an 11 handicapper, finished third with net 70 from gross 81, while Clifford Reis placed fourth with net 73 gross 93 (20 handicap). Brian Glasford was Nearest to the Pin.

Yog Mahadeo, secretary of the LGC, was high in praise for proprietor Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall who has continued to be a firm supporter of golf in Guyana.

According to Mahadeo, the LGC looks forward to continued partnership with

Trophy Stall well into the future.

The company was represented by Leroy Jack, who assisted in presenting the prizes to the outstanding players.

Meanwhile, the Wartsila Guyana Operationssponsored tournament is scheduled for Saturday, weather permitting, as the LGC prepares to run off a double-header programme this weekend.

The previously re-scheduled Safeway Security Pro/ Am tournament is carded for Sunday.

Cecil Kennard

Dr Frank Anthony

Trophy Stall representative Leroy Jack (centre) with prize winners. Tournament champion Colin Ming was absent

West Demerara captain Travis Persaud receiving the winning trophy from Chairman of the DCB Junior Selectors, Nazim Drepaul

Winston George Lyndon Wilson

Wado Ryu Association stages junior championship

The Guyana Wado

Ryu Karate

Association hosted its annual junior karate championships last Sunday at Banks DIH Sports Club at Thirst Park with participants coming from karate schools at Eccles, West Bank Essequibo and Thirst Park.

Sierra Evans won the 6-8 year mixed A squad division, beating into second position Jeremiah Headley, while Armand Khan placed third and Towana Success, fourth.

The 6-8 mixed B squad was won by Kaleem Majeed, with Matthew Beharry securing the second position, Shamar Prince finished third and Sadelle Britton, fourth.

Joshua Campbell placed first in the 9-11 Boys’ A

was won by Shania DeGroot from Jamaicy McAllister and Alicia Benjamin, while the 12-15 mixed division saw Lennox Brummell taking first position with Godfrey Lawrence coming second; Samela Britton was third and Simeon Campbell, fourth.

Chief Instructor, Sensei Winson Dunbar, and president of the Guyana Wado Ryu Karate Association, Darren Nurse, supervised the tournament.

DeGroot was the

squad with Shay Britton occupying second place, Leonard Garraway, third, and O’Neal Lawrence, fourth.

winner of the Boys 9-11 B squad with Kristoff Persaud finishing second, Darren

Digicel aiming for 160 schools in third

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

Wfootball competition

ith the aim of attracting a record 160 schools from the 10 regions of Guyana, Digicel on Monday launched its third annual schools’ football championships in the Savannah Suites of the Pegasus Hotel.

The premier secondary school football competition is set to kick off on June 21.

At the launch, officials of Digicel and its partners outlined their vision for the tournament, which has already attracted 130 schools so far. In the inaugural tournament in 2011, 128 schools participated while last year that number rose to 152.

This year the telecommunication company is seeking to surpass the number of entries from last year, and from all indications, it is on course to do so. Already, 20 new schools have registered to be part of this year’s programme.

Right step

Speaking at the launch, president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Christopher Matthias, said the investment in football at the school level by Digicel is a step in the right direction.

“Let me assure you that the Guyana Football Federation will continue to support such noteworthy initiatives in establishing a national development structure, policy and programme in an environment of transparency and accountability for the good governance and development of this beautiful game we love so much, football, particularly at the grassroots level,” Matthias remarked.

The GFF head lauded the management of Digicel for their foresight in having such a tournament, noting that the development of the game must start in the schools.

With the aim of ensuring that the 2013 tournament matches surpasses the success rate of the previous two competitions, Marketing Executive of Digicel, Jacqueline James, said the company has been working assiduously to lay the groundwork.

“I just want to say that in prep-

aration for this year’s championship we have conducted quite a few seminar and coaching sessions, mainly the referee seminar we had was conducted by Mr [Roy] McArthur of the Guyana Football Referees Council. Also we had a two-day coaching session which involved coaches of the various schools, as well as an intensive session for students who would be participating in this year’s championship; these students came from East and West Coast, West Bank and of course Georgetown. Of course that covered a few hundred students who will be participating in this year’s championship and those who we presume would want to participate in next year’s championship,” James explained.

She also pointed out that Social Life Ministries Counselling Services for the first time will be conducting sessions on topical areas for the benefit of the students during the course competition.

Also delivering remarks at the launch was Director of Sport, Neil Kumar, who said the tournament has served as a “forerunner” for events such as the Inter-Guiana Games, whereby budding talents are recognised for possible national selection.

Kumar said he feels tapping into the schools and communities is the correct thing to do if football, or any sport for that matter, is to develop and reach its full potential.

He praised Digicel for choosing this avenue, noting that the development process must start at an early age if Guyana is to produce top quality sportsmen/women to challenge their counterparts on the international stage.

This year, the competition has attracted a new corporate partner in Banks DIH Limited, who is on board through its Powerade drink brand.

The company’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Carlton Joao, said a tournament of this nature means well for the development of football and Banks DIH Limited is pleased to partner in this regard.

Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam, who also attended the launch, spoke of the importance of combining one’s academic prowess with sport skills, which he feels will definitely serve society well in the future.

He also mulled the idea of having schools implement a system whereby attendance is a criterion for students to be part of their respective institution’s sports team.

Region 10 champions Wismar/ Christianburg Secondary is the reigning champions, while the Government Technical Institute won the inaugural edition in 2011.

Apart from etching its name on the beautiful wooden lien trophy, the champion school will receive a trophy for keeps, while it will receive a hefty monetary sum for the funding of a project of its choice.

Babb, third, and Amir Majeed, fourth. The Girls 9-11 division

Over 40 students participated in the championship, sponsored by Banks DIH Limited whose Communications Manager Troy Peters congratulated the participants for displaying excellent skills during the one-day competition.

Trophy Stall volleyball competition set for June 23

The third annual Trophy Stall volleyball competition for clubs in Berbice will be staged on June 23 at the Albion Sports Complex. Organised by the Berbice Volleyball Association, the competition will be played on a round robin basis and it is expected to attract teams throughout the ancient county.

A high standard of competition is anticipated as players will be vying for selection to the BVA senior squad. The competition is open to male and female teams; the first three finishers in each category will receive trophies.

Also, the best spiker, blocker, server, defender, setter and libero will all receive trophies and medals.

Meanwhile, the BVA, in a state-

ment, said it was grateful for the support given by Trophy Stall for the promotion and development of volleyball in Berbice.

On the other hand, with the Inter-Guyana Games in mind, the BVA has shortlisted a squad of under-19 players for training sessions to be held at the Port Mourant Training Centre under the guidance of national Coach, Levi Nedd.

The players identified are: Creston Rodney, Beepaul Bandoo, Akeem Bowling, Ryan Munroe, Kevin Daymon, Ikram Khan, Van Bowling, S Veerapen, M Persaud, Muaaz Inshan, Kemo Bess, Suresh Kallichand, M Budhram, R Stewart, A Alli, R Singh, B Singh, J Goriah, R Haniff, Surendra Motiepersaud, S Fraser, Y Dhoray, Rohan Balkarran, Asif Singh and Rayan Dhoray.

Ramnarine tops Scrabble qualifiers’ tournament

Kamta Ramnarine emerged as the top player when the Guyana Association of Scrabble Players (GASP) on Sunday hosted its qualifying competition for the upcoming national championship. He is among 10 players from the qualifiers, who will join GASP’s top 15 ranked players at the June 29 to July 1 national competition at the Bank of Guyana rooftop.

Playing at the Malteenoes Sports Club pavillion, Ramnarine finished with the top spot after notching up three wins and a spread of 626.

Michael Benjamin occupied the runner-up spot with two wins and a spread of 587, while Romario Gonsalves, who recently won the beginner’s competition at Enterprise on the East Coast of Demerara, ended in third position with two wins and a spread of 163.

Apart from Ramnarine, Benjamin and Gonsalves, the other players to qualify for “na-

tionals” are Chetnauth Persaud, Mitra Persaud, Mohanram Ramnarine, Dwain Alberts, Karen Bobb Semple and brothers, Wazir and Wazim Dilipchand. They will join 15 other players, who gained automatic progression to the national championship based of the GASP rankings. They are current champion Abigail McDonald, Leon Belony, James Krakowsky, Moen Gafoor, Fred Collins, Colin Chichester, Orlando Michael, Ruby Cummings, Wayne Cave, Devraj Deonarine, Maurice Munro, Julian Skeete, Anand Mohabir, Robert Williams and Grace Hercules. Apart from being $50,000 richer, the national champion will earn the right to represent Guyana at the World Scrabble Championships to be held in Prague, Czech Republic, on December 3-8, 2013.

Courts (Guyana) Inc has exclusively sponsored this year’s national championship to the tune of $250,000.

Shamar

The students who participated in the championship pose with Sensei Winston Dunbar; Darren Nurse, president of the Guyana Wado Ryu Karate Association; and other officials

The wooden lien trophy (centre) is flanked by four others that would be at stake during the upcoming competition (Photo: Avenash Ramzan)

Digicel aiming for 160 schools in third football competition

CPL’s plans for Jamaica still on track

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS – The Caribbean Premier League is still coming to play at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica despite some unforeseen challenges, and organisers are confident that the Jamaica fans will get their money’s worth and enjoy the full CPL cricket experience.

Sabina Park and Jamaica Cricket Association officials announced last week that the lights at the stadium that are being installed, and which would allow for night matches to be played, will not be ready in time for the inaugural tournament. The revelation has caused CPL officials to tweak the tournament schedule in order to accommodate the Jamaica matches.

“It is unfortunate that Sabina Park was unable to secure its lights in time for the CPL but we have done what we can to ensure that Team Jamaica fans will not miss out on home matches or be excluded from the CPL excitement,”

said CPL CEO Damien O’ Donohoe. “Sabina Park is an important ground in the history of West Indies cricket, and a popular venue for fans so we felt it was vital to keep the matches at this ground.”

The Jamaica matches will now take place on August 15 at 14:00h

(Jamaica vs Guyana); Saturday, August 17 featuring a doubleheader at 10:00h (St Lucia vs Trinidad and Tobago) and 14:00h (Jamaica vs Barbados); and Sunday, August 18 at 14:00h (Jamaica vs Trinidad and Tobago).

O’ Donohoe also noted another change in the

schedule, saying that as a result of feedback from fans, all matches in the other five franchise countries (Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia and Trinidad) will start at 19:30h. On days where there are two matches, the first match will take place at 15:00h.

CPL event organisers are pulling out all the stops to get fans to Sabina as they are well aware of the challenges that the new dates and times might pose for people who want to come out to the matches.

“These four matches will be filled with lots of entertainment; fans will not feel left out of the CPL party experience or disappointed with what we have planned for them,” said CPL Event Director Rhonda Kelly. “Each match will open with live performances by popular local artistes, and there will also be a performance during the match break. Of course we’ll have a DJ and iron band and all the elements of a cricket match that Sabina is known for. We’ll also have stilt walkers and face painting for fans to show their team pride and lots of giveaways and promotions courtesy of Digicel, CPL’s major sponsor. As it is summer and the kids are out of school, there is a lot that we can do in terms of family entertainment and we hope that families will take advantage of

these safe, fun and affordable events.”

Digicel is already creating major buzz and excitement around the CPL, and will increase its marketing efforts in order to fill seats at the Jamaica matches.

“The Digicel ‘Play Your Part’ promotion on Facebook where fans can win the chance to present the Man of the Match award or participate in the coin toss is already generating much interest but we’re going to do more to target the Jamaica fan base,” explained James Wynne, Digicel Group Head of Sponsorship. “We’re going to do some text promotions, give away some tickets, special access passes, smart phones and other cricket memorabilia, all with the intent of ensuring that everyone comes out to play at Sabina in August.”

Inaugural CPL

The first ever Caribbean Premiere League begins on July 30 in Barbados, and concludes with semi-final and final matches played in Trinidad.

Digicel CEO, Gregory Dean (left), poses with excutives of Banks DIH Limited, the sport and education ministries, the Guyana Football Federation and young footballers, who display the various team uniforms at Monday’s launch at the Pegasus Hotel (Photo: Avenash Ramzan)

Fans celebrate at Sabina Park, Jamaica