Caribbean Star #63 vol. 4 October 9-15 2015

Vol.4 #63

First Interfaith Newspaper, Serving The Community

Caribbean Star Caribbeanstarnews@gmail.com

October 9–15, 2015

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SALARIES OF CABINET MINISTERS TO RISE BY 50%

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See Page 34

GOV’T WANTS ROGER KHAN’S TESTIMONY …

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FIANCE MURDERS KITTY WOMAN, KILLS SELF

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Cabinet Ministers are to see their salaries rise by 50% in a move likely to generate criticism as public servants were given a small salary hike after having been promised a “significant” increase by the APNU+AFC government.

See Page 4

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Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

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October 9–15, 2015 Caribbean Star Newspaper Pastor beaten, robbed of church money - at Walton Hall

A

PASTOR who has dedicated her life to the work of God was reportedly terrorised and robbed of an undisclosed sum of church funds last Friday night at Walton Hall on the Essequibo Coast.According to reports, Pastor Doreen Edwards who lives alone, was terrorised and brutally choked by a lone bandit who invaded her home at around 21:00 hrs on Friday night. Speaking to reporters, the Pastor of the El Shaddai Pentecostal Church said she was in bed but felt suddenly weak and lifeless at around 21:00 hrs and could not get off the bed.

According to the Pastor, her lights in the house suddenly came off and she wanted to know if it was a power failure but saw

from her window that the lights on the road were still on.

The Pastor recalled that, in the darkness, she felt a hand suddenly grabbing her neck and starting to choke her. The woman claimed that the person choking her also demanded “the church money”.

The woman said with the hand choking her she soon became helpless and lost consciousness. According to the Pastor, after she regained consciousness the hand was at her throat again choking her.

The Pastor said she was in and out of consciousness several times and was choked almost four times by the bandit who had a “fat” hand.

She said when she finally was able to

get off the bed she found her entire house ransacked and a bag with church funds missing. According to the Pastor, the front door of her home was left wide opened.

She said the bandit gained entry to her home by removing louver panes on her window.

The Pastor, whose neck was badly swollen and bruised, said the bandit while terrorising her, emptied two bottles with cold water on her. She said the bandit also defecate on her bed before leaving. The Pastor who visited the Anna Regina Police Station to make a report was taken to the Suddie Public Hospital where she was admitted for several hours.

Police have so far visited the scene of

3

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Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

Salaries of Cabinet ministers to rise by 50% Cabinet Ministers are to see their salaries rise by 50% in a move likely to generate criticism as public servants were given a small salary hike after having been promised a “significant” increase by the APNU+AFC government.

M

inister of State Joseph Harmon said that he would make no apologies for the 50% salary increases to Cabinet ministers, arguing that it is well-deserved.

“I’m not going to make any apologies whatsoever for ministers getting an increase in salaries,they deserve it,” Harmon exclaimed at the National Cultural Centre.

The order for the increase was approved by the Minister of Finance Winston Jordan two days prior to being published in the Official Gazette on September 23, 2014.

The approval of the increases comes in the face of criticism when the matter was first floated in the public in July. Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman had denied at a post cabinet press briefing

in early August that there would be any “astronomical” pay increases.

Trotman had said that there was a review in place to set salaries that would differentiate the variety of posts including junior ministers, senior ministers and vice presidents.

According to the Official Gazette, Cabinet ministers will now receive $10,439,124 annually, a 50% increase from what was previously stated in the Principal Act. Also enjoying a 50% increase will be the Speaker of the National Assembly who will remain on par with Cabinet ministers as well as the Leader of the Opposition. Their monthly earnings will be just under $870,000 from the $579,000 monthly under the previous administration.

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Joseph Harmon are to be paid $11,135,064 per annum.

Junior Ministers of Government will earn $8,346,492, an over 16% increase from the annual salary of a Cabinet minister under the former administration who was earning $6,959,412 annually.

The Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo will now receive $20,580,000 annually, an over $2M increase from what was previously stipulated in the Principal Act, taking his monthly salary to over $1.7M. Members of Parliament without a designation will see a 20% salary increase, taking their annual salaries from $2,002,116 to $2,402,532. Parliamentary Secretaries and the Chief Whip will earn over 12% more, taking their salaries from $3,336,876 and $2,384,328 to $3,753,984 to $2,682,360 respectively.

The Deputy Speaker will now earn $2,702,880, just under a $300,000 annual increase.

The Gazette stated that the Attorney General and the Chancellor will earn the same annual salary and no change was made.

While in opposition, APNU and the AFC had heavily criticised what they termed “fat cats” with “upper salaries”.

Now in government, when asked to justify the increase yesterday, Harmon said that “the ministers of government now justify an increase. The salary of a minister, a senior minister is five hundred and

sixty something thousand a month. That is money I paid to one of my attorneys that works for me when I was in private practice. Why should I be working for that?”

Harmon appeared agitated during the questions and reporters were unable to clarify if he supported the view that persons who willingly take up public office should expect to be paid at the level of the private sector.

Justifying the move by the government, he added “And if you look at the Cabinet you will find people of quality are there. Also I believe it is justifiable.

You cannot have a situation like in the PPP where they were prepared to accept low salaries because they were thiefing money all over the place. We are not going to do that, our ministers will have to sign to a code of conduct, a code of service which requires them to act at a different level and so we have to pay people well if you want them to perform.”

That code of conduct is yet to be presented to the country more than four months into the life of the APNU+AFC government.

Critics have said that ministerial salaries should not be raised much beyond the increase which was paid out to public servants. Effective from July 1, 2015, the minimum salary in the public service was set at $50,000 per month while public servants who earned more will receive a 5% salary increase plus an additional $5,000 monthly as of the same date.

In an interview with Stabroek News in May, Finance Minister Winston Jordan had said that the new government was looking to increase public servants’ salaries by 10% in keeping with the APNU+AFC promise in its elections manifesto of a significant hike. The initial increase that was being mentioned for public servants was 20%.

‘Nasty Man’ remanded over ‘Warlock’ murder

D

elon Henry, aka ‘Nasty Man’ was charged with the murder of East Ruimveldt resident, Dexter Griffith, who died after being shot three times about his body last week.

Henry was not required to plead to the charge which stated that he murdered Griffith on September 29.

According to the prosecution, Griffith was sitting on a chair in front of his house at ‘Warlock’ when Henry, who was armed with a gun, walked up to him and fired several shots. Griffith was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital but later succumbed to his wounds.

The prosecution noted that the charges were lev-

elled against the accused after he was positively identified during an ID parade.

However, an unrepresented Henry denied having undergone an ID parade, adding that he was beaten to confess to the murder.

The 25-year-old resident of Houston Scheme, on the East Bank Demerara, claimed that he was at home at the time of the incident. And apart from being charged with murder, Henry was also charged with two counts of illegal firearm possession.

According to the charges, on October 4 at Agricola, he was found with a .38 Rossi revolver and 8 live matching rounds of ammunition.

Henry pleaded not guilty to both charges, claiming that he was being framed.

Nevertheless, Henry was remanded on all three charges and is expected to make his next court appearance on Friday, before Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Henry, who was recently released from prison, was reportedly a member of the former ‘Fineman’ gang. This gang was named after the notorious Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins who terrorized the country for several years prior to his death in 2008.

Griffith, 36, was shot once to his left thigh, once to his face and once to his chest which exited through his back. The chest wound proved to be fatal.

Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

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Caribbean Star Newspaper DEA office with permanent staff to be set up by next January

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October 9–15, 2015

permanently-staffed United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office will be set up here by mid-January next year and the person to lead it has already been identified, according to new US Ambassador Perry Holloway.

“We have had a number of DEA temporary duty personnel stationed here for weeks or months at a time… and they have been working closely with the appropriate Guyanese authorities on cases, on training, technical assistance,” Holloway stated during a press conference at the US Embassy, in Kingston, monday.

He said the US government is hoping to have the office permanently staffed by January 15, 2016. According to the ambassador, there are assessment teams already here working out the final arrangements for the permanent staffing.

“I believe there has already been someone selected to be the head of the office. I can’t share that name right now but he has already been selected and I hope to see him by Janu-

ary 15 and the rest of his team around the same time,” he disclosed.

The DEA office has been sought in Guyana for many years given the country’s high rate of drug trafficking and successive PPP/C administrations and US mission heads have traded blame for the failure to set it up.

After years of discussions, former US Ambassador Brent Hardt had announced last year that the United States Congress had approved funding for a DEA office in Guyana. He had said the office would be located at the US Embassy, with other units will work at a facility determined by government.

Previously, collaboration between local authorities and the DEA was done through the agency’s office in Trinidad.

Roger Khan Meanwhile, Holloway said the US government is willing to facilitate any request from the Guyana government for access to convicted drug trafficker Roger Khan for the purposes of conducting an inquiry into the operations of a death squad

that he is reported to have headed.

“We will certainly, I am sure, be disposed to cooperate again within the framework and the rule of law and how it is set up.

A lot of times, the requirements for such requests are pretty high,” he said, while adding that the US government needs something concrete as it doesn’t want “fishing expeditions.”

He explained that there are certain agreements in place with the UN, Guyana and OAS that will allow such a request in certain cases, if the rules and regulations allow.

“Within the agreements that we have or the ones we have done through multilateral international forum, we cooperate with any country of the world,” he stressed.

Khan is currently serving a 15-year sentence in a US jail after pleading guilty to trafficking cocaine, witness tampering and gun-running.

The PPP/C government, under the leadership of then president Bharrat Jagdeo, had long been believed to have allowed Khan a free rein to operate in the name

of crime fighting after the country experienced an unprecedented crime wave that was triggered by the February 23, 2002 Camp Street prison break.

Khan, before he was held in neighbouring Suriname in 2006 and then handed over to US authorities, had stated in a public advertisement that he had been fighting crime at the behest of the government. “During the crime spree in 2002, I worked closely with the crime-fighting sections of the Guyana Police Force and provided them with assistance and information at my own expense.

My participation was instrumental in curbing crime during this period,” the ad, published in May, 2006, had stated.

He would often be accompanied by serving or former policemen, usually from the dreaded Target Special Squad.

As a vital part of the death squad’s operations, Khan was allowed to acquire spy equipment which enabled him to listen to the telephone conversations and determine the locations of his intended victims.

On the question of the need

for the revamping of extradition legislation, Holloway noted that the US is open to extradition with any country as long as it is done through legal means.

He said he recently met with a team from the US in this respect and it is felt that the current legislation “is a perfectly functional tool or mechanism.”

He added that even if there is a plan to increase the number of persons extradited in either direction, “it’s probably not worth doing a new agreement if the one we have is perfectly fine.

“We probably have to wait until one [an extradition] occurs and see how it goes but we did review it right before I came down and our assessment was that it is perfectly acceptable, [it] will work just fine. We told that to the government and we’ll see if the government agrees with that assessment or not,” he said.

Holloway informed that if the government is to come to say it cannot work, it will be reviewed since one of the many tools in dealing with international crimes is extradition.

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Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

7

Pitri Paksh, the ideal time to express gratitude to our ancestors for their contributions

By PT Vikash Ramkissoon

M

y first trip to the USA a few years ago, I was fascinated with the beauty of New York City. A few days later I travelled to some other Cities in the USA and the more I travelled the greater my experiences became. I pondered for a while how great the past generations of this glorious country were.

These men and Women would have toiled hard and loved their nation to build it into what it is today. I was wondering how possibly this present generation can give gratitude to these great souls who have passed to the great beyond for creating this nation into what it really is. I am confident in some way shape or form we do remember them for the contributions in creating and sustaining this great country. I guess we cannot be ungrateful to them for their contributions as our lives today is far more advanced than it was a couple of decades ago.

Scientists are of the opinion that human beings and their ancestors have existed on this planet for over 20 million years. By any stretch of one’s imagination that’s a lot of time. This span of time, hundreds of thousands of generations that lived on this planet before us have given us something or the other.

The language we speak, the way we sit, our clothes, our buildings, almost everything that we know today has come to us from the generations before us. We are who we are today only because of all the things that have been given to us by past generations. Let us assume human beings had never driven a car and you were the first person to have invented a car; I suggest it would not be an easy task. It would have taken many years to figure out the art of doing it.

Sometimes, I think we take the things that we enjoy today for granted. Have we realized that without the generations that came before us, firstly we would not have been in existence and secondly without their contributions we would not have all the things we enjoy today? So instead of taking them for granted we need to reflect and remember the contributions our ancestors have made in our lives because for without them we would have never been where we are today.

In my previous article I pointed out that the Hindu scriptures speak of the debt that we have towards the ancestors.

This is the practical understanding of the Hindu way of life. We must remember the past generations for their contributions.

Our ancestors are the cause of our birth, they have handed down this great civilization to us and we must give our homage to them. If at all we do not remem-

ber them this is a special fortnight that is dedicated towards their remembrance and expression of gratitude. As a matter of fact every Yagna we perform, a special part is dedicated towards our ancestors.

However Pitri Paksh is one of the most important occasions in the Hindu calendar for us to repay the debt of Pitri Rin to our departed ancestors. The Hindu way of repaying gratitude is by offering Tarpan and Perform Shraadha The Sanskrit word Tarpan comes from the root word ‘Trup’ which means satisfying others. When Tarpan is performed water is offered to God, the sages and ancestors. This ritual has a greater significance in repaying the debts we are born with.

When a person dies the Hindu belief is that its subtle body gets freed from the dead body. After the performance of the shraadha rituals it gets the position in the subtle plane meant for the plane for the souls of deceased persons. At that moment it assumes the designation of Pitar.

Generally the eldest son of the departed person has authority to perform Shraadha. In his absence, other options are explored. The soul of the departed person for whom the shraadha is being performed is invoked as father. One generation before that is the father of the de-

ceased person is pitamaha (grandfather) and the grandfather of the deceased is

referred to as Prapitamaha (great grandfather). Therefore Shraadha involves oblations to three preceding generations.

The earlier generations than these are not counted in the trios of Pitars because they are assumed to have been liberated.

Those who passed to the beyond and did not have progeny receive these oblations on the Pitri Paksh Amavasya day.

All those who failed to do deeds of charity and Anna Dana (feed the poor) and were thus denied these comforts in the Pitri Loka, benefit from these ceremonies. If someone passed away and their dates were not known and shraadha were not performed, they also get oblations during this auspicious time.

We are reminded all the time that in the Hindu Religion we believe that the soul never dies. The Pitri puja performed by the sons and grandchildren in memory of their ancestors is preceded with the thought that: ‘O Pitris in whichever form you may be, wherever you may be, we wish to remember and pray for your peace and welfare.’

8

October 9–15, 2015

A phone call, bike ride, and he vanishedO U V A

C

fisherman Ryan Sookdeo went out for cigarettes and never returned home.

Sookdeo, whose 31st birthday is just days away, went missing on Sunday night. His brother, Ravi Sookdeo, said he left on a bicycle to go to a shop near their home at Calcutta No 1, Mc Bean, but has not been seen since.

He has never done something like this before”, said Ravi Sookdeo. “We have searched in surrounding areas in Carli Bay, Brickfield, Freeport, Waterloo and Caroni, but nothing. The police said they are also searching, but they nothing positive as yet”.

Sookdeo’s mother, Leela Sookdeo, said her son got a phone call shirtly after 8 p.m. and left home around half an hour later.

He said Sookdeo was last seen wearing a white tee-shirt , with a black three quarter short pants and a pair of Nike slippers.

He is approximately 1.7 metres (five feet six inches), with short black hair. He has a tattoo of a Libra horoscope on his right shoulder, and has two front gold teeth.

“We are pleading with the country that anyone who saw him at all to please call the police”, Leela Sookdeo.

A report was made to the Couva Police Station. Anyone with information can contact the nearest police station.

E

By SEAN DOUGLAS

NERGY Minister Nicole Olivierre vowed a sweeping raft of audits and reviews of companies in the energy sector — both State and Private — in a clear call for accountability and taking stock as she presented her post-Budget address to the Energy Chamber’s AGM at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain.

She spoke on “Government strategies for the energy sector”, on the heels of Monday’s Budget Speech where Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, urged a revitalisation of the energy sector as the country’s economic mainstay.

Olivierre said some 30 companies led by Petrotrin and National Gas Company (NGC) will undergo a full assessment of their aging physical assets to ensure their security and safety. The exercise will be done by DNV Trinidad Limited, along each company’s entire value-chain. “Thirty companies will be audited from within the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors,” she said.

“The results of this audit will inform my Ministry regarding measures such as policy, regulation and enforcement of the energy sector in order that asset integrity is preserved for future generations.” Olivierre remarked, “The exercise will be commencing this week with the audits of the Petrotrin Refinery and NGC. These audits will take place over a period of 5 months and the final report to the MEEI (Ministry of Energy and Energy In-

Caribbean Star Newspaper CRACKDOWN dustries) will be submitted 2 months subsequently.” Saying energy is the economy’s main driver, Olivierre lamented an unabated decline in reserves and production of both gas and oil. She lamented Petrotrin’s falling oil-production (crude and condensate) from 98,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2010 to 81,000 bpd today, blaming it on a fall in new crude discoveries and in condensate production.

(Condensate is a light oil found underground as a gas but when pumped out becomes liquid oil.) She chided, “State-owned Petrotrin which owns the rights in the most prospective land and marine acreages has failed to engender any significant increase in production in its portfolio”. Apart from small, private firms known as lease-operators, crude oil production has been stagnant, she hit.

“It is therefore time to take a serious look at Petrotrin to determine its capability to effectively exploit its hydrocarbon resources. “The first task of the recently installed Board will be to conduct an assessment of the company’s capability and to chart a way forward, understanding that the country cannot wait forever for the company to get its act together. The clock is counting down on Petrotrin.” Olivierre had grave concerns about the natural gas production, to both supply downstream industries mainly at Point Lisas and to provide for LNG exports.

She hoped to improve gas production from today’s 3.86 billion cubic feet (bcf) per

day (compared to 4.3 bcf per day in 2010), so as to ensure a certainty of gas-supply to domestic industry so as to move from shortterm planning to a long-term horizon.

Apparently referring to past shortfalls in petrochemical (ammonia, methanol and urea) production and LNG exports due to a poor gas-supply to these operators, the Minister vowed to alleviate the imbalance in supply and demand for gas.

To remedy this state of uncertainty between gas-supplier and gas-user, she has instructed the NGC as supplier to expedite its negotiations with its clients so as to give them comfort and certainty.

The Minister also hoped upstream companies could extract/ supply more gas. She said the 2014 Ryder Scott Report identified 127 prospects (or possible sites containing gas), with an estimated 31.9 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas “unrisked” (or likely to simply exist there) ,of which 7.2 tcf in gas is “risked”, (that is, can actually be extracted based on technology available and commercial viability).

Dangling an offer of “fiscal incentives where appropriate or necessary”, she said upstream operators (gas extractors/suppliers) must each develop a programme of activity to fully exploit the acreage they currently hold, failing which they must relinquish any idle acreage they hold. The Minister also promised to re-start another set of bid-rounds for both land and sea areas at the earliest date.

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Caribbean Star Newspaper Teachers involved in brutal flogging of Rupununi teens dismissed

T

wo teachers who in February of this year were involved in the brutal flogging of two teenage girls at Awarewanau Primary School in Deep South Rupununi have been dismissed from the teaching service.

Stabroek News had learned that after an investigation and hearing by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) the two teachers were dismissed on two charges.

The first charge notes that the teachers displayed “lack of discipline on the part of a teacher in their failure to observe Chapter 39:01 of the teaching service rules which governs the administration of corporal punishment,” while the second charge notes that the teachers were “involved in possible criminal matter: physical assault and abuse.”

The TSC’s decisions were communicated to the teachers in July and they were dismissed with immediate effect.

In February of this year a video posted to the Alliance For Change

(AFC) Facebook page showed the two teenage girls who were 15 and 13 years respectively being stripped of their school uniforms, restrained by four adults, including the two teachers, and beaten on their bare buttocks with a homemade cow-skin belt.

The video sparked outrage with several non-governmental organizations calling for an investigation into the incident.

The organizations which included Help & Shelter, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association, Red Thread, ChildLink and the Guyana Women Lawyers Association also expressed their outrage at the reports that charges against the two teachers involved in the incident were dismissed. They asked for an explanation for this action.

In June, Minister of Education Dr Rupert Roopnaraine was reported as saying that he “in collaboration with the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Social Protection” was

investigating the matter, and will take appropriate action.

At the time the minister said that a full report on the incident would be made public once the investigation was completed. This is still to be done.

The administration of corporal punishment, in Guyanese schools is governed by strict guidelines.

The 2002 Ministerial Guidelines allow for “corporal punishment to be administered by the head teacher, deputy head teacher or designated senior teacher for certain offences including fighting and use of indecent language.”

According to the guidelines, “boys should be punished on their hands or buttocks, girls on their hands; the punishments should be inflicted with a cane or strap no longer than 24 inches and not in the presence of other learners, and all punishments should be recorded in the Misdemeanours Book.”

These guidelines were clearly not followed in the video.

October 9–15, 2015

9

Consultation on sex education in schools

M

inister Garcia: Education Minster Anthony Garcia says there will be consultations with stakeholders with regards to the teaching of sex education in schools. He gave the assurance yesterday following a graduation ceremony at Hillview College, Tunapuna.

Garcia acknowledged criticisms of comments he made last month when asked about the introduction of sex education in schools.

He had said at the time that sex education was the responsibility of parents.

This prompted an outcry from various non-governmental organisations including the Caribbean Regional Network of People Living with HIV, the Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition amongst others, calling for sex education to be made mandatory in schools.

Yesterday, Garcia relaxed his

Сriticised: Education Minister Anthony Garcia position, saying parents and other stakeholders would be consulted about the issue.

“I know that I've come under a lot of flack because I made certain comments about the teaching of sex education in schools,” Garcia said. “My personal view, I will not allow to polarise the views of those who are interested in (sex) education, the major stakeholders, the parents and so on. The consultation will decide how we move forward with respect to the teaching of sex education in our schools.”

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Caribbean Star Newspaper Gov’t wants Roger Khan’s testimony …will take up U.S. offer to help launch local probe October 9–15, 2015

Gov’t wants Roger Khan’s testimony …will take up U.S. offer to help launch local probe

T

HE Guyana Government has said it will take up a United States offer to access the testimonies given by convicted drug-trafficker Shaheed Roger Khan, in order to open local investigations into the Phantom Squad which the self-confessed PPP government-backed crime fighter had led.

President David Granger, back in August, had given his administration’s clearest signal that he intends to investigate the Bharrat Jagdeo-era killings, and on Monday, new U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway, was asked whether Washington would facilitate handing over testimony given by Khan during his trial.

Holloway told reporters that there are certain agreements that exist both through the UN, the OAS, “and quite possibly Guyana, (which) do allow that in certain cases, if the rules and regulations of the agreement are done with Guyana, or we have signed up under the UN or OAS to allow for such a

thing, we would be sure to be disposed to cooperating within the framework of the rule of law.”

He added that a lot of time the requirements for such requests are pretty high for what you have to be able to provide to be able to go further. “We don’t allow fishing expeditions, we actually need something sort of concrete and (that) we could see on paper and touch; but within the agreements that we have — and we have done multilateral or international forums — we cooperate with any country in the world,” he said.

Criminal network Back in 2003-2006 Khan, had set up a criminal network here, including active policemen and a number of former ranks, ostensibly to go after criminals, but at the same time protecting his narco-trafficking interests. He was nabbed in neighbouring Suriname in 2006 while fleeing local police, and was later handed over to U.S. authorities.

Although the PPP Government has

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Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo sought to distance itself from Khan, the drug trafficker had stated publicly in an advertisement in local newspapers that he was fighting crime on behalf of the Bharrat Jagdeo-led government. Khan had also implicated former Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy in his escapades, and documents bearing the then minister’s signature authorising the purchase of a sophisticated wiretapping device were produced in U.S. courts during Khan’s trial.

Dr Ramsammy has always denied knowledge of the document.

Meanwhile, when quizzed on the U.S. offer, Minister of State, Defence Board Secretary Joseph Harmon, said: “Definitely! We would have an interest in what came out of the trial because it points to some levels of collusion with the past administration and the criminal elements; that is where the evidence is. If it is there, we would be happy to have it, because they have always said, ‘where is the evidence? Where is it?’ Well, that is where it is, and if that is where it is, we will go and get it and let the Guyanese people know who was doing what at that time,” Harmon declared.

During his trial, Khan pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine, witness tampering and gun-running, and is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence.

Special Agent Cassandra Jackson of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, in her affidavit to the U.S. Court about Khan’s involvement in the drug trade in Guyana, had said: “Khan was ultimately able to control the cocaine industry in Guyana in large part because he was backed by a para-military squad that would murder, threaten, and intimidate others at Khan’s directive. Khan’s enforcers committed violent acts and murders on Khan’s orders that were directly in furtherance of Khan’s drug-trafficking conspiracy.”

Jackson told the court that the U.S. Government’s case was to establish that Khan was the leader of a “violent drug-trafficking organisation”, and that he and his co-conspirators obtained large quantities of cocaine and then imported the cocaine into the Eastern District of New York and other places for further distribution. Khan also had his hands — based on testimonies — in the killing of anti-PPP political activist

Ronald Waddell and countless other citizens.

Earlier commitment Back in August, at a Critchlow Labour College forum, President Granger had indicated that he would launch an inquiry into unsolved and unnatural deaths between the years 2000 and 2008. He stated then that the issue is one of the priorities for his administration. “In due course, I will ensure that all of those mothers’ children who were killed have their deaths investigated,” the President told the gathering of the Cuffy 250 Third Annual State of the African-Guyanese Forum.

In 2012, Granger had drafted a motion which sought to have the very issue addressed, but it was not successful in the 10th Parliament. Back then, the motion had sought to open cases of every unnatural death.

On Sunday, President Granger said the opening of the cases is lawful, and while he has no immediate date for the start, he has already begun discussions with Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams on the matter. Among the deaths which will be investigated is that of former Minister of Agriculture, Satyadeow Sawh, his siblings and the security guard who were gunned down at their home in 2006. “When you have young men being shot in the backs of their heads with their hands tied; when you have so many deaths which have not been investigated; when a minister of the government has been assassinated and you don’t even have an inquest into his death, it is something stink. Something stinks, and we are going to investigate those deaths,” President Granger told the gathering.

The issue of Ramsammy was also mentioned by the President. The President also hinted at the deaths in Bartica, as well as the many policemen and residents from the community of Buxton who were killed during the period 2000-2008. He pointed to the three monuments erected at Bartica, Eve Leary and Buxton to remember those killed. He further noted that never before have so many policemen been killed, and never after so many were killed, than during the tenure of former President Bharrat Jagdeo. However, President Granger called on citizens to allow the monuments to remind them about the deaths which took place between 2000 and 2008.

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Caribbean Star Newspaper WASA manager gunned down

By Ryan Hamilton-Davis

P

OLICE and grieving relatives were baffled as to the reason behind Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) senior manager Derek Hooker’s murder, with relatives saying the 54-year-old man, “lived for the Church”. Hooker was fatally shot outside his Diego Martin home on Monday night. His wife Beverly was inconsolable yesterday outside the Forensic Science Centre (FSC) in St James.

“He was a saint. Tonight I have no saint to go home to,” Mrs Hooker cried. “He worked practically 24 hours a day, either for WASA or for his church. He even used to pray for water. I remember one evening, I asked, ‘you have to pray for water and all?’ He just smiled and said, ‘well the people need water’. He devoted his life to the church, his work and to people,” she added.

Police reported that on Monday, Hooker was outside his home in Water Wheel Road, Diego Martin in the presence of one of his sons when at about 6.30 pm, a gunman approached and shot Hooker twice in the head before running off.

Hooker was rushed to the St James District Hospital and then transferred to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds at about 9.25 pm.

Beside his position as the North West Senior Manager at WASA, where he worked for the past 32 years, Hooker was a pastor at the Mormon Tabernacle on Cipriani Boulevard. He was a father of six.

“He preached in the church. He lived

for the church,” said the victim’s brother Anthony. “His life was WASA, the church and people. He would go and pray for people who were experiencing problems,” he said.

In a release to the media, officials at WASA extended condolences to Hooker’s family and expressed regret and sorrow over the loss of their co-worker. The release said Hooker had built a reputation as a highly dedicated and exemplary worker who was loved and respected by all with whom he came into contact with.

“There is a great sense of loss being experienced throughout the Authority, as employees throughout the organisation try to come to terms with this sudden and senseless loss of a most valued employee and co-worker,” stated the WASA release.

Sharing similar sentiments was Minister of Works and Transport Fitzgerald Hinds, who said he shared a close professional relationship with Hooker.

“Many times I called on him (Hooker) to install systems or repair broken mains so as to provide water to the community and he was always willing to help,” Hinds said.

“I spoke to him two days ago and promised that I would get back to him. But now I won’t be able to keep that promise. I can’t understand why someone would want to take the life of a loyal and dedicated public servant, husband, father and son. For what reason? We may never know.” No arrest has been made into the 337th murder for this year and investigations are continuing.

October 9–15, 2015

11

Rapid Rail full speed ahead

I

By VERNE BURNETT

mbert said Government is moving “full speed ahead” with plans for a Rapid Rail project as he responded to a comment by businessman Frank Mouttet at a post budget analysis organised by the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of- Spain.

Mouttet said he thought the Rapid Rail was a project whose time had “long come and hopefully not long gone.” He said it was absurd that the country was subsidising fuel for people who are stuck in traffic for six hours a day. He also asked why Government was consulting with the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) over the project when the previous government of the People’s National Movement (PNM) had commissioned a study and had stated that it would be financed on the build, operate, lease, transfer (BOLT) system and would have no immediate impact on the economy of the country.

Mouttet said whatever has to be done regarding the Rapid Rail project has to be done right away and asked why the Government couldn’t just pick up from where the previous PNM Government left off.

But Imbert said the government wanted the IDB to validate its numbers for the Rapid Rail project. He said there was a lot of confusion about the cost, adding that during the election campaign the People’s Partnership claimed it would cost $60 billion to build but the Government’s figure was $10 billion.

“There is a great disparity between the numbers, so we thought the best thing to

do was to validate the cost that we have put on the system by getting the IDB to examine all the components of a railway system and just confirm that our costs are within the ballpark and then we will move forward. But it is our intention to do it through a public/ private partnership so that there will be no immediate impact on the Treasury.” He added that if the country could get a good mass transportation system going it could eventually look toward further reductions in the fuel subsidy which would pay for the system.

“So we are going full speed ahead with this project, we are just being cautious. We just want to make sure we are not accused of being recklesss and getting involved in a vanity project.” Imbert said the Government is convinced that its costs and estimates of the numbers of persons who would use the service are accurate “and we simply want an international agency to confirm and validate our numbers but our target is to initiate the construction of this project by the end of September 2016.”

He said the Government was giving itself a year to make sure all the costings were correct, that the approach was correct, to get a contractor and to get moving.

In fact, Imbert said the IDB had offered to finance the project “and the IDB does not finance projects of this nature unless they are satisfied that it makes sense.” He said large projects such as the Rapid Rail will need international funding or a combination of local and foreign funding “and anytime you approach the multinational organisations, you have to come good.”

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ISLAM Peace / submission to the will of our creator.

Grudges; Damaging Relations among People

By Sheikh Salah al-Budair 14 Muharram 1436

H

is Eminence Sheikh Salah al-Budair, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday Khutbah entitled, “Grudges and Damaging Relations among People”, in which he talked about the danger of harboring grudges against others, stating that this is one of the causes of severing relations among people. He also urged Muslims to have goodwill towards one another.

Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, Who chooses whomsoever He wills from among mankind, purifies them from grudges, spite, malevolence, and sins, and endows them, by His grace, with sound understanding and wisdom. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners and Who has lavished upon us His abundant favors and great blessings. I also bear witness that our prophet and master, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, through whom He abolished idol worship and eradicated the landmarks of disbelief, stone altars, and divining arrows. May Allah bestow His bountiful peace and blessings upon him and upon his family and noble Companions, continuously and perpetually.

Now then Muslims, Fear Allah, for fear of Allah is the best of all gains and obedience to Him is the most honorable source of pride.

“O You who Believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him), he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and will be admitted to Paradise).” (Al-Ahzab: 70-71) O Muslims!

Love and affection can never exist among people who harbour hatred against one another. Whoever nurtures enmity and is bent on revenge will live in torment and will suffer severe distress.

Nothing can damage relations among

people more seriously than grudges; they are the inner hatred and the evil that resides within people. Grudges destroy civilizations, drain wealth, impede conciliation, sever bonds of friendship, and incite fighting and war. A grudge, even if it is old, Is just like mange; it disappears for some time before it finally spreads.

How soon it may take place! How quickly it takes shape! How close it is! And How mercilessly it spreads!

The worst thing to be inherited is hatred. It is instilled in the hearts of children and is passed on to grandchildren only to remain alive for ages. A poet once said: “Grudges were fomented by our ancestors, and they will never die as long as parents have children.”

Whoever always holds grudges, seeks revenge and gives vent to his malice will certainly fall into decline and lose respect and self-esteem, and flames of fury will burn his heart. By contrast, whoever abandons hatred and grudges will lead a life of safety, make more friends, and gain more supporters. He will never be in need of anybody and will be secure from loss.

Whenever the heart is engulfed by feelings of animosity and hostility, it starts to ache and suffer from defects. It will then lose its purity and go through long, incurable afflictions.

Some people desert others altogether if they disagree with them, and if they argue, they resort to foul language; thus they accuse their adversaries of innumerable misdeeds, intend to avenge themselves on them, initiate harm, and show hostility towards them.

A useful piece of advice and wise saying in this respect is the hadith of the master of all wise men ever, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “Whoever wishes to be delivered from Hellfire and admitted into Paradise should die with faith in Allah and the Last Day and should treat the people as he wishes to be treated by them” (Reported

by Muslim; part of the hadith narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, may Allah be pleased with him and his father).

That is to say, he should do as he would be done by. In this way, disputes will be settled, discord and enmity will be removed, and all grudges will dissipate. O You who bear grudges and conceal malice in your heart! With such feelings, you will not ascend any heights, achieve any glory, find any right guidance, or attain any happiness.

Leave aside all grudges and get rid of them, For grudges certainly undermine kinship ties.

Do not listen to the one who sows calumnies amongst you, Claiming that his poison is sincere advice.

He sends forth his scorpions to start a war among you, Just as the jugular sends blood to the other veins.

O son! Leave arguing aside as long as you live, And avoid foolishness; it is of no avail.

Do not bear any grudges against your kin, For grudges sever kinship ties.

Never think forbearance will ever degrade you, For the forbearing are the mightiest and most honorable of all people.

Therefore, abandon hostilities and choose the path of forgiveness. Counter foolishness with forbearance and poise.

Never respond to provocations and instigations of any sort, for doing so will make you stumble and fall.

“The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allah orders the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly) then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend.”

(Fussilat: 34) Showing kindness to those who offend you brings them nearer to you, being lenient to them makes them abandon their evil intentions, and forgiving them is bound to win them over.

Nothing could put an end to foolishness better than forbearance, with which the forbearing counter wrong conduct.

Do not sever ties with a brother for a mistake, For only the kind-hearted would forgive sins.

Lenience is better than disagreement,

blandishment is better than conflict, reconciliation is better than fighting, and forbearance is better than suffering. The essence of good manners is to suppress anger. The noble people are characterized by pardoning, forgiveness, benevolence, and generosity. None can repress his anger, pardon the offenders, show forbearance with the ignorant, and bear harm except those who are truly noble, wise, and knowledgeable and who have sound understanding of religion.

Harmony cannot coexist with rage and vehemence, respect cannot remain with anger and confrontations, and peace cannot be established amidst clashes and desires for revenge. Those who seek revenge will end up wasting their time, losing their friends, and feeling lonely as all their companions will desert them. Those who put a frown on their faces, give others the cold shoulder, show animosity towards people, and abstain from pardoning them will definitely sink into misery and go through utter frustration.

Stubbornness, rudeness, and the deliberate intent to offend and upset others are abominable acts that are bound to arouse bitter feelings, incite anger, cause hatred, and sever the ties of goodwill and unity. Therefore, beware of these traits and avoid them.

“And say to My slaves (i.e. the true believers of Islamic Monotheism) that they should (only) say those words that are the best. (Because) Shaitan (Satan) verily, sows a state of conflict and disagreements among them. Surely, Shaitan (Satan) is to man a plain enemy.” (Al-Isra: 53) O Allah! Guide us to do and say that which is right. O Allah! Guide us to do and say that which is right, and lead us to the right path, O You, to whom belong this world and the hereafter and to whom is the final return!

October 9–15, 2015 Caribbean Star Newspaper US envoy urges respect for border set by arbitral award

T

he Arbitral Award of 1899 settling the Guyana/Venezuela boundary should be respected, according to newly-accredited US Ambassador to Guyana Perry Holloway, who stressed that peaceful means consistent with international law should be used to settle the ongoing controversy between the two countries.

“We call on all parties to continue to respect the 1899 arbitral ruling and boundary unless or until a competent legal body decides otherwise or both parties agree on something else,” Holloway told a press conference at the US Embassy, in Kingston, in response a question on US’s position on the award in lightof the controversy.

Holloway’s recognition of the validity of the arbitral award and the boundary between the two countries also came in the wake of former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran’s recent criticism of the US’ “wholly inadequate and inexplicable” position on the controversy.

Ramkarran, writing on his blog over the weekend, urged Washington to urgently review its position and acknowledge the validity of the boundary, particularly in light of its pivotal role in determining the border.

Ramkarran recalled that US Charge d’Affaires Bryan Hunt, in defining the US position on the matter on July 9, had limited his comments to the Geneva Agreement. He argued

that as a result of the US referencing only half the story and omitting mention of the 1899 Arbitral Award, Venezuela’s argument that the current borders are a colonialist imposition can attract sympathy and justify its aggressive behaviour.

“The US’s silence hinders Guyana in representing its case to the wider world because the position that the US takes influences other countries. Yet the US is tip-toeing around Venezuela,” Ramkarran noted.

Holloway, at his first press conference since he presented his credentials last Friday, reminded that the land boundary was decided by the arbitral award and duly implemented by both parties until decades later, when Venezu-

15

Perry Holloway ela stated its intention to challenge the validity of the award.

Tensions began escalating earlier this year after Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro issued a decree laying claim to a vast section of Guyana’s maritime territory, inclusive of an area where a significant amount of oil had been found.

About two weeks ago, there was a noticeable buildup of troops near the Guyana/Venezuela border and armed boats in the Cuyuni River, which falls within Guyana’s territory. Venezuela later withdrew the troops, while saying they were deployed as part of an anti-narcotics operation.

Holloway also reiterated that the ongoing controversy should be settled through peaceful means that are consistent with international law. He said it is important that both sides avoid “any actions that could complicate the ongoing efforts to meet a diplomatic solution.” He further noted that the US government is pleased that the presidents of the two countries recently met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and urged that they continue the dialogue.

President David Granger has been using every opportunity to lobby for international support for Guyana’s territorial integrity and to resolve the controversy once and for all through a judicial settlement.

Asked to clarify whether the US would get physically involved in any confrontation that would arise out of the controversy, he repeated that his government’s position is to encourage both sides to try to address the boundaries through diplomatic means and to not do anything that “could sort of raise the concerns of one side or the other.

“As far as do we intervene or how do we support? Each situation is different and the circumstances that may bring about a situation… everything is obviously evaluated on a case by case basis but right now our focus is on peaceful resolution, continued dialogue and respect for international law,” he added.

Responding to a question on the US government’s interest in the matter, particularly since a US-based company is at the centre of the controversy, he told reporters that there are two different issues of concern in this respect.

First, he said, the US government feels that boundary disputes should be resolved through peaceful and diplomatic means, with respect for international law. “At the same time, we do have a policy of ensuring that US company’s rights are protected under international laws or under the law of a given country that they are operating in and we are entrepreneurial capitalistic country in certain aspects, so we do support our US companies.

But we expect our US companies to comply with international law and norms. So, I don’t think whether it was a US company or a Chinese company… I don’t thing that that would dramatically change our view on the current dispute going on,” he added.

ExxonMobil had announced that it had found significant quantities of hydrocarbons in its Stabroek Block in Guyana’s territorial waters.

The 23,000 square kilometres of the Stabroek Block is located within the area into which the new territorial claim is now extended.

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Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

Bulkan defends Van West-Charles appointment to GWI

-unsure how widely post was advertised

M Khemraj Ramjattan

Speedy trials among promises made during Ramjattan’s prison visit

V

ice President and Mini-ster of State Khemraj Ramjattan recently visited the Camp Street prison and engaged inmates after recent “gang fights” with a promise to start the process of speedy trials and to address the issue of overcrowding.

According to a press release from the Govern-ment Information Agency (GINA), the Minister’s visit came in the wake of a recent outbreak of “gang fights” which resulted in the hospitalisation of one inmate.

Many of the inmates were on remand for several years awaiting their trials and to which Ramjattan said, “I will keep my promise to them to have the courts give SEE Speedy trials | PAGE 20

inister of Communities Ronald Bulkan defended the appointment of new Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) Dr Richard Van West-Charles, saying he was hired through an application process although he was not clear on the advertising of the vacancy.

Bulkan, however, emphasised that Van West-Charles is eminently qualified for the position.

Bulkan, who spoke with reporters after the investiture ceremony for national awardees, said applications were received and they were considered by the GWI board, which “decided on a candidate that was duly-appointed.”

When asked, the minister said he has seen concern in one section of the media about Van West-Charles being a political appointee—in light of his previous membership of the PNC, under whose government he was a minister, and the AFC—but he was not sure it is a widespread concern.

“I have not carefully pursued the entire media and I am not so sure to what extent that view you would have identified, how widespread it is. However, if it is so, as I said there was a process whereby applications were invited and the board considered the merits and qualification of the

various applicants and the board saw it fit that Dr Van West- Charles was suitably qualified,” Bulkan said.

He added that Van West-Charles, who is also the son-in-law of the late president Forbes Burnham, has the qualifications as well as the experience to function effectively in the new capacity.

Asked specifically if the position was advertised, Bulkan said he was not sure of the extent to which it was advertised.

However, the minister said he is entirely satisfied with the decision made by the board, since he considers the new CEO to be eminently qualified and in possession of the requisite experience and capability as well as dedication, energy and enthusiasm to function effectively in his new role.

Questioned about the status of the past CEO, Shaik Baksh, who was sent on accumulated leave by the Chairman of the previous GWI board after the new APNU+AFC government took office, Bulkan said he was unclear of “exact status of the terms of disengagement or separation.”

“I am not sure if it is that he has voluntary, out of an admission, that he chose to demit but I must confess I am unclear as to exactly the terms of his disengagement,” he said.

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Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

17

‘Meat for boys; bones for the workers’ – PPP condemns salary hikes for ministers

T

he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) condemned what it said was the “ugly decision” by the APNU+AFC administration to grant “whopping” salary increases to Vice Presidents, the Minister of State, Cabinet Ministers and Junior Ministers.

In a statement, the opposition party called for a rescinding of this decision. The increases to the various categories range as high as 50%. There had been earlier intimations that the APNU+AFC government was planning large pay hikes for its ministers but this had been played down by senior officials. The increases were gazetted on September 23rd.

“To grant such astronomical increases in salaries to functionaries in a government that is only four (4) months old is unconscionable, precipitous and insensitive”, the PPP railed yesterday.

It said that only two months ago, on the eve of the 2015 budget presentation, spokespersons for the government had denied following leaks in the media that whopping salary increases were in the offing.

It added that Minister of State Joe Harmon had declared in June 2015 that APNU+AFC “had essentially found the cupboard

bare” meaning the public treasury had no money and that the “country was bankrupt”. This, the PPP said was clearly intended to dupe the Guyanese people.

“Now with the public disclosure of the ugly increases to the APNU+AFC Cabinet and non-Cabinet members, the question now being asked is how, with a bankrupt economy and an empty treasury can such whopping increases in salaries be afforded? The big lie has now been exposed for what it is”, the PPP said.

Adverting to statements in a news item on the increases in yesterday’s Stabroek News, the PPP said that Harmon may not wish to “make any apologies whatsoever for Ministers receiving increases in salaries” but he could be certain of one thing: “he and his Cabinet colleagues will have to take the blows from an infuriated and deeply offended Guyanese public who reject this meat for boys; bones for the workers wages policy of the government.”

The PPP said that the salary increases, which Guyanese tax payers will have to bear, comes at a time when rice farmers, sugar workers and the Guyanese people as whole have become disenchanted, disillusioned and totally fed-up with the Granger Admin-

istration.

“It now appears that personal wealth and accumulation is a prerequisite for public service. How could these four months’ old Ministerial neophytes, who are still wet behind the ears, yet to be assessed with no outstanding stellar performances …be entitled and qualified for such fat paychecks?”, the PPP queried.

It asked where are the studies and the data-supported evidence showing that higher salaries make a better politician or motivate elected governmental officials to work harder. The PPP said it is of the view that the pay hikes must have been a done deal long before the APNU+AFC was catapulted into office in May. And to facilitate these over-generous salaries, it charged that around $40m must be hidden somewhere in the estimates of the 2015 budget.

The PPP said it rejects the claim that the increases are “justifiable” and deemed as libellous, defamatory and provocative the outburst made by Harmon in yesterday’s news item that; “The PPP were prepared to accept low salaries because they were (thieving) money all over the place…”

The PPP said that this is the same Harmon who claims to have

an interest in unity talks with the PPP. “Mr. Harmon is advised to be careful with the lies, calumnies and invectives hurled at members of the PPP. He is aware that people in glass houses should not throw stones. There are few in the APNU+AFC with clean hands nor a lily white political background”, the PPP declared.

According to the Official Gazette, Cabinet ministers will now receive $10,439,124 annually, a 50% increase from what was previously stated in the Principal Act. Also enjoying a 50% increase will be the Speaker of the National Assembly who will remain on par with Cabinet ministers as well as the Leader of the Opposition. Their monthly earnings will be just under $870,000 from the $579,000 monthly under the previous administration.

Vice Presidents, other than the PM, are to be paid $11,135,064 per annum.

Junior Ministers of Government will earn $8,346,492, an over 16% increase from the annual salary of a Cabinet minister under the former administration who was earning $6,959,412 annually.

The Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo will now receive $20,580,000 annually, an over

$2M increase from what was previously stipulated in the Principal Act, taking his monthly salary to over $1.7M. Members of Parliament without a designation will see a 20% salary increase, taking their annual salaries from $2,002,116 to $2,402,532. Parliamentary Secretaries and the Chief Whip will earn over 12% more, taking their salaries from $3,336,876 and $2,384,328 to $3,753,984 to $2,682,360 respectively.

The Deputy Speaker will now earn $2,702,880, just under a $300,000 annual increase.

The Gazette stated that the Attorney General and the Chancellor will earn the same annual salary and no change was made.

While in opposition, APNU and the AFC had heavily criticised what they termed “fat cats” with “super salaries”. Now in government, when asked to justify the increase on Tuesday, Harmon told the media that “the ministers of government now justify an increase. The salary of a minister, a senior minister is five hundred and sixty something thousand a month. That is money I paid to one of my attorneys that works for me when I was in private practice. Why should I be working for that?”

Family sees cover up in West Dem drag-racing fatality

A

bout three weeks after a horrific incident destroyed two cars and claimed the life of a West Demerara resident, his mother believes the police are being influenced to discard the case.

On September 17, Mahindra Sugrim, 23, of Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara, was on the West Bank Public Road when a speeding white Toyota Tacoma with number plate GRR 4600 collided with a white Toyota 212, lost control and crashed head-on into his car, sending it into a nearby trench.

Sugrim was trapped in the vehicle in the trench for about 30 minutes before public-spirited citizens were able to pull him out.

He was subsequently rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

While about four persons were involved in the incident from the three vehicles, including a child, no one else was seriously injured and the others were all discharged from the hospital that night.

Stabroek News had received reports that the driver of the Ta-

coma was drag racing with another vehicle on the road when he lost control and hit the two cars.

Sugrim’s family had initially been wary of the way the entire situation was handled on the night of the incident as they said the police seemed as if they were trying to protect the driver of the Tacoma.

“Before the funeral, he [driver of the Toyota Tacoma] aunt and stepmother came along with another girl and a boy to visit and offer their sympathy,” Savitrie Sugrim, Mahindra’s mother, told Stabroek News yesterday. She said the aunt, who identified herself as Melissa, and the stepmother as Kim, confirmed that the driver of the Tacoma was Ricardo DeSantos.

Sugrim said the aunt, who said she was a lawyer, offered compensation of $7 million for the vehicle that was destroyed beyond repair. “I told her I don’t know and I ask about them compensating for the wake and funeral and they left their number and said they would come back after the funeral to further discuss the matter,” she added.

Mahindra Sugrim Sugrim said that after the funeral no one contacted her and every time she tried to call no one would answer the phone. “One time someone actually answered the phone and said Melissa wasn’t at home and she would call when she [got home] but nothing ever happened,” she said, stating that it is not just the family of the driver who had been avoiding them.

Sugrim said the police have been constantly pushing them around and can never give an answer on the progress of the investigation or whether someone would be charged. “After the family started avoiding us we start to follow it up with police. First we went to the Leonora Police

station and an officer there said that the files were sent to the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions].

Then after a few days, La Grange Police station called and asked my husband to go to the station to sign off that the post mortem was done. So we ask if the files were sent to the DPP why we still gotta sign stuff and they couldn’t answer we,” Sugrim stated.

She explained that the police’s story did not make sense and she felt as if something was happening so she decided to go to the DPP’s office where she found that the police’s claim about the file being sent there was false.

“We notice that it seems as if these people were trying to hide something since the night of the accident. They even took long to go on the scene and do measurements. The accident happened on Wednesday night and they go till Friday and do the measurements and my husband even explained that the whole thing seemed fishy,” Sugrim added. “Even the officer who was at the scene that night and then went to the hospital is saying that he didn’t go there, when all my family saw him

and he was the same one who was asking me where I get money from to buy the car,” she added.

Sugrim said she was advised by her niece, who is an attorney, and several others to accept the compensation and she is willing to but DeSantos’s family has been avoiding her and the police are not doing anything about it.

“People thiefing phone and getting five years in prison and he kill my son and he get put on $50,000 station bail. It’s unbelievable,” the distraught Sugrim said.

Travis Brammer, the owner of the white Toyota 212 that was hit first, said he wants compensation for his vehicle that was completely wrecked too. “Nobody has contacted me since [not] the police or even the driver. The only time I see them was at the station and they were talking nice, nice and gave me their number, but when I call it they telling me don’t call back and cuss me up and said to let the police handle it,” Brammer said.

Stabroek News was unable to confirm the location of the file and whether the driver was going to be charged anytime soon.

18

Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

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Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

19

HONOR YOUR PASTOR O

ctober is designated Clergy Appreciation Month. Churches choose various dates during this month to honor their Pastors and families in some special way. This honor is appropriate and Biblical. Leaders would get together and make plans as to how the local church can demonstrate their love and appreciation for the minister who serves them throughout the year. Every Pastor needs encouragement as they face the challenges of ministry. What can you do to support and encourage your Pastor?

A Pastor is worthy of double honor.

The Apostle Paul exhorted churches to show tangible appreciation to their Pastors. In 1 Timothy 5:17-18, Paul wrote: “ Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

For the scripture saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. (King James Version)” The Message Bible puts the text this way: “Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job, especially the ones who work hard at preaching and teaching. Scripture tells us, “Don’t muzzle a working ox” and “A worker deserves his pay.”

There are many misconceptions regarding the ministry.

You will hear it often that the Pastor’s job is easy. That is because we see him or her only when we attend the church services, and very often this is said by people who visit only on Sundays. The vast majority of congregants have no clue what a Pastor does off stage. Let’s face it. Someone has to visit or call the sick, reach out to bereaved families, and comfort and strengthen hurting ones. Someone has to find time to counsel couples with domestic conflicts, as well as the young person with problems they don’t share with others. The Pastor finds time to pray for all these and many others. Someone has to keep track of the bills to maintain the facilities.

Then there are meetings with small groups and committees in addition to community involvement, contractors, and special events. There is inter-church relations and reporting to their Denominations. I have to tell you a Pastor needs private time for prayer and study to prepare sermons. Yet, he or she must set aside time for their own family. Do you know statistics show about 400 Pastors leave the ministry each week for one reason or another? Let us be thankful for our Pastor.

Pastors must keep a focus on their call from the Lord.

We are called by the Lord Jesus Christ to be under-shepherds for His flock. Let us never think we own the sheep. We are stewards of His resources. We cannot handle His business carelessly. Our aim is never popularity, prosperity or position. We are servants of Christ and of His people. Pastors are called to preach the gospel persuading people to come to Christ,

teach the Word so people can grow spiritually and become useful in God’s kingdom, equip upcoming leaders through training, love and care for the sick and bereaved, guide and build healthy families, provide guidance for people making important decisions, mediate in conflict situations, pray for the flock, prepare and conduct special ceremonies, such as funerals, weddings, baby dedications, etc.

Administrate all aspects of the ministry, from music to ushers, parking lot, buildings, and so on, Oversee income and expenses for the ministry.

The list is endless.

Pastors sometimes make mistakes.

Pastors come under pressures from many sources. There are spiritual enemies sent by Satan to afflict and discourage Pastors. Their aim is to smite the shepherd and scatter the sheep.

Believers need to guard their Pastor in order to secure their own welfare. There are people who unjustly criticize ministers. Sometimes circumstances may cause Pastors to make unfavorable decisions. Let’s face this, too. There is no perfect Pastor, no perfect church, and you, my friend, are not perfect. We must constantly have time for introspection, evaluation and improvement.

We appreciate honest feedback offered respectfully. Our job can be tough when we have to correct members of the congregation.

It is a pleasure to serve.

We serve because we feel called by Jesus Christ. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

We feel burdened for people who don’t know the Savior. It is such a joy to see a life changed by Jesus Christ. We love our fellow Christians and want to heal their hurts and encourage them

onward for Christ. When we are instrumental in mending broken families, it warms our hearts.

We need your prayer support, affirmations, encouragements, and a good word of appreciation.

We would like to know our congregation live in holiness and serve the Lord with enthusiasm.

Hebrews chapter 13 says in verse 7: “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.”

And in verse 17: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

Take your family to church this weekend and let your Pastor know you appreciate his/her ministry.

Pastor Haniff Bacchus Calvary Assembly

of God

102-07 Rockaway Blvd, Ozone Park, NY 11417 Tel. 718-659-4500 www.calvaryozone.org

20

Caribbean Star Newspaper Ex-U.N. General Assembly head, 5 others face U.S. bribery case

N

October 9–15, 2015

EW YORK, (Reuters) – U.S. authorities charged a former president of the United Nations General Assembly, a billionaire Macau real estate developer and four others for engaging in a wide-ranging corruption scheme.

John Ashe, a former U.N. ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda who was general assembly president from 2013 to 2014, was accused in a complaint filed in federal court in New York of taking more than $1.3 million in bribes from Chinese businessmen, including developer Ng Lap Seng.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who announced the arrests of Ashe and the other defendants, said the investigation could result in more charges as authorities examine whether “corruption is business as usual at the United Nations.”

“If proven, today’s charges will confirm that the cancer of corruption that plagues too many local and state governments infects the United Nations as well,” Bharara said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is “shocked and deeply troubled” by the allegations, said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. The U.N. had not previously been informed of the probe, Dujarric said, but would cooperate if contacted.

The case followed the Sept.

19 arrest of Ng, 68, and an assistant, Jeff Yin, 29, for falsely claiming that $4.5 million they brought into the United States from China from 2013 to 2015 was meant for gambling or buying art, antiques or real estate.

Both men are charged in the latest case. Bharara said authorities continue to examine funds connected to Ng, who prosecutors say has a $1.8 billion fortune, much of which he earned on developments in Macau.

ROLEXES, BMW AND BASKETBALL COURT According to the complaint, Ng, through intermediaries, paid Ashe more than $500,000 to submit a document telling the U.N. secretary general that a yet-to-be built multibillion-dollar U.N.-sponsored conference center in Macau was needed.

The intermediaries included Francis Lorenzo, 48, a deputy U.N. ambassador from the Dominican Republic who prosecutors said Ng paid $20,000 monthly as “honorary president” of one of his organizations, South-South News.

The other was Yin, who authorities said after his arrest disclosed that Ng viewed the conference center as his “legacy” and made payments to get action on it.

Ashe, 61, also received more than $800,000 from Chinese businessmen to support their

Speedy trials Continued from page 16 some early trials to them or at least start the process, they are comforted by that and will not be so explosive…they promised to keep their part of the deal and wait for the early trial.”

Overcrowding remains an issue and according to the 2011 statistics which were featured in the United States Department of State’s 2014 Report on Human Rights in Guyana and other countries, Guyana has in its five-facility prison system 1,962 inmates which were originally built to accommodate 1,580. Among those, 900 were held in the Camp Street prison which was only built to accommodate 775.

Currently, Ramjattan said efforts are being made to occupy a brand new brick structure built within the prison compound to accommodate 160 prisoners.

It is expected, Ramjattan said, after the transfer of those prisoners to the brick structure, rehabilitation works valued at approximately $150M will commence on the older structure with alternate plans for relocation in the long term.

“Of course I would have to get Cabinet’s approval,” Ramjattan said, “and the Cabinet’s paper is now being prepared to get the approval for the reconstruction of that area that was very dilapidated.”

As it related to skills training for the incarcerated, the Minister said several such projects are ongoing as prisoners are engaged in carpentry, masonry and electrical installation among other programmes.

John Ashe interests within the U.N. and Antigua, and kicked some of the money to Antigua’s then-prime minister, who was not named, the complaint said.

Prosecutors said those bribes were arranged through Sheri Yan, chief executive officer of a New York-based organization, and Heidi Park, its finance director, who were also arrested.

The organization was unnamed, but the Global Sustainability Foundation website lists Yan and Park as holding those positions.

The foundation did not respond to requests for comment.

Baldwin Spencer, who held the prime minister post at the time, could not be reached for comment.

The complaint said Ashe solicited bribes in various forms, including payments to cover a

New Orleans family vacation and construction for a $30,000 basketball court at his house in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

From 2012 to 2014, more than $3 million from foreign governments and individuals was deposited in bank accounts controlled by Ashe, who spent the money on his mortgage, BMW lease payments and Rolex watches, prosecutors said. The complaint only charged Ashe with tax offenses, which it said are not covered by any diplomatic immunity he enjoys. The U.N. General Assembly presidency is a ceremonial, one-year post paid for by the home country.

At a hearing late, a federal judge set Ashe’s bail at $1 million on condition be placed under house arrest, despite concerns by prosecutors that he posed a flight risk.

Robert Van Lierop, his lawyer, said Ashe intends to “assert the full range of immunity” to which he is entitled and would fight the charges.

Brian Bieber, Lorenzo’s lawyer, said his client “acted in good faith at all times and believed in the integrity of what he was told by those involved.” Ng’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, said his client committed no crime.

Lawyers for Yin, Yan and Park declined comment.

PRIOR INVESTIGATIONS

Ng, also known as David Ng, heads Macau-based Sun Kian Ip Group, whose foundation arm lists several ambassadors to the U.N., including Ashe and Lorenzo, as holding leadership positions.

In China, Ng sits on several government committees and belongs to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body to the government.

Ng’s name previously surfaced in U.S. investigations into how foreign money might have been funneled into the Democratic National Committee before the 1996 elections, when it was working to re-elect President Bill Clinton.

Ng, who was never charged, stopped coming to the United States from 1996 to 2000 amid the probe, prosecutors have said.

More recently, in 2014, Ng was subpoenaed in a U.S. foreign bribery investigation, a source has said, after his name surfaced in litigation involving billionaire Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn also have brought sealed charges against another individual linked to Ng, Yin’s lawyer Sabrina Shroff said at a Sept.

29 hearing. The status of any Brooklyn-based investigation was unclear yesterday.

Ratio of Guyanese workers on airport expansion project in keeping with contract - Patterson

T

he ratio of Guyanese to Chinese workers on the US$138 million Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project is in line with what is stipulated in the contract, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said Monday .

He stressed that Guyanese were not being side-lined for jobs at the site noting that there was a ratio stipulated in the contract with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) the contractor for the project.

Patterson told members of the media during a press briefing that there were currently 76 Guyanese employed at the job site and 57 Chinese.

The Ministry’s Special Technical Advisor Walter Willis stated, “It is a design build. They have the responsibility to deliver the end product within a certain time. Their experts that they bring in are not in competition with people that they are taking [on] locally.”

Neither the minister nor Willis clarified the positons that were held by the Chinese workers and if those positons could have been filled by local Guyanese expertise. Willis instead noted

that the Chinese were not bringing in drivers to man the trucks that Guyanese were filling those vacancies.

He said that the 76 Guyanese employees consisted of operators, drivers, cook, cleaners, security personnel and labourers.

Willis did also state that work on the job site was ongoing, as well as that which would allow for the drainage of water away from the work site when necessary.

While Willis explained that the contract did not stipulate that Guyana was responsible for penalties should there be a delay, the minister revealed that the relocation of the 15 Timehri residents was ongoing.

Patterson said that the 15 persons would be located less than a mile away in a new scheme that could comfortably hold over 50 house lots. He said it was a “stone’s throw away if you throw hard” from where the 15 currently reside and as such the ministry was working alongside the Ministry of Communities to have the area regularized promptly.

The project resumed in August after discussions were held between CHEC

and the ministry to determine the future costs of the project and what the government’s expectations were.

Patterson had said it would not exceed its initial US$150 million cost and completion is expected by the second quarter of 2017.

A one-week-long discussion with CHEC, Patterson explained, resulted in a US$46.8 million claim made by the company being reduced to roughly half of that amount. Some of the issues responsible for the claim included design changes and cost overruns.

The minister said that a cap of US$23.7 million cannot be exceeded, inclusive of all variations and designs for the proposed work.

Prior to the discussions with CHEC, Patterson had told Stabroek News that the ballooning costs for the project were not fiscally realistic and indicated that it should cost less than US$150 million.

Critics of the project, including members of the present government while they were in opposition, had accused CHEC of overpricing in aspects of its contract.

Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

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Caribbean Star Newspaper Thursday, August 29,July EqualityNews.ca Caribbean Star Newspaper 11 - 18, 2014 15 5 Ramsammy explains $100m GRDB payment to2013rice farmers October 9–15, 2015

-exporter was to repay after settling court action

Political spite Wanted Trinidad police officer PITBULL KILLS GRANNY F

ormer Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ram- ment was also countersigned by Ramsammy and sammy said that a $100m disbursement from then GRDB General Manager Jagnarine Singh.

In a statement when contacted by Stabroek the rice board in 2014 which is being investigated by the government comprised a reimburs- News, Ramsammy said that the Ministry of Agriable payment to rice farmers who had been left in culture never directly or through the GRDB prothe lurch by Quality Rice Co-op. vided a loan of any amount to the RPA while he In recent days Minister in the Ministry of Fi- was Minister of Agriculture.

“The fact is that we did provide a sum of $100M nance, Jaipaul Sharma has said that an ongoing audit of the Guyana Rice Development Board to pay farmers from Region 3 who were not paid paddy in the first crop of 2014. The (GRDB)84-year-old had detected a $100m to the Rice incident occurred.

An great loan edgeable when for it the came to sold Producers Association (RPA) in the name of its payments were made after farmers directly and grandmother was yesterday the training of dogs and General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj which through the RPA made representation for relief Azizul of mauled a family disagreed withafter theQuality deci-RiceDr Co-op failed toRahaman pay the farmers is yet totobedeath repaid.byHe said that the loan agree-

for paddy which they procured from the farmers. rice mill to process the paddy to meet standards “Quality Co-op procured an amount of paddy for export to Venezuela. Quality Rice Co-op, Ramtotaling more than $220M. Some of the farmers sammy said, contended that the miller had failed were shareholders of the Co-op, but others were to process the paddy. The result was that Qualirice farmers from Region 3 who sold their paddy ty Rice Co-op could not export to Venezuela and to the Co-op. We decided we will pay those farm- this resulted in it not being in a position to pay the ers who were not members of the Co-op. The farmers for paddy procured. Ramsammy said that RPA was engaged by the GRDB and the Ministry Quality Rice Co-op subsequently approached the of Agriculture to facilitate the payment, since we court to adjudicate against the West Demerara wanted to ensure Quality Ramlogan said that there was Co-op did not use miller. This matter is still in court. “We knew at the the resources to pay the members themselves”, time that the legal matter would occupy the court’s an undertaking within Ramsammy said. He said that Quality Co-op had attention for a lengthy period of time. We considA former headered of the now-for the Butnon-members he said thatof“reconsidthe he a West statedParliament that they had that contracted Demerara it unfair the Co-op defunct state-owned Guyeration never occurred; the would accommodate certo wait until such time as the court matter is dispensed with. We felt that the members had tosold face ana Airways Corporation airline was eventually tain amendments based of the hardships created by situation. has blamed some government and within lessthethan a yearIt on suggestions from Indeis for current this reason the thatairline we did was not cover the chatotal officials for the in total pendent Senators and also cost of paddy procured by Quality Rice Co-op. The aviation woes gripping the os,” Khan charged. from members of the Oppaddy secured from the members themselves was country. position. not covered through the relief provided by the He saidstated. that prior to this, The Independent Senators Government”, Ramsammy Constable Madeira, HeGeneral said thatChristopher the was that when Former GAC thearrangement state-owned entity had had already forwarded Quality Rice Co-op concluded the legal matter who had been on suspension fromand Manager, Fazal Khan is been making strides. their suggestions to him, resolved the dispute would repay the $100M the Trinidad and itTobago Police Ser- to adamant that political but he was still awaiting the GRDB. spite rather than financial “We had about 80 percent the Opposition’s before the vice“This (TTPS), died after he ingested is an example of the intervention we made or operational problems of the market sharesIt isina Act is proclaimed by Presia toquantity offarmers weedicide on Tuesday. support rice and the rice industry. forced the concrete example of the support the thePPPcountry, dent Anthony Carmona. governclosure ofHis while receivment provided to the industry.

Foron thethe APNU+AFC picture had been posted teleGovernment to now try and use this matter as an the airlinevision ing not cent “This bill is clearly needed. programme “Beyond theforensic Tape”a co audit back in the example of illegal actions that the from the govI would like those perhosteduncovered

by Inspector Rogerdishonest”, Alexander. is absolutely late nineties, has ernment. RamNot sons who argue that there sammy declared. He added: “The truth is that APand it is one NU+AFC is clutching at straws. The even when should be no legislation to forensic audit post carried the wordswe “The first of the ma-The requested control these dangerous at the GRDB, like those from other entities, is not of any thekind protective to jor reasonsmember to borrow resulting in of criminalservices activities which dogs, I would like them to Christopher they the had ‘Wall hopedof to Shame” discover. is Now they are G u y a n e s egrace only halfusinga pay a visit to the relatives well-known a wicked misrepresentation to If facts you in see Madeira, do not apare payingMadeira. million dolof victims to explain their create an impression of wrong doing”. Ramsammy e x o r b i t a ntproach lars from the position and to offer some or confront him since he is consaid that as Minister of Agriculture he was sympaprices tosidered government condolence. I am calling and extremely dangerthetic toarmed the rice farmers. travel upous…instead after running upon them to go pay them “It is true that I encouraged the GRDB to procall ANY police station, North. into debt that a visit and to offer them vide the relief for those farmers.

I did make case 623-0362/ 4968 or send an e-mail ato for government intervention. Thewe matter wasnot reThe formerbeyondthetape@tv6tnt.com could some compensation,” said Former GAC GMand Fazal if never you have board this was donedid in aviation of- ported to theKhan avoid, Ramlogan. information that could helpwas the posecret.

It was a public matter that articulated ficial is conthey give it.” publicly and the provided was the one that capture thisrelief fugitive from law”.was vinced thatlice Section 19 of the Dog publicly discussed and implemented.

Understatehisof photograph, it that stat-deGuyana’s current Khanwould continued Control Act: “I today on reflection do it all over again, edgiven he the was wanted for two charges affairs is one that could spite huge expenditures, circumstances. I make no apologies for ofhaving misbehaving inwas public office, supported the rice farmers given … those have been avoided, with GAC making, “three, 19. (1) Where a class A circumstances the time. by my leaderand failure appear court. the continuance of the oftofour andI stand fiveinmillion doldog injures a person, ship ondevelthis matter I wish APNU+AFC will “prosperous and larsandpre-tax yearly. We without reasonable cause similarly act to help farmers. In fact, they need to oping” state-owned cargood junior and whether in a public place The charges thattime. heWere and ango further thanalleged wehad did atvery that I still Minrier being preserved and senior staff.

People were or on private premises, the ister ofpolice Agriculture I would have been foot-to-foot other officer, Corporal Lenprized for itsnox functioning sent the for present university educaowner or keeper of the dog with farmers ensure never John, toknowingly and neglect wilfully materialized”, Ramsammy asserted. and importance to Guyation in marketing, aviation commits an offence and is handed over a loaded and confirmedfirearm that forensic nese travelers. Minister Sharma management andthediploma liable on summary convica audit bullet-proof vest belonging to thethe at GRDB is ongoing with the discovery courses. ” He boasted ofthat tion to a fine of $100,000 $100M transaction being further scrutinized.

Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

“They didn’t know they as far as that he istheaware Guyand to imprisonment for He told Stabroek News transaction were making “was a mistake ana Airways was the five years. suspicious because it didn’t indicate any first purwho regional was airline last stationed because theyMadeira, do not to offer free pose.” unat the Scarborough Station Sharma stated headphones that therePolice are and morealcohol revelations derstand aviation, ” Khan on (2) Where a class A dog to Tobago, come as an was employee of the GRDB was fired also charged septold KaieteurinNews.

“They board the aircraft. kills a person or causes the and an investigation launched into possible fraud were totallyarately clueless and handing death of a person, withwith over a loadat the Burma rice facility which involves the same had they known it wasemployee a Heautilising continued thatvest. out reasonable cause, the eddismissed pistol and bullet-proof GRDB staff toGuygrow mistake, they rice. would have ana Airways grew fly owner or keeper of the dog He did not venture into further detailsto noting never done He it,that but by the five flights to New York, commits an offence and is right now an investigation had to determine was released on TT$150,000 (One the extent of any fraud.

In the expression intertime they realized, it was and three timesbail, to of Toronliable on summary convicTT dollar = US$0.16 cents) orest”for millerswhile vying to become already too late, hethose saidfamers to, and weekly, trips intion to a fine of $200,000 dered to surrender hisforpassport to of Venezuelan marketcreased suppliers the spring in a recent interview at his during peak crop sumand to imprisonment for 2014, Quality Ricereport Co-op was an amount court and to assigned the with ScarborQueenstownthe residence. mer seasons North ten years. of 4,000 tonnes. Station twice weekly. ough Police American Airlines having Earlier in 2014, the then PPP/C government Khan believes provided that he was toofbe$300 chartered tomillers aid the CLASS A dogs are identiin excess million to so Pathologist Valery Alexandrov, theyascould payDr rice farmers were still GAC owed “pushed aside” head influx ofwho travelers. fied in the Bill as: fromexpressthe previouswas crop.

In July, $400 million was performed theable autopsy Tuesday, of the GACwho for to increase its feet provided to miller Nazeemul as ing his reservations about of planes under hisHakh, stew1. Pitbull Terrier or any said that heEssequibo found approximately 200 an advance so payments could be made to rice one political cubic appointment. ardship. dog bred from the Pitbull centimetres of the substance farmers.

According to Khan, he Terrier. in his which to of The stomach, media was never toldamounted the breakdown realized thatapproximately the bailout lack of the first timea the funds Khan thesaid rice for industry nor was afor regular-sized glass. comprehensive for 2014 ever revealed.

In forward-thinking man- amount in the country’s history 2. Fila Brasileiro or any December 2014, the PPP/C government released agement would destroy there were local pilots who dog bred from the Fila “The major is that there is no pay problem rice farmers. the GAC and$2.1B he to therewere captains on jets.

Brasileiro.

Stabroek News has attempted tosomeone make contact antidote.

So it doesn’t matter if fore gave the then powers with the current head of or theaGRDB, Nizam Hassan, drinks one teaspoon bottle.

The some eight months to Seeraj re- for “The first to choice forrepas3. Japanese Tosa or any Singh and comment no avail.

Bloody attack oncommits 84-year-old suicide woman caused after being closure at Maraval home on ‘Wall of Shame’ placed

pitbull.

Lillian Bunsee had never ventured close to the dogs as she had been attacked in the past, but yesterday morning one of the dogs escaped from its kennel and again attacked her, this time killing her.

Neighbours said the dog was one of approximately ten which were bred and being given aggression training in preparation for sale by two of the woman’s relatives.

Never once did the residents hear Bunsee scream for help but only noticed she was being attacked as they walked along the roadway close to her home on La Seiva Road, Maraval.

Police said it was shortly after 9 a.m. that the residents saw the woman on the ground with the dog tearing away at her body. They tried throwing boulders at the animal in an attempt to stop it but their efforts were unsuccessful, said officers.

Investigators said several police officers who were on patrol nearby went to the scene after receiving a report and was only able to have the dog stop biting the woman after opening fire on the animal, shooting it six times.

Residents in the area said the officers had no other option but to kill the dog.

The other dogs were all locked away in their kennels, they said.

“After the first two shots the dog was still biting the woman, like the shots did nothing to it. The police had to shoot it four more times before it stopped,” said one man.

CPR

Training

The resident, who asked that his name not be published, said regardless of the type, he was always opposed to people giving aggression training to dogs within their own household which is shared with other family members.

He said he was also knowl-

P

of local airline

ORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Wednesday July 9, 2014, CMC – A police officer committed suicide hours after a photo of his appeared on a television programme sion of the dog’s owner to Jones Animal Clinic examcarry out the training at the ined the dog and confirmed hosted by a senior poit was one of the dangerhouse. lice officer that he was ous dogs referred to in the “Aggression training within Dog Control Bill which was a fugitive from the law. your own environment and training of dogs within your own household where you have ageable people or family members in your house

passed in Parliament last month but is yet to be proclaimed, police said.

Rahaman removed some of the animals and locked

WE ALSO OFFER! 1) EKG Technician 2) Phlebotomy Technician 3) State Board exam on Premises

FAMILY PHOTO: 84-year-old Lillian Bunsee who was mauled to death by a pitbull yesterday in her own home. is a no no. Aggression is not the type of training to do within that environment.

High potency dog food and aggression training in the home environment is creating a time bomb and it is just a matter of time before tragedy strikes,” he said.

them away at the clinic yesterday evening. He told the Express the dogs were being temporarily kept at the animal hospital until the other owner makes a decision “on what he is going to do with them”.

Detectives from the Port of Spain Criminal Investigations Department (CID) led by ASP Ajith Persad went to the scene and detained the man who owned the dog.

“It was not for any legal reason or anything. Relatives and so on would be going to the house to give their condolences and what have you, so we are just keeping the dogs for a little while,” he said.

Up to yesterday evening he was in custody at the CID office along St Vincent Street, Port of Spain. Officers said they would be consulting with Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard SC to determine what charges could be laid against the man.

The other owner was not arrested as he did not live on the premises where the

The other owner said residents no longer wanted the dogs in the area, so he may have to “put them to sleep”.

Contacted via phone yesterday, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan said the Dog Control Bill was passed on the last day of the parliamentary session in order to prevent it from being “lapsed”.

With the passing of the bill,

dog bred from the Japanese Tosa.

sultposition is the same, the pathologist added. consider their of ”sengers was removing him. ...contnue on page 8

Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

27

Voice Of The Youth M

y name is Shaw Ryan Khan. I am the son of Shaw M. Khan and Camille Zeena Khan and I am the grandson of Haji Ali Akbar Khan and Azeezan Khan from Canegrove, Guyana ,as well as Harry Singh and Lillian Ganpati Singh from Industry, Guyana. My respect to my parents and my grandparents always.

I went to school a few days ago and something unexpected happened. It’s moments like what I am about to talk about that helps to define how we should live life. I was walking on campus and heading to the parking lot so I can leave and go home. While I was walking, I felt hungry so I decided to open my bag and take out a protein bar that I had saved for moments like this. As I reached for the protein bar, I noticed a kid sitting on a bench outside. To be honest, I didn’t notice because I was nosey! Rather, I noticed because it was fairly quiet around campus and you could have probably heard this kid’s snore from a mile way! When I heard this snoring, I immediately thought my dad was perhaps waiting on a bench for me and ended up falling asleep. One thing about my dad is that he comes home tired and drained and because of that, he tends to snore every time he falls asleep. But when I turned to see who it was, it was just this random kid who had his backpack seated next to him. From my experience of my dad, I knew this kid must have been extremely tired. So, I walked up to the kid, tapped his shoulder, and asked if he is ok. He replied by telling me that he is okay and he thanked me because if he had kept sleeping, he would have missed his class which was in a few minutes. I sat down next to him so that I could close my bag. While I was doing this, I heard his stomach growl. He apologized but we just laughed it out. I decided to give him my protein bar because I know I would be home soon and have mom’s cooking. The joy on this kid’s face was remarkable…

It was something I could never forget. It was pure, simple, and real. He accepted the bar and smiled. What he told me was what made me dedicate this article to him on behalf of the life lesson he thought me. He said, “You don’t know how much I appreciate this gesture. Ever since my dad passed away, I made a promise to my mom to never have us beg or suffer. I work 2 jobs during the week and 2 more on the weekends…God only knows how I am able to keep up with my studies. But the mortgage, the school fees, and providing for my mom, my 2 little sisters, and I are so much that sometimes I go without eating for a few days. I know it’s not healthy but at least my family is happy and that’s what makes me happy. I’m sorry, you barely know me but just know that I appreciate this so much more than you can imagine. I haven’t eaten in God knows how long and this is a true blessing from God.” He opened the protein bar, took a bite of it and closed his eyes as if

he wanted to savor this moment. He then checked his watch, realized he was late for class, gave me a hug and said thank you, and he left.

I realized something from this moment; we take life for granted so much. We never appreciate life for what it is and what is there for us. We always want more and claim we need more but we never are content with what we have. From our everyday items to our relationships, we always want more out of it.

It’s funny; as I think about this topic, I can’t help but remember when I used to have twitter and read a tweet from an old friend of mine. In this tweet, he linked a photo of a broken white IPhone and in the tweet it said. “I hate my parents. I asked them for the gold and they gave me this ugly white. So I broke it, #MyWayOrTheHighway#NotBlessed#ParentsDontUnderstand”. I remember that day because I decided to stop using twitter after that day. It’s unbelieve how people are blessed with the ability to have whatever they want and yet are not content with it. Some people can’t even afford to keep food on their table or don’t even know if they will have another meal meanwhile we have people worrying about getting the wrong color IPhone.

What I am trying to say is that we are so busy wanting more and claiming we need more that we end up forgetting to be appreciative of what we have. And, in that process of being busy wanting more and needing more, there is so much of life that is being missed out. So before you complain about the gift you’re receiving being too ‘cheap’ or not being what you wanted, just remember that there are so many other people in the world that wish they could have even just a fraction of what you have. Appreciate everything you have in life no matter what.

And this appreciation doesn’t go only to materialistic things, it also goes to relationships. There is a story of the busy father who had no time for his baby daughter. No matter how many times each week that his daughter came to him to ask him to read a bedtime story for her, he would always say that he is busy. No matter how many times the daughter asked for a few minutes to be with her father, he always replied with, “one day, you will be in the place I am and you will understand why I am busy”. And each time the daughter heard this, she smiled, gave her dad a kiss and said “Okay daddy, maybe next time.

I love you!” The father had everything in the world that is defined in an American dream. He had a family, a place that they can call home, and a job that provides them sufficiently. But even to that, he wanted more and more and was never content. This busy dad kept not having time for his daughter. Just a few weeks after, the daughter became severely ill and only had a few hours left to live. It was then that the man realized his flaw of never being content with what he had. He

sat next to his daughter on her hospital bed. Once again, the daughter asked if she could have a bedtime story because she was feeling tired and wanted to sleep. At the same time, the father was receiving a phone call from his work. But this time, the father turned the phone off and began reading his baby girl a story. Midway through the story, the daughter’s eyes shut and never opened again. It was then that the father realized that the old saying was true; there is no benefit for a man to gain the world but lose his very soul. His soul was his daughter. He worked to make sure he can provide for his daughter and more. But, he did not realize in time that the thing his daughter wanted the most was quality time with her dad.

We always hear the saying, ‘you never miss the water ‘til the well runs dry.” And this saying is true, not only for our mother and father but for all of our family. I know so many individuals that are currently fighting with their family, even at this very moment I am writing this article and even at the moment you are reading this article. They refuse to speak to them and refuse to acknowledge them. They fight and spread rumors about each other. They hold grudges and animosity towards each other. They insult and hurt each other.

But yet, if one of them should pass away, I know for a fact that the others who fought with them would cry and wish they could have more time with this person. What’s the use of animosity, hostility, jealousy, hatred, etc.? What benefit is there to have these feelings in your mind? When we were first born into a family, I believe we never had this ability to hate or to hold anger. Just think of it this way; when we first came out of our mother’s womb, we started to cry but began to calm down when we saw our precious mom and dad.

We had the ability to cry and to smile but we never were born with the ability to hate. So why then do we adapt this negative attribute? Just a few days ago, my mom was reading her diary and told me that she loved me even before I was born into this world. How is that even possible? She has never met me nor has she ever held me or heard me, yet she loved me with all her heart. And for the most part, each of us were born into this same love. So then my question is, where does this ability to hate and this ability to have anger come from? It’s sad to know that a dog can love his/her owner even after being yelled at, yet we can’t even do the same. It’s my personal belief that dogs know their time is limited much shorter than our time. And with this knowledge, they know that it makes no sense to waste time collecting and keeping hatred in their heart. So why can’t we do the same?

Why can’t we stop hating and fighting each other and just learn to love and appreciate each other? Why must we find flaws in one another? These questions will always trouble me because I can’t find the answers or even give answers.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t come up with the answers to these questions.

No amount of meditation, no amount of studying, no amount of research. None of this has helped me to even come close to the answer to these questions. God gave us our legs, our arms, our hands, and our mouth to spread peace wherever we go either in a simple embrace, a nice word, or a room-brightening smile. God gave us our food that we eat and the water that we drink so that we would never grow tired in our journey for peace. God gave us our family so that we have a familiar face to share peace with. God gave us this and so much more! Yet, we take it all for granted because we either want more or hate what we have. So be content, appreciate what is around you. So if you have a Nokia phone instead of an IPhone, just be glad you have a phone! If you have a sibling that drives you crazy, just be glad you have a sibling. If you think you have a flaw in your body, remember that this is the body God gifted you with. Just remember, God gives what God feels is right for you and so too can God take it away. So appreciate all that you have because you never know how long it will last.

Before I end my article, I just want to say this; may God continue to bless each and every one of you and I wish for you to achieve peace and serenity in your lives!

Lastly my readers, in your journey through life, I hope you heed my advice.

I want nothing except peace and serenity. And remember this; “Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.”

(Like my articles? Want to give me feedback? Do you have a topic suggestion for my next article? Let me know! Add me via Facebook @ Facebook.com/ryankhan0721 or give me a call @ 646-269-8227 or 718-849-1006)

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A

Fiance murders Kitty woman, kills self

One Mile, Linden resident early morning shot and killed his fiance before turning the gun on himself at her Pike Street, Kitty home.

Dead are 20-year-old, Amanda Mohan also known as “Roshina” of Lot 248 Pike Street, Kitty and her fiance, Mark Anthony Moses, 24, of One Mile, Wismar, Linden. The couple had an eight-month-old daughter.

Police, in a press release, said Mohan was fatally shot to her chest by Moses around 5.40 am yesterday at her home following an argument. Moses, who then shot himself to the chest, was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) and died while receiving treatment. An unlicensed 9 mm pistol with 3 spent shells was recovered by the police.

According to reports reaching Stabroek News, Moses and Mohan had been known to have constant arguments and had shared an abusive relationship for the past two years.

On Tuesday evening, Moses who reportedly worked in the interior, arrived in Georgetown to visit his fiance and daughter and saw Mohan playing a game on a laptop with another man in her bedroom.

As a result, he became annoyed and an argument ensued after which he left. He subsequently returned during the wee hours of yesterday morning when the incident occurred.

The man with whom Mohan had been playing the game left the Kitty house after the couple started arguing.

An uncle of Mohan, Farouk Bacchus, told this newspaper with tears in his eyes

T

Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

The couple in happier times that he occupies the bottom flat of the house where the incident occurred. The man explained that around 7.30 pm on Tuesday he had collected his dinner from his niece who catered for him and later proceeded to bed.

Bacchus said it was around 4.30 am yesterday that he was awakened by the sound of four gunshots and he immediately proceeded to the upper flat.

“When I go upstairs and see my niece she was lying on the ground in a pool of blood and was already dead,” Bacchus stated. Moses, he added, was discovered under the bed in the said room bleeding profusely.

The couple’s daughter was on the bed crying, while the gun was under a sheet on the same bed. Mohan and Moses were rushed to the GPH by Mohan’s brother, Ray (only name given) who was at home at the time of the incident along with her mother and aunt.

“I know to myself that almost every weekend he does come home and beat

she. Because if is not some issue over money is something else,” Bacchus said.

The Lot 248 Pike Street, Kitty house where Amanda Mohan resided and where she was murdered.

When Stabroek News visited the crime scene yesterday, relatives and friends had gathered in their numbers; many of them were weeping. Residents of the area also gathered in the street; many of them related that they were awakened by the gunshots yesterday morning.

Meanwhile, Ray told reporters yesterday that while he was aware of an argument between his sister and her fiance he wasn’t at home the entire Tuesday night and was not sure what exactly transpired. He added though that before he left home on Tuesday night Mohan was indeed playing games with a man, who he described as a family friend.

“There was a misunderstanding that she was sharing a relationship with the boy who is a family friend but he [the man] turn and tell Moses that ‘boy me and this girl is just friends we ain’t got nothing going’ but he didn’t believe. He left and went away,” Ray recalled.

Efforts to contact a relative of Moses proved futile.

Both bodies are at the GPH mortuary awaiting post-mortem examinations.

On Mohan’s Facebook page, there was an outpouring of condolences, such as: “Tears came to my eyes when I got the news about the death of a good friend, Amanda Rest in Peace love. She will forever live on in the memory of people who really knew her. She was someone who u can count on for good advice” and “R.I.P Amanda wish if RIP meant return if possible will always be missed.”

Doubles trouble: Price now $5

he price of doubles, the most popular street food in Trinidad and Tobago, has increased by $1. And citizens are outraged.

Doubles vendors said they had no choice but to increase prices following the 2015-2016 national budget presentation, delivered by Finance Minister Colm Imbert, on Monday.

The vendors explained that an increase in the price of diesel and super gasoline would indirectly affect prices.

Imbert announced that Value Added Tax (VAT) would be reduced from 15 per cent to 12.5 per cent. But doubles vendors argued that Imbert failed to explain whether the zero rated list of items still exist. The sudden hike in doubles price has outraged consumers, who complained that there was no reason for the increase. Doubles vendors, however, noted that the $1 increase has not affected sales, yet.

A San Fernando vendor said customers have not hesitated to pay $5 for a doubles. A “triple” cost $6. The vendor said, “In recent weeks we noticed that grocery items were increasing gradually. The price of flour and

Аormer special adviser: Lisa Ghany Price Hike: A customer forks over his $5 for a single doules at Mon Repos, San Fernando on Thursday. other ingredients had gone up.

And we saw in the paper this morning that the price went up from $4 to $5 so that is why we raise the price this morning.”

She said the increase in diesel and gas prices would ultimately result in a rise in transportation and food items. The doubles vendor Doubles: The price of the said the increase was necessary to country’s number one street food just went up by $20 per cent ensure that they sustain a profit.

The Express found that several doubles vendors in San to social media to vent. People Fernando and surrounding ar- want to know how vendors justieas had increased their prices fy the increase, given that most yesterday. However, there were have few overhead costs, and a few doubles vendors who de- pay no taxes. Some have called cided to wait and “assess the sit- for a campaign to not buy douuation” before increasing prices. bles, and instead resort to those Meanwhile, people have taken selling bake.

Ghany, Joseph cut from PM's Office*

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ISA GHANY has been axed as the Prime Minister's special adviser for public engagements, the Express has learned.

Ghany's contract, which was scheduled to end in February, was terminated on Friday.

Today is also scheduled to be Francis Joseph's last day as the Prime Minister's press secretary.

Joseph's contract is scheduled to end on December 4, but he will be proceeding on two months of vacation leave from today.

Ghany was named the special adviser for public engagements to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in August 2011.

She replaced former special

en­gagements adviser Sasha Mohammed, who resigned in July that year.

Speaking to the Express yesterday, Ghany confirmed her employment contract was terminated on Friday.

Asked what was her next step, Ghany said: “I came from the private sector, I teach at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business and I plan to continue teaching, and I also have my own event management company, which was on the back-burner for the last four years, so I plan to bring it back out into the open and start to market myself as open for business again.”

Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

29

World News Highlights

ROME - In the land of Niccolo Machiavelli, it is perhaps unsurprising that the Italian parliament should be riven by intrigue, treachery and double-dealing.

KABUL - Afghan security officers shot dead two wouldbe suicide bombers in a Kabul restaurant before they were able to launch an attack, a senior government official said on Thursday.

RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA - President Dilma Rousseff’s opponents have a clearer path to impeach her after two court rulings against her this week but political hurdles still make her ouster unlikely anytime soon.

BRASILIA - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff lost a key legal battle when a federal audit court rejected her government’s accounts from 2014 on Wednesday, paving the way for opponents to try to impeach her.

BRUSSELS - The United States and its NATO allies signaled a willingness on Thursday to consider slowing their withdrawal from Afghanistan, days after the Taliban’s brief takeover of a provincial capital stoked concern about the strength of Afghan state forces.

AMMAN - The Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, fought heavy battles with insurgents for control of a hilltop close to President Bashar al-Assad’s coastal heartland, a monitor and rebels said on Thursday.

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the situation in Syria in a phone call on Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

- Disarray within the Taliban leadership could delay peace talks with the Afghan government for a few months, but up to 70 percent of the militant group may ultimately be reconciled with Kabul, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan predicted on Thursday.

UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has ordered an audit of all dealings the organization had with two entities that are the subjects of a U.S. bribery probe, a U.N. spokesman said on Thursday.

On a Quest to do Good Robert Tenney

M

y name is Robert Tenney and I am a proud member of the Naujavaan Mandalee Youth Group of the Shaanti Bhavan Mandir. This article was supposed to be about my trip to Pennsylvania.

Unfortunately the prediction of bad weather caused us to cancel the trip. I bet you’re wondering what’s so special about my trip that I wanted to write about it. We, the NMYG, along with our leader, Pandit Manoj, and some members of the Shaanti Bhavan Mandir, were heading to the cow sanctuary in PA. Yes, I said cow sanctuary. The one we were planning to visit is in Bangor, PA. The website for this sanctuary is www.cowprotection. com. Our goal was to perform seva. We were going to help clean up the farm where the sanctuary is on. The owner of the farm is setting aside a section for the building of a home

for murthis. There is a need for space for the many murthis found at the beaches. They’re left there by devotees with good intentions. Sadly, these murthis are then picked up the park volunteers and thrown out with the trash.

I found this out when I participated in a beach clean-up on June 6th, 2015. We joined Project Pritivi/Sadhana and other volunteers on their monthly beach cleanup.

Walking up and down North Channel Beach, we found many religious items scattered about on the beach, in the grass and in the waters. The

many non -biodegradable religious items left on the beach causes harm to our environment. It’s also putting Hindus in a bad light in NYC. We must all try to protect Dharti Maa. Mata Bhumih Putroham Prithivyah: Earth is my mother; I am her son (Prithvi Sukta in Atharva Veda). There is only one Earth, and it’s our duty to take care of it. Please don’t leave religious items at the beach. You don’t need huge symbols to show your love and devotion to God. If you don’t believe me, then believe what is written in our holy books. Lord Krishna said to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita (chpt 9, verse 26), patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami prayatatmanah: Whoever with loving devotion offers unto Me a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, I affectionately accept that devotional offering from that pure hearted being.

BRUSSELS - Turkey urged its NATO allies on Thursday to keep up missile defenses along its Syrian border, after Germany and the United States said they would press on with plans to withdraw Patriot batteries despite worries about Russian actions in the area.

ADDIS ABABA - South Sudan’s warring sides have violated a ceasefire agreement over 50 times in the last 20 months, mediators said in a report on Thursday.

LUXEMBOURG - European Union governments agreed on Thursday to step up deportations of illegal immigrants and discussed creating an border guard force among measures to cope with a surge in refugees from Syria’s civil war.

BERLIN - The German state of Bavaria plans “emergency

measures” of its own - including sending refugees back to Austria - to stem the flow of migrants, state premier Horst Seehofer told Bild daily, raising pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel over the crisis.

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations Security Council is due to vote on Friday on whether to approve European naval operations aimed at seizing and disposing of vessels operated by human traffickers in the high seas off Libya, diplomats said.

BRUSSELS - Russia fired cruise missiles at Syrian targets this week without giving any advanced notice, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Thursday, describing a trend of unpredictable military action that has put the United States and its allies on edge.

Fisherman stabbed to death at sea

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- after row with brothers

n argument between three fishermen at sea ended tragically on Tuesday afternoon after one of them whipped out a knife and inflicted a single, fatal stab to another.

Dead is Ronald Emmanuel called “Manny”, 27, of Lot 25 Castello Housing Scheme, Georgetown.

The police, in a press release, said investigations are being conducted into the murder of the fisherman, which occurred on Tuesday on a fishing boat off Lichfield Foreshore, West Coast Berbice (WCB). Emmanuel was involved in an argument, during which he was fatally stabbed to his back, the release added. Two men have been arrested and are in police custody assisting with the investigations.

Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, Bryan Reid, the father of the dead man said he received a phone call around 6.30 pm on Tuesday from a crew member of the boat, Vidya Ki Reg # GO1884, which his son worked on. He said the crew member informed him that his son

Ronald Emmanuel and two brothers were involved in an argument during which one of them held him, while the other stabbed him in his back.

Reid, while he was unsure about the circumstances surrounding the argument, said “Me son don’t get into problem with anyone,” as he was very quiet. He added, “Me know them two men this for over 25 years now because I is a fisherman too. And this is what they gon do?”

Meanwhile, a colleague of Emmanuel told Stabroek News, “I went in the cabin and I just see a man hold onto Manny and the other one just jook he. When I see the knife it bend up, but I ain’t know what cause that because they

ain’t had no problem or so.”

He added that Emmanuel died within seconds, while the man was still holding him and although they tried to get the boat to shore earlier, it was delayed because of some mechanical problems. A relative, Monica (only name given) admitted to this newspaper that she was aware of an argument that had been ongoing for days between the brothers and Emmanuel, but never knew it would have claimed a life.

Monica said that one of the brothers had called her on Tuesday afternoon, informing her that the other was involved in an argument with another crew member. “Me tell them y’all don’t make problems, shut y’all mouth,” Monica said. But within minutes she received a second call and was informed that the brother had stabbed Emmanuel and he had died.

When Stabroek News visited the wharf yesterday, the owner of the vessel refused to comment on the incident.

Emmanuel leaves to mourn his family and his pregnant fiance.

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Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

No matter how long you’ve been on the wrong road, you can always turn around — Vp Premier

WEEKLY HOROSCOPE ARIES

(March 21-April 19) You would like to skip the next few steps, but that’s not possible. You’re going to have to take things one at a time. Just because things are happening slowly doesn’t mean they’re not happening at all. This is a test of your patience. And besides, sometimes after a long time spent waiting around, things happen all at once. For example, expect the current to suddenly change on Thursday.

A whole bunch of things will start to go your way.

This weekend, you’re going to spend a lot of time dealing with your family. No matter what happens, remember that you love them and they love you.

LEO

(July 23-Aug. 22) You’d love to be thinking about your family or your love life, but this week all your thoughts are on your career. Nothing is black or white, but you have some vague ideas about what you’d rather be doing, and you’re ready to take steps toward getting there. You should talk about your hopes with your friends. They might have some solid advice for you. And some of them might be able to help you out. This weekend would be a good time, with the help of one or two others, to create a game plan for the future.

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Whatever you do, keep other people in the loop. No matter what happens, you’ll be able to get through this so long as you never stop communicating. (It’s only when you start to shut everyone else out that you know you’re heading toward trouble.) So you have a lot of responsibilities. So what? Don’t let them get you down. Keep your head down and do what needs to be done -- and, when you get stuck, ask for help. This weekend, someone’s going to come to you for help or advice. The conversation has the potential to get a little deep. Be there for them.

The weekly horoscopes are updated on every week to gives you an in-depth insight into your family, your love life, any career opportunities, friends and money issues.

TAURUS

(April 20-May 20) You’re charged up today. It’s like someone plugged you into the wall last night and now you have energy to burn. Instead of bouncing off the walls, take your lunch break to go do something athletic -- even if it’s just a walk around the block. On Wednesday, your mood is going to change and you’re going to start to feel a lot more, well, moody. You’re not going to feel like doing much at all. (That’s what you get for exhausting yourself.) This weekend you’re not going to do much either, but you’re going to be in a great mood again.

VIRGO

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You’re ready to get out of your own head for a while. You’ve been dealing with work and friends and family and you’re kind of exhausted. What about a vacation?

What about committing to a really big book?

(A thick Russian novel, perhaps?) Whatever it takes, you should start thinking seriously about expanding your horizons. You love your life, you’re doing great work, but you’re still not satisfied. Spend the weekend with people you love and admire. What are they doing with their lives? Are they happy? Is there anything you could learn from them?

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Finally, at last, a chance to be creative. Someone needs help with something -- a problem they can’t quite get their head around -- and they’ve turned to you.

It’s flattering to be the person that others look up to. On the other hand, it’s also kind of exhausting. You should do as much as you can but don’t go overboard. You only have so much energy. You only have so many hands. In general, you’ve been itching for a change in your life. Once this project is done, you should start thinking about you own needs.

GEMINI

(May 21-June 20) It’s not always easy to stay focused and stay on track, but at least you’re not the kind of person who just gives up. You’re not flighty. You have your sights set on the future and, come what may, you’re going to get there.

Some people are intimidated by obstacles, but you see them as an opportunity to flex your problem-solving skills. Whatever happens this week, communicate how you’re feeling. You have a ton of people in your life, and some of them haven’t heard from you in a while. When you’re in charge of the world, you’re going to want to have good friends by your side.

LIBRA

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21) The world is beautiful and the bakery around the corner makes delicious chocolate cake. These things you can count on. In a shifting, sliding universe, it’s worth noting the things that don’t ever change.

Another thing that never changes are your human attachments -- the people who are close to you, the people you love. You should invest as much time and energy in your friendships and your love life as you do in your work. Work is important, but it’s not as important as finding overall harmony in your life.

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Today you’re going to start thinking about one of your relatives, someone you haven’t talked to in a while, and it’s going to make you decide that you should be in better touch with people. Across the board, you could be better about responding to e-mails, calling people back, etc. The thing is, you’re easily distracted. For example, you’ll probably be distracted later this week (by a sizzling love affair, no less). Over the weekend, once your heart rate has returned to normal, you should start thinking about ways to be more organized and on top of things.

CANCER

(June 21-July 22) If you don’t have any plans to go to a party in the next two days, make some. These days, you are at your best in social situations. People are drawn to you for your big ideas. (The craziest ideas are always the best.) This week you’re going to find yourself being more social than usual.

There’s a chance you’re going to have a breakthrough on Friday or Saturday -- about your career, about your love life -- and you’re going to need to rely on some of your new friends to turn your goals into realities.

SCORPIO

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You and you-know-who are going through a rough patch. That’s perfectly normal.

That’s what happens when two people are so closely aligned. You’re only human. Remember the key to any relationship (a romantic relationship, a work relationship, whatever) is compromise. That doesn’t mean you have to compromise on the stuff that’s really important to you. It just means that you give a little and they give a little until you both find common ground. The only reason you two came to a head in the first place is because you both truly, deeply care.

PISCES

(Feb. 19-March 20) Your mind is on love today. All you can think about is beauty, poetry, love letters, terrific dinners, great works of art. You’re a real romantic this week, even more than usual. In fact, poetry and romance are going to figure strongly into your entire week. You are entering a period of sweetness and thoughtfulness, and others are starting to notice, too. (Maybe that’s why you-know-who keeps making eyes at you.)

The more you figure out about romance, the more exciting and mysterious it seems. This weekend, go out on a date. A concert, maybe. Or a foreign film.

Guyana seeking Canada’s support against Venezuela’s aggression

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he Government of Guyana will be looking forward to Canada’s support against the territorial claims

by Venezuela even as it seeks to boost its ties and bilateral agreements with the country through new Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux.

This was communicated to the diplomat by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, at a reception hosted by the Canadian High Commissioner at his residence, Tuesday evening, a release from the Ministry of the Presidency said today.

In welcoming the High Commissioner to Guyana, Greenidge said that Guyana has always had a long history of friendship and collaboration with Canada, both at the governmental level and through people-to-people contact.

He pointed out that some of the country’s largest investors, particularly in the mining industry, are Canadians, while a number of projects and programmes for community and na-

Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge speaking at the reception. High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux is at right

Guests at the event (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

tional development, were made possible through this partnership, the release said.

“We wish to applaud you for the relationship we have shared. We hope to build on the areas of success that have characterised our relationship. This new administration will seek to improve Guyana’s international standing.

It is important that the country continues on an upward trajectory.

We are committed to working with partners in the region to enhance security, democracy, as well as prosperity,” the Foreign Affairs Minister added.

High Commissioner Giroux noted that with the recent discovery of oil, Guyana is “on the verge of changes that

are most profound and Canada would like to ensure that a firm partnership is established so as to maximize the country’s potential.”

“We want to build and move forward.

The Canadian High Commission will work tirelessly to build and foster this relationship between Guyana and Canada,” Giroux added.

Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

Entertainment News

Daniel Craig blasts internet bullies

Nicole Kidman 'terrified and exhilarated' about returning to theater

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J

fter being away from the stage for almost two decades, Nicole Kidman says she was terrifed to make her comeback in front of a live audience.

"Well, I'm over here on this play and I'm terrified.

Terrified and exhilarated because I've got to make this incredibly acerbic, prickly woman real and vulnerable," she said.

The Oscar-winning actress, 48, has returned to the West End, starring in the UK premiere of Photograph 51, a play about Rosalind Franklin, the female scientist who contributed to the discovery of DNA. "It's a 95-minute play and I haven't done that for 17 years. It's a whole different ballgame," she added.

Kidman had previously appeared in The Blue Room, which began its run in London's Donmar Warehouse before continuing on to Broadway.

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ames Bond star Daniel Craig feels like a kid being bullied at school when he reads negative comments about himself on the internet.

The Spectre star admits he has received his fair share of criticism since taking on the lead role of James Bond in Casino Royale but thinks people can be incredibly cruel online.

"If you're even slightly famous, you should avoid the

internet at all costs. It's like being bullied at school," he said.

The 47-year-old actor also insists he does not understand the "modern world".

"If me and my mates went out and someone started taking photographs, they'd get thumped. The other thing I don't get is, people are happy to take pictures of me without asking.

But things have changed so rapidly."

Charlize Theron's stalker arrested

A Irrfan Khan gears up for a new avatar in 'Jazbaa'

H

e's a powerhouse of talent, who has impressed critics and audiences alike, by portraying diverse characters with utmost ease.

In his upcoming film, Jazbaa, Irrfan, who plays a tough cop, will be seen in his most flamboyant avatar till date. Dressed in leather jackets and glares, he is set to entertain viewers with his tongue-incheek humour in this cool action thriller.

The actor will deliver sassy and sarcastic dialogues that are a far cry from his serious onscreen image and are bound to pack in a punch. Some of his lines in the film are — 'Sharaafat ki duniya ka kissa hi khatam, ab jaisi duniya... waise hum', 'Teri amma ne jis ke baare main nahin bataaya, main tera woh baap hoon', 'Rishton mein bharosa aur mo-

bile mein network na ho toh log game khelne lagte hain' and 'Mohabbat hai issi liye toh jaane diya, zidd hoti toh baahon mein hoti'.

Explaining what prompted him to sign Irrfan for the role, director Sanjay Gupta said, "What's special about him is that he brings in something new in each of his films. You'll notice that he has explored something new, interesting and different in every role. This is what you'll see in Jazbaa as well. Besides surprising you with his own take on the scenes, he has delivered the dialogues in a unique way.

It'll ensure a dhamakedaar fun outing for audiences in theatres."

Jazbaa, produced by Zee Studios, Viiking Media & Entertainment and White Feather Films, releases October 9.

man was arrested for allegedly stalking actress Charlize Theron.

The 40-year-old actress called the cops after the man reportedly demanded to see her and refused to leave her until he met her. He had showed up on her doorsteps with flowers, reported TMZ. The incident took place on Sunday, October 5.

The actress asked him to leave the flowers at her gate but he insisted to hand them to her personally.

Keira Knightley faced a similar incident when an unwanted admirer disrupted her Broadway debut by throwing a bouquet of flowers and shouting "Will you marry me?" before being removed.

Sofia Vergara hates selfies

"M

odern Family" star Sofia Vergara hates taking selfies but says her son Manolo thinks it's because she doesn't hold the camera at the right angle.

The 43-year-old actress doesn't mind striking a pose on the red carpet, but insists she never looks good when she takes photographs of herself, reported People magazine.

"I hate selfies. I always feel I like I look awful. My son Manolo was telling me that I need to hold the phone high, not low, and that's why it wasn't working. I need to sit down and practice," Vergara said.

The Colombian beauty and her fiance Joe Manganiello are all set to tie the knot in November.

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Caribbean Star Newspaper Amitabh Bachchan in 'close company' Women who benefited from Salman Khan of 'Big Cat' in Mumbai

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October 9–15, 2015

egastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has been appointed Maharashtra's 'Tiger Ambassador', says his vehicle was chased by a tiger in Mumbai for four kms inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park here.

Amitabh was on a jungle safari in the national park in Borivali East on Tuesday, accompanied by several ministers and politicians. During the trip, one tiger followed the safari bus.

The 72-year-old posted some of the photographs of the tiger on Twitter.

"Chased by a tiger in the heart of Mumbai for 4 kms... what an experience... and for those thinking it was some kind of a joke - the tiger chase," the Piku actor tweeted along with photo evidence.

"In close company of the Big Cat... And this on a road in the heart of the city," he added. Amitabh also shared his thoughts about the campaign for tiger conservation on his blog.

He wrote: "Killing the animal for medicinal purposes, especially for the south eastern countries was rampant. Rampant too for its skin, which adorns many a drawing room of the affluent... a mark of aristocracy, of superior gaming acumen, a mark of being among the few." He also stated that at the turn of the 19th century into the 20th, India had 40,000 tigers, but by 2008 the number was reduced to 1,411.

"With effort now, the numbers have increased to 2,226 in the country and to

about 199 in Maharashtra, which incidentally has the largest tiger population in the entire country," he added.

The Big B also shared how "many a time leopards have paid us a visit on our sets or our shootings" at the Film City in Goregaon here.

"Many have been trapped and put back into the forest, if they were to wander beyond, but yes... they do stroll around a bit to catch a glimpse of the stars that work within," he said, adding that it was his first visit to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

"This has been a revelation. 45 years in the city and never seen the beauty of these natural habitats that abound within the heart of the city."

SALMAN KHAN ROBBED BY FOUR GIRLS AT A NIGHTCLUB According to a report on Mumbaimirror. com, Salman Khan was in for a shock after he obliged a group of four pretty girls with a warm chat. It has been reported that in a Bandra night club, four beautiful girls approached Salman, claiming to be his biggest fans, and the magnanimous Khan was kind enough to strike a conversation with them.

However, after the fans left, Bhai realised that his wallet, sunglasses and the famous Bajrangi Bhaijaan pendant were missing.

The report further states that Salman's bodyguards had requested him to register a FIR with the police, but the Prem of Bollywood refused and asked for his security to be improved instead. Allegedly, film producer and director, Nandita Singgha, was the one who claimed that Salman was indeed robbed and that he had to increase his security. However, Salman's sister, Arpita, had denied the incident saying that Bhai had not visited a night club in recent times and nor does he carry a wallet.

SALMAN DODGES QUESTION ON AISHWARYA Actor Salman Khan dodged a query about his former girlfriend Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s special appearance on a the new season of Bigg Boss during a press event.

According to an IANS report, Salman was asked if Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is expected to make an appearance to promote her film Jazbaa. “This had to be the last question before the PR takes away the mike. Please clap for this madam. Kya Jazbaati sawal laai ho aap (What an emotional question you have asked),” he replied. Salman and Aishwarya’s alleged affair had apparently ended on a sour note in early 2000s. And since then, the duo have avoided each other.

SALMAN KHAN KEEN TO WORK WITH KATRINA KAIF IN HIS NEXT Salman Khan has expressed his desire to share screen space with Katrina Kaif in his next film again. According to a PTI report, gossip mills are abuzz that the Ek Tha Tiger co-stars will star opposite each other again in Salman’s brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri’s next film. “I am doing Atul Agnihotri’s next film but I can’t talk about it,” Salman said.

When asked if the film will have Katrina in the lead, the actor said, “I would love to have Katrina in the film but I don’t know.”

‘IT WAS DISHEARTENING TO LOSE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH SALMAN’ Amy Jackson is all set for the release of Singh is Bliing. However, the actress landed the role quite unexpectedly. Apparently, Amy had met Ashvini Yardi earlier but at that time Kriti Sanon was a part of the film. Later, after the release of I, Amy was reportedly contacted and offered the part since Kriti had dropped out of the project.

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, the actress also had other lucrative opportunities but had to give it all up for Shankar’s I to which she was committed. She was reportedly in talks for the female lead in Salman had Khan’s Kick but she had a contract with Shankar and couldn’t do a film till it was done. “It took two-and-half years and I put everything on hold during the time. Working

with Shankar is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity,” she reasons. However, she laments the missed chance to work with Salman.

She has been quoted in the report as saying that, “But it was disheartening to lose an opportunity to work with Salman. That would have been unbelievable.” The role she was offered then went to Jacqueline Fernandez.

KATRINA KAIF REGRETS NOT MESSAGING SALMAN KHAN Katrina Kaif was in news recently for getting emotional after watching Bajrangi Bhaijaan. According to reports, she immediately messaged Salman about the same. However, in an interview with Mumbai Mirror, Katrina denied the same.

“I didn’t but I should have,” she quipped.

“Ek Tha Tiger portrayed him very differently andBajrangi Bhaijaan reflects Kabir’s style of filmmaking too. Salman’s outstanding and so much fun. With the childlike quality of theHum Dil De Chuke Sanam days,” she added.

ATHIYA SHETTY: DON’T HAVE THE WORDS TO THANK SALMAN SIR Athiya Shetty will soon make her Bollywood debut with Hero opposite Sooraj Pancholi. According to an IANS report, the actress says she ‘doesn’t have the words’ to express her gratitude for Salman Khan. “I don’t think I have words to express how I feel for Salman sir. He has given us the biggest platform and break,” Athiya, daughter of actor Suneil Shetty, told reporters. “We are here because of him,” said Athiya and her co-star Sooraj together.

JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ: SALMAN KHAN WILL ALWAYS BE A SPECIAL PERSON IN MY LIFE Actress Jacqueline Fernandez says she trust Salman Khan blindly as the superstar has helped boost her career, reports PTI. “Salman will always be that special person in my life because he was able to change my career. I will never ever forget what he has done for me. On the personal front too, he has advised me as a friend and family, something I couldn’t have even asked for,” Jacqueline said. The actress, who played Salman’s leading lady in 2014 superhit Kick, said the film took her career to a new height.

“Salman is genuinely a nice man who helps people. He is someone who I trust blindly.

I think he has been an important person in my life,” she said, adding that she even seeks advise from the Dabangg star regarding her films. “I do take his advise as he knows the best. He knows what works, he understands the audience well. He also told me that whosoever’s advice I take, ultimately final decision has to be mine,” Jacqueline said.

October 9–15, 2015 Caribbean Star Newspaper Dance to the beats of Prem Leela this Navratri

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Dilip Kumar's house: Court asks Pakistan government on takeover

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court in Peshawar city asked the archaeology department to clarify on Wednesday if the government wanted to declare legendary actor Dilip Kumar's ancestral house as national heritage.

The court directed the secretary of the provincial culture and archaeology department to explain if the government was still interested in acquiring the house and turn it into a national monument, Dawn online reported. The order was issued on a petition of Haji Lal Mohammad Khan, owner of the house, who is seeking orders for the government to de-notify the purchase of the house.

Haji Lal's counsel Shahnawaz Khan challenged the historical significance of the residence, saying much misinformation was attached to the property. "The house was initially in the ownership of Ghulam Mohiyuddin who transferred it on January 26, 1943, to Ghulam Sarwar, father of Dilip Kumar (Yousaf Khan), the Indian film star," the petitioner said.

There was a claim that Dilip Kumar spent his childhood in the house. This was contrary to the facts on record as he was born in 1922 and his father purchased the property in 1943, Shahnawaz said. The lawyer said the house in question could not be called Dilip Kumar's ancestral property as his father had sold it within three days of the purchase. The then provincial government in 2012 issued a notification of acquiring the house, but the petitioner turned down the offer.

Hugh Jackman: Orphanage scene in ‘Pan’ hit close to home

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ollywood star Hugh Jackman’s new film “Pan” was extra special for him because it partly centres around orphans.

The Les Miserables star’s kids are both adopted and he hopes the movie will touch other parents who have adopted children, reported Contactmusic.

“In scenes at the orphanage in the beginning of the movie, the nun talks harshly: ‘Your mums are not waiting for you. You’re not going to see them again’.

“I actually read this to my wife and talked to Joe Wright about it. I went, ‘Hang on. This is dealing with adoption and orphans. I want to make sure that this movie is not something my kids are going to feel weird about’. Every movie I do, I think, ‘My kids are going to see this’.

When it’s a movie about adoption, I want to make sure that they don’t feel uncomfortable.”

alman Khan-Sonam Kapoor-starrer Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (PRDP) is all set to launch its first song, 'Prem leela', today.

Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya is releasing the film's track, based on Ram-Leela, much before it was expected, as a gift to the audience prior to the commencement of Navratri and as a treat for Dussehra.

Interestingly, this song features during Salman's introductory scene in the movie.

This continues the superstar's recent trend of making his entry in his films with catchy

numbers as against the generic star entry. Case in point being his last release Bajrangi Bhaijaan, where in his first scene, he was seen as a devotee of Lord Hanuman in the song 'Selfie le le re'.

The family entertainer also marks Salman's return to his most loved character, Prem.

This time around, his name is Prem Dilwale.

Talking about the song, Sooraj says, "I specially asked Himeshji (Reshammiya) to compose 'Prem leela' for Salman bhai. This song underlines his character's innocence and large-heartedness. I was completely smitten by this track and am really glad with the way it has turned out."

The first trailer of the movie created a record of sorts within 24 hours of its launch, reportedly registering over 5 million views. Since then, it has been going strong, clocking over twice as many hits already.

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The Diwali release also marks the reunion of the most eagerly awaited actor-director duo after 16 years. They have always created magic and made box office records whenever they have collaborated.

The film, which sees Salman pair up with Sonam for the first time, also features Neil Nitin Mukesh, Armaan Kohli, Anupam Kher and Swara Bhaskar in pivotal roles.

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, presented by Fox Star Studios and produced by Rajshri Productions, releases November 12.

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October 9–15, 2015

Caribbean Star Newspaper

Caribbean Connections

PNM may have budgeted in dark—Jack

THE ISSUE SURROUNDS THE NEW RIVER TRIANGLE TERRITORY

Now Suriname staking a claim to part of Guyana’s territory

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EORGETOWN, Guyana, Monday October 5, 2015 – Less than a week after returning from the United Nations, where he raised concerns about Guyana’s border dispute with Venezuela, President David Granger was confronted with a similar issue involving Suriname.

Suriname’s online media outlet de Ware Tijd reported that Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse had said that the issue regarding the New River Triangle territory, which both countries have been claiming intermittently for decades, was back on the agenda.

Stabroek News reported that President Granger dismissed Suriname’s reported revival of its claim to the New River Triangle in south-eastern Guyana, calling it “spurious,” but said that he will seek clarification on the matter.

“I read the statement attributed to President Bouterse and as far as I am concerned it does not change the price of rice,” Granger said last Friday at a news conference at the Ministry of the Presidency, his first since assuming office over four months ago.

The president said he would meet with his Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge before the minister sought official clarification from the Surinamese envoy.

“We feel that this claim is spurious and we have taken measures in the past to protect our territorial integrity and we will continue to do so,” Granger said.

According to The Guyana Times, the controversy between Guyana and Suriname is a historical one. The latter laid claims to part of Guyana sea space, which was addressed and essentially settled in Guyana’s favour by an international tribunal spearheaded by the United Nations.

President Granger explained, however, that Suriname’s claim to the Corentyne River area remains a matter of contention since there has never been a treaty that clearly demarcated the boundary between the neighbouring countries.

Additionally, Suriname has also been claiming the New River Triangle area, which encompasses a mass of land that is larger than the size of Jamaica. The President said that while this is a historical claim, this is neither the time nor the place to advance this matter.

He explained that the eastern boundary where Guyana, Brazil and Suriname meet was clearly marked out since 1936.

This he said is an indelible mark, since it is the international boundary not the New River Triangle.

“This is what we are going to stand by . . . You cannot convene a meeting of your Parliament and change your boundary,” the Guyanese leader noted.

NEWS Source: Guyana to seek clarification from Suriname over New River comments. READ MORE:… http://t.co/ tcbT6M91Or — Gordon Moseley (@gomoseley) October 2, 2015 Granger affirmed that Guyana will continue to embrace a diplomatic course of action as it has been doing with Venezuela in relation to that country’s claim to Essequibo.

He also noted, that Guyana will continue to pursue policies and actions that will ensure that the region remains a zone of peace.

Meanwhile, Suriname’s most recent claim came just over a month after President Bouterse, in his inauguration speech, stated that it was good news that Paramaribo was part of a region where peace reigns.

(ILP) Leader Jack Warner says citizens must brace for tough times ahead as the People’s National Movement Government may have budgeted in the dark.

He made the comment in response to the 2015/2016 Budget delivered by Finance Minister Colm Imbert tuesday .

After hearing the issues dealt with by Imbert in the Budget, Warner said he was concerned that the previous People’s Partnership government had manipulated figures related to the economy.

“At this point in time, the ILP is very concerned that the PP administration sent the cash balances of the Treasury down to a negative $8.5 billion, a staggering drop of $15 billion, saddled the incoming Government with billions of dollars in commitments and loans, abused the Central Bank overdraft limit and manipulated figures to the point where it will take some time to determine the true levels of revenues and expenditure over the last five years,” Warner said.

He added: “The Budget can only be assessed as a fair effort, given that the new Government had only one month since assuming office to conduct a detailed situation analysis and to attempt to fit its manifesto promises into a very constrained economic environment.”

Warner explained that the manipulation of statistics meant that the current Government may be budgeting to some extent in the dark.

“It also means that the public will have to wait to find out the true state of the national accounts while the prudence and judgment of the current administration is scrutinized by John Public,” he added.

He said the ILP was also concerned about the “state of the domestic economy and the outlook, which is no different from the position stated by Moody’s Investor Service some months ago and which was denied by the PP. “In these circumstances, it would be disingenuous to expect too much from

the new administration or to be too harsh with respect to any apparent shortcomings at this time.

“These, the ILP will reserve until the mid-year review exercise due in March next year by which time the Government would have been fully settled in and would have been able to conduct a proper survey of the country’s financial situation and the appropriate adjustments,” Warner added.

He said the use of an oil price of USD$45 a barrel was expected given the recent trends, adding: “Constraining of the budgetary deficit to $2.8 billion is commendable.

“The minister outlined a series of tax increases, such as the reduction in the fuel subsidy and the necessary return of property tax, that were cushioned by decreases in income tax and VAT, increase in pensions along with incentives for certain sectors, such as those announced for agriculture.

“Given the dynamics of the current situation, it would be interesting to see how this would play out towards the overall goal of balancing the situation by 2018 as the minister hopes to do,” Warner said.

He also said that no costs or time frames were announced by Imbert with regard to various infrastructure projects and the proposals for development of industrial areas.

“In this regard, the budget lacks sufficient detail to be helpful to the general public in assessing how well the Government will be able to balance its spending against the projected revenues,” he said.

He added that the mismanagement of the economy and hiding of related information by the previous PP administration, as well as the bleak economic situation meant that the Dr Keith Rowley-led administration should prioritise the exercise to determine the true liabilities and financial commitments on the national purse. (RS)

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October 9–15, 2015 Caribbean Star Newspaper Tourist who gave birth prematurely in Dominican Republic faces US$280,000 bill for “time difference UPDATE: Statement issued by Infinity Insurance Solutions below* UNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, Wednesday October 7, 2015 – After enduring the trauma of a premature delivery in a foreign country and all the attendant concerns about her tiny newborn baby, a British tourist now faces a potential US$280,000 medical bill.

Sharon Halls, from Ipswich in Suffolk, was 28 weeks and six days pregnant when she unexpectedly went into labour and gave birth to a daughter, Evie, in a private hospital in the Dominican Republic on September 28.

But after paying over US$13,000 for initial emergency care, 36-year-old Halls learned that her travel insurance provider may not come up with the money.

Infinity Insurance Solutions said it had not decided whether it would cover the costs because the time difference between the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom meant that when she gave birth she was over the 29-week mark, which was when the cover ceased to be valid.

Halls and her partner, 35-year-old Daniel Compton, have now been forced to set up a GoFundMe page in a desperate bid to raise enough money to move Evie from a public hospital, which they say is dirty, according to a report in The Mirror.

The couple were attending a friend’s wedding in Punta Cana when Halls was taken to hospital with early contractions, which she later learned had been brought on by an infection.

Halls said she had been given clearance to travel by her hospital in Britain, The Mirror reported.

Writing on the fundraising site, Halls gave a compelling account of the events of September 28 and continuing.

“Little Evie was born breach before I could even lay flat,” she said.

“She was so tiny and blue, it took them a few minutes to get a response, but we then heard to our delight a little cry.”

But while Evie “looked healthy,” she could not breathe on her own.

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BABY EVIE

(PHOTO: GOFUNDME/SHARON HALLS)

Halls went on to describe the “substandard conditions” in the public hospital they were forced to move to.

“The sanitation and level of care is next to nothing, she was placed in dirty incubator lined up next to other sick newborn babies (15 plus in room).

“The equipment was old and even the blanket she laid on was stained and ripped. Only the mother can visit for half an hour so Daniel was unable to see her.

“No-one spoke English so I was left feeling very alone and unsure.”

Halls and Compton estimate that if they move Evie back to a private hospital, the cost of her care will be US$2,500 a day.

Doctors have advised she could be made to stay for 16 weeks, moreover, which would see the bill skyrocket to about US$280,000.

Halls and Compton’s fundraising page raised more than US$24,000 in its first 24 hours. *Statement from Infinity Insurance Solutions (IIS): ‘IIS does not understand why the time difference has been reported as an issue in this case. All travel policies for leisure purposes sold in the UK have a stipulation on travelling when pregnant. In this case, the policy wording clearly states that pregnancy and childbirth are covered up to 28 weeks. After 28 weeks, nor-

mal birth is not covered but the needs of the baby are. Estimating gestational age is always difficult and the gestational age of the baby just prior to birth was found to be 29 weeks and 4 days, but cover for the baby’s needs was never in doubt. At no time has any member of the family been told there was no cover, moreover the time difference between the UK and the Dominican Republic is irrelevant and has never been mentioned by any of our staff.

‘The facts are that Ms Halls presented in early labour at a private clinic that told her that they did not have the facilities to treat her and the premature baby,

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and made it clear that all treatment depended upon prior payment. Faced with this appalling threat, Ms Halls paid for the treatment with a debit card and paid a further sum to be transferred to Santo Domingo. We advised all involved in the case to transfer Ms Halls to the national maternity hospital in the capital Santo Domingo; an excellent hospital that was refurbished with new facilities in 2013.

The clinic, however, transferred Ms Halls to their own larger clinic in Santo Domingo. Ms Halls paid for the treatment to date with a debit card and arranged for a further sum to be transferred to the second private clinic in Santo Domingo.

‘The onset of Ms Halls premature labour was triggered by an illness which falls within policy terms and conditions, therefore all of Ms Halls’ costs incurred to date will be reimbursed. All future costs in relation to Ms Halls’ medical needs abroad, as well as those of Evie will be covered by the policy and the family will be repatriated just as soon as Evie is well enough to travel without risk.

‘Although not technically covered by the policy, Ms Halls’ telephone costs and taxi fares will be reimbursed as we consider this to be necessary for her safety.

These costs are being covered “ex-gratia”, because we are sympathetic to the particularly difficult circumstances in which the family finds itself.‘

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SHARON HALLS AND PARTNER DANIEL COMPTON (PHOTO: SHARON HALLS/METRO)

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October 9–15, 2015

Caribbean Star Newspaper Captain of missing ship planned to sail around Joaquin, owner says

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LORIDA, United States, Tuesday October 6, 2015 – Amidst questions about why the missing American cargo vessel El Faro sailed into Hurricane Joaquin last Thursday, the cargo vessel’s owner has disclosed that the captain actually intended to sail around the system, but a mechanical failure prevented him from doing so.

President of Tote Services Inc. Phil Greene told the Associated Press that El Faro captain Michael Davidson, who has 20 years’ experience on container ships, planned to sail ahead of the hurricane and he would have had enough room and time to spare.

However, an unexpected problem caused the boat to go adrift right in the path of the powerful storm.

“Regrettably, he suffered a mechanical problem with his main propulsion system, which left him in the path of the storm,” Greene said. “We do not know when his engine problems began to occur, nor the reasons for his engine problems.”

TOTE Maritime stands by captain of #ElFaro and his abilities after ship disappears. “This captain is an enormously experienced gentleman.”

— Lisa Robbins (@LisaRobbinsFCN) October 4, 2015 The container ship, carrying 28 Americans and five Polish crew members, was heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico after leaving Jacksonville, Florida on September 29 when Joaquin was still a tropical storm.

But Joaquin intensified quickly and last Thursday morning, as it bore down on the Bahamas with 130 mile-per-hour winds,

EL FARO CAPTAIN MICHAEL DAVIDSON a message came from the ship that the 735-foot cargo ship had lost propulsion and began taking on water off Crooked Island in the Bahamas. Davidson said the boat was listing, leaning 15 degrees.

There was no more contact with the ship after that and there has been no sign of it or its crew.

Yesterday, after concluding that El Faro sank in that area in about 15,000 feet of water, the United States Coast Guard said its operation would no longer be focusing on finding El Faro, but survivors. @USCGSoutheast releases video of life boat from #ElFaro – http://t.co/sjx2qSwTxo pic.twitter.com/tVFmW3B9us — News4JAX (@wjxt4) October 5, 2015 So far, they have found human remains in one survival suit, other empty suits, a damaged life raft, Styrofoam, wood, cargo, containers, life jackets, life rings, and an oil sheen, among other items, but no signs of life so far.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard will launch an investigation into why the ship ventured toward the hurricane and how it sank.

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October 9–15, 2015 37 Caribbean Star Newspaper Jamaica gets millions to help mitigate impact of climate change

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INGSTON, Jamaica, Tuesday October 6, 2015 – Government has received approximately J$810.2 million (US$6.8 million) in World Bank grant funding support to improve climate and weather data collection and information management within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

The undertaking is part of a package of projects, valued of approximately J$3.57 billion (US$30 million), which are being financed in Jamaica under the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR).

The US$1.2 billion PPCR is a funding window of the US$8.1 billion Climate Investment Funds (CIFs), which assists developing countries to integrate climate resilience into development planning.

Improvement of the data platform aims to better position Jamaica to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change, characterised by among other things, extreme drought and abnormal rainfall patterns.

Finance and Planning Minister Dr.

FINANCE AND PLANNING MINISTER DR. PETER PHILLIPS (LEFT), EXCHANGES WARM GREETINGS WITH WORLD BANK COUNTRY MANAGER FOR JAMAICA, GALINA SOTIROVA, JUST BEFORE THE GRANT SIGNING CEREMONY. (JIS) Peter Phillips, in welcoming the World Bank support, underscored the need to generate data that will adequately assist Jamaica’s preparation to deal with climate change.

He said the climate data project, to be implemented by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), will be of “tremendous” benefit to the country, and particularly, key stakeholders such as

farmers, planners, residents in foodprone areas, and tourism and health sector interests.

The minister noted that the availability of such data is also important “if we are to be able to . . . take advantage of the availability of resources within the Global (Green) Climate Fund”, which assists developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.

World Bank Country Manager in Jamaica, Galina Sotirova, said the project is “important, necessary . . . and timely” and assured that the bank stands ready to support the island in the implementation of the project.

Permanent Secretary in the Water, Land, Environment, and Climate Change Ministry, Dr. Alwin Hales, who represented the Portfolio Minister, Robert Pickersgill, noted that at the project will better equip beneficiary agencies “to provide world class services, as their core functions will be greatly improved and enhanced”.

For her part, PIOJ Deputy Director for Sustainable Development and Social

Planning, Claire Bernard, said the institute is “excited” about the initiative.

“Not only will it improve accessibility and availability (of climate change data), but it will provide meaningful information to support the achievement of the goals of Vision 2030 Jamaica, and put us in a position, also, to achieve the goals of the newly approved Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she noted.

The SDGs, also called Global Goals and Agenda 2030, are an inter-governmentally agreed set of targets relating to international development.

They will follow on from the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which expire at the end of 2015.

The project, titled ‘Improving Climate Data and Information Management’, also includes the provision of technical assistance in climate resilience planning for relevant beneficiary agencies; improvements in their project preparation and management capabilities; and public education awareness and information dissemination.

Actor Danny Glover slams UK PM over call Smoking marijuana can burn out sperm count for Caribbean to move on from slavery C

ACTOR AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST DANNY GLOVER (PHOTO: MANOJ JAYAGODA PHOTOGRAPHY)

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INGSTON, Jamaica, Wednesday October 7, 2015 – American actor and civil rights activist Danny Glover is not impressed by UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s call for Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean to move on from slavery, saying that the British leader demonstrated his “ignorance” in making that call.

Glover is in Jamaica at the invitation of chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission and vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies Sir Hilary Beckles who penned an open letter to Cameron ahead of his visit to the island last week, urging him to answer the loud calls for reparations.

Addressing the Jamaica Parliament, Cameron announced a package of over £360 million (US$545.8 million) of bilateral aid for the region, but said that while slavery was and is abhorrent in all its forms and “has no place whatsoever in any civilized society and Britain is proud to have eventually led the way in its abolition”, no reparations would be coming from his country.

“That the Caribbean has emerged from the long, dark shadow it cast is testament to the resilience and spirit of its people.

I acknowledge that these wounds run

very deep indeed. But I do hope that, as friends who have gone through so much together since those darkest of times, we can move on from this painful legacy and continue to build for the future,” he said at the time.

Glover, addressing a Gleaner Editors’ Forum during a visit to The Gleaner newspaper this week, slammed Cameron’s position.

“To make such an outrageous statement is an insult . . . and it just shows his ignorance,” the actor was quoted as saying.

“If you don’t bring up the issue, the brutality of it, you don’t get a discussion around it . . . As always, you are going to have people who take the most extreme position against it. They only take that position on it because they know it’s a viable discussion, discourse happening.”

In fact, addressing a breakfast forum held in his honour yesterday, Glover urged Jamaicans not to forget their history.

“When we talk about reparations we are taking in our ancestors’ stories,” he said. “To understand what our ancestors had to do to get us to this point; it only encourages us and reinforces what we have to do to take the next step.”

“Let’s move this moment, let’s protect this moment as it redefines us, redefines our passion, redefines our determination, and so redefines our will to make the community a transformative community,” Glover added.

Meantime, while addressing the Gleaner Editors’ Forum, Glover suggested that rather than pump £25 million (US$38 million) into the construction of a new prison, as announced by Cameron, Britain should give schools and infrastructure.

OPENHAGEN, Denmark, Tuesday October 6, 2015 – A recent Danish study suggests that smoking marijuana could damage men’s semen quality.

Scientists found that the men in the study who smoked marijuana more than once a week had sperm counts that were 29 per cent lower, on average, than those who did not smoke marijuana, or used the drug less frequently.

The researchers also found that the sperm concentrations, which are measured slightly differently than sperm count, were 28 per cent lower in the men who smoked marijuana more than once a week.

Marijuana smoking = 29% lower total sperm count. Combined with other drugs = 55% (higher levels of testosterone) http://t. co/Iuk6NnzECA — PfOL (@psychopharmacol) October 5, 2015 According to study author Tina Kold Jensen of the University of Copenhagen, the scientists thought that amount of reduction in sperm count “was quite a lot.”

“Our findings are of public interest as marijuana use is common and may be contributing to recent reports of poor semen quality,” the researchers wrote in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

In the study, the scientists asked 1,215 Danish men ages 18 to 28 whether they used marijuana and other drugs like amphetamine, ecstasy and cocaine within the past three months, and if so, how often.

The researchers also collected semen samples, to measure the men’s sperm counts and concentrations.

Approximately 45 per cent of the men in the study said they had smoked marijuana in the past three months, while about 10 percent had used marijuana as well as other recreational drugs during this period.

Among the study participants who smoked marijuana and used other recreational drugs, the sperm counts were re-

African boy smokes a cigarette of marijuana duced by a whopping 55 per cent, and the sperm concentrations were reduced by 52 per cent, compared with men who hadn’t used the drugs.

Live Science reports that it is not clear why marijuana use may decrease a man’s sperm count and concentration, but it may have something to do with how THC — marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient — interacts with certain receptors in the testes.

The researchers also found that the men who had smoked marijuana in the past three months were also more likely to have smoked cigarettes and consumed more alcohol and caffeine than those who had not.

These lifestyle factors also could have affected the men’s sperm levels, so the researchers took them into account, and the link between marijuana and lower sperm levels held.

Nevertheless, the study still does not prove that the drug caused the lower sperm counts, Jensen pointed out.

“We cannot exclude the possibility that the men who used marijuana generally have an unhealthier lifestyle and health behaviour, which may also affect their semen quality and hormone levels,” the researchers indicated.

Meanwhile, a study conducted last year found that marijuana usage was strongly associated with “abnormal sperm morphology,” according to a Fox News report.

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Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

CRICKET & Sports

All-round SA seal series after crowd interruption South Africa 96 for 4 (Duminy 30*, Ashwin 3-24) beat India 92 (Raina 22, Rohit 22, Morkel 3-12) by six wickets

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lbie Morkel celebrated a return to the South African side in his 50th T20I, after an absence of 18 months with a career-best haul of 3 for 12 and a starring role in a series win. South Africa sealed the series with a game to spare with one of their most commanding performances in this format. They dismissed India for their second-lowest T20 total, much to the chagrin of the Cuttack crowd, who interrupted play twice during South Africa’s chase by throwing bottles onto the outfield, and they did it on a surface snaked with cracks.

The Cuttack pitch was not what would be a considered a South African seamer’s playground. It had the appearance of a frozen-over surface struck by something sharp, causing rivers of fissures, and Faf du Plessis chose to make first use of it because of high humidity which he thought would bring dew later on.

The expected dampness did not arrive and neither did India’s batsmen. They succumbed to several soft dismissals and showed none of the temperament required to score runs on the surface and South Africa took full advantage.

That India’s top-scorers managed just

22 each and the rest of the line-up could only collectively muster 37 speaks about the lack of application by the Indian batsmen.

Unsure of conditions, South Africa tried something different when Imran Tahir opened the bowling with Kyle Abbott but it was only when Kagiso Rabada took over that South Africa announced themselves.

Rabada banged the ball in hard, but not short, to see if he could extract any bounce and cause the batsmen any discomfort. He managed both and showed the rest of the pack attack what length to employ. South Africa had to shift out of their comfort zone, forget the short ball and pitch it up and they did. Chris Morris had Shikhar Dhawan trapped lbw by a full, straight ball as he tried to whip it away.

Dhawan’s early departure would not have been a cause for too much concern but Virat Kohli’s run-out two balls later would have. Morris was involved again, as he collected the ball at deep midwicket, and sent it in before Kohli was able to complete the second run, which Rohit Sharma seemed to want.

Rohit was made to realize early that this innings would demand more of him than

the one he played on Friday in Dharamsala. He was tested by bounce from Rabada, and pace from Morris and with only 13 runs coming from the 20 balls after Kohli’s dismissal, his patience ran out. Rohit tried to steal a single sending the ball to David Miller at point but he picked the wrong arm. He was also run-out to spark an Indian collapse.

Ambati Rayudu swung and missed at a full toss from Rabada but India still had a senior partnership in Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni. Raina showed the temperament to take advantage of South Africa’s few lapses - both Abbott and Tahir’s consistency abandoned them momentarily - but the experience of Morkel ensured any youthful, or in the case of Tahir, evergreen, exuberance did not erase South Africa’s effort.

Morkel’s first wicket on his return was of Dhoni, his captain at Chennai Super Kings, who he enticed with width and had caught behind off a thick edge. With the leader gone, India fell further. Tahir’s googly accounted for Raina and Harbhajan Singh in successive balls, India lost three wickets in the space of seven balls and could not recover. Morkel mopped up the tail, with Axar Patel caught at midwicket and Bhuvneshwar Kumar clean bowled, and Morris took the final wicket.

India were bowled out with 16 balls left in their innings and lost their last eight wickets for 49 runs to leave South Africa with a clear passage for a series win. AB de Villiers could see the trophy so clearly he dispatched two back-of-a-length deliv-

eries in Bhuvneshwar’s first over. Hashim Amla tried to do the same off R Ashwin but his flick popped up to offer leg slip a catch.

Du Plessis brought some calm to the frenzied start and then got going himself, with good use of the feet against Harbhajan and Ashwin. Du Plessis’ dancing did not serve him that well though - when he tried to charge Ashwin for the third time, he mistimed his shot and a running Mohit Sharma judged the catch well at mid-off.

It was only when de Villiers was done in by Ashwin’s change of pace, for the second time in the series and fifth time in T20s overall, that India may have thought they had a sniff. South Africa were 49 for 3 at the end of the eighth over and the heroes of the first match, JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien, promoted ahead of David Miller again, were circumspect. They could afford to take their time and were whittling away at the target, when the fans lost their patience.

South Africa needed 29 runs off 54 balls when the crowd interrupted. They began to throw bottles onto the outfield, causing a 27-minute break in play. After the authorities had policed the situation, play resumed for two overs before more bottles were thrown and play was stopped for a second time and the players went off the field this time. The break lasted 24 minutes while the upper-level stands were cleared and the match could resume again.

India managed one more wicket but could not prevent the inevitable and South Africa sauntered away with a series win.

Tendulkar-Warne exhibition T20s in New York – Nov 7

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hane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar will captain opposing teams in a three-match T20 exhibition tour of the USA next month. The matches will be played in New York, Houston and Los Angeles and the event, titled “Cricket All-Stars Series 2015”, will feature more than two dozen retired internationals from other Test nations.

The matches will take place on November 7 at New York’s Citi Field, November 11 at Houston’s Minute Maid Park and November 14 at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. The first two games are slated to be played in the daytime while the final game at Dodger Stadium is scheduled to be played under the lights at the 56,000 capacity facility.

“To make history in America playing these cricket games, myself and Sachin walking out and tossing the coin in New York at Citi Field, will be a pretty epic moment,” Warne told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. Warne had said

in June that Chicago’s Wrigley Field would also be a venue during the tour, but those plans were scrapped while an earlier proposal to play at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx had also been ditched in favor of Citi Field located in the New York City borough of Queens.

All three facilities are baseball stadiums - occupied by the NY Mets, Houston Astros and LA Dodgers - and according to sources, drop-in pitches will be used with the strips being laid from second base extending out toward the centre field wall.

Apart from the captains whose teams are named “Sachin’s Blasters” and “Warne’s Warriors”, the event website lists 26 other players who are set to take part including Brian Lara and Wasim Akram. Besides Tendulkar, three former Indian team-mates join him on the exhibition roster: Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar. Four other Australians are also listed to join Warne:

Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Brad Haddin.

According to a list obtained by ESPNcricinfo, nine other players were also tentatively included to take part: Anil Kumble, Andy Flower, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shahid Afridi, Waqar Younis, Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Michael Hussey. However, Younis will be coaching Pakistan against England in the UAE throughout November while Mahela Jayawardene, one of the players included in the main list of 26, is also in the UAE in a consultant role with England but is understood to be leaving after the first Test ends on October 17.

This is the first attempt at a revenue-generating cricket foray in the USA since a pair of Twenty20 matches were played between West Indies and New Zealand in June 2012 at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. The 15,000 capacity facility is the only ICC ODI-certified cricket specific

stadium in the USA, but will not be used for any of the T20 exhibition matches.

List of participating players • India - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Ajit Agarkar • Australia - Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath, Brad Haddin • South Africa - Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener, Jonty Rhodes, Allan Donald • England - Graeme Swann, Michael Vaughan • West Indies - Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Carl Hooper • Sri Lanka- Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene • Pakistan- Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Moin Khan • New Zealand- Daniel Vettori

Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

Chris Cairns threatened player with bat

F

ormer New Zealand captain Chris Cairns lied under oath that he never fixed cricket matches and once threatened a teammate with a bat for scoring too many runs, a perjury trial heard on Wednesday.

Cairns was accused by the chairman of the Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi in January 2010 of match-fixing while he was playing for the Chandigarh Lions in the now defunct Indian Cricket League in 2008.

Two years later Cairns, 45, brought a libel action against Modi and successfully sued for 1.4million ($2.14 milion).

But prosecutor Sasha Wass told London’s Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday that Cairns’ co-accused, Andrew Fitch-Holland, a lawyer and his “lead adviser”, approached team-mate, Lou Vincent, to get him to lie during the libel action.

Vincent not only knew Cairns had fixed matches, but was involved in match-fixing himself under the direct orders of Cairns, Wass said.

Wass said there was evidence to prove Cairns had been involved in match-fixing and had lied about it under oath.

The jury were also told that Vincent was once threatened with a cricket bat by Cairns after scoring too many runs in a fixed game, telling his then wife Eleanor Riley he had “lost Chris Cairns 250,000 dollars”.

The court also heard that Cairns had even attempted to recruit current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, saying he could get between 70,000 and 180,000 dollars per match to throw games while playing in the ICL in 2008.

Cairns first approached McCullum in a hotel when he was playing for the Calcutta Knightriders, giv-

It is your place to add your special touch for any events that you are considering:

ing him an in-depth explanation of how spread-betting worked, Wass said.

They then later met up in a cafe in Worcester, where a touring New Zealand team were playing against the county side.

“At that meeting Brendon McCullum says Cairns approached him and asked him whether he had changed his mind,” Wass told the jury.

“He said no he hadn’t. Mr McCullum didn’t log an official report on Cairns at the time. He should have done that. He will tell you he regrets not doing that, but will explain that Chris Cairns was such a hero to him that he could not bring himself to do that straight away.”

It was not until McCullum and the New Zealand team underwent anti-corruption training at the World Cup in India in 2011 that he alerted officials to what happened, Wass said, but in the three years between he did tell other people.

Cairns is charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice, while Fitch-Holland is accused of perverting the course of justice. They both deny the charges.

39

Yankees match franchise low with fifth straight postseason loss

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EW YORK -- The New York Yankees still have not led in a postseason game since Derek Jeter sprawled in the dirt three years ago, screaming in pain from a broken ankle.

It’s a string of playoff losses that reached five straight Tuesday night to match a franchise record. The team had a streak of nine games without a win from 1921-23, but that stretch included a tie in the 1922 World Series.

But the season-ending 3-0 loss to the Houston Astros in the winner-take-all AL wildcard game should not have been a surprise: The 2015 Yankees might have overachieved just by reaching the postseason.

A seven-game lead in the AL East in late July caused the Yankees to think they could be a great team. That was forgotten during a slide that ended with an 87-75 record, a sixgame deficit behind Toronto and a second-place finish.

“The wheels were flying off as the season went on,” general manager Brian Cashman said outside the quiet clubhouse. “The longer it went, for some reason, the worse

we started to get. Obviously, we lost some key guys, but also some guys just did not play the way they are capable of playing.” Manager Joe Girardi started two rookies in his infield during what turned out to be the Yankees’ fifth straight postseason loss: first baseman Greg Bird and second baseman Rob Refsnyder, who combined for exactly 200 career at-bats coming in.

“When we left spring training, it wasn’t what I expected,” Girardi said.

Following Jeter’s retirement last fall, the Yankees arrived at spring training with uncertainty, fought through a summer of anxiety and injury and ended their season in misery, a great distance from their first World Series title since 2009.

“Maybe we were out of gas. Maybe we were too banged up,” injured first baseman Mark Teixeira said. “We just kind of hit a wall at the end of the year.”

On a night when Yankee Stadium had the red-whiteand-blue bunting out for its loudest crowd this season, New York managed just three

SEE Yankees match | PAGE 42

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October 9–15, 2015

Caribbean Star Newspaper

Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

41

Pacquiao says in talks with Mayweather and Khan

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oha (AFP) - Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is in negotiations with Floyd Mayweather and Amir Khan for what would probably be the final fight of his illustrious career, he said on Thursday.

Speaking in Doha, where he is visiting the AIBA World Boxing Championships, Pacquiao told AFP a final decision on who his last opponent will be, would be taken by “November or December”.

The 36-year-old is on the verge of quitting boxing for politics and is likely to run for a seat in the Philippines senate next May. He also told AFP he would like to be the country’s president if it is “God’s will”.

Pacquiao confirmed he is in negotiations with American Mayweather and Briton Khan but said he had no preference over who to fight.

“I will fight anybody, anywhere,” he said. “I am going to fight probably before the election.

“The election is coming next year, May, and before that I will probably have one fight.”

He added: “We are going to finalise by November or December.”

Mayweather actually retired with a perfect record of 49 wins and no defeats following his last fight, a near shut-out points victory over the overmatched Andre Berto in September.

However, very few people in boxing circles actually believe the brash and controversial Mayweather won’t fight again.

Any potential fight would take place in March or early April next year, said Pacquiao, who also told Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera that it could take place in the Gulf.

Pacquiao has been widely regarded as second only to Mayweather in the theoretical poundfor-pound rankings over the last few years. He has 57 wins, two draws and six losses on his record over a 20-year career.

The Filipino is in Qatar at the invitation of AIBA president, ChingKuo Wu, a personal friend.

Pacquiao, who lost to Mayweather in his last fight, said he was free from a shoulder injury he blamed for his defeat and which subsequently required surgery.

Now he insists he is ready for his next challenge.

He used to be a stable-mate of Khan’s before the Briton switched

Floyd Mayweather Jr (L) measures Manny Pacquiao (R)

Amir Khan looks on before his welterweight fight against Chris Algieri camps, leaving the Freddie Roach Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles to team up with Virgil Hunter

at the King’s Boxing Gym in Oakland.

Khan lost his last two fights

while trained by Roach but under Hunter he has won five in a row, including a decision victory over American Chris Algieri -- a former Pacquiao victim too -- last time out in May. Earlier on Thursday, Taz Khan, the uncle and manager of Amir, told AFP that talks had begun with the Filipino’s management team, but “at the moment that’s all there is”.

Amir Khan, who has tried unsuccessfully several times to arrange a fight with Mayweather, was keen for the Pacquiao bout to happen, said Taz. “He’s always up for any fight if it’s on the table, he’ll take it.”

The British boxer is also expected to visit the championships at the weekend.

Away from boxing, Pacquiao confirmed his political ambitions.

Despite some criticism from inside the Philippines about his political record so far -- he was elected to the country’s House of Representatives in 2010 -- the boxer, an eight-division world champion, said he was aiming for the top office.

Asked if he wanted to be president, he replied: “Of course, why not? If that’s my destiny, if that’s God’s plan. Before I started boxing I never thought I could conquer seven, eight weight divisions, who knows?”

South Africa wins behind Duminy 68* South Africa 200 for 3 (Duminy 68*, de Villiers 51) beat India 199 for 5 (Rohit 106, Kohli 43) by seven wickets

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ohit Sharma became the 15th centurion in T20 internationals and India’s second after Suresh Raina but he was overshadowed by JP Duminy, who is South Africa’s leading run-scorer and second overall in the format, as he scripted a stunning series-opening victory in Dharamsala. Duminy shared a 105-run fourth-wicket partnership with Farhaan Behardien to see South Africa chase down 200 for only the second time in T20Is after AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla set them up with a 77-run opening stand.

India would have thought their total was safe, albeit short of what they seemed headed for at 158 for 1 with five overs to go, after R Ashwin and debutant S Aravind removed de Villiers and Faf du Plessis in successive overs adding to South Africa’s reputation for middle-order meltdowns.

But the temperament of Duminy and the tactical nous which resulted in Behardien promoted to No. 5 ahead of David Miller kept South Africa in the game and took them over the line.

That line would have seemed distant when Rohit and Virat Kohli were shredding the South African attack’s traditional strength - the short ball. The first one was

delivered by Marchant de Lange and Rohit met it with an authoritative pull. Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada supplied many more and Rohit relished each one of them.

Not even South Africa’s banker, Imran Tahir was spared. Kohli crossed 1000th T20I runs off him with a six over deep midwicket, to become the first Indian to reach the mark. Rohit also reached a milestone a hundred in all formats - and saved it for de Lange, who had dropped him on 24 off his own bowling, when he cleared long-off to bring up the century off 62 balls.

The ball was changed after that over and it worked for South Africa’s seamers. Kohli and Rohit both mis-hit pulls and were caught near the boundary in Abbott’s next over to end their stand of 138 and put the brakes on India’s charge.

South Africa kept India to just 41 runs in the final five overs to give themselves a chance with the bat.

Amla immediately showed their intent to make that chance count when he clipped the first ball of the reply to the fine-leg boundary. De Villiers was not to be outdone and sent the second ball he faced over his Royal Challengers Bangalore team-mate Aravind’s head.

India’s seamers did not fare much better than South Africa’s on a surface that was packed with runs and a outfield heavy with dew, and their attempts at varying lengths were unsuccessful. With what

seemed like casualness, Amla and de Villiers racked up 67 runs in the Powerplay, finding the boundary off short and full balls alike.

Spin was cited as being the difference between the sides and Axar Patel almost showed why. He threatened to end the opening stand, when he induced a thick edge from Amla but MS Dhoni put down a tough chance. The breakthrough came in Ashwin’s over, but not by his doing, when Amla was run-out searching for a second run.

Ashwin enjoyed more success in his next over with a superb delivery to remove de Villiers, just after he had brought up a half-century with a four. De Villiers advanced on Ashwin and sent him to the deep midwicket boundary for his fifty off 31 balls but on the 32nd, Ashwin saw him coming. He held back the pace and had de Villiers in no-man’s land when the ball hit his back thigh and deflected onto the stumps.

South Africa needed 107 runs off 61 balls when Duminy arrived at the crease and his task was immediately made more difficult. Aravind got his first international wicket when he bowled du Plessis with a slower ball that slanted across the South African captain as he reached for it with rooted feet and India would have thought the game was over.

Duminy might have felt the same when

Ashwin appealed for a stumping off him, off the fourth ball he faced, but replays showed Duminy was safe. In the next over, Axar had an lbw appeal against Duminy which looked close enough to be out but was not given. Duminy was determined to make the two chances count.

He swung hard at the next ball and sent it for six to restart South Africa’s chase and Behardien, prompted by the positivity, joined the party. The pair took 30 runs off three overs and then Duminy seized the advantage with a trio of sixes off Axar’s final over. He brought the required run rate down from 13.20 to 11 per over and with four overs left, gave South Africa reason to believe.

Bhuvneshwar bowled a boundary-less third over but conceded nine runs, before Duminy hit back to take six off the first ball of Mohit Sharma’s last over and ten off the first two balls of Bhuvneshar’s final one. Behardien provided the perfect foil and rotated strike confidently to put Duminy in command.

Unintentionally, India ended up leaving their newest player with the most to do.

Aravind had to defend 10 runs off the last over and backed himself to bowl yorkers.

He got the first two in the right area but missed the length on the third. Duminy pulled it over deep midwicket to level scores and with a single off the next ball, gave South Africa the series lead.

42

N

Caribbean Star Newspaper NBA to likely investigate Derek Fisher-Matt Barnes confrontation October 9–15, 2015

ew York Knicks coach Derek Fisher and Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes had a physical confrontation on Saturday night in Los Angeles, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Fisher had traveled to California on Saturday to visit his children and was visiting the house that Barnes shared with his estranged wife, Gloria Govan, the former star of the “Basketball Wives LA” reality show, sources said.

Barnes, who had concluded Grizzlies training camp in Santa Barbara, arrived at the house and a physical confrontation ensued on Saturday night, sources

said. Barnes has known for “over a month” that Fisher is engaged in a relationship with his estranged wife, a source close to him told Yahoo Sports.

The New York Post first reported the altercation.

Barnes, 35, told friends that two people at the house – including a relative of his estranged wife – interceded on Fisher’s behalf, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Barnes found Fisher, 41, in the backyard with Gloria and family members, and the altercation escalated from there, into the kitchen and then the home’s front room, one witness said.

Fisher filed for divorce from

his wife in March.

Fisher is considering legal action for the incident, sources said, but had not yet filed any charges.

The Knicks, Grizzlies and NBA security have been made aware of the incident and are expected to soon start working together on a probe of Saturday night’s events. A significant part of the NBA’s security department is overseas working closely on the league’s preseason games in Europe, sources told Yahoo Sports.

“We are aware and currently gathering information regarding today’s report involving Matt Barnes,” the Grizzlies said in a statement.

Day/Night Test prep -’It felt very similar to a white ball’ - Watling

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ith the inaugural day-night Test match less than two months away, New Zealand have started to build up their preparation with a first evening training session using the pink ball in Hamilton. Wicketkeeper BJ Watling felt there were similarities with the white ball but observed that the seam wasn’t so easily visible as compared to the regular ball used in limited-overs cricket.

“I didn’t really catch any off the pitch today just a few drills. I couldn’t see the seam that well but we’ll find out tomorrow,” Watling said. “It felt very similar to a white ball. Under the black sky it felt like a white ball, where you lose a bit of depth perception.”

New Zealand’s training involved only fielding drills and the players were yet to bat or bowl with the pink Kookaburra which they will do in a simulated match scenario on Thursday. Trent Boult has previously said that the pink ball feels like a “hockey ball or an indoor cricket ball” after he had a couple of sessions with it.

While this is an important couple of days for New Zealand, Watling said that the significant change in conditions between a chilly, spring evening in Hamil-

Yankees match Continued from page 39 singles in six innings against Dallas Keuchel, who looked like a bearded lumberjack cutting down the Yankees’ offense. The Yankees didn’t get any hits off the Astros’ bullpen.

Masahiro Tanaka allowed five hits in five innings, but he gave up solo homers toColby Rasmus and Carlos Gomez. Dellin Betances gave up an RBI single to Jose Altuve in the seventh.

Coming off six straight losing seasons, Houston had more spark and spunk in its first postseason appearance since 2005. By the eighth inning, fans in the crowd of 50,113 started booing the home team’s lacking batters.

New York reached the playoffs

ton, as training began at 8.30pm, and the likely temperatures in Adelaide needed to be factored in.

“The temperature is a bit different in Hamilton than what it will be in Adelaide in seven weeks, so there are a few factors we have to take into consideration,” he said. “There is a lot of work being done with this pink ball and I am just trying to get my head around it. It’s very exciting and the guys are looking forward to it.”

The first two matches of the three-Test series will be played at the Gabba and the WACA before the day-night game in Adelaide which starts on November 27.

The pink ball will be used when New Zealand play against the Prime Minister’s XI on October 23 at the start of the tour before a two-day match against a Western Australia XI ahead of the Test in Adelaide.

Watling acknowledged the juggling act for the players in preparing for Test matches under two different conditions but was confident that their red-ball skills would not be hampered.

“It is good to start getting your head around the situation now, the boys are very excited,” he said. “We have a firstclass game and a couple of warm-up games before the first red-ball Test so there is plenty of red-ball stuff.”

after a rare two-year absence, but in some ways the deforestation of the last great era Yankees’ progresses without pause.

Among the players swept by Detroit in the 2012 AL Championship Series, only two appeared against the Astros: center fielder Brett Gardner and designated hitter Alex Rodriguez. Teixeira hobbled onto the field with crutches for the pregame introductions, unable to play since he fouled a pitch off his right shin on Aug, 17.

Instead of being available out of the bullpen, former ace CC Sabathia checked into an alcohol rehabilitation clinic Monday.

Brought in last year at a cost of $153 million as part of the renovation, center fielder Jacoby Ells-

Barnes had been with the Grizzlies at training camp in Santa Barbara, and Fisher had flown to Los Angeles on a Knicks off day over the weekend. Fisher missed the Knicks practice on Monday for what the team termed “a personal matter,” but sources said that his failure to return to New York had to do with a malfunction on a private jet.

Fisher and Barnes had been friends and were teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2010-12.

The Grizzlies and Knicks play Jan. 16 in Memphis and Feb. 5 in New York.

Matt Barnes spent last season with the Clippers and is now with the Grizzlies

Holder hopes for swift Simmons resolution

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est Indies captain Jason Holder said that the fate of suspended head coach Phil Simmons lay “with Phil and the board” but added that he had been a “wonderful inspiration” during his brief time in charge.

Holder hoped for a swift resolution that would allow Simmons to return to the squad in Sri Lanka after his position was put in limbo when he expressed discontent over West Indies’ ODI squad for the tour.

Simmons has since apologized for his remarks, but has been asked to answer for “breaches of confidentiality” by the WICB and is currently awaiting at HR hearing.

“The comments made by Phil were by Phil, and I can’t comment on those things,” Holder said in Colombo. “It’s down to him and the board. We can only control the cricket because that’s what we came here to do. Whatever his situation, his fate lies with him and the board. Hopefully he can deal with that and be back to us as soon as possible.”

The timing of Simmons’ suspension has posed a significant problem for West Indies, coming as it did only days before the squad was scheduled to assemble in Sri Lanka, and less than three weeks before the first Test.

Simmons was appointed West Indies coach in March and the Sri Lanka tour would have been his first international foray with the outfit. It is also Holder’s first assignment as

bury was dropped from the starting lineup following a second-half slump. Gardner, kept in at Ellsbury’s expense, struck out three times against Keuchel.

Rodriguez, who revived in the first half following his one-year drug suspension, seemed like he was zapped by Kryptonite around the time of his 40th birthday in late July.

“It’s been an incredibly fun year overall,” he said. “Just feel grateful for the opportunity to come back and re-establish myself.”

There is reason for hope among the younger Yankees. Didi Gregorius settled in as Jeter’s successor at shortstop, getting better each month at the plate and in the field. Luis Severino, a 21-year-old right-hander, joined the rotation

Test captain.

“No doubt [Simmons’ suspension] is a bit of setback for us, but at this present stage, all we can do is focus on the cricket. I just hope that the situation with him is solved quickly because we would love to have him back. He’s been a wonderful inspiration to our team thus far.”

West Indies are scheduled to begin their tour with a three-day warm-up match which now begins on Friday, having been pushed back 24 hours due to poor weather, before moving to Galle for the first Test, which begins on October 14.

SLC announced on Tuesday that the twomatch Test series will be named the Sobers-Tissera trophy, after West Indies great Garry Sobers and Sri Lanka batsman Michael Tissera, who was among the island’s pre-eminent cricketers in the pre-Test era.

“Having the trophy named after Sir Garfield Sobers is something truly special,” Holder said. “He was one of the greatest to play the game and he still makes a major contribution to the game. Only recently he joined us in Barbados and wished everyone the very best for this tour of Sri Lanka.

“It is always good to see him and interact with him and it would be great for us to take home the trophy with his name on it. We got some pretty young faces in our squad and a lot of them look up to the past greats who played the game.”

in August and showed promise, as did Bird and Refsnyder.

New York’s most conspicuous flaw is its starting rotation: Tanaka, Sabathia,Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi and Ivan Nova all ailed at times. Yankees starters averaged 5.72 innings per outing, according to STATS, 21st among the 30 major league teams and a reason Betances and Justin Wilson deteriorated as late-inning relievers during the second half.

“Physically it’s not a very healthy group in there right now at the end of the season. Guys are beat up,” Girardi said. “But they never stopped playing. They never stopped playing hard.”

David Price, who has helped led Toronto into the playoffs for the first time since 1993, is eligible

for free agency and would slot in at the top of the rotation. But the left-hander is 30 and would come at the high price of a nine-figure contract that likely will lock the Yankees into his declining years. Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann and Johnny Cueto also are on the high-cost, quick-fix free-agent market.

Change rarely occurs quickly in baseball, and rebuilding while maintaining a winning record is especially tricky. There are more touted prospects in the farm system now than during the previous dozen years, but the next title still seems a ways away.

“Obviously we’re not good enough right now,” Cashman said, “because we’re not playing. So it’s all that matters.”

Caribbean Star Newspaper

October 9–15, 2015

43

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