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Thursday, July 4, 2013

NICIL explains lease fee for Marriott land guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 1819

See story on page 7

– says special interest group out to stymie project

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North wing of St Joseph Mercy P10 Hospital reopens three years after fire 28 Peace Corps volunteers sworn in P10

See story on page 3

Egypt’s Morsi toppled in military coup See story on page 15

Opponents of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi shout slogans and wave national flags in Tahrir Square in Cairo on Wednesday shortly after the country’s military seized power from the leader after an ultimatum expired

Guyana making strides in labour − Webster tells ILO confab See story on page 3

Muslim woman stands by decision not to remove hijab

See story on page 7

M&CC P12 issues warning letters to careless city dwellers Commander Hicken urges support for police force P13

Guyana P13 urged to bolster its market appeal

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thursday, july 4, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

bridge openings

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Thursday, July 4, from 14:30h to 16:00h.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Thursday, July 4, from 14:20h to 15:50h.

Weather

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 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-easterly at 3.12 metres per second.

High Tide: 01:19h and 13:54h reaching maximum heights of 2.32 metres and 2.22 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 07:25h and 19:41h reaching minimum heights of 0.91 metre and 0.98 metre respectively.

wednesday, July 3, 2013

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Guyana making strides in labour – Webster tells ILO confab

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uman Services and Social Security Minister Jenifer Webster said Caribbean governments must create an enabling environment that ensures resources are optimally and efficiently utilised, pollution minimised and livelihood opportunities created to accelerate progress across all sectors.

The minister made these remarks at the eighth International Labour Organisation (ILO) meeting of Caribbean Labour Ministers in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The sessions opened on Tuesday under the theme, “The Caribbean and Labour 2013 and Beyond – Strengthening Decent Work for Development”.

Webster told her Caribbean counterparts that Guyana has made significant strides in recognising the Decent Work Country Programme, which was signed in April 2012.

“We have enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and ratified the ILO Convention on Occupational Safety and Health. In the not too distant future, the Ministry of Labour will enact mining regulations to enforce safety procedures with respect to employers and employees within the mining sector,” Webster said.

Regulations

The minister revealed government’s intention to formulate regulations for the construction, forestry, manufacturing, and chemical sectors.

Further, regulations will be enacted for HIV/AIDS in the workplace so that vulnerable persons would not be discriminated against or denied employment opportunities on the basis of status, Webster disclosed.

The human services minister pointed out that Guyana’s 2003 revised Constitution has as a fundamental right; equal rights and status in all spheres of economic and social life and the labour laws offer adequate protection against gender-based workplace dis-

Human Services and Social Security Minister Jenifer Webster

crimination.

Only recently, government approved the National Minimum Wage and a 40hour work week for both private and public sector employees which details coverage for workers in all categories.

Webster disclosed that Guyana has also ratified ILO Convention 189 on domestic workers, creating the basis for decent work with respect to persons employed as household service workers.

She said Guyana has an effective tripartite body comprising 20 members, including six government representatives, employers, two trade union umbrella bodies and one representative from the state-run National Insurance Scheme, that meet frequently to discuss and implement labour regulations.

Under the decent work country programme, Guyana has held workshops in occupational safety and health with respect to mining and forestry, seminars on cooperatives throughout the country and a seminar on green jobs.

A “South-South” and Triangular Cooperation model was also developed to ensure the necessary transfer of skills and technology from Peru to Guyana.”

Since the world is grappling with challenges of averting catastrophic climate change and delivering social development, Webster

stated that a move towards a low carbon economic growth path is being seen as the approach to deliver economic and social development, and environmental sustainability.

She added that creating new jobs, while reducing the environmental impact of economic sectors; reducing the need for energy and raw material, avoiding greenhouse gas emissions, minimising waste and pollution, and maintaining ecosystem services like clean water, flood protection and biodiversity are also key actions needed to address climate change.

The minister pointed out that climate-proofing the global economy will involve large-scale investments in new technologies, equipment, buildings, and infrastructure, which will provide a major stimulus for much-needed new employment and an opportunity for retaining and transforming existing jobs.

Benefits

However, Webster remarked that despite the potential benefits, a green economy and the benefits it will provide can have a profound effect on the way countries produce, consume and transform sectors.

She revealed that this transition will be the challenge which many developing countries will face.

“At a time when the global economic crisis has had a negative impact upon several economies around the world, insufficient political will and action, unprecedented changes in weather patterns, retrenchment and shortfall of investment, the tendency to consolidate rather than be innovative is understandable.”

Although there are many country initiatives on moving towards a green economy and a low-carbon growth

path, Webster pointed out that these are confined to specific sectors.

She related that the work currently being done in Guyana through the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) can potentially provide a working example of an integrated approach to reaching a low carbon growth trajectory.

She said that Guyana’s LCDS is an innovative approach to combating climate change while simultaneously promoting economic growth and development.

The LCDS outlines the manner in which Guyana can avoid significant emissions of greenhouse gases from deforestation if given the appropriate economic incentives.

Economic growth

The payments will be used to expand economic growth, and will enable Guyana’s economy to be realigned along a low carbon development path.

This will catalyse Guyana’s efforts to diversify its economy and provide new economic opportunities, employment and more effective use of resources, while maintaining the valuable forest ecosystem.

Projects to be executed under this initiative to re-orient the economy towards low-carbon growth include the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, which is expected to provide stable, reliable, and affordable green energy.

There was an agreement to establish a South-South Cooperation arising out of the Green Jobs initiative held in Guyana in June.

Webster stated that the primary objective was to initiate the transfer of skills and technology from Peru to Guyana. She added that Guyana is ready to cooperate towards realising this initiative.

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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

Mercosur and trading blocs

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ith the inability of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to bring the 2001 Doha (Development) Round of negotiations to a conclusion, there has been a bewildering number of bilateral and multilateral trading platforms launched in the interim. Trading blocs formed earlier have also become more energetic.

The recent announcement that Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett will be attending the July11 meeting of Mercosur (Common Market of the South) and, along with Suriname, Guyana will be given “associate” status, suggests we examine the dynamics behind the move. Mercosur has been around since 1991, having been launched by Argentina; Brazil; Paraguay (which is currently suspended); and Uruguay. Venezuela became a full member last year while Paraguay, which had opposed its accession, was suspended.

Paraguay’s action illustrates the major feature of Mercosur: the ideological orientation of the major players such as Brazil and especially Venezuela, not to accept the ideal of ‘free trade’ tout court. Back in 2005, under the strong influence of Brazil, the bloc torpedoed the U.S. sponsored Free Trade Association of the Americans (FTAA). The U.S.’s refusal to give ground on agricultural subsidies while pushing services and intellectual property rights were the sticking points. These same issues stalled Doha.

But this has created some tensions within the bloc and is one reason for the recent lassitude in activities. Mercosur has five “partners” – Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru – that do not enjoy full voting rights or complete access to the markets of Mercosur’s full members. They receive tariff reductions, but are not required to impose the common external tariff that applies to full Mercosur members. Four of those countries – Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru – are also members of a smaller trade bloc, the Andean Community of Nations (CAN). The rules of Mercosur demand that a country cannot be a full member if it is in another trade bloc. Venezuela had been a member of CAN, but resigned when it joined Mercosur in full last year.

Bolivia has indicated its interest in becoming a full member but in addition to leaving CAN would also have to lower its external tariffs to Mercosur’s 35 per cent. Both these issues would apply to Guyana and Suriname, which are members of the Caribbean Community (Caricom). But with the latter grouping going nowhere, some of its other members have shown some interest in entering Mercosur en bloc. In this scenario, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed

by Caricom with the European Union (EU), would also be a sticking point.

In the meantime, Mercosur has attempted to deepen and widen its economic and political reach by coming together with CAN in 2008 to form the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). UNASUR is meant to encompass trade, security, and political issues, much like the European Union (EU) and some believe it may replace Mercosur as the South American organisation to speak for the entire continent.

But those countries that insist on “free trade” and the “sanctity” of the market have not thrown in the towel: last year they launched the Pacific Alliance – a bloc made up of Mexico, along with the “partners” of Mercosur – Colombia, Peru, and Chile. Looking across the Pacific to cultivate closer linkages with Asia, they have moved very aggressively in the past year. Stressing their “stability” and their adherence to the neo-liberal world order, they have caught the attention of other countries such as Costa Rica and earned accolades from Canada and the U.S. The United States has also not been quiet. Under great secrecy, it has pushed since 2010 for the granddaddy of all free trade blocs: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This would include the U.S., Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. Japan has expressed its desire to become a member. Some say it is a platform for the U.S. to gain some leverage over the Chinese.

Guyana has chosen well to go with Mercosur.

The eighth Secondary Schools Drama Festival of the Education Ministry got underway on Wednesday at the Theatre Guild Playhouse, Kingston, Georgetown. The two-day festival features a host of plays being enacted by secondary schools from across Guyana. Pictured is a scene from West Demerara Secondary’s “The Lost Hope”, directed by Taneka Caldiera (Carl Croker photo) See story on page 17

Better days are coming for gold Dear Editor, Please permit me the opportunity to publish this letter in your newspapers.

On June 24, 2013, I attended a funeral of a good friend and there I met a long time buddy. He seriously confronted me saying that I wrote about gold when it was going up. What should I do now with my gold since the price seems to be heading to new lows?

I smiled, patted his shoulder and advised him to hold on to his physical gold. Don’t panic! As a businessman you must be prepared to take risks and be patient with this volatile market.

Yes, indeed gold has taken a huge correction and many gold analysts still see further weakness in the market, but I remain bullish for gold. Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, alluded to the fact that he will cut back on Quantitative Easing (QE), which is an unconventional monetary policy used by central banks to stimulate their national economy when standard monetary policy has become ineffective. Bernanke further stated that the U.S economy is getting better and there is no great concern for inflation.

These statements have stimulated great debate between the wise man Bernanke and some brilliant economists in the U.S. The QE fiscal stimulus is a long way from coming to an end. The wise men of the global central banks will continue to print money hoping to stimulate their respective economies.

Many countries in the developed world, including some European countries are on the verge of bankruptcy, mass demonstrations against austerity measures, the geopolitical problems in the Middle East, high unemployment, political tensions between Russia, China and the U.S., and last but not the least the ever rising gap between the rich and poor countries.

The prospects for gold remain very strong in spite of the price decline.

At the very core, what gold bullion essentially does is provide safety from uncertainty. The health of the global economy looks to be deteriorating. As the Euro Zone problems have already exacted a toll, now problems in China are sending threats to the global economy. The country is expected to show feeble growth this year,

and worries of a credit crunch in the Chinese economy are growing very quickly.

What gold traders do not realise is that central banks in the global economy are still printing money. The Bank of Japan, through its QE, is buying almost US$72 billion worth of bonds and the European Central Bank (ECB) has lowered its interest rates after it promised it will do whatever it takes to save the region.

The Federal Reserve is still printing money at US$85 billion a month and buying government bonds and Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS). It hasn’t stopped just yet, but it has provided hints to the market that it soon might be pulling the punch bowl from the party.

On top of all this, the central banks around the global economy are still purchasing gold bullion to diversify their reserves.

They can’t rely much on the reserve currency, the U.S. dollar, because it has become prone to wild swings.

The above mentioned realities are all good stimulants for gold. I am of the view that big multinational gold companies will halt

production of the precious metal should the trading price continue to fall below US$1200 per ounce. The estimated cost of production is between US$1100US$1200 per ounce, taking into consideration the current fuel price. This will create high demand for physical gold.

The Indian monsoon season will end soon and the wedding season will begin. India has a population of 1.2 billion people who are the largest consumers of jewellery in the world and goes to great extent for their weddings, which are at its highest between August to November each year. This period is always the best months for gold.

When the gold bullion price will hit the bottom is very difficult to tell, but it doesn’t seem very far away. For now, my advice to gold buyers is to hedge your gold as you buy. This stock market is moving too fast for you to take chances. Be patient, be disciplined, and hold on to the gold which you bought at the previously higher prices. Better days are fast approaching.

Yours, Nazar Mohamed, Trader

guyanatimesgy.com

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

Minimum wage, working Roads, sea defence structures must concern the authorities hours must be carefully considered Dear Editor, I wish to first of all point out that this subject of the 40-hour per week or five working days was engaging the attention of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) for a number of years, and acting upon the urgings of that body for the enactment of the bill, tripartite meetings were held years ago.

According to the labour minister, a consensus was reached that the implementation of the new national minimum wage of $35,000 per month will take effect from the July 1, 2013. It is, however, regrettable that the government has rushed into this arrangement as business communities foresee a wide range of difficulties in the implementation.

However, employees

including domestic workers, manual workers, and watchmen will benefit if the Labour Ministry would monitor and examine the employer books to see if minimum wages are being paid and the 40-hour is adhered to, as fixed in the new legislation.

Moving vigorously on the implementation does not make sense, since Guyana already enjoys too many holidays without production. Low production is the direct cause of our poverty and changing the working hours would significantly decrease the national output of goods and services.

History teaches us otherwise. It states that fewer working hours corrode economic growth, and create inflation and reduction of work (all moving together – not inversely). Today

the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate has climbed higher than ever, while the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) smoulders. The low production in some sectors that began almost some years ago is still with us.

Today we need a defence. Our economic planners must never forget the lessons of those enterprises struggling to make profits. So wouldn’t it be appropriate to consult with the business community?

This new labour legislation change, for a 40-hour week without reduction in pay and a minimum wage law for all working people, portal-to-portal, will definitely have some serious impact on production and the business community.

Yours faithfully, Mohamed Khan

Police must seek to bust mirror rings Dear Editor, A few weeks back, a letter in your publication posited the question of tracing stolen articles, not only from where they were taken, but where they were headed. It seems as if our lawmen are not getting it, or they are just lazy.

The ring idea is a reality in Guyana. Many raids intercepted items at various locations. These items are then re-sold to the point that a few people ended up buying their own stuff.

I am calling on the Guyana Police Force to seek to make more busts.

Too many unregistered places and people are selling original mirrors of all types. Also, too many people are now dealing with cutting plain mirrors to re-

place the stolen ones, as victims of this racket need to have external mirrors on their vehicles.

There is no question about it and I am taking my hat off to the police for their recent noticeable step up. I now ask that they stay with it and now move

into the direction.

My little note of caution, however, is that when a person is a suspect in the mirror racket, it is not for victims to take the law into their own hands.

Yours faithfully, Anwar Kahleed

Dear Editor, Residents of Leguan and Wakenaam in Region Three were recently calling on the authorities to upgrade their roads and improve sea defence structures. The complaints were registered during a recent outreach by the Local Government Ministry.

During the outreach, residents on the island of Leguan complained bitterly about the current state of these infrastructures in their zone.

To this I have a very strong word. When it comes to roads, Guyana has a problem. It is either the people are being ripped off and nobody cares, or it is a case where we cannot find qualified people to do the job.

Right after the 2005 flood, many roads were built in villages on the East Coast of Demerara. I can testify to about three villages where people have grown accustomed to gaping holes that would be temporarily filled. It is so bad and prolonged that people simply have refused to complain any more.

If this is a sign that they have resigned themselves to be uncaring about the ruling People’s

Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration, then it is a cause for worry. It is a mind-set that is worth checking out.

I list here just three – Mon Repos, Better Hope and Annandale. These roads all eroded into stretches of holes with mud and water when it rains.

I have a few questions: Do we build with surface drainage systems? Are the roads built on firm foundations? Were traffic loads and traffic volumes considered? And how about the thought of whether or not we are protecting our investment?

Too much money is going down the drain. I have seen private driveways built with mere concrete holding up for years and I am talking accommodating up to five trucks at any given time.

I am very much aware that residents were asked to complain and report on bad work by contractors.

This letter serves that purpose. So where road work is concerned, I ask for something to be done as regards the quality of work and the accountability of contractors.

When it comes to sea defence work, I know that this can be challenging.

On the East Coast, the sea wall is being raised a few feet and this is good. I am hoping that these added feet will not be knocked sprawling with the force of the water.

We have an idea of how strong the force the water can exert, so the builders must work with this in mind. The old sea wall was never blown away. Instead, water would spill over. So if the extended part collapses, then there must be some kind of discipline or free re-fixing.

As regards water being blown over the walls and flooding villages, even some farming villages, the inconvenience and loss are just too massive. It is time for the authorities to point out where there are cloggings and deal with them before the coming of the high tides and rains.

If there are cases where people have created these cloggings, then they must be made to fix the place or pay a penalty.

We cannot allow Peter to pay for Paul and Paul to pay for all. One man’s folly should never be allowed to jeopardise other people’s well-being.

Respectfully, Haresh Gobin

What about consequences for selling expired goods?

Dear Editor, It is time for some serious measures to be put in place when supermarkets put on display and sell expired goods. It is grossly disrespectful to consumers to be sold damaged or expired items.

However, I have a most pressing concern. When goods have been seized and destroyed, what happens after? Shouldn’t there be consequences?

In Australia in-mid June of this very year, a supermarket in Adelaide’s southern suburbs was fined $200,000 for selling expired food and committing a number of other breaches. The particular

supermarket had expired goods on display, namely chicken, ham, bacon sausages, minced meat, and yoghurt. Other breaches included failure to maintain a required standard of cleanliness, and failing to separate food for disposal

and food for sale.

Like Australia, it is time to impose some heavy fines or simply shut down some of these supermarkets here.

Yours truly, Lloyd Williams

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guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation How to be a

supportive parent

BY ANDREW KASCH

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here are different levels of support that a parent can provide, depending on the age and maturity levels of their child. When a child is very young, the supportive parent can do relatively simple things such as posting a drawing on the refrigerator after giving the child rave reviews on their creation.

The supportive parent must give the child their undivided attention when the child has something to say.

How many times do you see a mother or father completely ignore a small child who calls their name out over and over again, as if they don’t hear him? Do you find yourself thinking, “Answer your child!”

Obviously it’s important to teach your child that they are not to interrupt while the parent is in the middle of another conversation, but even then, the parent should lean to the child and whisper, “Wait until mommy is finished with this conversation,” rather than just ignoring the child. Not only is that teaching your child to be courteous, but it is also being supportive. You are acknowledging your child’s needs, but asking them to wait their turn.

Supporting teenagers

As the child gets older and more mature, their need for support changes.

A teenager’s need for emotional support is more complex than before. They have a need to be heard and to be respected by their parents. Too many children do not treat their parents with respect, and when you ask them why they disrespect their parent, they will respond that their parents

don’t give them respect so why should they give respect to their parent? That’s a good point, actually. Most parents do not consider their teenagers as children, and they do not consider them adults either. Somewhere along the way, the teenager is dismissed and the parent forgets that the teenager has needs too. The teen is left to fend for himself and sometimes make self-destructive decisions such as drugs, alcohol or reckless behaviour.

So, how do you support your teenager? First

of all, supporting does not mean letting them do whatever they want to do. They need to know that you care, and showing that you care means making some unpopular decisions. If your teen wants to go somewhere, it’s important to let them know that you care enough about them to find out where, how

long and with whom. Some parents have blind faith and don’t even inquire as to where their child is going and this can often be interpreted as uncaring or unsupportive by a teen.

What if they want to do something and you feel it would be dangerous or inappropriate at their age? Well, being supportive means explaining your point of view and hopefully you can compromise a happy medium with your teen. But sometimes that is not an option, and the answer no with an

explanation, is all you can do. They may get angry with you for the moment, but that too, will pass. And eventually they will realise that you made the decision out of love.

Supporting your teenager also means being active in their interests. Transporting them to and watching their sporting events, talking with their teachers to find out how they’re doing in school, asking to see their homework, and also making them responsible for chores at home. Don’t forget to make time to sit down (uninterrupted) to talk with your teenager about how things are going at school, with their friends, or other activities. This shows that you respect them and are supportive of them. Giving them this type of attention is not difficult to do, but often times, parents believe that because their child is no longer “young” that this type of attention is not as important. The truth is, that it is actually a very important and necessary thing in a young adult’s life, because they are now making decisions that may affect the rest of their lives. This is when they need the most advice and support from their parents.

But that type of conversation and supervision should not begin when the child becomes a teenager.

(www.ezinearticles.com)

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Factors affecting socialisation of children

(CONTINUED FROM WednesDAY)

BY CAROLYN R TOMLIN

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estrictive parents who use strict control usually have children who are well behaved. However, these children may be highly dependent on the parents.

On the other hand, parents and teachers that are highly permissive allow children to make the rules.

In these settings, the child is clearly the “boss”.

Take for example, Lorri and her three-year-old son.

“Whenever my friends visit, my son interrupts constantly, jumps on the furniture, and is loud and noisy,” says Lorri. “Often I have to count to three several times. Nothing seems to help.”

Children who see autonomy as a form of parental and caregiver behaviour may be sociable and assertive youngsters who are aggressive.

Achieving a balance between these dimensions of parental behaviour seems to be the ideal, yet it is difficult to accomplish.

The effects of punishment and discipline

The approach to punishment and discipline is another developmental task of learning. When children misbehave, teachers or parents may use some form of discipline. This approach may be in the form of spanking, scolding, yelling, embarrassing, or making the child feel inferior or unloved. Often a combination of these is involved.

Parents and teachers that rely on a positive approach to discipline teach the child the appropriate behaviour and reinforce that behaviour, which makes it less likely to recur in the future. For example, if a child turns over their milk at the table, have them clean up the spill instead of punishing. This positive approach teaches the child what to do when an accident happens.

Consistency is vital in guiding children to a higher level of socialisation. Often teachers scold or punish a child for specific type behaviour one day, and the next appear to ignore the same behaviour. This happens due to the mood of the teacher at the moment.

Consistency in discipline allows the child to know what he can and cannot do.

Parents and teachers can assist children in socialisation by building a sense of trust and a feeling they can have some control over their lives.

Children who are disruptive and seek attention may draw attention to self through silly behaviours, immature or regressive actions, loud talking, and making inappropriate noises or gestures. Educators suggest that parents terminate disruptive attentionseeking behaviours and increase cooperative, prosocial interactions.

Conclusion

Educators and sociologists seem to agree that socialisation of the child determines how the adult relates to life. Society often dictates expectations.

Teachers and parents working together as a team can help children reach higher standards of socialisation. (Early Childhood News)

7 NICIL explains lease fee for Marriott land News

thursday, july 4, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

– says special interest group out to stymie project

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he National Industrial and C o m m e r c i a l Investments Limited (NICIL) on Wednesday said that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Desmond Trotman’s move to block the leasing of Block Alpha to Atlantic Hotel Inc (AHI) follows a pattern of action by special interest groups to stymie the development of the Marriott Hotel Project.

According to NICIL in a release, there has been no secrecy or sinister motive behind the lease agreement for the 6.886 acres of land upon which the Marriott is being built. The government holding company noted that in June 2012, NICIL submitted to the National Assembly, the Marriott contract, AHI’s tax agreement and the agreement to lease, dated January 28, 2010, between NICIL and AHI, in response to questions raised in Parliament about the project. These agreements have all been in the public domain for over a year, NICIL said in a release.

It added that following this, government held a debate on the Marriott Project, which, part of the opposition participated in.

“The issue of lease charge was never raised. The government has always said that it remains open to making presentations made to the opposition on this pro-

NICIL head Winston Brassington

APNU MP Desmond Trotman

ject (in a manner similar to the Amaila Hydro Project)”

at least five different advertisements have been is-

parties to operate the entertainment complex.

It said that the lease rate payable by AHI is based on the following considerations: government has on many occasions issued concessionary lease rates where there is substantial capital investment on the said property and significant positive developmental benefits; the objective being to encourage investment, employment, and income generation. It said AHI is making an investment of US$60 million in development on the said property, which is one of

An artist’s impression of the Marriott Hotel under construction in Kingston, Georgetown

According to NICIL, in all aspects of the project, it has publicly advertised for interested parties (to date

sued); these include seeking investors, seeking the contractor, seeking the supervision firm, and seeking

the largest investments on any land in Georgetown.

“The lease rate is the

T

Rattan is being denied his constitutional right to an early hearing. Rattan’s sister said her brother had written to the chief justice in April, outlining his plight but has not received a response.

She noted that many prisoners who were condemned after Rattan have already had appeals heard and were given reprieve.

Meanwhile, Janaite Lall was condemned to die in 2011 for the murder of his brother Davenand Sookdeo, committed on September 5, 2007.

He was sentenced to hang

by Justice Frank Holder at the Essequibo Assizes after a mixed jury unanimously found Lall guilty. According to the prosecution’s case, the killing took place at Walton Hall, on the Essequibo Coast.

Several witnesses testified that on the day in question, some friends, including Bobby Singh and Jaiante Lall were imbibing a home-made alcoholic concoction and frying fish in an abandoned plot behind the house of the deceased’s mother.

While the accused and his friends were participating in the spree, the de-

ceased joined them on his return from work.

It is said that an argument developed between the two brothers over coconuts when the accused left saying, “Ah coming back just now”.

One eyewitness stated that he saw when the accused ran away from the party and entered his mother’s yard, where he went to the kitchen and returned with a knife which he used to stab his brother, who collapsed and died.

However, Lall’s Attorney Lashley Bobb painted a different picture and said the accused and his brother were cleaning fish and in his drunken stupor, Sookdeo fell over on Lall, who was holding a knife.

Relatives say that shortly after his incarceration, Lall’s wife travelled to Venezuela in search of employment in an effort to take care of her children.

She failed to return, forcing Lall’s 11-year-old son to drop out of school in order to maintain the family.

“This boy was very bright and doing well in school, but he had to stop school after his mother went to Venezuela to seek work and never came back,” a

relative told Guyana Times.

Lall’s mother claimed that her son sustained an injury to his leg while he was being transported to the High Court in the prison’s vehicle. His foot was broken in two places and was fitted with steel which was subsequently removed about a year ago.

The woman said her son has not been receiving proper medical attention to address his pain management.

Another relative said that Lall was convicted, owing to a dysfunctional jury system and no proper police investigation was done.

Two years after it had expired, the Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy was recently reconstituted and members on Tuesday held their first meeting at the Home Affairs Ministry.

The new body comprises Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, former Attorney General Doodnauth Singh, Guyana Defence Force Lieutenant Colonel Jaswick Williams, social workers Ronald Harsawack and Bhagmattie Veerasammy, Cheryl Rodrigues of the Home Affairs Ministry and Raghunandan Singh, an overseer of Good Success.

NICIL have pursued the development of this project in an open and transparent manner.”

The company said the Marriott Hotel Project has huge developmental benefits, including the creation of over 250 jobs for Guyanese, once completed, and the establishment of a modern world class branded hotel that will support the expansion of Guyana’s travel and tourism sector.

Muslim woman stands by decision not to remove hijab

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Death row inmates frustrated at justice system wo more death-row inmates are pleading with legal officials to ensure they have their day in court in an effort to appeal their convictions.

The men are adamant that the number of years already spent as condemned prisoners, amount to inhumane treatment and unbearable hardships experienced by themselves and families.

Niranjan Rattan, nicknamed “Engine” was sentenced to death in November 2005, for the April 18, 2003 murder of Lalbahadur Singh.

Singh known as “Petromax” was stabbed with a knife during a physical confrontation with a villager.

He had gone to Rattan’s house with another friend when an argument ensued leading to the two men jostling for a knife and falling to the ground. The pathologist said Singh died from stab wounds which punctured his heart and lung.

Singh’s attacker then fled the scene.

Relatives of Rattan are contending that he has since been waiting on the chief justice to decide on a date for the hearing of his appeal. They complained that

same price of G$1.00 per square foot (plus VAT) charged of the tenants of the Eccles and Coldigen Industrial estates, all being properties owned and managed by NICIL. The terms and rate of the lease are the same as those issued to a private developer over 10 years ago for the said property. The developer withdrew in 2009, following the U.S. financial crisis of 2008. AHI and

s controversy continues to stir around the issue of prominent attorney, Hukumchand Parag, refusing to cross-examine a Muslim woman wearing a hijab, a decision is yet to be made by presiding Magistrate Geeta ChandanEdmond as to how the matter would proceed.

When the matter was called on Wednesday, the magistrate informed the court that she received a letter from the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) and will have to show it to her “superiors” before she can make a pronouncement on the issue at hand.

The attorney in response said that the court is an independent body and should not be influenced by any organisation when making a decision. “The court can’t be influenced by any other organisation or agency unless the court itself seeks advice from them,” he pointed out.

The magistrate showed the letter to the defence attorney, the prosecution

and the witness. She noted that a copy of the letter was sent to her superiors.

Two weeks ago, Attorney Hukumchand refused to cross-examine Khairoon Ali, who took the stand to testify in a matter in which her husband is the virtual complainant. The woman’s husband, Mobarak Ali, was brutally attacked by two ferocious pit bull dogs in February last year on his way to masjid.

The 64-year-old man’s left hand was mauled when the dogs attacked him. His cries for help and assistance from neighbours prevented the animals for biting off his hand. The owner of the dogs, Alexei Prashad, 37, of Lot 49 Railway Line, Kitty, was subsequently charged for causing his pit bull dogs to be at large.

The woman had already given her evidence in chief and when it was the attorney’s turn to cross-examine her, he refused because she was adorned with a hijab (a veil worn by Muslim women which covers their face showing only the eyes).

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Suspect accused of robbing policeman at gunpoint

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28-year-old man was brought before Magistrate Judy Latchman on Wednesday, on charges of robbery under arms and threatening language.

It is alleged that on June 30, Travis Anthony Payne

robbed police officer Collin Blaire at Laing Avenue, and on July 1, the accused used threatening language to the virtual complainant.

According to Prosecutor Rennet Bentham, on the day in question, Blair and his friend were crossing

the bridge to Laing Avenue when he was confronted by the defendant. The accused pulled a firearm from his pants waist and snatched a gold chain valued $150,000 that Blair was wearing.

As he was making his escape on a bicycle with a

friend, he was apprehended with the help of public-spirited citizens. The gold chain was recovered.

Payne was remanded to prison for the robbery and fined $20,000 for the threatening language. He is set to return to court on July 19.

Duo tried for breaking and entering − case dismissed after VC was compensated

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wo young men were brought before Magistrate Fabian Azore on Friday charged with breaking and entering.

It was alleged that on April 29,at Georgetown, Jonathan Ramcharran,

18, and Ronald Sundar, 17, broke and entered the dwelling of Clifton Hackett and stole a series of items at valued $345,000 including one HP laptop, one BlackBerry cellphone, five Old Navy shirts and one Samsung cellphone.

Both young men pleaded not guilty to the charges read against them.

The prosecution objected to bail, since one of the accused has another matter pending in court.

Some of the stolen articles were recovered, and when

asked if he wanted to proceed with the case or accept compensation for the missing items, the virtual complainant stated that he will accept the compensation.

A sum of $180,000 was paid to Hackett and the case was dismissed.

Cannabis accused further remanded

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he trial of Keith Daly, who was remanded on a charge of possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking, commenced on Wednesday when he appeared before Magistrate Fabian Azore.

According to the facts of

the case, acting on information, the police proceeded to the accused’s home where they saw the defendant with a transparent plastic bag which he tried to dispose of over a fence. Daly was then arrested and upon checking the bag, leaves,

seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis were found.

Daly, of Lot 492 North East La Penitence, first appeared in Court Five on May 29 where he pleaded not guilty and was remanded on the charge, which stated that he had in

his possession 40 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

Daly, who had made two previous court appearances since he was first remanded, will be returning to court on July 16 for the continuation of his trial.

Man charged for abusive language against mother O n Wednesday, a man appeared before Magistrate Fabian Azore charged with abusive language.

It was alleged that on May 27, Mark Sealy made use of abusive language to Ester Warner whereby a breach of the peace was occasioned. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge

read against him.

According to the facts read by the prosecutor, the defendant is the virtual complainant’s son. On the day in question, around 14:00h, Warner and a male friend were drinking at 41 A&B Cemetery Road, when the accused became annoyed and started using expletives to his mother.

Sealy was represented

by Attorney Paul Fung-AFat, who stated that the defendant is 41 years old and sells dog food for a living.

He added that the accused has two children.

The accused had his time to speak and he told the court what had happened that day. He said on that day, his mother and a

male friend were having a drink which annoyed him.

He then overturned the table on which the drinks were on, but denied using abusive language. The magistrate then entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

He is set to pay a fine of $20,000 and is to return to Court 10 on July 16.

Tattoo artist remanded for possession of narcotics

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tattoo artist was remanded for possession of narcotics when he appeared before Magistrate Fabian Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday.

Nicholas Choy, 25, of Lot 184 Charlotte Street, Bourda pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stated that on July 2 at Merriman Mall, Bourda he had in his possession 35 grams of can-

nabis for the purpose of trafficking.

The father of two reported that the item was found in a shop where he works, but at the time he was not present, since he was having

a conversation with a customer. The drug was reportedly discovered in a shoe.

The magistrate refused the defendant bail and the matter will be called again on July 19.

Duo refuse to give evidence against each other −assault case dismissed

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n Wednesday, two men were brought before Magistrate Fabian Azore on cross charges.

It was alleged that on June 27 at the Avenue

of the Republic, Shaka Edwards unlawfully and maliciously wounded Gavin Fifi. On the same day, Edwards damaged the right front window of minibus BTT 5259, prop-

erty of Fifi, which is valued $8000. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.

On June 27, it was alleged that Fifi unlawfully assaulted Shaka Edwards causing him actual bodi-

ly harm. He pleaded not guilty to the charge read against him.

The case was dismissed, since both parties refused to give evidence against each other.

Eyew tness Independence...

...of U.S. and us he U.S. embassy celebrated the 237th anniversary of its country’s independence under the theme “The Great American West”. All the guests were supposed to wear “cowboy” (and cowgirl) outfits. This aestheticisation of the conquest of the “American West” of course perfumes over the stench of the annihilation of the native peoples (derisively dubbed “red Indians”).

Against the background of the U.S. providing arms to Saudi-backed rebels in Syria and material support to the Egyptian army – which has now evidently ousted the democratically elected government in Egypt – President Donald Ramotar’s comments were quite apropos. He reminded the U.S. ambassador of the fundamental principle on which the modern state system rests and prevents reversion to the law of the jungle: “non-interference in each other’s affairs”.

It reminded us of the old joke that used to circulate in Latin America, but which is probably more appropriate in the Middle East right now. Q: Why in the long history of the U.S., there haven’t been any coups? A: They don’t have an American embassy there. Fact of the matter is that in a unipolar world, the U.S. definition of what’s good for everyone else pretty much carries the day. And that definition is usually funnelled through the U.S. embassy.

Never mind all that “hee haw” get-up and the hoedown ambiance, the U.S. ambassador sees no irony about celebrating his independence from Britain by telling us that we’d better get our local government elections out of the way pretty quick. He didn’t say “or else” but with Pressie having passed thorough the 1960s, he didn’t have to, did he? I mean, we may be as small as the fabled “mote in somebody’s eye”, but couldn’t he have the grace to pretend that we too got independence from the same colonial power?

But then again, the way our opposition politicians scurry to him and the other American, British and Canadian (ABC) dignitaries with every perceived slight from the government, what are the poor plenipotentiaries to think? The irony, however, as the president reminded the U.S. ambassador, is that their Declaration of Independence has inspired oppressed peoples all over the world.

Ho Chi Minh once gave testimony to this. He then went on to free his country. From the U.S.

T

...from timberjack Politics certainly makes strange bedfellows. You only have to think of Dr Rupert Roopnaraine and the People’s National Congress (PNC) and you’d get what we mean. But there’s a more recent instance: the paean from Ruel Johnson to Ralph Ramkarran in yesterday’s Muckraker. In case you forgot, Johnson’s the fella who writes “doggerel and puppyrel” according to Dr David Dabydeen, but who still had the brass balls to ask Dr Dabydeen for a $300,000 editorship.

Ramkarran’s the ex-Speaker with a decade of refereeing debates in the National Assembly. He was able to use that experience to land a job with a timber harvesting company which, if his partner’s buy-out price is any guide, was able to parley his stake into $100+ millions. And here you thought because the Speaker knew only about words, he couldn’t “cut it”. Well, now you know: the word’s mightier than the axe.

With his trademark humility, Johnson pronounced, “the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) as currently constituted is beyond salvation, beyond redemption. True, the party is at present undergoing a moral meiosis.”

Sounds quite eschatological, doesn’t it? ...and survival But maybe not. Since we presume Johnson understands the words he uses, “meiosis” means that the PPP/C has reconfigured its chromosomes (read the diploid ideology from its two founders) and will now be ready (“haploid” state) to fuse with another party or group or individuals to produce a even more vibrant organisation.

The literary Johnson was exemplifying a “paradox”?

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, july 4, 2013

News

28 Peace Corps volunteers sworn in P

eace Corps Guyana on Wednesday swore in the 25th group of volunteers (Guy 25), consisting of 28 volunteers to give their services in the health and education sectors.

The ceremony took place at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. The trainees arrived in Guyana on May 2, and have since been involved in pre-service training designed to equip them with the necessary practical skills to meet the needs of the communities they will serve. The components of the training include a focus on technical and crosscultural concepts, local language, and maintaining personal health, safety and security.

According to Training Manager Julie KanhaiTrapnell, upon being sworn in, the volunteers would support primary level education and community health education, by serving two years in seven of the 10 administrative regions of Guyana. Meanwhile, the Chief Education Officer Olato Sam said the Peace Corps volunteers have positively impacted the local education and health sectors.

“Peace Corps have serve d Guyana’s education sector very productively and efficiently… their volunteer teachers have served in the hinterland and riverine areas where there is a lack of teachers,” said Sam, noting

Goin back to school M

Front row, from left to right: Peace Corps Country Director Brannon Brewer, U.S. embassy Charge d’ Affaires Thomas Pierce, Chief Education Officer Olato Sam and Peace Corps Training Director Jaime Brancato, along with the Peace Corps volunteers

that the experiences shared among the volunteers and Guyanese will give great meaning to their attachment here.

During the pre-service, trainees live with host families, who teach them the Guyanese way of life as they learn how to cook local food, negotiate in the market place, and participate in community activities. There is a technical component within both the health and education sectors. The trainees would engage in field practicum in schools and health centres to enhance their abilities to meet the needs of the communities they will serve as volunteers.

Meanwhile, U.S. embassy Charge d’ Affaires Thomas Pierce noted that in addition to Guy 25, since 1996, Guyana has had 639 volunteers from the Peace Corps. He noted that the programme seeks to work with communities and this will somewhat solidify the relationship with Guyana and the United States.

“The United States of America has strong interest in working with Guyana to form a more productive relationship and active diplomatic engagement,” said Pierce. He noted that the Peace Corps solidify the relationship with Guyana and plays an important role in aiding

in the building of a more secure, prosperous and healthy Guyana.

The Peace Corps was first active in Guyana from 1966-1971. In 1993, the organisation was invited to return to Guyana by the late President Dr Cheddi Jagan, and the first group arrived in 1995.

Upon accepting the invitation to serve, Peace Corps volunteers agree to live and work in Guyana for two years. The late U.S. President John F Kennedy created the Peace Corps in March 1961 to provide human resource and technical assistance to developing countries that have requested such engagement.

ore and more it beginnin to look like some big people gon have to go back to school after all. Is either dem hard of hearin or dem not learnin fast enough. Or in some cases like Sus Penders, dem develop very late in life.

Not even doctors can help dem who develop late in life. Whatever de doctor does give dem does end up mekkin dem live longer, which in itself is a big problem fuh plenty people, because de more dem get big is de more dem get stupid.

So de ones who develop late in life ain’t got no hope.

Dem gon just have to wait until dem gone and come back in de next life. When any body read what Sus Penders does write, dem bound to realise that he need a lot of schoolin. No body sure if that gon help though, because not only he ears hard, but he head also hard.

But it got two other sets of people – dem who never went to school in de first place and dem who force ripe.

As fuh one of dem who never went to school, he first name rhyme with “book” and de last name with “ball”.

But de only book he know bout is dem lil book that does have to get a stamp every time some body goin out de country. He does collect it and put he own stamp. One of dem who had to get a stamp some time ago seh he got a lot of stamp put up in a room.

Finally, de force ripe ones does tink dem know it all, like Rue Hell…every day de Staybroke and Kocheur does give he free space because he always got to seh sum ting.

Not that he got sum ting to seh.

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

So look out fuh de people dem who need schoolin!

North wing of St Joseph Mercy Hospital reopens three years after fire

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hree years after fire destroyed sections of the St Joseph Mercy Hospital, the north wing was formally commissioned on Tuesday in addition to a rehabilitated segment and a materials management section.

On the morning of May 10, 2010, fire completely destroyed the oldest wing of the hospital and eight decades of history, including medical records. Although there were no major injuries or loss of life as all patients were safely evacuated, several doctors’ offices, the emergency room, the operating theatre, and the triage and the outpatient areas were reduced to charcoal.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) report, during a ceremony replete with prayers, music and song, members of the Catholic community of Guyana and the hospital paid tribute to the hard work done.

Prime Minister Samuel

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds cuts the ribbon to signify the official reopening and re-dedication of the new north wing of the St Joseph Mercy Hospital

Hinds, in his presentation during the proceedings, pointed to the work done by

the hospital in the past and its plans for the future. “St Joseph has been doing and

is continuing to do a good job challenging the public hospital system, as well as

those that are more purely commercial. May all of us be filled with the understanding that we can live a good life here in Guyana. It is for us to do well, sharing and exchanging with all others,” the prime minister noted.

He added, “The people in the medical profession play a great role in all society; because of the nature of work, they provide a comfort to our people. Let me end by extending the wishes of the government for continued success of the St Joseph Mercy Hospital… you can be assured that the government will continue to extend the most favourable consideration to all approaches.”

Describing the history of the hospital and the loss it suffered three years ago, Chief Executive Chairman Helen Browman explained the decision to rebuild the structure in two phases.

Phase One entailed a new building to house the medical and surgical supply and

the renovation of the north wing, and Phase Two catered for replacing the building that was destroyed by the fire.

She also extended thanks to persons and companies that assisted in the clearance of the burnt-out site and those who worked towards gathering funds to rebuild.

During the fire in 2010, the speedy response by staffers of the hospital and the efforts of public spirited citizens, as well as volunteers from the nearby Guyana Red Cross, averted a major catastrophe. The Fire Service also responded quickly and managed to contain the fire.

Thirty-seven adult patients and four babies were hurriedly evacuated from the facility. They were moved to the Police Sports Club, Barrack Street, one corner away, and later transferred to the office of the Guyana Red Cross Headquarters in upper Barrack Street, a short distance away.

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Commercial court needs to be strengthened Former Chief Magistrate, Attorney KA Juman Yassin said the establishment of a commercial court in Guyana has assisted significantly in addressing disputes with potential implications for the strengthening of Guyana’s economic competiveness and boosting investor confidence.

The court was established, in part, to remedy problems relating to untimely delays in the trial process as well as those hampering the capacity of the judiciary to settle investment and contractual disputes.

However, Juman Yassin said while the commercial court has been a plus in many regards, given Guyana’s growth potential there is need for expansion and strengthened capacity in the near future.

Juman Yassin recommended the appointment of a second judge to assuage the workload of current commercial court judge, Justice

Former Chief Magistrate, Attorney KA Juman Yassin

Rishi Persaud, as well as additional staff to ensure that the court operates in a highly efficient manner.

He also called for an upgrade of judges’ chambers and privacy for judges, most of whom share their office space with registrars. The attorney pointed out that reliable telephone, Internet and fax machine service is crucial and it would allow judges to exercise their discretion to have litigants

make representation orally, in writing, or electronically.

According to Yassin, there is need for an expanded government warehouse to store goods that are levied, owing to current space constraints which can result in successful litigants having to wait for space to their detriment.

The matters brought before the court are diverse and range from banking, financial services and international credit to mortgage, insurance, the purchase and sale of commodities, hire purchase transactions, and the operation of international markets and exchanges.

Proceedings also can involve claims for liquidated sums, as well as those brought by and against the Security Exchange Commission, and queries arising out of commercial arbitration. In addition, the court is empowered to deal with matters arising from the structure and perfor-

mance of mercantile contracts, franchising agreements, company laws, bankruptcies and corporate reorganisation, and intellectual property.

The court also hears cases concerning contracts involving claims about the exploitation of oil, gas, and other mineral resources.

In fact, the court has been delegated powers to adjudicate all sorts of economic and contract disputes, including those relating to shipping and maritime interest, the international carriage of goods, and aircraft and admiralty proceedings.

Another power with which the court is imbued is that of referring a claim for mediation at any time during the process. Juman Yassin thinks that there is scope for expansion of this procedure, as mediation can become an extremely important element in assisting parties to arrive at a settlement.

“Mediation is still in its embryonic stage in Guyana; however, both the legal profession and the public need to appreciate that this mechanism can indeed help to resolve matters and bring timely immediate solutions,” he stated.

It has been almost seven years since the commercial court was established to provide a suitable avenue for resolving disputes among business individuals and firms.

The court rules were developed to be as structured, clarified, and as timely as possible.

The procedures are outlined in detail, including the time and manner in which writs are to be served and processed, as well as conditions that allow for declaring default judgments, the filing of affidavits and acceptable timetables for responses and the requirements for statements of defence and counterclaims.

Once the preliminary procedural steps have been completed, the court will call a case management conference in which it is empowered to decide whether or not to hear all relevant issues and claims separately or together.

At the case management conference, the judge can direct additional activities, including discovery and inspection of documents, as well as the service of witness statements and expert testimony.

It is at this stage of the process that the judge will issue orders for preparing agreed statements of facts, issues and the basic technical, scientific or medical matters as specified by the nature of the dispute.

The court also has the power to dismiss or render judgment on a claim at such point, or it can order crossexamination on any and all affidavits and witness statements.

NEW GPC INC donates care packages to EBD schools I

n strengthening its partnership with the education sector, New GPC INC on Friday donated first aid kits and complete care packages to schools along the East Bank of Demerara.

The schools that benefited were Eccles, Farm, Prospect, Grove, Campbell’s Trust, Craig, Little Friend, Oleander, Soesdyke Number One, Soesdyke Number Two, Timehri, St Cuthbert’s Kairuni, Kuru Kururu, and Yarrowkabra nursery schools, along with Covent Garden Primary school.

NEW GPC INC Marketing Manager Trevor Bassoo handing over the items to representatives of the schools present at the ceremony

Public Works Ministry corrects KN article on airport project

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he Public Works Ministry has responded to what it calls renewed misconceptions being carried by Kaieteur News on the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project.

The newspaper recently carried articles quoting a Christopher Ram column about the price being charged by the airport contractor for toilet sets and urinals. In its statement, the ministry said the contract between China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and itself is a Lump Sum contract signed under the terms and conditions of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).

According to the ministry, the articles by KN failed

to reflect that under such contracts the cost for each line item usually includes several other costs, including materials, labour, overhead, transportation, and profit. It noted that for the particular items mentioned there is no pricing stated for sewer lines, and washroom cubicles, doors, and fittings; these are all catered for in the line item pricing as such as “toilet set” – as is the case for all lump-sum contracts.

“It is, therefore, deliberately misleading for one to extract a line item indexed cost and represent that this cost is the cost for the stated line item, while completely ignoring the associated costs related to the item given the distributive native of lumpsum contracts,” the ministry stated.

Comparative construction costs of concrete apron

Comparative construction costs of other airports (USD /sq ft): Chicago Midway

US$281

Denver Colorado

US$284

CJIA

US$300

Washington

US$353

San Jose CA

US$400

Vancouver BC

US$418

San Diego CA JFK – Jet Blue It further stated that the airport expansion contract pricing is very competitive and reasonable when compared to other airport contracts: “The ministry deplores this new line of attack on the project, particularly by persons who are certainly aware of the nature of these contracts and, more

CJIA Florida Department of Transportation

US$193/sqm US$237 – US$302/sqm

Bahamas

US$409M

St Vincent & the Grenadines

US$240M

St Maarten

US$232M

Cayman Island

US$244M

US$450

Guyana

US$150M

US$1000

Barbados

US$100M

Bermuda

US$200M – US$300M (depending on land available)

Jamaica

US$20M

Antigua & Barbuda

US$45M

Turks & Caicos

US$10M

El Salvador

US$32M

so, who have stated that they have “consulted” on the type of contract entered in.”

The ministry said it is very concerned about the continued attempts by some politicians and media operatives to frustrate the project and stymie development in Guyana. “Guyana needs to have the necessary air

transport facilities and infrastructure if it is going to attract new carriers, the di-

aspora, business travelers and tourists in the new competitive environment.”

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Miss Guyana World participates OAS highlights effect of drug scourge on development in medical outreach

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Cane Grove residents welcome Miss Guyana World 2013 Ruqayyah Boyer and the Operation Dream Catchers

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ewly-selected Miss Guyana World 2013 Ruqayyah Boyer participated in a medical outreach and community health fair project held in Cane Grove, East Bank Demerara at the Irene Madray Recreational Arts Centre (IMRAC) on Sunday.

The event was hosted by the Operation Dream Catchers Group (ODC) out of the United States and saw a collaborative effort between ODC; Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness (CADVA); the Health Ministry; and IMRAC. The session helped to highlight and educate the community on various health issues and ways in which they can be prevented. There were blood sugar and blood pressure tests administered; CPR demonstrations; sessions on the liver, heart diseases, and mental illness; and several donations were made to members of the Cane Grove community before and after the health fair.

Boyer, who was crowned Miss Guyana Universe in 2012, is the first Guyanese to hold two major national titles at the same time.

The only other Guyanese to hold both titles was

Miss Guyana World 2013 Ruqayyah Boyer testing a resident’s blood pressure

Odessa Phillips. The previous Miss World Guyana, Arti Cameron, will officially crown the new queen later this month. The beauty ambassador, who has been working assiduously in her role as Guyana’s national queen, was this year named an ambassador and spokesperson for several organisations such as CADVA, IMRAC, and Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) – Guyana for which she is the public relations officer.

The community health fair in Cane Grove is the second activity undertaken by the queen, since she was given her second national title (Miss Guyana World); the first being an interactive forum she hosted on bullying in schools and domestic violence at the St Stanislaus College last Friday.

The new Miss Guyana World is preparing to compete in the Miss World Pageant come this September in Indonesia.

t the presentation of the report “The drugs problem in the Americas”, in Santiago, Organisation of American States (OAS) SecretaryGeneral José Miguel Insulza emphasised that the drugs problem affects the pillars of development in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Insulza was received

by Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena, who stated in her welcome that the document, prepared by the OAS at the request of its member states, comes at a time of frustration with the results of the drug policy that has long prevailed in the region – the “war on drugs”.

According to Bárcena, this discussion is timely and relevant. “At ECLAC, we believe it is impossible to speak about economic and social development without mentioning democracy or social equality, and without taking on board the effects of violence, particularly in Central America and Mexico,” she said.

The senior official added, “Security is one of the top concerns of our authorities and citizens, and it has an inescapable link with production, transportation, and sale of drugs.”

According to Bárcena, regional insecurity (which is influenced by drug trafficking) has led to a breakdown

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza

in the social fabric, segregation, and exclusion.

Bárcena stated that “just as the drug trafficking industry, violence, and crime are both cause and consequence of poverty, insecurity, and under-development, so crime and violence limit democracy and freedom and reduce the quality of life of citizens [...] Security is a public good that could actually lead us to more integrated and equitable societies”.

During the report’s presentation, Insulza highlighted the fact that violence is what most worries the population in terms of drugs: “All stages of the production process tend to be illegal, and drug-related offences generate other offences and then crimes [...]

Drug trafficking produces

many more victims than those generated through consumption alone.”

The document recognises the heterogeneity of Latin American and Caribbean societies, and that the drug problem affects them differently.

The highest drug-related murder rates are not in the main countries for drug consumption, but rather in countries where drug trafficking is concentrated, which are also the countries where the state has the most difficulty in protecting its citizens.

Chilean parliamentarians Jaime Orpis and Carlos Montes also took part in the conference by analysing the report in the light of the Chilean situation.

Montes noted the need to rise to the structural challenges of inequality – which is the seed for violence and drug trafficking – by heeding the proposed transformations in key ECLAC documents such as “Time for equality: closing gaps, opening trails” and “Structural Change for Equality: An Integrated Approach to Development”.

The meeting was also addressed by ECLAC Social Development Division Director Martín Hopenhayn, who declared that opting to tackle the drugs problem should involve focusing on prevention and rehabilitation (not criminalisation).

$3M dental clinic commissioned in Sophia

M&CC issues warning letters to careless city dwellers

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he Mayor and City Council of Georgetown said it continues to be troubled and alarmed by the manner in which some citizens keep their immediate environment. Some premises have been kept in such a manner so as to be a nuisance to neighbours, City Hall said in a release.

According to the release, this is unacceptable and incompatible with the standards of a healthy city.

According to official reports from the city’s public health department, for the month of May, the officers of the environmental sanitation section served notices on several citizens in different wards in the city for contravention of Public Health Ordinance Chapter 145: These includ-

ed: overhanging trees; defective roof gutters; overgrowths of bushes, weeds and long-grasses; absence of water closets, and the rearing of animals (goats, chickens and pigs) in such a manner as to be a nuisance.

“The council wishes to remind citizens that they should keep their premises in an environmentally friendly manner. Dirty surroundings contravene environmental laws, as well as compromise the health of those who dwell there and the community.”

The council said too that it has noted that some citizens have embarked upon the activity of rearing large numbers of animals on their premises for commercial purposes. From reports forwarded to council, some

premises on which animals are reared are very dirty and emanate an offensive odour.

“This type of activity cannot be encouraged in the city of Georgetown. Persons who are engaged in this activity must desist from doing so.

Council would have no other option but to initiate actions to abate such nuisances,” the council warned.

Some of the areas in which these environmental contraventions exist are: Sophia, Charlestown, Albouystown, La Penitence, Meadow Brook, and Turkeyen. It is in the interest of citizens to refrain from acts and actions that would compromise their health and to seek at all times to maintain a clean and friendly environment.

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The new Sophia Dental Clinic

he Cheddi Jagan Dental School in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Georgetown Central and the United Insurance Company Limited on Tuesday commissioned a $3 million dental clinic in B Field, Sophia.

The facility, which has been constructed beneath the B Field, Sophia Community Centre, will meet the dental needs of thousands of persons living within Sophia and its neigh-

bouring communities.

With a long history of dental service to rural communities and the facilitation of a literacy programme in B Field, Sophia, the Rotary Club of Georgetown Central had initiated the project with the aim of meeting the needs of residents who often travel to Carmichael Street in Central Georgetown, to receive dental treatment from the Cheddi Jagan Dental School.

The United Insurance

Company Limited subsequently bought into the project and invested $3 million into its materialisation, with works commencing in October 2012.

Although completed, the new dental clinic will be opened to the public within weeks as it awaits furniture, equipment and staff from the Health Ministry. According to reports reaching Guyana Times, the Health Ministry is in the process of making good on its promise.

news

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thursday, july 4, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Commander Hicken urges support for police force

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ommander of B Division of the Guyana Police Force, Senior Superintendent Clifton Hicken has called on civil society to work hand-inhand with the force.

His call came at a thanks giving service in observance of the 174th anniversary of the Guyana Police Force.

The event was held at the Divisional Headquarters in New Amsterdam. According to Hicken, the force was established to ensure the rights of the people are protected, and they live in love.

“We are to exhibit a professional code of conduct when dealing with mem-

A section of the audience at the service

on board with us because we cannot do it alone.”

Hicken noted that there will be misconduct in the po-

Guyana Police Force Commander of B Division, Senior Superintendent Clifton Hicken

bers of the public. Members of the Guyana Police Force came from civil society. You have to come on board with us in order for us to achieve our objectives and goals in the force,” he told the gathering, which included ranks of the Guyana Police Force, members of the management committee and civil society.

He noted that not all are supportive of the force, but when they criticise, they should do so in a responsible manner. The media, he added has a responsible role to play in this regards. “The media fraternity, they are the ones who are giving us glory and the ones that are sending the message to civil society whenever there is misconduct by members of the Guyana Police Force. As we celebrate our 174th anniversary, we need all to come

lice force, but urged members of the public not to get into confrontations with errant officers.

“We have a structure where you talk to the senior persons in the force and we will discipline that junior rank. But if you are to make the same mistakes that they are making, we will have a confrontation and it will not augur well for us. So as we celebrate our 174th anniversary, I want members of civil society to come on board so that we can all live in peace without encroaching on the rights of others, it is only civil society that can give us vital information that we may need.”

Meanwhile, the commander noted that special emphasis must also be placed on moral values which are vital for the smooth operations of the

force.

“If you are not sure, we have structures in place. We have members of the management committee who are responsible for ensuring that the police environment is enhanced through a public relations department. Moral values must be respected in the Guyana Police Force.

We are still developing and we need the blessing of the Lord.”

He added: “It is only with his blessing that we can develop into the type of force that we need to be. Like any other organisation, our resources will never be adequate… it means therefore that our shortcomings must be taken up by members of civil society. So I am advocating that we put the past behind and start a new journey. The first step commences that journey and lets live in love and if you see we are going wrong as members of the Guyana Police Force, don’t upbraid us in a manner that it will cause confrontation, but get on to their superiors so that we can deal with it and have a professional Guyana Police Force and thus provide the service that is required by the members of the public.”

During the programme, Janice Carmichael, a member of a neighbourhood policing group recited an inspirational poem and presented her book of poetry to the division. Among some of the poems in the book is “Child Abuse”, “It’s Time to Stop”, “Crime” and “Road safety”.

Sophia man on trial for father-in-law’s murder A Sophia, Georgetown, man will be on trial for allegedly stabbing his father-in-law to death in 2009.

Marlon Ganesh, 32, of Lot 23 ‘A’ Field, Sophia, is indicted with the murder of Roopnarine Singh called “Kumar” on January 16, 2009. He pleaded not guilty to the indictment when it was read to him on Wednesday morning. The trial will be heard before Justice Dawn Gregory and a 12-member mixed jury panel at the High Court. State Counsel Renita Singh will

be prosecuting the case on behalf of the state.

The prosecution is expected to call some seven witnesses to establish its case against the accused.

Ganesh will be represented

by Attorney Hukumchand Parag. The trial will begin this afternoon with the prosecutor delivering her opening address to the court.

According to reports, the accused was married to the daughter of the deceased and they were living together. Sometime in December 2008, the two men were consuming alcohol when an ar-

gument ensued between the accused and his wife. Singh reportedly intervened and asked the accused to move out.

While packing his belongings, Singh kept hurrying Ganesh to leave, causing him to become annoyed and chuck his father-inlaw. Ganesh then picked up a knife from nearby and stabbed the man to his left side chest. The injured man was taken to a medical institution where he was admitted and treated but succumbed to his injuries about two weeks later.

AWOL corporal suing GDF for $60M for torture − wants court order freeing him from confinement

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he Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has once again come under fire, as another soldier has taken to the court, this time suing the military for damages in excess of $60 million.

Corporal Mtakatifu Mbukwa Rodney of Paradise, East Coast Demerara, is accusing the GDF of torture and inhumane treatment and deprivation of legal representation. Rodney, who joined the force in 2001, is currently being kept in solitary confinement after it was alleged that he was Absent Without Leave (AWOL). He is claiming that his constitutional right under Article 141 of the Constitution of Guyana 1980 was wrongfully and/or wilfully violated.

The corporal is suing for $50 million for torture, inhuman and degrading treatment in accordance with Article 141 of the Constitution of Guyana. He is also claiming an additional $6 million for deprivation of liberty and contravention of Article 139, and a further $4 million for deprivation of the above rights (Article 139 and 141).

In the affidavit filed on Tuesday, of which he is the applicant, the attorney general and the GDF are named respondents. The legal document is asking the court to grant three conservatory orders, which restrain the GDF from (a) holding Rodney in solitary confinement until the hearing and determination of the matter; (b) restricting the movements of the corporal for the purpose of defecation, urine and any other expulsion of waste and provide proper lavatory facilities while he is in custody; and (c) denying him visit by family and friends.

The corporal said in his affidavit that on June 4, he was on his way to Camp Ayangana when he was arrested by GDF ranks, one of whom had punched him to the jaw. He continued that he was told that he was absent without leave and was being held pending investigations.

“I was handcuffed and placed in a cell with concrete walls on all four sides.

The floor was also concrete at ground level. There was

only one pigeon hole, the only means of ventilation and light. There was no washroom, no toilet facilities, no water or light. There was a mattress placed on the concrete floor,” the affidavit stated.

Rodney is claiming that he was given two buckets, one to urine and the other to defecate (which were never removed from the cell), and received basic food such as bread, water and sometimes rice. He added that his clothing was never washed since his arrest on June 4, nor was he allowed to shower.

He further stated that he was taken to the doctor on June 8 and was prescribed Ibuprpfen for pain, but was only given the prescription once.

The corporal continued that on June 13, he was taken out of the cell for a hearing of evidence during which he requested an attorney, but was denied. He also stated that during the entire time of his confinement, he was denied visits from family and friends and to some extent his attorney, Saphier Husain.

Guyana urged to bolster its market appeal

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nternational Trade Expert Pernille Fischer Boulter said Guyana can bolster its market appeal by capitalising on its unique location, English-speaking prowess and affordable labour to promote itself as an investment destination.

Boulter, who is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Kisserup International Trade Roots Inc, was one of the presenters at the recent Guyana Investment Conference.

She stated that Guyana is known worldwide for its El Dorado Rum, bottled water, agri-foods products, mining sector and affordable labour force and can build strategies to attract investment by promoting Guyana as the only English-speaking country in South America.

Strategic focus

Boulter said that strategic focus can be placed on promoting Guyana as ”the gateway to South America” to U.S., Canadian and European investors who are fluent in English as opposed to Spanish or Portuguese.

She pointed out that Guyana can take advantage of its unique and direct borders with Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil to create a niche market of investors.

This can be achieved by providing potential investors with attractively packaged facts such as Guyana’s location, allowing easy access to a population of over 277 million consumers, and a US$130 billion export market, with an overall pur-

chasing power of over US$2 trillion.

According to Boulter, since Guyana cannot appeal to everyone at once, the country must showcase its vast strengths as against its weaknesses.

She noted that promoters can utilise indicators, projections and facts from IMF World Economic Outlook.

The IMF has predicted that Guyana can see the second highest economic growth in South America in 2014.

Balanced approach

However, she warned that the country should not market itself for something it is not and must never isolate its market strategy to appeal to too many different crowds at once.

Citing Belgium as an example, Boulter pointed out that the country works actively to attract inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by using tax and other incentives to lower corporate income taxes and create a more tax-competitive business environment.

Belgian firms then recycle the capital to corporate entities in other countries in the form of loans.

As a result, Belgium has one of the most internationalised economies in the world, with foreign affiliates accounting for about 35 per cent of manufacturing jobs and 21 per cent of services jobs.

The trade expert mentioned that good governance is also important in investment promotion and can be

done by promoting corporate social responsibility, utilising transparency institutes and third party published reports.

She revealed that international private sector investors expect access to legislators, communication with stakeholders, a stable labour pool, an established legal framework, transparency, macroeconomic stability and state subsidies.

Singapore is about the size of St James – a small parish in Jamaica – and is regarded as a safe and confident population of 5.5 million people.

Per capita income

It has a per capita income of US$60,000 and welcomes 10 million tourists every year. Over 60 million passengers pass through the international airport each year; making Singapore the air transport hub of Asia.

The country is also a shipping hub of the region and a major exporter of high value commodities.

Singapore is considered to be among the safest countries of the world, with 16 murders in 2011.

The country is listed at number five on the Global Competitiveness Index, owing to its lack of land space which results in the refusal of certain types of investment requiring huge land space.

The country also boasts an ethical and highly efficient police service which ensures a prevailing rule of law.

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Thursday, July 4, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

Cuba removes senior TT: Jack Warner says Kamla communists telling election lies

Ricardo Alarcon (left) was a long-time political ally of former President Fidel Castro

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uban leader Raul Castro has removed several senior communists from the party’s powerful Central Committee.

They include former parliament speaker and Foreign Minister Ricardo Alarcon, a close ally of ex-leader Fidel

Castro.

Castro said those leaving had not made any mistakes or committed any crimes. He said the changes marked a normal course of events.

Alarcon, 76, one of Cuba’s most visible politicians, had been a member of the committee since 1992.

He stepped down as speaker in February.

Among the four others removed were Jose Miguel Miyar Barruecos, 81, who was secretary of the Council of State for three decades, and Misael Enamorado, 60, the party chief in Santiago de Cuba.

Castro played down the significance of the move in comments broadcast on state television.

“There’s a door you come in through; there’s a door you go out, without it meaning anything negative,” he said.

Raul Castro became Cuba’s leader when his elder brother stepped down in 2008. In February, he was elected to a second five-year term, which he said would be his last. (Excerpt from BBC News)

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ormer National Security Minister Jack Warner said he did not admit to the prime minister that he and his family were being investigated by U.S. authorities. Addressing a UNC campaign meeting on Monday night, Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar told supporters Warner had admitted it to her. Speaking to reporters at the Dorman Nursery School in Felicity on Tuesday, however, Warner denied making the comments.

“I said that is totally untrue. I have never told the prime minister that,” Warner said when asked if the prime minister was lying.

“I am not going down that road. I am not saying

Jack Warner

anything negative about the prime minister. She could say things about me, but I would not do that.” Warner also said it was not true he had not travelled overseas while he was national secu-

rity minister.

He said after Monday night’s United National Congress (UNC) forum in Caroni, it was evident that the prime minister had begun to panic about the impending Chaguanas West by-election, in which he will be going up against Khadijah Ameen and the People’s National Movement’s Avinash Singh, because he has the support of Chaguanas West constituents.

During the forum, Persad-Bissessar defended the decision not to select Warner as the UNC candidate, saying he admitted that both he and his family were subjects of an inquiry by the U.S. government over white-collar crimes. (Excerpt from

Trinidad Guardian)

Snowden case: Bolivia Usain Bolt debuts on Forbes’ condemns jet aggression Celebrity 100 list

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olivia has accused European countries of an “act of aggression” for refusing to allow its presidential jet into their airspace, amid suggestions U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden was on board.

Bolivia said France, Italy, Spain and Portugal had blocked the plane.

President Evo Morales was flying back to Bolivia from Moscow when the plane was forced to stop in Vienna.

Meanwhile, France has urged EU-U.S. trade talks be delayed amid the fallout from secrets leaked by Snowden.

The talks are due to begin on Monday but claims that the U.S. bugged EU diplomatic offices in the U.S., and spied on internal computer networks, have upset

President Evo Morales

transatlantic relations.

French government spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Berkacem said the talks should be suspended for 15 days to enable mutual trust to be restored.

However, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Berlin did not back a delay to the talks, which correspondents say if successful will deliver

the biggest trade deal in history.

Once grounded in Vienna, Morales’ jet was reportedly searched for Snowden.

He was apparently not on board and is still believed to be in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, from where he is seeking asylum in Bolivia and several other countries. (Excerpt from BBC News)

t is that time of year again when Forbes magazine shifts its focus slightly away from net worth towards overall fame with its annual Celebrity 100 list.

While celebrity earnings over the last 12 months are factored into the equation, Forbes also tallies how often each celebrity is mentioned in print and on TV, and gauges the strength of their Internet presence and how they are viewed by consumers.

The resulting list this year saw Barbadian superstar Rihanna return to the rankings in 13th place while Jamaican sprint icon Usain Bolt made his debut on the list at number 48.

The “We Found Love” girl took home US$43 million last year, but shone brighter than most celebrities for her press and social media rank-

Usain Bolt

ings, at number one and two, respectively.

The overall ranking was nevertheless a marked drop for Rihanna who last year was named by Forbes as the fourth most powerful celebrity of 2012, with earnings of US$53 million between May 2011 and May 2012.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s “lightning” Bolt made his debut on the list this year

with US$24 million, making him among the top 40 highest paid athletes in the world.

The world’s fastest man, who acquired legendary status as the “double-triple” Olympic medallist, earns little in prize money, but cashes in through endorsements, appearance fees and sponsor bonuses for record race times. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Construction to begin LIAT introduces Former Turks and Caicos premier in Kingston on J$1.75B security charges fighting extradition from Brazil Marriott hotel

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round is scheduled to be broken on July 11, for the construction of a new business hotel in New Kingston.

Tourism and Entertainment Minister Dr Wykeham McNeill made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2013/14 sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, July 2.

Dr McNeill said that the Courtyard Marriott, which is being developed by a group of local investors, is earmarked to cost J$1.75 billion to construct.

“Upon completion it is expected to provide employment for 430 Jamaicans,” Dr

McNeill said.

He added that the RIU Palace in Montego Bay, is currently under construction at a cost of J$3.94 billion and will be ready for the next winter season, creating 500 new jobs.

Marriott’s entry into the Jamaican market was announced over three years ago, but a groundbreaking was always elusive.

According to McNeill investments, the new ventures and the refurbishing of existing properties, by both international and local interests, signify that “investor confidence has returned to the hotel sector and destination Jamaica.” (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

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he regional airline, LIAT, which is in the process of acquiring a fleet of new aircraft, Wednesday said it was increasing the cost of its tickets to include a security surcharge.

A statement from the Antigua-based airline said that the surcharge on tickets is “in response to rising security demands and spiralling security costs.

“The new security surcharge of US$1.25 per one way trip applies to all passengers, including children and infants, on all LIAT flights.”

LIAT said heightened airline and airport security over the last 10 years has resulted in rising security de-

mands on airlines.

“Additional security measures at many airports have been introduced including extra baggage searches and increased security around aircraft while on the ground,” LIAT said, adding that “over the past several years, security costs have been climbing and LIAT has been absorbing these costs in an effort to cushion the effects on its customers.

“With the introduction of the security surcharge, LIAT hopes to recoup some of the additional security costs.

LIAT takes the safety and security of its customers and employees very seriously and appreciates your understanding in the current circumstances.” (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

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espite being refused political asylum in Brazil both initially and following an appeal process, former Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) premier Michael Misick is now reported to have engaged attorneys to fight his extradition to the TCI to face charges in relation to widespread government corruption in the British territory during Misick’s 2003-2009 term in office.

The special investigation and prosecution team (SIPT) in the TCI has also reportedly retained Brazilian counsel.

Before being refused asylum for the second time following his appeal, Misick had offered to return to TCI

voluntarily but only if his family provided a private chartered flight.

There are no commercial flights from Brazil directly to the TCI. Any travellers destined for the TCI from major Brazilian cities must change planes and/or airlines in Miami, which usually involves U.S. clearing customs and immigration and Misick is believed not to have set foot in the U.S. following allegations of rape against him in April 2008 by an American woman. U.S. authorities were also reported to be investigating the fraudulent transfer of millions of dollars to Misick from the Sandals Group, using his brothers’ firms as conduits. (Excerpt from

Caribbean News Now)

15 Around the World

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, JuLY 4, 2013

Egypt’s Morsi toppled Almost 100 sexual in military coup assaults at Egypt's

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gypt’s military deposed the country’s first democratically elected president Wednesday night, installing the head of the country’s highest court as an interim leader, the country’s top general announced.

General Abdel-Fatah ElSisi said the military was fulfilling its “historic responsibility” to protect the country by ousting Mohamed Morsi, the Western-educated Islamist leader elected a year ago. Morsi “did not achieve the goals of the people” and failed to meet demands to share power with opponents who thronged the streets of Cairo and Tahrir Square, ElSisi said.

Those crowds erupted as the announcement was made on Egyptian television shortly after 21:00h.

Ahead of the statement, troops moved into key positions around the capital, closing off a bridge over the Nile River and surrounding a demonstration by Morsi’s supporters in a Cairo suburb.

El-Sisi said the country’s constitution has been suspended, new parliamentary elections would be held and Adly Mansour, the head of the country’s Supreme Constitutional Court, would replace Morsi.

Demonstrators at Tahrir Square, Egypt

At the final hour, Morsi offered to form an interim coalition government “that would manage the upcoming parliamentary electoral process, and the formation of an independent committee for constitutional amendments to submit to the upcoming parliament,” he said in a posting on his Facebook page. He noted that hundreds of thousands of supporters and protesters had packed plazas around the country, and he urged that his countrymen be allowed to express their opinions through the ballot box.

“One of the mistakes I cannot accept – as the president of all Egyptians – is to side with one party over another, or to present the scene from one side only. To be fair, we need to listen to the voice of people in all squares,” the statement read.

India launches huge cheap food programme ahead of election

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he Indian government has launched a giant programme to provide subsidised food to twothirds of the population.

The food security ordinance will provide five kilograms of cheap grain every month to nearly 800 million poor people.

Ministers were criticised for passing the measure as an ordinance, after failing to win parliamentary support.

Critics say the plan is a political move to win votes and will drain India’s finances. Supporters say it will help reduce poverty.

“The union cabinet has approved the food securi-

ty ordinance unanimously,” Food Minister KV Thomas told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

He said the measure would be sent to India’s president for approval later on Wednesday, meaning it will come into law immediately. But it must eventually be ratified by parliament.

The ambitious National Food Security Bill is being called one of the world’s largest welfare schemes.

It was an election promise made by the ruling Congress party and, correspondents say, its implementation will help the party in general elections due next year. (Excerpt from BBC News)

U.S. rejects call to stop forcefeedings at Guantanamo for Ramadan

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he U.S. government on Wednesday refused to stop forcefeeding prisoners at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during Ramadan.

In court papers rejecting a petition by detainees, the U.S. said the feedings provide “essential nutrition and medical care” and do not interfere with the detainees’ religious fasting during Ramadan, the holy month that begins on the evening

of July 8.

The tube-feedings will take place in the early morning and late evening to help detainees comply with Ramadan restrictions, said Navy Captain Robert Durand, spokesman for the detention facility.

Shaker Aamer, Ahmed Belbacha, Nabil Hadjarab and Abu Wa’el Dhiab filed a lawsuit Sunday arguing that the feedings violate the Ramadan daily fast from dawn to sunset. (Excerpt from CNN)

Morsi, a U.S.-educated religious conservative, was elected president in June 2012. But his approval ratings have plummeted as his government has failed to keep order or revive Egypt’s economy. The chaos, including open sexual assaults on women in Egypt’s streets, has driven away tourists and investors, while opponents say Morsi’s rule was increasingly authoritarian.

As the troops fanned out Wednesday evening, Morsi was said to be working from a complex belonging to the country’s Republican Guard, across the street from the presidential palace, according to Egyptian state media.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. government – Egypt’s leading ally – could not confirm reports of a coup. Psaki said

the United States is not taking sides and urged all parties to come to a peaceful resolution to the “tense and fast-moving” situation.

An aide, Essam El Haddad, said in a Facebook posting that a coup was under way and warned that the generals risked bloodshed by moving against Morsi.

“Today, only one thing matters. In this day and age, no military coup can succeed in the face of sizable popular force without considerable bloodshed,” wrote El Haddad, who works in the office of the assistant to the president on foreign relations. “Who among you is ready to shoulder that blame?”

“In a democracy, there are simple consequences for the situation we see in Egypt: The president loses the next election or his party gets penalised in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Anything else is mob rule,” he added.

But Naguib Abadeer, a member of the opposition Free Egyptians Party, said what was under way “is not by any means a military coup. This is a revolution.”

“The people have decided that Morsi was no longer the legitimate leader of Egypt,” he told CNN. (Excerpt from CNN)

Mandela graves row: Police break down grandson’s gate

After the gates were forced, police began searching for the graves

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he gates to the homestead belonging to Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province have been broken down by police.

It comes hours after a court ruled the remains of three of the ex-president’s children should be removed from there to a nearby family graveyard.

Mandla moved the remains in 2011, allegedly without the family’s consent.

His 94-year-old grandfather remains critically ill in hospital suffering from a recurring lung infection.

Meanwhile, court pa-

pers filed last week reveal that Mandela has been on a life support machine, South Africa’s Mail and Guardian newspaper reports.

“Nelson Mandela’s health is perilous. [An] affidavit will be provided from physicians that he is assisted in breathing by a life support machine,” the paper quotes the documents filed

by Mandela’s family last Thursday as saying.

President Jacob Zuma said on Monday that Mandela’s condition remained critical but had stabilised, and he urged South Africans to plan for his 95th birthday on July 18. (Excerpt from BBC News)

protests, HRW says

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lose to 100 women have fallen victim to “rampant” sexual attacks in Cairo’s Tahrir Square during four days of protests against Egypt’s Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

“Mobs sexually assaulted and in some cases raped at least 91 women in Tahrir Square... amid a climate of impunity,” HRW, which is based in New York, said in a statement.

It cited figures from the Egyptian Operation AntiSexual Harassment/Assault, which runs a hotline for victims of sexual assault, showing that there were 46 such attacks against women on Sunday, 17 on Monday and 23 on Tuesday.

Another women’s rights group, Nazra for Feminist

Studies, reported that there were another five attacks on Friday, said HRW. The watchdog called on Egyptian officials and political leaders “across the spectrum to condemn and take immediate steps to address the horrific levels of sexual violence” in the iconic square.

“The rampant sexual attacks during the Tahrir Square protests highlight the failure of the government and all political parties to face up to the violence that women in Egypt experience on a daily basis in public spaces,” said Joe Stork, HRW’s deputy Middle East director.

“These are serious crimes that are holding women back from participating fully in the public life of Egypt at a critical point in the country’s development.” (Excerpt from

France24)

Rescuers race to reach Sumatra quake survivors

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escuers battled through landslides and blocked roads Wednesday to reach survivors from an earthquake in Indonesia’s Aceh province that has killed at least 22 people, including several children who died when a mosque collapsed.

More than 200 people were also injured in Aceh’s remote, mountainous interior when the strong 6.1 magnitude quake struck the north of Sumatra island on Tuesday, flattening buildings and triggering landslides.

The quake, which struck at a shallow depth of just 10 kilometres (six miles), has sparked panic in the natural disaster-prone region where more than 170,000 people were killed by the quake-triggered tsunami of

2004.

In Blang Mancung village, Central Aceh district, at least six children were killed when a mosque collapsed during a Koran reading session.

Rescuers dug all night with an excavator through the rubble of the mosque looking for more children believed to be trapped, but no more bodies had as yet been found, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Most houses in the village had collapsed and residents were digging through the remains of the buildings with their bare hands to search for their belongings, the reporter said.

Bodies of the dead were laid out and covered in blankets at a makeshift emergency health post in the village. (Excerpt from France24)

Libya starts facing up to Gaddafi regime’s sex crimes

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he young woman introduced as “The Revolutionary” was breaking a taboo in Libya by speaking out about how she and other women had been raped by Muammar Gaddafi’s men in the early months of the country’s uprising.

“They arrested me publicly at Nasser University,” she said, recalling how guards in Tripoli came for her and two other young women who expressed support for the revolution that led to Gaddafi’s overthrow.

“They told me, ‘We are only going to take you away for questioning, and then we will bring you back’.”

Instead, the young wom-

an said, a local official told the men: “Take these girls to Mutassim and enjoy them tonight.” Mutassim was one of Gaddafi’s sons and a military commander in the capital; he was later captured and killed.

The two unmarried women were taken away and never seen again. The Revolutionary, who was married and pregnant, was taken to a prison near Tripoli, where she was stripped and raped. She miscarried in prison, she said.

The three victims’ crime had been to criticise Gaddafi in a video clip broadcast on an international television channel. (Excerpt from Reuters)

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thursday, july 4, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com

Africa

Caribbean

Caribbean Essence goes to the Gallery Berlin Rlg searches for professionals abroad

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aribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) in partnership with GIZ will be facilitating the attendance of five of the region’s most esteemed designers to present the Spring/Summer 2014 collections as part of the Caribbean Essence Fashion Showcase at one of Europe’s largest fashion trade events The Gallery Berlin, July 2-4.

The five fashion labels are The Fifth Element from Barbados, drennaLUNA from

Jamaica, Oriett Domenech from The Dominican Republic and from Trinidad and Tobago, MEILING and Heather Jones International.

The Caribbean Essence group also presented a runway show to the European fashion trade industry on July 3 at the events new venue the Opernwerkstätten, an abandoned opera prop factory complex steeped in tradition in the Berlin-Mitte district.

The presence of Caribbean designers at The Gallery

Berlin contributes to the events mandate of producing the most diverse event ever and has already caught the interest of the international media. Each designer naturally brings something very different and distinct as they present their collections.

Arlene Martin, brainchild of drennaLUNA, will present her Montego Bay collection which is inspired by different sides of Jamaica, with designs that include structure and fluidity. (Caribbean News Now)

reopen on Friday for a full session.

Mixed U.S. data on Wednesday failed to give the market solid direction.

Private-sector employers stepped up hiring in June and weekly jobless claims fell, but the growth rate in the services sector slowed in June and the U.S. trade deficit widened on a drop in exports.

“The only explanation that there is to the volatility is that the volume’s really

light, so any sudden moves in sentiment, whether it’s buy or sell, reflects itself in the volatility because there’s not a lot of liquidity,” said Jason Weisberg, managing director at Seaport Securities Corp in New York.

About 3.37 billion shares exchanged hands on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and NYSE MKT. The full trading-day average volume has been about 6.4 billion so far this year. (Reuters)

ing.

The Swiss government said it had agreed the parametres under which banks could cooperate and said they could apply for individual permission to allow them to settle tax investigations, though they would not be allowed to hand over client names.

But banks will be allowed to reveal information – such as details of accounts moved to other banks, names of bank staff, lawyers and accountants – that would help U.S.

authorities identify wealthy clients who are evading taxes, without naming them.

Yet government permission is likely to be tested in court by bank staff seeking to hold up the transfer of their names. “The government will have to be careful about what data it authorises banks to pass to the U.S. authorities,” said Douglas Hornung, a Geneva-based lawyer acting for a former Credit Suisse employee who is challenging the transfer of his data. (Reuters)

for Africa expansion

T

he growth of Africa’s indigenous ICT firm, Rlg over the last decade and its recent aggressive move to expand to different parts of the continent seems to have attracted the admiration of graduates of prestigious universities in Europe who have intensified their quest to work for the ICT assembler.

Dozens of them including Ghanaians, Europeans and Africans of different national-

ities thronged the Park Plaza Hotel in London to attend Ghana Careers Fair 2013 sponsored by Rlg Communications Ltd. Even though two other companies; UT Bank and the State Housing Company used the fair to scout qualified and experienced job seekers, most of the over 300 participants preferred to appear before the Rlg recruitment team.

They queued for hours to

justify the desire to work for what has almost become a pan-African brand. Some travelled long distances such as Scotland and neighbouring European countries to London for the fair.

Rlg recently announced commencement of operations in East Africa after huge success in West Africa where it currently has presence in Ghana, Nigeria and the Gambia. (allAfrica)

Asia North America Wall Street posts modest gains in Richer than Trump or Oprah: Meet China’s female property magnate short volatile session

S

tocks ended slightly higher in a volatile half-day session on Wednesday as traders squared positions before the holiday and Friday’s job market data.

The three major U.S. stock indexes seesawed on thin trading volume, with some market participants already away before Thursday’s Independence Day holiday. The U.S. stock market closed at 13:00h (1700 GMT) on Wednesday. It will

Z

hang Xin grew up in poverty and at the age of 14 began a labouring job in a factory. Today, she is richer than Donald Trump, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey.

Zhang, a Chinese real estate developer, is the seventh richest self-made woman in the world, worth US$3.6 billion, according to Forbes.

She’s worth US$800 million more than Oprah Winfrey, the world’s best known self-

made female billionaire.

Not only does Zhang’s rags-to-riches story mirror that of China itself, but it is Zhang who has shaped much of the country’s modern urban landscape, with the logo of her company SOHO China, on the side of buildings wherever you turn in Beijing.

SOHO China has 18 developments in Beijing, many of them landmark buildings, and has recently expanded to Shanghai, where it has

bought or built 11 properties.

Two of her Beijing projects – one completed last year and another under construction – are designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid.

Since Zhang and her husband Pan Shiyi formed SOHO China in 1995, it has become China’s largest commercial real estate developer, owning 56 million square feet in prime developments in Beijing and Shanghai. (CNN)

Middle East Europe will never learn, says Daman CEO Switzerland to help banks avoid U.S. UAEAEinvestors investors will nev“The UAE investor rotates now and not ever. er learn how to proper- a lot. Remember the vast “The market will be more tax charges ly grasp the emirates’ majority are non-national... volatile than usual because

S

wiss banks will be allowed to cooperate with U.S. authorities under a government plan agreed on Wednesday aimed at saving the industry from criminal charges of helping Americans evade tax.

U.S. authorities want Swiss banks to pay fines potentially totalling US$10 billion and hand over the names of Americans it suspects of using secret accounts to evade tax, but strict secrecy laws stop the banks from comply-

Market statistics Cambio Rates

Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Bank of Guyana

Fixed as at June 18, 2013 Calculated at 94% purity

Buying

Selling

U.S.

GBP

$310.58

$344.58

Cambio

CAN

$161.50

$181.42

Gross

$260,585

USD

$198.42

$205.58

Net

$242,344

Selling

$268,875

Cur

$1366.75 $202.83

Indicators as on July 3, 2013 Live Spot Gold

Indicators

USD Per Once

Bid/Ask

$1252.50

$1253.50

Low/High

$1246.00

$1261.00

Change

+17.30

+1.40

July 3 USD GBP EUR July 2 USD GBP EUR

London Gold Fix AM 1246.00 818.28 962.16 AM 1260.75 829.93 967.95

Crude Oil Price Silver Platinum

US$ per barrel

Change %

$104.00

+0.12

USD per Ounce

Change %

$19.72

+0.34

$1342.00

-24.00

PM 1250.00 818.49 963.02 PM 1252.50 826.30 963.17

Last: 14988.55

Changes: +56.14

% Change: +0.38

Open: 14920.81

High: 15025.90

Low: 14858.93

% YTD: +14.38

52Wk Hi: 15398.48

52 Wk Lo: 12035.09

U

financial and property markets because they don’t stay in the country long enough, the influential CEO of Daman Investments has said.

Shehab Gargash said the high number of expats dabbling in the UAE stock exchanges and buying property have short memories, making the markets more volatile.

therefore you’ve got a refreshment of your population every decade and therefore they will act in a manner of approaching the market for the first time ever,” Gargash said during an annual press briefing on Tuesday.

“So there are lessons to be learned but I’m afraid we are not going to learn them – not

that’s the nature of the UAE market and, as such... the successful investor in the UAE market is one who can read those patterns well.”

Gargash believes the UAE markets have returned to positive territory and the gains are only the beginning of a “multi-year bullish cycle”.

(Arabianbusiness)

to be confused with its bulk form in outsourced call centres in foreign countries, are independently contracted employees who provide the same service as an administrative, technical or creative assistant from a remote location, either from home or a centralised location. It is estimated that there are currently 8000-35,000 virtual assistants currently employed by companies worldwide, who offer complete administrative solutions to businesses.

There are many advantages to hiring virtual assistants: * Employers are not responsible for employee-related taxes, insurance or benefits, as virtual assistants operate as their own, independently contracted business. * Virtual assistant services are very flexible and can be customised to your company’s exact needs. * Calls and e-mails can be forwarded directly from your company to the virtual assis-

tant seamlessly. * With a dedicated virtual arm handling your company’s busy work, you can utilise your office space more efficiently for other manufacturing and production purposes. * Less office equipment means much lower overhead costs for your company While this may all sound good on paper, there are some possible drawbacks to such a relationship: * If your virtual assistants are poorly rehearsed in your company’s product line and basic information, it will reflect poorly upon your company. * It may be hard to contact your remote contractors on a regular basis. Most contractors prefer e-mail and phone call conferences over real face-to-face meetings. * Highly sensitive information may be leaked out of your company if a confidentiality agreement has not been set. (Business Dictionary)

Investors' guide Hiring and maintaining virtual assistants

F

or most small businesses, office space constraints are a severe production bottleneck.

For companies requiring a full-time tech support staff, or small companies fielding thousands of calls or e-mails a day from existing or prospective customers and business contacts, office real estate can often be allocated, quite inefficiently, to house these massive call or computer centres. This can be an extremely inefficient path for a business to take, due to the following: * Costly furnishings for dedicated rooms * Expensive equipment – computers and teleconferencing software and hardware * High phone bills and set up costs for landlines, and utility bills It is due to this corporate reasoning that a new line of work, the virtual assistant (VA), has risen in prominence. Virtual assistants, not

(To be continued)

Business concept – Upstream industries

Industrial firms that process the basic or raw material into an intermediary product which is converted into finished product by the downstream industries. For example, petroleum processors who refine crude oil into intermediary chemicals which are converted into plastics by other industries, and farmers or growers whose produce is used by agro-processors.

news

17

thursday, july 4, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

School drama festival launched U.S. citizen nabbed

Education Minister Priya Manickchand (second right), Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle (left) and Head of the Allied Arts Unit of the Education Ministry Desiree Wyles-Ogle (second left) during the launching of the eighth biannual secondary school drama festival on Wednesday

By Whitney Persaud

A

s the eighth Secondary Schools Drama Festival got underway on Wednesday, Education Minister Priya Manickchand called on Guyanese, to assist with realising one of the ministry’s core visions which is to have well-rounded children.

Manickchand has said that while Guyana may be facing a number of issues within the education sector, the country is not alone. “Many of us are affected by myopia and think that Guyana is the only country that has challenges in the education sector, but we are not alone if you look at the news you will see this is a worldwide problem,” she stated.

She admitted that Guyana has a lack of resources, especially in terms of finances and trained personnel in the sector, but noted that the country has made significant achievements.

However, the minister said that Guyana has attained a number of significant achievements such as universal access to primary education and is currently working on achieving universal access to secondary education.

“Education is key to development, Guyana has attained universal primary education that means children from all over this country the hinterland, the coast, and every other part of the country can have access to a primary education,” she stated.

This, the minister said, is the first step towards the development of a child. According to Manickchand, the ministry has also achieved uni-

versal access to secondary education within several of the regions and is currently working on making this a reality within Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.

Manickchand said people should come together to work towards this goal which seeks to not only expand the education sector but to also enhance the lives of children,

being done within schools across Guyana.

The minister encouraged schools to get involved in more activities like the drama festival, which will see Guyana producing well-rounded individuals in the near future.

Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle, in remarks at the event, said steps are being taken to en-

wide, most of them minors, are working as domestic workers in people’s homes, in hazardous and sometimes slavery-like conditions, says the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Six and a half million of these child labourers are aged between five and 14 years old. More than 71 per cent are girls.

Within the framework of the two ILO fundamental conventions on child labour and the recently adopted instruments on decent work for domestic workers, this new report sets the scene for a better understanding of child labour in domestic work.

It outlines why involvement of children in domestic work should be a global concern and presents the basic concepts in this area, as well as the required responses.

It looks on child domestic work as a social development priority, a human rights concern, and a gender equality challenge.

The report provides detailed information on current data regarding the estimated number of child domestic workers worldwide. It also explores the

with cocaine at CJIA

A

n American citizen was busted with more than four kilograms of cocaine on Wednesday at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport while checking in for a Caribbean Airlines flight.

Twenty-five-year-old Briana Ashley Rodney was taken into custody after ranks from the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) discovered 4.130 kg of cocaine in her suitcase sometime around 13:00h.

CANU head James Singh confirmed that the bust was made and the woman had been taken into custody pending investigations.

According to reports reaching Guyana Times, Rodney was a passenger of outgoing flight BW526 to New York. During a scan, CANU ranks discovered a strange object in the woman’s suitcase and became suspicious.

The woman was taken into custody and a search was conducted on the luggage during which the drug was found in a false wall.

She was then arrested and taken to CANU headquarters where she assisted with the investigations.

Further information received disclosed that the woman mentioned a name

Venezuelan man charged with illegal entry

A

Venezuelan national was brought before Magistrate Fabian Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday after he was charged with illegal entry into the country.

It is alleged on June 2, 42-year-old Glony Gonzales entered Guyana by sea at Charity, Essequibo without the consent of an immigration officer.

The defendant communicated to the court though use of a translator, Michelle Peters, since he is does not speak English, and pleaded guilty to the charges read against him.

Students are well entertained by the performances of their colleagues

which will benefit everyone in the long run.

Manickchand also stated that the festival is geared towards expanding the education sector, which will see training in drama and dance among other activities.

Manickchand added that the country has been able to keep the children in their classrooms by means of truancy campaigns and several other initiatives.

“Now that we have the children in the classrooms, it’s time for us to pay attention to revamping the sector,” she said.

Now, focus needs to be placed on quality work

sure that child labour is no longer an issue in Guyana.

A number of initiatives have been carried out in the past, with the education and labour ministries collaborating to wipe out this scourge.

In observance of World Day Against Child Labours observed on June 12, a number of activities, including lecture series on the importance of education, were undertaken.

Ogle said the lectures sought to make students and children more aware of why having an education is important.

An estimated 10.5 million children world-

ambiguity of the working relationship, the discrimination and isolation associated with the practice, the hazards and risks of this type of work, as well as child domestic workers’ vulnerability to violence and abuse.

It also explores policy responses to child labour and underlines the key role of the social partners and civil society organisations in the fight against child labour in domestic work. The report concludes by making a call for specific action towards ending child labour and protecting young workers in domestic work. (whitneyp@guyantimesgy.com)

to investigators and efforts are being made to contact the person.

Investigations conducted revealed several inconsistencies in the woman’s statements. Rodney reportedly told investigators that her uncle gave her the cocaine. The woman’s suitcase had an address of Hadfield Street, Lodge, Georgetown; however, she gave investigators an address at Lamaha Park, Georgetown.

This publication understands that Rodney has visited Guyana on several occasions before, with her last visit being in 2012. The 25-year-old woman has reportedly been in Guyana since March and was returning home when the bust was made.

Rodney told investigators that she is a social worker and is currently attending a university in the U.S., studying law. CANU ranks are continuing investigations, looking for the person mentioned by Rodney; however, if nothing substantial comes out of the tip by lunch time today, a charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking would be instituted against her and she would be taken to court.

He said that he entered the country to purchase medication, since he suffers from high blood pressure and would have left after he obtained it.

When asked where he was staying, the accused replied he was staying at a hotel which was not far from the waterfront, but could not remember its name. He apologised to the court numerous times.

Gonzales was given the option of paying a fine of $30,000 or six months in prison after which he would be deported. The defendant chose to pay the fine and be deported.

Mash Day murder trial continues

A

lmost four months after the Mash Day slaying of Enterprise businessman Kumar Mohabir, the trial of the two murder accused Devon Thomas and Randy Isaac continues today.

Thomas, 21, and Isaacs, 17, first appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday for the commencement of their trial.

On Wednesday, police rank Seon Roberts, who played his part in identifying the body, testified to bearing witness to the postmortem examination. It was

reported that Isaacs was identified by a witness after he was included in an ID parade.

The case is being prosecuted by Inspector Stephen Telford and the two men were further remanded to prison for the continuation of their trial.

Mohabir, 25, also called “Duksy” and “Fire Link” of Lot 7 Fernandes Street, Enterprise, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was brutally stabbed during a confrontation with a group of men on Vlissengen Road, Georgetown. The incident occurred about 19:30h during the 43rd Republic anniversary celebrations.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, july 4, 2013

thursDAY, march 11, 2010 | guyanatimesGY.com

archie

By Bernice Bede Osol

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) Don’t fritter away your energy and/or time on things that won’t contribute to your status or wellbeing. You’re in an expansive cycle where many opportunities exist.

dilbert

CANCER (June 21July 22) Your inclination might be to get others to help champion your chosen position. However, you’re likely to have much better results if you leave everybody out.

AQUARIUS

LEO

(Jan. 20Feb. 19)

(July 23Aug. 22)

Overall conditions look to be quite favourable, with the exception of any situation that involves speculation. Be careful when operating in chancy waters.

Calvin and Hobbes PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) You should know better than most that disappointment is likely if your expectations are not within rational bounds. Be reasonable and logical when making an assessment.

Don’t think that material things will provide the gratification you’re seeking. Friendship and the company of loved ones will provide the warmth and harmony you crave.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) When it comes to a financial matter, your mate’s thinking might not be as astute as yours.

Handle your differences diplomatically, but let good sense prevail.

Peanuts ARIES

LIBRA

(March 21-April 19)

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Even though you’re on the right track, you should allow plenty of time for your plans to mature.

Don’t get ahead of yourself.

If there is some kind of special work you need performed, check with friends who have had experience with this type of situation. Don’t hesitate to ask for references.

SUDOKU TAURUS (April 20-May 20) As you’re still in a lucky cycle where your finances and commercial affairs are concerned, be alert for a new opportunity. Things will continue to go well.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22) If you have to make some changes that could affect others, be sure to alert everyone involved.

Springing a surprise on others might invite outrage.

Wednesday's solution GEMINI (May 21June 20) Success is likely for you, provided you don’t impulsively switch objectives. You need to stick with your current endeavours, even if things are going somewhat slow.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21) A close friend or family member might make a promise to you that he or she couldn’t possibly keep. Don’t make an issue of it, just be ready to forgive and forget.

news 19

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thursday, july 4, 2013

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C

aribbean Container Inc on Wednesday refuted an article published in the Kaieteur News on Tuesday, saying “‘half-facts’ were maliciously tailored so as to cast aspersions on the character” of Managing Director and Board Chairman Ronald Webster, and “possibly others”.

In the article “PSC Chairman taken to task for non-disclosure of acquisition of CCI shares”, the newspaper quoted a Christopher Ram column, which alleged that Webster was guilty of bad business practices and illegalities, and said he may not be practising good corporate governance.

In a release from CCI, Demerara Holdings Inc, and Technology Investments and Management Inc, the CCI said it was prudent to highlight critical facts to provide context for the recent publications concerning Webster’s acquisition of shares in CCI. “Between 2003 and 2006, CCI was faced with imminent foreclosure over a large debt owed to a commercial bank. The then majority owners RWCLLC, a company belonging to an American group, had withdrawn from active participation in the country by that time, and Webster and Colin Wiltshire were appointed directors on the board of CCI by RWC-LLC. With the authorisation of RWC-LLC, they successfully negotiated with the commercial bank for a writeoff of a large portion of the debt, upon the payment of a much smaller sum.”

By the end of 2006, CCI was able to fulfil the conditions of the settlement, thereby avoiding foreclosure. RWC-LLC had indicated to the commercial bank, its intention to retire from any interest in Guyana and to transfer its shares in CCI (which was being held

by Demerara Holdings Inc), to TIMI – a private company incorporated by Webster and Wiltshire in January 2004, the release said.

It added that there are written correspondences between RWC-LLC, CCI, and the commercial bank (which were also sent to the Guyana Securities Council in 2006), which outlined, upon fulfilling the settlement, RWC-LLC’s shareholding would be transferred to TIMI. The details of the resultant transactions were disclosed to shareholders and regulators in the annual reports of CCI for the period under review – 2006 to present.

The release added that bearing in mind the seriousness of the assertions being made, and the potential for serious damage to reputation and the loss of public confidence, a decision has been made to factually respond to some of the troubling comments made by Ram and Kaieteur News.

Erroneous

TOUR

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CCI Group refutes Christopher Ram’s allegations

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1) Mr Ram asserts that the annual returns of TIMI for the period 2004-2010 shows Ronald Webster as the only shareholder in that company.

He stated that “Unfortunately for Mr Wiltshire his “18 years of exemplary service including ten as Director, Administration”, and as an incorporator of TIMI were not regarded by Mr Webster as adequate consideration for the issue to him of 500 shares”, and thought it fit to comment further that a shareholder does not vanish on death (Mr Wiltshire having passed away at the end of 2009). The facts are that al-

CCI Chairman Ronald Webster though Mr Wiltshire’s shareholding in the annual returns for the period in question shows one instalment ($50,000) outstanding as payment for the shares, his name is in fact listed as a shareholder in the annual Returns of TIMI for the period 2004-2011. Further, in 2010, TIMI wrote the surviving spouse of Colin Wiltshire, informing her of her husband’s shareholding in TIMI. Portions of that letter read “…in light of his years of service, the fact that his shares were not paid up by him nor was a share certificate issued does not void or nullify Mr Wiltshire’s shareholding”. The letter concluded with the following “we do not know the status re. Probate of Mr Wiltshire’s estate, but wish to advise that upon probate, it may be appropriate to meet and discuss in greater details the provisions of the by-laws and the options available regarding Mr Wiltshire’s shareholding in TIMI”. Mr Wiltshire’s name has never been removed from the records of TIMI, his name was previously reported in CCI’s Annual Report as a related party, since he was an officer of CCI who also held shares in the parent company. However, subsequent to his passing, his name was appropriately removed from this disclosure requirement under CCI’s Annual Report since he was no longer a related party.

Shares in TIMI

2) Chris Ram asserts that apart from Ronald Webster and in 2012, Patricia Bacchus, no other manager of CCI was issued shares in TIMI, under the purported management buyout. We would have dealt with Colin Wiltshire’s shareholding under item 1) above; but in addition, seven managers of CCI with the requisite years of service, were offered shares in TIMI in 2007. Of the seven to whom the written offer was made, five responded positively initially, we have in our possession correspondences issued in 2007 in this regard. However, due to no fault of TIMI, the actual sales have not materialised to date. One of those managers indicated that he would be in a position to take up his shareholding during the second half of 2013. During 2012, after Ms Bacchus would have satisfied the years of service criteria, she was offered shares in TIMI. Having also provided over five years of gratis service to TIMI as company secretary and director, a proper certificate – issued by Chartered Accountants, quantified the value of Ms Bacchus’ services to TIMI, and shares were accordingly issued to her under Section 29 (1) (b) and 29 (5) of the Companies Act of Guyana, utilising the value of past services as consideration. The reason this mode of consideration did not apply to any of the seven managers who were offered shares in 2007, is based

on the fact that they provided no service to TIMI – and as such would be required to purchase their TIMI shares.

3) Chris Ram further asserts that there was an investment cost of G$300,000 by TIMI for the purchase of Demerara Holdings Inc from RWC-LLC, and that this amount appears to have been unpaid. This is an erroneous assertion, in fact that G$300,000 relate to the share capital of Demerara Holdings Inc. The nominal purchase price agreed upon by RWC-LLC and TIMI was fully paid by TIMI at the time of the transaction, just prior to the transfer by RWC-LLC. 4) Christopher Ram in his publication noted that “Webster was engaged in negotiations in which he was a major beneficiary. In corporate law, this is considered a breach of fiduciary obligation to CCI which subjects the fiduciary to the highest burdens of fair dealing beyond those of all persons engaging in contractual dealings”; he also saw it fit to quote extensively, numerous texts on the breach of fiduciary duties and alluded to malpractices in the corporate governance structure of the CCI group. Mr Ram is advised that the executives of CCI and TIMI are not unfamiliar with corporate governance best practices and the requirements under the applicable laws. Where a breach of fiduciary duties is concerned, one must usually be in a position where his personal interest conflicts with the interest of the company to which he owes a fiduciary duty. In our estimation, no such conflict existed, this was also the sentiments of learned counsel who in 2006, prior to the conclusion of the transaction, prepared and issued an opinion that the transaction did not constitute a breach of fiduciary duties.

This opinion was shared with the Securities Council in 2006 before the transaction was finalised, and full disclosure was made to the shareholders of CCI in the 2006 Annual Report. Again, what conflict is Mr Ram alluding to? CCI, its employees, and its shareholders have not suffered a detriment as a result of the change in majority ownership, in fact – the actions of Ronald Webster, Colin Wiltshire and Patricia Bacchus have culminated in the write-off of a very large debt, the avoidance of foreclosure and consequently – continued employment for 140 employees of CCI and a gain to shareholders; both in terms of the increase in the traded value of their CCI shares over the past seven years, the bonus shares awarded to them last year (where TIMI decided not to take up its bonus shares so as to allow the benefit to accrue solely to the minority shareholders), and not forgetting the dividend recently declared and paid – the first such payment in over 20 years.

Suspect timing

The question remains to be asked, if there were concerns over the legality of the transaction, which was fully disclosed to the regulators as well as to shareholders, why hadn’t Mr Ram – both as shareholder of CCI as well as a financial analyst for the Securities Council, ever raised the issue before, instead of now seven years after the event.

Ron Webster and the CCI group are presently seeking legal advice on the appropriate manner in which to treat the aforementioned publications by Mr Ram and Kaieteur News.

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thursday, july 4, 2013

Rohrer, Shehzad and Mark Cavendish wins stage five of Tour Davy Jacobs drafted for Limacol CPL

M

Mark Cavendish

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Ben Rohrer

Ahmed Shehzad

Davy Jacobs

he Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Wednesday confirmed Ben Rohrer, Ahmed Shehzad and Davy Jacobs have been drafted in as replacement players for the forthcoming inaugural tournament.

This announcement comes after three Australia players – Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch – were unable to obtain No Objection Certificates from Cricket Australia. Smith has been drafted in to Australia’s squad for the Ashes series with England, and Finch and Marsh have been selected for the Australia A tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Australian Rohrer will replace Smith for the Antigua Hawksbills, Pakistani Shehzad steps in for Marsh with the Jamaica Tallawahs, and Jacobs from South Africa comes in for Finch with the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel.

Rohrer is a hard-hitting left-hander who made his Twenty20 International debut for Australia against the West Indies in March and he played for the Delhi Daredevils in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League.

The 32 year-old featured for the Melbourne Renegades in the last Australia’s Big Bash League, and the Renegades were the franchise that had the consultancy services of Antigua Hawksbills coach Sir Vivian Richards, as well as the talent of West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels, the Antigua Hawksbills’ franchise player and captain in this year’s Limacol CPL. The 32 year-old, originally from Sydney, said he was relishing the chance to be part of the Limacol CPL which gets underway on 30 July.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to play with Antigua in the CPL,” said Rohrer. “It will be great to get the chance to work with Sir Viv again, as well as (with former Australia

captain) Ricky Ponting and my Renegades teammate Marlon Samuels.”

Antigua Hawksbills assistant coach Phil DeFreitas said: “Ben has shown himself to be a real talent in the shortest form of the game, and that ability earned him international recognition earlier this year.

“He is well known to both Sir Vivian Richards and Marlon Samuels and impressed them both during the Big Bash League.

“He has the ability to control the innings and also to find the boundary regularly and he offers us a really excellent option with the bat.”

Rohrer made 295 runs in the Big Bash League, the fifth-highest aggregate among the six sides, and his strike-rate was a remarkable 152.09 runs per hundred balls. He has also represented the Sydney Sixers both domestically and in the Champions League T20.

with Ahmed Shehzad who is perfect for the team’s balance.

“He has special ability as a top order batsman, Chris (Gayle) knows him well and we believe he will be a match-winner who can really make his mark on the world stage. He is a very gifted and classy player and we feel he is the last piece in our jigsaw.”

Jacobs is another vastly experienced Twenty20 player who was unlucky to miss out on a spot with one of the six franchises in the draft that took place earlier this month.

The 30 year-old, who captains the Warriors in South African domestic cricket, is capable of batting anywhere in the order and is an extremely capable wicketkeeper too.

He led the Warriors to their first-ever trophies in 2010-11 with a limitedovers double, including the domestic Twenty20 title, and has played for both the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and Northamptonshire in English county cricket.

Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel coach Gordon Greenidge said of the change to his squad: “Davy Jacobs is a proven performer in Twenty20 cricket. He will add steel to the Red Steel dressing room and bring a winning mentality to the squad as well as vast experience. The fact he can bat anywhere in the top-order is great as it provides us with real flexibility and I like the balance of our squad.

“We have top-quality internationals like Dwayne Bravo and Ross Taylor, the pace of Fidel Edwards, the exciting hitting power of Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien and two of the best Twenty20 bowlers going around in Kevon Cooper and Samuel Badree. It is a great blend and we cannot wait to get started,” he declared.

The inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League starts on July 30 in Barbados and concludes on August 24 in Trinidad. (CPL)

Perfect opportunity

The Limacol CPL will be a perfect opportunity for Ahmed Shehzad to put himself firmly back in the minds of the Pakistan selectors after he missed out on selection for the ICC Champions Trophy squad.

Still only 21, the righthanded batsman played for his country as recently as March in a T20I against South Africa. He has played 19 ODIs and 11 T20Is and was part of the Pakistan squads for both the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 and the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009, with Pakistan winning the latter event.

He has two ODI hundreds, one of which was against the West Indies in St Lucia in 2011, and he also has two T20 hundreds and a superb strike-rate of 134.23 runs per hundred balls.

Reflecting on the change to the Jamaica Tallawahs squad, coach Paul Nixon said: “Losing Shaun is a shame but we have got a like-for-like replacement

ark Cavendish defied a bout of bronchitis to claim a convincing win in a sprint finish at the end of stage five of the Tour de France on Wednesday.

The Manxman was led out perfectly by teammate Gert Steegmans and surged clear of Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen and Slovakian Peter Sagan.

It was Cavendish’s first stage win of this year’s Tour

and 24th in total.

A large pile up in the final sprint split the peloton but Simon Gerrans retained the leader’s yellow jersey.

Cavendish, 28, is now only 10 wins short of Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour de France stage wins.

“I’m super happy,” said Cavendish afterwards.

“Now the pressure’s kind of off and hopefully it has started the ball rolling.”

His Omega Pharma-

Quick Step team manager Patrick Lefevere added: “We had targeted this stage.

“A lot of good sprinters won in Marseille and Mark, who loves the history of cycling, wanted to have his name associated with Marseille.”

Cavendish is favourite to claim another victory in today’s sixth stage, a 176.5-km ride from Aix-enProvence to Montpellier. (BBC

Sport)

Sabine Lisicki plays down talk of being favourite

S

abine Lisicki has played down the pressure of being many pundits’ pick to win the Wimbledon title as she prepares for today’s semi-finals.

The German, seeded 23rd, will play Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska on Centre Court at about 15:00 BST. They follow the 13:00 BST meeting between French 15th seed Marion Bartoli and Belgian 20th seed Kirsten Flipkens.

The world’s top three players - Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka have all suffered shock exits.

Asked whether her stunning win over five-time champion Williams in the fourth round meant she was now the favourite, Lisicki responded: “Not at all, no pressure.

“For me, it’s still a game that I love so much, and I want to keep it that way.

I’m going out there for every match to win it and we’ll see what happens.”

Lisicki, 23, made the semi-finals in 2011, losing to Sharapova, and her powerful serve has only been topped by Williams in terms of pace over the last two weeks.

Radwanska is a very different kind of player, using court craft to compensate for her lack of power, and she knows that another strong returning performance will be required.

“I saw her matches, and

Sabine Lisicki

her results on the grass are always good,” she said.

“She’s, for sure, a big server, so I will have to be careful on that.”

The 24-year-old said it “definitely” helps to have the experience of reaching the final last year - in which she was beaten in three sets

by Serena Williams - and insisted the leg issues that affected her during her quarter-final win over Li Na would not be a problem.

“My legs are a bit overused,” she explained. “[But after] a lot of treatment and massage I will be ready for the semi-final.”

Flipkens has the most remarkable story of the final four, having reached her

first Grand Slam semi-final one year after being ranked so low that she could not even enter the Wimbledon qualifying tournament.

The 27-year-old slipped to 262 in the world after suffering blood clots in her calf, and described Tuesday’s win over former champion Petra Kvitova as “more than a dream coming true”.

Flipkens is great friends with compatriot Kim Clijsters, and the former world number one has been following Flipkens’ fortunes on Twitter, saying after Tuesday’s match: “Still drying my eyes. So proud of how [she] handled the big occasion for the first time!” (BBC

Sport)

thursday, july 4, 2013

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Murray survives five-set thriller

GBA announces line-up for Friday’s ProAm card

with some good serving.

Murray was increasingly under pressure on his second serve, and in an edgy 10th game it came as no great surprise when he handed over the set with a double fault.

It was a poor start but the threat seemed to have been averted when Murray broke at 1-1 in the second, only for the Briton to give up his advantage with a dreadful sixth game.

Verdasco did superbly to return a smash but Murray should have done better than dump his volley in the

Andy Murray

B

ritish number one Andy Murray kept his hopes of winning Wimbledon alive with a dramatic five-set win over Fernando Verdasco on Centre Court on Wednesday.

Murray, the second seed, fought back to beat the Spaniard 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4 7-5 and reach the semi-finals for the fifth year in a row.

The Scot, 26, had looked like joining Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as the latest victim of a huge upset, but battled through in three hours and 27 minutes.

He moves on to face 24th seed Jerzy Janowicz in Friday’s semi-finals, after the Pole beat his compatriot Lukasz Kubot 7-5 6-4 6-4 on Court One. Top seed Novak Djokovic made smooth progress in the other half of the draw, beating Tomas Berdych in three sets to earn a semi-final against Juan Martin Del Potro.

Murray can still take advantage of an unexpected

21

Leon “Hurry Up” Moore

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Novak Djokovic

path to the final, but he produced an uncertain performance in the face of some big serving and heavy hitting from left-hander Verdasco.

The Spaniard, 29, made as many winners as errors but his favoured forehand kept the Scot on the defensive, and he fended off two break points in the first set

net, and backhand and forehand errors followed.

Things got considerably worse when two desperate Murray forehands landed in the net, and Verdasco benefited from an unplayable net cord to break once again, making it five games in a row as he took a two-set lead. (BBC Sport)

he Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) has announced the lineup of boxers to appear on the amateur segment of the Friday Night Fights ProAm boxing card at the newlyrefurbished Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Friday night.

In the light heavyweight division, Desmond Amsterdam of the Guyana Defence Force gym will tackle Colin Martin of Republican, while Kelon King of Forgotten Youth Foundation and Anandram Dharamraj of Republican will face off in a junior welterweight clash.

In the middleweight contest, Trevon King of Guyana Defence Force and Kevin Rodney of Republican will trade punches, with Stephon Gouveia of Harpy Eagles and Imran Khan of Police meeting in a lightweight encounter.

The card is a continu-

Revlon Lake

ation of last Saturday’s ProAm card, which was aborted after a heavy downpour, accompanied by high winds, uprooted the tent which covered the ring and left the Uitvlugt Community Centre ground in a soggy state.

Only the amateur segment was completed before the unfortunate situation occurred.

The professional side of the card, which never got started last Saturday, will remain the same for Friday event, which will get underway at 20:00h.

In the main event, Guyanese Revlon Lake, based in Barbados, and Dexter Gonsalves, who lives in Trinidad and Tobago, but is Guyanese by birth, will square off for the vacant junior lightweight title of Guyana.

While Lake has fought in Guyana before, this will be

Gonsalves’ maiden fight on home soil.

Prior to the main bout, local boys Kelsie George and Troy Lewis will go head-tohead in a four-round middleweight contest, while debutant Laured Stewart will start life as a professional against Anson Green in a four-round welterweight fight.

The world renowned Leon “Hurry Up” Moore will also appear on the card, in a six-round featherweight clash with Errol Trotman.

Another newcomer, Romio Norville, will open his campaign against Eversley Brown in a four-round middleweight contest that will kick off the professional segment of the card.

Admission to the venue is $1000, while patrons who are in still in possession of their ticket stubs from the Uitvlugt card will be admitted free.

Afridi, Umar Akmal recalled for West Indies tour

S

hahid Afridi and Umar Akmal have been recalled to Pakistan’s ODI and T20 squads for the limited-overs tour of the West Indies later this month.

Two notable players who have been dropped from the Champions Trophy squad are wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and allrounder Shoaib Malik.

Fast bowler Umar Gul, who last played in March during the South Africa tour, was sidelined again as he hadn’t yet recovered from his knee surgery.

The ODI squad features the uncapped 21-year-old wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, as a backup to Akmal, who was picked as the first-choice wicketkeeper. Ahmed Shehzad, the opening batsman, has been recalled to both squads.

Zulfiqar Babar, 34, who has been part of the domestic circuit for more than ten years, figures in the T20 squad.

Pakistan were let down

by their senior batsmen in the Champions Trophy in England as the side failed to pass 200 in their three games – the third match against India was rain-affected – only to be eliminated from the group stage.

Malik managed just 25 runs in three matches, Kamran 23 and Farhat four in two.

With the pitches in the West Indies expected to be slower, the selectors have gone with one less seamer, dropping Ehsan Adil.

Afridi had been dropped from the ODI squad twice in the last six months after hitting a slump with both bat and ball. He was first dropped for the one-day leg of the India tour in January before making a comeback in South Africa, but was left out again for the Champions Trophy. In the 21 ODIs since January 2012, Afridi has picked up 15 wickets at 57.13 and scored 308 runs at 19.25. He had been training at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore over the

past couple of weeks, and passed the fitness test.

The captain Misbah-ulHaq defended Afridi’s inclusion but added that he wasn’t necessarily an automatic selection in the XI. Misbah said Afridi was picked as an ‘optional’ allrounder who can bat at number seven and bowl spin.

“He is an option who can help us on slower tracks (in the West Indies),” Misbah said when asked how difficult it was to pick an out-ofform player. “Malik was the one who had been helping us out with six to seven overs and was handy with the bat as well so Afridi has been recalled in place of Malik as an extra allrounder who can roll his arm on turning tracks and contribute quick runs at number seven.

“But it doesn’t mean he is automatically in the XI. We first have to look at the conditions and then take a call. We are happy with the selection of 16 players and I will be ready to shoulder the

responsibility of any result.”

Umar Akmal was dropped from the Test side last year and was subsequently was axed from the ODI side this year. He had been working on his wicketkeeping skills at the NCA over the last two weeks under the coach Dav Whatmore. When asked if wicketkeeping would be an additional burden on him, chief selector Iqbal Qasim said that Umar Akmal was “comfortable with wicketkeeping and the decision had been taken with his consent.”

“We have also added Mohammad Rizwan as a backup wicketkeeper but Umar will be doing most of the glove work and Rizwan will also be tried but it depends on the situation,” Qasim said.

Umar Akmal has kept wicket in seven ODIs and the selectors have hinted at a short-term and experimental role, as his dual role could help the balance of the side.

(Cricinfo)

Shahid Afridi

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thursday, july 4, 2013

Toronto and District Cricket Association…

guyanatimesGY.com

NA Multilateral whip Central Corentyne Secondary 15-0

Rikhi (182*), A Crandon (127) star in Canada

Dominique Rikhi

Royston Crandon

From Ravendra

miliated Yorkshire Cricket Club by six wickets. The losers were skittled out for a paltry 82 in 38.4 overs while Brampton galloped to 83-4 in the 18th over.

Meanwhile, in an invited comment with Rikhi, the diminutive batsman expressed great satisfaction with his innings and his trip to North America so far.

“I [am] delighted to be back in Canada to represent Victoria Park Cricket Club and more importantly getting some wonderful scores; my aim is to make Guyana’s senior team in the upcoming regional four-day tournament,” the Berbician related.

Rikhi played for Guyana under-15 team 2008 in Dominique while he featured at the under-19 level too in 2010 and 2011.

According to him, cricket in North America has proven to be very competitive and his annual visit provides an opportunity for him to improve his batting skills and technique.

“I came here with the intention of making an impression and so far my form is great and I just want to continue with this sort of consistency; yes, runs will always count and I have got to score heavily and regularly to impress the selectors back home wherever I am plying my trade,” Rikhi divulged.

In addition, a number of Guyanese cricketers are also making a steady impact with bat and ball in the country.

The action will continue this Saturday and Sunday with several matches across the Greater Toronto Area.

Madholall in Toronto

G

uyanese batsmen continued to be impactful in this year’s Toronto and District Cricket Association Elite and Premier League 50-over competition when another round of matches concluded over the weekend.

Guyana and former West Indies ODI batsman Royston Crandon stroked an impressive 127 to inspire Vikings Cricket Club to an emphatic 60-run win over Headstar Eastern while 20-year-old former Guyana under-19 batsman Dominique Rikhi cracked a splendid, unbeaten 182 for Victoria Park Cricket Club against Hagee Sports Club also in the Premier League Division.

The right-handed Crandon hit five boundaries and four effortless sixes as his team tallied 230.

Headstar replied with 170 all out with Trinidadian offspinner Jason Patraj grabbing three for 18 from six probing overs.

Rihki, in his second year with Victoria Park, batted aggressively, spanking 10 fours and seven sixes to see his side accumulate a formidable 334-4 at the expiration of the 50-overs; Headstart Sports Club could only respond with 91 all out.

Former Guyana Under-19 captain and leftarm orthodox spinner Eugene LaFleur captured three for 13 from nine economical overs.

At the same venue on Sunday, defending champion Brampton Master Tranzac Cricket Club hu-

nother Berbice school was steamrolled as action in the Digicel National Schools Football competition continued in Region Six on Wednesday.

New Amsterdam Multilateral School (NAMS) recorded the third heaviest defeat on a team in East Berbice in the competition this year when they won 15-0 playing against Central Corentyne at the All Saints ground, New Amsterdam.

Shakeel Grant scored six goals in a splendid display of ball-weaving while Akeem Bowers and Trivet Grimond netted three goals each. Grimond scored in the first minute of the game and Leon Loo in the fifth minute to give the home team an early advantage.

Grant scored three goals in the first half of the game to help NAMS to a 7-0 halftime lead. Also scoring in the first half of the game were Godfrey Grant and Shaquan Spencer.

Bowers scored all his goals in the second half of the game. Goalscoring was not as difficult as expected for NAMS as goalkeeper Simon Leander made little or no movement to save some of the goals that were scored.

NAMS will be in action again on Tuesday when they take on School of the Nations in round two.

Goals fest as NATI defeat Port Mourant Secondary 22-0.

New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI) gave Port Mourant Secondary (PMS) a lesson in scoring goals when they inflicted a 22-0 whipping on them and in the process made known their intentions at this year’s tournament.

Playing in their first outing for the competition NATI completely dominated the one-sided affair after PMS fielded only eight players. Playing at the Skeldon Community Centre on Tuesday, NATI was off to a flyer when Marvin Apolo

From left: Shamar Richards, Dequan Williams, Jarral Walters and Jamal Walters

Shaquille Robitille (left) and Troy Felix

opened the scoring in the first minute of play.

That was one of two goals scored by the midfielder. Despite his brilliant start Apolo was soon out of the focus as Shamar Richards put in the second goal in the 10th minute.

Diswan Williams also got into his own act and scored in the 21st, 22nd and 24th minutes in what seemed like a routine practiced until perfect.

Also coming into the spotlight was Richards in the 30th, 31st, 32nd and 40th minutes. One minute before Jamal Walters scored

his second goal to see NATI leading 14-0 at the half way mark.

Richards finished with seven goals, Jarrel Walters and Williams, four goals each, while Jamal Walters netted three. Also finding the back of the net were Ronnison Mitchell and Michael Vauhgn.

The last goal was scored in the 77th minute.

Meanwhile NATI will face a much stronger line up from GuySuCo Port Morant Training Centre on Sunday at the same venue.

SON move into second round with 2-1 win over

Winifred Gaskin.

School of the Nations (SON) in New Amsterdam advanced to the second round in the regional leg of the Digicel Schools Football tournament with a 2-1 win over Winifred Gaskin Secondary at the All Saints Ground, New Amsterdam on Monday.

SON dominated the early minutes of the game and in the 35th Rahim Ault missed two shots on goal despite getting past the defenders and goalie.

However, it was Shaquille Robitaille who ensured SON take the lead.

The goal inspired Winifred Gaskin and nine minutes later Esrom Collins converted a play from the corner. The exhibition continued into the second half of the match with several chances being missed.

In the 79th minute Troy Felix got a pass from striker Carl Holder and pushed it past the helpless goalkeeper to put his team once again in the lead. It was a combination that SON tried on several occasions prior, but the strikes were either in the wrong place when the ball was passed or the ball was placed just beyond the reach of the strikers.

(Andrew Carmichael)

Geddes Grant announces sponsorship of cycling

G

eddes Grant (Guyana) Limited, through its Seven Seas Multivitamins and Dr Chase Nerve Food products, will sponsor Sunday’s fourth annual 50-mile road race on the West Demerara roadways.

The company has been sponsoring the activity since 2010 and earlier this week announced a renewal of its partnership with national coach Hassan Mohamed, who is the organiser of the race.

“We are always happy to be a part of cycling as our company seeks to support activities that lead to healthier living,” Product Specialist, Karen Connell said.

“At Geddes Grant, we

have specific products especially formulated for active lifestyles, for example from the Seven Sea range our Multibionta Activate contains a unique blend of probiotics combined with B vitamins and minerals, helping to support your natural metabolism and vitality, our joint care supplements contain glucosamine and chondroitin to keep joints well lubricated and supple. Our cod liver oil supplements both liquids and one-a-day capsules are a great source of Omega 3 to maintain a healthy heart and circulation.”

Connell urged the cyclists to utilise their products in order to gain optimum performance and

ensure the sport of cycling remains competitive.

The race will commence at the Wales Police Station at 08:00h, proceed to Bushy Park, East Bank Essequibo, before returning to Demerara Harbour Bridge for the finish.

The Veteran, Mountain Bike and female riders will turn at the Uitvlugt Community Centre on the upwards journey and finish at the Harbour Bridge.

The first six finishers in the Open race will receive prizes, while the first three Juniors, Veterans, Mountain Bikers and females will also be rewarded. The top Veteran Over60 participants will also collect a prize. Eight prime prizes will be at stake dur-

ing the race.

The defending champion of the Open race is Geron Williams, who won the 2012 edition in a time of one hour, 53 minutes, 16.95 seconds (01h: 53m: 16.95s), while Talim Shaw (Veteran), Michael DeRoche (Mountain Bikes) and Naomi Singh (Females) won their respective categories last year.

A new champion will be crowned in the Open race, since Williams is currently campaigning overseas.

Representatives of the sponsor, including Connell and Product Specialist Mahesh Itwaru, are expected to be on hand to assist in the presentation of prizes at the conclusion of the race.

thursday, july 4, 2013

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23

Plaisance Academy send GTI packing − Marian Academy rob UG of offence

By Treiston Joseph

W

ith Plaisance up by one point in the final two minutes, Nikkoloi Smith drove the middle of the lane to put Plaisance Academy up by three points, starting a scoring surge to give the East Coast school a 42-33 win over the Government Technical Institute (GTI) when the National School’s Basketball Festival (NSBF) continued at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Tuesday evening.

With the game 34-33, and the ball in the hands of Smith signaling an isolation play, his first step beats his defender without much effort as he heads to the rim to finish a smooth lay-up with 1:36 minutes to play.

Two possessions later with two full court outlet passes from Smith after hoarding the defensive rebound Plaisance Academy are suddenly up by nine points with 16 seconds left in the game as GTI watched the close game slip through their hands, along with their hopes of even reaching

Part of the action during the Plaisance and GTI game on Tuesday evening

the quarter-final.

A close game throughout, both teams played isolation basketball while using the pick and roll in the fast-paced and physical game in the paint.

However, it was Smith’s clutch drive in the final two minutes that changed the tide of the game along with his rebounds that started a

9-0 run for Plaisance.

Smith dropped a double-double, scoring 16 points while collecting 12 rebounds to lead Plaisance Academy to their first win in the final leg of the tournament, which is sponsored

by Digicel, Beharry Group of Companies and Banks DIH. Kelvin Yorrick had 10

points to assist Smith while Dwight Gray was the only player for GTI with double figures with 12.

Meanwhile Marian Academy put on their sticky gloves as they picked the University of Guyana apart with 20 steals, grabbing a 31-23 win over the tertiary institution.

Marian, playing with

their well organised system, looked to pass the ball for the easiest shot available while reverting to their 2-3 zone defence on the other end of the court.

However, UG’s style of pushing the ball on offense resulted with Marian breaking their zone defence at times which allowed their star guard Dominic Vincente to utilise he vision and defensive skill set to pick off the UG players; he ended with seven steals.

With Marian picking up 20 steals compared to UG’s nine, UG were never able to stay afloat against the well coached team.

Dale Beresford ended the night for Marian with 10 points and four steals while Vincente, along with his seven steals, added nine rebounds and six points.

Kwakwani Secondary had another outstanding game as they routed Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) 55-28.

Kwakwani dominated the painted area while hitting the occasional dagger from downtown. GSA had no offensive response for

Kwakwani or the defense of Kwakwani.

GSA, to their own detriment, put the ball in the hands of their star guard Emmanuel Archibald too often who scored 18 of GSA’s 28 points. But once he was double teamed GSA offense became horrible to watch.

Meanwhile, Ron Meredith and Shafeik Thomas each had a game 16 points to lead the defending champions to their second straight win in the final leg of the tournament.

In the under-17 category, St Roses High School dominated Brickdam Secondary 47-21.

Nathan Howell and Anfernee Jervic scorched Brickdam for 17 points apiece while Joshua Lee had nine points for Brickdam.

The final under-17 game of the evening saw President’s College (PC) defeating New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary School (NAMSS) 27-19.

Sherland Gillis had eight points and eight rebounds for PC while Fileen Anton had five points and five rebounds for NAMSS.

GTM Inter-County U-19 One-Day Tournament…

Cinderella County Collapse!

– Essequibo make meal of run chase to fall by 31 runs to President’s XI – Berbice beat Demerara by 101 runs

By Rajiv Bisnauth

E

ssequibo squandered an ideal opportunity to secure a win when they made a complete mess of a run chase to slide to a 31-run defeat to the President’s XI on Wednesday at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

In the opening round of the Guyana Cricket Board/ Guyana and Trinidad Mutual Fire and Life Insurance-sponsored (GTM) Inter-County Under-19 competition, the Essequibians were hunting 151 for victory after their bowlers destroyed a ragged President’s XI. Essequibo then crashed from 104-6 in the 24th over to 119 all out in 26.5 overs.

A seventh wicket partnership of 36 runs between Rajiv Balgobin (28) and Andy Dass (23), gave the Essequibo team some hope after they were reduced to 68-6 in 17.2 overs.

However, once that partnership was broken at 104, Essequibo’s innings folded swiftly as the final four wickets fell for 15 runs.

Left-arm spinner Mark

Hamilton snared 4-31, while there were two wickets apiece for Vishal Narayan and Man of the Match, Garfield De Roche bowling for the President’s XI. Earlier, Anthony Bhupdeo and Ryan Shun helped the President’s XI make a reasonable start after they were asked to bat first.

The pair put on an opening stand of 59 runs in 20 overs, a solid platform which they could have used to accumulate an imposing total. Both batsmen were subdued, collecting the occasional boundary and rotating the strike slowly.

With the President’s XI

29. The other batsmen to reach double figures were Avishkar Sewkaran (18) and Martin Bell (13).

Left arm-spinner Ricardo Adams chipped in with 2-30 while Andy Dass, Herry Green and Rajiv Balgobin had figures of 1-7, 1-24 and 1-27 respectively.

Meanwhile, Berbice defeated Demerara by 101 runs in the other game which was played at the Albion Community Centre ground.

Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Berbice managed 227 for five in their 50 overs.

Romario ShepherdDeJonge top scored with 89.

GCB Vice President (Administration) Fizul Bacchus hands over the Man-of-the-Match trophy to Garfield De Roche

Romario Shepherd-DeJonge

scoring at a sluggish three runs an over, Essequibo were desperate for a breakthrough and that came in the 21st over by Julio Jones.

The off-spinner removed Bhupdeo (10) and number three batsman Shivnarine Srikishen (0), in the space of two balls. The wickets were welcome relief for Essequibo

but it only got better as the President’s XI lost their last eight wickets for just 90 runs.

Their misery was masterminded by Jones, who, finished with figures of four for 26 off his 10 overs.

Shun top scored with 44 (5x4, 1x6) while Garfield De Roche made a 22-ball

Shailendra Shameer

He received support from Sharaz Ramcharran, 58 not out, Parmanand Narine, 14, David Latchaya, 26, and Devin Baldeo, 16.

In reply, Demerara were bowled out for 126 in 46 overs. Kamesh Yadram topscored with 40 while the other chief contributor was Kemol Savory with 25.

Bowling for Berbice, Shailendra Shameer was the best bowler with figures of 4-30. Derek Narine, Kevon Jawahir and Romario Shepherd- DeJonge had figures of 2-21, 2-5, and 1-19 respectively.

Round two will be played today with Berbice facing the President’s XI at the Demerara Cricket Club ground and Essequibo playing Demerara at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

The third and final round is scheduled for Saturday with the President’s XI opposing Demerara at the Wales Community Centre ground and Berbice facing Essequibo at a venue to be announced shortly.

The two top teams will meet in the final on Monday, also at a venue to be announced shortly.

thursday, july 4, 2013

TOP SCORES

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

West Indies 230-9 (Charles 97, Bravo 55, Yadav 3-43) beat India 229-7 (Rohit 60, Raina 44, Sammy 2-41, Roach 2-41) by 1 wicket

Official team uniform and kit sponsor secured for Limacol CPL

L

imacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) organisers have confirmed India-based apparel and equipment manufacturing company TK Sports Private Limited as the League’s official and exclusive supplier of team apparel and protective gear.

TK is a leading global sports apparel and equipment brand with a major presence in Europe since 1984, and has supplied clothing and gear to sports teams around the world across all sports verticals, including the Indian Premier League’s Sahara Pune Warriors and Kings XI Punjab.

TK Sports India will be providing the full range of kit for all six teams from practice jerseys and uniforms to gloves, helmets and pads.

INSIDE TODAY'S SPORTS

Rohrer, Shehzad and Davy Jacobs drafted for Limacol CPL P20

The team uniforms for the six

“TK Sports India is pleased to have been chosen as the kit supplier for the Limacol Caribbean Premier League,” said Managing Director Rajan Kohli. “Our reputation for upholding the highest standards of

quality control and using the best material and designers guarantees that the LCPL teams will be highly satisfied with their respective gear. We wish the LCPL management and the teams very best and look

forward to outfitting them for years to come.”

“Ensuring that our teams are using and wearing gear of the highest quality is of paramount importance to us because the quality of their performance

can be affected if they are uncomfortable in their kit,” commented LCPL Chief Executive Officer Damien O’Donohoe. “After much consideration, we selected TK Sports India and we are confident that they will

meet the LCPL requirements that we have given them.”

TK Sports India will leverage the LCPL association through social media. TK Sports customers, Twitter followers and Facebook fans will get the chances to win authentic LCPL apparel of their favourite team.

(Facebook: www.facebook. com/tksportsindia/ Twitter: @tksportsindia) Barbados and St Lucia will be the first teams to suit up when the inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premiere League begins on Tuesday July 30 in Barbados. (CPL)

GTM Inter-County U-19 One-Day Tournament…

Cinderella County Collapse!

– Essequibo make meal of run chase to fall by 31 runs to President’s XI

See story on page

23

– Berbice beat Demerara by 101 runs

Vishal Narayan rejoiced after bowling Kesho Rooplall (Rajiv Bisnauth photo)

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