25th June 2013

Ambulance P10 authority to be established soon Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Issue No. 1810

SBDF financed 9740 loans since start-up See story on page 10

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

BV man freed of uncle’s P8 murder Clarke flays City Council over petty P9 politics APNU will restore GPL subsidy if progress P11 is seen Rohee pledges P11 support for persons with disabilities

Mrs Yvonne Hinds and Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh cut the 10th anniversary cake of the Small Business Development Finance Trust, while Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and other executive members of the association look on (Carl Croker photo)

Employee in custody after See story on alleged $5.5M robbery page 9

UG workers begin indefinite sit-in See story on page 2

Guyana could tap security reform help under CBSI initiative See story on page 7

Cadet officer charged P12 for Better Hope fatal accident Draft EPA P12 model bills up for consideration

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NEWS

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bridge openings

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Tuesday, June 25, from 05:30h to 07:00h.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Tuesday, June 25, from 05:25h to 06:55h.

Weather

Countrywide: Thundery showers are expected during the day, with clear skies in the evening

over coastal regions and near inland locations.

Temperatures are expected to range between 24 and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East north-easterly at 2.23 to 3.12 metres per second.

High Tide: 05:41h and 18:12h reaching maximum heights of 2.83 metres and 2.68 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 11:44h reaching a minimum height of 0.39 metre.

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UG workers begin indefinite sit-in

UGSSA President, Dr Patsy Francis

UGSSA Vice President, Dr Melissa Ifill

our lawyers are currently preparing a written presentation to hand over to that parliamentary committee,” she explained.

Dr Ifill said the association will continue the process of requesting a bipartisan approach to resolving the problems at the university. “It’s a national entity that is critical to the country’s human resources. It’s absolutely essential that all hands come on deck to rescue this campus,” the researcher highlighted.

On Friday, the association threatened to take legal action against the university’s administration for the non-payment of several contributions deducted from salaries, including NIS, health insurance, pension schemes, PAYE, and credit union contributions.

“All of these payments are not up-to-date and has had a negative impact on the lives, livelihood, and benefits we were to be receiving,” Dr Ifill said. She stated that monies have not been turned over to staff in relation to

leave passage, book, and research-related-allowances.

Dr Ifill revealed that subsequent to a meeting with staff members, the association has also decided to stand in support of temporary staff, some of whom have not been paid since 2012 and others

strategy going forward,” Dr Ifill explained.

In addition to payment, the researcher pointed out that there remains some very sore issues affecting the proper functioning of the university, including the unsanitary condition of the campus.

The association has decided to invite an occupational, health and safety officer to scrutinise the surroundings and pronounce on it.

Dr Ifill is anticipating that such a pronouncement would result in the closure of various departments and buildings which require urgent rehabilitative works. According to her, staff members would now be “working to rule” and would no longer go beyond the call of duty.

since February.

“For some, this is their only source of income and they are in a crisis mode and we stand with them,” the union vice president said. She disclosed that it was only on Thursday that the staff was informed they would not be paid until June 25.

She said this announcement was met by widespread protest and a decision to embark on a sit-in until payment was made. However, at 11:30h on Friday, the staff was informed that salaries were payable as at 15:30h that day.

“Owing to the fact that this was not an isolated occurrence and it was done at extremely late notice… that sparked a protest and the reason we met was to decide essentially what would be the

“For too long staff members have gone above and beyond. We have been subsidising this university in so many ways and we will no longer do so. We will be fulfilling our contractual obligations, but will not be going the extra mile,” Dr Ifill declared. The association has also given the administration a week to present a concise proposal outlining the time and manner in which the unpaid contributions would be dealt.

“We will also reinforce our disgust by staging a picket daily from Monday to Friday until the deadline for a response from the university and if we receive no response, we will reassess and take further action,” Dr Ifill said.

By Danielle Campbell-Lowe

T

he University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) began a sit-in exercise on Monday demanding a decision on unpaid contributions, untimely payment of salaries, and a slew of other issues affecting the effective functioning of the campus.

University Vice Chancellor, Dr Jacob Opadeyi met with senior members of the association shortly, after they held a press conference on Friday where a number of issues were ventilated. Dr Opadeyi has since left the country and has indicated an interest in addressing those issues on his return.

UGSSA President, Dr Patsy Francis told Guyana Times on Monday, however, that the unions will go ahead and file the class-action lawsuit as indicated, since most of the problems are structural and inherent.

Petition

UGSSA Vice President, Dr Melissa Ifill said the association had engaged the parliamentary political parties by starting a petition asking for a review of the structure and statutes of the university, particularly to address the deficient composition and functioning of the council. Dr Ifill stated that this intervention is proceeding apace.

“We met with the parliamentary committee, we made oral presentation and

Unpaid contributions

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tuesday, june 25, 2013

Views Editor: Nigel Williams Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134 Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Light-touch London A

s reported in our newspaper on Monday, the British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre said that the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill, with the necessary amendments, is important to fighting the drug trafficking trade in Guyana. We agree. But of even greater urgency for the entire world at large, is that his own country take steps to implement even the watereddown proposals of the recent Group of Eight (G8) Lough Erne Declaration, to address the problem of the UK being the largest tax haven in the world, which facilitates the laundering of billions of dollars obtained illegally through crimes of all types, including drug trafficking.

The problem was highlighted by Euan Grant, a former strategic intelligence analyst for the UK Customs and Excise Border in “Open Democracy” earlier this month, just ahead of the G8 meeting.

“The proceeds of tax abuse move all over the world, and the problem can only be tackled on a properly global basis.

In the meantime, the attraction of the UK for people seeking to hide all types of ill-gotten gains isn’t likely to go away, though the methods used are likely to change as tax secrecy is gradually eroded.

“Russia’s kleptocratic state offers unique opportunities for a wide range of players to profit from the country’s vast natural wealth and its world-class and highly competitive armaments industry, with the global networks these create.

So how can everyone involved in corruption in Russia get their share, and get it out of Russia into a safe place as insurance against possible changes at home? And how can that be done while avoiding new Russian anti-corruption laws and regulations, such as the recently proposed legislation banning public officials from holding accounts with foreign banks? One answer is: by the use of shell companies set up in or from London.

“The people behind shell companies, and those involved in the transfer of both tax and non-tax related criminal funds, seek to confound law enforcement action by passing them through a chain of transactions which, crucially, involve locations seen as “clean”, or with a plausible claim to be clean.

London and the UK are popularly not identified as tax havens, when in fact they are. London is also a relatively safe haven for assets, especially property. When held in the UK, such assets can only be subject to freezing or confiscation after due process, with especially high thresholds for the actual forfeiture of physical assets. There are, therefore, strong incentives for large-scale criminals to transfer money through the UK, both to and from traditional tax havens, and to use these transfers to buy assets in the UK. “The shell company is often intimately linked with tax evasion, as well as the transferral of proceeds from other crimes, particularly fraud and corruption but also drugs trafficking and illegal arms dealing. It is particularly suited to cross-border transactions, as the sheer number of the companies in the chain eventually exhausts regulators and investigators. Shell companies in the UK will typically have no long-term assets, holding deposits for only a few days before transferring them elsewhere.

“The key is that the source or destination appears to be the clean UK. Funds originating from the ex-Soviet states frequently arrive in the UK from another EU state, often Cyprus or the Baltic states, especially Latvia. Funds returning from a typical Caribbean tax haven follow the same route in reverse, for final transmission to Russia or other ex-Soviet states.

“If London is a key factor in the problem, it follows that it can be a key factor in the solution. (But) any moves by the UK against companies linked with tax evaders and other criminal organisations might damage UK commercial interests if this led to capital flight from the UK.” The world is waiting to see whether the UK’s actions will match its rhetoric.

Nik Wallenda has completed a tightrope walk over the Little Colorado River Gorge near the Grand Canyon. It took the acrobat 23 minutes to cross the gorge at a height of 1500 feet (457.2 metres) (BBC News)

Employers of children must be brought to justice Dear Editor, We have to carefully watch child labour here in Guyana. I agree with the Labour Minister that there are minimal cases of child labour in Guyana and I back government’s zero tolerance for the scourge. Government is thinking this way and the warning is that perpetrators will face the full force of the law if caught.

The government must hunt down places where there is a possibility of child labour taking place. Child labour is work that harms children or keeps them from attending school.

In today’s world, many children work in commercial agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, mining, and domestic service. Some children work in illicit activities. The areas are many, and to combat the evil of child labour calls for a con-

Child Labour in Delhi, India

certed effort. We have to do our part.

We have to engage our teachers and parents. When students habitually absent

themselves from school, it instantly calls for a checking up on the parents. In this way, we can send a strong message that govern-

ment is really serious about protecting children.

Yours truly, Zandra Cumberland

The use of social media on the rise Dear Editor, The excitement is certainly on, as thousands of Guyanese and their businesses are now using social media, such as, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Pinterest.

According to reports in Guyana Times, it is estimated that more than 200,000 persons are part of the social media transformation.

More businesses understand the growing need to get on the social media platform in order to grow their businesses.

With the government investing heavily in Information Communication Technology (ICT) with programmes, such as, the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF), laying of the fibre-optic cables, and

others, Guyanese Internet usage is expected to rise, as more and more persons will also use their smartphones to access social media and the Internet.

It is important to note that, while social media helps us to connect with others and get real time information disseminated instantaneously, it runs the risk of persons hacking into profiles

and spreading misinformation, which often causes confusion, as we experienced during our last elections.

I caution users who are members of these social networking sites to act responsibly and ensure that all information, when posted, is correct.

Yours sincerely, Nicholas Hoyte

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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

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

Health Ministry should launch investigation following death of twins and mother Dear Editor, I was startled when I learned about the woman from Region One who died after delivering premature twins, both of whom also died.

I think that the Ministry of Health is do-

ing a great job in terms of getting pregnant women as much help as possible – registration, attending clinics, health supplements, and guidance and counselling.

However, the Ministry of Health should do some

investigation and see what went wrong in this incident. The information may help to avoid a repeat.

I do also convey sympathies to the grieving family members.

Yours sincerely, Fabian Gonsalves

Golf tournaments at Lusignan need more fanfare Dear Editor, The last golf tournament at the Lusignan course was won by Vijay Deo. In the golfing community, he is well known. His victory at the Wartsila Guyana Operations Medal Play Golf Tournament was not a surprise then. He has what it takes to win tournaments.

However, I always notice very little in terms of media coverage where golf is concerned. I quickly ask

if we have profiles of our local golfers, many of whom are doing so well in the Caribbean.

My desire too is that reporters equip themselves with the requisite knowledge for golf reporting.

Local tournaments are usually played under various rules, so as to make the game more broad-based at times, and to allow for the not-so-good players to win.

It makes for great camara-

derie.

The Lusignan Golf Course is pristine and has a lot to offer. I know that Easter is accommodated very easily. However, the place is a haven for picnics and this can take place without infringing on the actual play. Many families will relish the ambience, and in this way, at least local tourism can be enhanced.

Yours sincerely, Damien Glasgow

Police must be held more accountable for vehicles Dear Editor, I was slowing down on my westward approach to Sheriff Street, Georgetown one Sunday evening and I was so disappointed with what happened. A police pick-up passed me, sounded the grunt horn, and then went right through the red light. This vehicle in all likelihood was not performing any specific police work as such and yet the driver was beyond observing basic traffic rules.

Now I just read about the death of a 70-year-old Better Hope, East Coast Demerara man, who was killed after he was struck down by a motor car, that at the time was reportedly being driven by a police cadet officer. If it is true that the police failed to act properly after the incident, then the matter warrants a lot of rebukes and some disciplinary action.

This may never be established, as the accident really has just one witness – the driver. We will have to go basically by his word. This officer could have in all likelihood gotten away, but he did the right thing, and we must not forget this.

I have been noticing that police vehicles are all over the place, apparently being used for personal purposes.

This may very well explain why we can never have immediate responses from many police stations. The vehicles are always on some patrol; at least that is what we are forever being told.

Finally, how about the fact that, too many times, police officers do not heed the rules of the road. They use, that is, abuse really, their authority to run through the traffic. This shows a lot of contempt to the general citizenry. It must stop.

In Guelph, Canada, in January of this year, it was reported that an officer was leaving the parking lot of Guelph General Hospital, when his cruiser struck a 53-year-old woman. He did

get out of the vehicle to help the woman, who was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Later, the province’s Special Investigations Unit probed the accident and determined there were no reasonable grounds for a criminal charge. However, the Guelph Police conducted their own investigation and have charged the officer with careless driving.

This was like a disciplinary move.

My point is that these police officers must be held accountable for all their actions.

Yours truly, Anwar Khan

Local produce must be promoted in a bigger way Dear Editor, Talks about local produce not being adequately promoted are most important.

This is the word from a representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), who believes that locals need to support their own.

We all know this and yet we seem to do nothing about it.

Let me illustrate with my little anecdote. Recently, I chose a beautiful packet of imported plantain chips over one of our own. The two sets were alongside each other in one of our more popular supermarkets. The imported packet was a few dollars cheaper too. I was so disappointed with the amount and the taste – both aspects were inferior to the local chips we sell in a not so nice plastic bag that is

sealed off with maybe a lit candle.

I got so few of the chips that in reality I lost out in terms of dollar value. Look at the implications now. We are being undersold and this should never be. If we have land mass and soil friendliness, then we should be able to produce enough to sell cheaper and export as well.

However, if we are going to export, we have to come better in terms of packaging. I ask that stakeholders do something so that even just our lovely plantain chips can rule the roost where snacking is concern.

It is not a big task. Guyana must move towards capitalising on its abundance of things like plantain, banana, cassava and eddo, among others, where quick snacks are concerned.

Currently, government

is pushing the “Grow More” food initiative and it is time we all bought local. I only reiterate here the idea of good packaging. I am sure if we can score big in just this area of snacks, Guyana’s food import bill will be reduced.

The Agriculture Ministry recently met with agro-processors and some companies that are involved in packaging, but noted that Guyana does not have the capacity to package some products to a very high standard. I call on stakeholders to do something.

Let me not belabour the point as I want to end my little letter of encouragement.

I think that the quicker we push our own stuff, the better it will be for all of us – individually and nationally.

Yours truly, Bibi Nazeema Ali

Religious freedom should extend to the courts

Dear Editor, I am very intrigued by an incident in which a magistrate was faced with a sensitive situation, where a lawyer refused to cross-examine a Muslim witness, because the woman insisted on wearing her hijab. This attorney insisted that he would not cross-examine one of the witnesses, because her hijab prevents him from knowing for certain whom he is questioning.

While I can understand this, the woman’s identity was confirmed, but this was still not enough for the lawyer. The problem was solved, yet he refused to proceed.

The lawyer’s second reason, after the first was shattered, was his contention, that it was important for the court to see the expressions of the woman as well as her demeanour in full. Why? I mean looks can be misleading, in both ways too – the guilty can look honest and vice-versa.

In December 2012, it was

brought to the Canadian courts that, while it is important that an accused person should be able to cross-examine the accuser, scientific literature shows that people are not accurate at reading other people's facial cues. This lawyer is implying that he will make deductions based on something that is most untenable.

The advice from the director of public prosecutions (DPP) suggested that the woman should submit her testimony in her garment because she is protected by the Constitution, which allows her to observe such religious practices.

Yours truly, Kenton George

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Foundation

Teaching your child discipline and self-control

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elf-control means being able to express and cope with strong emotions in appropriate ways – for a toddler, this may mean saying “I’m mad at you” instead of biting. Self-control also involves thinking skills, as we decide which of our impulses to act on. Developing self-control begins at birth and continues across our lives. It is a skill that is critical to children’s school success and overall healthy development. It enables children to cooperate with others, to cope with frustration, and to resolve conflicts. Young children learn these skills through interactions with others and guidance from parents and other caregivers.

Babies are born with virtually no self-control. They have little-to-no ability to control their emotional states or behaviour. However, the process of developing self-control begins in a baby’s earliest months and continues across the first three years and beyond: * A newborn is being changed and does not like it one bit – he is sobbing and screaming. His father says, “Almost done, little man. I know you don’t like this. Hang in there, I’ve just got to get your pants on.” Then the father scoops his son up and holds him until he stops crying. This baby is learning that he can count on loved ones to help him regain control when he is feeling overwhelmed. * A nine-month-old pulls up on a low table and grabs the television remote. He is happily pushing buttons when

his mother gently removes it from his hand and puts it on a bookshelf, while saying, “The remote is not a toy, sweetie. I can’t let you play with it. But how about this instead?” She offers him a “busy box” with lots of buttons to push and doors to open. This baby is learning about appropriate behaviour, how to cope with disappointment, and how to accept a substitute when his first choice is off-limits. *A two-year-old wants the toy that his friend is playing with. He grabs it; when his friend begins to cry, he slaps his friend and begins to cry himself. His mother calms him and then helps him return the toy to his friend. She explains that hitting is not okay and gives him the words he needs to ask for a turn with the toy. This toddler is learning how to manage and express his strong feelings and impulses; to calm himself, and to make acceptable behavioural choices.

Birth to 12 months

Babies have very little selfcontrol. They naturally act on thoughts and feelings without the ability to stop themselves.

With sensitive guidance from parents and caregivers, they can begin to learn to manage their feelings and actions.

Help your child to soothe herself The calmer she feels, the more in control she will be.

Babies have different ways of calming down. Some need lots of physical contact such as rocking or hugging; others prefer to be swaddled or put

Early care and education

down for a minute. You teach your child to calm herself by staying calm yourself when she loses control. This helps her feel safe.

Teach acceptable behaviours Tell and show your child what he can do, not only what he’s not allowed to do. If he’s throwing balls around the house, give him an empty trashcan to throw them into or take him outside and show him where and how he can throw the ball. This helps him learn right from wrong and to channel his energy and interests in acceptable ways as he grows.

12 to 24 months

Toddlers have minds of their own and strong feelings that they express with gusto. “No!” becomes a favourite word and a powerful way to assert their independence. At the same time, toddlers can become easily frustrated because there are still many things that they want to do but cannot. Routines are especially helpful now as they make children feel secure at a time when they can feel very out of control.

Give your child opportunities to choose Giving children, even young toddlers, opportunities to choose lets them know you trust them to make good decisions. It also helps them feel in control. Let your child make decisions about what to play, what to read, or what to have for a snack (give him two healthy snacks to choose

from).

Label and recognise your child’s feelings Letting children know their feelings are understood helps them calm down and regain control. This does not mean you give in to their demand. “I know you are mad that you have to go to bed, but hitting me is not okay. You can hit this pillow; or we can read this book together instead.” Naming and recognising his feelings helps your child learn to manage his emotions, an important skill necessary for later school success.

24 to 36 months

Older toddlers are still unable to stop themselves from acting on their desires.

Again, recognising their feelings and suggesting other ways they can express themselves is still the best response at this age. As they grow, encourage them to think about what else they can do – throw the balls into the laundry basket instead of at the wall. The ability to substitute an acceptable action for one that is not acceptable is essential for functioning well in school.

Give your child opportunities to choose Present him with two acceptable options and let her choose, “Would you like to brush your teeth or put on your pajamas first?” Rather than telling her to get her rain boots, help her think it through on her own: “It is raining out. What will you need to bring to child care today so you can go on a rainwalk with your class?” If a decision is really yours, don’t offer a choice. Say, “It’s bed time,” not “Are you ready to go to bed?”

Help your child learn to wait Waiting helps children learn self-control. And it teaches them that others have needs, too. Make the wait-time short and give your child something to do in the meantime. Also, playing with friends offers many opportunities to help your child learn to wait, to share, and to take-turns. With your guidance and lots of practice, your child will be well equipped to work out conflicts with his school pals later on. (www.zerotothree.org)

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ll babies and toddlers need positive early learning experiences to foster their intellectual, social and emotional development and lay the foundation for later school success. Babies and toddlers living in high-risk environments need additional supports to promote their healthy growth and development. All childcare arrangements, including family, friend, neighbour, and familyand centre-based child care have the potential to provide high-quality, individualised, responsive and stimulating experiences that occur within the context of strong relationships and which are imbedded in everyday routines.

Child care – More infants and toddlers than ever are spending some portion of their day with adults other than their parents – either a relative, neighbour, babysitter or child care professional.

As parents welcome their baby home and plan to return to work, what are the qualities they should be looking for in a child care setting? What is considered a “high-quality” child care setting for infants and toddlers? How do you prepare your baby or toddler for the transition to child care?

Family, friend and neighbour care – Caring for the children of family, friends or neighbours is incredibly important work.

You are providing support that is so critical to helping both children and families thrive. Parents have likely asked you to care for their child because they trust you and because you may share similar beliefs, values and traditions that they feel are important for their child to experience while in child care.

School readiness interactive, birth to three years-old – A web-based, interactive learning tool designed to help parents and caregivers support their young children’s early learning. You’ll find age-based information on how children develop the four key skills – language and literacy skills, thinking skills, self-confidence and self-control – that are critical to later school success. (www.zerotothree.org)

7 Guyana could tap security reform help under CBSI initiative T NEWS

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

he Home Affairs Ministry on Monday hosted the second meeting with local and foreign senior security officials to discuss matters pertaining to the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) initiative from which Guyana and other Caribbean countries stand to benefit.

The meetings are part of government’s recognition of the need for reform in the security sector and an important component of the CBSI initiative. The areas that Guyana will benefit from were discussed between the two sides, and according to Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, the ministry is optimistic

about moving forward with the programme of cooperation under the CBSI, which is fully funded by the U.S. government.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, Minister Rohee said that it is no doubt that based on visits that have been conducted by consultants, Guyana will benefit from many of the programmes to be financed.

United States Ambassador D Brent Hardt said the initiative is a regional partnership launched by President Barrack Obama in 2006, and that from the start it has been a joint venture built upon a dialogue in order to identify areas where cooper-

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee and United States Ambassador D Brent Hardt during the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) meeting held at the ministry’s Brickdam office (GINA photo)

ation is needed.

“And what we developed was an initiative that would have seen us working more closely together to combat trafficking, promote citizen security, and strengthen the justice sector,” Ambassador Hardt pointed out. The U.S. official added that the project is a regional strategy, and the team will continue to meet with regional groups and senior officials to define what is being done and diagnose where improvements are needed.

“We are in our third year and we are now seeing the impact of the CBSI,” he said. This is as a result of the many programmes implemented to fight crimes.

Guyana, through the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit, has been able to benefit from several of these programmes. The country now has the ability to track and identify criminals through its high-tech fingerprinting tool which is one of the CBSI regional information sharing programmes.

Ambassador Hardt said emphasis will also be placed on police professionalisation, board of security and other justice sector reform areas. Special programmes for youths will also be featured under the theme “Crime prevention”. He said this partnership is an example of the cohesion between the U.S. and the Caribbean.

NOC students get leadership lessons stitution as adolescent offenders and wanderers learn vocational skills in the area of electrical installation, handicraft, joinery, Information Technology, tailoring and garment making, welding and fabrication,

Students of the New Opportunity Corps getting fit during the BD1 Leadership Development seminar

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leadership session was successfully hosted at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) for students of the Onderneeming, Essequibo Coast correctional institution.

On the evening of June 14, a bonfire was lit as the BD1 Leadership Development Initiative ended a three- day leadership seminar at the institution during the period May 27 to 30.

Founder of the initiative Astell Collins and his twin brother Allister, chairperson of the Guyana Faith and HIV Coalition, joined students, members of the disciplined services, regional educational officers, technical institutes, the regional hospital, pastors and residents

in celebration with singing, dancing and worship.

Astell Collins who was bestowed the IKUSASA Young Person of the Year Award last year June for his influential role as a non-citizen of South Africa, was given the green light to conduct the sessions after discussions with Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony.

Activities were subsequently staged at the Sophia Training Centre, the President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) programme and a leadership address at the Kuru Kuru Training Centre (KKTC), at the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway.

The initiative at the NOC involved student participation in physical educa-

tion, sprucing up of the centre and its environs, group discussions with students and facilitators and cultural theatrical presentations by the students, among other activities.

It was followed by a second phase that includes an environmental improvement drive which will communicate to the students a sense of self-respect and pride in their surroundings. Two months ago, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) presented the correctional facility with a new 15-seater bus in the ongoing effort to resource the 134- year old institution, which has been improving its image under the auspices of the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry.

Those who enter the in-

carpentry and masonry.

A few have achieved up to eight subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and there have been efforts to reintegrate them into the family setting.

Judging from the feedback by the participants who attended the recent seminars, the facilitators were assured that the session marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the NOC. TURN TO PAGE 9

8 NEWS

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BV man freed of uncle’s murder A fter spending four years incarcerated, Fernando Cush, 29, ran out of the court room following a unanimous verdict of not guilty by the jury for his uncle’s murder.

Cush called “Nando” was indicted with the murder of his uncle, Andrew Benjamin, on March 24, 2009, at Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara.

Benjamin, a cane harvester of Buxton, East Coast Demerara, was 41 years old at the time of his death.

According to reports, Benjamin had gone to Cush’s home and upon seeing his uncle there; Cush began to verbally abuse the older man. Benjamin walked out of the house and was followed by his nephew, who began throwing punches at him. The man then attacked his uncle with a knife and at

the time, Benjamin had his cutlass on him and used it to protect himself from his nephew. However, that did not deter Cush, who managed to stab his uncle in the region of his heart.

The trial into the murder began a week ago during which the prosecutor, State Counsel Tishana James-Lake presented about 12 witnesses, including an eyewitness and four circumstantial evidence witnesses. The eyewitness, Steve Rogers, testified that during the scuffle, he saw Cush, who was backing him, pull out a knife.

There were four other witnesses who testified about what happened immediately before and after the incident. After presenting its witnesses, the prosecution closed her case on Friday last, after which

Cush, who was represented by Attorney Peter Hugh, was called upon to lead his defence. The 29-year-old man elected to lead his defence by giving an unsworn statement from the dock.

The man said he and his uncle never got along and used to quarrel and fight a lot. He recalled on the day in question, his uncle attacked him with a cutlass; however, the weapon fell and the older man pulled out a knife from his waist and continued his attack. Cush said that while blocking strikes from his uncle, he sustained injuries to his upper body. The man said he then pushed his uncle away, causing him to fall and then he (Cush) ran away.

On Monday, both the prosecution and the defence made their closing arguments before the jury and

the trial judge summed up the evidence. The panel then retired to the jury room and about an hour later, they emerged with the verdict.

The foreman of the jury informed the court that they found Cush not guilty of murder and manslaughter.

Both verdicts were unanimous.

Before setting the man free, Justice Navindra Singh advised Cush to stay away from trouble. “Next time you see trouble, run and run fast,” said the judge.

Immediately after being cautioned by the judge, Cush ran out of the courtroom, down the corridor, causing laughter to burst out in the courtroom.

Several family members of the deceased were in court during the proceedings and did not appear pleased with the outcome of the matter.

Man threatened to slit wife’s throat, court told – out on $25,000 bail

A

33-year-old man charged with use of threatening language appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

Anthony Green plead-

ed not guilty to the charge which stated that he made use of threatening language against his wife.

It is alleged that on the day in question, he threatened to slit his wife’s throat and “bust” her face after they had words over

the fact that he came out of the interior without any money.

The prosecution objected to bail, stating that the virtual complainant (VC) and the defendant reside at the same address, noting that if the defen-

dant is granted bail, he should find another place of abode.

The chief magistrate granted Green bail in the sum of $25,000 and placed him on a bond to keep the peace. The defendant’s next court date is July 2.

Simple larceny suspect granted bail T hirty-four-yearold Dellon London appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on a simple larceny charge at the

Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

London, of Martindale, Essequibo pleaded not guilty to the offence which he allegedly committed be-

tween June 18 and 19 at Old Dale Backdam, Essequibo when he stole several items valued $152,500.

The defendant was placed on $100,000 bail

and the matter has been transferred to a court in Essequibo, where London is scheduled to make his next court appearance on September 16.

Taxi driver remanded for wounding colleague

A

taxi driver was remanded for unlawful and malicious wounding when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

Huburn Errod, 41, pleaded guilty with an explanation to the charge which stated that on June 20 at Cornhill Street, Georgetown, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded another taxi driver Kurt Caesar.

The defendant, who was not represented by an attorney, told the court that Caesar called him a robot and in return, he verbally abused the virtual complainant using profanity. Caesar then became annoyed and

chucked him, so he armed himself with an ice-pick and slapped his fellow taxi driver in the face.

The magistrate refused the defendant bail and ordered him to return to court on July 19.

Defendant accused of robbing florist A man charged with breaking and entering appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

Kevin Harris, 34, pleaded not guilty to the charge when

it was read against him.

It is alleged that between June 20 and June 21, Harris broke and entered Nesha’s Flowerland at Church and Carmichael streets and stole a quantity of articles valued $455,000, property of Yasmin Deonauth.

According to court documents, the virtual complainant secured her store and proceeded home. The next day, when she returned to the store, she discovered that several articles were missing. Deonauth then made a report at Brickdam

Police Station and the defendant, who was allegedly seen jumping over the businessplace’s fence with an item in his hand, was subsequently arrested and charged.

Harris was granted bail in the sum of $100,000 and will return to court on July 19.

72-year-old committed to stand trial for murder

F

ollowing the conclusion of a preliminary inquiry, a man who was charged with the capital offence of murder was committed to stand trial in the High Court when he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

Donald Mopp, 72, of, Tucville, was charged with

the murder of Winsel Roger Edwards on February 15 at Lot 5 Tucville Squatting Area.

The magistrate threw out the defence’s no-case submission after the prosecution responded to the motion, and ruled that enough evidence was provided for Mopp to stand trial in the High Court at the next available date.

Edwards, 33, also called “Buck”, of 320 Self-Help Square, East Ruimveldt, was stabbed once to his abdomen by his attacker who was taken into police custody. Edwards was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

It was reported that Edwards worked at a shop repairing bicycles and during the

course of the day, persons, including the suspect, were imbibing and teasing each other. Edwards and the suspect then exchanged hurtful words and the suspect got up and left the premises shortly after. He later returned, walked towards Edwards and attempted to hug him during which time he took out a pair of scissors and stabbed him to his abdomen.

Eyew tness

Exporting democracy?

I

...U.S. burden

n the olden days ...say up to about 50 top years ago, or so...it used to be called “the white man’s burden”.

Which was to teach us natives how to behave in a “civilised” manner. It was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it. So the fellas from up north would keep a stiff upper lip as they went about their thankless job.

Why, it was so thankless that sometimes the natives would actually pick up arms – like the Mau Maus in Kenya, who figured they were civilised enough for independence.

Imagine that! The British promptly rounded up thousands of them for “their own good”. Just this month, Britain, which bore the largest share of the “burden” up to the 1950s, paid out monies to some of the surviving Mau Maus who’d been tortured. The burden does get heavier sometimes.

Well, nowadays, the burden is called “exporting democracy” and the U.S. picked up the baton from the Brits seamlessly back in the 1960s. They’re still stoically bearing the burden. The U.S. Ambassador D Brent Hardt recently reminded us that they’ve “been investing in democracy and governance in Guyana for decades”. He was being quite modest. In fact, we were one of the earliest beneficiaries of their “democratic” largesse.

Back in 1961, after the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) under Dr Cheddi Jagan won the election that was to lead us to independence, the U.S. decided the Brits didn’t really know what democracy was all about. Using the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), they spent about US$2.5 million to teach us the real deal and so the PPP was ousted and the People’s National Congress/United Force (PNC/UF) coalition was installed. Democracy isn’t cheap. The U.S. continued to support democracy here in the next three decades as Forbes Burnham and the PNC “fiddled” with the elections to get democracy “just right”.

As the wind shifted, they helped with regime change in 1992, when the PPP was returned to office. The good ambassador revealed that democracy is now exported and funded, not by the CIA, but by USAID which subcontracts it out to organisations run by their two major political parties. The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is with the Democratic Party and the International Republican Institution ((IRI) with the Republicans. They’ve been around for a while.

In fact, the NDI provided US$100,000 to start up the Stabber News back in 1986 and the local elections monitoring body back in 1992. Maybe, like the British with the Mau Maus, they were saying that their earlier export of democracy via Burnham wasn’t the real deal?

...modern variant

The ambassador revealed that for a while they’d taken their export to Barbados, but with the 2011 elections, they knew right away, they had to return to Guyana and export some more democracy. We’re sure the PPP is happy thinking that the Americans aren’t comfortable with the “new dispensation”. And the opposition must be happy, since the Americans plan to strengthen Parliament, which they control. And the Americans are happy, of course, because they get a chance to bear some more burdens.

But it’s interesting that in this go-around, the U.S. has picked the Republican outfit to spread the democratic vibes. Only recently, Egypt threw out the NDI, which was exporting the product after Hosni Mubarak was ousted.

Seems NDI wanted to work directly with Egyptians without going through state channels. Maybe “democracy’s export” doesn’t have to respect the state system?

But the IRI must be coming because the U.S. figures we need the Republican variant of democracy...one with a “minimal state” market-fundamentalism to direct all decisions – including social ones – and free one-way trade. And we know which way is that.

...in construction

Now that Fip Motilall’s been expelled, at least 10 new contractors have been hired, the budget is twice what Fip had requested and the road to Amaila is still incomplete.

Maybe we’ve been unfair to the fella?

news

9

tuesday, june 25, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Clarke flays City Council More qualified nurses needed in over petty politics interior locations

– says tug-of-war hindering progress

I

A

fter close to two hours of bickering at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council’s statutory meeting on Monday, Councillor Oscar Clarke called for an end to the power struggle.

Clarke, who is also General Secretary of the PNCR returned to the council approximately five months after being shot by bandits at his Sophia residence.

The long-standing councillor said the constant tug-of-war between Mayor Hamilton Green and Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba is hindering the progress of the municipality and by extension, the city.

“If the administrative head does not communicate with the political head and vice versa, we will get absolutely nowhere,” Clarke stressed, as he took the two leaders to task for allowing petty politics to interfere with the council.

Personal grievances

He said the council will only grow and execute its mandate if the mayor and acting town clerk put aside their personal grievances and work as a team, operating in a professional manner.

“As a member of this council, I would like to see this council operate in a manner that would allow decisions to be taken on matters and for the execution of those decisions to be carried out in an orderly and structural manner,” he stated.

Councillors have concerns and ideas that can move the municipality further, Clark pointed out, noting that they are willing to work hand in hand with the

Mayor Hamilton Green

Councillor Oscar Clarke

Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba

administration.

“I appeal for good sense to be prevailed,” Councillor Clarke concluded before taking his seat. Clarke’s remarks were met with applause and approving nods of heads in support.

Clarke’s comments stemed from a prolonged argument between Sooba and Green over a letter sent to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).

Mayor Green had accused Sooba of failing to submit a draft report to him, following the council’s recent meeting with GPL which resulted in an exchange of multimilliondollar cheques that cancelled a significant portion of the debt the entities owe each other.

The power company had handed over a cheque to the tune of $25 million to the municipality for rates and taxes owed in 2013, while the council, which is currently struggling to keep its head above rough water, managed to pay a meagre $42 million on a $1.090 billion debt.

However, during the statutory meeting, Sooba informed the council that a letter was already sent to GPL based on the agreement

made at the meeting.

According to her, she saw no reason why Mayor Green should have given a preview of the letter before it was dispatched, since a decision was already made at the meeting when the council consulted with GPL. However, she informed the council that a copy of the letter would be sent to the mayor.

In the letter crafted by Sooba, the council agreed to work with GPL to conduct an audit of the street lights in the city, as the municipality had expressed concerns about paying for street lights which are not functional.

According to GPL, there are approximately 200,000 official lamps installed in the city, while an additional 1800 lamps were installed by individuals and members of the private sector.

Meanwhile, Local Government Minister Ganga Persuad said the performance of the City Council is below par when compared to the other five municipalities in the country. The cashstrapped council, led by opposition aligned Green, has not submitted its 2013 budget

proposal despite the fact that the due date has far elapsed.

The financial document should have been submitted since November 15, 2012.

The local government minister said the municipality has collected just 40 per cent of its 2013 rates and taxes, noting that it continues to be plagued with a series of problems due to a power struggle between Green and Sooba.

Corruption

According to Persuad, Sooba and a delegation of senior officials have been working assiduously to root out corruption within the council, but Green continues to put up a fight.

“I am disappointed that the council led by Green seems to be pursuing an agenda that is opposite to enhancing transparency and accountability,” the minister said.

Persaud also called on the council and administration to establish a healthier working relationship with the aim of addressing the age-old garbage crisis that faces the city, in addition to the security problems.

NA magistrate sends ganja smokers to do community service

T

wo men who told Magistrate Roby Benn that the ‘weed’ they were found with was for the purpose of smoking, have been each sentenced to 40 hours of community service.

The penalties were imposed on David Williams also called “Fish” and “Dog Face” and Michael Campbell on Monday, at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.

Williams, 27, was found with two grams of cannabis on June 21, at Republic Road, New Amsterdam while police were conduct-

ing routine checks. He told the court, “I am guilty of the act. I don’t want to lie to the court, the officers always harassing me.”

He was ordered to perform 40 hours of community service and a pay a fine of $5000 with three months to carry out the sentence or spend one month in jail.

Campbell, 20 of 45 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam was found with one gram of the same drug.

He told the magistrate, “The weed was for my own use. I does smoke it.” He was also given the same penalty as

Williams.

However, his brother Kirk Campbell of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam was remanded to prison by the same magistrate when he appeared on a trafficking charge. Campbell, 30, was allegedly found with 87 grams of cannabis on June 19 at High Dam, Angoy’s Avenue when police conducted a search at his home.

According to Police Prosecutor Phillip Sherriff, the drug was found under a bed in the vendor’s home.

Campbell told the court that he should be granted bail

NOC students get...

From page 7

At the culmination, they expressed their appreciation to Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training programme (YEST) Assistant Director Devanand Ramdatt, the administrative staff at the NOC and Guyana Defence Force Chief-of-Staff, Commodore Gary Best for

President Donald Ramotar in February this year in a high spirit of patriotism about giving back to the place of his birth before considering any invitation abroad.

He served for four years in South Africa, facilitating leadership development

their support. The Collins brothers said that one of their guiding principles is that, “People don’t care how much you know before they know how much you care”.

Upon his return from South Africa, the BD1 Leadership Development Initiative founder had met

because his circumstances were special.

“When the police come I was in the yard weeding.

A set of people run in my house. They said they found it under the bed.” However, Sherriff argued that there was no special reason showed by the defendant for bail to be granted. “The defendant was present when the suspected narcotic was found.”

Bail was refused by Magistrate Ruby Benn.

Campbell will have to return to court on July 2 for trial.

seminars, conferences and workshops throughout that nation. These included government institutions, corporations, universities, schools, religions groups and various youth organisations, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

n light of the death of Orian Williams of Aruka River, Region One, who bled to death after aborting her twins at her home on Thursday last; medical officials have hinted that the woman might have survived the ordeal if the medical facility in question was more equipped with qualified nurses.

This has been an issue for some time and the Health Ministry remains committed to having such services available, not only at Region One, but other interior locations.

Speaking on the issue on Monday, Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran explained that an investigation is being conducted by a team of experts lead by the acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Shanti Singh.

He noted that he is awaiting the findings of the reports before any sanction is ordered. Dr Ramsaran disclosed that the information reaching him suggested that the 29-year-old woman had aborted her twin, which had serious medical implications.

As a result of her act, she started to bleed, but it took her sometime before she reached the Mabaruma Hospital because of where she resided. He added that a decision was taken for the woman to be air-dashed to the city for further medical intervention, but had to wait almost two hours before a medivac team went into the

area.

The medivac team included a nurse and the necessary medication.

The woman was collected at the Ogle International Airport by Georgetown Public Hospital nurses in an ambulance. The subject minister highlighted that from all indications; the woman died as a result of haemorrhaging, but will wait on the official report to authenticate his suspicions.

He said that in the future, his ministry will make an effort to equip the hospital with qualified personnel, who can deal with more serious cases as this one.

It was reported that Williams left Mabaruma about 16:20h and arrived at the medical institution about two hours later. Upon her arrival, she was unresponsive and succumbed 10 minutes later.

Initial reports stated that the woman, who lived in a village along the Aruka River, about 25 miles from Mabaruma, had delivered the twin babies at her home; however, they were born premature and died.

The woman reportedly suffered a severe post-partum haemorrhage and was taken to the Mabaruma Hospital, but was subsequently air-dashed to Georgetown without her spouse, who was contacted later via telephone.

The city hospital had expressed its sadness at her passing.

10

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, june 25, 2013

News

SBDF financed 9740 loans since start-up – as agency celebrates 10th year

SBDF Chairman Sattaur Gafoor

S

mall Business Development Finance Trust Incorporated (SBDF) Chairman Sattaur Gafoor believes that small and medium scale businesses in Guyana are beginning to face challenges such as climate change, inadequate state support, poor infrastructure, and the lack of suitable financing for growth and industrialisation.

Gafoor made the comments in his annual report, which was presented

by Director Mohamed Ali on his behalf at the annual general meeting (AGM) on the occasion of the organisation’s 10th anniversary.

Gafoor said that while the SBDF has tried to support clients to the best of its ability amid all the challenges, including limited capital availability, the small man is often alone.

He admitted that the main failure of the agency continues to be its inability to raise adequate financing for the sector.

He said that although its current capital is inadequate to develop its portfolio faster, the SBDF is still able to finance high-risk sectors such as agriculture, womendominated micro loans, and youth enterprises.

Enhanced capacity

Over the past 10 years, SBDF has financed 9740 loans to the value of $1.9 billion, with its loan portfolio increasing from $37.1 million in 2003 to $282.3 million in 2012.

“This is by any means a great achievement for an institution which started with a small capital. We are the smallest but an efficient and substantial organisation,” the chairman remarked.

Gafoor described SBDF’s

performance in 2012 as “reasonably good”, with the disbursement of more than 722 loans totalling $440.5 million.

The agency was also able to increase its capital by $104.1 million, which in real terms enhanced the capacity to assist new clients.

“There is little doubt that SBDF has grown into a strong institution with the capacity to honour its financial as well as developmental responsibilities,” Gafoor pointed out.

He related that should time and resources allow, the SBDF would like to see Guyana’s agro-products on dining tables across the region.

However, he pointed out that transforming subsistence farming into commercial businesses requires industrialisation in rural areas, since there is an advantage to be gained by processing farm produce in the areas where they are grown.

This, he stressed, reduces transportation costs and spoilage.

Finance and training

“Our promise for the future is to make SBDF a leading institution in the arena of micro-finance. We are committed to developing micro and small entrepreneurs by providing access to finance and training. This would empower small men and women to gain confidence, think ahead, and live with dignity and economic security,” Gafoor stated.

The agency’s five-year strategic plan includes resource and human capital development together with suitable technologies to deal with the reality that projects have become more capital-intensive and require

more than micro loans.

With estimated capital requirements of $500 million, the SBDF, which was launched in October 2002 and opened its doors for business immediately, intends to continue its search for new sources of capital.

From the inception, SBDF was not fortunate to attract international donor support and depended on monies borrowed from commercial banks.

The chairman singled out Republic Bank, which has been providing short to medium term loans and the British High Commission which has allowed the agency to improve its capital base.

The SBDF also lauded Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who negotiated with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank to examine its operations and provide assistance.

Through this arrangement, SBDF benefited from a loan of US$300,000 for onlending purposes and the IFC also co-financed a technical assistance project valued at US$280,000 for the improvement of in-house capacity.

Outreach programme

The SBDF has since transformed into a well-organised and efficient microfinance organisation.

As the agency continued to progress, it has touched thousands of lives and have developed strong bonds of partnership, which are reflected in its high retention rate of 85 per cent.

The agency’s “Outreach Programme” in rural areas is focused on the productive sector without neglecting the retail and services sectors, which all complement each other. However, the SBDF has recognised the potential of the production sector as the basis for income generation, employment creation, and higher consumption propensity.

Gafoor said that the presence of clients is testimony to the organisation’s resilience and its crucial role in the task of nation building.

He remains optimistic about the future development of Guyana, and expressed confidence that the course being chartered will help to create the way towards better credit accessibility for enterprising people who are determined to move ahead and change the socioeconomic environment of their communities.

Some people in de letter writin career

A

new career start up in Guyana called letter writin and it look like some of de newspapers dem gon have to run a competition to see who is de best and who is de worst. Plenty people gon enter that competition, so it gon be a tough fight.

De fight to be number one gon be tough just like how de letter writers dem does fight down one another like crabs in a barrel. Lin Con, Ducktor Rose, Freddie Kissmansoon, Rue Hell, de mayor fuh life Green Ham and he letter writin officer Roy Stone, and Ben Cup leadin de way fuh number one.

One of dem who can’t write and does pay people fuh write fuh he got plenty letter writin names, so he gon have to decide what name to enter de competition under. Even de minister home affairs gon enter de competition, because he been writin a lotta letters too.

Is no wonder plenty people complain

that dem does buy de local papers to read de news, but nowadays is more letters than news dem have to read. And some of dem letters long more than de Essequibo River, so is like yuh readin a whole book – before yuh done read yuh want sleep!

De book thief Freddie Kissmansoon on de other hand figure that, since no body does read he columns any more, he gon write plenty letters. Now every time de Man Kisser got a problem wid somebody, he writin a letter.

Rue Hell, who writin sheer doggerel and puppyrel, which he want to call poem, decide that he gon do de only ting that he can do, which is sittin down in people cake shop bummin tennis roll and writin letters.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend...tell...friend… mattie tell mattie! Is de only way people gon ever see Rue Hell name writin sum ting.

Ambulance authority to be established soon A

n authority will soon be established with responsibility for all ambulance services in Guyana, under the purview of the Guyana Fire Service, Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran said.

Speaking with Guyana Times on Monday, Dr Ramsaran said the Health Ministry is working with the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre of Nashville, Tennessee, United States, to set up an Emergency Medical Service, or a National Ambulance Authority in Guyana.

The university, according to the minister, is expected to train medical personnel to be better qualified in treating patients, while being transported to a treatment facility.

The Vanderbilt University is presently sponsoring the master’s in emergency medicine progamme, which is being conducted in Guyana and will also be sponsoring the master’s in public health programme, which will commence in 2014, at the University of Guyana.

The health minister is also working closely with the Home Affairs Ministry as the agency is expected to be established under the Guyana Fire Service.

He noted that Guyana currently boasts some 25 ambulances countrywide and another five to six are expected to arrive here soon.

However, there has been a

Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran

delay in their shipment.

The health minister explained that while there will not be any central location for the setting up of the new emergency service, it will see dispatchers designating ambulances to locations nearest to their proximity where medical assistance is needed.

He added that the emergency service will commence along the coastland first before being extended to the other regions.

Discussions were held with the private sector, the Guyana Defence Force, the University of Guyana, the private aircraft authorities and other stakeholders for the establishment of the am-

bulance authority.

The proposal for the emergency programme was developed by trauma surgeon Dr John Morris and Vanderbilt University Medical Director Dr John Rohde.

The minister said the proposal is work in progress and is expected to develop both air and road ambulances.

He said too the ministry has recognised that more women go with their husbands into interior areas and are having complications with pregnancies. This is one of the reasons air ambulance service is necessary, Dr Ramsaran said.

11 News

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Rohee pledges support for APNU will restore GPL subsidy if progress is seen persons with disabilities

T

he A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said it will restore the $5.2 billion subsidy for the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc only if progress is guaranteed.

APNU’s Executive Member Dr Rupert Roopnaraine told a news conference on Monday that the coalition held meetings with the power company to discuss the restoration of the funds which were cut from its allocation. After the funds were cut, GPL said it needed to raise tariffs to make up for the shortfall in financing for its capital project by an initial 17 per cent, but that percentage ballooned to a whopping 26.7 per cent.

Amid public outcry at the proposed steep hike in rates, President Donald Ramotar instructed the GPL board not to implement the hike at the end of May, as it threatened, as he was sure something would be worked out with the parliamentary opposition.

“The president’s instruc-

Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

tion to GPL betrays a strong indication by the administration that something may be yet done. And obviously, it would have to be done at the level of Parliament and I might take the liberty of identifying that engagements have been made with the parliamentary opposition and would have to continue,” government spokesman Dr Roger Luncheon had said in announcing that the administration will reengage the joint parliamentary opposition with the

aim of restoring the axed funds from the 2013 national budget.

Dr Roopnaraine made it clear that the APNU will continue to demand that GPL’s board of directors answer critical questions posed by the opposition.

“We do believe that for us to come to a logical and national conclusion in relation to what we were asking of GPL is essential; … explain to us why over this length of time they have not make the kind of progress in relation to reducing commercial and technical losses that one might have expected,” the APNU vice chairman explained .

He reiterated that the coalition will not restore the funds if the power company continues to withhold crucial information regarding its operations. GPL Chief Executive Officer Bharat Dindyal maintains that the subsidy from government is critical in completing a number of outstanding projects at various locations countrywide.

Rehabilitation Division hosts outreach on Camp, Water streets

Persons at the outreach on Monday

T

he Health Ministry’s Disability and Rehabilitation Division on Monday held an outreach exercise on Camp and Water streets, attracting scores of persons.

The outreach is a part of a week-long programme dedicated to the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.

The week commenced on Sunday with a prayer breakfast, with staff from the various divisions of the ministry.

At Monday’s exercise, staff of the Disability and Rehabilitation Division handed out brochures and information packages to sensitise members of the public of the various disabilities and where they could be treated.

Some of the services being offered include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, vocational therapy, orthotics and prosthetics, physiotherapy and audiology.

The week is being

held under the theme “Rehabilitation Moving Forward: New Ventures, New Technologies”.

This year marks the 10th year since the week has been observed.

The week continues with a high risk session at the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, the Veterans Home and the Bel Air Nursery today and a staff development session at the Eye Care Clinic, Georgetown Public Hospital on Wednesday, at 14:00h.

With rehabilitation services now offered in the hinterland, there will be additional activities in all the regions. The Rehab Week seeks to provide services to citizens who cannot afford it.

The Health Ministry continues to emphasise rehabilitation services in Guyana while striving towards one of its goals, “all preventable disabilities are reduced and all persons with disabilities

are receiving equitable and high quality services that enable them to function as equal citizens”.

A section of the audience during the sensitisation session on Monday at the Guyana Police Force Officers’ Mess Hall

T

he Home Affairs Ministry will stand by persons living with disabilities in Guyana, said the subject minister Clement Rohee on Monday.

Addressing members of the Guyana Police Force, the National Road Safety Council, volunteers and road safety stakeholders at the Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary, Georgetown, during the opening ceremony of a sensitisation workshop on the Disability Act 2010, Rohee said his ministry along with its constitutional arms, including the Guyana Police Force will provide all the necessary services to persons with disability in keeping with the act.

“I wish to assure the commission and indeed all persons with disability, that the Home Affairs Ministry will not fall short its responsibility to you... We are eager to work with you in bringing the provisions of the act into fruition in the shortest possible time.”

He also used the opportunity to call on persons of all walks of life, in particular motorists, to demonstrate care and consideration to disabled persons.

“It’s important that citizens develop an appreciation for the circumstances with persons with disabilities. Too often, we receive complaints from persons with disabilities, including the visual impaired persons

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee

about mistreatment meted out to them and even refusal of entry on public transportation by operators.”

National Commission on Disability Director Beverly Pile said the commission will continue to protect the rights of disabled persons.

In keeping with its mandate, Pile said the commission continues to negotiate with policymakers and programme planners in the private and public sectors to ensure the inclusion of disabled persons.

The workshop which focused on the Disability Act 2010 was organised by the Guyana National Road Safety Council in collaboration with the National Commission on Disability.

Throughout the seminar, special emphasis was placed

on the provision of equal services to disabled persons in the transportation sector.

This workshop forms part of a series of activities being held to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. Earlier in the year, the commission consulted with the housing, labour, education and health ministries on the Disability Act 2010.

The Guyana Persons with Disability Act was passed in the National Assembly and assented to by the then President Bharrat Jagdeo in late 2010. It was subsequently launched in 2011.

This legislation serves as a tool to protect the rights of persons with disabilities in the country.

12 news

tuesday, june 25, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Grove mechanic may have Berbice chamber donates computer systems to two schools suffered heart attack

T

he relatives of David Persaud of Grove, East Bank Demerara remain baffled about his sudden demise, claiming that he might have suffered a cardiac arrest, resulting in him crashing his motorcar.

According to information received, Persaud visited his farm located in the vicinity of the South Dakota Circuit earlier in the day and was on his way home when the accident occurred.

At the home of the dead man on Monday, family members were sitting around in disbelief as they made arrangement for wake.

The man’s daughter-in-law, Sabrina Brijmohan told Guyana Times that her husband went to the scene after they received the call, but he has was unable to say what might have caused the death of her father.

“All we can say is that he went to the farm alone and we are not sure who called the landline number to report the accident or who found him… We know nothing,” she added. The person who called, reportedly told the family that he received

Dead mechanic: David Persaud

information that Persaud was involved in an accident, the aggrieved woman revealed.

She explained that her father-in-law would visit a doctor treating his heart complication and might have gotten seizures while returning home.

Brijmohan further stated that they are awaiting a post-mortem examination which will determine what really happened.

When asked about the car, she disclosed that the front was. At the time of his discovery, Persaud was

not wearing his seat belt and was sitting in an upright position. The woman reiterated that he left home about 14:00h to visit his farm, which he bought about a year ago.

The daughter-in-law also said Persaud regularly goes to the area on weekends by himself and would return late in the evening.

The 54-year-old mechanic of 34 First Street, Grove, East Bank Demerara was discovered about 21:30h on Sunday evening in his car which crashed into a fence at the South Dakota Circuit. The family was informed by an unknown individual and immediately rushed to the scene. He was reportedly bleeding from the head.

His body was removed from the scene minutes before midnight and taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, and then to the Lyken’s Funeral Home. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday. He leaves to mourn his wife, two children and several siblings.

The police are investigating the accident.

Berbice Chamber of Commerce past president Imran Saccoor and officials of the chamber with teachers and students of the Bohemia Primary School

T

he Berbice Chamber of Commerce as part of its community service and education drive last Friday donated a computer system to the Bohemia Primary School.

with all facets of the community towards improving services through charitable works. The simple presentation was done by the chamber’s past president Imran Saccoor in

completion of the administrative work of the school. It will also expose children to basic computer training before they leave school.

During last week, the chamber also made a similar

Cadet officer charged for Better Hope fatal accident

T

he police cadet officer who was reportedly involved in an accident that resulted in the death of pedestrian Chanderjit Sanichar, 70, of Lot 52 Zahora Street, Better Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was on Monday arraigned with driving under the influence of alcohol.

James Tappin appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court where he pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read, and was granted bail in the sum of $10,000.

Sanichar was killed on the Better Hope Public Road

Dead: Chanderjit “Canter” Sanichar

in the wee hours of Sunday by a speeding car driven by the cadet officer.

He suffered severe head injuries and succumbed while receiving medical at-

tention at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Tappin, who was reportedly under the influence of alcohol, was detained at the Sparendaam Police Station to assist with the investigation.

According to information received, Sanichar, also called “Canter”, left home about 04:00h for Ogle, ECD, where he would normally purchase fish and shrimp to sell in the neighbourhood and its environs.

On his way to the koker, he attempted to cross the public road when the motor car, which was travelling east, slammed into him.

Woman who confesses and admits to perjury sent on self-bail

A

woman charged with perjury was released on her own recognisance for the second time when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

Dowana London, 35, of 45 Factory Road, Paradise, East Coast Demerara, in

her first court appearance on May 31, pleaded guilty to the offence.

However based on her explanation, the magistrate had entered a notguilty plea on her behalf and she was sent off on her own recognisance.

When London appeared in court on Monday, she changed her plea to guilty

and told the court that she was fully aware of the offence committed between May 20 and 24. She said she only gave ‘the explanation she gave’, because her nephew was dying and she wanted to attend his funeral. The accused was again sent off on her own recognisance and is to return to court on July 19.

Employee in custody after alleged $5.5M robbery

A

n employee of a popular Chesney, Albion businessman was on Monday afternoon taken into police custody after he claimed that he was relieved of $5.5 million he was supposed to bank for his boss.

According to reports, about 13:50h on Monday,

Zamin Zakeer, 43, of Albion, Corentyne, Berbice, was carrying $5.5 million belonging to his employer to a bank when he was allegedly held up by two men in a white motor car along Albion Access Road. One of the men was reportedly armed with a handgun.

Police later found the abandoned rental car that was used in the alleged robbery at Number 60 Village Public Road, Corentyne. The car is reportedly the property of South Beach Car Rental in Skeldon.

The police are continuing their investigations.

Past president Saccoor presenting a computer system to a teacher of the Cumberland Primary School in the presence of other teachers, students and chamber officials

The donation will enable the school to have many of its basic computer-related services done at the school and will benefit some 300 children.

The Berbice Chamber of Commerce over the years has been working closely

the presence of Tajepaul Ajohdea, Chris Hicks and Anil Beharry, all members of the chamber.

The school’s headmistress was thankful for the donation, pointing out that it would be a useful tool that will greatly assist in the

donation to the Cumberland Nursery School. The body earlier in the year received through a joint partnership with Birdy Sukhram of the U.S., a number of computer systems, and has earmarked three other entities to receive similar donations.

Draft EPA model bills up for consideration

L

egislative drafters from regional states signatory to the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM)-European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) are to meet on June 26-28 in Grenada, to discuss draft model bills to give effect to provisions of the agreement.

The meeting is being mounted by the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat-based EPA Implementation Unit, in keeping with its mandate to assist CARIFORUM states in the implementation of the provisions of the agreement. The unit’s legal officer Alexis Downes-Amsterdam, is spearheading the meeting.

The upcoming event

is the third such meeting of legislative drafters, organised by the unit, on draft model bills under the CARIFORUM-EU EPA. As with the preceding meetings, it will be funded under the Caribbean Aid for Trade and Regional Integration Trust Fund (CARTFund).

Two draft model bills will be the subject of deliberations at the meeting: the draft model CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (Implementation) Bill 2013 and the draft model Immigration (Temporary Stay of EU Services Suppliers) Bill 2013.

Since respective CARIFORUM states signed the EPA, commitments fall to each of them regarding the various provisions. Legislative obliga-

tions arise, as a result. The expectation is the regional EPA Implementation Unit’s technical assistance in the area of draft model bills, of the kind that will be the focus of the upcoming meeting and that were considered in the previous two meetings, will support authorities in CARIFORUM states in their efforts to craft relevant domestic legislation in support of EPA implementation.

The EPA was signed by 14 CARIFORUM states in October 2008 and by the 15 CARIFORUM state in Haiti on December 2009, and it is being provisionally applied since December 29, 2008. The 15 signatory CARIFORUM states to the EPA are the independent Caricom member states and The Dominican Republic.

News

13

tuesday, june 25, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Amerindian Affairs Ministry launches youth programme T

he Youth Apprenticeship and Entrepreneur programme of the Amerindian Affairs Ministry was officially launched on Sunday in Santa Rosa, Moruca, Region One by the subject minister, Pauline Sukhai.

The $200 million programme will target more than 160 youths between the ages of 18 and 40 from the Mabaruma, Moruca and Mattakai sub-districts who will be engaged in training in a number of areas, including governance, health, education, sport, culture, and infrastructure. In the long term, the programme is set to not only aid self-development but community and national development.

Minister Sukhai explained that community service officers will be attached to areas of interest and competency they wish to develop.

It is anticipated that at the end of the six-month attachment, the participants

would have enough skills to set up their own business, secure a job, or even pursue higher education. They will be attached to health, education, sport/culture, governance, and infrastructure agencies in their respective regions, and receive a $30,000 stipend – the same as a volunteer teacher.

For Region One, health and education garnered the most interest from prospective students.

Minister Sukhai said that it is hoped that a new culture of volunteerism, support and solidarity will emerge from this initiative.

In this regard, the participants were urged to learn their native language or another indigenous language.

This charge is in keeping with the ministry’s five-year strategic plan which has a language and culture component. Additionally, several persons from each community will be charged with developing sport and culture

Youths from the three sub-districts in Region One gathered at the Santa Rosa Secondary School for the launch of the Youth Apprenticeship and Entrepreneur Programme

in their villages.

Amerindian Affairs Ministry Permanent Secretary (PS) Nigel Dharamlall emphasised that the programme is a way of transforming, mainstreaming and integrating youths into the develop-

mental process. This, the PS stated, is an approach that best describes a democracy.

Dharamlall indicated that the ministry believes that the strength of the villages lies in education; the need for which has been a resounding call in many com-

munities. In this regard, it is anticipated that through the training the youths would further the development of their respective villages.

While there would be challenges and criticisms, the PS urged the youths to be creative and to work hard.

Region One Chairman Paul Pierre in his presentation recognised that the programme is geared towards preparing the youths for leadership roles and it is a good opportunity and a worthwhile venture.

This is particularly true since the hinterland communities are developing and thus facing challenges. In this case, the regional chairman posited that being versed in Information Communication Technology (ICT) will be an asset.

“The fact that the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs has seen it fit to initiate this programme means that the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs has the

interest of every single one of us at heart…the quality of leadership will definitely be improved,” he said.

This initiative is an indication of the focus the government has on continuing the development of Amerindians and their communities, he said.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) said in a release that, from the inception, the current administration has been making investments in young Guyanese in an effort to make their lives better.

One of the most significant investments is in the education sector through which youths’ academic foundation is built, and for those who are not academically inclined, there are many opportunities through various agencies such as the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry, the GINA reported.

Office of Climate Change in Region One outreach V

illage leaders from the Mabaruma and Moruca sub-districts, Region One were further enlightened about Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) over the weekend and have been urged to make decisions to ensure their villages and the country as a whole continue to develop while conserving and protecting forest resources.

Head of the Office of Climate Change, Shyam Nokta told the residents that natural disasters like drought, flooding, increased rainfall and tornados are incidents that are occurring throughout the world, and are as a result of climate change. Guyana like many other countries is affected by changes in the climate.

Impact

“Man’s impact on the environment is the main contributor to the effects that we are facing globally… the unfortunate reality is that many of the countries who are feeling the effects are not the ones that would have been the main contributors of this problem, and in particular poor developing countries, small island countries, and low-laying coastal countries like Guyana, we are the ones that are feeling the effects now and unless we do something to address it, the impacts from climate change will only get worse,” he said.

Nokta indicated that the LCDS is based on two elements – how Guyanese can transform their country’s economy and how Guyanese can make a contribution to the world in addressing the issue of climate change. In this regard, recognising the worth of Guyana’s forest alive rather than dead is critical.

At the head table are Office of Climate Change head Shyam Nokta; Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, Peter Persaud from The Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana, and LCDS MultiStakeholder Steering Committee member Ashton Simon

It is also important to look at other alternatives of energy such as wind and water, which would leave a low carbon footprint while creating opportunities for men, women and youths, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.

“In a relatively short period of time from 2009 to now, Guyana have been able to have our voice heard at the international level… we have demonstrated that not because we are a small developing country we can’t come up with ideas that work but we have not only come up with an idea, but we have put it into implementation and today we are starting to receive the benefits of that idea,” he said.

Partnership

When the LCDS was launched in 2009, it received widespread support locally and international recognition, the latter resulting in the partnership with the Kingdom of Norway.

Over time, the LCDS has developed and has been recognised as a workable model internationally. Thus far, US$115 million has been earned from this partner-

ship. However, these are performance-based. “Every year, Guyana is subject to an external audit…technical agencies come in at the end of each year and they look at what Guyana has been doing in terms of implementing the LCDS and they also monitor our annual rate of deforestation… and I am proud to say that for three consecutive years now Guyana has performed successfully,” Nokta highlighted.

Funding

The funding earned is put towards projects outlined in the LCDS including the Amaila Falls, Hinterland Electrification and Community Development Projects.

Nokta acknowledged that the LCDS is faced with some challenges, with the most noted one being the fact that if the world’s temperature gets any warmer, the world is headed for catastrophe.

“We would like to see more urgent action taken at the global level, political level and in particular by many of the developed countries who have to bear their fair share of responsibility for helping to address climate change but to

also give us the support as developing countries so that we can also prepare ourselves and make a contribution to climate change,” he explained.

Nokta indicated that it is unfortunate that financing for climate change at the global level is still a challenge.

Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai in her presentation said climate change is a challenge; nevertheless, it provides opportunities for transition into a green economy.

Community projects

She pointed out that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been partnering with the Amerindian Affairs Ministry on the Community Development Projects programme, which is targeting 27 communities in the first phase. The experiences and lessons learnt from the project will be recorded and will be put to use when the other communities get on board.

Minister Sukhai noted that while Guyana’s experiences vary from the rest of the world, what is outstanding is that Guyana is one of the forerunners in the fight against climate change. Importantly, the implementation and success of the project calls for the support of all Guyanese.

The minister also urged that youths be engaged in the process.

With regards to the opt-in mechanism, the minister explained that a document has been crafted and sent to the villages, and at the last National Toshaos Conference (NTC), more than 200 village leaders had signed a resolution; however, feedback from the village is required. Minister Sukhai urged that the village lead-

ers sensitise their communities about the document prior to a decision being made about whether or not to opt-in.

The proposed opt-in mechanism was highlighted in the May 2010 version of the LCDS and in 2011, an OptIn Concept Paper was considered by the Multi-Stakeholder Steering Committee and presented to the NTC for review and subsequently to villages for their review.

The opt-in mechanism presents an opportunity for those titled villages with forests to voluntarily include their forests, if they so wish, into the model and in so doing receive payments based on performance. This does not mean that if villages choose not to opt in, they will not get benefits under the LCDS. Amerindians

cent of them concluded that climate change is indeed occurring.

With regards to Guyana’s LCDS, he noted that the British High Commission and several countries, including Norway, have lauded Guyana’s efforts in the fight against climate change.

He added that the LCDS has been recognised as a workable model; however, there are people who are trying to distract others from the thrust of the LCDS. Simon encouraged the leaders to use their authority to choose between the right and wrong, and to ask questions when in doubt.

Peter Persaud from The Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAMOG) stressed that for the Amerindians the LCDS

A Mabaruma Sub-Region village leader making a contribution to the discussion

and all Guyanese will benefit from the projects under the LCDS. Secondly, as with the LCDS process, the principle of free, prior and informed consent will apply to the opt-in mechanism.

LCDS Multi-Stakeholder Steering Committee member Ashton Simon indicated that earlier this month a group of 4000 scientists met and 94 per

should not be strange because of the way their ancestors have been treating the forests and its inhabitants.

Based on the fact that 85 per cent of Guyana is forested, Persaud noted that climate change has an impact on food security, so the Amerindian people need to be responsible when dealing with climate change.

14

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

One dead, two hospitalised Suriname's president heads to China as violence in Jamaican T schools escalates

None of the students attempted to stop the fatal fight that was captured on video and aired on several social media sites

P

olice said two students from the Yallahs High School in the eastern parish of St Thomas were rushed to hospital with stab wounds on Friday, the latest in a series of violent attacks among school children that have already claimed the life of one student.

Police said the students

had just completed exams when an argument developed between a male and a female student.

They said it escalated and continued on the streets of the Yallahs where others joined in and a fight developed. It was later discovered that two boys were stabbed.

The unidentified boys

Jamaican air traffic controllers promise more industrial action

– both Grade 10 students – were taken to a nearby health centre and later transferred to hospital.

Three of their schoolmates were taken into police custody.

This latest act of school violence follows Wednesday’s fatal stabbing of Jamelia Dawkins, 13, of the Anchovy High School in the western parish of St James.

Jamelia was stabbed to death during an altercation with a schoolmate who has since been taken into police custody.

The Health Ministry has sent counsellors to the schools and Education Minister Ronald Thwaites, who visited the school, said the incident points to the poor socialisation of some children. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

ies between China and Dutch-speaking Suriname, which is home to the largest group of Chinese in the Caribbean and which has come under a strong Chinese economic sphere of influence, are set to reach new heights when Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse arrived in Beijing on Monday for his first major visit outside the Americas.

Bouterse left on Friday for China, where he will meet with President Xi Jinping and chair a meeting on world peace. The Surinamese leader is ac-

President Desi Bouterse

companied by a public and private sector delegation.

In China, Bouterse will address the second annual World Peace Forum at Tsinghua University. Sierra

Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary General Dmitry Mezentsev and several former overseas politicians will also attend the forum.

The two countries are expected to sign various bilateral agreements during Bouterse’s visit. According to the Surinamese president, in his last press interview before leaving for China, he is not running to China because he is facing isolation, an accusation from Suriname’s former colonial power, the Netherlands.

(Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Jack Warner prays for Mandela

F

ormer Chaguanas West Member of Parliament (MP) Jack Warner sent his prayers to former South Africa president, Nelson Mandela, 94, who is now “critically ill” in hospital due to a recurrent lung infection.

He spoke to Newsday on Sunday during a walkabout

of Bridle Road, off Munroe Road, Chaguanas, in his bid to be re-elected MP for Chaguanas West in the July 29 bye-election.

Warner, in April 2004 as the then Concacaf president, had hosted Mandela’s visit to TT to seek support for South Africa to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“I think that everything that prayers can do for Mandela, prayers have almost done. All we have to now pray for is that we can now use his life as an example for how we should live – a world without hatred, without vindictiveness, without bitterness,” Warner said.

(Excerpt from Trinidad and Tobago)

Brazil: Protests on smaller scale in Rio and Fortaleza

The workers last weekend reported sick for work forcing a contingency team to take control of critical operations

A

ir traffic controllers at the two international airports in Jamaica have vowed to take protest action again this week despite a back to work order obtained by the Labour Ministry on Sunday.

The court-issued injunction had mandated that members of Jamaica Air Traffic Controllers Association (JATCA) return to work immediately and cease all forms of industrial action. It has also restrained the JATCA’s executive from instigating, causing, encouraging or continuing any industrial action for 28 days.

But JATCA President Kurt Solomon, said the protest plans have not been

shelved and the details were scheduled to be disclosed at a news conference on for Monday.

“We had a plan to begin our protest on Monday, June 24, and we will effect that plan. We are going to start off by having a with a press conference to outline the specifics with regards to why we are taking the action that we are taking and how it will impact travel over the next few days.

“Further to that, we anticipate that there will be some communication between ourselves and Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), our employers, in relation to specific problems that existed over the years that we wish addressed,” he added. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

The protest in Copacabana was called by critics of a proposed law change

P

rotests have resumed in several cities across Brazil, although on a smaller scale than in the last few days.

On Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, thousands marched against a law change that would limit prosecutors’ powers to investigate corruption.

In the north-eastern city of Fortaleza, where

Spain played Nigeria for the Confederations Cup, a crowd blocked the road to the airport. The protests began over a week ago against increased transport fares. But they quickly escalated into a nationwide movement that took an estimated million people to the streets in more than 100 cities on Thursday.

The protesters also redi-

rected their complaints to a wide range of issues, from corruption and poor public services to the cost of staging international football tournaments.

Brazil is currently hosting the Confederations Cup, seen as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On Sunday, hundreds of protesters tried to reach the Castelao stadium in

Fortaleza, where Spain defeated Nigeria, but were pushed back by the police.

They then marched towards the city’s airport and blocked the road for at least two hours, forcing passengers to walk.

In Rio de Janeiro, a largely peaceful protest attracted an estimated 4000 people who marched from Copacabana to Ipanema.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Bolivia's prison inmates protest closure plan USAID launches project to boost farm incomes in northern Haiti

I

nmates at Bolivia’s biggest prison have said they are protesting against government plans to close the jail. They said they should instead be helped to integrate back into society.

Bolivia’s prison service said shutting down San Pedro prison in La Paz would put an end to “cocaine trafficking and other abuses” carried out by prisoners.

The decision follows allegations that a 12-year-old

girl became pregnant inside the jail after being repeatedly raped by her imprisoned father and other men.

But a spokesman for the prisoners, Ever Quilche, denied the rape and said the girl was “fine”.

“There is no proof that the girl was raped, mistreated or touched,” he told the BBC. “We are waiting for medical tests so that we can deny the allegation.”

The girl, who has been

taken into care, was among several hundred children with no alternative but to live in the San Pedro jail while their relatives serve their sentences.

The minors share living space with violent criminals including murderers, rapists, gang members and drug dealers. “We have been abandoned and we don’t know what to do if the jail closes,” Quilche complained. (Excerpt from BBC News)

T

he U.S. Agency for International D e v e l o p m e n t (USAID) on Thursday launched the Feed the Future North (FTFN) project in Haiti, which is supported by USAID under Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative.

The new FTFN is an in-

novative project to spur economic growth in promising agricultural areas in northern Haiti while at the same time developing local firms to be direct USAID partners.

FTFN was developed in cooperation with Haiti’s Agriculture Ministry. It aims to increase agricultural incomes for at least 40,000 rural households in north-

ern Haiti, expand financial services to local agribusinesses, stabilise watersheds that support farmland, and improve roads in some of the most fertile but inaccessible farming areas.

A key project component aims to increase the number of local Haitian firms who participate as direct contracting partners. (Excerpt from the Financial)

15 Around the World

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

U.S. warns of Snowden consequences

U

Edward Snowden

.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said it would be “disappointing” if Russia and China had helped U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden evade U.S. attempts to extradite him from Hong Kong.

Speaking during a visit to India, Kerry said there would inevitably be “consequences” to such a move.

Snowden flew from Hong Kong to Moscow on Sunday.

A seat was booked in his name on a flight to Cuba on Monday morning, but he is not thought to have boarded.

He has applied to Ecuador for political asylum, but the country’s foreign minister has implied he is still in Russia.

And speaking at a news briefing later on Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: “It is our understanding that he

(Snowden) is still in Russia.”

He added that senior U.S. officials were briefing President Barack Obama regularly about all the developments.

Snowden, 30, is wanted by the U.S. for revealing to the media details of a secret government surveillance programme, which he obtained while working as an information technology contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).

He is charged with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.

Speaking during a visit to Delhi in India, Kerry told reporters it would “be obviously disappointing if he was wilfully allowed to board an airplane”. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Pakistani PM calls for Musharraf to be tried for treason

P

akistan’s premier said Monday that the military ruler who ousted him in a coup over a decade ago should be tried for treason, but the government stopped short of pressing official charges.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke in parliament as the Supreme Court held a hearing on a possible treason case against Pervez Musharraf. The former military ruler can only be tried for treason if the federal government presses charges against him.

F

idency announced that Mandela had become critical, after Zuma visited him in hospital.

Zuma said on Monday he had found Mandela asleep, but had spoken to his wife and medical teams.

“All of us in the country should accept the fact that Madiba [Nelson Mandela’s clan name] is now old. As he ages, his health will... trouble him and I think what we need to do as a country is to pray for him.”

Mac Maharaj, Zuma’s spokesman, told the BBC’s Newshour on Sunday this was a stressful time for the Mandela family. (Excerpt from

M

ilitants killed eight Indian army soldiers and wounded six others in an ambush in India-administered Kashmir on Monday, authorities said.

The attack came just a day before Indian Prime

President Jacob Zuma

BBC News)

Berlusconi sentenced to prison in “Rubygate” sex trial

A

Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi

Milan court on Monday convicted former Italian Premier

Silvio Berlusconi of paying for sex with an underage prostitute during infamous

parties at his villa and then using his influence to try to cover it up.

Berlusconi, 76, was sentenced to seven years in prison and barred from public office for life – a sentence that could mean the end of his two-decade-long political career.

However, there are two more levels of appeal before the sentence would become final, a process that could take months.

Berlusconi holds no official post in the current Italian government, but remains influential in the uneasy cross-party coalition that emerged after inconclusive February elections.

Sharif said the government agrees with the Supreme Court’s decision

(Excerpt from France24)

Militants ambush soldiers in Kashmir; eight dead

Nelson Mandela’s still critical in hospital, says Zuma ormer South African President Nelson Mandela remains in a critical condition in hospital, President Jacob Zuma said.

Zuma said the doctors were doing everything they could to make the former leader comfortable, but he could not give any more medical details.

South Africa’s first black president, 94, was taken to hospital in Pretoria earlier this month for the third time this year, with a lung infection.

A senior official said South Africans should not hold out “false hopes”.

On Sunday, the pres-

General Pervez Musharraf

that Musharraf committed treason under Article 6 of the constitution when he declared a state of emergency in 2007 and suspended the constitution. Trying Musharraf for treason could set up a clash with the country’s powerful army.

“The prime minister is under oath to protect, preserve and defend the constitution and it is implicit in his oath that his government ensures that persons guilty of acts under Article 6 are brought to justice,” Sharif said in parliament.

Both he and the Moroccan woman at the centre of the scandal have denied ever having sex.

His lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, immediately announced an appeal and said the sentence was as expected as it was unjust.

“This is beyond reality,” Ghedini told reporters outside the courthouse. The sentence was even stiffer than the six-year prison term and lifetime ban on public office that prosecutors had originally requested.

“I’m calm because I’ve been saying for three years that this trial should never have taken place,” Ghedini said. (Excerpt from France24)

Minister Manmohan Singh is due to arrive in Kashmir on a two-day visit. He will review the progress of various development projects and commission a rail tunnel billed as India’s longest – an entity that is to connect landlocked Kashmir with

the rest of India.

Kashimi separatists have called for a strike Tuesday against the visit. The disputed region has been beset with violence for years and its status is a major bone of contention between India and Pakistan. (CNN)

Lebanese army storms Islamist mosque as Syrian crisis spreads

L

ebanese soldiers stormed a complex holding gunmen loyal to a radical Islamist cleric in the city of Sidon on Monday and arrested dozens of his supporters, security sources said, in a second day of clashes fuelled by neighbouring Syria’s civil war.

The fighting is the deadliest outbreak in Lebanon since Syria’s two-year conflict began. The army said 12 soldiers were killed in the southern Mediterranean port city, while security sources gave a higher army toll of 18 dead and 128 wounded.

A medic told Reuters that 22 bodies had been pulled from the mosque complex but he expected the final death count to be higher. He said 94 wounded had been treated by the Red Cross.

The violence has strained fragile sectarian relations across Lebanon and residents fear that Syria-related clashes could drag their country back into civil war.

Lebanon is still struggling to heal the wounds of 15 years of war between 1975 and 1990.

Fighting spread to a second city on Monday, with Sunni fighters in the northern city of Tripoli opening fire on the military and blocking roads with cement blocks and burning tires.

By nightfall, clashes there had injured two soldiers and three gunmen.

Hardline Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir, who has accused the army of backing the interests of the Shi’ite Muslim group Hezbollah, was still at large after the battle in Sidon.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

U.S. five-year-old girl shoots self in head

A

five-year-old girl in New Orleans died Sunday after, police believe, she accidentally shot herself in the head.

The case will be reviewed by the district attorney’s office and charges may be forthcoming, the New Orleans Police Department said in a statement.

Earlier, they had said that the girl’s mother faced a charge of second-degree murder.

Officers responded to a report of a child shot late Sunday morning.

They found the girl in a bedroom, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She was transferred to a hospital but

later died from her injury.

“A preliminary investigation indicates the child was home alone and had somehow come into contact with a .38-caliber revolver and accidentally shot herself in the head,” police said in their statement.

They said the mother told them she locked her daughter in the home while she went to the store. Upon her return, she found the girl in the bedroom with the gunshot wound.

The gun was recovered.

Police have not released the girl’s name, pending notification of family members.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday morning. (CNN)

16

tuesday, june 25, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com

Caribbean

New BlackBerry arrives in TT

T

Africa

Takoradi Polytechnic opens US$6M centre to train students in oil & gas

T

he new BlackBerry Q10 is finally here – and Digicel customers came out recently at the company’s Trincity Mall flagship store to be among the first to purchase the device and get tips from the experts on hand. Customers not only took advantage of the prices – TT$4299 postpaid with data and TT$4999 prepaid with data – but also of the free duffle bag and Bluetooth headset they received with their purchase.

Customers also enjoyed the Digicel ‘Spin the Wheel’ game, with a chance to win some Digicel and BlackBerry branded goodies.

BlackBerry gurus pre-

A Digicel representative shows a customer the interesting accessories included in the BlackBerry Q10 box

sent at the launch illustrated the numerous features of the new device, among them:

the BlackBerry 10 Operating System and the eight megapixel camera. (Trinidad Guardian)

North America U.S. FTC said to open probe of oil price-fixing after EU

T

he U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened a formal investigation into how prices of crude oil and petroleum-derived products are set, mirroring a European Union inquiry into pricing practices in the energy markets, two people familiar with the matter said.

The investigation, now in a preliminary stage, will probably become a broad probe similar to the multi-jurisdictional inquiry into bank ma-

nipulation of the London interbank offered rate, or Libor, the people said. FTC investigators are reviewing the progress their European counterparts have made, said the people, who asked not to be named because the matter is confidential.

The inquiry will probably include agency-issued civil investigative demands, which are similar to subpoenas, the people said. The FTC, which routinely mon-

itors wholesale and retail gasoline prices in the U.S. looking for anticompetitive behaviour, agreed with the Justice Department’s antitrust division to handle the probe, said the people.

The agency will scrutinise how price reporting companies such as Platts, the energy news and data provider owned

by McGraw Hill Financial Inc. help determine the cost of raw materials. (Yahoo! Finance)

he Ghanaian Education Minister Professor Jane Naana Poku-Agyemang commissioned a US$6 million technical training centre for the Takoradi Polytechnic to train Ghanaian students in oil/gas and other technical vocations. The training centre, built by the Oil Jubilee Partners, would start operating in September this year and would help reduce training abroad in the subject matter. The centre, named “Jubilee Technical Training

V

line network in 12 months, the group is offering a near 40 per cent premium to Kabel’s share price before its interest first emerged in snapping up the target’s 8.5 million connected homes.

The high price shows the desire of the world’s secondlargest mobile operator to adapt in its core market of Europe, where increasing reg-

ulation and recession have hit revenue and forced it to write down the value of its assets.

The price was pushed up in the last week by an approach from John Malone’s Liberty Global, which could still return with a higher bid, but two sources familiar with the German group said they did not expect that to happen.

(Reuters)

Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Bank of Guyana

Cur GBP

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

Buying

Selling

U.S.

$310.58

$344.58

Cambio

$1366.75 $260,585

$202.83

CAN

$161.50

$181.42

Gross

USD

$198.42

$205.58

Net

$242,344

Selling

$268,875

Indicators as on June 24, 2013 Live Spot Gold Bid/Ask

$1282.60

$1283.60

Low/High

$1275.40

$1292.10

-16.00

-1.23

Change

June 24 USD GBP EUR June 21 USD GBP EUR

London Gold Fix AM 1283.25 836.21 978.98 AM 1290.20 833.33 976.28

Indicators

USD Per Once

Crude Oil Price Silver Platinum

(Ghana Business News)

C

hinese stock markets have fallen sharply as the country’s central bank indicated its credit tightening policy would continue. The Shanghai Composite SSE index fell 5.3 per cent to 1963.24 points, over 1540 points below its 52-week high.

Traders reacted negatively to the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) saying liquidity in the country was still “reasonable” and that the era of cheap cash was over. Financial stocks fell

more than seven per cent.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index closed down 2.22 per cent, while in Japan the Nikkei closed down 1.26 per cent. The news from China saw markets in the UK, Germany and France resume their slide downwards, although there were no signs of widespread panic selling.

Recently, China’s banks – mostly state-owned – had been charging each other some of the highest lending

rates ever – over 25 per cent in some cases – enforcing a kind of state-sponsored credit crunch. This is because PBOC had temporarily turned off the flow of cheap money in an attempt to impose more discipline on its banks and reduce their reliance on credit. There were fears that the money markets could freeze up completely and put smaller lenders out of business as a result of the central bank’s drastic move. (BBC News)

Middle East Designer hired for Damac-Trump Dubai

Market statistics Cambio Rates

cation and training to be given the needed recognition by African governments. This must to be done through adequate budgetary allocations and the provision of modern infrastructure as well as teaching and learning materials. She said a World Bank study, carried out in 2002, asserted that, nearly all training systems in sub-Saharan Africa suffer diminishing government funding, which is virtually ad hoc and arbitrary.

Asia China stocks tumble on credit tightening fears

Europe golf project olf course architect Gil Vodafone agrees US$10B Kabel Deutschland deal Hanse, the designer who odafone has agreed to buy Germany’s largest cable operator Kabel Deutschland for 7.7 billion euros (US$10 billion), adding TV and fixed-line services to help defend against mounting competition in its most important market.

In Vodafone’s largest deal in six years and its second major buy of a European fixed-

Centre,” was co-sponsored by the Oil Jubilee Partners namely Tullow Ghana Limited, Anadarko WCTP Company, Kosmos Energy, Ghana National Petroleum Company and Sabre Oil/Gas Holding Limited.

The centre is the first in West Africa to offer diploma accredited qualifications to support industry and commerce in Ghana. Commissioning it, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang noted that the time has come for technical and vocational edu-

US$ per barrel

Change %

$100.98

+0.07

USD per Ounce

Change %

$19.60

-0.43 -45.00

$1331.00

PM 1292.50 835.77 982.85 PM 1295.25 839.87 984.46

G

was recently commissioned for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil has been confirmed as the designer for the Dubai golf course by Trump International set in Damac’s latest Akoya development.

The 7205-yard, par 71, 18-hole Championship course, developed by Trump International, which is headed by famed U.S. real estate mo-

gul Donald J Trump, is the focal point of ‘Akoya by Damac’, a 28 million square foot development in the emirate.

Construction is already underway at the project, which will include a 30,000 square foot club house – claimed to be the largest of its kind in Dubai – as well as a Trump Spa and Wellness centre and a selection of dining venues, all of which will be managed by Trump.

Trump International, Dubai

Investors' guide

is the 15th course Trump will manage, and it’s first in the Middle East. Commenting on the announcement chairman and president of The Trump Organisation, Donald Trump said: “Gil is easily one of the most sought after golf course designers in the world. “We are confident that Gil will bring his unique perspective and expertise to what will soon become the greatest golf course in the region.” (Arabianbusiness)

The price of bad financial decisions for small businesses

S

tart-up companies and small businesses have always had a relatively large percentage of failures, which is the ultimate price of making poor financial decisions.

Fortunately, many of these business failures can be avoided if those managing the enterprise can keep from making some common financial mistakes.

Why small business owners often make bad financial decisions

Many people go into business for themselves having ample skills at making a business work on a day to day basis. This is often one of the chief motivations for becoming self-employed by opening up a small

business in the first place.

Nevertheless, too much effort is often put into the daily operation of the business, while not enough attention is paid to bookkeeping and accounting practices, which are essential to running a small business efficiently and profitably.

Even though control over external factors may not be possible, avoiding simple financial mistakes and keeping accurate records will undoubtedly benefit any small business.

Common financial mistakes made by small business operators

The list below includes some of the most common bad financial decisions that small business owners often make

when starting out: • Undercapitalisation – many businesses start out having too little capital to weather tough times. Sometimes small businesses suffer from too much optimism when the business is prospering. This can often be caused by inflation, which leads the company to make unnecessary investments in fixed assets.

• Not having a bookkeeper – one of the most common mistakes made when starting a business is keeping poor records. Even though the added expense may be a burden, having a competent bookkeeper and keeping efficient records can pay for itself many times over in the long run. (Business

Dictionary)

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Business concept – Aggregate

Last:14659.56

Changes: -139.84

% Change: -0.94

Open: 14795.79

High: 14795.79

Low: 14551.27

% YTD: +11.87

52Wk Hi: 15398.48

52 Wk Lo: 12035.09

General: Collective amount, sum, or mass arrived-at by adding or putting together all components, elements, or parts of an assemblage or group, without implying that the resulting total is whole (contains everything that should be in it).

Construction: Granular mineral material (such as sand, gravel, crushed stone) used with a bonding medium (such as cement or clay) to make concrete, plaster, or terrazzo mixture.

(continued

news

17

tuesday, june 25, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Region Two awards 45 contracts for infrastructural works R

egion Two residents will see a massive boost in the infrastructure development in various villages on the Essequibo Coast as contracts were awarded by the regional administration for the upgrading of roads and the construction of culverts and institutions of learning.

At as simple contract award ceremony, which was held over the weekend in the boardroom of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in Anna Regina, the Region Two administration awarded 45 contracts under its Capital Works programme for 2013. The contract was awarded according to the regional tender board’s rules and regulations.

In his address at the ceremony, Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud called on contractors to abide by the contract documents, provide quality work and finish projects on time, specifically before the end of 2013. The chairman said the administration advertised 59 projects in the print media; however, some

makes the final decision concerning the awarding of the contracts.

Value for money

Regional Executive Officer Sunil Singh handing over bills of quantity to Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud on behalf of the RDC

of the projects were awarded by the region’s tender board and some contractors were displeased and protested against the awarding of 14 of the projects.

The chairman said contractors have the right to protest against any project awarded. He reported that the matter has been re-

solved and now the awarding procedure is transparent.

Regional Executive Officer Sunil Singh said the awarding of the contracts in Region Two followed the procedures of the regional tender board. He said the process is open and transparent and the tender board

Singh told contractors that the projects will be keenly monitored by the region’s engineer department and other government officers from the Region Two administration. He said no contractor will be given a schedule as to how and when the inspection visits will be made. The REO called for value for money and urged contractors to execute projects according to the bills of quantity.

Singh said every project has a specified deadline; however, if a contractor is experiencing any difficulty, feedback should be given to his office. Based on the situation, then an extension on the particular project can be given. The regional executive officer said he was aware of many challenges faced by contractors and there should be constant communication between contractors and the Region Two administration on awarded projects.

The awarding of the project also saw the involvement of the opposition councillors of the Regional Democratic Council, the Alliance for Change’s Bowanie Persaud and A Partnership for National Unity’s Prince Shepherd. The councillors took the opportunity to hand over some of the projects to

the contractors.

Some of those awarded contracts included Mohamed Ramzan Ali Khan, Vish Turbo Contracting Services, Fawaz Contracting Services, and Payless contracting services. Contractors expressed satisfaction in the way the regional administration awarded the contracts.

Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud presents a contract to Mohamed Ramzan Alli Khan

Lindeners abandon idea of rebuilding One Mile Primary School – to focus on improving amenities

A

lmost a year after Lindeners launched the “One Mile Primary School rebuild project”, in an effort to rebuild the burnt school by self help after it was completely destroyed by arsonists during a wave of protest action in the town, the focus has now shifted instead to modernising the school’s amenities.

This is according to Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon who recently disclosed that with the recent budgetary allocation of some $50 million which was designated towards rebuilding the school by government, the rebuild

committee will be seeking instead to upgrade school facilities.

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

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

“I had a discussion with officials of the Ministry of Education and I know that there is a $50 million budget that is in the budget for that school, so the discussion was to move as soon as possible to a tendering process or a process that will allow for the works to begin as soon as possible. So that is where the discussion with the ministry is right now.

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

of a more modern computer lab and putting in other amenities in the school that makes it more modern and upgraded.

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

Govt rebuilding school

Solomon over the past months had expressed willingness to have the government come on board with

rebuilding the school, despite the community’s decision to rebuild it through self help. The services of skilled construction workers were utilised over the past few months, as volunteers rendered assistance every weekend, but the process, according to members of the committee was a slow one, which encountered some hiccups along the way.

The work programme outlined by the committee had stipulated that the project would be completed within 18 months. Solomon noted too that he will be seeking to have persons and contractors who were in-

volved in the rebuild project to continue on board with the school’s construction under the government.

“In fact, without giving too much, we are trying to get those persons who are working on the project, to be involved once the contract has been approved. “ Since the commencement of the first school term last year, displaced students who attend the One Mile Primary School have been housed at various locations across Wismar, including the Block 22 Multi-Purpose Hall, Wismar Hill Primary, and the One Mile Nursery School.

IDB makes US$35.5M grant to Haiti for water in Port-au-Prince

T

he Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced the approval of a US$35.5 million grant for a programme to expand and improve drinking water services in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.

The grant will support the second phase of a programme launched in 2010 with support from the IDB

and the Spanish Fund for Cooperation in Water and Sanitation in Latin American and the Caribbean (FECASALC). At present, about 70 per cent of the three million people in the metropolitan region consume water provided by CTE-RMPP, the capital area’s utility.

The programme will be carried out by Haiti’s national water and sanita-

tion agency, DINEPA and CTE-RMPP. Both agencies receive capacity building support from the IDB and FECASALC. As part of the programme, a team of seasoned executives from international water companies was hired to advise CTERMPP staff on how to improve the utility’s technical, financial and commercial operations. They also helped

plan activities to repair damage caused by the 2010 earthquake and to respond to the cholera epidemic.

During the first phase of the programme, CTE-RMPP has doubled the time during which it distributes water, from an average of 13 hours to 26 hours a week. It has also increased the production of water and improved chlorination and bacterio-

logical tests. The utility has also boosted billing and collection.

Goals for the second phase include further reducing losses caused by leaks, clandestine connections and unpaid bills, as well as to improving revenue in order to cover operational expenses.

CTE-RMPP will also start implementing a master plan of investments to expand

coverage and improve the quality of service.

The IDB and the Spanish government (through FECASALC) are Haiti’s leading donors for water and sanitation. At present, they are financing projects totalling US$180 million to improve water services in Portau-Prince, several mid-size cities and numerous rural communities.

Caribbean credit unions urged to think outside the box

C

aribbean credit unions will have to think outside their comfort zone in order to remain competitive in a changing global environment characterised by an ongoing financial and economic crisis that has affected several fi-

nancial institutions worldwide, an international consultant has said.

Michael Daigneault, principal and founder of the United States-based Quantum Governance, L3C, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that one

of the economic impacts that has happened worldwide, particularly in Bermuda, is that “they are now in an economic recession that has really challenged them and indeed challenged all of the financial institutions that are in Bermuda.

“One of the things that has to happen is that credit union boards and senior management teams have to recognise the changes in the economic environment and make strategic changes to the credit union in order to help their members as much

as possible deal with that economic recession.”

Daigneault, who addressed more than 500 credit union officials from several Caribbean countries Monday at the continuation of the 56th annual international convention and the 42nd an-

nual general meeting of the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCU), said too often institutions including the credit unions, think about themselves and their survival in order to deal with the global economic and financial crisis. (CMC)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2010 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ARCHIE

By Bernice Bede Osol

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) You could be in a fortunate cycle where your finances and material interests are concerned. A number of opportunities are likely to present themselves in rapid fashion.

DILBERT

CANCER (June 21July 22) Be alert for some material opportunities since you could gain from a situation initiated by another.

Be prepared for more than one surprise.

AQUARIUS

LEO

(Jan. 20Feb. 19)

(July 23Aug. 22)

You’re a quick thinker, and your spontaneous notions are likely to be very good. Be prepared to act promptly on your inspirations.

CALVIN AND HOBBES PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) There’s a good chance that you could reap some rewards from a past good deed.

This remuneration may come about from someone other than the person you helped.

Upon first hearing, some of your mate’s ideas might sound outlandish, but after careful evaluation, you might judge them to be much more clever than you thought.

Don’t make any hasty judgments.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) This is a good day to try out a new method or system you’ve been contemplating for some time.

Just don’t put any limitations your thinking.

PEANUTS ARIES

LIBRA

(March 21-April 19)

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

One of your greatest successes is likely to come from a venture that you only recently became interested in. In your case, new will be better.

Strive to fulfil your social obligations, especially if they could lead you to some new people. There are indications that you could meet someone very interesting.

SUDOKU TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Initially, you could be unsure when you find yourself challenged by a unique development.

However, you’ll thrive under the difficult circumstances.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22) A situation of some importance that hasn’t been going your way recently could take a turn for the better. The results you envisioned could be forthcoming.

Monday's solution GEMINI (May 21June 20) Things in general should go much more smoothly for you than of late, owing to a constructive change of attitude. You’ll now be able to see positive possibilities where you before saw only negative outcomes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21) There could be good reason why someone has been lingering in your thoughts. Get in touch with him or her because some pleasant developments could occur.

news 19

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Angelina Jolie urges UN Security Council to act on war zone rape

A

ctress Angelina Jolie urged the UN Security Council on Monday to make dealing with war zone rape a top priority as she shared stories of survivors she has met, including a Congolese mother whose five-year-old daughter was raped outside a police station.

Oscar-winner Jolie, a special envoy for the UN Refugee Agency, told the council that it must shoulder its responsibility and provide leadership “for these crimes happen not because they are inherent to war, but because the global climate allows it”.

“Young girls raped and impregnated before their bodies are able to carry a child, causing fistula,” she told the debate on sexual violence in conflict which was organised by Britain, the president of the council for June.

“Boys held at gunpoint and forced to sexually assault their mothers and sisters. Women raped with bottles, wood branches and knives to cause as much damage as possible.

Toddlers and even babies dragged from their homes, and violated,” she said.

Jolie, who has visited refugee camps around the world, said that while there were hundreds of thousands of survivors of sexual violence, there had only been a handful of prosecutions because the world had not made the issue a priority.

“They suffer the most at the hands of their rapists, but they are also victims of this culture of impunity.

That is the sad, upsetting and indeed shameful reality,” Jolie said.

Jolie visited a refugee camp last week in Jordan

Angelina Jolie

and told the council about meeting a Syrian woman who feared retaliation if she spoke out about the sexual violence she had suffered.

After Jolie spoke along with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Ban’s special envoy on sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Bangura, the 15-member Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution recognising that rape can exacerbate conflicts and impeded the restoration of peace and security.

Resolution

The resolution “encourages members states to include the full range of crimes of sexual violence in national penal legislation to enable prosecution for such acts”.

British Foreign Minister William Hague said that in conflicts around the world “rape is used systematically and ruthlessly, in the almost certain knowledge that there will be no consequences for the perpetrators”.

Bangura told the council that almost two decades after peace was made in Bosnia, impunity for crimes of sexual violence during the 1992-95 conflict meant that

“for the survivors of sexual violence the war has not ended”.

“While the perpetrators have enjoyed the fruits of peace and have been free to rebuild their lives, their victims continue to walk in shadow and shame, unable to lay the past to rest and to move forward.”

Ban said the Security Council resolution sent a strong signal to perpetrators that their acts will no longer be tolerated and they will be held accountable.

He spoke about visiting a hospital in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month where he met women and girls raped and maimed by armed groups on all sides of the conflict.

“Many had a condition called traumatic fistula. In plain terms, they had been torn inside,” Ban told the council. “Experiencing great pain and often unable to control bladder and bowels, they are disabled and often shunned by society.”

Ban said the Congolese women were angry and had a clear message – “No more impunity. No more war.

Give us peace.” (Reuters)

Jim Carrey withdraws support for “Kick-Ass 2”

J

im Carrey, star of “Kick-Ass 2”, has withdrawn support for the film following the Sandy Hook massacre.

Carrey tweeted on Sunday: “I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience, I cannot support that level of violence.

“My apologies to others involved with the film.

I am not ashamed of it, but recent events have caused a change in my heart,” he added.

Carrey is well-known for his support of gun control measures.

Twenty pupils and six staff were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last December by 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza. He had earlier shot dead his mother in their home.

“Kick-Ass 2” follows 2010’s ultra-violent comic book movie and sees Chloe

Moretz and Aaron TaylorJohnson reprise their roles as high school pupils turned DIY superheroes Hit Girl and Kick-Ass. The movie will be released in the UK on August 14 and the U.S. on August 16.

Carrey’s character in the film is Colonel Stars and Stripes, the leader of a group of superheroes.

Creator of the original comic book and Kick-Ass executive producer Mark Millar said he was “baffled”

by Carrey’s decision and asked him to reconsider.

In a forum on his website Millarworld, he wrote: “As you may know, Jim is a passionate advocate of guncontrol and I respect both his politics and his opinion, but I’m baffled by this sudden announcement as nothing seen in this picture wasn’t in the screenplay 18 months ago.

“Yes, the body-count

is very high, but a movie called ‘Kick-Ass 2’ really has to do what it says on the tin.

“A sequel to the picture that gave us Hit-Girl was always going to have some blood on the floor and this should have been no shock to a guy who enjoyed the first movie so much... like Jim, I’m horrified by reallife violence (even though I’m Scottish), but “Kick-Ass 2” isn’t a documentary.”

Further down in his posting, he continued: “Ultimately, this is his decision, but I’ve never quite bought the notion that violence in fiction leads to violence in real-life any more than Harry Potter casting a spell creates more boy wizards in real life.,, Jim, I love ya and I hope you reconsider for all the above points.”

Universal Pictures, the film’s studio, has yet to comment on Carrey’s decision.

(BBC Entertainment)

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Lehmann appointed as Australia coach D arren Lehmann has been appointed Australia coach after Mickey Arthur was sacked 16 days before the Ashes starts.

The former Yorkshire left-handed batsman, 43, currently coach of Australia A, takes charge immediately. Cricket Australia said Arthur, in charge for two years, was dismissed due to “struggles on and off the field”.

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said: “This has been a difficult decision to make but one that we feel is necessary.”

South African Arthur, 45, faced criticism following poor performances and disciplinary issues within the camp. He coached Australia to 10 wins and six defeats in 19 Test matches.

Lehmann, played 27 Tests and 117 one-day internationals for Australia between 1996 and 2005.

The 43-year-old retired from playing for South Australia in 2007, and was appointed as coach of

Darren Lehmann (right) and Michael Clarke

Queensland in May 2011.

He also recently coached Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League.

Lehmann said: “It’s a challenge for all of the playing group. I’m excited by the challenge, looking forward to working with captain Michael Clarke and the team, and seeing them enjoy some success on this tour.”

Cricket Australia said he

was the “outstanding candidate to drive the cultural change required” to take the team to the “number one ranking in all formats of the game”.

They added that the decision as “drastic”, but necessary “with such a big series fast approaching”.

The first Test against England starts on July 10 at Trent Bridge but Australia

face two four-day warmup matches first, starting against Somerset on Wednesday.

Sutherland said: “The timing is far from ideal but we didn’t feel we could sit back and hope matters would change without addressing issues critical to a high-performing team culture.

“Recent on-field results

have been too inconsistent.

“Discipline, consistency of behaviour and accountability for performance are all key ingredients that need to improve. We see that the head coach is ultimately responsible for that.”

Lehmann played for Yorkshire between 1997 to 2006, was part of the side that won the County Championship in 2001, and captained the county the following season.

Queensland won the Sheffield Shield as well as two domestic one-day trophies in Lehmann’s two years coaching the state.

On Lehmann, Sutherland added: “No-one is underestimating the task at hand but we believe he is the right man for the job. It is up to the players to respond under his leadership and demonstrate their commitment to a successful Australian team.”

Off-the-field issues during Arthur’s tenure included four players – vice captain Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson

and Usman Khawaja - being dropped for the third Test of the tour to India for failing to submit presentations on team strategy.

Then, in May, opening batsman David Warner was fined £3700 (AU$5750) for posting abusive comments to journalists on his Twitter account.

He was later suspended until the first Ashes Test, and fined £7000 (AU$11500), for punching England’s Joe Root in a bar following Australia’s defeat to England in the Champions Trophy.

Meanwhile, on-the-field, Australia last week finished bottom of their group in the Champions Trophy.

Cricket Australia also announced that Clarke had stood down from his role as on the team’s selection panel. “Being a team selector was proving to be a significant drain on Michael’s time and he sees this as distracting from his primary responsibilities as a player and as captain,” added Sutherland.

(BBC Sport)

India’s tough selection policies Brazil will definitely host bear fruit World Cup 2014, says FIFA

W

hen you saw India jubilant in England after winning the Champions Trophy, you couldn’t help but go back to the second day of the Kolkata Test last year, against the same opponents.

England ended that day at 216 for 1, a day that summed up everything that was wrong with Indian cricket: lacklustre bowlers, poor catching, fielders who didn’t want to be there and probably – as a consequence of these factors – a defensive captain. Cruelly, that day, the team management sent Trevor Penney, the fielding coach, for the press conference.

Penney had no explanation for India’s poor fielding. Rather, he didn’t have an explanation he could speak publicly about. The team was carrying at least four players whose contributions in their first discipline had long ago begun to pale in comparison with their poor fielding. And then there was R Ashwin, who had lost form, or patience.

While Ashwin’s issue was personal, and he has addressed it with aplomb, the other rot was systemic. And it won’t be unfair to believe that – yet again – amid the debris in Kolkata, India began a turnaround.

Only this time it began in a selection committee meeting. And this panel led

by Sandeep Patil has clearly shown that the scorn heaped on Kris Srikkanth and Co was earned and deserved.

One by one, they dropped, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, in that order. Look at the replace-

F

The Indian selectors, led by Sandeep Patil, have shown they are willing to take unpopular selection calls (BCCI)

ments. M Vijay has scored more Test centuries in one series than Sehwag did in two years. Shikhar Dhawan outdid in one Test Gambhir’s achievements over the last three years.

Debatably Yuvraj’s ODI place went to Ravindra Jadeja, and the results are for all to see.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not let India miss Zaheer yet, although that arrangement could change.

The obvious question that will arise is: if it was that simple, why didn’t the team management ring in the changes? They had the reserves in the squad. First, it wasn’t that simple. While improvement was guaranteed – it was scarcely possible to do worse than the outgoing players – such a huge improvement has been surprising. More importantly, though, the captain just can’t drop seniors in India, or in many other teams.

Call it the team management’s weakness, call it a cultural weakness, call it whatever, but the Indian team management had time and again made it clear that if the underperform-

ing players were part of the squad, they would be part of the playing XI too. All four of the players dropped – despite their poor record – were part of the playing XIs before they were dropped altogether. Zaheer and Yuvraj played the Kolkata Test, which is when the selectors met. Gambhir played the last Test of the series, and was only dropped after it.

Sehwag played on until the mid-series selection in the next series.

Only once had MS Dhoni tried to disturb the apple cart when he decided during the 2012 CB series in Australia that Sehwag, Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar could not be part of the same playing XI because that meant giving the opposition a headstart of 20 runs. Clearly it was not well received. Sehwag, who never really opens up in press conferences, chose to selectively give out details from the team meeting. There was bad blood. Dhoni was criticised for looking ahead, and he didn’t have any backing from the selectors. (Cricinfo)

IFA general secretary Jerome Valcke says the 2014 World Cup will definitely be staged in Brazil, despite admitting he had been involved in talks with the government to decide whether to cancel the Confederations Cup because of protests. Valcke conceded the demonstrations had overshadowed the tournament, but guaranteed next summer’s World Cup would go ahead after he was given government assurances over safety.

“The World Cup will be held in Brazil,” he told BBC Sport. “The first game will happen in Sao Paulo, the final will be in Rio. There is no plan B.” Last weekend more than a million people were reported to have taken part in protests in about 100 cities across Brazil. Protests began over high transport fares but have also highlighted corruption and the cost of next year’s World Cup. When asked if there had been a point when he had questioned whether it was right to continue with the Confederations Cup, as the protests gathered momentum, Valcke said: “There was one evening on 20 June when we reached a peak in the country.

“The demonstrations had moved from being non-violent protests to a minority of violent protesters who were making a lot of noise and problems. So the following day we had a crisis meeting, including the government the local organising committee and FIFA just to make sure we were on the same page, in order to end the tournament in the best pos-

Jerome Valcke

sible way.”

Valcke launched a robust defence of football’s governing body during the interview in Rio de Janeiro and said he felt FIFA was being unfairly blamed for Brazil’s problems and that the country still had many issues to overcome. “There are many, many things to do in Brazil,” he said.

“But the most important thing for us is to detach the World Cup or the Confederations Cup from these problems. We are not the answer to all problems and we are definitely not the reason for such a crisis. We are just part of what Brazil is doing for the next 20 years.”

When asked if FIFA were being unfairly portrayed as the villains in Brazil, he added: “Definitely. I am not saying that because I work for FIFA, as secretary general. But the light FIFA is being shown in here, is the wrong one.”

During the worst of the protests, Italy were prevented from leaving their hotel

in Fortaleza for safety reasons. But Valcke told BBC Sport that no team, or official, had ever asked to leave the tournament because of the problems but that safety levels had been raised as a result.

Had he asked the Brazilian government for extra guarantees on the safety of players and officials as a direct result of the demonstrations? “For sure,” he added. “We always ask that as part of the commitment for the country when they host the World Cup. “But after these days (the protests) we asked to ensure the highest level of security, not only for the players but the media, the fans, for whoever has the wish to be part of the event. It is part of the responsibility of the state to deliver that high level of security system to protect all of us.”

Valcke went on to say that he felt next summer’s World Cup might yet be remembered as the greatest of them all, especially if Brazil play well. “What Neymar has given in this tournament is unique. He is an amazing player, a beautiful player,” he added.

“And this is a great Brazilian team.

Congratulations to coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, he has brought his team together, brought a unity, he has found his 11, he has found his team. “If Brazil plays well at the World Cup you have everything to make the best World Cup ever organised. “It is true that what we expect is the best tournament. If Brazil plays well you will have an incredible World Cup. It is the country of football.” (BBC Sport)

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

21

fan Nadal exits Wimbledon after Facebook chooses name shock Steve Darcis defeat for CPL mascot

“B

F

ormer champion Rafael Nadal slumped to a shock first-round exit as world number 135 Steve Darcis pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history on Monday.

The Belgian was inspired as he recorded a 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 win on Court One to condemn the fifth seed to a second successive early exit at SW19.

It was his first competitive grass tie since Lukas Rosol beat him last year.

However, reigning champion Roger Federer eased into the next round with a 6-3 6-2 6-0 win over Victor Hanescu.

Spaniard Nadal, crowned French Open champion for a record eighth time earlier this month, showed signs he was struggling to adjust from the clay to grass in the opening set and Darcis took advantage.

The 2008 and 2010 Wimbledon winner saved four set points in a second set tie-break and then failed to take one of his own before Darcis claimed it at the fifth opportunity.

And the Belgian showed no signs of nerves as he broke in the first game of the third set before serving out for a famous win which condemned Nadal to his first ever first-round defeat at a Grand Slam.

He became the first reigning Roland Garros champion to lose in the first round of Wimbledon since Gustavo Kuerten in 1997.

Nadal refused to use the knee problems which kept him sidelined for a lengthy period after last year’s Wimbledon exit as an excuse for the defeat.

He said: “There were not a lot of good things for me. I tried my best all the time I had my chances but I did not make it.

“It is difficult to adapt your game on grass. Now is not the right time to talk about my knee. The only thing I can do is congratu-

Steve Darcis

Roger Federer

late my opponent. It is not a tragedy, I lost, it is sport.

“I’m confident that I will recover and be ready for the next tournaments. I have played far more than I expected after my injury and I will try my best for the next couple of years.”

Darcis told BBC Sport: “Rafa did not play his best match here, it is hard when it is your first match on grass.

“I just wanted to play my own game, coming to the net and not playing far from the baseline. I did not target his knee, tennis is hard enough when you are thinking about

Rafael Nadal

yourself.

“I have always played well on grass, perhaps not here where I have had some tough draws, but I am really happy. I do not know what to say.”

Meanwhile, Federer, the world number three and third seed, needed just 69 minutes to beat Romanian world number 48 Hanescu, hitting a mere six unforced errors in total.

The 31-year-old won his first Wimbledon title 10 years ago and is now looking for title number eight after beating Andy Murray last year.

The former world number one, hit 32 winners and broke his opponent six times in total.

“I’ve won Wimbledon a few times now but it still feels special,” he said.

“I still enjoy myself in the first round and it’s a pleasure playing on centre court again this year.

“I thought it was a good first round for me. I’m very happy. Conditions are pretty cold but it releases some of the pressure now.”

He will play Ukrainian world number 116 Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second

round.

Elsewhere, 14th seed Janko Tipsarevic is out after he was beaten 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-5) by fellow Serb Viktor Troicki .

Defeat means the world number 14 has lost in the first round in three of the last four years. Troicki will now face Russian world number 77 Andrey Kuznetsov who beat Spaniard Albert Montanes.

Fabio Fognini was the first seed to fall after he was beaten 7-6 5-7 3-6 2-6 by Jurgen Melzer.

The number 30 seed had 12 break points against the world number 36 but could only convert four, a statistic that eventually proved his undoing.

Nadal’s conqueror last year, Rosol, is also out after he was beaten in five sets by Julian Reister .

The world number 35 went down 6-3 4-6 7-6 (75) 6-7 (7-4) 6-4 to Reister, ranked 121 in the world.

Number 10 seed Marin Cilic came through a potentially tricky test as he beat the 2006 semi-finalist Marcos Baghdatis 6-3 6-4 6-4. (BBC Sport)

Balotelli ruled out of Confederations Cup with injury

I

taly striker Mario Balotelli has been ruled out of the rest of the Confederations Cup with a thigh injury.

Former Manchester City forward Balotelli, 22, scored in Italy’s group games against Mexico and Japan.

He played the full 90 minutes of the 4-2 defeat to Brazil but will now miss Thursday’s semi-final against Spain.

Team doctor Enrico Castellacci said: “The player cannot recover between now and the final on Sunday. We prefer not to take any risks.”

He added: “In agree-

ment with the coach Cesare Prandelli, it was decided to send him back to Milan after speaking to the medical staff at AC Milan, who will look after him.”

Balotelli had played as the lone central striker in Italy’s three group games, and Prandelli has Alberto Gilardino, Sebastian Giovinco and Balotelli’s Milan team-mate Stephan El Shaarawy as his forward options for the match with Spain.

Italy lost last year’s Euro 2012 final 4-0 to Spain, and Prandelli admitted that Balotelli’s absence may lead

Mario Balotelli

to a change of formation.

“Without Mario, we need to work even more at a collective level,” Prandelli said.

“We’ll have players with different characteristics, but

the aim is to make the team even more compact.”

Playmaker Andrea Pirlo may be fit to face Spain after he missed the Brazil match with a calf injury. (BBC Sport)

ouncer” is the et ball with horns. While name that has the ball is self-explanatobeen chosen for ry, Kelly explains that the the Caribbean Premier horns are a reference to the League’s mascot after a so- J’ouvert celebration that is cial media competition such an important part of where Facebook and Twitter Carnival revelries around fans were asked to submit the Caribbean. their suggestions for names J’ouvert marks the offifor the huge purple and cial start of the Carnival fesgreen ball that forms part of tivities, and it usually takes the CPL logo. place in the wee hours of the After sifting through morning before the sun rises. hundreds of submissions, It is a ritual that is accompafive names were shortlist- nied by mud, oil, pitchforks, ed by the CPL marketing horns and pointed tails, parand event team, with David ticularly in Trinidad and Ross’ idea emerging as the Tobago, and is said to symfavourite. bolise rebirth, newness of Ross, who is from life and freedom, all assoBarbados, posted his win- ciations that are reflective ning name on Facebook and of the Caribbean Premier explained his reasoning be- League messages. hind the label.

For submitting the win“I listened to the CPL ning name, Ross will retheme song which is very ceive VIP tickets for the bouncy; I saw the mascot three matches being held in video on YouTube and the Barbados, and a brand new mascot was bouncing and Samsung Galaxy S3 mini, it just hit me,” said Ross. courtesy of CPL sponsor, The West Indies is known Digicel. Bouncer will perfor bouncy wickets, and our sonally hand over the new brand of cricket and music smartphone to David at the is full of bounce. It is also opening ceremony which he catchy for children. Plus if will attend with his family. you follow the ball it will “I am elated about winbounce.” ning but even happier to just CPL Event Director contribute. I was already Rhonda Kelly agrees. planning to attend all the “Bouncer is such a fun name matches in Barbados with and CPL is all about fun. It my family and now I have is very simple and as David more reason to.” said, it’s catchy for the chilThe first ever Caribbean dren. We wanted to involve Premiere League, sponthe fans in this process since sored by Digicel, begins our mascot is the face of CPL on Tuesday, July 30 with and will be interacting with 24 matches played across fans at matches. I don’t think 6 Caribbean countries: we could have come up with a Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, better name ourselves.”

Jamaica, St. Lucia and The mascot is a crick- Trinidad and Tobago. (CPL)

Jessica Ennis-Hill pulls out of Estonia meet with ankle trouble

J

essica Ennis-Hill has withdrawn from the European Cup Combined Events Super League meeting in Estonia this weekend because of an ankle injury.

The 27-year-old, who won heptathlon gold at the Olympics in London last year, has yet to compete this season.

“I have been running and putting some force through the ankle,” said Ennis-Hill.

“But [coach] Toni [Minichiello] and I feel that doing a heptathlon is not the best option to fully recover.”

Ennis-Hill added that her focus is on ensuring her ankle is right for the World Championships in Moscow, which start on August 10.

She added: “Day by day it is feeling much more free and comfortable.

“This season’s focus has to still be the heptathlon in Moscow and there are many other options to compete before then.”

Ennis-Hill missed the

Jessica Ennis-Hill

start of the season but had been set to compete in Tallinn on June 29 and 30.

Minichiello said: “Jessica does not need to do a heptathlon before Moscow - but it would have been useful.

“However, given her ankle is making slow but steady progress and things are looking much better we don’t feel it is worth rushing it to compete this weekend in all seven disciplines.

“My job is to get her to Moscow in one piece, and in good shape, and that is my priority.” (BBC Sport)

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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

dominates GOA stages Olympic Day activity Madhoo darts tourney

Top performers! From left are Anthony Bissoondyal, Rosetta Hiralall and Norman Madhoo From left: GOA Vice President Charles Corbin, Open Doubles champion Ambika Ramraj, Open Singles and Doubles champion Priyanna Ramdhani, GOA President KA Juman-Yassin and GBA President Gokarn Ramdhani

T

he Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Olympic Day badminton tournament was held on Saturday last at the Queen’s College badminton courts.

All of Guyana’s leading badminton players, along with the up and coming talents, turned

up at the venue to be part of the event. The annual tournament formed part of a series of activities the GOA hosted at the weekend to celebrate World Olympic Day 2013.

Of the five badminton events, only three were completed as the players had to pre-

Men’s Singles (first round): Omari Joseph defeated Armand Ramdhani: 23-21, 21-7 Noel Shewjattan defeated Jonathan Mangra: 21-17, 15-21, 21-12 Avinash Odit defeated Trevor Mokutnauth: 21-2, 21-8 Darell Carpenay defeated Joshua Singh: 21-5, 21-12 Christopher Persaud defeated Hemraj Beharry: 21-5, 21-5 Cecil Abrams defeated Sachin Ramdhani: 21-10, 21-16 Men’s Singles quarter-finals: Narayan Ramdhani defeated Omari Joseph: 21-6, 21-3 Avinash Odit defeated Noel Shewjattan: 21-15, 21-17 Darell Carpenay defeated Christopher Persaud: 21-10, 18-21, 21-18 Nicholas Ali defeated Cecil Abrams: 21-14, 21-7 Men’s Singles semi-finals: Narayan Ramdhani defeated Avinash Odit: 21-11, 21-3 Nicholas Ali defeated Darell Carpenay: 21-6, 21-13

pare for the Olympic Day run, which was held on Sunday.

The remaining two events, the Men’s Singles and Mixed Doubles finals, were slated for last evening at the same venue.

GOA president K.A. Juman-Yassin and Vice President Charles Corbin were

Ladies’ Singles: quarter-finals: Arian Kayume defeated Crystal Dey: 22-20, 19-21, 13-21 Nadine Jairam defeated Kara Abrams: 21-13, 18-21, 19-21 Ladies’ Singles semi-finals: Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Arian Kayume: 21-7, 21-8 Ambika Ramraj defeated Nadine Jairam: 21-18, 22-24, 25-23

on hand to make the presentation of trophies to the top performers of the three completed categories on Saturday.

The tournament was organised by the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA).

Below are the summarised results:

Men’s Doubles final: Narayan Ramdhani/Nicholas Ali defeated Noel Shewjattan/Christopher Persaud: 21-10, 21-8 Ladies’ Doubles semi-finals: Nadine Jairam/Arian Kayume defeated Kara Abrams/Crystal Dey: 2113, 21-9

Ladies’ Singles final: Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Ambika Ramraj: 21-18, 14-21, 10-21

Ladies’ Doubles final: Priyanna Ramdhani/Ambika Ramraj defeated Nadine Jairam/Arian Kayume: 21-15, 9-21, 21-17

Men’s Doubles quarter-finals: Jonathan Mangra/Ceceil Abramd defeated Omari Joseph/Sachin Ramdhani: 21-17, 21-18 Noel Shewjattan/Christopher Persaud defeated Armand Ramdhani/ Hemwant Singh: 21-5, 21-2

Mixed Doubles quarter-finals: Jonathan Mangra/Arian Kayume defeated Omari Joseph/Crystal Dey: 2115, 21-17 Christopher Persaud/Nadine Jairam defeated Cecil Abrams/Kara Abrams: 2118, 21-12

Men’s Doubles semi-finals: Narayan Ramdhani/Nicholas Ali defeated Jonathan Mangra/Ceceil Abram: 21-6, 21-17 Noel Shewjattan/Christopher Persaud defeated Darell Carpenay/ Ernesto Choo-A-Fat: 21-15/13-21, 21-19

Mixed Doubles semi-finals: Narayan Ramdhani/Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Jonathan Mangra/ Arian Kayume: 21-6, 21-9 Nicholas Ali/Ambika Ramraj defeated Christopher Persaud/Nadine Jairam: 215, 21-5

F

ormer national darts champion, Norman Madhoo, who is currently in Guyana on vacation, played unbeaten last Friday at Clerico House to cart off top honours in the darts competition, sponsored by Peter Baker.

In the Draw Doubles, Madhoo, partnering with Anthony Bissondyal, eliminated Sudeshpersaud Fitzgerald and Bryan James at the semi-final stage before taking the final from Luis Ramirez-Merlano and Lallchand Rambahrose.

Rambahrose/RamirezMerlano defeated Mark Persaud/Anil Lachhman in their semi-final game.

The Ladies’ Singles was won by Rosetta Hiralall from Shaundell Hyles who upset Hemwattie Amyan in their semi-final game .The other losing semi-finalist was Mary Correia.

The Men’s Singles saw Luis Ramirez-Merlano gaining a walkover from Anil Lachhman at the quarterfinals only to meet Madhoo who eliminated him on his way to the final.

Colin France, the other finalist, had some close games which he won 2-1 from Andrew Balchand and Lallchand Rambahrose in the semi-final. In the final, Madhoo defeated France 3-0.

Pepsi Sonics to host one-day basketball competition

T

he Pepsi Sonics basketball club will be hosting a five-a-side competition on June 29 at the National Gymnasium hard court from 10:00h.

The tournament, which is also slated to have a threepoint shooting contest according to the organisers, is expected to have the full participation from all basketball clubs.

The teams will be vying for a $100,000 first prize while

second and third place finishers will battle for $75,000 and $50,000 respectively. All clubs will be able to register more than one team to participate in the event.

Teams expected to participate are: Pepsi Sonics (Host), Pacesetters, Eagles, Ravens, Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Republic Bank Nets, Buxton United, Bounty Colts, Patriots, Panthers, Knights, Guardians and West Side Jammers.

Chess season resumes on Sunday

A

fter a brief period of inactivity, the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) will resume its 2013 season on Sunday with the Trophy Stall tournament in observance of Caricom Day on Monday.

This is the fourth year that Trophy Stall is sponsoring the competition, which will last until July 7. It is open to all senior and junior players. Matches will be played at the Carifesta Sports Complex on Carifesta Avenue.

The tournament was of-

ficially launched over the weekend at Trophy Stall’s business location in Bourda Market, where Devi Sunich presented the sponsorship cheque, trophies and medals to treasurer of the GCF, Ryan Singh.

Speaking on behalf of the GCF, Singh said the chess fraternity is extremely grateful for the support given by Trophy Stall, noting that it looks forward to a long and harmonious relationship with the entity.

The competition replaces the inaugural Demerara Distillers

Treasurer of the GCF, Ryan Singh (left), receives the sponsorship cheque, trophies and medals from Devi Sunich of the Trophy Stall

Limited/Caricom team tournament, which was originally planned for this weekend, but has been rescheduled to November.

Registration for this weekend’s competition will commence at 09:00h on Sunday at the playing venue, with action in the seven-round tournament set to start an hour later.

On Sunday the first two rounds will be played while rounds three and four will take place on Monday.

At 17:30h on July 4, the fifth round will be contested, while on July 7, the final

two rounds will be played, followed by the presentation of prizes to the top competitors.

The GCF is reminding interested players to bring along their chess sets and a pen to record their moves.

Each participant would be allotted 90 minutes during each round, plus 30 seconds increment beginning from the first move.

The registration fee for non-members of the GCF is $600 for junior players and $800 for senior players.

Members will pay a reduced fee.

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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CPL show to be aired TT crowned Caribbean weekly on TVG Channel 28 Street football champions …to be rebroadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays T T he ball weavers from Trinidad and Tobago have been crowned the 2013 Guinness Caribbean Street Football champions as last year’s runner-up Guyana failed to advance to the semi-finals in this year’s regional tournament held last weekend in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Trinidadians defeated Dominica 2-0 in a penalty shootout in the final after the game was tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation time.

The Guyana side, competing in Zone A of the preliminary round, recorded one win when they beat Antigua and Barbuda 2-0.

They lost to eventual winners Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 and bowed out to St Lucia in a penalty shootout 2-1 in the battle for a semifinal place. Daniel Favorite scored Guyana’s only goal in

Daniel Favorite

the penalty shootout.

The Guyanese finished a disappointing fifth, one place behind last year’s winners and host St Vincent and the Grenadines, who also failed to impress as new teams emerged in the regional event.

Dominica will be one of

the teams to watch in the future after they lost in the final. They had beaten St Lucia 1-0 in the semi-final. Trinidad and Tobago needled St Kitts and Nevis 1-0 in the other semi-final match.

The Trinidadians secured a first prize of US$4000 and the opportunity to be a part of a Futsal coaching course in Jamaica for the players and a team official.

Dominica took home US$2000, while St Lucia who defeated St Kitts 3-0 in the third place play off won US$1500 with the St Kitts side receiving US$1000.

Eight regional teams participated in the second annual Guinness Street Football Challenge. The inaugural tournament was held in Guyana last year.

The Guyana team arrived home Sunday morning.

Den Amstel down Eagles 6-1

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en Amstel dominated Eagles to come away with a 6-1 win when the 2013 Stag Beer West Side Football Cup continued at the Den Amstel ground on Sunday.

Eagles, on the other hand, lone goal came off an own goal from Den Amstel player Aubrey Greaves in the 40th minute.

Playing attacking, Den Amstel quickly made their mark in the seventh minute from Jeffrey Ferreira. He continued his scoring form

by ending the first half with a 35th minute strike as his team went into the break with a 2-1 lead.

Upon resumption, Den Amstel maintained their attacking game and shortly after Ferreira netted the first of his second half hat-trick in the 50th minute, before converting in the 70th and 88th minutes.

Meanwhile, in the second game Bagotville needled Jetty Gunners to come out with the 1-0 victory.

Both teams played tenta-

tive football in the first half and tried to pinpoint the weak spots in each other’s defence, battling to a scoreless first half.

However, in the second half it merely took 12 minutes before Bagotville got the breakthrough in the 57th minute, which would prove the match-winning goal.

Bagotville then played more of a defensive style of football to hold on to the 1-0 lead.

he weekly television programme previewing the inaugural Caribbean Premier League, titled CPLT20 TV, was first aired on Sunday at 18:30h on TVG Channel 28.

In addition the halfhour programme will be rebroadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 19:30h, going forward.

The first episode was aired Sunday last and will be filmed in each of the six franchise countries where the T20 cricket tournament will be played.

In six half-hour episodes, fans around the region will be taken behind the scenes to get up close and personal with the families, friends and officials who have played a part in making the CPLT20 a reality.

Barbados company Merville Lynch Productions has teamed up with Line and Length Network Producer Barry Wilkinson to capture and document the his-

toric coming together of the CPLT20.

The episodes will also feature personalities such as Curtly Ambrose, Sylvester Joseph, Marlon Samuels, Herchelle Gibbs and Tino Best.

The first ever Caribbean Premiere League begins on July 30 in Barbados and ends on August 24 in Trinidad and Tobago, with matches to be played across the six Caribbean countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.

Guyana, known for its amazon rainforest, is aptly named the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

NEW GPC is the fran-

chise holder for the Guyana team that would bear the NEW GPC Limacol brand, which is popular throughout the Caribbean and further afield.

Guyana’s franchise players are West Indian Sunil Narine and Pakistan player Mohammed Hafeez.

They are joined by Trinidadians Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin and William Perkins, Jamaican Krishmar Santokie, New Zealanders James Franklin and Martin Guptill, Steven Jacobs, Ronsford Beaton, Trevon Griffith, Narsingh Deonarine, Veerasammy Permaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Christopher Barnwell.

Thomas runs third at TT senior championships

Digicel Nationwide Schools Football Championship…

Waramadong defeat Bartica 5-2 to retain regional title, advance to national playoffs

W

aramadong repeated their magic after whipping Three Miles 6-0 to eliminate Bartica and retain their regional title when play in the Digicel Nationwide Schools Football Championship continued on Sunday, at the Bartica Secondary School ground.

Kevon Richmod scored another brace for Waramadong to dent the hopes of hosts Bartica who lost 2-5, leaving the winners to advance to the national playoffs.

Richmond scored his double in the 18th and 32nd minutes of play, while Fernando Hunter’s 74th minute goal, Henton Browne’s 84th minute penalty kick and an own goal completed Waramadong’s tally.

Bartica got their goals from captain Nicolas Collison, who netted his brace in the 37th and 47th minutes.

Playing in soggy conditions, the defending champions looked at home from the start of play and dictated the pace of the game.

Collison tried desperately to keep his team in the hunt for a victory, but his pair, the second of which made the contest an even one, was all in vain.

The regional defending champions, who placed third in the inaugural tournament two years ago, and second last year, displayed admirable organisation against their disjointed opponents.

The half saw Waramadong holding on to a slim 2-1 lead. A resurgent looking Bartica lineup took the field for the second half, replacing Luke with Godfrey Norton and two minutes into the half, Collison made the contest an even one, when he beat Isaacs with a curling shot from just outside the box delivered from the left side.

His goal woke up his teammates, who believed they were in with a chance of dethroning the champions, and they proceeded on some dangerous incursions into the Waramadong penalty area, but the visitors held steady. However,

it was Waramadong, showing the pedigree of champions took it to the next level and regained the initiative in the final 15 minutes of the game, netting three times, much to the disappointment of the partisan crowd.

Hunter scored first, before Browne shook the net with a powerful shot taken from the penalty spot 10 minutes later and that was followed by an own goal seconds before the whistle sounded.

Meanwhile, West Demerara received a walkover from Endeavour in a fixture that was to be played at Den Amstel ground.

The competition continues today with La Grange taking on Patentia at Wales Community Centre; Mahaicony Secondary colliding with Mahaicony Technical Institute at Mahaicong ground; Annandale tackling Institute of Business Education at BV ground and Vrymen’s Erven engaging Manchester at All Saints ground. All matches start at 15:30h.

Cleveland Thomas

R

unning Brave Athletics Club’s middle-distance athlete Cleveland Thomas finished third in the Trinidad and Tobago Senior Championships on Saturday at the Hasley Crawford National Stadium.

The diminutive athlete finished a close third behind Matthew Hagley and George Smith who brought first and second respectively. Thomas clocked 4:03.28s.

With the sprint events attracting over 40 competitors, there were two finals.

South American under-23 bronze medalist Stephan James was the only Guyanese to place in the top eight in both the 200 and 400 metres events.

After qualifying second in the preliminary round in the 400 metres on Friday with a time of 46.95s, James won his final on Saturday in 47.06s, which placed him seventh overall.

Wayne Harlequin, who was also a part of the finals with James, clocked 48.89s to finished 13th overall while Elton Bollers finished 14th overall with a time of 49.01s in the same final with James

Wayne Harlequin

Natrena Hooper

Stephan James

Elton Bollers

and Harlequin.

In the 200 metres on Sunday James, after finishing fourth in his heat behind Olympic silver medalist Richard Thompson (21.45s) with a time of 21.56s, he returned to clock 21.17s to finished seventh overall out of the 14 finalists. Bollers finished 10th overall with a time of 21.71s.

The 100 metres men saw Guyana’s lone participants Kenneth Semple and Owen Adonis finishing 37 and 46 respectively out of 49 competitors. Semple ran 11.06s while Adonis recorded 11.41s.

Harlequin returned in the 800 metres to finish fifth in the

final with a time of 1:54.92s after running slightly faster in his preliminary round where he clocked 1:54.78s.

Thomas, was not up the challenge of the 800 metres as his lack of speed showed as he finished seventh in the final with a time of 1:57.75s after clocking 1:55.66s in his preliminary round.

Triple jumper Natrena Hooper also left her mark on the event, jumping a distance of 11.94 metre for one of her best jumps of the season.

Meanwhile Harlequin, Bollers, Thomas and James came together to form a 4x400 metres relay team, finishing second in 3:15.57s.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

TOP SCORES

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

India 129-7 (Kohli 43, Jadeja 33*, Bopara 3-20) beat England 124-8 (Morgan 30, Ashwin 2-15, Jadeja 2-24) by 4 runs

Courts stores sign on as Caribbean Premier League partner C

ourts, the largest furniture, appliance and electrical retailer in the Caribbean, has joined the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as an official partner.

Courts currently operates 80+ stores in 10 Caribbean countries – Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and The Grenadines, St Lucia and Trinidad – and will be using these locations to sell tickets to CPL matches. In addition, CPL will have the opportunity to reach out to the Caribbean diaspora, whose members are expected to travel to the region for the inaugural tournament, through Courts’ North American locations in Brooklyn and Queens, New York.

“CPL’s partnership with Courts

INSIDE TODAY'S SPORTS

CPL T20 show to be aired weekly on TVG Channel P23 28

is a very strategic and beneficial one to both parties, and we are thrilled about the possibilities that exist for us from a marketing perspective,” said CPL CEO Damien O’ Donohoe.

“Combining our advertising and marketing programmes with that of Courts will heighten the awareness of CPL across the region, and increase fan support, which will put people in the stands at matches and customers in the aisles of Courts.”

Courts has distinguished itself as a pioneer in the field of prize promotions, and is renowned for its attractive and flashy advertising campaigns, appealing prizes and creative advertising.

Commenting on the Courts partnership, Mario Guerrero, CEO of Unicomer Caribbean, parent com-

pany of Courts, said; “We are excited about supporting and investing in this thrilling sporting event. Courts has been an integral part of the Caribbean community for well over fifty years and we are proud to play a major role in this tournament that will showcase the region’s exceptional sporting and entertainment talents to the international world.”

Courts promises customers and fans consumer activations that will take them to the edge of the excitement at all the matches. The inaugural Caribbean Premiere League, sponsored by Digicel, begins on Tuesday July 30 with 24 matches played across six Caribbean countries: Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Trinidad andTobago.

Facebook fan chooses name for CPL mascot

See story on page

21

Introducing “Bouncer”, the Caribbean Premier League’s mascot

Digicel Nationwide Schools Football Championship…

Waramadong defeat Bartica 5-2 to retain regional title, advance to national playoffs See story on page

23

The victorious Waramadong team that won the regional final at the Bartica Secondary School ground.

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