Kaieteur News

Monday July 08, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Five more rescued from Family feels justice has sex trade in Region Seven been served - Two police ranks accused of raping TIP victims Five women were yesterday rescued from the sex trade in the hinterland as Guyana’s internationally recognized fighter against trafficking in persons, Simona Broomes continues her fearless work.

Two of the females have since accused ranks of Sherima Police Station of rape.

According to reports the two policemen allegedly raped the young women to allow them and their “madam” access into the 14 Mile Issano, Region Seven mining District.

According to Broomes, who is the President of Guyana Women Miners Organization (GWMO), five victims of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) ages 14, 16, 18, 20, and 26 years old are now assisting ranks of Bartica Police Station with investigations.

During a brief telephone interview yesterday, Broomes who was still in Bartica, explained the circumstances under which the 16 and 26 year-old were forced into the sex trade.

From all indications, the young ladies believed they were going to be gainfully employed in a shop in the interior but little did they know their youthful bodies were the goods that would be sold night after night.

According to Broomes, the young ladies met a man at a popular City bar in Georgetown, who told them about vacancies at a shop in the interior. The man subsequently introduced the

girls to a woman, who they met at a City hotel.

With all the necessary arrangements in place except for their National Identification Cards, the girls along with the woman. left Georgetown.

However, things got strange when the girls were forced to hide under an old zinc sheet in a truck at the security check point at the Sherima Police Station.

Broomes said that the girls felt uncomfortable with the situation and hit the zinc to gain the police’s attention.

The girls were ordered out of the truck and the policemen began negotiating with the perpetrator.

Broomes said that instead of preventing the girls from entering the backdam without identification, the police allegedly demanded sex.

Apparently, the perpetrator is known to the ranks and because of her failure to make good on a previous deal, they demanded the girls.

Broomes said the girls refused to have sex with the men since that was not part of their work agreement.

However, they were placed on a bench and were given no other option but to sleep with the policemen in their barrack room.

Broomes stated after that ordeal, the trio recommenced their journey to 14 Mile Issano, where the young women were forced into prostitution. All their earnings, cash and gold, were deposited with the woman who turned out to be the

For the first time Guyana has been chosen by the Adjutant General of Florida Major General, Emmett Titshaw, U.S Army Cadet Command and the U.S Embassy in Guyana’s Military Liaison office, to host the cultural Understanding and Language (CULP) Programme this month.

According to a US Embassy press release, CULP seeks to build a foundation to support understanding, cohesion, and meaningful partnership between the next generation of U.S. and Guyanese military officers.

The programme which is planned for 34 cadets and three instructors, comprised of soon-to-be commissioned Florida National Guard (FLNG), will be held between July 5 and 27.

The programme, which has been conducted by 1,200 cadets in over 40 countries in

2012, gives US Cadet Officers an opportunity to help develop the skills needed to support global operations.

The three week event will allow cadets the opportunity to be immersed in foreign cultures as they learn more about how others around the world view the United States, and in the process, improve their ability to operate more effectively in international environments.

Some of the activities that will be headlining the programme are humanitarian service with the host population, military-tomilitary training, and education on the social, cultural, and historical aspects of the community.

During the CULP Program in Guyana, U.S. cadets will live, work and have cultural exchanges with fellow Guyana Defence Force cadets, as well as other elements of the GDF.

Guyana to host U.S. Military Cadets

Simona Broomes “madam” of the sex shop.

Finally, finding the courage to stand up to the “madam”, the 26-year-old demanded her money to leave. But, the woman refused to give her the money and demanded $70,000 in exchange for her freedom.

Broomes said that one night the young lady was fortunate to meet a man in the shop who generously gave her $100,000 to clear off her so-called debt.

The girl was free to leave but stuck around to earn money for her passage out of the area. But, that was not the end of the ordeal.

The two policemen allegedly went to the shop to have sex with the two girls again but their approaches were rebuffed.

The cops became angry and threatened to shut down the establishment and charge the operators for prostitution.

Meanwhile the girls’ quest to leave the area intensified. The 16-year-old somehow came into contact with members of the GWMO and was taken into their custody. News of this incensed the “madam” who started to physically assault the 26-year-old. A man, who noticed the injustice, brought it to GWMO’s attention and she too was rescued.

Because of time constraint and the numerous activities that are expected after a rescue mission such as doctor’s check-up for the victims, Broomes was unable to divulge information on the other rescued girls.

Relatives of Dwieve Kant Ramdass are relieved that justice has been done, but at the same time they feel sympathetic towards the people who have been sentenced to death for his murder.

Former coast guard ranks Sherwin Hart, Devon Gordon and Deon Greenidge were found guilty of Ramdass’ murder which occurred on August 20, 2009 at Caiman Hole in the Essequibo River.

One of Ramdass’ brothers, Steve Persaud told Kaieteur News that he personally feels that justice has been served for his brother’s murder. But he said that the family is not rejoicing.

Persaud recounted that for the last four years, his family has had many sad moments.

“This was not easy for my family….from day one I was there at Caiman Hole looking for my brother ’s body,” Persaud said. He explained that when he and two other brothers were taken to the spot where Ramdass’ body was thrown, they began to cry. Persaud said he remembers sitting his brothers down and saying that vengeance is with the Lord. He said that after his brother’s body was found he was very happy, much to the surprise of other relatives.

“They were all wondering why I was happy…and I told them I’m happy because I have a body to bury,” Persaud said.

According to Persaud, he was present at every sitting of the Preliminary Inquiry of the matter, which lasted for about 18 months.

“I was there when the PI started …I never missed any of the court dates,” Persaud told Kaieteur News.

He said that during the High Court hearing, it was very painful sitting there and listening to certain facts of the case. “Many times my sisters would get up and leave the court when certain things were being said,” Persaud told this newspaper.

He said that at times, the family would get frustrated and angry but they were reminded that as Christians they should have faith.

Persaud said that it was faith that kept his family going and never giving up.

He stated that although he somewhat supports the death penalty, his older sister and brother do not, and they had wanted a sentence for the men.

Persaud said that his family is in no way rejoicing, since it’s hard to see three men “just go down”. He said that hatred is one feeling the family does not hold for anyone.

In terms of the justice system, Persaud said he fully believes that the system has worked. Also Persaud said that the police have to be commended for how they conducted their investigations. Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell said that any successful prosecution speaks well of the Force.

Brumell told Kaieteur News that he hopes that investigators would continue to do proper work which would in term increase the prosecution rate.

Last Tuesday the three exGuyana Defence Force Coast Guard ranks were sentenced to death by Justice Franklyn Holder.

The judge had earlier summed up the case and the 12-member jury returned later in the afternoon with a unanimous verdict after a little more than 30 minutes of deliberations.

The prosecution’s case was that the men forced Ramdass into their boat and took him to the aforementioned location where they relieved him of $17M in cash he was carrying in a box to Bartica for his

Dwieve Kant Ramdass employer. They then dumped him overboard. Senior State Prosecutor Judith GildharieMursalin presented the case, while Attorney at Law Latchmie Rahamat represented the three accused.

Sixteen prosecution witnesses and one defence witness gave evidence in the three-month long trial. The trial had begun in April, when the judge conducted a voir dire, to determine the admissibility of three caution statements which Hart, Gordon and Greenidge gave to the police.

The defence brought up challenges that the men were beaten while in police custody. All of the police witnesses denied this claim.

The men in their defence, said that they did not write the caution statements and that the documents were written by the police ranks.

At the end of the voir dire, it was determined that the three statements were given freely, thus prompting the main trial to commence.

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Kaieteur News

KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

Editorial

Egypt and Democracy “Democracy” is an omnibus term: it contains such a wide array of meanings that its usage, much less its institutionalisation in any society is bound to be contested.

We know this from our experience in Guyana, but as is frequently the case, perspective is sometimes lost when we are too close to the action. Events unfolding in Egypt may help us gain a more impartial view on our local situation.

Egypt has had a tortured political history with French and then British colonial control of their monarchical rule during the 19th century. The Egyptians rebelled after WWI and in 1922 were granted independence by Britain. In 1952, the army overthrew King Farouk and Egypt got its first President who was succeeded by Maj Gaml Abdul Nasser in 1956.

Under the new constitution he promulgated, Egypt was placed under a Presidential system of government after the Muslim Brotherhood had been banned in 1954.Nasser ruled with an iron fist until he died in 1970 and was succeeded by his deputy, Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981, two years after he had signed a peace agreement with Israel under the auspices of the US under President Jimmy Carter.

This marked the beginning of a massive multi-billion dollar aid programme by the US to Egypt, predominantly to the military, which had already become the dominant institution. Sadat was succeeded by his representative Gen. Hosni Mubarrak, who remained a strong ally of the US and an implacable enemy of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Thirty years later, in 2011, he was swept away by the popular uprising when the army decided that discretion was the better part of valour in the face of the demand for democracy and change.

But what is inevitably playing out today, are the different interpretations as to what exactly must be changed to inaugurate democracy in a land that has never really experienced it by any definition of the term. Most Egyptians had agreed that the long authoritarian rule of Mubarak served only the interest of the army and the US. The “liberals” are a vocal but small minority who are inspired by the tenets of the western liberal tradition in which the state is supposed to be secular and responsive to the “voice of the people”.

The majority of the population, however, is strongly influenced by the Islamic tradition that the state is guided by the principles of Islam, encompassed in the Sharia. Within this group there are several strands of thought which one can categorise from very “conservative” (where the country would be ruled explicitly by the Sharia) to “liberal” (Islam would be dominant but not exclusively so).

In the elections held a year ago, and a year after Mubarak was toppled, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) under the leadership of Mohamed Morsi won a majority of the votes, running against the favoured candidate of the army. The liberal candidate Mohamed ElBaradei withdrew from the race.

While there was no explicit requirement for “shared governance” in the deeply polarised country, it was expected that the MB would be inclusive. But their appointments were almost all from within their ranks, and coupled with shortages in basic foodstuff, it brought the liberals along with Islamic groups such as the more conservative Salafis, out in massive protests.

The army removed Morsi on the substantive democratic charge that his government reneged on the “inclusivity” requirement of substantive democracy, but on the other hand, they ignored the procedural imperative that the majority of votes carries the day.

The army picked the unknown jurist Daly Mansour as the interim president but the announcement that ElBaradei was to be Prime Minister had to be rescinded after the Salafis balked.

The lesson of the Egyptian political drama playing out is that each society will have to draw its social contract between the governors and the governed to institute “democracy”, based on their own specific circumstances.

It is unfortunate that violence has broken out as the Egyptians create their model. Guyana must avoid this route at all costs.

Monday July 08, 2013

Letters... Where your views make the news

Under Mr. Raj Singh, Guysuco has gone backwards DEAR EDITOR, The response from Mr. Neville Harricharan replying to my letter captioned “Guysuco’s primary problem is not industrial relations; it is production and productivity” was quite instructive. I use the word instructive since it is not, nor has it ever been my intention to malign another’s character especially Mr. Raj Singh. I have said it over and over again that from the records and from my discussion with a senior official of CUNY, Mr. Raj Singh is a human resources professional and for that skill set I value him.

But I cannot stand and watch in silence his continued imposition on Guysuco which will only exacerbate the challenges in the sugar belt rather than turnaround the industry. Mr. Raj Singh has been chairman since 2011 and has been on the Board for years before that and thus we have a record on his leadership skills in the industry. The facts remain his record in the sugar belt is one of abject failure at the highest level. Why continue this disaster?

Under Mr. Raj Singh, Guysuco has gone backwards, not forwards!

The post-Jagan PPP are classic bullies so they will do what they always have done in the past – impose bad solutions on a deteriorating situation. That is how small minds think! They are more interested in their personal pockets and jobs for their friends rather than the wellbeing of the 100,000 mouths who feed from the sugar belt.

If Mr. Raj Singh has any self-respect, he will withdraw himself from the process and make way for the required talent to join the sugar belt.

Keeping himself in the equation will only deem Mr. Raj Singh the maker of his own self-inflicted problems that he will not be able to deflect to others, especially the workers as the industry continues to crumble. I am saying now and I will say again, Mr. Raj Singh will fail at Guysuco either as the Chairman or as the CEO since he does not have the required skill sets to turn around the industry.

If the PPP wants him to have a big role for him in the

State, why not makes him the Public Service Minister, which is more aligned to his skill sets?

As Moses Nagamootoo and I alluded to in an Alliance for Change (AFC) column on June 16th, 2013, ‘Economic Security for sugar workers is imperative” and we recommended many strategic options in that column that will take place under an AFC Government (http:// www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2013/06/16/economicsecurity-for-sugar-workersis-imperative/). These ideas are not new to the industry; they have been suggested many years before by others, but all of it fell on deaf PPP ears. Even the newly minted PPP baby, Mr. Peter Ramsaroop made some strong recommendations over a decade ago on ethanol, but no one listened to him.

One hopes he will have better luck now in his new role in the PPP harem.

However, being aware of the post-Jagan PPP’s DNA that is grounded in a determination to dominate even when in a minority position, no one will be

HOW DO WE STOP THE ROT OF CORRUPTION? DEAR EDITOR, I read the recent piece about ‘ministerial rascals’ in Guyana and the country being the only one where the government does not act against “horrible wrongdoing by high-ranking politicians in power” and “perhaps the only State in the world where graphic and glaring skullduggery is committed by top serving politicians and party-aligned bureaucrats and there is absolutely no official inquiry”.

I think it may be a case of

‘gamekeeper turn poacher’ or one of ‘appealing from Caesar to Caesar’. Perhaps this all came about by a boy being handed a man’s job to do. He was probably manipulated by elders with their own agenda and did as he was told, leaving the country to pay the price.

Let us not forget that when Janet Jagan took over the reins, she promised that her Government would eventually stamp out corruption, which had become ingrained in people’s psyche. As time went by, there

was no let-up and once she departed the scene, corruption escalated, “the nastiness of power” took the form of a free for all, a grabbing spree, a me-first attitude of mind. Guyana was not sleeping, it was just powerless to act against such odds.

Of course, “corruption exists all over the globe”, but to use that as a reason to justify such blatant wrongdoing is naive.

How to stop the rot?

That is the question.

Geralda Dennison

The previous generation expects us to take up a fight they have not even started DEAR EDITOR, I’m a sixth form student of a local high school, and i noticed your editorial, ‘where are the youths?’

The youths of this generation are far too preoccupied with the internet, cell phones, television and partying to pay attention to the issues that affect our society.

This is true for most, but not all of us. Some of us read the Freddie Kissoon and Tony Deyal columns, the inspirational Food for

Thought feature and Dem Boys Seh. Following the latest trials and observing the way our various social and political issues affect the lives of the average citizen.

Unfortunately, most of my peers are not as cognizant of these things as one would like. The persons responsible for this are obvious if one is to look in a mirror. The generation that raised mine taught us to “go to school, get good grades and a big wuk”.

They taught us very little

of thinking for ourselves and questioning things. And if none of the adults we look up to speak out against the corruption and blatant abuse of human rights, why should we?

I it unfair that the previous generation expects us to take up a fight against corruption and tyranny they have not even started find. As a simple student, i will allow more experienced persons to lead the way.

Adrian J. Wiltshire Student, BHS

surprised if Mr. Raj Singh turns up as Executive Chairman/CEO. The sugar workers will have to make some decisions, stand strong together and stop these bullies before they completely destroy the sugar industry. Sugar workers must resist these post-Jagan PPP imposters with passive resistance (satya-graha) as Gandhi did to the British Empire. We all must join the sugar workers in resisting this tyranny on the sugar estates through mass civil disobedience firmly anchored in ahimsa (non-violence).

This will finally lead to freedom from these acts of mental slavery and economic marginalization of sugar workers.

Until the workers have some input into choosing their leaders and contributing to policies, sugar will remain in crisis.

Would the workers want a New Jersey Human Resource Manager to be their CEO especially in light of the fact that Mr. Raj Singh’s salary is “expected to be not more than G$2.5 million per month”, assuming the Minister of Finance is not gaffing again? Comparing that package to the salaries of the other top manager in the industry who are called upon every day to do the real work and you immediately get a sense that this job was not created to seek out appropriate skills but to reward one of the ACG boys (PPP overseas chapter). Such an industrial relations condition breeds disharmony that will take decades to repair. But does anyone in the post-Jagan PPP cares? Once the PPP boys are taken care of, the welfare of the cane cutters and the factory hands remain unimportant to the postJagan PPP cabal.

If Mr. Raj Singh is so desperate to work at Guysuco and prove himself on the Board, he has none other than Mr. Vikram Pandit to follow as an appropriate precedence. When I was at CitiGroup, we all honoured and respected Mr. Vikram Pandit at a time when America was in crisis. His first commitment to the Team was “before I rationalize the jobs of any member of staff, I must rationalize myself first”. He made a solemn promise to the team that until the Bank returns to profitability, he shall take a salary of US$1 a month with zero bonus. So said; so done!

After that many persons burnt the midnight oil not only to preserve one’s career Continued on page 5

Monday July 08, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Letters... Where your views make the news... Letters... Where your views make the news

Confident Fly Guyana will be above board

DEAR EDITOR, Reference is made to your news item on Fly Guyana representative Mr. Harry Chowbey formerly of East Coast (KN Jul 5) maligning his reputation. I notice that KN quotes an outdated article from a web site that is dysfunctional. This article stated a civil suit was filed against Chowbey on a business deal that never took off and there was a counter suit. The initial suit was based on allegation/accusation that could never have been proven and at any rate was never taken to trial. The suit was dropped following Chowbey’s counter suit and the matter died. It is therefore not of any significance in terms of Fly Guyana. In addition, there is no relevance or relationship of the proposed Fly Guyana with that matter of more than seven years ago. Clearly, the intention of the article is to smudge and denigrate the character of the gentleman that can only serve to discourage his involvement in aviation operations in Guyana. Also, the article could have the effect of intimidating potential Fly Guyana passengers making startup operations difficult.

I do not know Mr. Chowbey personally but I have learned about his experience in the airline industry (over 25 years) and his competence and integrity to manage an airline. Others in the Guyanese community in Georgia, Florida, and New York also spoke well of him and wish him well to help Guyana start an airline. He is held in high esteem among Guyanese New Yorkers and is frequently called upon to make appearances at public

events, particularly spiritual programs.

I should note that the airline industry is not a lucrative business proposition and virtually every airline has been losing money since 9/11. So we should applaud and encourage Chowbey for this initiative.

I personally wish to thank and laud Chowbey for initiating talks with the Guyana government to start an airline. This has been done at the nudging over the last year by several individuals and travel agents because of the faith and confidence Guyanese have expressed in Chowbey to assist with starting air service to Guyana.

As Guyanese unanimously agree, the country desperately needs an airline to service North America.

Guyanese travelers are routinely exploited by others.

There are not enough seats to meet the flying demands of the Guyanese North American diaspora resulting in higher than normal (monopoly) fares.

Competition from Fly Guyana will inevitably result in competitive fares and greater numbers of arrivals to Guyana which will be good for the economy. Guyanese need their own carrier not a dependency on nonGuyanese carriers. Fly Guyana is being proposed as a Guyanese carrier with the hope and expectation of backing from the government, the

..

opposition and the flying public.

I, and agents I spoke with, say they have faith and confidence that any service started by Chowbey and his investors will be run above board and win the approval of the flying public once it takes off. Instead of critiquing the man or digging unsubstantiated (old) dirt on his past, let us encourage him to commence air operations to benefit Guyana. Otherwise, the flying public will continue to be victims of other carriers that don’t have their interests or the national interest at heart.

Vishnu Bisram

The Ministry is failing to curb river accidents

DEAR EDITOR, I am writing concerning the frequency of accidents on Guyana’s rivers and the heavy loss of life resulting from these accidents.

You reporters have carried the stories but neither the Ministry of Public Works nor Minister Benn has made any positive statements as to the cause of these accidents or what is being done to reduce or eliminate loss of life on our rivers.

This seems to be a clear case of “say nothing, do nothing” and the problem will go away.

It will not go away until

Under Mr. Raj Singh...

From page 4 but with that pride that we are part of Mr. Pandit’s army marching towards turning around the Bank. He led and the rest is history – the Bank became profitable and Mr. Pandit was handsomely rewarded for his successes.

A good turnaround strategy dictates that the status quo must change and as a prerequisite, new and vibrant management must be injected swiftly and decisively to negate any spillover effect from the past

Board.

Do we think the Ramotar administration has gotten it by now?

History will reveal itself in due time.

Rise up oh fighting men in the fields and the factories and defend what is yours; your sugar industry!

Sasenarine Singh

the Minister or his officers do something about it.

The Ministry is obviously failing in its duty to regulate the waterways and to ensure that the rules are observed and that those responsible for the deaths are brought to justice.

It is the Ministry of Public Works and other agencies that report to the Minister that have the responsibility for

safety on our waterways.

I call on Minister Benn to do his duty to reduce the loss of life on Guyana’s rivers and I call on the President to look carefully at the performance of his Ministers.

Presidents are elected for a fixed time but a Minister could be let o at any time if he si not doing his job.

Name Withheld

When we pause and experience silence, we discover answers that activity does not have time to reveal. During your day, take threeminute “vacations”. Relax and re-energise.

Take time out to feel the peace of silence.

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Kaieteur News

Monday July 08, 2013

Adult Education Association continues Malaria testing mandatory for to succeed despite challenges pregnant mothers in hinterland regions - “Close to 200,000 persons complete their AEA programmes successfully each year...” says Executive Director Despite the odds, it is by no easy feat that the Adult Education Association (AEA) continues to achieve its mission statement: “To help those whose needs have not been met by the formal education system and to transform them into efficient participants that can partake in Guyana’s developmental process.”

Since its establishment in April 1957, the non- profit, nongovernmental organization has faced challenges with the unfavorable fluctuations in donations, financial support, troubling declines in student’s attendance and enrollment, as well as space to facilitate training programmes.

However, they have still managed to pull through with much success.

They still receive some assistance from the government and a small number of private agencies.

Executive Director of the

AEA, Patricia David, related to this publication that their job is no easy task. “Close to 200,000 persons complete the AEA programmes successfully each year. We not only mould these students academically but also socially,” expressed David.

While some of the students range from delinquents to school dropouts, David said that “the end result, a refined student, who we have helped to harness and polish their potential, is always a priceless reward and we are grateful to be a part of that process and ultimately know that we have shaped a life forever and for the better.”

David continued, “It is often extremely surprising to see some of the students who the average person would deem hopeless, are today a lawyer, nurse, engineer or doctor. We are happy to say that in our 52 years of existence, we have continued to be successful and our progress is just a clear

indication that our system works.”

The AEA has spread across the three counties in Guyana. This is in an effort to meet the poor and disadvantaged for literacy and academic education, technical and vocational training and in a variety of skills for both sexes.

The organization which is the receiver of the Medal of Service Award has a large bank of volunteers for which they are grateful.

Whilst the AEA offers a number of courses such as remedial classes, Adult Learners classes, Women’s Outreach programme for entrepreneurial development, Caribbean Secondary Proficiency Examinations (CSEC), and General Certificate Examinations (GCE), they have also extended a centre to the Rupununi area, which is funded by the Institute of the United States of America.

Guyanese nurse dies mysteriously in India From page 2 peace”. But when she asked her when she would return home Solomon-Lee remained silent.

However, Scipio revealed that about three weeks ago her Nigerian son-in-law contacted Solomon-Lee's father who resides in St Maarten and requested that he send US$5000 to him in India. The man did not say what the money was for.

“He called the man and tell him, 'you are a pastor, you got the money' but up to now he can't explain to the man what

he needed the money for,” Scipio said. She added that after her daughter's father refused to transfer the money without a valid reason, the Nigerian then began to use a number of expletives and hung up the phone.

The family said that they have since been receiving conflicting information about the woman's death one of which suggested that she was murdered by her Nigerian husband. Since the news of her death, the Nigerian has not yet explained how she died or made contact with them about

funeral arrangements.

Despite the news, Scipio is still optimistic that somehow her daughter might still be alive. “I don't believe she died but if it is true I want to know how she died because I am confused about this issue.”

The family is now pleading with anyone who would have any information about Solomon-Lee to contact them on 225-4566, 694-3729 and 6625791. Lucinda Solomon-Lee last worked as a Nursing Supervisor at the Palms on Brickdam before leaving Guyana.

It is now mandatory for pregnant mothers attending antenatal clinics in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine to be tested for malaria on each visit, says Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, Chief Medical Officer.

Of the 10 maternal deaths reported countrywide thus far for 2013, two women died from severe cerebral malaria (Falciparum). As such, those deaths are not calculated among maternal deaths but the Ministry finds it worrying that both women were patients of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and succumbed from an infectious disease that could have been treated.

Cerebral malaria occurs when the parasite invades the brain. The infected person experiences mild fever during the early stage and if not treated, it results in swelling of the brain. In pregnant women the infection is treatable without negative impact on the fetus. However, severe malaria could cause miscarriages.

Speaking directly of the two incidents, Dr. Persaud said that the mothers were from areas known to have malaria. They could have contracted malaria before their pregnancies. “They were pegged as high risk pregnancies and sent into the hospitals. One was actually a patient of a private hospital and was subsequently sent to GPHC.” “We hope that we

Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, Chief Medical Officer wouldn’t have such an incident again. Usually it is very difficult because both mothers had signs of cerebral malaria, which is usually a serious form of malaria even without pregnancies,” he said.

According to Dr. Persaud, sometimes it is believed that malaria is out in the hinterland regions resulting in persons who manage malaria to be dispatched to those areas.

Since the deaths, the Ministry has been pressing on the Malaria Programme to have GPHC’s wards be more conscious that malaria is a common disease in Guyana.

“Our principal hospital needs to be up on par and know how to manage every case of malaria,” he said.

The Chief Medical Officer related that the Ministry has

reviewed the guidelines of managing malaria and pregnancies, and the guidelines are now being disseminated.

Training of new obstetric doctors in managing malaria is also part of the Ministry’s objectives.

The Ministry will be rigidly implementing its policy to ensure that in all Regions, pregnant women visiting antenatal clinics should have malaria smears done. Once the tests are positive, corrective treatments should be given.

“Apparently it was not enforced as rigidly as it was supposed to have. We are trying to put that back in place. In the malaria Regions, One, Seven, Eight and Nine, every mother who goes to an antenatal clinic must get a prick and a malaria smear. So we can guarantee the public we will work on this.”

Commenting on the other eight deaths that are considered direct maternal deaths, Dr. Persaud said five were from GPHC, one from New Amsterdam Hospital, one from Suddie Hospital, and two from private hospitals.

Most of those deaths resulted from excessive bleeding after delivery and rupturing of the uterus. “The loss of blood is still a big issue when it comes to managing maternal deaths,” he said. The other deaths were related to an ectopic pregnancy and an abortion.

Minister’s son alleged assault of ex-girlfriend….

File for legal advice this week Police Commissioner (ag) Leroy Brumell yesterday said that investigators had to clear up certain aspects concerning the Robeson Benn Jr. assault matter, before they dispatch the file to the Director of Public Prosecution this week for legal advice.

Brumell had earlier stated that the force was ensuring that ranks carry out a meticulous probe.

Benn Jr has been accused of violently assaulting his 27 year old ex- girlfriend at her apartment in the wee hours of June 23, 2013. He has since been released on bail after being taken into police custody last week.

Kaieteur News was told that the young man has also given a statement to the police

- Acting Comm. Brumell in which he claims that he was invited into the home by the young woman.

It is unclear what he has said in regard to the injuries the woman sustained.

Kaieteur News had visited the woman hours after the alleged incident and it was observed that her face was swollen, her eyes were bloodshot and she was crying out for pain in her head.

The police have received a detailed statement from the woman who alleged she was violently beaten and raped by the young man.

The woman had given her statement to the police in the presence of attorney Nigel Hughes. She was also examined by a doctor who has since forwarded his report to the police.

The woman said that she was in bed when she heard a knock on the door around 04:00 hours on June 23rd last.

She said that she was expecting a relative who was

spending time with her, so she opened the door, only to be confronted by her exboyfriend. The woman said she immediately tried to shut the door but the younger Benn forced his way in.

She said that after she kept insisting that he leave, Benn became annoyed and began punching her to her face and about the body, leaving her entire face swollen and her upper body badly bruised.

Things escalated and he allegedly sexually assaulted her. The woman estimated that her ordeal lasted about 20 minutes before her exboyfriend left.

She claimed that during the ordeal, Benn was brandishing a gun. But in his statement to the police, Robeson Benn Jr denied that any gun was involved.

The woman said that after the attack, she contacted close friends who took her to the Alberttown Police Station.

Monday July 08, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Monday July 08, 2013

Monday July 08, 2013

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THE OPPOSITION NEEDS A SCAPEGOAT TO AVOID THE WRATH OF ITS SUPPORTERS The ABC countries are meddling in the internal affairs of Guyana. But they have earned the luxury of doing so because for many years they bankrolled elections in Guyana.

While Guyana has come a far way in financing its own elections, the high degree of political suspicion that exists over the results of elections, suspicions that are often manufactured by the Opposition who have a great difficulty in coming to terms with its electoral defeats, there will continue to be the need for foreign input into our elections to avoid charges and counter charges about its conduct.

In fact, so much suspicion exists over the results of elections in Guyana that a simple mistake in a calculation can cause a riot in the streets. Right now, there are forces calling for the removal of the Chief Elections Officer simply because he made a mistake, not in the count of the votes, but in the application of a formula which decides how seats are allocated.

It is not the responsibility of the Chief Elections Officer to announce the results of the elections. That is the responsibility of the Commissioners. As such, it is the responsibility of the Commissioners to check the calculations relating to the formula for apportioning seats.

This is the responsibility of every Commissioner. The fact that there may have been a human error on the part of an officer

does not remove that obligation.

If it can be established that the mistake was deliberate, then action should be taken forthwith, not belatedly, since this would amount to an attempt to deceive the Commissioners. If however, it is found that there was a human error, then a reprimand is in order because to err is human.

Unfortunately, there is a proclivity in Guyana for scapegoats to be found whenever the Opposition loses an election. The heads of someone is always called for so as to deflect from the loss of the Opposition. It seems that quite belatedly, the Chief Elections Officer is going to be made into a political scapegoat over what is a calculation mistake, something that is done almost every day in the schools of this country. Imagine if a child had to be taken out of school for making a calculation mistake.

The precedent that will be set by the removal of the Chief Elections Officer is one that this country will regret. It means that those who man the election machinery in the country will be working under tremendous pressure, afraid of the consequences- including protesters carrying out vigils in front of your homes- if you should make a human mistake in the system.

This will mean that those who are responsible for counting the ballots and announcing results will

exercise greater caution in their work and this will mean that it will take longer for the results of any election to become known because no one wants to miscount a single ballot or make any addition mistake for fear of the consequences.

Already however, the long time- close to a weekthat it takes for the results of the elections to become known has triggered suspicions about those results and the ABC countries have themselves, after the last elections, called for the results to be declared more quickly.

Ironically, for this to happen would subject the system to the possibility of human error which in itself would lead to protests over the results of the elections.

The ruling party and the opposition parties know by the next morning after the elections what is the outcome of the elections. They have polling agents in almost every polling station and they obtain a copy of the statements of poll and are able to quickly tabulate the results and know how they have performed.

At the official level, however, this simple case of adding two thousand polling station results takes a week because the laws of Guyana require a process by which the results are announced first in the individual districts before they can be announced nationally. This is what causes much of the delay and the ensuing problems, not human error by

Dem boys seh

IS DEM CHINEE WHO PAY NUFF FUH A VISA Some people worried and dem boys know why. De Americans talking about checking fuh see all who get visa under special circumstances.

De news come out that a man in de Embassy share out visa fuh money and fuh sex but now dem boys finding out that de embassy man get used.

He come and he see de girls. Dem same girls start fuh smile wid he and de next thing was that he whisper to some of dem that he can give dem visa. Wha he didn’t bargain for was de smart people in Guyana.

He meet couple of dem and is right deh de problem start. These people tackle others and promise dem visa.

Is dem who tek de money but

since dem wasn’t de people who giving de visa all de fingers start to point to de American.

That is de how Guyanese smart and that is how nuff of dem get rich. But one thing got people worried. If a man can find eight million dollars fuh pay fuh a visa just to go to de states then he rich in Guyana and he coulda tek that money and build a house and sell. Then tek that money and build another one. By de time he done he woulda been rich like Rob Earth and de Bees.

Dem boys want to know wha it is that got everybody wanting to run to de States wheh dem got to duck and hide. Dem can’t get a job unless dem legal and in any case, dem ain’t gun be able to live like how dem coulda

live in Guyana wid de eight million dollars.

One man seh that is not Guyanese who really spend that money, is de Chinese.

Dem use to come and claim how dem passport lost and how Guyana got to give dem some documents. Clement mek nuff money like that.

And that is why Guyana open its doors to dem Chinee.

Is dem who pay de eight million just to go to de States and live in Chinatown.

Well de man gone and dem who ain’t travel yet in trouble. Of course dem Chinee bolt out from de time dem get de visa and since all of dem look alike de Americans ain’t gun find none of dem.

Talk half and wait fuh de next visa scam.

any election official.

If the ABC countries are so keen on holding Local Government Elections, they should offer to take over the entire election process and run it for the country. But will this alleviate the problems. It would not because the various processes by which the count has to be declared has to be undertaken before the results can be announced formally.

The greatest obstacle to electoral efficiency in Guyana is the attitude of the Opposition towards their defeat. They simply refuse to accept the results, throw public tantrums, question the integrity of the process and end up looking silly when provided with the official count at each polling station and when they cannot prove that there were serious irregularities that would have altered the outcome of the elections.

The Opposition in this country created the impression that there were serious irregularities with the results of the 2011 elections.

They took to protest action and demanded hard and soft

copies of the results from the Elections Commission so that they could undertake their own verification.

They took months to reconcile the result of 2000 polling stations. They have not provided the public with the evidence of massive fraud, and in typical fashion, they have decided to deflect from this failure by resurrecting an internal incident within the Commission and using this as the basis for the removal of the Chief Elections Officer.

Such a removal will only undermine confidence in the system because it will suggest that there were serious problems within the electoral machinery which could call into question the results of future elections.

The Opposition is not

interested in building greater confidence in the system.

They are interested in creating political scapegoats so that the wrath of their supporters would not turn against a leadership, which has failed since 1992 to deliver an election victory.

Were mistakes made by the Opposition which is responsible for them losing every election since 1992?

Was there any human error involved? If so who is to be held accountable?

How come the Opposition continues to lose election after election and yet the leadership remains undisturbed? Yet they have audacity to condemn someone for making a mistake in calculation.

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Monday July 08, 2013

Strong partnerships needed to better student performance - Education Minister tells Region 2 teachers Education Minister Priya Manickchand and a team of officials on Saturday met with hundreds of Region Two teachers during which she highlighted that for Guyana’s children to be able to live enhanced lives, a sturdy partnership among the Government, Ministry of Education, teachers, parents, the students themselves and the community is required.

Accompanying the Minister were Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam, Permanent Secretary, Delma Nedd, ACEO- Primary – Marcel Hudson and Coordinator, School Board Secretariat Melcita Bovell.

Regional Chairman, Parmanand Persaud and out-going Regional Education Officer, Leslyn Charles and other regional officers were also present.

In 2012 Region Two produced the top student for the CSEC examinations, Sarah Hack. Not only did the 16year old top her country, she secured the top spot in the Caribbean as well. Ms. Hack attended the Abram Zuil Secondary School on the Essequibo Coast.

Over the last three years the Region’s CSEC performance has been

improving consistently and this can be attributed to the fact that on the Essequibo Coast there are 78 percent trained teachers. There are 40 teachers attending the University of Guyana. With regards to the riverain teachers, they are seconded to the Essequibo Coast for upgrades prior to moving on to the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE).

“Guyana has been taking the lead in many areas…we help to contribute to saving the world by not cutting down our trees while at the same time we are putting food on our tables…we have a big contribution to make and the only place we could really make it is through the education system,” Minister Manickchand told the large gathering.

The Education Minister also spoke to the teachers about the distribution of the uniform vouchers, exercise and text books and school feeding programme (juice and biscuit). She acknowledged that while the government is making these investments, it is important that a good relationship be had between the Education Ministry and parents.

A teacher raising her concern at the meeting with Education Minister, Priya Manickchand “A good parent does not have to have millions in the bank account…a good parent has to understand that they have to be supportive,” the Minister emphasised.

She also spoke about the policy regarding automatic promotion which will be revised with effect from September. Other issues included the new age for entrance into nursery school, hot-line numbers introduced to provide rapid response to concerns and by extension, provide a direct line of communication between the Ministry and the public, graduation fees and payments for test papers. With regards the graduation fees, schools are only entitled to charge a maximum of $3,000.

During the interaction with the teachers, Minister Manickchand introduced the gathering to their new Regional Education Officer – Baramdai Seepersaud.

Saturday’s meeting was the last event the out-going REDO Leslyn Charles was attending in that capacity as she has been promoted to ACEO – Secondary.

“The message is that we are ideally poised to jumpstart this new era, to really move it to another level to the point where this Region can be ranked among the best in the country and I think that one of the good things about speaking in that context is that we begin to appreciate that everything that goes on in our classrooms, homes, planning sessions, meetings…that they are all

integrated,” stated the Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam in his presentation.

Sam spoke of teachers who do not understand their value and purpose, and stressed that once teachers become au fait with that they should begin to act differently, to mould Guyana’s children for the future.

In this regard, he called on all the teachers to use the July/ August holiday to reflect on their performance at their respective schools and set a plan of action.

Sam emphasised that teachers also need to value the assessments being done in their primary schools since they indicate the gaps and problematic areas for

students. As a result, teachers would be better able to meet the students’ needs which would in turn result in better secondary students.

“We do not teach the curriculum…we teach children and so before we can begin to teach we need to know what we have in front of us,” he said.(GINA)

Councillors temporarily locked out of RDC Region Six meeting

Maintenance workers to the rescue Councillors, staff and other members of the Regional Democratic Council of Region Six were inadvertently locked out of the boardroom for a few hours last week. To everyone’s surprise, when some Councillors and other

persons tried to get into the room, they were met with a locked door.

Thinking that the door was locked from the inside, they started to rap. However they soon realized that those inside were also trying to get

out and that the door had malfunctioned.

Maintenance workers were quickly summoned and they eventually had to remove some support boards and dismantle the lock to rectify the situation.

Monday July 08, 2013

I know there are some people who don’t fly LIAT. I don’t blame them. However many of us who live in the Eastern Caribbean don’t have much of a choice caught as we are between the devil and the deep blue sea, a rock and a hard place, Scylla and Charybdis, Wesley Hall and Charlie Griffith – in other words between LIAT and CAL (aka BWIA).

Earlier this week I got a copy of a letter sent to LIAT by a passenger that I immediately emailed to my friends and acquaintances

Kaieteur News

because it captures the essence of LIAT and distills it in pure irony.

The letter was highlighted on ABC Television’s “Good Morning America” show earlier this week with the comment, “Most airline complaint letters are so filled with rage and tales of woe, it’s hard to see any humor in the situation. But that’s not the case with a letter written to LIAT, a small airline serving 21 destinations in the Caribbean.

The complaint waged in a letter to the airline is so funny that it prompted another

airline’s CEO to tweet it to his more than 3 million followers.”

The CEO was Sir Richard Branson and he tweeted, “”How to write a complaint letter — read this hilarious note from a frustrated airline passenger.”

Branson even blogged about it.

The letter, written by Arthur Hicks, was first published in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) where Hicks, a Londoner, resides. It says: Dear LIAT, May I say how considerate it is of you to enable your passengers such

Women’s group reiterates calls for victims of domestic crimes to utilise Commission The Women and Gender Equality Commission has reiterated calls for victims of domestic crimes to seek out their assistance. The organization has noted the continuous hikes in social crimes and concluded that many persons are failing to access the Commission’s services.

Chairperson, Indra Chandarpal told Kaieteur News that the Commission is available to take any reports of domestic crimes, but persons are seemingly afraid to air their grievances. She was asked about the recent allegations of sexual harassment made against a senior member of the Region Three Regional Democratic Council, by a female low level staffer.

Chandarpal declined to pronounce on the incident which is still engaging the attention of the police, but shared that the investigation should be given priority.

She said that anyone can make an allegation, but the matter must be treated with as much seriousness as any other, while investigations must be thorough and indepth.

She said however that victims need to use the avenues of assistance available to them. “They must not wait until it gets worst, they must not hope that it

would stop,” she told Kaieteur News. “Victims must report matters right away.”

She added that if they do not wish to go the police, there are organizations such as the Commission which can intervene and offer relief in whatever way possible.

Last week, the Commission registered its intent to advocate for free zones and workplace policies as it relates to domestic violence and sexual harassment.

Gillian Burton, who represents labour on the Commission, told reporters at a recent press conference that a number of sexual harassment cases in the workplace are not being reported. She said that relationships were developing in the workplace and so domestic crimes are occurring there too. Free zones and workplace policies would effectively deal with these issues as rules and guidelines would be set.

Stakeholders have already commented on a draft.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) is still awaiting an audience with the Regional Chairman, in relation to the recent sexual assault allegations against the Region Three official.

Senior Industrial Relations Officer, Dennis English, who is heading the union’s investigations said, to date, the Chairman has not found

time to address the sexual harassment allegations made against the senior official.

He said too that the embattled official is still on the job, which is against regulations. He said the senior official can compromise the investigations and should thus proceed on leave. Since last week the union has been calling for the official to be sent on leave to facilitate the probe, but instead it was the victim who was sent to a new location.

English said, however, that the union will be following certain procedures if the matter is not rectified.

He said the senior official should not be given the opportunity to intimidate and threaten workers if he so chooses.

He continued that in the current situation, if there is something that a staff might want to say, they might be too afraid to speak.

Already, English alleged, the investigation is being compromised as reports of manipulation and intimidation are surfacing. He added that the Council should be following procedures that speak to the union’s agreement of ‘settlement of disputes.’ English added that the union will be intensifying its actions to ensure that the agreements are followed.

an in-depth and thorough tour of the Caribbean.

Most other airlines I have travelled on would simply wish to take me from point A to B in rather a hurry. I was intrigued that we were allowed to stop at not a lowly one or two but a magnificent six airports yesterday. And who wants to fly on the same airplane the entire time? We got to change and refuel every step of the way!

I particularly enjoyed sampling the security scanners at each and every airport. I find it preposterous that people imagine them all to be the same. And as for being patted down by a variety of islanders, well, I feel as if I’ve been hugged by most of the Caribbean already.

I also found it unique that this was all done on “island time,” because I do like to have time to absorb the atmosphere of the various departure lounges. As for our arrival, well, who wants to have to take a ferry at the end of all that flying anyway? I’m glad the boat was long gone by the time we arrived into Tortola last night — and that all those noisy bars and restaurants were closed.

So thank you, LIAT. I now truly understand why you are

Page 15

“The Caribbean Airline.”

P.S. Keep the bag. I never liked it anyway.

The Huffington Post says (in the understatement of the century)” that LIAT’s letter from Hicks is hardly the first the airline has received.” It quotes comments left on the BVI Beacon by angry passengers who “humorously interpret the company’s name to stand alternately for ‘Luggage In A Nother Terminal’, ‘Leaving Island Any Time’,” and ‘Lousy In All Things’.” The last one is new to me and joins with my ‘Lord I Am Tired’ as accurate and appropriate simultaneously.

When Sir Richard Branson received what was, until Mr. Hicks wrote to LIAT, the best complaint letter about an airline, one dealing with the food on Virgin, he telephoned the author of the letter and had thanked him for his “constructive if tonguein-cheek” email. There is no record of any response from either Jean Holder, LIAT’s Chairman or Captain Ian Brunton, LIAT’s CEO. After similar unfortunate experiences with LIAT I have tried to contact them and have left messages asking

them to call me back. Even though Brunton and I are both based in Antigua, he has never responded. I compare LIAT’s behavior with American Airlines (AA) which, even though it is in Chapter 11 (US bankruptcy), still responds to complaints.

Recently, after I wrote about a problem I encountered in Miami, AA apologized and gave me some air miles to compensate. LIAT does not give air miles voluntarily- as the letter says you get them when you least need them in terms of extra destinations added to your ticket. Last weekend the shameless trio of LIAT, CAL and CARICOM met to discuss air travel in the region. I expect that when the newspaper reports of the meeting are written they will say, “Heated discussions took place about the CAL fuel subsidy today but the possibility of a solution remains up in the air.” *Tony Deyal was last seen asking what is the difference between Ian Brunton and a jet engine? A jet engine stops whining soon after it lands.

Page 16

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Monday July 08, 2013

Ramadan to be observed Rising level of youth countrywide from tomorrow unemployment a major concern

The Muslim community will be joining Muslims worldwide in beginning the month-long fast and other acts of devotion of Ramadan.

The holiest month in the Islamic faith-Ramadan-will take place from July 9 through August 8, 2013, according to believers.

This is the month on the lunar Islamic calendar, during which some Muslims abstain from food, drink and other pleasures from the break of dawn to sunset.

The month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is one of the five pillars of Islam and is known to be month of reflection and complete submission to Allah (God).

According to President General of the Anna Catherina Islamic Complex (ACIC), Hakeem Khan, Muslims are urged to use this month to build bridges and not walls, so that with unity of purpose, there can be growth and development of Islam.

“We call on our political leaders of this country to let the ideals of Ramadan fill your hearts so that we can return our country to one free from fear, corruption, immorality and crime.

May this Holy Month of Ramadan be rewarding to our entire nation.”

He explained that the fast is performed for no other reason than to learn discipline, self-restraint and generosity, while obeying God’s commandments.

“As God Almighty has granted us His Divine Mercy in sparing our lives to see yet another Ramadan, let us not waste the golden opportunity and use this month to the fullest, in order to achieve maximum benefits.

We must observe the fast and other religious activities in this month, with utmost sincerity so that we can achieve success in this life and the hereafter,” he said.

According to the Executive of the Guyana

United Sadr Islamic Anjuman (GUSIA) and the Board of Management of the Shaheed Boys & Girls Orphanages, this month, which is a special gift to the Muslim nation, came as a result of Allah’s great love for the Prophet of Islam and is an opportunity for Muslims to harness the great benefits that this month contains.

“The observance of this month will fill the Muslim’s heart with peace, love and tranquility and inculcates qualities that are associated with great character.

In this age of political instability, ethnic and racial violence, greed, materialism and uncertainties, this month is a welcome gift to the world. We need to extract the ingredients of nation building, religious and spiritual codes and appropriate moral, social and economic disciplines to establish strong progressive nations populated with citizens who are cognizant of their duty first to God, the Creator and to fellow occupants of this earth,” the Chairman of the Organisations Badruddin Hassan noted.

According to the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), Islam is one of the world’s most prominent religions and a source of profound strength and guidance for over a billion Muslims worldwide.

“We Observe Ramadan every year, but do we listen to it? Ramadan is the most important month of our calendar. It is a tremendous gift from Allah, God Almighty, in so many ways.

In our current state of being down and out, it can uplift us, empower us, and turn around our situation individually and collectively.

The most important message of Ramadan is that we are not just body. We are body and soul and that is what makes us human beings and determine our values as human beings,” the CIOG said.

Muslims look forward to Ramadan as a period of spiritual reflection and renewal. It is also a time when people of other faiths can learn more about Islam, the

great benefits that it offers to mankind and the enormous contributions made by Muslims to human civilization. It firmly upholds the principle of respect for all human beings and all religions. Sadly, in many countries, Muslims and other believers are unable to perform their religious beliefs.

“We pray for the day when the people of all faiths can express their beliefs without fear of persecution or discrimination,” the CIOG said.

“Of increasing concern in our Region, is the fact that even among those who successfully complete secondary and tertiary education and among those who have access to technology, many are unable to secure a decent job,” Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque disclosed recently at the Opening of the Eighth Meeting of Caribbean Ministers of Labour.

He further said that the meeting comes at a time in the development of the Region, when focus is placed collectively on the state of CARICOM economies, in particular stymied economic growth and what seems to be a threatening future, adding that the Caribbean Community has witnessed, in some instances, erosion of the hard-fought economic gains which Member States have realised over time.

Ambassador LaRocque explained that among the circumstances that have contrived CARICOM to this position are the global financial and economic crises, the deleterious effects of natural disasters to which

- CARICOM Sect’y Gen.

Ambassador Irwin LaRocque the Region is prone, and skill gaps in key sectors of economies.

“Of particular significance and concern is the rising level of youth unemployment which has in some instances contributed to the widening poverty gaps and rising levels of disenchantment, crime and insecurity,” he noted.

The Report of the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development highlighted the voices of

youth who lamented this situation, and also pointed to the high economic cost of youth unemployment. The incidence of unemployment among the youth is higher than among the adult population.

In fact the data reveals that youth unemployment rates are substantially above the national averages across the Region. Indeed it is more than twice the adult rate.

A reduction in youth unemployment to the adult levels would contribute to growth of between one and two per cent in GDP among our Member States.

This situation points in part to a mismatch between the skills required for employment and entrepreneurship, and those being developed in the education and training systems.

The development of the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), based as it is on occupational standards developed in conjunction with industry, is a step in the right direction and will render school leavers more readily employable.

"Let the pain of the past be used to propel ...

From page 11 should be used as a source of strength- as no matter how painful the experience, “if we lose hope, then that would be our real disaster. Therefore, we must hold fast to the hope expressed by our nation's motto: ONE People, ONE Nation, ONE Destiny,” Solomon said.

“I am not naïve to think that people…Lindeners…will not feel some fear of events such as the Son Chapman reoccurring, for the events of July 18, 2012 remain fresh in our collective minds. However, we must not…indeed we cannot…allow this fear to overcome our hope…our quest…for a better life,” he added.

Solomon said that reconciliation is necessary for progress to occur, but that no attempt at reconciliation can be complete without forgiveness. “The events of July, 1964 cannot be undone; however, instead of distancing ourselves from our fellow Guyanese, we must seek to embrace each other in unity and understanding. When we forgive evil, we do not excuse it, we do not tolerate it, we do not smother it. Instead, we look the evil full in the face, call it what it is, let its horror shock and stun and enrage us, and only then do we forgive it."

Solomon declared, "I wish

to point out that the scars which the Son Chapman tragedy left on the people of Linden cannot be erased. They are painful reminders that Guyana needs a political solution that would be long lasting and for the benefit of all.

As Kazuo Ishiguro once wrote, 'Perhaps one day, all…conflicts will end, and it won't be because of great statesmen or churches or organisations…it will be because people have changed."

The new memorial site, which replaced the originally one at Horadaia almost 18 miles away, seemed somehow more appropriate as those who perished were from Linden. The nearby, silent, dark and mysterious Demerara River only added to the poignancy of the event. Owner of the ill-fated launch, Mr. Norman Chapman was noticeably absent. However, his son Joseph, stood in for him, and was among the persons who laid wreaths in the river, in tribute to the Martyrs. Also in attendance were Leader of the Opposition, David Granger and Members of Parliament Rennis Morian and Vanessa Kissoon.

Opposition Leader David Granger in his reflections on the tragedy, exhorted Lindeners to let the Demerara River become a 'channel of commerce and prosperity, and not a river of division and ha-

tred. "Let the pain of the past be used to propel us to peace and prosperity," he emphasized.

Grainger said that the communities of Mackenzie, Wismar and Christianburg had been targeted for terrorism by 'the masterminds of terrorism'.

“They succeeded”, he said, “As over 176 persons were killed during that dark period and thousands of buildings were burnt; sugar cane fields were burnt”.

“Never before or after were there so many internal refugees in this country,” he declared, adding that all the acts of terrorism were orchestrated by the masterminds, to abort the General Elections of 1964. He conceded, "We come here(today) not with a feeling of revenge, not with a feeling of recrimination or a feeling of retribution- we've come here out of leverage, we've come here out of remembrancewe've not come here to rekindle old hostilities. We've come to renew our commitment to this community and to our country, and to our children; and we've come to reaffirm the common destiny of all our Guyanese people. As the blood of our Saviour redeemed those who believe, so too the blood of these martyrs will redeem those who seek genuine understanding of what took place”.

He added that enough

blood has been shed so that there should now be remission and reconciliation.

"I pray that God may comfort the survivors of this atrocity- this massacre, and I pray that God may rid our nation of hatred and crime- I pray that God would unite us as a people."

The Son Chapman tragedy has been recorded as one of the worst tragedies to have occurred on the Demerara River. The recollections of the event, even today, remain one of the most gruesome in Guyana's history.

Among those who perished in the Son Chapman explosion were four children and a pregnant woman, who gave birth spontaneously.

Of those who perished, only 32 bodies were recovered, and nine of those recovered were never positively identified.

The Son Chapman's crew of six and 26 fortunate passengers would survive the explosion that blew more than 40 others to bits across the water top in the vicinity of Horadai, some eighteen miles from Linden. All the other memorial services, which were initiated a few years ago, had been held at that location.

However a decision was made to bring the event to a more central location so that more Lindeners would be afforded the opportunity to participate.

Monday July 08, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 17

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Kaieteur News

(From page 19)

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Alexander St between Regent & Robb $60M: 6727390, 225-0843, 225-0854

West Bank $18M, Bel-Air Park $45M, Campbellville $30M, AA Eccles $65M- Call Diana @ 227-2256/ 626-9382 Charlotte between Cummings & Orange Walk Bourda $50M (Neg) 2 Stories-3 bedrooms: 6727390,2250854 ,2250843

2 Storey Building 70 x 28 Land 150 x 45 Kitty $75M (Residential/Commercial) Main Rd:672-7390, 225-0854 ,225-0843 Newly built concrete 3bedrooms house in Parfaite Harmony $19M, $17M, $8M: 672-7390, 225-0854, 225-0843 Diamond main road property 5 bedrooms flat house $37M: 225-0853, 225-0854, 672-7390 Diamond/Grove 2 Stories Concrete Newly Built: Automatic Gate/Garage, Spacious Kitchen& 4 Bedrooms $36M: 6727390, 2250854, 225-0843 3 Stories, 6 Apartments, 8 bedrooms Corner house, Charlestown $32M: 6727390, 2250854, 225-08433 Diamond 6 bedrooms, 2 families House $26M: 2250854, 2250853, 672-7390 Parfaite Harmony 2 Bedrooms Flat house Unfinished $6.5m (neg) 2250854,2250853,672-7390 Lodge H/S 2 Storey Concrete (needs repairs) $14M neg: 672-7390, 225-0854, 2250843 2-bedroom flat house, on land 35x150, Poudgroyen, W.B.D $6.5M 672-8569,6869888,609-8132 Parfaite Harmonie-2-stories, concrete 3-apt, 5-bedrooms, 3 toilets & bath. Concrete yard $18.7M (Neg):672-8569/ 686-9888/ 609-8132

TO LET Fully furnished short term apartments @ Eccles call: 689-6668

LEARN TO DRIVE B & C Driving School: Lot 5 Hadfield Lodge- call:2250150,229-7258,680-6826

Secret Villa apartment, fully furnished apartments Land-of-Canaan E.B.DCall:266-5243/266-5245

Soman & Sons Driving School , First Federation Building Call 225-4858, 6445166, 622-2872, 615-0964

Harmony Inn: Fully furnished,air conditioned apartments; Parfaite Harmonie, 5,000 Per night call:668-0306, 694-7817,602-8769

PEN PAL

Diamond $35,000; Eccles $55,000; Queenstown $140,000; Nandy Park US$1200- Call Diana @ 2272256/ 626-9382 One bedroom house @ Mon Repos, E.C.D- Call:698-6764

Going concern building: Prime area Sheriff street by owner- Call:682-7733

North Rd 2 Storey Building: Business Premise $1.5US (Neg): 672-7390, 225-0854, 2250843 EDUCATIONAL SUMMER CLASSES: July 15th – August 15th: Phonics, Mathematics, Language, Spanish, Craft, Tours & Fun day: Garnett St. KittyCall:654-8650

PROPERTY FOR SALE Town & Country Real: 5bedrooms concrete 2 stories $35M: 225-0853, 225-0854, 672-7390

Two stories, 3 bedrooms house @ Diamond SchemeCall: 609-9909/233-5476 SERVICES CITY TAXI SERVICE (SINCE 1968)- CALL:2256222/ 226-7150/ 2261088/ 225-8600/ 227-1101 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, m i c r o w a v e s , washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool.

Call: 225-9032, 647-2943 House Plans, estimates and construction- Contact T.Boodhoo 625-9883 / 6759296 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer. Call:2310655, 683-8734 Omar Georgetown Computer repairs & virus cleaning in homes- Call:675-7292 Tr a n s p o n d e r T V: No Monthly Fees, No Hidden Fees, No Additional Charges: 250 Channels + 50 HD Channels- Call: 6753201 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call: 225-6496, 662-6045, 223-8115 HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING FOR ONLY $10,000CALL:694-9843/227-2766 Austin’s Repairs & Services: We repair fridges, freezers, washers, A/C, dryers & House wiring etc.Call:685-2588/ 629-8136 Need a Babysitter/ Caregiver? Call:694-0689/ 691-8699 Repairs to Fridge, Freezer, AC, Washers, Stoves, TV: Call 683-1312,627-3206 (Nick) Professionally designed website at affordable prices: Get a free consultation & quoteEmail: trinidadbusiness@gmail.com or call:868-397-3589

Monday July 08, 2013

25 Year old Female seeking Male & Female friends, ages 18-34: Text or Call:661-3519 HEALTH Enhance your health with genuine herbal supplements- Contact: Hazel’s Herbal Store @ 244 D’Andrade Street, Newtown- Call:226-9136

Monday July 08, 2013

WANTED Live In Live Out Babysitter Domestic - Call: 225-6070 Office Clerk: CXC English/ Mathematics- Call:225-0188/ 225-6070 Attractive live in waitressCall:327-0252/674-4665 Experience taxi- minibus drivers and dispatchers at Princess Hotel Contact:6165419, 265-7076 Female Domestic & Office Employees For An Expanding Company In Trinidad, 18-35yrs: Email:rattan.david@ yahoo.com- Call:690-1855/1868-389-8454

Kaieteur News

WANTED One experienced female cook to cook for family in Interior- call:697-6747 25-35 years live-in domestic, Georgetown area- Call:2271830 One live-in maid, must be able to cook, 30-50 yearsCall:671-9715 Live in waitress- Call:6439007/ 697-2978 Three (3) waitressesCall:650-3699 Experienced workers for land dredge- Call: 681-3801/6728566

One experienced driver, gear & automatic: Apply @ Hack’s Halaal with application, 5 Commerce Street (1) Waitress 18-25 yearscall:653-6017 Skilled Carpenter and Mason, must be able to work with limited supervisionCall:602-9469/625-0930 City Taxi Service: Contract Cars Needed- Call:6601100 Three (3) waitressesCall:650-3699 Machine Operator to work in Garment Factory- Call:2222541 Urgently wanted land to buy in Parfait HarmonieCall:675-7292 Experienced Roti/ Puri cook, pastry makers, kitchen assistant, cleaners & handy boys: Apply @ Hack’s Halaal 5 Commerce St. 1 Male to work at a Car Wash from Kitty or C/Ville- Call:6108561 Wanted urgently: Driver and Porter to work on canter- Call:649-9876/6163802/222-3927 One experienced Shop Assistant to work in InteriorCall:697-6747 Drillers, major drilling Suriname: 3 yrs experience on hydraulic drills- Call: 001-597426-920. Ask for Melissa 1 Weekends Dispatcher, full time cars: De General Taxi Service, 120 Regent StreetCall:231-8888/ 231-2900 Experienced Taxi Drivers.

Call: 667-9013/ 627-9424

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

VEHICLE FOR SALE

VEHICLE FOR SALE

LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY M E R C U R Y (QUICK SILVER) 9 9 . 9 9 9 9 5 % PURITY - $15,000 PER POUND CALL:604-6108

Ford super duty/ power stoke truck, Massey Loader, Many tools, Yanmar Vegetable tractors, Roto Tiller- Call:675-9314

New ATVs: Introductory price $1,450,000 (Duty Free)Call:691-0234

Toyota Starlet Turbo: Working A/C, interior in excellent condition- Call:4446183 or 686-0910

Pure Bred Rottweiler pupsCall:650-8496 500 Ton Cargo Ship with Contract- call: 687-6174 32 Disc roam plough: Bargain price $1.6M negotiable- call:678-0224 Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943 Dell laptops & desktops complete computers from $55,000 Futuretech. Call: 2312206 1- Perkin 4108 on bedCall:626-3817 5 Month Male RottweilerCall:220-6879

West Site Taxi service: Wanted experience dispatcher & contract carscall:613-0419/ 600-0699

Male Enhancement Viagra: 4 in a Pack For $3000- Call: 642-6664/ 638-1627 FOR RENT Two (2) bedrooms furnished apartment in Georgetown for short term local and overseas guestsContact:699-7559 2 Bedrooms House @ Diamond: Call Candie:6708793/685-5710 1- 3 Bedrooms newly built house @ Canal #2- call:6910875 Luxury house, 5 bedrooms self contained, maid quarters & lovely patio, security $2600us: 2250854, 2250853, 672-7390 Fully furnished apartment for rent- Call:682-7733 3,000 Sq.Ft. building prime location W.B.D public roadCall:610-2227 NEWLY BUILT TWO STOREY BUILDING, MC DOOM PUBLIC ROADCALL:600-1375 Business place located @ 94 Tushen New Scheme main road- Call:655-6945 Furnished (2) Bedrooms house @ Crane H/Scheme $45,000- call:671-6855 One- (2) Bedrooms apartment for rent- Call:617-3001 CAKES & PASTRIES Courses in cake decoration, pastry making & cookery, Call: 670-0798. Also Wedding dresses for sale Courses for: Bridal accessories, Cake decoration, Floral arrangements, Cake & Pastry.

Contact Sharon:672-8768/ 223-3303

Page 19

Property for sale @ Canal #2, 1 Mazda Demio, 1 Pressure Washer, Still garden pump: Owner leaving countrycall:691-0875 1- 10 RB Dragline, 1- F150 Ford Truck- Call: 687-6174 Fluffy pups call: (Home) 2225671, cell: 641-6162 Nail Plates & Anchor Seal: 4×6, 3×6, 4×8- Call: 265-3541/ 695-4785 2 Bedford MJ trucks, price negotiable. Call Kim:658-5193 Terrier Pups for saleCall:649-4247

One (1) Dell Desktop Computer complete with one (1) HP Printer- Call:681-5441 1- Bedford Model M, GFF series: 30 Dell desktops: 260" Samsung flat screen LED/LCD- Call:255-0347/ 664-2020/ 625-0931 Pressure Washer, 10 inch Craftsman table saw, Heavyduty right angle Milwakee drill, Pair wood clampscall:223-5641 1 Complete 4 cylinder Kubota engine on bedcall:666-4000/257-0193

Pure Bred Rottweiler puppies Call: 227-8028, 604-7105

Large land @ Bagotville, W.B.D: Great for farming/ residence $6.5- Call: 6000036/223-1719 Gold & Diamond land, Berbice district (1)- Call: 6000036/223-1719 GPS NAP 76 Garmin brandCall: 600-0036/223-1719 RABBITS -$2000 each- Call: 650-0814 3 Piece sofa set & fridgeCall: 650-0814 CRV PMM series call:6925460 Honda Civic Sports engine in super condition, stick gear: For info Call:625-0248

Promix starting at $ 7 , 5 0 0 , green formula (growing mix)- Call: 6152346/263-5300 3 Fiber Glass Boats And Trailer $1.4M (Negotiable) Can Be Sold Separately, Best Offer AcceptedCall:699-1711 Fluffy Dashund PuppiesCall:666-5199/ 669-8421

2008 Honda CBR, 600RRCall:610-0785 2- 07 Toyota AvensisCall:698-0674 Leading Auto: Unregistered Runx, Premio, 212, Allion, Spacio, IST- Call:677-7666/ 610-7666 Toyota Altezza, PNN, triptronic- Call: 622-0108

MASSAGE American Style massage services- Call:678-7499.

LAND FOR SALE House lot for sale: Friendship EBD & drafting of house plans. Call: 2230733, 223-0730 2- Acres cultivated, 2-1 Acres cultivated, 7 Acres cultivated, citrus, house, fish pond, storage at ParikaCall:226-7968

Nissan pick-up in excellent condition, suitable for small business or farmers: Price negotiable- Call: 616-0504/ 223-2068 Toyota Corona 170: Good working condition: HB series: $375,000- Call:665-8995

1 Toyota G-Touring wagon PHH series $900,000, 1 Toyota AE 192 PHH series $800,000 (negotiable) owner migrating- Call:673-9138/ 641-6239 1 Leyland DAF 60 single axle & dump- Call:613-6615/2161315 New 2013 Isuzu: D-Max single & double cabs- Call:691-0234

2 House Lots (39×150 & 38×150) $16M each: Blankenburg public road, W.C.D- Call: 658-0132

Just arrived: New RX8 cars & Spacios- Call:684-3374Clean! Clean!

Grove/Diamond $5M, $5.5M, $4M, $6.5M, $3.5M: 6727390, 225-0854, 2250843

2 Ford F150: Price $4.5M & $3.5M- Call: 643-5249 / 2654979

Eccles New Scheme 50 x 100 $5.5M: 6727390, 2250854, 2250843

2006 320i BMW- body kit, sports tuned, immaculate condition, low mileage: Price $4.8M negotiable- Call:6240371/629-6264

Tuschen 5 Bedrooms, 2 Stories concrete $29.5M: 2250854,2250854,6727390

Tushen Flat house 2 Bedrooms concrete double lot $9.5M: 2250854, 2250853, 6727390

Cosmetology, Nail Technology and Wig making courses @ BeautopiaCall:604-3002/629-3497 Acrylic Nails $2000, pedicure $2000, nails $1800, facials $2500 etc. Done in Parfaite Harmony & Grove- Call:6610143

1 Toyota Tacoma 4x2 – 1997; $1.6 million; not registered Phone:265-2103, 611-0674

1 Toyota Raum, Vitz, AT212, AT192, AT170, Ceres, Hilux Pickup Solid DEF, EP82 & 71 Starlet-Call:644-5096 /697-1453

Parfait Harmonie- $1.5M, $2M, $2.5M: 2250853, 2250854, 6727390

SALON Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773

1- 8340 (4) Wheel drive Ford and 135 MF tractor: In excellent condition: Please call:601-7535

1 Mercedes Benz C200: PNN 6967- Call: 680-4990 / 2773033

Republic Park 7 Bedrooms, 2 Stories Concrete, Fixed kitchen very spacious $40M, 2250854,2250853,6727390

155 Leyland DAF excellent working condition: Price $3.5M (negotiable)Call:656-8346 Used Massey TractorsMF175, 275, 1100, 1130, Ford 5000, Yanmar Vegetable Tractors square axle & wheel- Call: 675-9314

Unregistered Toyota Sienta: 7 seats: 1500cc- Call:617-5536

1 Baby Play Pen & diaper changer; 1 Baby swing; 1 Imac computer; 1 printer; 1 Whirpool dryer; 1 Welding plan. Tele: 662-6045

Pure Bred Rottweiler puppies; Romel:653-6281 6" & 8" Flood control pump with engine, tool sets, ploughs, chippers, slasher, massey ferguson loaderCall:675-9314

Glanza EP 91 Starlet Turbo charged, stick shift- Contact No.648-3248

Middle Street Poudroyen 2 Bedrooms Flat house 39x150: 2250854,2250853,672-7390 CAR RENTAL Progressive Auto Rental cars from $4000 per day.

Call 643-5122, 225-8711; email www. progressive autorental. com Premio, Vitz call: 689-6668 A i d a n ’s C a r R e n t a l & Pickup- Call: 645-7981/ 698-7807

Toyota Alex (2004): Mags, black interior, CD, rear spoiler, never registeredCall:269-0432/686-0323 Toyota Fielder $2.1M, Premio $2.6M, Axio $2.9M: Vehicles fully loaded & unregistered- call: 617-2891 Lexus, Pitbull never registered- Call:655-0800/ 263-5300 First Class Auto: Spacio, IST, Verossa, 212- Call:6098188/ 226-2689 1 Toyota Land-cruiser Prado PMM series- call:225-0188/ 225-6070 One Mitsubishi Canter, 16 feet tray: GNN series: Price $3M- Call:612-0320 HILUX SOLID DIFF: 2L Diesel Engine, Excellent condition: UK Auto 60 Brickdam- Call:227-0424/ 676-6429 (Continued on page 18)

Page 20

Kaieteur News

Monday July 08, 2013

Monday July 08, 2013

Kaieteur News

MTV CHANNEL 14/ CABLE 65 Sign On 05:30hrs Dharan Kai AwazThe Voice of Dharma 06:00hrs Islamic Perspective 06:30hrs The Diary 07:00hrs DAY BREAK (live) 08:00hrs Dabi’s Musical Hour 08:30hrs Avon Video & DVD music hour 09:00hrs Current affairs 09:15hrs Top Notch Music Break 09:30hrs Caribbean Temptation music break 10:00hrs Amanda’s music break 10:30hrs Comfort Sleep Musical 11:00hrs Salvation Message with Pastor Kelvin 11:15hrs The View 12:00hrs Village Talk: Belle

West 12:30hrs The Young and The Restless 13:30hrs Days of Our lives 14:00hrs General Hospital 15:00hrs The Katie Couric Show 16:00hrs The Bold and the Beautiful 16:30hrs Cartoons 17:00hrs Birthdays & other Greetings 17:15hrs Death Announcements/ In Memoriam 17:30hrs Sitcom 18:00hrs Aracari Resort Hour 19:00hrs CNN News 19:30hrs News Update 20:30hrs Getting it Right 21:30hrs Sports Watch 22:00hrs Movie: Father’s day 23:00hrs News Update 22:30hrs English Movie:

Father’s day Sign Off

DTV CHANNEL 8 08:25 hrs. Sign On 08:30 hrs. This Morning 09:00 hrs. Live! With Kelly and Michael 10:00 hrs. Roseanne 11:00 hrs. The View 12:00 hrs. World News 12:30 hrs. The Young and the Restless 13:30 hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 14:00 hrs. The Talk 15:00 hrs. Without a Trace 16:00 hrs. Criminal Minds 17:00 hrs. Charmed 18:00 hrs. World News 18:30 hrs. Nightly News 19:00 hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:00 hrs. Channel 8 News 21:00 hrs. DTV'S Summer Movie Fest 23:00 hrs. Sign Off

Monday July 08, 2013 ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) An important relationship, perhaps an older person or someone in authority, may come into focus today. There could be some tension or sense of opposition requiring compromise or negotiation on your part.

TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) A library or museum has intriguing possibilities for today and if you had no previous plans, your family will follow you anywhere, particularly if you have the food. Perhaps a planetarium show or a stroll through the zoo would be fun.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21) You may find your patience running thin today, causing you to be at odds with others. You may be going against tradition and become too independent for group approval.

You could become carried away under this kind of pressure and make mistakes.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) This is a nice day that should just flow right along.

In particular, you will do well in activities that include children, young people and your home surroundings. There is support available for whatever you want to accomplish.

LEO (July 23-Aug 22) Your cravings get you in trouble now and again--even if it is just as simple as gaining a bit of weight. You may often appreciate things that are not always in your own best interest.

Your ambition and drive to grow and progress may not be fully met.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept.

23) You are able to make a positive difference today.

When you love, you love with energy and passion. You value personal contact, cutting through all the externals and getting to the heart of things.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) Making spirit matter and making the ideal real by bringing it down to earth--is the mood today. Perhaps there is a fear of losing oneself in the beginning, perhaps a push to accomplish and achieve seems more important just now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) In some sense, just being you is the goal itself and the means of traveling to that goal.

Others sense that your life is important. You are your own reason for being. Today you think about goals and visions and ideals.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 Dec. 21) You can demonstrate great understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others just now and are in a good position to communicate concerning groups and society in general. Perhaps some volunteer service is in order.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22.Jan. 20) You are able to enjoy and value your own life situation. Catching up on personal projects, preparing for the workweek, working in a garden or flowerbed seems to be the routine of the day. Friends may try to entice you to gossip, but you show the courage to move into different directions.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19) You prefer the forest to the desert, the common to the uncommon. You are at home in ideas of man's essential unity.

Religious and psychological ideas are talked about with peers and you may discover the need for a book someone is reading.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) You can find new ways to relate with others and you look for opportunities to use your newly achieved knowledge.

Very tolerant and accepting of differences, you have good insight into all social values.

Page 21

Robbery victim believes Police are not “interested enough” in bringing criminals to justice A Regent Street businesswoman who was attacked and robbed at her business spot two Saturdays ago is discontented with the efforts made by Police thus far to apprehend her armed assailants and she strongly believes that they are not “interested enough”.

The woman said that her ordeal was not a unique one and according to the Police, sufficient information was available for them to track down the perpetrators.

She said that police from the Alberttown Police Station informed her that the bandits were on a rampage and that several other reports had been received that gunmen with the identical description struck at other business venues that very day.

The woman said that the police told her that they have a clue who the criminals are.

However, she is yet to receive an update of any sort from the police. “Nothing has been done, no phone call, nothing,” she said.

Further, she said that added to the fact that they hurriedly dealt with the issue on the evening that it happened, claiming that they were “tired and wanted to go home and rest”, the police were reluctant to ‘stretch their efforts’ so as to gain access to critical information that would assist in the case.

She said that the entire episode of the robbery had been captured by Government’s CCTV system on Regent Street as well as on systems owned by a few private business owners in the vicinity.

However, when she requested that the police use the footage recorded on the cameras, she was told “some of the cameras don’t even work and they could only get the footage if something happens to the ‘big ones’.”

Recalling the events of the evening, the woman related that at about 18:30

hours, two men emerged from a “dark coloured car” bearing no number plate, which was parked some distance away from her business location.

During the horrific events that ensued, her total day’s sale was lost and she and two of her members of staff were assaulted.

The woman said that during the ordeal, which

lasted no more than five minutes, some of the gun shots that were fired missed her by mere inches.

She lamented that although she was placed in a situation where she almost lost her life, the law enforcement officers cannot provide her with justice and are allowing criminals to run free.

Page 22

Kaieteur News

Monday July 08, 2013

Huge crowds rally in Egypt, political process blocked CAIRO (Reuters) Hundreds of thousands of supporters and opponents of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi gathered in Cairo and Alexandria yesterday, two days after similar gatherings led to nationwide clashes that claimed more than 30 lives.

The huge crowds, likely to stay out on the streets until the early hours, raised the risk of further violence while a military-driven plan to resolve the political crisis remained mired in mistrust and confusion, dashing hopes of a quick fix.

Protesters opposed to Mursi crammed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square and at the presidential palace in a festive atmosphere. Unlike Friday there were no running street battles with Mursi’s supporters and soldiers, despite a much bigger turnout.

Those who backed Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement concentrated in vast numbers outside a mosque in the northeast of the city, and outside the Republican Guard barracks where Mursi was being held

and three people were killed on Friday.

“We will not leave until Mursi returns. Otherwise we’ll die as martyrs,” said 55-yearold Hanim Ahmad Ali AlSawi, wearing a veil over her face in the searing sun, as soldiers and policemen looked on from behind barbed wire. She had been there with her five children for the last three days.

Mursi was toppled on Wednesday in a takeover the military denied was a coup.

The army said it stepped in to enforce the will of millions of Egyptians who rallied on June 30 demanding his resignation.

But while Mursi’s ouster was met with scenes of jubilation, it angered Islamists who held protests on Friday in which some 1,400 people were wounded in addition to those killed.

In Alexandria, where 14 people died on Friday, clashes broke out again, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The violence across the Arab world’s most populous state saw rival factions fighting street battles in

central Cairo and many others cities and towns, and underlined the pressing need for a swift and inclusive political solution.

Egypt’s allies in the West, including main aid donors the United States and the European Union, and in Israel, with which Egypt has had a U.S.-backed peace treaty since 1979, have looked on with increasing alarm.

As darkness fell, antiMursi demonstrators packet Tahrir Square, the cradle of the movement to unseat him, which holds some 350,000, spilling out into adjoining streets and squares.

There were loud cheers when military jets left trails in the sky that formed the shape of a heart above the square, a tactic employed by the military for the last three days to underscore their authority. A troupe of folk musicians played darabukka drums and mizmar flutes in a celebratory atmosphere.

On the other side of the city, tens of thousands more anti-Brotherhood protesters had gathered outside the presidential palace.

Supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi chant slogans while carrying a big banner of Mursi in Cairo yesterday. (Reuters) Mohamed Manndouh, a 21-year-old business studies student, reflected the mood among many who back the military intervention. “I came out to protest today because we reject the terror of the Brotherhood,” he said near Tahrir Square.

Many tens of thousands of men, women and children gathered at a Brotherhood sitin near the mosque, where some have braved the heat since Wednesday.

Soldiers searched people before they entered the area.

Ahmad Sobhi, 28, a theology graduate from the Islamic Azhar university, said he had been protesting in Cairo since June 28.

“We took democratic steps, we voted on the constitution and for the president. We progressed. Now we’re back to square one.”

For many Islamists, the overthrow of Egypt’s first freely elected president was a bitter reversal that raised fears of a return to the suppression they endured for decades under autocratic rulers like Hosni Mubarak, himself toppled in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

The transitional authorities had been set to appoint liberal politician Mohamed ElBaradei, a favorite of young anti-Mursi protest leaders, before his candidacy was thrown into doubt when a hardline Islamist party objected.

The abrupt U-turn due to opposition from the Nour Party, Egypt’s second Islamist force after the Brotherhood, highlighted the challenge the military faces in finding consensus among

liberals and conservatives on who should run the country and what direction they should lead it in.

“We extend our hand to everyone,” a presidential spokesman told reporters late on Saturday. “The Muslim Brotherhood has plenty of opportunities to run for all elections including the coming presidential elections or the ones to follow.”

Minutes after he spoke, state media reported that the public prosecutor had ordered four top Brotherhood leaders arrested this week to be detained for a further 15 days on accusations of inciting violence against protesters.

Authorities sealed the burned-out national headquarters of the Brotherhood, and the offices of its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, as part of the investigation.

The Brotherhood has said it wants nothing to do with the military’s plans for a new interim government. It wants Mursi reinstated and has pledged to keep protesting until he is.

The military has shown no sign of moving to dislodge the Islamists and may be hoping t h a t s w e l t e r i n g summer heat and the onset of the Ramadan Muslim fasting month from Tuesday will gradually wear them down.

The Nour Party, the Brotherhood’s rival for the Islamist vote, had agreed to the army-backed transition plan leading to new elections.

Its withdrawal from the process would strip that plan of Islamist legitimacy.

We cannot determine our destiny, but we do have a choice of a philosophy that will influence the direction of our life.

On Saturday, President Barack Obama condemned the violence and said the United States was not working with any particular party or group in Egypt.

Washington has not condemned the military takeover or called it a coup, prompting suspicion within the Brotherhood that it tacitly supports the overthrow.

Obama has ordered a review to determine whether annual U.S. assistance of $1.5 billion, most which goes to the Egy p t i a n m i l i t a r y, should be cut off as required by law if a country’s military ousts a democratically elected leader.

But U.S. lawmakers said that was unlikely to happen.

“We should continue to support the military, the one stabilizing force in Egypt that I think can temper down the political feuding,” U.S. Representative Mike Rogers said on CNN’s “State of the Union”.

Egypt can ill afford to lose foreign aid. The country appears headed for a looming funding crunch unless it can quickly access money from overseas. The local currency has lost 11 percent of its value since late last year.

The governor of Egypt’s central bank, Hisham Ramez, flew to Abu Dhabi on Sunday, officials at Cairo airport said, following Egyptian media reports Cairo was seeking financial aid from Gulf states after Mursi was toppled.

Egypt’s foreign reserves fell $1.12 billion in June to $14.92 billion, representing less than three months of imports.

Only about half are in the form of cash or in securities that can easily be spent, and the IMF considers three months to be the minimum safe cushion for reserves.

Monday July 08, 2013

Kaieteur News

America’s NSA “in bed with” Germany and most others – Snowden (Reuters) - America’s National Security Agency works closely with Germany and other Western states on a ‘no questions asked’-basis, former NSA employee Edward Snowden said in comments that undermine Chancellor Angela Merkel’s indignant talk of “Cold War” tactics.

“They are in bed with the Germans, just like with most other Western states,” German magazine Der Spiegel quotes him as saying in an interview published on Sunday that was carried out before he fled to Hong Kong in May and divulged details of extensive secret U.S. surveillance.

“Other agencies don’t ask us where we got the information from and we don’t ask them. That way they can protect their top politicians from the backlash in case it emerges how massively people’s privacy is abused worldwide,” he said.

His comments about cooperation with governments overseas, which he said were led by the NSA’s Foreign Affairs Directorate, appear to contradict the German government’s show of surprise at the scale of the U.S. electronic snooping.

Germany has demanded explanations for Snowden’s allegations of large-scale spying by the NSA, and by Britain via a programme codenamed ‘Tempora’, on their allies including Germany and other European Union states, as well as EU institutions and embassies.

Chancellor Angela Merkel pointed out during President

Barack Obama’s recent visit that Germany had avoided terrorist attacks thanks to information from allies. But she says there must be limits to the intrusion on privacy and wants this discussed next week in parallel with the start of EU-U.S. free trade talks.

Berlin has alluded repeatedly to “Cold War” tactics - Merkel used the term again on Saturday at a political rally - and has said spying on friends is unacceptable.

Her spokesman has said a transatlantic trade deal requires a level of “mutual trust”.

The domestic intelligence chief has said he knew nothing of such widespread surveillance by the NSA. But German opposition parties with an eye on September’s federal election - insist that somebody in Merkel’s office, where the German intelligence agencies are coordinated, must have known what was going on.

The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Der Spiegel report, which follows a report last week in French daily Le Monde saying France also had an extensive surveillance programme.

Der Spiegel has reported that on an average day, the NSA monitored about 20 million German phone connections and 10 million internet data sets, rising to 60 million phone connections on busy days.

Germans are particularly sensitive about eavesdropping because of

the intrusive surveillance in the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) and during the Nazi era.

Snowden, a U.S. citizen, fled in May a few weeks before the details he provided about the NSA were published and is believed to have been holed up in Moscow airport since June 23.

Bolivia offered asylum on Saturday to Snowden, joining leftist allies Venezuela and Nicaragua in defiance of Washington, which is demanding his arrest for divulging details of the secret U.S. spy programs.

Der Spiegel said the interview was conducted while Snowden was living in Hawaii, via encrypted emails with U.S. documentary maker Laura Poitras and hacker Jacob Appelbaum.

Snowden told them that America’s closest allies sometimes went even further than the NSA in their zeal for gathering data.

The Tempora programme of Britain’s GCHQ eavesdropping agency is known in the intelligence world as a “full take”.

“It sucks up all information, no matter where it comes from and which laws are broken,” Snowden said.

“If you send a data packet and goes through Britain, we’ll get it. If you download anything, and the server is in Britain, we’ll get it.”

If the NSA is ordered to target an individual, it virtually take over that person’s data “so the target’s computer no longer belongs to him, it more or less belongs to the U.S. government”

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Zimbabwe’s Tsvangirai says no chance of fair vote (Reuters) - Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, launching his third campaign to unseat veteran President Robert Mugabe, said nothing had been achieved to ensure a fairer vote but even God now wanted Mugabe to go.

Tsvangirai, who made a failed attempt to have the July 31 election delayed, said Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party was using bureaucratic obstacles and tricks such as keeping dead people on the electoral roll to try to hold onto power.

He said that would fail because Zimbabweans were itching to remove ZANU-PF after 33 years in office and a record of disastrous economic management.

“We don’t think even God wants Zimbabwe to remain in a permanent state of suffering,” the 61-year-old former union leader told thousands of cheering supporters. “We know that we did not get the reforms that we wanted but because we are people who believe in God, we will succeed.”

At his own campaign launch on Friday, Mugabe said Zanu-PF would finish off Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) with a resounding victory.

Both ZANU-PF and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission have denied any attempt to rig the election.

Tsvangirai’s party wanted the delay in the vote to allow media and security reforms, including equal access to Zimbabwe’s only broadcaster ZBC, which is owned by the

Morgan Tsvangirai state but is in the grip of ZANU-PF. Although ZBC carried Mugabe’s election campaign launch live on Friday, MDC officials said it had demanded $165,000 to broadcast Tsvangirai’s rally on Sunday.

The MDC also wants the military, which openly campaigns for Mugabe, to stay out of politics and sign an agreement to accept the result if Mugabe loses. Army commanders often say they would not salute Tsvangirai if he won an election.

The 89-year-old Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980. He and Tsvangirai were forced into a power sharing deal after the last, disputed polls in 2008.

Tsvangirai said an MDC administration would repair an economy, wracked by food and fuel shortages, that had shrunk by 40 percent under ZANU-PF before it was rescued by the coalition formed after the 2008 polls.

He said he would create a

million jobs in five years.

Around four fifths of Zimbabwe’s working-age population is jobless.

“We just don’t want to remove ZANU-PF and Robert Mugabe, but we are here to provide a better future,” Tsvangirai said, warning of renewed hardship as he waved a bundle of the old Zimbabwe dollar notes that were abandoned in favour of the U.S. currency when inflation hit over 500 billion percent five years ago.

Political analysts say another contested result could interrupt impoverished Zimbabwe’s recovery from a decade of economic decline that has forced hundreds of thousands to flee the southern African country.

There has been little of the violence and intimidation seen before past elections and Tsvangirai said his MDC believed it would “win, and win big”. But he said that, whoever wins, the legitimacy of the result was under threat.

“What we have witnessed in the last few weeks is a concerted effort designed to rob the election of legitimacy,” he said.

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Britain’s Labour leader seeks to Merkel’s road to a third limit damage from union row term could be rocky

(Reuters) - The leader of Britain’s opposition said he wanted to ‘mend, not end’ Labour’s links to trade unions yesterday in a bid to limit the damage from a row over outside influence.

Two years ahead of an election, the row has put the Labour party and Ed Miliband under pressure and handed some political momentum back to the ruling Conservative Party, which has been struggling with its own divisions and flagging in opinion polls.

Britain’s biggest union, Unite, has been accused of hijacking the selection of a candidate to contest a parliamentary seat in the Scottish town of Falkirk to boost its influence in government. Unite said it operated within Labour’s rules.

“The events we have seen in Falkirk have betrayed the values of our party,” Miliband wrote in Sunday’s Observer paper, while stressing that “ordinary working people” were an asset to Labour and that links to the unions would remain.

Ed Miliband “We should mend the relationship, not end it,” he said.

On Friday, Labour said it had handed evidence to police investigators supporting allegations of malpractice at Falkirk.

The incident has put Labour’s long-standing links with unions, who are the party’s biggest source of funding, in the spotlight and on Thursday prompted Miliband’s election coordinator, Tom Watson, to resign that position.

“It is at heart an ideological battle, a political

battle between those who want to take Labour back to the 70s and 80s... and those like Ed Miliband who want to see us move increasingly towards an open party,” said former Labour Cabinet minister John Reid in an interview with the BBC. The row has galvanised the ruling Conservative party which, only weeks ago, had looked weakened by disagreements on Britain’s membership of the European Union. A vote on the European Union on Friday won overwhelming Conservative support.

“While Ed Miliband has been struggling to gain control of a Labour Party that’s busy tearing itself apart, Conservatives have voted to give the public a say on our future in Europe,” said Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps.

Labour have led the Conservatives in the polls during an economic slump, but Miliband’s personal ratings have been weaker than the prime minister’s or those of Tony Blair, who won three elections for Labour.

(Reuters) - The German election is still more than two months away but for many the vote’s final chapter has already been written.

Angela Merkel, it is widely assumed, is cruising to a third victory at the polls. When she wins, the thinking goes, there will be few, if any, major changes to German policy.

The vote could well play out according to script.

Merkel’s conservatives hold a dominant 16-19 point lead over the next strongest party, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), and recent polls suggest she may be able to renew her centre-right coalition with the Free Democrats (FDP) after September 22nd.

But should she fail to secure a parliamentary majority with the FDP, the election aftermath is likely to be far messier than many casual observers of German politics presume.

In this scenario, Merkel would probably have to pay a very heavy price in terms of policy concessions to stay in the Chancellery.

And her exit could not be ruled out. In a note this week, J.P. Morgan analyst Alex White put the chance Merkel will be booted out of office after the election at 20 percent.

“If the election result produces neither a centre-left or centre-right majority, which seems very likely, then we will witness the most difficult, protracted and dramatic coalition negotiations in the history of the Federal Republic,” Heribert Prantl wrote in an editorial in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily.

“The winner takes it all?

That may work for Abba but not in German politics,” he wrote, referring to a song by the Swedish pop band. “The chancellor will not necessarily be the one that comes out on top.” Under the German political system, leaders must secure a majority in the Bundestag lower house of parliament to rule.

Merkel’s conservatives may be far ahead of the SPD in opinion polls, but they are unlikely to win more than 40 percent of the vote on election day, meaning she will have to find a partner to stay in power.

If she can’t do that with the FDP, which may not reach the 5 percent threshold to enter the Bundestag, the likelihood is that she turns to the SPD, with whom she ruled in her first term between 2005 and 2009.

The problem this time around is that the SPD is

Angela Merkel dead-set on avoiding a “grand coalition” under Merkel.

That’s because the party is still haunted by their previous partnership, when Merkel co-opted many of her rival’s policy ideas, coaxed away its supporters and left the SPD with its worst election result in the post-war era four years ago.

Senior members of the party are vowing to prevent a repeat in September — even if it leads to months of postelection uncertainty.

“Anyone who believes the SPD is going to jump right back into a grand coalition doesn’t know the mood in the party nor the power of the states,” said a leading figure in the SPD who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

After a string of regional victories in recent years, the SPD now governs in 13 of Germany’s 16 states. The party’s regional barons are particularly worried about another “grand coalition” and are exerting huge pressure on the SPD leadership to explore other options after the vote.

“There are a lot of people in our party that would prefer to see Merkel partner with the Greens than do another grand coalition,” the SPD leader said.

Despite the reluctance, Frank Decker, a political scientist at Bonn University, believes the SPD will not be able to avoid partnering with Merkel if she fails to get her preferred centre-right majority. That’s because all other coalition combinations seem far-fetched.

With her decision to pull out of nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster in Japan, Merkel removed the biggest hurdle to a partnership with the environmentalist Greens, a combination that has been tried at state but never at the federal level.

But the cultural divide and policy gap between the parties, particularly on economic issues, are seen as

too big to overcome.

The same holds true for a so-called “traffic light” coalition between the SPD, Greens and FDP, or what Germans call a “Jamaica” coalition between the CDU, FDP and Greens, because the colours of the respective parties match those of the Jamaican flag.

An additional variant involving the SPD, Greens and far-left “Linke”, or Left party, has been definitively ruled out by the SPD. And the option that has some in Merkel’s entourage worried — a minority government of the SPD and Greens, with the tacit support of the Left in parliament — is also seen as a no-go in stability-obsessed Germany.

Still, if the election result is not clear-cut, the expectation is that the major parties will sound each other out on most of these combinations.

Everyone will be talking to everyone, meaning talks on forming a new government could stretch well into November, as they did in 2005 when incumbent Gerhard Schroeder initially refused to concede defeat to Merkel because of her razor-thin margin of victory.

If the SPD does buckle and link up with Merkel again, the consensus is that it will demand — and eventually get — its pound of flesh in terms of policy concessions.

This could lead a new Merkel government to take a tougher line on banks, push up spending and raise taxes on high earners, even if she has ruled this out during her campaign. On the margins, it could also lead to a more progrowth approach in Europe.

“The SPD will try to find one theme that they can really force on Merkel,” said Peter Loesche, professor emeritus at Goettingen University. “Taxes is a good place to start. Merkel will have no other alternative.”

A poll this week for public television station ARD showed that 81 percent of Germans expect Merkel to remain chancellor after the vote, compared to just 13 percent who see her SPD challenger Peer Steinbrueck taking power.

But the complexities of coalition-building and the possibility that other parties, like the anti-euro “Alternative for Germany”, make it into parliament, mean that Merkel may have a bigger fight on her hands than is commonly assumed.

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Brazil was target of U.S. signals spying, Globo newspaper says RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The U.S. National Security Agency monitored the telephone and email activity of Brazilian companies and individuals in the past decade as part of U.S. espionage activities, the Globo newspaper reported y e s t e r d a y, citing documents provided by fugitive Edward Snowden, a former NSA intelligence contractor.

The newspaper did not say how much traffic was monitored by NSA computers and intelligence officials. But the Globo article pointed out that in the Americas, Brazil was second only to the United States in the number of transmissions intercepted.

Brazil was a priority nation for the NSA communications surveillance alongside China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan, Globo said.

In the 10-year period, the NSA captured 2.3 billion phone calls and messages in the United States and then

Edward Snowden used computers to analyze them for signs of suspicious activity, the paper said. In the United States, the NSA used legal but secret warrants to compel communications companies to turn over information about calls and emails for analysis.

Some access to Brazilian communications was obtained through American companies that were partners with Brazilian

telecommunications companies, the paper reported, without naming the companies.

The Globo article was written by Glenn Greenwald, Roberto Kaz and José Casado. Greenwald, who works for Britain’s Guardian newspaper and lives in Rio de Janeiro, was the journalist who first revealed classified documents provided by Snowden, outlining the extent of U.S. communications monitoring activity at home and abroad.

After providing the information to Greenwald, Snowden fled the United States for Hong Kong and was most recently seen in the transit area of the Moscow airport.

Snowden’s U.S. passport has been revoked. He has made asylum requests to several countries, including Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia. Three countries Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua - have offered to give Snowden asylum.

Monday July 08, 2013

Venezuela offers assistance to Caribbean countries PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – Venezuela has pledged to offer assistance to Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries in a number of areas including transportation, Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar said here Saturday.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro held talks with CARICOM leaders during a near hour long visit to Trinidad where the regional leaders were wrapping up their 34th annual summit.

He left the meeting without addressing the media, but President Romator told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that Presiden t M a d u r o , w h o came to power following the death of Hugo Chavez in March, made a presentation to the leaders “offering some very concrete areas in which we could cooperate and Venezuela ready to work with CARICOM...including the vex issue of transport.

“He is ready to work and put some resources into transport issues, ready to look into culture, areas of health and other areas generally, but as President Maduro was saying he is ready to work with CARICOM in many of the areas we have interest in”.

Ramotar said that the half hour meeting also discussed the Venezuela oil initiative, PetroCaribe, “not in detailed

Nicolas Maduro way because as you know only recently there was a meeting of PetroCaribe in Nicaragua, but he is also willing to work in energy with the region”.

President Ramotar said he would describe the talks as “a re-affirmation of the Chavez policy” adding “that he is continuing that strong solidarity trust President Chavez had made in the past”.

He said there was a general consensus that Caracas needed to work with the region given its close proximity, adding “I think working together would help us to pool our resources on that regard”.

President Ramotar said that the regional leaders welcomed the support for transportation given that Caracas has its own airline, cheaper fuel and t h i r d l y, t h e y a r e a l s o

thinking about maritime transportation, moving around in the region with ferries and that type of things.

“Those are of course things that have not yet been thrashed out, but these are areas I can see where we have great p o s s i b i l i t y, ” h e s a i d , adding that security was also another area for cooperation because “the fight against drugs affects all of us and drugs pass through the region, so that is another area we could have good cooperation”.

Prior to the start of the CARICOM summit here on Wednesday, regional leaders had been indicating that transportation would be the main focus, but Ramotar said he did not believe that consensus would be reached on the matter.

“I think much more work has to be done, I don’t think we would get to it to a conclusion either, but we are going to have to have bilateral and all that to try and narrow some of the difference,” he said, noting that among the differences include subsidies, which he described as “probably the biggest issue in the whole area.

“Those things I think we are trying to deal with them outside of the general meeting and probably get back to formalise a decision on that,” Ramotar said.

Government urged to implement plan for external shocks that could impact IMF agreement KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has urged the Portia Simpson Miller led administration to devise a plan for shocks that could jeoparise the deal currently in place with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

During Friday’s sitting of the Upper House, Opposition Senator, Dr. Christopher Tufton moved a motion stating that the government needs to examine how natural disasters may affect its ability to retain IMF funding.

“I refer to natural disasters – primarily hurricanes and droughts, but also some manmade catastrophes which I believe should have been included as

part if this plan with the International Monetary Fund and other multinational partners.”

Tufton recommended that an annual budgetary allocation be put in place to deal with external shocks.

“If we plan and coordinate in a more efficient way to deal with these external variables, natural disasters in particular, we can minimize the risks that we have suffered, first of all we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There are models out there that we need to emulate and adopt, we need to put this on the agenda as a matter of priority,” Tufton said.

In May 2013, the IMF approved Jamaica’s application for a four-year

Portia Simpson Miller extended fund facility.

The agreement unlocked more than US$1 billion of loan support from the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

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Cuba to provide expertise in local PM changes tune on Warner manufacture of solar panels Kamla pays tribute to former Jamaica Gleaner Jamaica is to partner with Cuba for the transfer of knowledge and technology to facilitate the local manufacture and assembly of cost effective photovoltaic (solar) light panels.

This undertaking forms part of the administration’s move towards incorporating renewable alternatives into the local energy mix, so as to reduce the country’s huge energy bill.

Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister, Phillip Paulwell, who made the disclosure during the ceremonial switching on of lights in New Forest/ Plumwood, Manchester on Wednesday, July 3, said that the Rural Electrification Programme (REP) Limited will guide the process.

This is in keeping with the agency’s new mandate, which is focused on developing renewable energy solutions for those households further than three kilometres from the national grid, and promoting energy efficiency and conservation.

He indicated at the time, that the renewable energy solutions to be developed by the agency, would target the remaining four per cent of

Phillip Paulwell rural households yet to receive electricity, in order to bring electrification islandwide to 100 per cent.

He noted that the REP, since its inception in 1975, has successfully wired over 80,000 homes in rural communities, bringing the electrification rate in rural households to 96 per cent, which he contended, is “better than most countries in the world.”

He said the Government is committed to electrifying the remaining four per cent of households, even while problems related to terrain in those areas, as well as distance from the national

grid infrastructure, of more than three kilometres in most cases, makes bringing the grid to them unfeasible.

He said it is for this reason that the focus of the REP has to be shifted to focus on renewable technologies.

He said that REP Chairman, Garnett Roper, will guide this transition, which will also include providing project management services for the design and implementation of energy solutions for major housing initiatives by agencies of the state, espe-cially where lowincome earners are the targeted beneficiaries.

“The new entity will be mandated, as we have done with Wigton (Wind Farms Limited). Wigton is a successful Government venture making money for the Jamaican people. It is also producing electricity at the cheapest rate, cheaper than oil. And so, we need more wind farms. We need to incorporate more solar energy…that is the new mission of the REP,” Mr. Paulwell stated.

Over 50 residents of New Forest/Plumwood have been provided with electricity by REP at a cost of just over $3 million.

Sir Frederick warns Govt. not to touch Dottin issue

Sir Frederick Smith

Barbados Nation - Government needs to stay far away from the controversy currently surrounding the attempted removal of Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin.

The advice has come from outspoken former Attorney General and retired Appeal Court judge, Sir Frederick “Sleepy” Smith.

According to Sir Frederick, if either Prime Minister Freundel Stuart or Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite got involved, it could amount to “serious political interference”.

He issued the warning Saturday as he spoke to men who attended the third and final legal clinic hosted by the Men’s Educational Support Association (MESA).

“Government should have no reason to get involved in the matter at this stage,” Sir Frederick said in the hall of the school named after him (formerly St James Secondary). “If they get involved now, I would call it political interference.”

MP for resurgence of UNC Trinidad Express - Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar has said she was in a state of anguish over the circumstances surrounding former chairman of the United National Congress (UNC) Jack Warner and the lead-up to the Chaguanas West byelection.

During her last week forum at Vishnu Boys Hindu School in Caroni, PersadBissessar pulled no punches as she said she couldn’t saddle the people of Chaguanas West with Warner because he had too many controversies hanging over his head.

She said he refused to travel overseas and his problems with FIFA and the “Flying Squad”, as well as the fact that he admitted to her that both he and his family were under investigation by the US government.

But speaking at the UNC public meeting at ASJA Girls’ in Charlieville on Friday night, Persad-Bissessar paid tribute to Warner for his

contribution, along with others, to the resurgence of the UNC. “High on that list, and he will remain high on that list regardless of whatever circumstance we encounter, is the name of Austin Jack Warner,” she said.

With regard to not choosing Warner as the candidate for the Chaguanas West seat, Persad-Bissessar said she had “no quarrel with him” and merely gave supporters information she felt was relevant to help them make their choice in this election. She added that following Warner ’s resignation from the seat and the chairmanship, there was a perception the party had turned its back on Warner.

“Let me tell each and every one of you, no one, absolutely no one, would understand the anguish I have experienced over this entire matter.”

She said, “No one is conscious of the contribution and sacrifice

Kamla Persad-Bissessar made by so many persons towards the resurgence of our great party,” she said, adding Warner was high on the list. Persad-Bissessar reminded that even as he faced scrutiny, she had “entrusted the critical responsibility of National Security to Mr Warner...such was the faith and trust I had in him.”

She said the by-election was not of her making but that “destiny” had conspired to bring things to this point.

“The (election) is in your hand,” Persad-Bissessar said.

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$$$Billions in Contracts for UNC Financier US MONITORS SUSPICIOUS DEALS AS CASH SENT OUT OF T&T Trinidad Guardian - An international financial investigative agency has information that a Government financier has amassed over a billion dollars in contracts over the three years that the People’s Partnership has been in power. This was revealed Saturday by forensic and fraud auditing specialist Stephon Grey.

Grey is the managing director at BDO Forensic Accounting, the world’s fifth largest network of auditing firms; a sub-contractor at Kroll UK Ltd, the world’s leading forensic and investigative group; and the director of education at the Caribbean Institute of Forensic Accounting. He is considered to be one of the leading forensic accounting consultants in the region.

Grey was at the time speaking at a forum titled A Proper Procurement Framework as a Tool for National Development, put on by Anointed Professionals Exhibiting Excellence (Apex) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of-Spain, Saturday. He spoke on the topic Conducting Effective Procurement Investigations and said that any procurement legislation being considered must treat first with the issue of political party financing.

Addressing the need to conduct due diligence and background checks when considering the awarding of contracts, Grey said this was a process well followed in

developed countries, but “we don’t do it in Trinidad.”

He said that this lack of due diligence had resulted in the largest contract awarded in the country over the last two years in a methanol deal, going to a non-existent company trading under the name Trinidad Development Company, and it was only when it was pointed out after the fact that such company was not registered in this country that the fact became known.

“Who is behind the company and whether or not the contracts have gone to political party financiers is something that international agencies pay attention to,” he said. Grey said he is amazed at the kind of information that foreign international agencies have about this country and other places in the Caribbean, information that was gathered through investigation.

He said while politicians may tell the public that the Corruption Perception Index is just perception, it is not so.

He said “perception is just 20 per cent” and the “other 80 per cent is actually predication and preliminary investigations that are conducted.”

“Many of our public officials who feel they are quite smart look up on the internet and see these havens and they want to send their money to Lichtenstein and to Antigua,” he said, adding there is really no way to hide those transactions since “all wire transfer intermediary

banks are American banks.”

“So these officials are not that smart. The American agencies have every single wire transfer, from who and where and whatsoever,” he said.

He said the foreign entities currently have a lot of information on contracts and monies given to one PP financier. “One agency told us just last week that one certain political party financier has already received, in the three years from the current adminstration, over one billion in contracts.” He refused, however, to divulge the name of financier or the company or companies which had benefitted from the contracts.

Contacted yesterday about the Grey’s claim, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan said, “I would be very sceptical to belive such information unless there is evidence to substantiate such a claim.”

When told the source of the information, Ramlogan said if the source were a government agency the information would be deemed more credible, since “they may possess the legal authority and power and consequentially the credibility to make such a statement. It is far too easy to make accusations and allegations without any proof,” he said To substantiate his claim, he said he recalled a Sunday Guardian story earlier this year which claimed a

Stephon Grey government minister was under investigation by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) for paying off a mortgage at the rate of $42,000 a day in cash at a local bank. He said both the bank and FIU subsequently denied the allegation, but did not prevent the story from making front page “We have to be very careful,” he said, suggesting an agenda may be

at play.

“Private organisations with political agendas are a feature of our politics and this is the silly season,” Ramlogan said.

“It is suspicious that anyone who claims to have such information will not report it or share it with the proper and relevant law enforcement agency.

“If the evidence exists it should be shared with the Financial Investigations Unit (FIU) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). If it is shared with me I will have no difficulty in treating with it or passing it.”

Also in his presentation, Grey, speaking about “external investigations,” said law enforcement officials must have relationships with external bodies who have information to share. He said nine times out of ten, persons amassing millions in contracts and bribes do not bank their

money in Trinidad and Tobago. Foreign agencies, he said, can tell local law enforcement agencies “what are the wire transfers going out and who are the political or public officials who have accounts in offshore havens.”

“The United States can tell your Police Commissioner, one phone call, and give him a list of all public officials and where they bank. But it all comes back to the political will. If the political financiers are controlling the public officials, then they don’t want to make that phone call,” he said.

Asked whether or not the information about the contracts and money transactions revealed by the foreign agency would be known by either the Financial Investigative Bureau or the FIU, he said all it would take to find out is the “political will” and a phone call to the relevant foreign agency.

CARICOM Free Movement Bill tabled Jamaica Observer Kingston, Jamaica — A Bill to amend the Caribbean Community (Free Movement of Skilled Persons) Act, to broaden the categories of skilled nationals able to access jobs in regional countries has been tabled in the House of Representatives, by Minister of Labour and Social Security, Derrick Kellier.

The Bill provides for the introduction of a single certificate system, and it also seeks to implement fees to provide financing for administrative services for the processing and issue of qualifying certificates as well as increase penalties to deter non-compliance with the Act. The Bill’s “Memorandum of Objects and Reasons” explains that the Caribbean Community (Free Movement of Skilled Persons) Act established the legislative framework for the phased implementation of Jamaica’s Treaty obligations under Articles 45 and 46 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, establishing the Caribbean Community, which was signed in the Bahamas on July 5, 2001.

The revised Treaty was itself implemented into domestic law by the Caribbean Community Act, and Article 45 of the Revised Treaty commits member

Derrick Kellier states to the goal of the free movement of nationals within the community.

Articles 46 of the Revised Treaty obliges Jamaica and other member states to accord categories of community nationals the right to seek employment in their respective jurisdictions, and to establish appropriate legislative, administrative and procedural arrangements to facilitate movement of nationals into and within member state jurisdictions.

The Free Movement of Skilled Persons arises from an agreed CARICOM policy that was originally separate but related to the original Protocol II of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

The agreed policy, called The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Free Movement

of Persons Act, is now enacted legislation in all the CSME Member States. It provides for the free movement of certain categories of skilled labour.

Under this legislation, persons within these categories can qualify for Skills Certificates (which allow for the free movement across the region).

Eight categories of CARICOM nationals have been eligible for free movement throughout the CSME, without the need for work permits. They are: University Graduates, Media Workers, Artistes, Musicians, Sportspersons, Managers, Technical and Supervisory Staff attached to a company and Self-Employed Persons/ Service Providers.

In addition the spouses and immediate dependent family members of these nationals will also be exempt from work permit requirements.

At the July 2006 CARICOM Summit, it was agreed to allow for free movement of two more categories of skilled persons; tertiary-trained Teachers and Nurses.

It was also agreed that higglers, artisans, domestic workers and hospitality workers are to be added to the categories of labour allowed free movement at a later date, pending the agreement of an appropriate certification.

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Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon Andy Murray won his first Wimbledon title and ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s champion with a hard-fought victory over world number one Novak Djokovic. The Scot, 26, converted his fourth championship point in a dramatic final game to win 64 7-5 6-4 and claim his second major title.

In an atmosphere reminiscent of his Olympic final win last summer, Murray was willed on by the majority of the 15,000 spectators on Centre Court, thousands watching on the nearby big screen and millions more around the country.

The final game was a battle in itself, with Murray seeing three match points slip by from 40-0 and fending off three Djokovic break points with some fearless hitting, before the Serb netted a backhand to end the contest.

After a gruelling three hours 10 minutes in searing temperatures, Murray had finally followed in the footsteps of Fred Perry’s 1936 win at the All England Club.

Perry used to leap over the net in celebration, but Britain’s new champion roared in delight before sinking to his knees on the turf.

Murray then headed into the stands to celebrate with his family and support team, moments later parading the trophy around Centre Court.

He could barely believe he had won saying: “It feels slightly different to last year.

Last year was one of the toughest moments of my career, so to manage to win the tournament today... “It was an unbelievably tough match, so many long games.”

And he gathered his thoughts in a BBC TV interview telling Sue Barker: “It was tough speaking after the match. There are a lot of people who have worked with me over the last 10 or 15 years or so.

The Dunblane native

becomes Scotland’s first Wimbledon singles champion since Harold Mahony in 1896.

Murray had been on top from the outset against an unusually erratic Djokovic, finally converting his seventh break point after three dramatic games that took 20 minutes.

The home supporters were brought down immediately when Djokovic recovered the break to love, but the Serb was leaking errors and his 13th in just seven games saw Murray move clear again at 4-3.

A tense game followed after Murray, serving into the sun, opened with two double faults, but he fought his way out of three break points and served out the set to love. An hour gone, and all was going to plan for the British number one, but Djokovic began to find his range in the early stages of the second set.

The top seed got the better of two rallies approaching 30 strokes as he broke on his way to a 4-1 lead, and looked on course to level at 15-30 in the following game, but Murray would not give it up.

Having struggled to defend his own second serve, Murray now turned the tables and put the pressure on Djokovic, and the Serb succumbed with a double fault to give up his advantage in game seven.

Murray was the man in command once again and when he cracked a 128mph ace and a nerveless smash to save two break points for 44, the crowd sensed a real opportunity developing.

Djokovic was vulnerable and he showed it with a tirade at the umpire over a line call when serving at 5-5, but he had run out of Hawk-Eye challenges and moments later netted a forehand to give Murray a priceless opportunity.

Once again, Murray found his best serving form when

Sebastian Vettel....

From page 31 away from his first pit stop.

The Australian rejoined a lap behind, which he was able to make up as a result of safety car intervention, and he fought up well into the points, to beat McLaren’s Sergio Perez, Mercedes Nico Rosberg and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.

Webber’s wheel hit a cameraman from the official F1 TV company FOM. Paul Allen suffered a broken shoulder and cracked ribs but remained conscious throughout. He has been taken to Koblenz Hospital, where he is under observation.

Red Bull were subsequently fined 30,000 Euros by race stewards. The safety car was deployed because Jules Bianchi’s Marussia rolled backwards across the track after the Frenchman pulled off on lap 23 with an engine failure.

he needed it most, closing out the set to love with an ace to bring the Centre Court crowd to its feet.

The sense of hope around the stadium became something closer to disbelief when Murray raced in to pick up a drop shot and hammer a forehand on his way to a break at the start of the third, and he threatened to run away with it with seven out of eight games.

Back Djokovic came, throwing in drop shots to get the Briton on the run and reeling off four straight games on his way to a 4-2 lead, but Murray was not to be denied.

He wrestled back the initiative to level at 4-4 and surged on, hammering away at the Djokovic forehand and drawing yet another error to move 5-4 clear.

All that was left was to serve for the title, and it was never likely to be straightforward, but after 10 tortuous minutes Murray stepped in and cracked a forehand that Djokovic could only put in the net.

Monday July 08, 2013

GASA July Sprints 2013

Seaton sets new 8 & Under 50m backstroke record; George, Dylan & van Lange also shine on final day Leon Seaton set a new record in the Boys 8 and Under 50 meter Backstroke as the curtains came down on the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) July Sprints Meet competition yesterday at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

The old mark that was set

by Stephen King in 2008 of 46:64 was shattered by Seaton whose new record stands at 44:75. The young and energetic Seaton also outshone Noel Raekwon to win the Boys 8 and under 50 meter Freestyle where he set another record in the process, the new time would have to be ratified and released by the GASA. Onika George, Dylan Nurse, Leon Seaton and Britany van Lange also shone on the day. George grabbed the first podium spot in the Girls 13-14 50 meter Freestyle ahead of Accalia Khan (2nd)

and Dolly Chambers (3rd).

Nurse won the Boys 13-14 50 meter Freestyle while Joseph de Nobrega took second and Nicholas Persaud third.

Britany van Lange proved too strong for her opponents in the Girls 15-17 50 meter Freestyle, Athena Gaskin came second.

Amy Grant continued her fine form winning the Girls 1112 50 meter Freestyle; Sarah King took the runner up spot.

The Boys 11-12 50 Meter Freestyle event went to Daniel Scott while Nathon Hacket placed second.

Hannibal Gaskin won the Boys 15-17 50 meter Freestyle and Omar Dunn took second.

The first place on the podium in the Boys 18 and Under 50 meter Freestyle race was taken by Earlando Mc Rae while the second went to Joseph Seguina.

Jadyn George out sprinted Donna Carter to take the Girls 9-10 100 meter Breaststroke while Sarah

King defeated Alyssa Nurse in the Girls 11-12 100 meter Breaststroke.

Nathon Hackett won the Boys 11-12 100 meter Breaststroke while Dominic Skeete captured the Boys 1314 100 meter event; Joshua Trotman placed second.

Omari Dunn romped to victory in the boys 15-17 100 meter Breaststroke ahead of Derrick Ramsaroop. Athena Gaskin claimed the Girls 15-17 100 meter Breaststroke.

The Boys 9-10 50 meter Freestyle race went to Sekhel Tzedaq while Ken Sahadeo finished second. Naomi King carted off the Girls 9-10 50 meter Freestyle while Riley Nurse took the honours in the Girls 8 and Under 50 meter Freestyle; Aleka Persaud grabbed the runner up spot.

Omar Adams won the Boys 15-17 100 meter Backstroke while Donna Carter captured the Girls 9-10 100 meter Backstroke event.

(Zaheer Mohamed)

Tour de France 2013

Chris Froome retains yellow jersey Team Sky’s Chris Froome survived a series of ferocious attacks to retain the yellow jersey after a punishing stage nine of the Tour de France. It was won by Ireland’s Dan Martin, who outsprinted Jakob Fuglsang after the two men launched a late breakaway.

But the main drama focused on British rider Froome, who lost all of his team-mates early in the day, including Richie Porte, who started in second. Alejandro Valverde is now second, one minute 25 seconds behind Froome.

It was a gripping and engrossing stage in the Pyrenees that saw Team Sky’s Peter Kennaugh go down in an early crash and team-mate Porte, who looked so strong on Saturday as he helped Froome claim yellow, slip badly off the pace and eventually finish 17 minutes 59 seconds after the stage winner.

Froome’s grip on the yellow jersey looked to be loosening as his team-mates struggled to keep pace in a race that was splintered on the first of five punishing mountain climbs. The Garmin-Sharp team of eventual stage winner Martin were chiefly responsible with Britain’s David Millar among

A hungry Froome munches away on a sandwich as he continues his ride.

the first of their riders to up the pace.

On the second climb, Garmin-Sharp duo Tom Danielson and Ryder Hesjedal attacked and reached the summit first, while Birmingham-born Martin sprinted clear on the final mountain with Astana rider Fuglsang.

Martin and Fuglsang were allowed to move clear

by Froome because they posed less of a threat to his overall race lead than other riders in the group, and he was more concerned with keeping tabs on Movistar duo Valverde and Nairo Quintana, and SaxoTinkoff ’s two-time Tour

winner Alberto Contador.

The Movistar team maintained a well-marshalled presence towards the front of Froome’s group throughout the race and, after failing to shake off the British rider in the valleys, they tried to break him on the day’s final mountain ascent.

Three times Quintana attacked and three times Froome, who claimed yellow on Saturday, brought him back. However, the expected counter-attack from either Valverde or Contador failed to materialise and the riders all reached the final summit together.

The final 30km was predominantly downhill and

Froome was able to keep pace with his rivals as they all finished 20 seconds behind Martin. Bauke Mollema moved up to third in the general classification, with Laurens ten Dam now fourth.

Martin, 26, won a stage of this year’s Volta a Catalunya and the Liege-BastogneLiege one-day race.

Team Sky are down to eight riders after Vasil Kiryienka was forced to abandon the race after finishing outside the time limit. The first rest day of the Tour is on Monday, before the race resumes in Saint-Girons on Tuesday, with a 195km stage that is expected to finish in a bunch sprint in Saint-Malo.

Monday July 08, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 31

Digicel Schools Football Championship Marian, Kwakwani set up dream rematch Orealla ko’s Berbice defending Marian Academy and Kwakwani Secondary ensured a dream rematch for the National Schools’ Basketball Festival Under-20 title, following the trend of last year’s final where Kwakwani came out on top at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Marian made a late run to defeat Plaisance Academy 3828 Saturday night to advance to the final of the 2013 NSBF, which has Digicel, Beharry Group of Companies and Bank DIH as its main sponsors.

With the game tied at 24-24 and five minutes left in regulation time, Marian went on a 10-4 run that closed out a Plaisance A c a d e m y. M a r i a n s h u t d o w n t h e t o u r n a m e n t ’s leading scorer, Nikkoloi Smith on the defensive end and had responded well to P l a i s a n c e ’s physical basketball in crunch time.

Dominic Vincente had his best offensive performance of the national finals, dropping a game high 12 points while Dale Beresford scored 11 points to help Marian through to the grand final, which was played last night

at the indoor venue.

A well-restricted Smith had 10 points, but completely dominated the ‘boards’ with a tournament high 29 rebounds that helped Plaisance out-rebound Marian 45-25 in the game.

The defending champs, Kwakwani Secondary survived a late surge from C h r i s t i a n b u rg/Wi s m a r Secondary School (CWSS) to win 55-51 and advance to the final where they clashed with 2012 nemesis, Marian Academy for the coveted title.

Kwakwani generated most of their offence in the paint in the Upper/ Demerara Kwakwani region 10 battle; Kwakwani was breezing in the final five minutes of the game boasting a nine-point lead before CWSS made a late surge as time ran out.

With the game favoring Kwakwani 53-44, CWSS made a 7-2 run, but it was too late as the time expired. Leonard Primo scored a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds to lead Kwakwani while Shafeik Thomas and Jeremy Primo had 13 and 10 points respectively.

Te r r o n We l c h h a d a game high 17 points while Travin Dryden dropped 16 points and grabbed a mammoth 23 rebounds.

Darren Thomas also chipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds in the CWSS hard-fought loss.

In the Under-17 category, New Amsterdam Multilateral held off St. Roses High School 38-32 to reach the final of the Under-17 category. Neil Wills was again a force to reckon with in the low post with 16 points and 18 rebounds for NA Multi.

Shemar Simon contributed 10 points to help the Berbice champs defend their territory last night. Nathan Howell scored 15 points to lead St. Roses.

Meanwhile, Kwakwani routed Marian Academy 6331 to advance to their second final of the NSBF as had been the trend over the years.

Floyd Edmonds, Kerron Phillips and Domair Gladstone had 10 points apiece to lead Kwakwani to the final. Christopher Joao was the main scorer for Marian with nine points in the blowout.

(Edison Jefford)

Alanzo Greaves tops field to win...

From page 33 Alanzo Ambrose rounding out the top eight.

The event which started around 14:20hrs at the Guyana Beverage Company, Berbice outlet located at Palmyra; proceed to the No. 51 Police Station on the Corentyne before returning to finish at the place of origin, attracted 30 cyclists.

Guyana Beverage Company General Manager Mr. Robert Selman sent the athletes on their way.

Jude Bentley went on an early break, dominating the early stages of the contest.

However he was eventually sucked in by the chasing pack and from that point there was keen competition throughout as the riders battled the heavy breeze on the N o 19 straight road as well as blistering sunshine.

In the end it was the superior sprinting power of Greaves that prevailed.

Eastman also won the junior category with King and Alexander occupying the other two spots.

Berbician Marica Dick was all alone as she easily took care of business in the female category winning from Hazina Barrett with Chrystal Lamberts and 12-year-old Deancae Welch rounding out

the female participants.

There was a special category for cyclists from the host club, Flying Aces Cycle Club. Neil Reece won ahead of veteran Gary Benjamin and Audrel Ross.

There were 10 sprint point prizes, Bentley took away six, Greaves three and Eastman, the other.

At the presentation ceremony that followed General Manager Robert Selman told the gathering that he was pleased with the day’s activity and congratulated Coach of the organizing Club, Randolph Roberts and the Guyana Police Force for doing a wonderful job.

Selman stated that the gesture is a small way of giving back to the community, especially in the field of sport and education, restating that the Guyana Beverage Company doesn’t spend its money on alcohol and parties.

“We do not get involved in alcohol because we are a non-alcohol based company”. He stated. The objective of which is to is to try to keep youths off the streets.

He said that Guyanese have been wonderful in its support to the company noting that based on the

success of the activity, his company will again sponsor the programme next year in a bigger and better way.

The no nonsense Manager said he was however unhappy with the attitude of some officials who were calling his company to find out about the prizes for the race. An upset Selman stated that it was none of their business positing that he was very happy with the way the event was conducted.

It doesn’t happen in cricket, football or other sports that we are involved in. So people shouldn’t call my officer for petty things,” he stated.

Roberts thanked Mr. Selman and the Guyana Beverage Company for being on board with them in helping to promote sports.

He stated that the company is truly one for all seasons and urged other companies to get on board to help keep cycling and sports in general alive in the country.

The Police, led by Superintendent Calvin Brutas, Sergeant Thomas and Corporal Alli were commended by all for doing an excellent job and overseeing an incident free activity.

champ TASS 4-0; BEI 5 Canje 3

Orealla Secondary School continues their enterprising run in the Digicel Schools Football Championship when they dumped last year’s Region Six champions Tutorial Academy Secondary School (TASS) with a stunning 4-0 win in a game played on Friday last at the Skeldon Community Centre.

The lads from the Riverain Amerindian Community still brimming from their 13-0 hammering of Lower Corentyne Secondary in a first round fixture showed that that victory was no fluke.

They ensured that their more than 60 miles trip to participate in the game was worthwhile as they completely outplayed and dominated the TASS team which was playing their first game of the competition having drawn a bye to the second round.

At the half way point,

Orealla enjoyed a 1-0 lead through a Kevin Dick goal in the 37th minute.

The lads from Orealla came out running and completely dominated the second half as they blasted in three more goals, Orsina Moses finding the target in the 51st, Mark DeVier in the 83rd and Jermin Biswane crowing it off three minutes later to send TASS home early.

Meanwhile, Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) booked their place in the second round with 5-3 victory over Canje Secondary School (CSS) at the All Saints Scott’s Church Ground, Princess Elizabeth Road, New Amsterdam.

The BEI team which is brimming with confidence having won the last Senior Inter School competition in New Amsterdam did not find

the going easy when they opposed the lads from the only Secondary School in Canje.

Quason Drakes with a fifth minute strike got BEI off the mark which was followed by a Gary Salomon double in the 27th and 34th minute.

Goalkeeper Omari Bentham who played outside in the second half, scored one minute after the resumption while Troy Munroe sealed the deal in the 56th minute.

CSS played their hearts out and were rewarded with goals by Quacy Reid in the 29th minute, Jamal Benjamin found the back of the nets in the 77th and 81st minute.

There has been some changes to the Berbice leg of the fixtures and it is not too certain who BEI will oppose next. (S.Whyte)

Sebastian Vettel wins German GP, with Lewis Hamilton fifth Sebastian Vettel won the German Grand Prix after a battle with Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean. The Red Bull driver held off Raikkonen, who made a late pit stop from the lead to benefit from the extra grip of fresh tyres in the closing laps.

Raikkonen passed Grosjean under orders with five laps to go, the Frenchman holding off Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton faded from pole to finish fifth, passing McLaren’s Jenson Button on the last lap.

Vettel put himself in a position to control the race by passing Hamilton off the start line into the first corner. But a safety car in the middle of the race closed up the field and left Vettel holding off Grosjean and Raikkonen, with Alonso running fourth.

The three front-runners ran nose-to-tail from the restart on lap 36 until Grosjean made his final stop on lap 40, with Vettel following him in the next time around.

Raikkonen and Alonso, though, stayed out for a further nine laps and fitted the faster but more fragile ‘soft’ tyres.

The Finn rejoined 2.3 seconds behind Grosjean, who was 1.5secs behind Vettel, with Alonso a further 4.4secs behind. Raikkonen closed in on Grosjean, who was ordered to let the Finn by with five laps to go, and had five laps to close the 2.5-

Sebastian Vettel claimed first in the German GP despite a late surge from Kimi Raikkonen. second lead to Vettel.

He closed to within a second at the start of the final lap but although that put him in the range that allowed him to use the DRS overtaking aid, he was too far back when he entered the zone leading up to the final chicane and Vettel held on to win by one second.

Alonso was just 0.7secs behind Grosjean heading into the final lap but slowed down as he approached the chequered flag, and was told by his team to pull off at Turn One immediately after taking the flag.

The result extends

Vettel’s lead in the championship to 34 points over Alonso, who is seven ahead of Raikkonen, with Hamilton a further 17 behind.

The Mercedes driver struggled with heavy tyre wear but held on well and fought back from a final pit stop with 15 laps to go to pass Button in a superb move around the outside of Turn Two on the final lap.

The final points positions were taken by Red Bull’s Mark Webber, who was running second to Vettel until a wheel came off as he accelerated Continued on page 30

Page 32

Kaieteur News

West Indies vs. Sri Lanka, Tri-series

RAIN FORCES MATCH INTO RESERVE DAY Kemar Roach

PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD - Persistent rain in Port-of-Spain meant play was called off for the day after only 19 overs were bowled during Sri Lanka’s innings. The match will continue from the current state on Monday (today).

West Indies, motivated by the appearance of the pitch, chose to field second time in a row, but unlike the previous match where they failed to make an early strike, this time, the bowlers found the right length on the pitch to topple Sri Lanka’s top order while keeping their run-scoring in a leash.

Kemar Roach was the wrecker-in-chief, bowling a menacing spell upfront and was it not for a long and patient vigil by Lahiru Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara, the situation could have been far worse for Sri Lanka.

While Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic were slugging it out like it was a hard court on the grass at Wimbledon, the pitch at Queen’s Park Oval was offering bounce and expected sideways movement to excite the fast bowlers.

Roach’s first ball was certainly an indication of what he thought of the pitch as he ambled in and got a shortish delivery to rear towards Upul Tharanga’s throat.

It was harshly called a wide, but it was the

tonic West Indies needed after beefing up their attack with three fast bowlers in addition to Darren Sammy.

The tall Jason Holder, playing his third ODI, was handed the other new ball and he started by extracting disconcerting bounce off a length, with some deliveries ending up head-high for the wicketkeeper. But he did the smart thing by repeatedly testing batsmen with fuller-length outswingers.

It was another full-length delivery that brought him his first wicket as Tharanga, who had been dropped by the wicketkeeper in the previous over, drove him uppishly to cover where Darren Bravo took a good sharp catch leaping to his right.

Sri Lanka’s troubles were compounded when they lost Mahela Jayawardene off the very next ball, a brute by Roach. It is seldom that Jayawardene looks ungainly even while getting out, but he was too late on a sharp bouncer and top-edged his pull to the front lid of his helmet and saw the ball popping in the air for the point fielder to take a simple catch.

Roach’s best delivery was however the one that got Dinesh Chandimal, who hasn’t been in any form, but even if he was, it is hard to see how he would have tackled it.

The ball pitched on a length and cut in sharply to hit the top of off. Chandimal, who had gone forward to play a drive, was holding his pose, but the result left him shocked and embarrassed.

Sri Lanka limped to 50 for 3 after first 15 overs, with the 17 extra being the top-scorer in the scorecard. The rains came at the end of the 19th over to break West Indies’ rhythm, while in a sunny London, Murray finally ended Britain’s achingly long wait for a Wimbledon winner with a straight-set victory against the World No. 1. (ESPN Cricinfo) SRI LANKA INNINGS: WU Tharanga c Bravo b Holder 7 DPMD Jayawardene c Smith b Roach 7 KC Sangakkara † not out 11 (33b) LD Chandimal b Roach 2 HDRL Thirimanne not out 13 (49b) Extras (lb 2, w 16, nb 2) 20 Total (3 wkts off 19 overs) 60 To bat AD Mathews*, BMAJ Mendis, KMDN Kulasekara, SMSM Senanayake, SL Malinga, RMS Eranga.

Fall of wkts: 1-19 (Tharanga, 3.6 ov), 2-19 (Jayawardene, 4.1 ov), 3-29 (Chandimal, 6.2 ov) Bowling: K. Roach 7 2 19 2 ( 1w), J. Holder 5 0 20 1 (2nb, 3w), D. Sammy 4 2 4 0 (1w), T. Best 3 0 15 0 (3w)

Regional U-17 tourney

T&T take title with victory over Guyana; Hetmyer’s ton in vain Hosts Trinidad and Tobago won this year ’s Regional Under-17 limited overs title by defeating Guyana by four wickets in Tobago yesterday despite a rapid 65-ball 105 from Berbician Shemron Hetmyer.

Guyana batted first after winning the toss made 242 all out in 48.5 overs with Hetmyer, who stroked 13

fours and five sixes, leading the charge with the bat.

Ronaldo Reen (46), Kemo Paul (21) and Ryan Adams (20) lent support.

Bryan Boobram took 337 and Karl Vialva 2-24 for the Twin Island team who made 247-6 in 49.2 overs to win with four balls to spare.

Man-of-the-match Jeron Maniram hit an

unbeaten 94 with eight fours and four sixes after being put down twice by wicketkeeper Adams. Amir Jangoo chipped in with 48 as Parmesh Parsotam took 2-34 from eight overs.

Barbados lost to the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands got past Jamaica. With one win, Guyana finished at the bottom of the points table.

Monday July 08, 2013

GCB\GTM 50-over tourney

Berbice and Demerara to contest final today Berbice and Demerara will contest the final of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)\Guyana and Trinidad Mutual Fire and Life General Insurance Company (GTM) 50 competition today at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground.

Berbice have 11 points ahead of Demerara with 7, the President’s XI is third with 6.5 followed by Essequibo on 1.

Demerara will have home advantage, and their batting must come good if they are to be victorious.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Brian S a t t a u r, K e m o l Savory, Kamesh Yadram and Andrew Gibson will lead them in this department against a strong Berbice bowling attack which will be spearheaded by spinners Gudakesh Motie Kanhai, Shawn Pereira,

Steven Sankar

Shawn Pereira

Dereck Narine and pacer Romario Shepherd.

Berbice batting will be led

by Devin Baldeo, Akshay Homraj, David Latchaya, Sharaz Ramcharran and Nick Ramsaroop while the home team will look to Devon Lord,

Dexter Sankar and Shivram Persaud to come good with the ball.

Action starts at 09:30hrs and the umpires for the fixture are Shannon Crawford, Gayanand Sookdeo with Cyril Garnath as stand by.

Traffic Department races away with Commander’s Road Relay

Cadet Officer Alli receives the winning prize from Commander Srn. Sup. Clidfton Hicken.

Police ‘B’ Division Traffic Department took full advantage of the regular use of the road to show that they are not only good on bikes and cars, but on their feet as well when they raced away with the Commander’s 4-mile road relay race in Berbice on Friday.

The event which was part of the activities organised by ‘B’ Division to mark the 174th anniversary of the Guyana Police Force was a six team contest involving the champions, Traffic , Sub Division One (Central Police Station/Canje East Bank), Sub Division Three (West Berbice) which placed 3rd, CID, Sub Division Two (Whim/Corentyne) and Special Constabulary.

The race got underway at 06:00hrs from Caribbean Cuisine at Number Two Village East Canje, journeyed along the Canje Highway, over the Canje Bridge into New Amsterdam to end at the junction of Main and St Ann Streets, New Amsterdam. Traffic maneuvered along the route much easier than their rivals to cross the finish line with consummate ease. Sub Division One (Central Police Station/Canje, East Bank) came in 2nd in Sub Division Three (West Berbice) coming in 3rd.

Each team was made up of an Officer, a

Subordinate Officer (Sergeant, Corporal) a male Constable and a Female rank.

The champion team was Coach by ‘B’ Division Traffic Officer Superintendent Calvin Brutas and comprised of Corporal Denzel Marks, Woman Constable Chrishandra Wills, Male Constable Mark Edwards and Cadet Officer Ronald Alli who pulled away from his rivals in the final leg after a close encounter in the first three legs.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony at ‘B’ Division (New Amsterdam) Headquarters, Strand and Coburg Streets, Commander Senior Superintendent Clifton Hicken congratulated the ranks for their efforts in making the event a success.

He noted that all the ranks would have exhibited the kind of discipline required for the Guyana Police Force while he also urged them to keep it up and not be complacent.

“You were required to fall in at 05:00 hrs and despite the inclement weather you did so”. He noted that getting up early and exercising is part of good policing and encouraged the ranks to keep fit so that they can execute their duties in a professional way.

(Samuel Whyte)