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Jamaican PM calls for sustainable development partnerships

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, has called for unity and increased partnership among countries in order to advance sustainable development for all.

“We recognize that a collective response in the global spirit of cooperation and concern for each other’s welfare will ensure that we leave a lasting and sustainable legacy,” she said.

Mrs. Simpson Miller was addressing members of the diplomatic corps on Wednesday, at the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Regional Headquarters in St. Andrew.

The meeting was part of Diplomatic Week 2015 activities under the theme: ‘Building Partnerships for Sustainable Development.’

She told the diplomats that the government values its partnership “with you and your countries as being critical to our achievement of sustainable development for the people of Jamaica and of your countries.”

Meanwhile, Mrs. Simpson Miller noted that despite the challenges, there have been some encouraging developments within the international arena. These include further signs of recovery from the financial crisis and a decline

in global oil prices.

These developments, she said, call for renewed partnership between the government and all stakeholders and with the public and private sectors.

“We have to strive to enhance the gains from foreign trade and substantially increase our exports of goods and services,” she said.

The Prime Minister again urged the international community to look to Jamaica as a viable place to invest.

She said with the gains being made under the country’s economic reform programme, “Jamaica remains open to doing local and global business on an even big-

ger scale than before”.

For his part, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator the Hon. A.J. Nicholson, said Jamaica continues to place a high value on the relations it enjoys with its international

partners.

He also noted that the country’s partnerships in foreign trade remain essential to the local economy.

Mr. Nicholson informed that the ratio of foreign trade to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013 was 88.4 per cent, which underlines the openness of the Jamaican economy.

“Most jobs in Jamaica are linked, directly or indirectly, to foreign trade. It is recognised, therefore, that Jamaica cannot attain robust and sustained economic growth without a significant up-turn in exports

to trading partners, traditional and new,” he stated.

Diplomatic Week 2015 got underway with a church service on Sunday, at the Hope United Church, in Kingston, and will conclude on Friday, with a visit to the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park. Other activities include bilateral appointments and courtesy calls, a presentation by JAMPRO on ‘Building Partnerships with Jamaican Business’; and sector presentations by various Ministers of Government. (JIS)

Chamber vows to continue support for TT Carnival

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

The Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CCIC) has never failed to support its regional Carnival activities organised by the Chaguanas Borough Corporation and will continue to do so even in the face of falling oil and gas prices.

This is according to CCIC’s president Richie Sookhai who said the Chamber will continue its support but not as generously as before.

Sookhai was responding to statements made by chairman of the Chaguanas Carnival Committee Orlando Nagessar who said businesses in Chaguanas were not supportive enough of the borough’s Carnival activities this year.

Nagessar, chairman since 1999, said since then government subventions increased from TT$75,000 to today’s TT$500,000.

That money was never enough and contributions would have been made towards the Carnival, which now costs over TT$1 million.

Some of the adjustments made included not

having tassa, steelpan, chutney and calypso competitions but those will be replaced with other events.

The parade of the bands and the prize money remains the same, Nagessar said.

Sookhai said: “The support of the Chaguanas Chamber continues in 2015 despite the fact that we are all facing an uncertain year ahead both financially and politically with declining oil prices and its inevitable impact on energy based economies such as ours; and an election campaign season that promises to be volatile and heated. If Mr Nagessar has seen a shortfall in his commitments from local businesses we hope that he will bear this in mind given that our members must put the survival of

their companies and the continued employment of their workers before all else.”

He added: “Even though 2015 may be a more challenging than usual year for us all, the business community cannot shirk its responsibility towards the people of Chaguanas to help in the development of the region.

Sookhai noted: “The Chaguanas business community is a disparate and growing entity. Whilst members of the CCIC make every effort to fulfill what we see as our civic duty to support multiple cultural, sporting and other activities in the region, we are aware that there are a number of businesses that have established themselves in the region but have not felt the need to give back to the people and area. We want to urge those businesses to remember that they do not exist in a vacuum. By giving back and supporting your community you not only get the satisfaction of doing good work, but you also enhance your reputation amongst the community and clients and gain from building your brand.” (TT Express)

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EDITORIAL

Provocation and battered women

The gloomy statistics confirm that every year more women are being battered and murdered by their husbands or intimate partners. Or maybe the phenomenon is finally getting traction in the media and we are becoming more aware of what has always been going on. One of the almost constant factor in many of these “domestic” murders is that the men believe they are being cuckolded, fly into a fit of rage and violently “do away” with the wife.

While there has been quite a bit of ink spilled in examining the phenomena from social, psychological and humanistic standpoints, there has been a numbing silence from the legal fraternity. Murder, after all, is the ultimate crime, and criminal law is premised on not just providing retribution – and that is in disfavour of recent – but also deterrence.

If the “legal” has to do with “law and order” we are not looking at the “order” and its enforcers, the Police Force right now. They have been under the microscope in recent years and are even being trained to become in touch with their “service” mandate to look differently at “domestic violence” and its paradigmatic denouement – “wife murder”.

In other jurisdictions, notably in England, from whence we received our “law” – criminal and otherwise – the legal fraternity, including its representatives in the Government, have been engaged quite extensively at relooking at the problematic of murder in general and that of “wife murder” in particular. And they have come up with a slew of initiatives that we in their former colonies should at least examine as we grapple with the same challenge.

Murdering one’s wife or mistress if they “strayed” and then getting away with it has a hoary history in medieval England. It was a matter of saving one’s honour: a man could not see his property “violated”. And women were considered property. In the centuries since and into the twentieth century, not much changed as the case and statutory law merely codified the premises of men protecting their honour as “provocation”. Upon successful pleading of this “partial defence” the murder would be justified as “voluntary manslaughter”, with its lesser social stigma and lesser severe sentence.

One rather influential formulation of the doctrine right after WWII stated it succinctly: “Provocation is some act, or series of acts done (or words spoken)… which would cause in any reasonable person and actually causes in the accused, a sudden and temporary loss of self-control, rendering the accused so subject to passion as to make him or her for the moment not master of his or her mind.” This was codified by Parliament not much later and was the received law at our independence.

The problem was the “reasonable person” as interpreted by the courts via various tests promulgated was the “reasonable medieval man” with his honour code intact. While catching one’s wife in flagrante delicto might have been struck of the books, the “sudden loss of control” when “provoked” was more typically a male than female response, which was more of a “slow burn”. As a result women who had suffered abuse for years, but was in fear of overwhelming retaliation and so bided their time to murder their husband when opportunity presented itself, did not have the justification or excuse of “provocation”.

By the 1990’s in England, a series of cases saw the courts becoming willing to expand the law to suggest that the “reasonable person” was not just a “reasonable man” but could also have characteristics of “a reasonable woman” in the circumstances of the case. During the first decade of this millennium, the English legislature reconsidered the partial defence of provocation in domestic murders involving both men and women.

In fact the law of provocation was revoked in England, in an effort to make the law less gendered. Is it not time that we in Guyana at least look at this mechanism?

UWI supporting innovation in TT - UWI Research in Action

ORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Universities have long been considered hotbeds of creativity—the home of new ideas and inventive thought. In an ideal world, it should also facilitate the conversion of this creativity into practical outputs that can contribute to stimulating innovation and ultimately economic development.

At The University of the West Indies (UWI), the Mechanical and Manufacturing Enterprise Research Centre (MMERC) has been established to support such innovation. The MMERC fosters industrial collaborations and facilitates students and staff members who wish to carry their inventive ideas towards commercialisation.

Dr Graham King, lecturer in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and Coordinator of the MMERC, has noted that in recent years there has been a noticeable increase in the number of student projects, and some staff projects, in collaboration with industrial partners.

“These partnerships,” Dr King says, “constitute a trend that is being strongly encouraged. We are actively and strategically aligning our research activities more closely to local and regional developmental needs.”

Already the centre is starting to see some successes emerging from collaborations with the private sector. In one research project developed with Methanex, a student studied fuel blending, which mixes traditional fuels with methanol. This project laid the foundation for further work into the potentially viable development of locally available alternative fuel. Another project, this time conducted at Petrotrin, has led to increased efficiency at a new plant installation. These types

of achievements serve to demonstrate to local businesses the value in partnering with the UWI. The MMERC can support competitiveness by offering research capability that few industrial companies would currently have in-house in the Caribbean.

Generally, the level of investment in research and development (R&D) locally has been very low. Dr King believes that local companies may not be fully cognizant of the value of R&D or may see it as an expense instead of an investment. For companies that do invest in R&D to solve a technology challenge, the cost is usually high as many choose to hire foreign consultants. Dr King’s hope is that companies will take advantage of the local research capacity at the UWI, and work with the MMERC to create solutions that fit companies’ longterm strategic needs, at a fraction of the cost.

There are many opportunities for partnerships in several industry sectors. For example, to meet the growing demand for local food production to reduce imports dependence, researchers are working on innovations in agricultural methods and equipment. The centre’s expertise in ergonomics and Industrial Engineering is an asset in addressing health and safety concerns in industry. Researchers are also lending expertise and conducting research to support the process of modifying standards and implementing legislation to control vehicle emissions that generate air pollution. Opportunities for designing technical solutions and increasing efficiency in the manufacturing and energy sectors also exist.

Projects undertaken at the MMERC usually begin by determining the priority areas for an interested partner com-

pany. These projects tend not to be focused on day-to-day operations, but focus on the company’s long-term innovation plans. The majority of work is done as final-year student projects, supervised by faculty and staff. In some cases, research has led to further company projects.

Another focus of the research centre is to provide an incubator for students to develop their own ideas. According to Dr King, students are producing a constant stream of inventions. Some of those inventions could potentially be converted into viable commercial products, and entrepreneurial businesses could be built around them.

One such example came from an Industrial Engineering student who developed a hairstyling process and workstation that drastically shortens hair-braiding time for stylists. Manufacturing of the workstation is currently under development.

“We want to give our students a chance to take their fledgling ideas to the next stage of development,” Dr King said, “and now the pathways by which that can happen are being created.”

The long-term goal is to have regional research centres throughout the Caribbean. Dr King emphasised: “Caribbean solutions are required for Caribbean development. We have native strengths and qualities that can facilitate our own advancement. What is required is greater collaboration and synchronisation between the efforts of different players in the innovation space. We need strong leadership with a breadth of vision that can create an environment in which inventiveness, self-belief, risktaking and collaboration are actively encouraged.” (TT Express)

Sigma Corporate Run pumps Ja$30m into Jamaican economy

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Sagicor's Sigma Corporate Run has pumped well over Ja$30 million into the economy since the establishment of the 5.5-kilometre charity walk, run and wheelchair road race some 17 years ago.

The New Kingstonbased fund-raising event, set for Sunday, February 22, hopes to secure Ja$25 million to supply medical equipment for the Cornwall Regional Hospital and the Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation.

Over the years, the corporate run has stimulated economic activities for many small businesses and entrepreneurs. The event has also contributed approximately Ja$140 million to local charities and childcare facilities since its incep-

tion.

"The Sigma run has been beneficial to many small businesses," chief executive officer of Sagicor Richard Byles stated during the Jamaica media on Monday. "Roughly Ja$30 to Ja$40 million has already spilled over into the economy from the running event."

Owner of T-Shirt Express, Abe Baracatt told the Jamaican media that the Sigma Run has brought significant activity to his business during a slow period. Baracatt, who has supplied Sagicor with corporate run shirts over the years, said the company could practically close its doors during slow periods like January.

Sigma Corporate Run has also contributed income to sportswear companies, and water

and energy drink companies such as Wisynco and Catherine's Peak. However, as the event grows in size, more companies see it as an opportunity to introduce their products to large companies like Sagicor, ultimately creating more competition, according to Baracatt.

Sagicor is targeting 25,000 participants to raise the required Ja$25 million from one of the largest runs in the Caribbean this year. Last year, the Sigma Corporate Run raised more than Ja$21 million with a record number of over 22,000 participants of which the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and the Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation were beneficiaries.

The Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation will get further assistance for the peritoneal dialysis treatment for children with mild to severe kidney disorders.

"One of the things about Sigma Run is that Sagicor finances the event and gives away the entire income streams, which is tremendous," Francis added. (Jamaica Observer)

Guyanese nabbed with cocaine in Nerve Tonic

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA: United States Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Officers in Aruba late last month nabbed a 28-year-old Guyanese with a quantity of cocaine in Nutrophos Liquid Nerve Tonic.

Only last year, four people in Guyana died after traffickers laced a bottle of SSS Tonic with cocaine. The suspect in that case was however freed of the charge recently.

According to media reports, the Guyanese national had applied for admission to the United States. He was then referred for secondary inspection at which point CBP officers discovered six brown bottles inside boxes labelled “Nutrophos

Liquid Nerve Tonic with Vitamin B” wrapped in clothing.

Each bottle field tested positive for cocaine. The man, who was flying to Miami, admitted to carrying the narcotic, which had an approximate street value of US$150,000. Guyanese have routinely been caught with cocaine in a variety of food, medical and others items.

CBP pre-clearance operations allow for advance inspection of passengers and special coordination with law enforcement upon arrival in the United States. Through preclearance, the same immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections of international air passengers performed on arrival in the United States are

instead completed before departure at foreign airports.

Currently, pre-clearance operations exist at 15 foreign airports in six different countries, benefiting air passengers, airports, and air carriers, in the United States and abroad.

“The Caribbean continues to be a transit point for narcotics to the eastern seaboard,” said Director for CBP Preclearance, Dylan J De Francisci.

“Having pre-clearance officers positioned at this last point of departure continues to be successful in intercepting narcotics before they enter the United States, ” De Francisci said. (Guyana Times)

Guyana's energy sector to evolve into a revenue earner

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA: The energy sector has the potential to be an important revenue earner for Guyana, as soon there will be enough capacity to export electricity, according to Head of State, Donald Ramotar. Substantiating his statement, the President pointed to futuristic projects that are extremely feasible.

“When you look at the Upper Mazaruni with 4,000 megawatts capacity in that area alone, you can see that we can become a powerhouse in exporting electricity to our neighbours,” the President stated. This has been recognised by stakeholders such as the Inter American Development Bank (IDB), he added. The president made

these statements as he was delivering an address at the commissioning of Guyana’s largest power plant , at Vreeden-Hoop, Region Three, on Monday.

Solar and wind power can also be used the president added, noting the explorations currently underway for oil. “We have to build an energy sector that is flexible and capable of switching from one source to another”.

A lot of work has gone into the Amaila Falls Hydropower project, which will be located on the Kuribrong River, and under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), Norway has already transferred US $80M to the IDB.

Another firm has already been identified to replace Blackstone/Sithe

Global, the President stated. Sithe Global had initially been associated with the project, but withdrew after the political opposition slashed allocations for its development.

At the end of 2014, the road works to the hydro project site was 95 percent completed, and if all goes well, the road will be handed over by March of this year.

A total of US $28.9 million was spent on the project up to December 2014, since the project’s inception in 2010. It has an overall cost of US $43.5 million. Government is also examining other renewable energy sources, as well as the rice and sugar industries have huge possibilities of co-generating power using bagasse and rice husk. (GINA)

Missing CAL director’s body found

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Relatives of former Caribbean Airlines (CAL) pilot and prominent Chaguanas businessman Azad Niamat are shocked but also relieved over the discovery of his body on Tuesday.

Niamat’s body was found in Tamana on Tuesday morning, one mile away from the Brazil Arena Road, San Raphael, where his Toyota Prado SUV was first seen. He was found 11 days after he went missing.

He served as a director on the state-owned airline.

According to reports, Sgt Jitendra Tooleram and other officers went to Brazil Arena Road after a villager contacted them, saying he found a body in the forested area.

The man told police around 10 am he was walking along the roadway when he got a foul stench and knowing there was a search in the area for Niamat he called the police.

He was found with

his hands tied behind his back and his mouth covered with duct tape.

Niamat, who lived close to the famous Lion House on the Chaguanas Main Road, left home on January 29, saying he was going to a hardware store to buy wood. He was never seen again.

A close relative, the only one at his home on Tuesday, spoke to the TT media asking not to be identified.

She said all other relatives had gone to the house of Niamat’s former wife, Greer Cumberbatch, next door to console her.

She said although the two had been separated, they remained close friends and Cumberbatch had been devastated by his disappearance.

“She had been taking this badly. There was no animosity between them. It was always Wes (as Niamat was also called) and she,” the relative added.

The couple has two grown children.

“And while we are grateful to find him, it is still very shocking to all of us.”

The relative said she did not know why anybody would want to harm Niamat because she was not aware he had any fallout with anyone.

When the journalist spoke to her, she did not know the cause of his death as yet.

She said the family, which is Muslim, would wait until the police complete their investigations before they laid him to rest.

In a media release on Tuesday CAL chairman Phillip Marshall said the entire CAL family had been praying and hoping that Niamat would have been found safe and alive.

“All of us at Caribbean Airlines are deeply grieved at this tragic news.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time and we stand ready in the days and weeks ahead to extend our support in whatever way we can,” Marshall said. He extended condolences on behalf of CAL and its board of directors. (TT Guardian)

ElEctions 2015…

Guyana’s President to dissolve Parliament by Feb 28

By Michael younge

GEORGETOWN,

GUYANA: President

Donald Ramotar is expected to dissolve the 10th Parliament of the National Assembly by or before month-end in keeping with the requirement and the spirit of the Constitution of Guyana.

Ramotar was expected by his political opponents to issue a presidential order or proclamation on Tuesday or Wednesday that would have cleared the way for the dissolution of the 65-seat legislature three months ahead of the planned May 11, 2015 elections.

But when contacted by the Guyana Times on Tuesday evening, Attorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall explained that the Head of State can dissolve Parliament any date after February 12 this year. He explained that the Constitution requires that Parliament

“must be dissolved within three months” of the date announced for elections.

Nandlall stated that legislation also adumbrated another requirement: political parties must present their lists of candidates some 32 days prior to the planned date for elections to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The AG said if one counts backwards and discounts the 32 days which must be available for the political parties to submit their

lists then the President can choose to dissolve Parliament any date before this time period expires. Thirty-two days before May 11 would be April 9 and, therefore, this could be Nomination Day for Elections 2015 if the President chooses to dissolve Parliament in February.

Nandlall said that anyone who has any grievance or concern about the President’s decision not to end the prorogation of Parliament by February 11 or 12 was free to move to the courts for recourse when questioned about the possibility of legal action by the Opposition groups on the issue. He declined to comment when asked to share the date on which the President has been advised to dissolve Parliament.

Meanwhile, in an invited comment, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally made it clear that he could not pronounce on the legality or illegality of the move. He maintained that

GECOM has been advised of the date for elections and was working towards ensuring that elections were held as planned. Dr Surujbally also stated that the President has the benefit of legal advisers and would “know when he can do it” (dissolve Parliament).

He stayed clear from saying that the Commission’s work could be affected or the period for official campaigning could be reduced by arguing that these matters were outside of his ambit as Chairman.

But GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, admitted that while the dissolution date could have “some impact” on the schedule in place to hold the elections, this was outside of his realm.

Ramotar has since signed the proclamation order declaring May 11 as the date for General and Regional Elections in Guyana. The proclamation has already been gazetted as stipulated by the Constitution. (Guyana Times)

Jamaica Education ministry supports mock exam for literacy, numeracy tests

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

The Ministry of Education says a decision has been taken to provide support for the administration of a mock examination for the 2015 literacy and numeracy tests for grade four. Mock examination papers are currently being prepared and will be distributed to schools to facilitate the administration of the examinations on February 23 and 24, the ministry said.

Sitting of the 2015 Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy Tests are rescheduled for Tuesday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 1 respectively.

The sitting of the tests was initially sched-

uled for June 4 and 5. Speaking with JIS News, Chief Education Officer Dr Grace McLean said that the level of readiness for the tests, as well as the mastery of the concepts and skills to be assessed may impact the performance of students as a result of the number of contact days lost in September and October of 2014 due to the outbreak of chikungunya last year. She further noted that each school will be provided with an answer key to guide marking and a template, which should be used to record the performance of each student. The marking and reporting processes should be completed by March 6, and the results submitted to their respective regional literacy and mathematics coordinators no later than March 11. The Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy Tests are administered to children to determine their literacy and numeracy levels at grade four, in keeping with international requirements and standards. (Jamaica Observer)

Gecom signs agreement with Canada to aid in management of elections

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA: As the nation gears up for new General and Regional Elections in May, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally is urging stakeholders to trust the body to deliver credible elections.

He made the call just before signing an agreement with the Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Nicole Giles on Thursday for the provision of laptops to aid in the management of these elections – a move that the chairman interprets as that country’s expression of confidence in GECOM’s ability to deliver credible elections.

“We have given this country no cause to distrust us over the last two elections,” he declared, while acknowledging a minor “blip” in 2011 that was eventually fixed. Then Chief Elections Officer Goocool Boodoo had miscalculated the allocation of seats

in favour of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic; that instance has since been ruled as “human error”.

“Trust GECOM, walk with GECOM…we are the purveyors of truth.”

Consequently, Dr Surujbally stated that the body was proud of its accomplishment and it expected that the nation would “understand our pride”.

He did also acknowledge that there were steps still to be made to ensure that the Commission achieved high marks in elections management. The GECOM chair is fearful that distrust here could stymie the body’s potential advancement. “We have reached the stage to get ISO [International Organisation for Standardisation] certification because of the kind of work that we do,” he explained.

The ISO is an international standard setting body composed of representatives from various national standard organ-

Karim: Showcase products of TT

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: Tertiary

Education Minister

Fazal Karim urged enterpreneurs at a recently opened Carnival Market at Piarco International Airport to do all they could to “showcase their product.” The market was being organised by the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) and opened at the airport last Friday.

He told the assembled entrepreneurs, “If you do not showcase your product, it will be a well kept secret.” Karim announced that the Airport Authority of Trinidad

Giles for elections management support

isations, which promotes worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial standards.

The donation of 100 laptops to GECOM will cost the Canadian Government some Cdn$43,360. According to Dr Surujbally, it has come at an opportune time. “The people and Government of Canada have decided that we (GECOM) are worthy of such a gift.”

Meanwhile, Dr Giles, in brief remarks, stated that her country, while recognising the complexity of elections management, has a high level of confidence in GECOM’s ability to deliver credible elections. “The work undertaken by independent election commissions is crucial. Electoral management bodies must strive to deliver elections which are transparent and cred-

ible, free and fair, and produce timely results,” she outlined.

The Canadian diplomat is hopeful that Guyana considers and implements the recommendations that were made by the Organisation of American States Electoral Mission (OAS) and the Commonwealth Secretariat’s final report. These, she believes, could make subsequent elections more efficient and fair. They include improving mechanisms that guarantee more equitable access to media and political financing, adherence to timely and standardised procedures for the electoral process, improving communications with all stakeholders in particular GECOM; and strengthening the promotion of gender balanced participation throughout the electoral process.

Dr Giles noted that the donation, which was facilitated through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), could help with the implemen-

tation of these recommendations as well as to strengthen GECOM’s ability to efficiently deliver its mandate.

The Canadian High Commission has also been working with other stakeholders such as political parties and the Private Sector to ensure a smooth process. But importantly, Dr Giles thinks that Guyanese play a significant role in the electoral process. “Canada is hopeful that the upcoming electoral process will allow the Guyanese people to debate the important issues that are facing the country,” she expressed.

The CFLI supports and implements projects across the world in partnership with local, national and international organisations, educational institutions and local governments. It enables Canada to respond to and address the needs of its global partners, while advancing Canadian values and foreign policy priorities.

(Guyana Times)

Stewart praises growth of Sandals Foundation in Jamaica

MONTEGO

BAY, ST JAMES:

President of the Sandals Foundation and CEO of Sandals Resorts Adam Stewart is confident that the Foundation will make an even more significant impact in its growth before 2020.

"We believe our foundation will be in the top three largest in the Caribbean within the next three years," a confident Stewart expressed.

and Tobago (AATT) has agreed to allow the entrepreneurs to occupy the space, at no cost during the Carnival weekend to display and sell their products.

He also said, UTT will establish its Consignment Merchandise, firm aboUTT. A statement issued by the Ministry said the event is a collaborative effort among the AATT, UpMarket, COSTAATT, YTEPP Ltd and the Fairshare Programme.This market follows on the heels of a Christmas Night Market held last year by UTT. (TT Newsday)

He was speaking on Friday during the second day of the threeday Nexus Caribbean Conference at the Half Moon Hotel in Rose Hall, St James.

Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resort, which was founded in March 18, 2009, has since sourced US$17 million in cash and kind, which has contributed to the sustenance of over 300 charity programmes in nine Caribbean destinations.

"We have been able to bring in US$5 million in cash and an additional US$12 million in kind. I just wanted to tell you we have successfully implemented and are running over 300 programmes across the Caribbean,"

Stewart said.

Meanwhile, according to highlights from a recent report from the charity organisation it supports 55 schools in the Caribbean, has awarded 136 scholarships, provided training for 946 teachers, constructed 63 computer labs and brought health care to over 155,000 people.

The report also spoke to the Foundation's launch of an early childhood education initiative, Project Sprout; its partnership with organisations such the SickKids Foundation, Hands Across The Sea, and the Providing Access to Continued Education Programme (PACE), and its environmental efforts such as Marine Awareness Month and the preservation of the Grenada Dove.

The, CEO of the Sandals chain, which employs over 13,000 people in nine Caribbean countries, argued that the first step that nationals need to take towards resolving problems plaguing the region, is not to shy away from conceding that they exist.

He further noted that the Foundation, which

President of the sandals Foundation and chief Executive Officer of sandals Resorts Adam stewart addresses the Nexus caribbean Youth summit at Half moon Hotel, Rose Hall, st James on Friday.

was built on the three pillars of community, education and environment, was a result of its responsibility to assist in finding a solution. He cited education among the most severe regional problem.

"And the root cause in any Caribbean country -- and we are in nine of them -- the bottom line is all the same... is a grave lack of education. When you dig down into the lowest denominator, its a lack of education and what we are trying to do is not create a space for ourselves, but fill a void. We have issues and we

have a duty to fix them," Stewart said.

"When we set up our foundation, we said what's important, community, education and environment. Those are the three pillars we built into our bylaws that we are going to focus and pay attention to," he went on.

The Nexus Caribbean Youth Summit was hosted by the RMP Foundation in partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board, the Sandals Foundation and the MapeX Foundation.

Nexus members and guests from around the world gathered explore the Caribbean's most pertinent social issues, seeking to create and discover innovative pathways for change and explore effective ways to collaborate for greater impact.

"Nexus Caribbean is part of Nexus Global, which is an organisation that brings together communities of wealth with philanthropists and social entrepreneurs to help solve the world's problems," Zachary Harding, co-chairman Nexus Caribbean, told the Jamaican media. (Jamaica Observer)

Guyana’s Private sector body slams GRA for settling multi-million dollar tax evasion case in ‘secret’

GEORGETOWN,

GUYANA: The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has expressed alarm over the dubious settlement of a multi-million dollar tax evasion case between the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall, urging that the tax body come clean on the transaction and explain to the Guyanese public the full details of the deal.

The business umbrella body also said it will be writing the GRA on the issue as it raises serious doubts about the operations of the revenue body and its objectivity in applying the law. The GRA over the years has taken court action against several businesses and in some instances levied on their properties for defaulting on their tax payments.

Commissioner General of the GRA, Khurshid Sattaur has also been on a crusade against delinquent tax payers complaining about the many who do not remit Value Added Tax and was involved in smuggling activities.

In addition to Lall the multi-million dollar tax fraud case had embroiled Lall’s wife, Bhena Lall and a US-based couple, Narootandeo and Gharbassi Brijnanan.

On Wednesday last the GRA Prosecutor Sandil Kissoon petitioned the court, on behalf of the GRA evidently at the request of Sattaur, with an application before Magistrate Judy Latchman requesting that the charges against the Lall’s and the US couple be withdrawn, noting that a resolution had been worked out.

The next day the peti-

Tourism benefits from fallen oil prices in TT

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Falling oil prices may have hurt revenue levels, but there is at least one area of the economy that stands to gain from them. According to Tourism Minister Gerald Hadeed, lower oil prices tend to have an inverse relationship with levels of tourist arrivals.

“When the price of oil is high, it tends to stunt the growth of the tourism sector and the level of tourists coming out of the various metropolitan countries,” Hadeed said.

“The countries affected by high oil prices tend to go into a recession. But with lower prices, more productivity is created as the cost of the production of goods is far less. For example, a major component of production costs is the cost of electricity. When the oil price goes down, costs are lower. The countries in recession, thus, come out and more money is be available to the rank and file in Canada, the United States and Europe. “I expect the tourism sector in the Caribbean to bounce back very strongly.”

The TT media this week reported that Portof-Spain hoteliers have reported being fullybooked this year. The hotel stock has been put

tion was granted and despite issuing a statement announcing the deal the GRA has failed to lay bare the facts of its settlement with Lall and the US couple.

Contacted on the issue on Sunday Chairman of the PSC, Ramesh Persaud said the dropping of the case in this particular instance and agreeing to a settlement raises doubt about the Guyana Revenue Authority within the PSC. “We will be writing and will be seeking to make contact with the Commissioner General with our clear expectations. These clear expectations will be for the grounds and basis of the settlement to be made known, how does it affect other businesses and we would also want to know whether this settlement will be extended to the other persons who are in

Kaieteur news Publisher, Glenn lall

default. We will be asking for that,” Persaud declared.

Another senior official of the PSC said while Commissioner General has the powers to settle matters of this nature, he has to do it in a transparent manner. “I am shocked that he is not saying or responding to reports on the mat-

ter. I am appalled that he has chosen to stay quiet. It is a very serious issue and he should be explaining to the tax payers, explaining to the people on what grounds he has settled the matter,” the PSC official said. “But I think the question which should be asked is whether Glenn Lall has something on the GRA that they want hidden, that they are afraid will come out if they proceed that pushed them to drop the matter and settle it,” the official queried.

The about turn decision by the GRA to settle the case had run counter to public statements made by Sattaur early January. He had told Guyana Times that his agency will go through with the matter in Court, and was hoping it will be resolved in the judicial system within a timely manner.

Additionally, noting that while the matter is ongoing, Sattaur had said that “GRA will not be entering into any negotiations outside of the Courts unless directed by the Courts to do so.” Not many days hence, Sattaur commented that he was anxious to settle the matter with Lall and the US couple because a close relative the remigrants is allegedly threatening witnesses. The two Lexuses caught up in the scandal were parked at the man’s house when they were seized. Sattaur had told Guyana Times that since the matter was taken to court; the relative had been allegedly sending threats to the witnesses “that if they dare go on the witness stand they will face the worst exposure in their lives”. (Guyana Times)

JPS to spend Ja$50b on Old Harbour plant

at 1,600 rooms. Hadeed said similar levels were observed in Barbados over Christmas and his ministry has introduced measures to get tourists coming for Carnival to extend their stay and visit Tobago. He says “a couple hundred” of bookings like this were made.

“Barbados was fully booked over Christmas,” Hadeed said. “The tourism sector will be seeing a resurgence all over the region. This is why the government and my ministry have put money at the disposal of guest houses and small hotels to uplift and renovate to cater for what we expect during the year.” Hadeed said the Ministry of Tourism has been collaborating with the Tourism Development Company on packages linking Carnival with Tobago. “What we have been doing at the Ministry of Tourism and the TDC is we have been encouraging stays whereby people will have the opportunity to visit Tobago,” Hadeed said. “So they can have an extended stay after Carnival. From what we have gathered a couple hundred have taken advantage of these stayovers, I am advised. Next year Carnival we are going to do heavy promotion in Canada, New York, Miami and England.” (TT Newsday)

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Power utility, Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) has announced that its planned 190-megawatt plant at Old Harbour will cost Ja$50 billion financed through a mix of debt and equity.

The company aims to start construction this year with completion set for the fourth quarter of 2017.

"We are very excited about this project. It will cost north of Ja$50 billion and it will require a lot of work for me to do to raise

the amount," stated Dan Theoc, chief financial officer at JPS in his presentation at a media briefing on Friday at the JPS head office in Kingston.

JPS last week received formal approval from the Jamaican Government for its proposal to proceed with the construction of the new plant to replace its existing units at the Old Harbour power station.

JPS is pursuing fuel diversification of its power generation fleet (new and existing), consistent with the Jamaica National Energy Policy,

to reduce dependence on liquid fuels such as diesel and heavy fuel oil, in favour of lower cost natural gas.

JPS will be reporting developments to the Electricity Sector Enterprise Team (ESET) established by the Jamaican Government.

Last year, JPS undertook a market study showing that liquefied natural gas (LNG) and natural gas liquids (NGL) such as propane and ethane, are viable options for power generation and can realise significant reduction in the cost of elec-

tricity. The main receiving terminal for the gas will be located at the Old Harbour project. The Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study has been initiated and is underway; JPS has initially determined that an onshore terminal is costeffective, compared to the larger capacity and productivity of larger FSRUtype terminals.

JPS will also seek to convert the existing Bogue plant in Montego Bay to gas fuel as expeditiously as possible. (Jamaica Observer)

Guyana Log exports totalled US$24.4M last year

GEORGETOWN,

GUYANA: The year 2014 saw the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), recording yet another significant increase in its forest produce value, which accounted for US24.4 million, an increase of 96 per cent, as against the 2013 value of US 12.4 Million.

In 2014, log production was 406, 433 cubic metres (m3) as against 304, 601 m3 during 2013, which equates to an increase of approximately 34 per cent. During the Ministry of Natural Resources’ press conference, at the Herdmanston Lodge, on Friday to review the performance of the natural resources sector, Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), James Singh, highlighted some of the thematic areas that were focused upon, during last year.

These include improving production, increasing and enhancing local forest product and its value activities, stimulating of greater foreign and local investment, and encouraging and monitoring investments of exist-

ing stakeholders.

Capacity building, increase of market, and the fulfilling of local and international obligations, including activities under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS)and reducing of deforestation were also included.

Singh explained that some of the interventions that were implemented to successfully engage in these activities were the support for duty-free concessions, with the aim of promoting, retooling, and encouraging the use of appropriate machinery

and equipment, and supporting of inventory requests by companies.

Singh further noted that normally companies are required to do their inventories and make submission to the commission by year- end. However, this requirement was adjusted, and the companies can now submit at any time, and based on request, the GFC does the inventory for them.

Additionally, the commission also focused on flexibility of the proximity rule without compromising Sustainable

Caribbean reports record number of tourists, spending in 2014

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO:

A record 26.3 million people travelled to the Caribbean last year and spent an unprecedented amount of money in what is considered the world's most tourism-dependent region, officials said Tuesday.

It is the fifth consecutive year that the Caribbean has reported an increase in tourists following an economic crisis that forced resorts to shut down and caused a drop in visitors and spending.

Hugh Riley, the Caribbean Tourism Organization's secretary general, said Caribbean tourism rose by 5.3 percent, while the worldwide tourism growth rate was 4.7 percent.

Officials attributed the increase in part to improvements at airports around the region, the opening of new hotel chains and an increase in direct flights and airline seat capacity.

The Dutch Caribbean saw the most growth, with Aruba for the first time reporting more than 1 million visitors. The Dominican Republic, Cuba and

Jamaica also saw an unprecedented number of visitors. Smaller destinations including Haiti, St Lucia and Belize reported a record number of stay-over arrivals.

A surge in visitors from Canada, the US and Europe helped set those records.

"It tells us that stability is returning to the market," said Richard Sealy, chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The region also welcomed nearly 24 million cruise ship passengers last year, an 8 percent increase, though Winfield Griffith, the organization's research director, said he expected "another shift away from the Caribbean as the cruise lines try to diversity their product" in 2015.

Tourism officials also are keeping an eye on Cuba, with the island expected to attract far more tourists this year as relations between the US and Cuba begin to thaw.

Riley said the organization plans to promote multi-destination travel to ease the potential impact on other islands. (Jamaica Observer)

Forestry Management (SFM) principles. Singh noted that initially the proximity rule was that there must be a 10-meter distance between trees, but it was reduced to 8.

Meanwhile, skills training of employees and rehabilitation and maintenance of roads were also key areas that the GFC focused on in 2014. In 2014, total production of logs, primary lumber, long wood, fuel wood and split wood, was at 527,000 m3 as compared with 437, 000 m3, an increase of 21 per cent in production. In terms

of export, US $54 million was exported compared with US$39 million in 2013.In terms of Community Forestry Associations (CFAs), which allow for socioeconomic empowerment of communities living in and around the forest, 72 were established. These now have access to 470,000 hectares and 125 concessions. CFAs also benefited from training and capacity building. Singh also highlighted that the European Union Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (EU/FLEGT) is on stream, and that GFC has completed the Monitoring and Verification System (MRVS) road map one. The protocols for road map two were finalised.

Meanwhile, in terms of the independent audit that GFC conducted of the sector, there were some excellent reviews and there was an improvement in terms of sustainable management by concessionaires in 2014. Twenty-five (25) concessions’ annual plans and 19 forest management plans were also approved during that period.

Investment in the forestry sector amounted to Gy$ 3.5 Billion in 2014, and employment of 23,000. Year two of the National Log Export policy was implemented, while 243 persons were trained by the Forestry Training Centre.

Some of the challenges encountered during last year were companies not utilising large areas and investing in inventory as production was still low. Access to low cost financing, competition from imported wood products, skilled labour, export related bottlenecks, and building/ maintaining road access to concessions were also some of the challenges.

In 2015, the GFC will be focusing on training employees at all levels, production, processing, added value, exports, monitoring of existing investments, foreign/local investment in the sector, compliance, market promotion, revision of National Log Export Policy, maintaining low rate of deforestation and strengthening collaboration with developing partners. (Guyana Times)

MoU signed in TT to boost jobs for finance, accounting sector

PORT-OF-SPAIN,

TRINIDAD: The TT International Financial Centre (IFC) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of TT (ICATT) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate a more collaborative approach to promotion of career advancement opportunities for local professionals in the finance and accounting (F&A) sector.

For the last two years, the IFC has been systematically positioning TT as the region’s premier nearshore destination for F&A Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) to the world’s leading BPO firms. The IFC has been promoting to local professionals the brand new careers that will become available once the BPO firms begin operations.

Varun Maharaj, CEO of the IFC, said: “Given ICATT’s network and membership, this is a perfect match to ensure we are able to keep our fingers on the pulse of the needs of financial professionals and be able to provide them with timely updates and related support in updating their skillsets to be prepared for F&A BPO activities.”

The MoU will support development of a scalable industry to ensure continued flow of skilled workers into the F&A BPO space. It is also expected to enhance the employment of trained professionals and complement ICATT’s service delivery to its membership of professionals and students of accounting.

President of ICATT, Pria Narinesingh, described the joint-initiative as “an innova-

tive and synergistic approach which would redound to the benefit of ICATT’s members and students and ultimately to our nation. This partnership fosters stronger relationships with our stakeholders and will provide expanded career opportunities to finance and accounting professionals.”

The two agencies have committed to address any gaps in technical expertise and soft skills of the local talent pool. ICATT offers an annual programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) focussed on maintaining and expanding the skill sets of its membership. The IFC and ICATT will be working together to promote public awareness on the blossoming F&A BPO industry. (TT Guardian)

Guyana: injured female Olive Ridley turtle put to ‘sleep’

BY BHISHAM MOHAMED

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA: One of the most endangered species of turtles was on Saturday morning rescued by sailors after they found it trapped between two ships at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC) Wharf, Georgetown.

The female Olive Ridley turtle, which is estimated to be some 30 years old, sustained severe damage to both of its front flippers and its plectrum (shell).

As such, members of the Wildlife Conservation had to make a tough decision to euthanise the badly injured turtle, since it would not have survived the injuries.

Moments after clearance was given by the

Senate

KGNSC officials, the turtle was transported to the Zoological Park where it was housed for a short while before it was put to ‘sleep’ by medical personnel after assessing its condition.

At the Zoo on Sunday, Country Coordinator for the Marine Turtle Project Romain De Freitas explained that they received the distressed call on Saturday morning and immediately went to the wharf.

There, he said that the turtle was examined when the injuries were discovered. At that point, he knew that it could not have survived. DNA samples were taken for testing and further analysis.

He said that the left front flipper was completely severed while the right side was badly

damaged.

When this happens, he explained that turtles find themselves in a floating position and cannot do anything for themselves.

“What we speculate happened was the turtle came into contact with fishing net… and it seems as though the flipper was cut off to free her… as a result, the current of the water had to float it until it reached the Demerara River… there is when it came between the two ships and got damaged.”

He added that from observations and experience, the flippers might have been damaged more than a month ago.

De Freitas urged fishermen plying in the Shell Beach areas not to operate in the area due to the fact that between January and July, turtles return to the area to nest.

He admitted that while the fishermen must make a living he also noted that the Shell Beach Area is the habitat for the endangered species.

The Olive Ridely turtles are the rarest species found in Guyana and take eight to 35 years before they mature. Only then can they reproduce.

(Guyana Times)

passes ganja law in Jamaica

INGSTON, JAMAICA:

Small group from the Rastafarian community watched with keen interest and waited patiently on Monday as the Senate debated for nearly five hours the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2015, which was later passed with five amendments.

The legislation makes the possession of two ounces, or less, of ganja a non-arrestable, but ticketable, offence attracting a fixed monetary penalty. It also will allow for a scheme of licences, permits, and other authorisations which enable the establishment of a lawful, regulated industry for ganja for medical, therapeutic and scientific purposes.

Marketing important in tough times for Caribbean economies

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Marketing is considered a key component of one’s business in an age when consumers have several options and especially in times of economic ‘belttightening’, as many companies and countries are currently experiencing.

However it’s important to focus on value and excellent customer service in one’s marketing strategy, says ESPN’s Multimedia Sales Manager for Latin America, Brazil and the Caribbean, Nicholas Ayala.

Having led this USbased sports broadcasting giant’s Caribbean cricket sponsorships for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and the ICC World T20 in 2014, Ayala speaks from experience.

He now has responsibility for all partnerships dedicated to ESPN’s live broadcast and coverage of the ICC 2015 Cricket World Cup, and was most recently in Trinidad last November for Caribbean Ideas Limited’s “MIX Marketing Leaders Conference 2015” at Hilton Trinidad, Port- ofSpain.

In an interview with journalist, Ayala spoke about a new breed of customers who are “on the hunt for value.”

Describing these customers as “hyper-connected,” Ayala said they are not only finding new ways to interact with the brands they use, they are also unafraid to “have their voices heard and will find other providers if

there is a promise of securing a better overall customer experience.” In an economy that’s caught in a downward spiral, he noted, customers will be increasingly focused on securing maximum value for money. “It’s a step up from what they have currently evolved into.” Therefore businesses that intend to survive, and even thrive, during an economic downturn would be “keen to know and understand these newage, connected consumers,” Ayala told the TT media.

He noted that ESPN does exactly this in order to meet viewer demand for various events, including arguably the two most popular sports here in the Caribbean — football and cricket.

There’s a term for this type of marketing — Buyer Persona, which is aligned with Inbound Marketing efforts, and focuses on developing characters that are representative of each audience segment.

Buyer Persona goes deeper than ‘surface’ demographics, into job titles, economic status, purchasing habits and lifestyle practices.

Ayala said this would be a core tactic for marketers keen on strategic segmentation in order to “maximize spending on audiences they are most likely to convert into sales opportunities.” Businesses were also advised to pay close attention to what “big data” is saying about the effectiveness of their marketing and sales campaigns and more so, who these messages are impacting,

then use these insights to segment their audience from “medium to highest value.” How does one’s digital presence play a role in helping marketers to manage? Digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube are easily measured, thus providing marketers with “back-end analytics, which allow for easy reporting and management.” Additional software used for monitoring brand mentions, and gauging positive and negative sentiments, also generate reports that can help a marketer become wiser about how they execute campaigns, measuring performance and justifying budgets. Content may be the “old king” of marketing but content marketing is being described as the new ruler.

“It’s not just about creating content in a vacuum, it’s about pulling it in to a holistic strategy that allows a brand to reach and engage their customers, providing them with value while increasing the company’s sales conversion rates.” Content marketing can include a number of tactics, from blogging to email marketing, eBooks and videos.

Caribbean Ideas Limited is currently offering free consultations so that companies can take advantage of Inbound Marketing Strategies which allows companies to maintain their marketing and brand presence at a lower cost during a downturn or challenged economy. (TT Newsday)

Jamaica on track to eliminate mother-to-child transmission

KKnight also raised questions about other health professionals, apart from medical practitioners who would be authorised by the minister to prescribe ganja for medicinal purposes. However, in his response, Golding indicated that this facility was not a "free for all", but would allow persons involved in alternative medicine who had knowledge of the use of herbs and other natural products to form themselves into an association and make recommendations for their patients.

Justice Minister Senator Mark Golding, who piloted the bill, accepted a recommendation from his colleague, Senator KD Knight, to set up an appellate tribunal to review the revocation of the licences of persons who had received permits to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes.

He said the health minister would have the responsibility to designate those other classes of health professionals.

Knight expressed concern that he had not heard from the National Council on Drug Abuse, the National Road Safety Council, or the minister of health on this far-reaching piece of legislation.

The senior government lawmaker told his colleagues that he was uncomfortable with a bill to amend the Dangerous Drugs Act to allow for medicinal ganja, adding that a medicinal ganja bill should be introduced.

(Jamaica Gleaner)

INGSTON, JAMAICA: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) says Jamaica is on track to be among the first countries in the world to reach targets for the elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission.

The country’s status will be confirmed later this month, once the Ministry of Health submits its country report to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UNAIDS said in a release Tuesday.

Jamaica, according to the release, has demonstrated commitment to eliminate HIV among children through its leadership and investments.

UNAIDS reports that

in 2004 the HIV transmission rate from mothers to children was 10 per cent and by 2012 the rate had dropped to below two per cent. The organisation attributes the success to the Government’s investments, improved collaboration between national, regional and international agencies, as well as partnerships involving the public health sector, private doctors, hospitals, and laboratories.

“Jamaica has made good progress, especially in the areas of the prevention of mother-tochild transmission and the availability and use of anti-retroviral drugs,” Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson said.

“The Government is moving towards in-

creased ownership of the HIV Programme and has put in place several initiatives towards this end. These include the integration of the National HIV/STI Programme with the National Family Planning Board to create one sexual reproductive health authority, the purchase of anti-retrovirals through the Government of Jamaica budget and undertaking a sustainability study of the national HIV programme,” he added. This latest success joins other gains of the Jamaica AIDS response including a 43 per cent decline in AIDS-related deaths over the last decade and a 25 per cent reduction in new HIV infections, the release reported. (Jamaica Observer)

Global Shapers seek donation of books for Sophia library in Guyana

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA: The Global Shapers Georgetown Hub is seeking donations of books from the public to stock the library it will soon be erecting in the Pattensen Community Centre ground, B Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown. Representative of the non-governmental organisation, Dr Rosh Khan, said construction will begin within two weeks.

However, while the physical structure will be readily available to the community, Dr Khan said they really need assistance with the accumulation of books. “We may be launching a huge book drive soon… (For all types of books) – schoolbooks based on the lists provided by Austin’s; also supplemental books

such as fictional, novels, etc.”

“We don’t want to be outsiders and managing forever. We want to empower the community while we do ongoing checks and monitoring,” he explained.

Dr Khan noted that persons within the community are already being trained to take up leadership and mentorship roles in the library. Additionally, literacy training is being offered to the community. By completion of the library, members of the various organisations involved expect at least 50 children to be advanced in their reading capacity and 20 literacy teachers to be well trained to execute an ongoing reading programme afterwards.

The ‘Save the Libraries’ initiative is

a pilot project initiated by the Global Shapers Georgetown Hub which has the potential to be expanded. “This is a pilot. If or when successful, we will be looking at other communities too,” Dr Khan noted.

The Global Shapers Community is an international network of more than 300 city-based hubs developed and led by energetic young leaders with a vision of building on their achievements and entrepreneurial drive to make a positive impact in their communities.

The Global Shaper Community Georgetown Hub was established on December 27, 2013. Persons desirous of making donations can contact the group on their social Facebook page. (Guyana Times)

United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child urging Jamaica to pass a law to abolish corporal punishment

KINGSTON,

JAMAICA: The body considers corporal punishment to be violence against children and made the recommendation for a full ban in the final report on Jamaica, following a visit and presentation by a Jamaican delegation to its meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, three weeks ago.

The committee was responding to concerns on corporal punishment contained in a report submitted by local humanrights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ).

"Corporal punishment is still highly prevalent in Jamaica. Reports of child abuse are alarmingly common, yet there has been insufficient action at the legislative and policy level to combat this," said the JFJ.

"Article 19 of the [UN Convention on the Rights of the Child] stipulates that children have the right to be protected from all forms of violence ...," noted JFJ.

The lobby said the government has failed to make the necessary legislative changes to pro-

hibit all forms of physical and mental violence, which it said was part of the committee's recommendation in 2003.

While acknowledging that commendable measures, such as the passage of the Child Care and Protection Act (CCPA), have been made, the JFJ said "... corporal punishment in the home and schoolswhere it most prevalent - still awaits legislative action … ."

The committee, too, also acknowledged progress, but agreed with the JFJ that corporal punishment should be abolished everywhere..

Youth Minister Lisa Hanna, who led the Jamaican delegation to

Geneva, last week updated the Jamaican media on her response to the UN body.

"I told them the issue is being reviewed in the CCPA, but it requires significant dialogue with the Jamaican population. I also told them that as minister, I could not make that commitment without having that national dialogue."

Hanna said even without the specific legislation, parents who abuse their children have been arrested and charged by the police.

Head of the National Parenting Support Commission, Patrece Charles, said a clear definition of corporal punishment is required, and any legislation contemplated or required must take into consideration the Jamaican experience.

Like Hanna, Charles said the issue requires national dialogue, and were the country to rush into anything, things could become "so ridiculous that if you shout at your child in public, the State could take him or her from you".

(Jamaica Gleaner)

Kingston fireman wins inaugural Firefighter of the Year award

KINGSTON,

JAMAICA: A

30-year-old member of the Kingston and St Andrew Fire Prevention Division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Corporal Jay Scott, was recently named the WorldNet Firefighter of the Year.

Corporal Scott outclassed 23 of his colleagues from across the island to win the event, which offers the firefighter of the year trophy, plus Ja$150,000 in cash for winning the title. It was sponsored by the popular micro financing institution, WorldNet Investment Company Limited.

First runner-up was 35-year-old Sergeant Tyrone Llewellyn of the St Ann Division, who received Ja$50,000 and a

trophy; while 27-year-old Jerome Archibald, of the Manchester Division, second runner-up, received Ja$25,000 and a trophy.

A profile of the 24 short-listed finalists revealed Scott as a "hardworking, tactful and polite individual". He joined the Fire Brigade in 2003, which meant that he would have joined at the minimum recruiting age, which is 18. Scott is currently pursuing a bachelor of science degree in Medical Technology at the University of Technology.

"He demonstrates excellent understanding of all aspects of his duties and displays exemplary conduct. He communicates effectively, establishes and maintains good working relationships with co-workers

and citizens," his profile said.

Scott said he was "proud and elated" to be the winner of the inaugural award, which was announced at a function at the Four Seasons Hotel in Kingston. He described the event as "one of the most exciting moments" in his career to date.

"I am really glad that I have won, and it has proven to me that my superiors are noticing what I'm trying to do in an effort to excel as a firefighter," he told the media after being named winner.

Explaining the rationale behind his company's investment in the competition, chairman of WorldNet, Hurshell Cyrus, said that the initiative came out of WorldNet's Customer Enhancement

Programme. He said that it was influenced by the relationship between WorldNet and Jamaica Fire Brigade employees, which goes back to 2006, based on a Government concession which allowed public sector workers to access loans from private micro financing institutions (MFAs), like WorldNet, through salary deductions.

"We go back a long time and we at WorldNet appreciate that. We started this programme because we wanted to actually give back to our clients [and] make them a bit more comfortable at work," Cyrus explained.

He said that as the programme progressed, it was felt that the best way to approach that objective was to involve the

employers, which led to the agreement with the leadership of the Fire Brigade.

This led to a partnership which saw WorldNet investing Ja$1 million per annum for three years towards the annual staging of the brigade's family fun day and ball and, eventually, the firefighter of the year award. WorldNet also sponsors the JFB's Firefighter Disc Jockey competition, as well as other events staged at fire stations and divisions.

Cyrus said that with recent surveys showing increasing business and consumer confidence, and Jamaica climbing the Doing Business Environment ladder, it was the perfect time for increasing coopera-

tion between employers, in both the private and public sectors, and the MFAs, to improve efficiency and boost the employees' morale.

"We are proud to be part of an initiative to improve the efficiency of the JFB in providing the kind of service that will be required in that kind of environment," Cyrus said.

Acting permanent secretary in the ministry, Dionne Jennings, welcomed the partnership between the JFB and WorldNet.

She said, however, that she was disappointed that no woman in the JFB was able to make the final cut of 24 entrants for the competition, and looked forward to their presence next year. (Jamaica Observer)

Guyana’s Opposition to consider legalising ganja – Harmon

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA: The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said it would examine the legalisation of marijuana if it won the General Elections slated to be held on May 11. While responding to questions posed by members of the media on what the party’s manifesto would consist of for the upcoming elections, General Secretary

Joseph Harmon said the Partnership remained committed to considering the legalising of marijuana and a review of the sentencing policies as it relates to its use.

“First of all, the APNU is committed to ensuring that the energies of all the people in this country are utilised for the building and development of the country and to the extent that we have a large group of our young men in prison for minor offences in relation to marijuana, we believe that that requires a review and we have committed to reviewing that. We have

committed to reviewing the law as it relates to these offences and the way it is dealt with by Magistrates,” he said. The hope is that once APNU forms the next government after the May 11 elections, it will commission a study on the matter that will inform the issue which the local Rastafarian community is holding as the bargaining chip for its support. (Guyana Times)

SEC sues Cayman Islands bank

NEW YORK, USA: The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday sued Cayman Islands-based Caledonian Bank and four other companies that allegedly took more than US$75 million from unregistered sales of "virtually worthless" penny stocks.

Other defendants in the action, Clear Water Securities and Legacy Global Markets, are based in Belize, and Verdmont Capital is based in Panama.

All of the scams were the same, the SEC said in its 39-page complaint. First, they filed "bogus registration statements" with the SEC, purporting to register securities to public shareholders, though there were no such sales and the securities stayed in the control of the issuers and their affiliates.

"In the sham offerings, the issuers pretended to sell securities to shareholders in such places as Serbia, Mexico, Ireland, Norway, Panama and Jamaica," the SEC said.

The restricted securities were then "passed off" as free-trading stocks in the United States and sold to the public, the SEC said in the lawsuit.

The agency claims the defendants operated as affiliates, dealers, sales outlets and underwriters, in connection with four shell companies: Swingplane Ventures, Goff Corp., Nostra Energy and Xuamnii Inc. "(T)hese violations occurred simultaneously with aggressive and extensive promotion campaigns for the penny stocks of those shell companies," the SEC said.

"The defendants' unreg-

istered sales of securities generated more than $75 million in proceeds on penny stocks that were virtually worthless and whose prices fell to their former token levels within months of the defendants' sales."

The SEC seeks disgorgement, restitution, penalties and an injunction.

Caledonian Bank said in a statement on Monday that it is cooperating with the SEC and is working to prove that its actions were appropriate with respect to the sales of certain restricted securities in the United States.

“Caledonian has always held itself to a high standard within the international business community and we are confident that this will be evident as this matter unfolds,” the bank said. (Caribbeannewsnow)

Jamaica Youth Ministry achieves goal of increased participation in student governance

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Minister of Youth and Culture, the Hon. Lisa Hanna MP, has indicated that she is pleased with the progress the National Secondary Students Council (NSSC) has made over the past two years in increasing the level of participation in students’ governance. The Minister was speaking at the NSSC Thanksgiving Church Service, which marked the beginning of NSSC Week 2015, held at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church on Sunday, February 08, 2015.

“When I became Minister in 2012, I wanted to ensure that student governance was a priority for our students. We have since revamped the Students Council move-

ment which was dormant for two years and since then the level of participation has increased significantly. The NSSC is active in 165 schools across the island, impacting over 300,000 students.” she said.

The Minister noted that there has been a constant thrust to revive the NSSC in schools as it acts as a feasible medium for student advocacy and participation. This she says has been done through capacity building worshops and training sessions conducted by Ministry of Youth and Culture’s Youth Empowerment Officers and executive members of the Council.

“In the 2013/2014 academic year we had 83 schools participating in the NSSC’s elections,

while 2014/2015 had an increase of close to 150 schools, the number of students nominated to serve on the Council’s National Executive has increased by 45% and we have increased voter turnout of students participating in the elections from 30% to 60%.”

Minister Hanna explained.

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Government is aggressively drafting effective legislation to combat cybercrime, says Cornell Buckradee, advisor to Science and Technology Minister Dr Rupert Griffith.Speaking on behalf of the minister at the virtual launch of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union’s (CTU) headquarters in Port-ofSpain, Buckradee said the ministry is placing great priority on e-Legislative initiatives including amendments to the Telecommunications Act and the Electronic Transaction Act.

He said the policy framework for TT’s information, communication and technology (ICT) sector was driven by an understanding that expanded connectivity would stimulate domestic growth and provide scope for greater participation by the population in the global information economy.

Buckradee said the state would adopt a set of underlying policy principles which included nurturing a sustainable and financially viable communications sector and developing a robust policy and regulatory framework that ensures competition and encourages growth.

“While we have achieved much, we are not complacent about our current position. Going forward, we have several initiatives including that of improvements in the ICT legislative environment encompassing the areas of e-commerce, e-banking and other on-line services. TT is also currently working on developing its cybercrime legislation to properly regulate and safeguard cyber-activities.”

He added: “We are now going further in eGovernment so as to transform how we create and deliver public service. In recognition that we have a more educated and techno-

logically-savvy citizenry that has higher expectations and wants to play a more active role in national affairs, the Ministry of Science and Technology, through its agency iGovtt has been bringing an increasing amount of Government services online.”

He said the ministry is collaborating with international research institutes, universities and others that are leaders to identify and develop the best concepts, ideas and strategies.

Buckradee said the ministry is rolling out its national ICT plan, SmarTT, a virtual road map with the aim of making the ICT sector a major contributor to GDP in the shortest possible time. SmarTT focuses on enhancing the quality of life, improving service delivery, increasing national competitiveness and creating new opportunities for citizens and businesses.

“Our goal is to cul-

Charles Young, in acknowledging the growth of the NSSC over years, implored his colleagues to build on the current momentum as they strive to promote the active participation of students in matters affecting their interests, by making representations on their behalf.

The Minister noted that this achievement by the Ministry speaks to the commitment and dedication of the Youth Division of the MYC in implementing the renewed policies through the provision of increased budgetary resources.

Newly elected President of the NSSC,

“As we bask in remembrance, and reflect on the past 40 years, the value of the Students Council movement cannot be ignored. There were several issues that were solved and problems prevented from escalating as a direct result of this student government framework. While applauding past efforts and accomplishments, keen attention must be placed on areas in the secondary education sys-

tem and population that require immediate solutions.” Young said. NSSC Week is being celebrated under the theme: ‘Youth Awake, Your Future is at Stake’.

The National Secondary Students’ Council was established in 1975, through a policy brought before government in 1973. This policy came as a response to the growing demand for effective student representation and the need for students’ involvement in the decision making process of schools at the all levels.

The Minister applauded the efforts of all student counselors and implored them to keep focused and diligent as they help to shape a better Jamaica for their peers. (JIS)

TT Gov’t takes aim at cybercrime

tivate society in which our citizens are empowered and human imagination drives social transformation and economic growth. The government of TT has recognised that our education system must keep pace with the rapid growth of technology of the 21st century.

“In addition to our highly successful laptop initiative for every child within the secondary school system and the innovative Smart Classroom project, this Government has incorporated ICT within its education curricular at various levels,” he said. (TT Guardian)

Canada working to reduce unfair trade with CARICOM

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA:

Canada is carefully reviewing the Caribbean Community’s (Caricom) response to the proposals made by the North American Country for a Free Trade Arrangement (FTA) between the two. This is according to Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Nicole Giles during an Interview with Guyana Times. According to her, Canada remains committed to a modern trade agreement with CARICOM that will take into account differing levels of development, vulnerabilities associated with island states, and trade-related capacity challenges. While an FTA would generate economic benefits for both Canada and

CARICOM, some economists say the most developed states usually walk away the winners. When asked, Dr Giles stated that “it is Canada’s position that the only way ensure sustainable economic growth is to have mature and progressive trade agreements.” And according to the High Commissioner it is precisely the arrangement her country is offering the Region. Considering the implications of potentially unfair competition between infant industries in lesser developed countries to those of the developed world, Dr Giles indicated that through a separate Cdn $600M assistance programme Ottawa has been able to provide trade support in capacity building.

“One example of that

was here in Guyana where we helped to set up a Credit Info Bureau which will increase access of Small and Medium Enterprises to credit so that they could grow their exports,” she said.

Additionally, there is an ongoing trade facilitation programme to help Guyanese companies prepare for entering Canadian markets.

Similarly, as part of a Gy$20M Trade Competitiveness Program, Canada supports the implementation of the Caricom Single Market Economy (CSME), facilitate internal trade within the region, and improve the region’s ability to negotiate and implement international trade agreements. Other areas under the arrangement include Cdn$14.5 million for the Caribbean Community Trade Competitiveness Program and Cdn$20 million for the Caribbean Institutional Leadership Development Program. While these are

not part of the FTA, the Canadian High Commissioner stated that they would result in a stronger structure. “A house is never built on one pillar, you need multiple pillars to give it strength,” she analogised.

Discussions towards the negotiation of a possible Canada-Caricom Trade Agreement were announced at the Canada-Caricom Summit on January 19, 2001, in Jamaica.

Following four rounds of exploratory discussions, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced, on July 19, 2007, the launch of negotiations, which ended on June 30, 2014. An FTA between the two would mean preferential access for goods and services

in each other’s markets, and a more secure and predictable business environment. This would also serve as an important tool in strengthening Canada’s commercial ties with the region and contributing to the shared goal of facilitating development through economic integration within the Western Hemisphere. In face of ongoing debates among world renowned economists, Canada, according to its representative in Guyana, believes that “it doesn’t benefit anyone to remain in an asymmetrical mode of trade. Trade and economic growth occurs when companies are able to compete on an equal playing field, with a progressive trade agreement. (Guyana Times)

Campion graduate is 2015 Jamaica Female Scholar

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Kaesha Thomas, a graduate of Campion College, and who is now studying medicine at the University of the West Indies (UWI), has been named by the Ministry of Education as the 2015 Jamaica Female Scholar. She graduated from Campion with nine CSEC subjects with distinctions, sharing first place in the Caribbean in chemistry with one person, and sharing the first place with five others in

wants to find and improve methods of treating diseases plaguing

mathematics.

In the CAPE I examinations, which she sat in 2013, she received five ones with straight A profiles, and was placed third in the island in chemistry.

In 2014, she repeated the feat in the CAPE II examinations, obtaining grade ones in five subjects -- Spanish, chemistry, mathematics, biology and Caribbean Studies. She placed first in the island in mathematics; shared first placed in Spanish with two others,

and was fourth in chemistry.

Thomas has been involved in several community activities, including the Interact Club and Teens for the Academic Advancement of Jamaica, through which she volunteers in raising awareness and funds for various social causes and assists in teaching GSAT math to grade six students at primary schools in Kingston.

"She is adept at playing both the violin and piano, having completed

violin instructions up to Grade 3 ABRSM and piano lessons up to Grade 8 ABRSM. Currently, she is working on attaining an associate's degree in music through the Trinity College," the Ministry of Education release said.

The release said, Thomas, who was last September awarded a UWI Open Scholarship, plans to become a paediatrician and medical researcher to find and improve methods of treating diseases plaguing chil-

dren in Jamaica, in particular childhood cancers.

She credits her success first to God and to her parents Sheron Henry, general counsel at the Development Bank of Jamaica Limited, and Kingsley Thomas, business consultant and former president of the National Water Commission.

"They, along with my Auntie Paulette and my extended group of other aunts have been my role models and my rock," she said. (Jamaica Observer)

Former Guyana President presses for new climate change agreement in Paris

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA:

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo said while momentum is building towards a global climate change agreement, the issue of climate finance remains a challenge.

In delivering his keynote address, the former Head of State said there needs to be urgent action on climate finance, particularly on the part of the developed world. He added that early commitments and ambitious support is also needed from all countries.

Jagdeo highlighted that the pledges of US$10 billion to the Green Climate Fund, which was made at the Lima meeting in 2014, is not adequate to achieve the results that are needed.

Meanwhile, he emphasised that urgent action is required to raise

the US$100 billion by 2020, the target that was agreed to in Copenhagen in 2009.

Referring to the United Nations (UN) Secretary General’s Advisory Group on Climate Finance, Jagdeo noted that options are available to mobilise the finance that is required, but it needs strong political will and commitment.

Additionally, Jagdeo expressed that a high level of ambition and determination should be maintained going into the Climate Change Conference in Paris this year.

Irrespective of the outcome of Paris, he said bilateral and other arrangements are needed to support a global agreement by helping to tackle some of the critical areas including moving to renewable energy; emissions from the transport sector and addressing

deforestation.

Further, Jagdeo outlined the progress that Guyana and Norway have made through the pioneering Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) model, which by the end of this year; Guyana would have received approximately US$250 mil-

lion for avoided deforestation from Norway.

Jagdeo, who has become a global figure in climate change, was invited by the Chair of the UN Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr Rajendra Pachauri to join several world leaders and international experts at the Delhi Summit.

Other Leaders in attendance were former Prime Minister of Norway, Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, former President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, and former President of Ireland and UN Secretary General Special Envoy on Climate Change,

Mary Robinson. The annual event which is organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) since 2001, provides a platform for knowledge exchange and debate on all aspects of sustainable development.

Negotiations are under way to develop a new international climate change agreement that will cover all countries.

The new agreement will take the form of a protocol, another legal instrument or ‘an agreed outcome with legal force’, and will be applicable to all Parties.

The 2015 agreement will have to bring together the current patchwork of binding and non-binding arrangements under the UN climate convention into a single comprehensive regime. It is expected to be implemented from 2020. (Guyana Times)

BPO project to open in Mo-Bay Free Zone

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Compete Caribbean Programme have signed a joint agreement to fund a Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) Cluster Initiative Project, to be opened in the Montego Bay Free Zone in March.

Announcing the project at a Jamaica House press briefing in Montego Bay last Thursday, Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, said it would include a BPO incubator.

“The funding for the project will be US$500,000.00 and will result in the establishment of a 200-seat BPO incubator which will spur further growth within the BPO industry. The Montego Bay Free Zone has already identified the first client and is in discussions with two other interested companies,” she noted.

The State Minister told journalists that the Montego Bay Free Zone has an unfulfilled demand for 75,000 sq. ft. of space as of October 2014,

minister of state in the ministry of Industry, Investment and commerce, Hon. sharon FfolkesAbrahams, addresses the Jamaica House media briefing in Montego Bay, last thursday

and that the Board of Directors has approved the conversion of a factory to create 66,000 sq. ft. of additional space for the growing BPO industry.

“The Barnett Technology Park has built a new 50,000 sq. ft. building for the Business Processing Outsourcing Industry and will be constructing another 150,000 sq. ft. of space in the near future to continue to support this industry,” Mrs. FfolkesAbrahams said. Meanwhile, the State Minister cited the new

emerging Bamboo industry that is expected to greatly impact Jamaica and the western end of the island, in particular.

“We are in the process of ramping up Haughton Court, which is a factory that will be refurbished by the Factories Corporation to house a part of this new industry. Jamaica is now the Chair of the International Network of Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), an organization that has some 40 members,” she noted.

The State Minister said that Jamaica has been chosen to host the next conference of the organization, scheduled to be held in 2016, with possibly all 40 member countries in attendance.

“I believe that Jamaica has a lot to look forward to in this particular industry. I want to indicate that bamboo has many uses and a wide range of products, including bamboo flooring, corrugated roofing, furniture, pens, pencils, tooth picks and also bamboo charcoal. This is an industry that can get us a lot of returns on our investment,” she pointed out. (JIS)

Machel to apologise to TT fans

- Organisers of Fatima Carnival fete call for apology following ‘unprofessional’ behaviour

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Organisers of Fatima College’s annual all-inclusive are calling on reigning Soca Monarch Machel Montano to apologise for his “upsetting and unprofessional” behaviour at the TT$950-aticket Carnival fete last Saturday night.

President of the Fatima Old Boys’ Association, Dwight Andrews, told journalist on Monday that the organising committee and the principal of Fatima College, Fr Gregory Augustine, found Montano’s behaviour to be “deplorable”. He added that they were still in discussions with his management regarding some “suitable compensation”.

He said: “We at Fatima deplore the behaviour of Mr Montano and we are pursuing discussions right now with his management, as this is not a matter that we intend to treat lightly or just leave alone.”

Andrews added that Montano’s claim of a faulty sound system appeared to be unsubstantiated and insisted that

if there was a problem, Montano did not handle it in the proper manner.

“The sound system is the same one that was used last year when Mr Montano performed last year and it was the same sound system that all the other bands used on the night.

His actions have the potential of damaging our brand when we are of the opinion that there was absolutely nothing wrong—and, we are further of the opinion that even if something was wrong that there is a method and a way that anybody who purports to be a professional would carry themselves and deal with such problems and that method—which we have all been taught by our elders, teachers and others— definitely wasn’t followed,” he said.

At many of his appearances this Carnival season, Montano has complained about technical issues and was both seen and heard arguing with band members onstage several times during performances at various events. With the atmosphere ripe for his appearance at Fatima’s all

inclusive on Saturday, he delivered an anti-climax of disappointment to patrons when his appearance was marred with a troubled opening sequence, the sudden removal of the “island” section of the stage that jutted into the audience and a series of unflattering remarks about the sound system, the organisers and the professionalism of the other bands on the billing.

Montano, a multiple Road March winner, performed at the Fatima all-inclusive for the first time last year following an intervention by thenminister of sport Anil Roberts who is a past pupil of the seven-year college. He returned to the event last Saturday night for the second year and his performance was highly-anticipated to bring the event to a successful conclusion. His behaviour and language on stage at a fete in Tobago last month was also criticised, but he denied the incident which was reported by the TT media. Attempts to contact the singer’s management on Monday proved futile. (TT Express)

Two Guyanese named in Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA:

Guyanese academics Dr Paloma Mohamed and Professor Suresh Narine have been named as two of the four awardees of Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence.

The announcement was made on Friday at the TATIL Building in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; when it was revealed that Dr Mohamed and Professor Narine were named laureates in the areas of Arts and Letters, and Science and Technology respectively Professor Suresh Narine. The Guyanese professionals will be this year’s recipients alongside Herbert Samuel, an energy consultant and entrepreneur from St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Professor Patrick Hosein, a computer scientist from Trinidad. Samuel was awarded in the area

of Entrepreneurship while Professor Hosein was also recognised in the field of Science and Technology.

This year’s award ceremony is the tenth and saw the introduction of a new category, Entrepreneurship. The selection panel for the Awards (The Eminent Persons Panel) did not find any nominees they felt appropriate to be given the award in Public and Civic Contributions for 2015, although a joint award was made in Science and Technology.

Professor Narine is a bio-technologist and Director of the Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (IAST) in Guyana and a Professor at Trent University in Canada. With the increase in scientific knowledge globally, the Caribbean still finds itself in the role of technology importer. Professor Narine is actively chang-

ing this with reference to the physical and chemical sciences. His work in Guyana and in Canada has created the rare bridge between scientific research and commercial application, and in many cases, lessened environmental impact.

Narine also holds the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Industrial Research Chair in Lipid Derived Biomaterials and the Ontario Research Chair

Jamaica Minister: 2015 shaping up to be a good year for tourism

- Minister says Growth recorded in all main markets; Jamaica earns US$ 2.2b in 2014

MONTEGO BAY, ST

JAMES: The island's tourism sector earned US$2.2 billion last year, a 5.8 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2013, according to Tourism and Entertainment Minister Dr Wykeham McNeill.

Speaking at a media briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister West in Montego Bay last Thursday, Dr McNeill stressed that the island's tourism sector continues to experience steady growth.

"Jamaica achieved another milestone in 2014 as the island welcomed over two million

stopover visitors, surpassing the historic figure achieved in 2013," the minister told journalists.

He said that, between January and December last year, there were 2,080,181 stopover visitors, an increase of 3.6 per cent over the 2,008,409 stopover visitors recorded for 2013.

"... So, overall, we welcomed 71,772 more visitors than in 2013," said an upbeat tourism minister, adding that, "We saw growth out of all our main source markets".

"Stopover arrivals out of Europe grew by 10.7 per cent, while arrivals out of Canada in-

creased by 5.2 per cent; stopover arrivals out of the United States grew by two per cent overall, with an increase of 5.4 per cent out of the West and 5.6 per cent out of the South," McNeill said, noting that inflows of visitors from Asia also increased by 9.2 per cent.

The island's main cruise ports also registered an increase in arrivals in 2014, when compared to the previous year.

"Falmouth saw an increase of 19.5 per cent over 2013, or 125,829 additional visitors, while cruise arrivals into Ocho Rios grew by 7.7 per cent, which amounts to 29,214 additional visitors, with Montego Bay recording an increase of 0.9 per cent or 2,127 addition visitors," he noted.

In total, McNeill said, the island welcomed some 3,503,978 visitors in 2014.

In the meantime, he told journalists that already there are indications that the island will experience a very strong winter season, and that "things are shaping up for the summer". (Jamaica Observer)

He is credited for single-handedly reviving the IAST through persistent lobbying and attracting research funds, and turning it into a premier institution of its kind in the region in the field of research chemistry, materials science, environmental monitoring, and physical properties analysis.

in Green Chemistry and Engineering. His work as a researcher has led to an enviable 138 peerreviewed publications, two books, 22 patents, and the creation of environmentally friendly economic activity in Guyana, Canada and beyond.

Though he lives and was educated in Canada, Professor Narine returns to Guyana on a monthly basis for his participation in its technological and scientific development.

On the other hand, Dr. Mohamed, Dean of the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Social Sciences (UG), is one of the most prolific academics in communication, behavioural studies and creative writers (playwright, script-writer and poet) in the region.

A key figure in Guyana’s culture and academe, she has been producing creative work since the age of 13, and has won the Guyana Prize on three occasions 1998, 2000 and 2008. She is recognized as one of the most influential figures in the

Guyanese and Caribbean cultural landscape.

As an arts advocate she has developed policy in conjunction with national and international agencies, like the Caribbean Community, the United Nations, and several national bodies such as the Ministry of Culture.

The Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards is the only programme in the Caribbean which seeks and rewards outstanding nominees in Arts and Letters, Public and Civic Contributions, and Science and Technology, and as of 2015, Entrepreneurship.

The programme has been in existence since 2005 and was a biennial award until 2010 when it became annual. The prizes are worth TT$500,000 each and all of the laureates will receive a medal and citation at a ceremony in April. (Guyana Times)

Redd restaurant opens in TT Central

- A restaurant with a difference

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Renovare Holdings Ltd launched Redd, the country’s newest restaurant, at Ambassador Building, Southern Main Road, Chaguanas, on Monday.

Redd began as an idea among four friends and within a year blossomed into a fine dining restaurant in Central, the company said.

Renovare Holdings stated, “In less than a year we are pleased and proud to bring you from the vision and concept to the opening of our first restaurant. Our vision was not just great chicken, but to revolutionise the standards in which fast food is

viewed. It started when four friends were tired of what was being offered and wanted a restaurant that they would like to take their families for a good meal in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Coming from different business backgrounds the directors each added their skill sets to a pool which would accomplish great things.”

Renovare Holdings directors said they worked day and night to ensure that the outlet was completed within time and budget.

“Our bright cheerful atmosphere compliments the warm and friendliness of our well trained staff members who are excited to ensure that you are hap-

py with your meal. We believe strongly in customer service and aim to ensure that these standards are upheld at all times,” Renovare stated. Redd’s fried chicken was on demand as customers complimented the chef on its unique taste at the opening, the company said.

And Redd’s pepper sauce was a favourite as it added spice to the dishes.

Renovare stated that 100 per cent vegetable oil was used in preparing the meals.

“So you know it’s healthy and full of that flavour you’re sure to crave. All crafted together to give you our famously tender loving chicken.” (TT Express)

Region 9 has great potential for agriculture – Guyana’s President

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA:

Head of State Donald Ramotar said that the communities in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) has great prospects in agriculture.

“It (the region) has huge agricultural potential; it has huge possibility for agro-industrial development and a big possibility within agriculture itself and in the livestock area,” Ramotar said following a visit to the region recently.

After visiting a cattle ranch in Meriwau, President Ramotar said that it was clear that people were becoming more aware of the needs and opportunities in that region. Meriwau in July 2009 received a Presidential Grant from the Government for cattle rearing, and another grant from the President’s Youth Choice Initiative which was also used to purchase cattle.

While livestock initiatives seek to develop the economies of the villages, the President said the Meriwau ranch had far more potential if the resources were utilised and marketed properly. The ranch has been aiding the development of the community, through the provision of beef to the Schools’ Hot Meal programme in the region at a subsidised cost.

The Meriwau cattle ranch, the President added, could also support a vibrant craft and leather operation once the necessary infrastructure was in place.

“Moreover, the cattle industry itself has possibility of not only producing beef, but leather and other things that can be targeted for producing handicraft, so there is huge possibility for de-

velopment within this area,” Ramotar said.

The President said he visited another community in the Rupununi, which has a small restaurant, and this illustrated the services that were being developed in remote communities. This, the Head of State said, showed very clearly that services in that region were developing well, and there was also the growing need for stock to meet the constant demand, as well as for other services.

The President noted that his Administration remained committed to providing the necessary infrastructure, which would aid in bridging the development gap between the coastland and hinterland. However, while noting that there was much more to be done in the region, the Head of State observed that Lethem, which is the main population centre in the Rupununi, has drastically developed. “Lethem is comparable to many other parts of Guyana as far as services are concerned in shopping and different areas.”

The President said that bringing Rupununi communities on par with the coastland would take some time. However, in the interim, the Administration continued to put key infrastructural measures in place in all sectors.

Meanwhile, the President noted that it was the policy of the current Administration to enhance the social sector, and by lifting the standard of education in the interior, Guyana was moving in the direction of providing equal opportunities for all people.

(Guyana Times)

Judge: Rowley must pay

Ramlogan TT$30,000 for failing to file witness statement in defamation suit...

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley was on Monday ordered by a High Court judge to pay TT$30,000 in legal costs to former attorney general Anand Ramlogan after he previously failed to file his witness statement in one of five defamation lawsuits brought against him by Ramlogan.

The order was made on Monday afternoon by Justice Andre Des Vignes when the lawsuit again came up for hearing at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain.

Ramlogan is seeking damages for slander allegedly contained in statements Rowley made at a public forum at City Hall in Port of Spain, on November 1, 2011, relating to the hiring of attorneys in private practice for State briefs.

At the hearing, attorneys representing Rowley also made an application to include in their defence the pending police investigation that Ramlogan allegedly attempted to pervert the course of

2,000 cocoa farmers in Jamaica to benefit

KINGSTON,

JAMAICA: Two thousands cocoa farmers are set to benefit from the distribution of over US$4,000 worth of farm equipment, which was donated by Food For the Poor (FFP) last Friday.

The items which included, forks, tillers, rakes, machetes, and irrigation pumps were handed over to the Jamaica Cocoa Farmers Association (JCFA) during a ceremony at Food for the Poor compound, Ellerslie Pen, Spanish Town, St Catherine.

Selena KellierLedgister, FFP manager for agriculture and fishing said that the donation represented and signified the organisation's continued support to help increase cocoa production in Jamaica.

She also noted that FFP was thinking of assisting the farmers in the future by investing in a

justice in another defamation claim after he allegedly sought to have director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) David West withdraw his witness statement.

On January 19, when the matter was last called, Justice Des Vignes granted Rowley an extension of time to file his defence in the matter.

Both sides were given until January 26 to exchange witness statements before the matter could be set for trial.

Des Vignes on Monday set January 19, 20 and 21, 2016, as the dates on which the trial will proceed.

Ramlogan is accused of hiring attorneys from his former law firm to handle cases for the State, so as to receive reward, or pecuniary benefit, from them.

The ex-AG is represented by senior counsel Avory Sinanan, Gerald Ramdeen and Varun Dabideen, while attorneys Michael Quamina and PNM Senator Faris Al-Rawi are seeking the interest of Rowley. (TT Express)

nursery to bring more farmers into cocoa production.

"We are therefore interested in partnering with the Jamaica Cocoa Farmers' Association in areas such as the development of nurseries to resuscitate cocoa production and training in agro-business and best practices, especially in post- harvesting and processing," she said.

Board member of the JCFA, Michael Leckie, who accepted the gift on behalf of the association and the farmers, expressed gratitude to Food For the Poor for its kind gesture.

"This morning's handover of farm tools to the JCFA represents the second such gesture by this organisation that has distinguished itself as a friend for marginalised people in Jamaica, and small farmers in particular," he said.

"These tools will no

doubt motivate them to continue to labour in the field, and to make their contribution to nation building and the achievement of Vision 2030, which is to make Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business," Leckie continued.

Meanwhile, Cerrieca Williams, St Catherine cocoa farmer, who was present at the handing-over expressed joy with the gift.

"I am elated with the gifts that we have got today, and I am sure that it will help us as farmers, not only me," she said.

According to Williams many cocoa farmers had given up on cocoa because of the price that they were being paid for the produce, but she said the association has helped to revitalise the industry and that the farmers were happier with the price that they now receive. (Jamaica Observer)

Buxton Pride wins Guyana’s Mash Panorama Steel Pan Competition

GEORGETOWN,GUYANA:

Buxton Pride Steel Pan Orchestra, the winner of the Large School Band Category for the Mashramani Panorama Steel Pan Competition

The Buxton Pride Steel Orchestra has done it again, taking top honours for the second year in a row and in its second showing at the Republic Bank Mashramani Panorama Steel Pan Competition on Sunday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Its supporters erupted with joy when the Chairperson, Russell Lancaster made the announcement of the win in the Large School Band Category at the seventh edition of the annual Steel Pan Competition.

Second place went to North Ruimveldt Secondary while the Bishops’ High came in third. Lancaster stated that the competition was quite close for these performers.

For the Small School Band Category, supporters of the Dolphin Secondary School were just as ecstatic as the school’s steel band took the top spot for the first time since it was created in 2009. Lodge Secondary and West Demerara Secondary Schools took second and third place respectively.

Culture Ministry Permanent Secretary Alfred King has revealed that the competition was made possible through the collaborative effort of the Ministry and Republic Bank. He noted that “there has been tremendous growth in the art form in the schools as well as the senior band category”, emphasising that it was as a consequence of strategic planning.

Meanwhile, for the Large Band Category, the Parkside Steel Orchestra and the Guyana Police Force Band tied for the number two spot, while the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport copped the first place prize. (Guyana Times)

Guyana Gov’t slashes electricity tariffs by 10%

…PSC, GSMA anticipate positive changes in Guyana’s economy

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA:

President Donald Ramotar on Monday announced a 10 per cent decrease in electricity rates as negotiations between his Government and Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) has proven to be successful.

In light of the significant drop in fuel prices on the international market, the President last month lobbied GPL to reduce its rates.

The price for fuel has been dropping around the world since June, with the latest price of fuel in Venezuela being recorded at US$39.19 per barrel, the lowest in almost half a decade.

Monday’s announcement was made even as he commissioned GPL’s Vreed-en-Hoop power station. The decrease is expected to take effect from March.

However, the President expressed disappointment that operators in the public transportation sector are refusing to drop their fares amid falling fuel prices.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has also joined the President in appealing to operators in the public transportation sector to reduce their fares. PSC had also called on the business community to lower its prices.

“Since the reduction in electricity costs will contribute to a reduction in production costs of both manufacturers and ser-

vice providers, the commission would also like to see the cost of other energy-dependent goods and services going down. It is therefore calling on its members to pass on any reductions to their customers,” the PSC stated.

Both the Guyana Manufacturing Services Association (GMSA) and the PSC have expressed optimism in the future

of Guyana’s economy in light of the drop in fuel prices.

“President Donald Ramotar’s announcement today will certainly be welcomed by Guyana’s manufacturers, service providers, commercial entrepreneurs, exporters and every other category of business owner,” GSMA said in a press release.

TT's Manning reign ends

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Former People’s National Movement (PNM) leader and Prime Minister Patrick Manning is out. Young attorney Randall Mitchell is in.

Manning’s historymaking tenure as the longest serving Member of Parliament came to a premature end on Monday, when Mitchell, a 36-year old attorney, was named as his successor and the candidate for the 2015 general election following the screening of candidates at the PNM’s San Fernando East constituency. But there was no rejoicing in the PNM camp, which remains divided between loyalty for the party and their former MP and political leader, who failed to show up for the screening in spite of requests for nomination extensions so he could throw his hat into the ring.

Long, unsmiling faces greeted the much anticipated news which came from Anthony Clarke, the constituency’s PRO, who was joined by general secretary Ashton Ford for the announcement after almost one-and-a-half hours of deliberation. Ford first announced

that the committee had taken a decision after deliberations and interviewing the four candidates.

“Mr Manning did not show up for screening,” he said.

Clarke then announced Mitchell as the prospective candidate for San Fernando East.

Asked about Manning’s decision to withdraw, Ford said they were told by the chairman of the San Fernando East constituency that he had a meeting with Manning earlier in the day and he decided to withdraw his candidacy. Ford said no

reason was given.

He said Rowley announced during the process that the party would pay due regard and honour to Manning at an appropriate time.

He said its focus at this time was on the hectic battle ahead and the selection of candidates for the 41 constituencies. Twenty-six candidates have been selected thus far, he said. Screening will continue after Carnival he also noted.

Among the dissatisfied executive was Eber Steele, one of three nominees who were rejected at the last San Fernando

East screening exercise.

Steele joined the circle as prayers were said for Mitchell but earlier was very critical of the screening process, saying he was still waiting for an official response form the party’s executive that he was no longer eligible to be screened for another time.

Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, who headed the screening committee, did not make an appearance before the media, which outnumbered the number of people who showed up to support the five candidates who were due to be screened: San Fernando Councillor Rondell Donowa, former Deputy Mayor of San Fernando Malaika Blair and former San Fernando West MP and present Deputy Mayor Junia Regrello. Regrello, who also unsuccessfully screened for San Fernando West, was in and out before the screening committee in less than five minutes. He did not wait around for the results.

Manning was the fifth candidate, but when former councillor Sharon Looney called his name to appear before the committee five times around 7 pm, he was a no show. (TT Guardian)

the announcement by the President Ramotar of a 10 per cent drop in electricity cost, effective March 2015. The cost of electricity has been one of the major stumbling blocks to the expansion of the industry and competitiveness of Guyana’s exports”.

The association anticipates that the costs for raw materials, transportation and related factors of production would simultaneously decrease as well.

According to the PSC, the high cost of electricity has for a long time hindered the growth of the sector.

“The Private Sector Commission welcomes

This statement was reiterated by GSMA, which said “electrical energy is without doubt the most significant input into most, if not all, production processes. Guyana’s large and small scale producers and exporters have long indicated that the prices for their products have made them (products) uncompetitive in the export market, a situation which has been attributed to high energy charges. Inevitably this situation led to some contraction in the manufacturing sector.”

GSMA said it hopes the announcement is the first step towards significantly alleviating the high overhead costs for production and distribution of the “made in Guyana products.” (Guyana Times)

Barbados to preserve and build on tourism product, says PM

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS :

The government is committed to preserving, improving and diversifying Barbados’s tourism product so the country can continue to be on the cutting edge of the industry, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said last Wednesday night when he addressed the second 2015 reception for repeat visitors.

Stuart told the tourists that a number of stakeholders had contributed significantly to their visits being enjoyable and he highlighted the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) as one such organisation.

He continued: “I want to say thanks to the RBPF for continuing to do the excellent work which it has been doing in preserving and promoting this country’s security.

"I know that the Force maintains a regular connection with the tourism actors in Barbados, ensuring that like a sensitive seismograph, the Force registers all of those fluctuations taking place in the tourist com-

munity and making sure that it responds creatively and decisively to those changes.

Stuart pointed out that visitors had identified the warmth and charm of Barbadians as the appealing qualities which lured them to these shores, and insisted that the development of those qualities was no accident. He stressed that the government had invested heavily in education, which he described as a form of empowerment, so citizens could exercise a greater degree of control over their lives.

Stuart thanked the visitors for showing confidence in the island and urged them to spread the word that Barbados is a slice of paradise.

Some of the visitors attending the reception included Elsie Manning from the United Kingdom, who was on her 67th visit; Paul Harmeier of the USA who has visited 54 times; and Canadians Jerry Pankhurst and his wife Margrit Fritschi, who have been to Barbados about 50 times. (Caribbeannewsnow)

Guyana’s first Petting Zoo opens

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA:

Scores of persons join Natural Resources and the Environment Minister Robert Persaud in touring the Petting Zoo. The duck pond was just the first of many stops Guyana’s first ever Petting Zoo, which falls under the ThreeParks Initiative of the Protected Areas Commission (PAC), was officially declared opened on Sunday by Natural Resources and the Environment Minister Robert Persaud.

Just before cutting the ribbon, Minister Persaud told the public to expect much more improvements and exciting additions to roll out in the months to come.

ing is we’re buying a filtration system and installing a waterfall…so this caiman will be in clear water and in the water will be turtles and fishes and so on, so it’s almost like we’re bringing the aquarium to each of the cages,” Fernandes explained.

There are many more exciting ideas to realise the zoo’s full potential, but the challenge is accumulating finance for such projects.

Fernandes disclosed that the maintenance cost is already very high and the zoo fees alone do not cover those expenses.

opportunity unlike any other in Guyana. For instance, 120 schools come into the zoo a year, so you have an opportunity to really educate an entire generation of Guyanese. So as a corporate sponsor, it’s a really concrete way to contribute to the development of Guyana and its children and its future”.

Meanwhile, the Petting Zoo provides a friendly environment for children to admire the rich biodiversity Guyana has to offer while developing appreciation for animals. This section houses donkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs and ducks.

But, the improvements will not stop there.

Minister Persaud disclosed that moves are afoot to bring in animals from other continents such Asia and Africa to further enhance the zoo.

According to the Commissioner of the PAC Damian Fernandes, the cages are current-

The public is quite impressed by the massive change with the local zoological experience through the addition of pathways leading through a few of the enclosures, a donkey cart which takes children on rides through the zoo, a fully-functioning play ground with swings, seesaws, slides and trampoline, and the spanking new Petting Zoo, which cost in excess of GY$35 million.

ly being established to house these animals when they arrive.

“At this point, we’re focusing on the cages, we’re kind of identifying where we would put cages and what size and so on and then based on that we will determine what kind of animals we’ll bring in…there will be a few animals from Africa and a few animals from Asia but most of the zoo will focus on teaching animals about their

own animals,” he stated.

Additionally, there are plans to develop the bird watching trail in the Botanical Gardens and provide better access to the famous kissing bridges. Efforts are also underway to develop an aquarium throughout the entire zoo.

“What we’re doing is taking the aquarium and spreading it throughout, there’s a caiman pond there, so what we’re do-

“Right now our maintenance cost is covered by a combination of the zoo entrance fees which really is US$0.50 for children and US$1.00 for adults, so it’s very, very small fees, as well as the annual subvention from the Government…we are still very dependent on the government’s budget subvention”.

As such, corporate Guyana was called upon to assist with the funding for these projects.

“The zoo offers an

There is also a shop where visitors can purchase appropriate foods to feed the animals.

The Zoological Park came into existence in 1952, and affords both locals and tourists the chance to experience a diverse animal collection in a safe and accessible environment. It occupies approximately four acres of land, and serves as a shelter for abandoned and abused animals.

(Guyana Times)

Snr lawyer thinks murder rate will fall if Jamaicans are armed

KINGSTON, JAMAICA: Prominent Jamaican lawyer Captain Paul Beswick wants legislation to be passed that will allow ordinary Jamaicans to be able to own and carry guns.

Beswick, who spent 23 years in the Jamaica Defence Force, most of

the time at the Air Wing, quoted statistics from countries with and without strict gun laws, in putting forward the suggestion.

“I believe we should sell guns to the population.

I am a hawk on this one,” Beswick, a partner in the law firm Ballantyne Beswick

& Company, told the Jamaican media in an interview.

“You show me a country that has become safer because of firearm laws; name one.

“In Texas, the way they treat firearms you almost have zero incidents in terms of people being shot by accident.

“Virginia is the state

Gas explosion in TT: 13 injured

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

A gas explosion in the Maraval area has sent 13 people – at least three in critical condition – to hospital, and has also caused major damage to five small businesses, mostly restaurants.

An adjoining hotel, the Royal Palm, was also being threatened by the resulting flames and had to be evacuated along with other buildings in the immediate vicinity of the blast which was cordoned off by the police.

It is still unclear what triggered the explosion during a routine reloading of cooking gas supplies to the El Pecos eatery. According to reports the truck delivering the supplies had already detached its hoses and was away from the point of

the blast. The businesses had their glass panes blown out and there was also damage to the walls and other infrastructure. Smoke billowed for hours afterwards and the immediate area of the blast was covered with glass and other debris. The incident was enough to adjourn the regular Thursday meeting of Cabinet, and

Health Minister, Dr Fuad Khan and new Minister of National Security, Carl Alfonso, were dispatched to the scene. Khan immediately ordered the clearing of a ward at the Port of Spain General Hospital to treat the injured. Fire and police officials along with other security personnel are still on the scene. Investigations are continuing. (TT Newsday)

with the lowest incidents of murder and violent crime, has the loosest firearm laws.

Go to New York, where, if you even stand up too long outside a gun shop and look at it, a policeman comes and arrests you. “In Australia a couple years ago they brought in a new Firearm Act and had an amnesty.

Everybody was bringing in all their firearms. The murder rate went up 10 times in 18 months.

Violent crimes skyrocketed, and still, they won’t back off.

With one of the highest murder rates in the Western Hemisphere, countless strategies adopted by successive governments have not helped to stop the flow of

blood, with an average of over 1,000 people dying violently each year over the last 10 years. The gun was the dominant weapon in the vast majority of incidents. Jamaicans are also viewed as being short-tempered, or having short fuses which can ignite from even simple incidents. (Jamaican Observer)

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Ziggy Marley's concept album, Fly Rasta, took home the Best Reggae Grammy at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, on Sunday.

The 10-track album, released on April 15, got the nod over SOJA's Amid the Noise; Sly & Robbie featuring Spicy Chocolate (The Reggae Power); Lee 'Scratch' Perry (Back on The Controls); Sean Paul (Full Frequency); and Shaggy (Out of Many, One Music).

The win makes it number three for Bob Marley's eldest child as a solo artiste. The 46-yearold's first solo Grammy came in 2007 for ‘Love is My Religion’, while his second came last year with 'In Concert'.

added a whole lot to it. It was nice having them," Marley told the Jamaican media in an interview ahead of the album's release.

"Is a concept album. I took the arrangement seriously and had to educate myself, as I wanted emotions in the music. It is not linear, it has hills and valleys ... a melodic arc," he continued.

The album's title track features pioneer toaster U-Roy. Marley lists it as one of his favourites.

"Working with U-Roy is one of the greatest thing in my career. The man is a legend beyond legends. It was a privilege," he said.

The Shaping of guyaneSe LiTeraTure

Spring-cleaning can bring out unexpected finds

By PetamBer Persaud

GEORGETOWN,

GUYANA: It is time for my annual “spring cleaning” ritual, at the beginning of the year. I cannot recall when this ritual started but it had to be a long way back because I was always collecting souvenirs like cricket cards, pictures of movie stars, stamps, coins and clippings. Somewhere along the way, I had outgrown all of the above except clippings.

Autographed,in too cursive a handwriting to decipher everything, were these words:

“To Hugh Burden [..................... .....................]

Henry Cecil March 1956.”

He also won three Best Reggae Album Grammys with the Melody Makers, a group that included his brother Stephen and sisters Sharon and Cedella. In 2010, he picked up another for Best Musical Album for Children with Family Time. Co-produced by Dave Cooley, who is known for his work with independent rock bands, Fly Rasta fuses reggae with rock, soul, funk and punk. For the set, Marley reassembled his sisters, Sharon and Cedella, to provide background vocals.

Fly Rasta sold over 16,000 copies. But Marley said he was not concerned about sales.

"Mi nuh watch sales. Good music, a good music. Our music is spiritual and God music. So, if it come, it come," he said.

"The Melody Makers have a sound. They

(Jamaican Observer)

Books replaced some of the things I have outgrown. To the published books were added homemade books and exercise books with my writings. Making homemade books was a tedious but fulfilling process. I was proud of my production,especially the bindings where I used thread instead of staples to stitch pages together, and hard cardboard instead of flimsy covers. I was proud of my products –until I shelved those manifestations of a burning desire to be a published writer, after it seems as if I would never be published.

So this ritual of spring cleaning (notice the repetition of the word, and it was indeed a ritual, with all the attendant pain and gain) is in reference to books, files, bits of jottings and other things cluttering my desk and my study, entailing cataloguing, re-organizing my file cabinet and discarding material no longer of use. (No matter how diligently I try to keep apace of the accumulation, it always gets ahead of me.)

This process is a protracted one, warranting deciphering and reading; a tiring procedure where some things are discarded without due process. Sometimes, a piece of material would attract all my attention. Why? No obvious answer. Then the trip down memory lane.No clue/s. I tarry a while. Then move on, reminding myself that I do not have all day or all year. This is what happened when I uncovered a small book, discoloured to a dirty brown,and dogeared without front cover. What was this book doing among my other treasures all these years; there must be a reason. I slowly opened the book to the flysheet.

The name of this book is “No Bail for the Judge” written by Henry Cecil, published by PAN Books Ltd., 8 Headfort Place, London. It was first published in 1952. So it means that the book was still around when ‘my’/ Hugh Burden’s copy was autographed in 1956. In 2002, the novel was republished and I have just discovered it is still being read in 2015.

“No Bail for the Judge” is an intriguing read, with a story full of rising suspense. In this novel, a respected judge is charged with the murder of a prostitute, an incident in which he temporarily loses his memory. Because of his position, the case is much talked about, and the trial closely followed by the public. The judge’s daughter employs a gentleman crook, who devises elaborate schemes to scam people, to gather evidence in order to acquit him. The chase to the expected ending was engaging.

Other books by Henry Cecil include“Brothers in Law”, “Sober as a Judge”, “Independent Witness”, “Settled out of court”, “Daughters in Law”, “Alibi for a Judge”, and “According to the Evidence”.

Hugh Burden and Henry Cecil were contemporaries, having being born a few years apart and having died a few years apart.Both men lived in England. Both served during the WW2, and both were writers –Burden the playwright, Cecil the novelist.

(Hugh Burden was indirectly connected to British Guiana - the heady thing about research is that it will sometimes lead one to unexpected finds.)

The book is too old to hold onto so I will package it for disposal after extracting the autographed page, which I would hold unto for a little while longer, perhaps until next spring-cleaning....

Responses to this author on email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Opening the book of negroes

-directed by Jamaican Clement Virgo

KINGSTON, JAMAICA: The Book of Negroes, a six-part mini-series directed by Jamaican Clement Virgo, airs on BET February 16 as part of the cable channel's Black History Month schedule.

The programme is based on Canadian author Lawrence Hill's award-winning novel of the same name. It stars Aunjanue Ellis as Aminata Diallo, an African woman sold into slavery in colonial America, before making her way to Canada, Sierra Leone and England where she gained her freedom at the dawn of the 19th century.

The Book of Negroes is co-produced by Virgo's Conquering Lion Pictures, Out of Africa Entertainment, Entertainment One (eOne) and Idlewild Films.

It also stars Oscarwinning actors Cuba Gooding Jr and Louis Gossett Jr, Jamaican

Lyriq Bent, Oscar nominee Jane Alexander and Ben Chaplin.

The Montego Bayborn Virgo, whose films have been shown at the Toronto International Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival, is also co-writer for The Book of Negroes' screenplay.

Virgo, 48, has lived in Canada since he was 11-years-old. He has directed cutting-edge cable dramas such as 'The L Word' and 'The Wire'.

Born in Kingston, Bent spent part of his

childhood in Clarendon and moved to Canada at age six. He starred in the 2013 Canadian film, Home Again, which was co-written by Torontobased Jamaican filmmaker Jennifer Holness.

Bent was in Kingston for the film's Jamaican premiere in September that year.

The Book of Negroes first aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recently. Hill's tome won the 2008 Commonwealth Writer's Prize for Best Book. (Jamaica Observer)

Barbadian saxophonist Arturo Tappin has developed a distinct liking for the music of controversial Jamaican deejay Alkaline

KINGSTON, JAMAICA; Barbadian saxophonist Arturo Tappin has developed a distinct liking for the music of controversial Jamaican deejay Alkaline.

According to the artiste who made his fifth appearance at the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Trelawny recently, he likes good songs irrespective of genre and once it is a tune that will work with his saxophone, then he is drawn to that piece of music.

"The melody has to have some movement, even if it is a small range, it has to be catchy, and rhythmically it has to marry with the drum and bass," he explained to the Jamaican media.

It is that sense of melody he finds appealing in the work of Alkaline.

"Alkaline writes melodies that I really find attractive for the saxophone and I really wanted to play a few of his songs. But we are in Jamaica and we know the words, which some people may find offensive, so I have to play them elsewhere," Tappin stated.

Alkaline burst onto the scene two years ago, grabbing headlines with his tatooed eyes and more recently the bleaching of his skin. He has also made a name for himself with his music.

Like Tappin stated, his love for music is not limited to one genre. However, as it relates to Jamaican singers Tappin is fond of the music of

Jerome makes Tobago proud

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Jerome Lawrence made the sister isle of Tobago very proud when he recently graduated with a bachelor's degree at the prestigious institution of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Lawrence has earned his BA in Aviation Maintenance Science with a concentration in flight and a minor in meteorology.

On December 15, 2014, Lawrence made history and TT proud by being the first Trinbagonian chosen to read the valedictory speech at the graduation ceremony from among 510 graduates.

Lawrence has always held his head skyward from a young age and flying has forever been his passion. He attended Bishop's High School in Tobago where he attained nine O’Level passes and four A’Level passes.

This obviously set the foundation that he needed to propel him on the

ROSEAU, DOMINICA:

Like many young Dominicans after leaving school, Jessica Bellevue had difficulty finding her niche in life. A degree in Sociology didn’t help and after taking a secretarial course, she decided that sitting behind an office desk wasn’t for her either. Gaining a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award and serving as a Guide Leader came nearer the mark. So too did her training in Therapeutic Massage.

three singers who are no longer living.

"Most of the great Jamaican singers that I grew up listening to are no longer here. John Holt, Dennis Brown and Rugs from Third World. These are three tenors that when I play the tenor saxophone, I want to feel like them. I listen to the dancehall guys a lot but their lyrics are not clean enough, but they write great melodies."

In his downtime when listening to music for pure pleasure, Tapping ears are pleased by the sounds of the 'Chairman of the Board' Frank Sinatra. He explained that the arrangements by veterans Nelson Riddle and Count Basie are his favourites. (Jamaica Observer)

But finding regular employment in the things she liked doing best proved impossible. It was while working as a studio assistant for painter and sculptor Roger Burnett that she found that a creative environment challenges the mind to find solutions to seemingly impossible problems.

Generally, therapeutic massage conjures up images of expensive spas or long awaited appointments at hospital out-patients. For many, travelling to venues aggravates the pain and stress rather than reliev-

right path for success.

During his tenure at EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University, Lawrence’s involvements ranged from the Caribbean Students Association to the Aviation organisation. He also held presidency for many of these organisations. One of his most recognisable executive positions held was that of senior class council.

In 2014, he was the senior class president where he gave a motivational speech encouraging his fellow peers to achieve and pursue excellence.

He highlighted the three P’s of life— Patience, Practice and Persistence— and reiterated the fact that unless one believes in oneself, no one will believe in you.

Lawrence has now moved on to Massachusetts where he will begin a four-month internship with Cape Air. Following that, he will take up a position at the maintenance department at the university. (TT Guardian)

ing it. Thus the idea of home-visits was born. Jessica’s Home-Care Therapeutic Massage Services seeks to relieve muscular aches and pains in the convenience and comfort of the patient’s own home.

Therapeutic massage is proven to have the following benefits:

• Decreases anxiety and reduces fatigue.

• Improves blood circulation and reduces the risk of heart attacks.

• Boosts the human energy level and keeps the body agile.

• Aids recovery from accidents and illness.

To Jessica’s credit, her business has been initiative led rather than funding fed. To begin

with, promotion was by way of hand-delivered fliers and attendance at Health Fairs. More recently it has been by doctor referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations. Hotels and Guest Houses have also begun to use Jessica’s services for their guests on an ad-hoc basis. Home-care therapeutic massage is cost effective. Fees for a home visit range from EC$60 for a foot massage to EC$100$150 for a full body/deeptissue massage. A course of treatment is eligible for a discounted rate. A small fee is charged for travelling beyond Roseau and environs. E-mail: heartandsoultherapeuticmassage@gmail.com (Dominicanewsonline)

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Past and present Massy Trinidad All Stars play ers, supporters of the band, cultural stake holders and mem bers of the local film, entertain ment and media fraternity were on hand last Monday for the premiere of Souls of Steel: A Documentary about Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra.

The launch and screening took place at the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook, Port-of-Spain and made possible through the philanthropic arm of the Massy Group, the Massy Foundation. Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra manager, Beresford Hunte, thanked all attendees for their presence and expressed his gratitude to the Massy Foundation for its steadfast support of the band throughout the years.

commissioned in 2013 by the Massy Group (then Neal and Massy) in honour of its 25th anniver-

rent members such as arranger Leon “Smooth” Edwards, long-standing member Dane Gulston, operations manager Jason “Stumps” Lewis and founder Neville Jules, and classic clips of the Massy Trinidad All Stars’ past performances.

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA: The game of chess is not just about the king, it is a tool to increase higher-level thinking skills, advance math and reading skills, and build selfconfidence. Cognisant of these benefits, the recently founded National Deaf Chess Club plans to help deaf youths develop strategic skills while fostering

ing Day of Games and two as part of two chess workshops. Deaf students learn to play like anybody else, but with an interpreter present. Chess has helped to build their self-esteem the same way accomplishments build self-esteem in youths generally,” McIntosh noted.

David Rose Special School’s Joel Humphrey emerged as the winner

players to organize competitions in their respective schools and promised to provide incentives,” McIntosh mentioned.

The tournament was preceded by a workshop session during which Meusa introduced the participants to some of the fundamentals of chess. Facilitated through the interpreting into GSL (Guyana Sign Language)

Massy Foundation chairman, Gaston Aguilera, shared his and the foundation’s enthusiasm to be associated with Souls of Steel. Souls of Steel, which was directed by regional film director and producer, Dave Cropper of Cropper Media Limited, was

sary as the corporate sponsor of Trinidad All Stars. A media release on the launch stated, “Cropper artfully wove together a mix of perspectives about Trinidad All Stars, its history, its achievements, its culture and values and its journey in the 2014 Panorama competition, offering a multi-faceted look at the famed steel band.”

During the screening the audience were regaled with on-screen anecdotes from players who reminisced on the band’s evolution over the last three decades, interviews with past and cur-

The film’s content also includes footage from the band’s Panorama performance in 2014 - a contentious year for the band in which they placed second to Phase II Pan Groove in the Panorama finals, missing the title by only one point. This production was timely as 2015 also marks the 80th anniversary of Trinidad All Stars. Guests at the event were able to discuss the recent 2015 Panorama semi-finals, where Massy Trinidad All Stars topped the competition as well as have the first look at a “piece of history” about the eight time National Panorama champions.

The launch and screening at Little Carib Theatre was one of several activities planned by the band to commemorate its 80th anniversary throughout the year. (TT Newsday)

Father Bull’s Restaurant in Jamaica

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Father Bull is known for its food, wellstocked bars, consistently good service, big screen TVs, an impressive backdrop -- the Caribbean Sea — plus the smiles that come from patrons when hailed by their first names by proprietor

yet

Lennox Robinson.

"We've been in operation for the last five-anda-half years and what we do is try to afford patrons as wide of a variety of menu offerings as possible. The variety ensures repeat customers while the friendly atmosphere and competitive prices -- Ja$1,500 comfortable

feeds two — keep our customers happy.

"We are proud of our jerk offerings as that is at the heart of our business, and even make our own jerk seasoning. Plus, we have our signature BullStyle of preparation and jerk process," Robinson further explained.

(Jamaica Observer)

lasting friendships.

“The Deaf Chess Club was recently founded by those present at the Deaf Association of Guyana’s second chess workshop with national coach Wendell Meusa,”Sabine McIntosh, president of DAG, said in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine. As such there is no formal structure as yet. The next step is to have discussion with the Guyana Chess Federation.”

McIntosh stated that the club aims to promote chess among deaf youths, in and out of school, and bring it to a level where the club can compete in matches organized by the International Chess Committee of the Deaf.

“At our recent Day of Games, held annually for students and adults, approximately16 persons participated from ages 14 to 24. So far, DAG has held two competitions dur-

of the recently held rapid mini-chess competition for deaf students and youths at the National Sports Resource Centre on Woolford Avenue. Asiyah Bacchus from Tuschen Deaf Academy collected the Diane Scoboria trophy for best female player.

The tournament was organized by DAG in collaboration with the Royal Chess Academy, and was conducted by Meusa.

“Based on the results, a national team, with Robin Munilall from New Amsterdam as team captain, was selected, and six team members were charged to be ambassadors of chess in general and deaf chess in particular. It was certainly the right time to launch a National Deaf Chess Club,which will allow for structured training sessions and will bring more deaf players- especially the very young ones - into the game. I challenged the

by Jenel Bishop, teacher of the deaf at David Rose Special School, and Mike Morgan, Peace Corps volunteer, the participants followed the presentation with rapt attention.

“Number one on our list is the need for a deaf centre where we can have on-going activities, among them training sessions (in many areas) and competitions. This is very important for DAG and the deaf community. We also need sponsors to come onboard, so that we can organize more training sessions and competitions for the players, who so far come from Regions Three, Four and Six. Our focus is to get more deaf youths involved in chess, getting more exposure with other chess players (hearing), and taking part in national and regional school and open chess competitions,” McIntosh outlined. (Guyana Times Sunday magazine)

TT's spelling champs :Avocat Vedic

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Given the passive acceptance by people of spelling errors in emails and texts, it is crucial for young people to understand and appreciate the importance of literacy. This was the message conveyed by Douglas Wilson, general manager of Trinidad Express Newspapers.

Speaking at the awards ceremony held at Courtyard by Marriott recently, Wilson said, “For me this competition ensures the continuation of one of the basic tenets of literacy of accurate spelling and the written word — and that is what this competition is all about.”

“This championship does not just focus on spelling but spelling accurately. It builds confidence amongst these youngsters; a competitive spirit, it establishes how to win and how to accept a loss. This builds character,” he added.

KINGSTON,

JAMAICA: The life and legacy of reggae icon Bob Marley were celebrated at the late musician's hometurned-museum at 56 Hope Road in St Andrew on Friday.

The celebrations marked his 70th birthday.

Members of the Marley family, entertainment fraternity as well as locals and visitors alike streamed into the venue for the celebrations.

Speaking to the Jamaican media, Marley's daughter Cedella noted that it was a joy to see how many persons had come out to show love for her father.

She said it was important, especially for youngsters, to appreciate

The National Word Championship began with the district round on November 1, 2014. In this round of competition primary schools from across Trinidad and Tobago competed against other schools within their educational district. At the end of this intense and exciting round of competition, the following eight schools triumphed as champions of their respective educational district:

Black Rock Government Primary won Tobago district

Robert Village Hindu Primary School won the South Eastern district

Avocat Vedic Primary School won the St Patrick district

St Peter’s Private Primary School won the Victoria district

Munroe Road Government Primary School won Caroni district

Atwell’s Educational Institute won St George district

Maria Regina Grade School won

the way her father lived, which was reflected in the outpouring of love for him on his birthday.

Meanwhile, the Marley siblings are not ruling out the possibility of there being a collaboration among them to mark their father's milestone.

Sons Ky-Mani and Julian noted that the idea has always been touted among the children.

"That idea is still a seed, we have no concrete plans, but the fact that we have discussed it means the project could bear fruit in due season," said Julian.

Both Marleys are currently in studio working on albums which will be released later this year.

Ky-Mani's self-titled project will drop in sum-

mer and comprises 15 tracks. The project sees him producing a number of the cuts and has collaborations with German artiste Gentleman, Canadian-Jamaican act Kreesha Turner, and Jewish reggae artiste Matisyahu.

"I can't wait to get on the road to promote this project. It's been a while since I have performed in Jamaica and I really want the people here at home to hear the new music. It's a great album... if I can say so myself," said Ky-Mani.

Julian's project is set to drop by spring and is yet untitled. He is just coming off a Brazillian tour with his father's band, The Wailers.

"It was great performing in Brazil to soldout audiences and just

Port of Spain district

Guaico Presbyterian School won the North Eastern district

These eight schools competed against each other for the coveted title of 2014 National Word Championship champions. Avocat Vedic Primary School emerged the winner and not only walked away with the title but TT$20,000 for their school and TT$1,000 each.

Avocat Vedic Primary School team captain Nivel Sookoo said, “Everything could not have been possible without our teachers and parents. It was a lot of hard work and prayer. I can’t wait to go home and celebrate.”

Placing second and receiving TT$10,000 is 2013 National Word Championship champion, Maria Regina Grade School.

Team captain, ten-year-old Nida Hosein was beaming as she proudly displayed her medals and trophy.

Hosein said, “I am so happy and excited. We worked really hard for the competition and I would not mind competing again.”

Third place was Robert Village Hindu Primary School. They received medals and TT$5000 for their school.

Team captain Alisha Mohammed said, “This is great. We studied in the morning periods for the exam and would also do individual revision.”

Placing fourth in the competition and winning TT$3,000 was St Peter’s Private Primary School.

Gabriel Grant from Maria Regina Grade School showed great resilience and determination throughout the competition and was awarded the 2014 National Word Championship MVP.

The competition is now in its third year and presented by the Trinidad Express Newspapers in collaboration with KFC, Colfire and First Citizens. (TT Express)

watching the reaction of the people to my music and the music of my father," noted Julian.

The celebrations in observance of Marley's

The paintings of Guyanese Cletus Henriques evoke nostalgia

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA: Cletus

Henriques is revered as one of Guyana’s late pioneer artists. His paintings are part of a gifted second generation of Guyanese artists, which now form a significant part of the National Collection at Castellani House, Vlissengen Road.

One of his celebrated paintings, “Masquerade Dancers” (1969), which is part of the National Collection, serves the best of both worlds – it creates a beautiful pattern, and it evokes the well-known masquerade dance which is a feature (though now sadly disappearing) of a good Guyanese Christmas.

Although apparently simple, this painting succeeds because the skilful use

of colour, shape and line. Henriques simplifies the masquerade to three representative figures. He does not try to include all performers – the drummer, flute-player and stilt-walker

are missing – but he has the flouncers and the mad bull. These figures he simplifies and treats as areas which are broken up into shapes that contain decorative patterns. The background too

70th birthday continue on Sunday with a concert on the Kingston Waterfront.

Among the acts to perform are some of

Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt, among others. (Jamaica Observer)

is simplified – there are no audience or trees or houses but a series of vertical shapes. The colours are also not the hot tropical colours one would expect but seem almost pastel. Taken all together, these elements create a rhythmic and endearing painting. (Text on the paintings taken from “Panorama: A Portrait of Guyana” by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company. Photos courtesy of Castellani House)

Ryan Chan a TT artist with taste for fashion and design

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: Ryan Chan is an artist with a taste for fashion and design.

One of the top three finalists at the Caribbeanwide Mission Catwalk competition in Jamaica in 2012, he’s heating up the Carnival Monday-wear scene this year with racy, theatrical presentations for the road and is one to watch (and wear) in 2015!

Where did this journey start for you?

It really started with Carnival – creating costumes namely. My big break was with Spice Carnival Band. I showed my portfolio and book of sketches to Anya Elias who was the bandleader and the Spice team liked what they saw. I didn’t do a section that year as it was too close to band launch, but I did end up doing some individual costumes.

And after that – you did actually get to design for a section?

I did two sections with Spice after that and then went right on to design for Carnivals in Miami, London, Antigua. It literally was an overnight difference from having no design work to doing all these Carnivals.

What sets your design work apart, that it would grow so quickly?

I think it’s my aesthetic. I always say that my work is a place where art meets fashion. I always draw on that theatrical inspiration for my looks. You transitioned into fashion after that? Why the shift?

I was always an artist – always drawing, sketching and even did some graphic design work. I want people who wear what I design to feel as if they are wearing art. So fashion was just an extension due to the fact that Carnival work is seasonal. I had been designing my own clothing for my personal use for a while, so while I had experience with menswear it was women’s fashion that of course took off.

Along the way you got some expert advice, and took part in quite a Caribbean wide challenge in 2012 too right?

Yes. Before I had fully gotten into fashion, I was at a loss to figure out how to get into the game essentially. So one day I had a chance to ask Meiling and asked for some advice and to my surprise she asked me to come see her at her studio. On seeing my sketches and portfolio she was impressed and mentioned to me that Mission Catwalk (a Caribbeanwide ‘Project Runway-style’ competition) would be screening at her place soon. So I signed up and from what she says, the producers loved me! Only problem was, I couldn’t yet sew properly!

Jamaica has such an established environment for fashion. What do you think of our current state of fashion in TT?

I don’t think fashion is where it should be here. Jamaica is all about their fashion. Fashion Week is a BIG thing over there. We should be on that same level. We take it seriously (as designers) but we don’t have enough support from the govern-

ment and the public aside from the fashion enthusiasts. In Jamaica, they would take what is essentially like Independence Square here and turn it into a runway in the middle of the city. All very different and progressive.

What have you been up to since Mission Catwalk?

Many people know me now for my Monday wear collections. The 2015 collection is called Aurora Jones, most of which is inspired by my paintings that I did in the past and also inspired by a certain individual. I like to do my things by myself. Since Mission Catwalk I have had about six fashion shows – all my own shows from start to finish. And as crazy as it is to do your own show, I don’t think about it – I just start and get it done. Some shows I have executed for less than five thousand dollars. I even create personal hand-done invitations; yes it saves money too, but it’s also a personal keepsake that people can hold on to. Sometimes I’m doing a hundred and more of those personally.

Who would you dress, if given the opportunity?

It would be Rihanna without a doubt. Angelina Jolie, Rita Ora and Jessie J. too. I just love that fierce female persona.

Where can we find Ryan Chan when he’s not working?

I like to party with my friends. The zoo is one of my favourite places to go – I love animals!

Apart from the zoo, you can also find Ryan on Instagram @rychan_ and on Facebook: Ryan Chan. (TT Express)

Jamaican drummer Ras Michael: gets little respect

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Master drum-

mer Ras Michael says the Nyahbinghi sound he helped make famous in the 1970s, gets little respect in Jamaica.

In fact, the 72-yearold founder of the Sons of Negus group, believes the beat synonymous with the Rastafarian movement, is more revered in Europe.

"When mi go France last year at the Garance Festival, people come from all over fi hear the music," he told the Jamaican media last week. "Some people sey, 'we come from Poland to hear you, we know your

music for ages'. Yuh don't get that here."

Ras Michael, who lives in Los Angeles, is in Jamaica for events celebrating February as Reggae Month. Along with his son Michael Nkrumah and granddaughter Amsha, he performed at the Reggae Bloodlines show last Thursday at Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre. The previous day, he participated in a music industry seminar at the same venue.

Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus built on the pioneer work of Count Ossie and the Mystic Revelation of

Rastafari, an influential band of drummers who made music from their east Kingston base in Rockfort during the 1950s and 1960s.

The Sons of Negus recorded powerful songs such as New Name and The Lion of Judah, as well as the outstanding album, Dadawah, released in 1974.

Traditional drumming is not popular among young Jamaican musicians. And though he is familiar with some new wave roots-reggae acts, Ras Michael is not eager to work with young artistes to introduce his music to a contemporary

Follow your path

By Narine Dat Sookram

Following our path is more like following our hearts, which is a very powerful voice than we can ever imagine. And speaking of following our hearts, I have heard people talk over and over about their passion and dreams in life, but they are not achieving results.

And in no shape or form I am saying that this is an easy thing to do, but I one thing I know for sure is that the heart itself has a mind of its own.

For example, sometimes we are thinking of things that we ourselves cannot understand, which makes it even twice as difficult for society and friends to fully understand. The thing is though, if we don’t follow our hearts, it is most likely that we will spend a lot of time wishing that we did the things we always wanted to do.

Sometimes our ego gets in the way to connect with other people. It is usually our ego that holds us back from doing what’s right, like acknowledging that we are sorry or tell someone how much we miss them.

The point I am trying make here is that when we put our ego aside we can easily connect on a much higher level than we feel in our hearts. I know that we can quickly get lost in the world we live in today, because it is not easy to always think our way out of pain.

In many cases, we can only get answers when we have a relaxed mind and when our heart is in tune with the real world.

Sometimes we are afraid to have a conscious mind as to what’s happening in our heart, and that’s because it can be very painful just to think about our feelings. However, being honest to ourselves is key, because it is only then we can get the opportunity to heal.

Also when we do so by telling our own stories, then we can help to heal other people as well.

audience.

"If a man approach me with it, him woulda haffi come with a consciousness like wha' I have for the music. Fi a man jus' jump pon my rhythm dem jus' so, dat's not for me," he said.

Born Michael Henry in St Mary, Ras Michael grew up in Trench Town where he was inspired by the teachings of Rastafarian elder Mortimo Planno. He began recording in the mid-1960s and also hosted a radio show The Lion of Judah Time on the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation. (Jamaican Observer)

It is interesting how our ego and heart are so different. On the one hand our ego will tell us that we are not enough, whereas our heart will tell us that we are more than enough.

Following our hearts will be key because when we do so, we will learn that we are very worthy of being loved. This is important, because if we do not love ourselves, it will be very difficult to share that love with anybody at all.

And remember that loving ourselves is not something optional, but rather necessity. Loving others can be a hard thing to do, especially if we have had bad experiences.

I strongly believe that we should never settle for anything less than pure love. Because when we let our ego take control, we are really missing out from potentially life changing opportunities.

If we experienced a bad relationship, we are most likely to close our hearts, because we are afraid of getting hurt. Without any doubt, it takes a tremendous amount of courage to truly follow our hearts, but let’s remember that it is important to live life with an open heart, because we really don’t know what is to come our way.

For questions, comments or feedback, send them to mcnarine@rogers.com.

Varun Dhawan avoided socialising to play the angst-ridden character in 'Badlapur'

After playing romantic roles in his first three films, Varun Dhawan is foraying into the dark realm with Sriram Raghavan's Badlapur. Said to be a special film for the actor, the revenge drama sees him play the intense and angst-ridden Raghu. The trailer of the Dinesh Vijan-produced movie has become a talking point.

Varun, whose character ages up to 40 in the course of the film, had apparently become so involved in his part that it influenced his equation with his family and friends in the industry. At a press conference, his mother revealed that she had noticed the transformation in him and used to be scared of him.

We also heard that while shooting for this movie, Varun had cut down on socialising. More often than not, he'd keep to himself and it was on the rarest of occasions that he ventured out to

meet his friends. 'Badlapur', presented by Eros International and produced by Maddock Films, releases February 20. (TOI)

Anushka Sharma's maiden production venture 'NH10', featuring the actress, Neil Bhoopalam and Darshan Kumar, is a gritty, edgeof-the-seat thriller.

Says Anushka, "As a producer, I want to back projects, talents and scripts that speak to me not just as someone from the industry, but as an audience. It is a bold experiment that aims to break all stereotypes — it's a thriller at heart and essentially, a story of survival and courage."

The project marks director Navdeep Singh's second film post Manorama Six Feet Under. He says, "It's the story of a young upper middle class couple driving to a weekend getaway, not realising what's in store for them. I think it'll stay with the audience much after the film ends."

Producer Vikramaditya Motwane adds, "When I read the script, I found it to be taut and thrilling. The film has turned out even better."

Says producer Krishika Lulla, "With a compelling script and great performances, the movie promises to be an interesting journey and we're happy to support such strong contentdriven films."

The film's trailer, which was launched recently, received praise from the film fraternity. Karan Johar wrote on a micro-blogging site, "Kickass promo. Dying to watch it!" Alia Bhatt posted, "#NH10Trailer killllleeeddddddddd it! Loved the trailer." Arjun Kapoor wrote, "Hell hath no fury than Anushka scorned! Super trailer."

'NH10', produced by Eros International, Phantom Films and Clean Slate Films, releases 2015. (TOI)

R Balki a big fan of wife's movies

Filmmaker R Balakrishnan aka Balki says he is impressed with the way his wife Gauri Shinde uses real emotions to convey a message through her films.

The director also feels his wife is one of the finest filmmakers in India. "She is very good and sensitive. She is one of the finest filmmakers in our country because her sensitivity is very real it comes from real life," he said.

Gauri's directorial debut with Sridevi-starrer 'English Vinglish' garnered plaudits from every quarters for telling story of a housewife, who doesn't know English

and how an overseas trip helps her to bring out the best in her. Meanwhile, Balki's 'Shamitabh', which released February 6, was appreciated by the critics for its original plot

We have learnt from reliable sources that film producer Madhu Mantena is dating well-known fashion designer Masaba Gupta.

Madhu was earlier dating the gorgeous Nandana Sen. Madhu and Masaba were recently seen together at the Queen success party hosted by the Phantom boys. (TOI)

Kunal Kapoor married Naina Bachchan privately in Seychelles

We have learnt from confirmed sources that

Kunal Kapoor and Naina Bachchan married each other on Monday in a

very private way in the presence of their family at the idyllic island of Seychelles.

We learnt that they had a beach ceremony. They had also got engaged earlier in a very private way and thus this comes as no surprise. We learnt that they were introduced to each other by Naina's first cousin, the lovely Shweta Bachchan Nanda and we believe that they are likely to host a reception in Delhi when they return. Wishing Kunal and Naina a happy married life. (TOI)

Abhishek Bachchan welcomes arrival of Dhoni's 'angel'

Actor Abhishek Bachchan has welcomed Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to 'the club' of fatherhood.

Dhoni's wife Sakshi gave birth to a daughter at a private hospital in Gurgaon on Friday.

"Congratulations to

@msdhoni and Sakshi on the arrival of their angel. Welcome to the club guys. Good bless," Abhishek tweeted.

The son of Bollywood 'Shahenshah' Amitabh, Abhishek is married to actress Aishwarya Rai and together they have a three-year-old daughter Aaradhya. (TOI)

and charm of the actors -- Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and debutante Akshara Haasan - in the three principal characters. (TOI)

There were many who were surprised by Anurag Kashyap's casting of Karan Johar as his main antagonist in his dream project 'Bombay Velvet'.

Recently, Ranbir Kapoor told us how amazing Karan is in the film and now we bring you his first exclusive look as Kaizad Khambatta, Johnny

Balraj's (played by Ranbir Kapoor) arch enemy in the film. A deviously manipulating man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Talking about his role, Karan said, "As wild as my imagination can be... playing an antagonist in an Anurag Kashyap film was nowhere in my thought radar. Now it's done and I hope I don't have to leave the city and hide when it releases." Karan, going by your look, it doesn't seem that you will need to run from the city. But, it does seem that you may give the villains in our industry a run for their money. (TOI)

Sony ties up with Marvel for next 'Spider-Man'

Sony Pictures Entertainment, which owns the 'Spider-Man' franchise since 1999, has announced its partnership with Marvel Studios to bring a new version of the fictional character to life.

The next Spider-Man film will hit theatres on July 28, 2017, reports variety.com.

Scarlett Johansson opens up about 'so public life'

Scarlett Johansson has opened up on her public life and joked about her breasts that almost everyone has seen.

Tobey Maguire played Peter Parker in the previous three instalments for Sony. Marvel's Kevin Feige will produce the rebooted character with Amy

Sony has owned the feature rights to SpiderMan since last 15 years, when Marvel sold the comic book story for US$7 million. According to the announcement, Sony and Marvel will cast a new Spider-Man after Andrew Garfield starred in the last two films, "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" respectively.

Actress-singer Anna Kendrick, best known for her roles in 'Twilight' and 'Up in the Air', is all set to perform at the 87th Oscars.

The awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will take place on February 22.

"Out of the woods and on to the Oscar stage, Anna will be performing something special that is sure to be an 'Only on the Oscars' moment." said Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Kendrick was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role in the 2009 film 'Up in the Air'. Her other film credits include 'Into the Woods', 'Pitch Perfect' and the 'Twilight' film series (TOI)

Pascal, who recently stepped down as cochairman of Sony in a new producer deal. However, Sony will continue to distribute, finance, own and have final creative control of the 'Spider-Man'

Dakota Johnson's rough experience in 'Fifty Shades'

Actress Dakota Johnson says one particular sex scene in her forthcoming movie 'Fifty Shades of Grey', was "rough" for her as her limbs were tied.

At a special screening of the highly anticipated erotica, an adaptation of the E.L. James book, here, Johnson and her co-star Jamie Dornan, shared what to expect from characters Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in the movie.

Johnson spoke about a naughty scene, which was the hardest to shoot for her.

"One of the sex scenes is when all of Ana's (her character) limbs are tied up, so all of my limbs were tied up. In situations like that, your senses sort of get taken away and you don't have all of your defence mechanisms, in a way, so it was difficult and just so exhausting because it's not like it just happens once. Obviously, when you're filming you do it over and over again, so that day was a little rough, but it turns out looking really, really extraordinary." she told eonline.com

Dornan said: "I think it's sexy. I think it's erotic, but we stayed true to the love story above all, which is so important. Of course it's erotic, but you don't get a series of three books like that, a story that's spanned over three books, purely out of erotica. It's a hot movie, at it's core there's a lot of sex. I'm not gonna stand here and say that I think I'm really hot in it or anything because that's not for me to say. But yeah, it's definitely sexy."

The film will hit theatres Feb 13.

(TOI)

films. They'll work with Disney-owned Marvel on how to weave SpiderMan's character into Marvel's upcoming superhero films, which includes the popular franchise 'The Avengers'.

(TOI)

The 'Lucy' actress, who will soon be gracing W Magazine's cover, told the magazine said that when she was a kid she used to give auditions for advertisements and faced failure, with which her mom suggested her to leave it, E! Online reported.

American actress added that she refused to quit and kept on trying as she really wanted to be an actor, and at the end she stood by her dream and got famous. The 30-year-old actress also gushed about her happy married life with husband Romain Dauriac and baby Rose and said that she was blessed to have such a lovely daughter and can't imagine her life without her. (TOI)

Michael Sheen, Steve Buscemi cast in Richard Gere starrer 'Oppenheimer Strategies'

Michael Sheen, Steve Buscemi, Josh Charles, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Dan Stevens, Isaach De Bankole and Israeli actor Lior Ashkenazi have joined the cast of 'Oppenheimer Strategies'.

The Richard Gere starrer film, which has been penned and being helmed by Joseph Cedar, would start production in New York and Israel, and is being backed by Tadmor Entertainment, Deadline.com reported.

Gideon Tadmor, Miranda Bailey, Lawrence Inglee, David Mandil, Eyal Rimmon and Oren Moverman are producing, and Michal Graidy, Caroline Kaplan, Amanda Marshall, Jim Kaufman and Doug Mankoff are exec producers with Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel of The Solution as co-exec producers.

Gere would play the role of Norman Oppenheimer, whose life dramatically changes after the young politician he befriended during a dark period in his life becomes an influential world

leader. Moverman said that they were thrilled that the incredible cast would give life to Cedar's brilliant script.

(TOI)

Chris Pratt: It would be great to play Indiana Jones

Guardians of the Galaxy' star

Chris Pratt says he would love to play the lead role in 'Indiana Jones' franchise, reacting on a report suggest-

ing that he would star in its next instalment.

Pratt, 35, commented on the rumour during the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year award, reported Aceshowbiz.

He said it would be an 'awesome opportunity' to portray the role of archaeologist Dr Henry 'Indiana' Jones, which was previously made famous by Harrison Ford. It was reported last month that Pratt was wanted to play the character in 'Indiana Jones V'.

Pratt was at that time asked about the story at an airport, shortly after it broke out. "I don't know, I just got back from the woods killing a bunch of stuff," he said while gesturing to his luggage. (TOI)

Hike the Turtle Mountain Trail in Guyana’s forest

A trip to the Iwokrama Forest is not complete without a hike to the top of Turtle Mountain

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA: After a 20-minute boat ride downstream from the Iwokrama River Lodge and Research Centre, you enter a magnificent Mora Forest, one of the many forest types in Guyana. This forest experiences seasonal flooding typical of this forest type, which is most often supported by an alluvium type soil.

If you look carefully, you will see watermarks on the trees that hint at the level the river can rise to during the long May/June rains – sometimes 20 feet or more.

At the beginning of the tour, you pass through the Turtle Mountain campsite where many researchers, university students and tourists who desire a more intimate experience with the forest would stay.

This trail offers the chance to experience many birds: the Plumbeous Pigeon,

Screaming Piha (a small bird with a beautiful call), Bat Falcon, Cocoi Heron, Little Blue Heron, Ring Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher, Great Black-Hawk, Red-Rumped Cacique, Anhinga, Neotropical Cormorant, Yellowbilled Tern and occasion-

ally the Guianan Cockof-the-Rock, to name a few. The beautiful one and a half-hour hike takes our guests through various forest types and past large rock formations to the almost 300 metre (984 feet to be exact) summit for a breathtak-

ing relaxing view of the Iwokrama Forest and Essequibo River. Often, guests are treated to Spider and Howler monkeys crawling around the treetops and Scarlet and other macaws in magnificent flight displays over the undulating forest canopy. One bird often

trail to get to the mountain

spotted from the summit and sought after by seasoned bird watchers is the Orange Breasted Falcon.

To find out more about Iwokrama and the Turtle

Mountain Trail, visit http://iwokramariverlodge.com, www.iwokrama.org or Iwokrama Canopy Walkway on Facebook. (Photos by Dr Raquel Thomas-Caesar)

Montano promises the best of Monk on Machel Monday in TT

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: Fans will just have to wait and see what new innovations Machel Montano has dreamed up for Machel Monday on February 9. Montano has promised his greatest show yet but continues to remain tight-lipped on who his special surprise artistes will be.

Montano, who was speaking during CNC3’s 7 o’clock newscast on Wednesday night, also revealed that he would be partnering with Guardian Media Limited (GML) to broadcast the highly anticipated concert. GML’s CEO Lisa Agard was on set to sign the agreement and welcomed Montano and expressed her joy at having a “visionary be part of the GML team.”

Montano used the momentous occasion to reveal some of the artistes who will be performing at the concert like Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Major Lazer, Farmer Nappy, Patrice Roberts, Destra, Shaggy, Chris Martin, Papa J and Fatman Scoop. He added that there would be a few more surprises.

“The whole thing about Machel Monday is to keep people on their toes. You waiting to see what the intro will be, you waiting to see what the show will look like and what the stage will look like. Every year we say this is the biggest and the best because we compete only with ourselves.”

He also said that the show will revolve around his new concept of Monk Monte and explained that the concept came to him when he decided to figure out how he could present music to the world that portrayed only his best attributes.

“Monk Monte is really the messenger of the monk philosophy and is a movement of new knowledge and that movement of new knowledge is flowing within me but it is a movement where I inspire people to learn things, to rediscover each other first of all and then different cultures.”

Part of his new outlook is trying to become his own man but keep connected to his past because “the monk philosophy is the tradition, technology and the truth.”

The triangle or pyramid which has been featured in most of Machel Monday’s advertising represents moving forward, he explained.

By following this principle he will be able to achieve his objective which is to make music that reflects his highest expression and which can then

be taken to the corners of the globe.

“I feel if I do that I’m going to inspire people and that’s what I want my legacy to be.”

Montano also premiered his new song and video called 'On My Way' during the newscast. The video was filmed in Egypt and directed by Damien Marcano. He chose Egypt and the pyramids because he wanted to show the unique comparison between the monuments and our own Trinity Hills.

The song has special meaning to him because it was written when he felt like he was on his way to something new. “It was the symbolic song of being on my way to Monk Monte,” he said.

Montano said he felt honoured to be able to feature two generations of his family in the video which represented his connection to his past, through his father Winston and his future through his son.

This is not the first time that the soca star has

explained Monk Monte and his new spiritual outlook on his music.

During a panel discussion, 33 Years On Stage, held on January 28 at the Boissiere House, Queen’s Park West, Port-of-Spain, where his exhibition Onstage is currently being housed, he revealed that Monk Monte was his attempt at recreating his personality so that he can focus on fixing his life and in doing so pass on knowledge to the young people around him and throughout the nation.

The discussion was chaired by TT Guardian features editor Franka Philip and included Fr Stephen Ransome and Sr Theresa Vialva who have both done in-depth studies about his career and also have published work based on the spiritual connection of his music. His parents Elizabeth and Winston, his manager Che Kothari and veteran journalist Laura Dowrich-Phillips also joined in the discussion.

“The word Monk is in keeping with my basic tradition of reinventing myself. Why do I reinvent myself because it is a natural phenomenon that happens in me, it is like molting, like shedding skin. Is like every three years I feel like I have to become higher,” he said.

Veteran journalist and Content manager of Loop TT, Laura Dowrich Phillips read an article she wrote about Machel in Caribbean Beat, called How Machel Montano is Misunderstood which was one of the first times that she said he opened up to her about her spirituality.

“I interviewed him many times before but on this occasion I felt like we reached a turning point in our relationship, he really opened up. For two hours he spoke about spirituality, which was the first time he had spoken about that to me. He sang hymns and the interview just went to a level that I didn’t expect,” she said.

Montano said another aspect to Monk Monte is community outreach, so that he can help people to find the best in themselves. He plans to reach out to young people in areas throughout the country and help them to become more educated through a company called the Machel Montano foundation of Greatness. He almost broke down as he admitted that it may take a while for the foundation to become fully functional as the person who was helping him organise it was former SC Dana Seetahal, who was murdered last year. (TT Guardian)

Around the world by vessels rolling a seas's oceans - Jamaica 73rd

KINGSTON, JAMAICA: An amiable, athletic Denmark national has taken the concept of globetrotting to fascinating dimensions as he attempts to be the first human to travel by sea to every country in the world.

Like Thor, a god of Norse mythology, the modern-day mortal with the same name is moving to attain what once appeared unattainable.

The Dane, attached for some time to the Red Cross organisation in his country as a logistics coordinator, is attempting to do what no other human has ever done - travel to every nation on the globe without taking a plane, doing the journey entirely by vessels rolling on seas and oceans.

Asked what inspired him to travel to every country on an unbroken journey without flight, Thor laughed and said: "A moment of insanity."

country to visit

More contemplatively, he shared with the Jamaican media "I think it is most inspiring to try to go for something that, on one hand, has never been done before, and try to push that barrier, because it's a part of inspiring other people to do something new."

But there are added benefits for Thor, whose full name is Torbjorn Cederlof Pedersen. "I love to travel. I love different cultures. I love to meet people. I want to go and see things I have never seen before. I want to see people I have never seen before, eat food I have never eaten before, and discover some things I never knew beforethings that can be done in a different way," he asserts.

He added: "There are a million reasons why one would like to do something like this."

Thor revealed that he has been given the honour of travelling as a good-

will ambassador by the Danish Red Cross, and tasked with writing brief stories on local activity of the 189 Red Cross organisations throughout the world.

"So, I am always present at the Red Cross locations," he said.

Thor does not have the stature of a god. Rather, he has a slender frame, like a mere mortal with a big heart and an adventurous streak. He said this was not always the case, but the consequence of 15 months of travelling has stripped him of 10 kilograms.

It was at the Red Cross branch in Central Village, St Catherine, that the Jamaican media caught up with Thor.

He started his journey on October 10, 2013 at 10 in the morning from Denmark, and, by all indications, he is succeeding. Jamaica is the 73rd country he has visited on his global trek. He was in Jamaica for a full 14 days

when the Jamaican media caught up with him.

"I feel that I have a chance to inspire people to go to new places," he declared.

His girlfriend, Le Gjerum, a medical doctor, took time from her busy schedule in Denmark to keep his company before he capers off to another country.

Le Gjerum shares that she has been in Jamaica for 10 days, having arrived four days after her beau.

Asked how she copes with an absentee partner, she said: "I miss him and I follow him and I try my best, but I have my daily life in Denmark … . I have work.

"Sometimes I go and try to find him wherever he is in the world and we communicate very frequently."

The obviously delighted globe-trotter, in response to his love's complimentary remarks, stated simply: "She is a

Pedersen's flightless journey around the world will take him four years. very patient girl."

Before Thor arrived in Jamaica, he was in Haiti after completing the islands in the Lesser Antilles. When he leaves

Jamaica, he will travel to Cuba, after which he completes his travels of the Caribbean and heads for the continent of Africa.

(Jamaica Gleaner)

Kings and Queens prelims in Trinidad free of usual mix-ups

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: A veteran masquerader and a former national track and field athlete are leading the way in this year’s Carnival Kings and Queens competition. The preliminary round of the hotly contested annual competition was held at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain on Thursday night. Although there was a poor turnout of spectators at the Grand Stand of the venue, those present were nevertheless treated to a regal display of mas design and craftsmanship from the 88 participants.

Unlike in previous years, the contestants’ performances were free of costume malfunctions, background music mix-ups and strong wind—a usual problem for those opting for grandiose portrayals. Most of the costumes were noticeably smaller than in the past, with a large majority of participants opting to go down the traditional route of carrying the weight of the costumes on their backs instead of being aided by large metal frames on wheels.

This year’s Kan Kan Riddim featuring Benjai’s collaboration with H2O Phlo, ‘Phenomenal’, and Olatunji Yearwood’s ‘Ola’ were the two most popular compositions chosen by the masqueraders to cross the stage with Machel Montano’s 'Like a Boss' trailing third. At the end of the night, Roland St George, of D Krewe Carnival Company, emerged on top of the judges’ score sheet in the Kings category with his costume Ahtwaje, receiving 430 points. St George last won the competition in 2012.

Omalo, who represented TT in the Carifta Games in 1998 when she was a teenager, expertly portrayed her costume The Phantom Queen. The costume, depicting a giant skeleton riding a red and gold phoenix-like bird, appeared even more terrifying as its intricate design mingled with the lighting on the stage. Reigning Carnival King Wade Madray and Queen Peola Marchan will have to work on their presentations in the second round if they wish to retain their titles as neither appeared to impress the judges, placing them at seventh and ninth place, respectively. The semifinals will be held on Tuesday at the same venue with 20 participants in each category. The show is set to start at 7 pm with tickets costing TT$100.(TT Guardian)

TT’s Lee Ahye, Lendore capture gold

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

National Track sprinters, Michelle Lee Ahye and Deon Lendore, had an inspiring start to the 2015 competitive season when the pair powered to gold in the 60-metre and 400m events respectively, in separate meets throughout the United States on Saturday.

Ahye, who dominated

ish line ahead of silver medallist George Baylor’s Caddick (46.54) and Michael Cheeks of Clemson (46.74) respectively.

Additionally, track athletes Jarrin Solomon, national 110m hurdles record holder Mikel Thomas and 2012 World Indoor bronze medallist Jereem Richards, settled for silver in their respective events on Saturday.

globally in 2014, blasted to victory in the women’s 60m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, Boston, in a blistering time of 7.15 seconds. On her way to gold, the slimbuilt speedster successfully held off eventual runner-up and Olympic 4x100m gold medallist Tianna Bartoletta of the USA (7.19) and bronze receiver, Flings Owusu-Agyapong (7.26) of Ghana.

Meanwhile, Olympic bronze medallist Lendore sprinted to the rung of the podium in the men’s indoor 400m at the Aggie Invitational in 45.68 on his home track at the University of Texas A&M. Still the reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor and Outdoor champion, Lendore crossed the fin-

CPL sells newly formed St Kitts and Nevis franchise

GEORGETOWN

GUYANA: As the excitement continues to grow for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament, the CPL announced that it has sold the newly-formed St Kittsand Nevis franchise to an investor group led by businessman, Uday Nayak.

The news comes hot on the heels of the announcement that the Government of St Kitts and Nevis has signed a deal with CPL to host six neutral games when the tournament takes place in June and July of this year – meaning St Kitts and Nevis fans will not only see their home team play four games, but also six neutral games with all teams playing one another.

Following Thursday’s draft, which took place in Kingston, Jamaica, the newly-formed St Kitts and Nevis franchise has secured a winning line up, picking Shahid “Boom Boom” Afridi as its first round pick, followed by Marlon Samuels in round two, Sohail Tanveer in round three and former Guyana Amazon Warriors star, Martin Guptill in round five.

A well-known investor in St Kitts and Nevis, Uday Nayak

is Chairman and CoFounder of Veling, a niche aircraft lessor and owner of YU Lounge (www.yulounge.com), state of the art luxury airport terminals located in Mauritius and St. Kitts.

As St Kitts and Nevis’ new franchise owner, Nayak, said; “I am honoured to be a part of the ‘Biggest Party in Sport’ and even more honoured to have the opportunity to represent St Kitts and Nevis on the world stage as an owner of its CPL franchise team. Before the Draft, we had retained four fantastic

Caribbean players and now, with the addition of players like Shahid Afridi, Marlon Samuels and Sohail Tanveer, we believe we have a very strong team that will contend for the CPL 2015 title.”

CPL CEO, Damien O’Donohoe, said; “We are thrilled to welcome a new owner on board for CPL 2015 – a testament to the growing success of the tournament. We are confident that Nayak is going to be a fantastic partner and addition to CPL and a great ambassador to the St Kitts and Nevis

franchise in the team’s endeavour to become CPL Champions. On behalf of the Tournament Committee and CPL Management, I would like to wish Nayak and his partners the very best for CPL 2015 and beyond.”

The 2014 Limacol Caribbean Premier League saw St Kitts and Nevis hosting the last nine games of the tournament in 12 days, reigniting the passion for cricket in the ‘Sugar City’ and pumping in excess of US$26 million into its economy. (CPL Release)

JCA in-fighting deepens with war of words

KSolomon was runner up in the men’s 600m at the New Mexico Classic in one minute, 17.80 seconds. Thomas also bagged silver in the men’s 60m hurdles in 7.72 behind Olympic gold medalist and world 110m hurdles record holder, Aries Merritt of the USA (7.57). Richards took second spot in the men’s 200m at the New Mexico Classic in a personal best time of 21.06. And World Junior sliver medallist Jeneil Bellille placed third in the women’s 400m at the Aggie Invitational in 53.25. Last week, double Olympic medallist Lalonde Gordon sped to victory in the men’s 300m the Armory Track Invitiational, New York in 32.57, just short of his national record mark of 32.47. (TT Newsday)

INGSTON, JAMAICA: The war of words within the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) hierarchy continued unabated on Sunday ahead of the annual general meeting later this month.

There has been a public spat within the JCA since the board of directors voted 10-6 last Tuesday to support Barbadian Joel Garner ahead of Jamaican incumbent Whycliffe 'Dave' Cameron for the post of West Indies Cricket Board president.

The turmoil took a dramatic turn on Saturday when a draft resolution was circulated, proposing a no-confidence motion against JCA president Wilford 'Billy' Heaven.

The document bore the signature of St James Cricket Association president Cecil Fletcher and was seconded by Gautam Kumaraswamy of Kensington Cricket Club. The motion, list-

ing six reasons Heaven should step aside, is to be tabled at the association's AGM on February 17.

Among the reasons was the alleged "manipulated process used to support" West Indies cricket legend Garner.

Following recent comments attributed to JCA first vice-president Dr Donovan Bennett, who is a supporter of Heaven, JCA director Wayne Lewis has expressed his displeasure, saying the latest utterances only serve to further split the board.

Speaking to the Jamaican media on Sunday, Lewis chided Bennett for claiming that the directors on the losing side of the vote were behind the no-confidence motion .

"It is most irresponsible, the decision he [Bennett] has made to come public and criticise, according to him, the members who voted for 'Dave' Cameron," said Lewis.

"Where is the evidence to substantiate that those are the ones responsible for the noconfidence motion? That is just dividing the board more and creating more animosity within the board," added Lewis, who is a former Jamaica batsman.

He also urged Bennett to declare the "compelling reasons" Heaven had for going with Garner.

But when the Jamaican media contacted Bennett on Sunday, he remained steadfast in his defence of Heaven.

"I support the president 100 per cent on this," said Bennett.

"He would not have liked having to vote against a Jamaican in the process, but he had to do what was right for cricket. He had compelling reasons and I have too," Bennett said.

Lewis argued that Heaven should bring members together to iron out differences.

"We really need to come together and have

a meeting to thrash out our differences maybe at a retreat. We really need to sit together, all 19 of us and lay blame where it is to be blamed," he said.

Lewis argued that prior to last Tuesday's directors' vote there was an absence of even-handedness in the approach of the JCA leadership. He appeared to suggest the vote should have been delayed to allow both Cameron and Garner to make presentations to board members and answer questions. He noted that while Cameron made a presentation, the failure of a telephone link meant Garner was not heard from. Yet, Lewis said, the directors were required to vote just the same.

Heaven and Bennett are Jamaica's two representatives on the WICB board of directors.

The WICB's AGM and election for president are slated for March 7 in Jamaica. (Jamaican Observer)

30 sport Khan claims squash crown in TT

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: Kobie

Khan was crowned champion of the Green category when action climaxed in the 2015 Trinidad and Tobago

Squash Association (TTSA)

Junior Graded Tournament at the Cascadia Club Courts, St Ann’s, on Saturday evening. Khan dominated throughout the group phase and went on to

hoist the division’s title by producing an 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 victory over Nicholas Shaw. In the Red final, Seth Thong emerged the victor over Chloe Walcott, as he triumphed with an 11-3, 11-

5, 11-4 showing. Meanwhile, Sebastein Krogh trumped Michael Chin Lee 116, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5 in the Yellow championship match.( TT Newsday)

14-yr old Jamaican Clarke bang on target at SportsFeva shooting tourney

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Fourteen-YearOld Nickolai Clarke outshot opponents to emerge overall champion of the American International School of Kingston (AISK) SportsFeva Sporting Clays tournament at the Jamaica Skeet Club, Portmore on Sunday.

Clarke's explosive shooting prowess also assisted Hillel Academy to their fifth consecutive ClayFeva title as they finished with a total of 290 points. Campion College (110) and AISK (90) placed second and third, respectively.

Clarke shot an impressive 49 of his 50 targets to emerge high overall winner. He ended with an overall total of 59 hits after getting the better of Jake Therrien (58) and Aiden Ingledew (58), who made up a lot of ground with a display of sublime shooting skills in a super-six shootoff. Therrien placed second after he defeated

Ingledew in a shoot-off for the runners-up spots.

The diminutive shooter, who also emerged champion of the Digicel Inter-schools clay challenge last year, expressed sheer delight at the feat.

"The competition was more difficult than the Digicel Cup, but similar to that tournament, it took a lot of concentration and focus so I am really happy. It took a lot of hard work, so with every tournament that I shoot in I try to outdo myself, even if I only win my class," he told the Jamaica Observer.

Nicholas Chen, captain of the Hillel team, believes that the skills of the younger shooters speak volumes to the future of the sport.

"It feels great to successfully defend our title for a fifth straight year; we have a great set of shooters... a lot of young shooters are coming up who are improving every day. We have a lot of shooters under 12 who are shooting very well

Heart of Oak under-13 InterPrimary football starts Tuesday in Guyana …to include female teams

BY A ndrew C A rmi C

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA : The Heart of Oak Masters Football Club Inter-Primary School 2015 school season kicks off on Tuesday with an under-13 competition for boys and girls.

Seven schools have been invited to participate in the round robin tournament which will last for four days.

The schools have been drawn from New Amsterdam, East Canje and West Canje; namely, New Amsterdam Primary, All Saints Primary, St Theresa Primary, School of the Nations, St Aloysius Primary, Fort Ordinance Primary and Lochaber Primary.

The competition seeks to unearth young

and for the future I think Hillel will keep on winning," he said.

Meanwhile, Brad Ransom, sports director of AISK, told the Observer that the success of yesterday's tournament may well have set the tone for the SoccerFeva and TennisFeva which will

take place on Friday and Saturday.

"The tournament today was great; the whole team that came together and put it on from Khaleel (Azan) who does a fantastic job as always and the SportsFeva committee who came together as a group to execute the day just makes it run

smoothly and that's great for the spectators and athletes as well.

"Obviously now that this has gone so well, I hope the other two tournaments go as well. We will have a lot more athletes at those events so there is more in terms of logistics, but I think we are well prepared and hopefully they go off in the same vein," he noted.

The course set by mentor Azan and Oniel Brown, was a bit more competitive than the shooters were accustomed to. However, the shooters ranging from age eight to 17, proved equal to the task with some dazzling scores.

Clarke's score of 49 saw him topping the Juniors A class ahead of teammates Brandon Reid (47) and Chen (45). Therrien (47) of Hillel won the B class, ahead of Ingledew (44) of Campion College and Diallo Richardson (44) of AISK.

Zacre Davidson of Hillel won the Juniors C

with a score of 42, ahead of teammate Justin Paul Williams and Matthew Carroll of AISK who both shot 39.

Campion College's Danzell Knight (45) topped the Sub-juniors A class, with the Hillel pair of Zach Lazarus (44) and Matthew Josephs (37) finishing second and third. Roman Tavares Finson (39) won the B category ahead of Mark Desnoes (39) and Brandon Gooden (38). The Beginners A was won by Aidan Murray who shot 36, with Austin Levy (31) and Vivek Chatani (31) taking the runners-up spots. The B class was won by Zaniel Knight (44), ahead of John Chin (43) and Liam Neil (40).

Isabelle Chin shot 42 to win the Girls A class ahead of Leah Azan (33) and Alysia Evans (32), while Ashleigh Azan (27) won the B division. Tayla Ziadie (26) and Sarah Mahfood (21) were second and third respectively.(Jamaica Observer)

Siblings for Sol Rally Barbados

Btalent and encourage promising players to associate themselves with clubs.

Organized Neil Humphrey told Guyana Times Sport that this year the tournament has been extended to include females.

“We are hoping that all of the schools will be able to field a female team. When we look at, it we have some very talented girls at the secondary level and if nothing is done now, then when they would have left school the female football in Berbice will go back down,” Humphrey said. At the end of the tournament, the outstanding players will be awarded. All Saints Primary are the defending champions.

(Guyana Times)

RIDGETOWN, BARBADOS: Secondgeneration British motor sport competitors, brothers Oliver and Philip Hopkins, will both compete in Sol Rally Barbados 2015 May 29 to 31, when the Barbados Rally Club celebrates the 25th anniversary of its first International All-Stage Rally. However, they will not be sitting in the same car.

Philip is already confirmed as co-driver in Kevin Procter’s Subaru Impreza WRC S7, in which the pair finished seventh overall and second in WRC-2 last year. Younger brother Oliver will campaign his Hopkins Motorsport/Dan Cuff Motor Engineering Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI in Group A, with codriver Ashley Trimble.

The family’s involvement in motor sport –– and the basis of the family business, too –goes back more than 30 years, when father Reg competed in The European Truck Racing Championship. While he raced across Europe, of-

ten away from home for weeks at a time, he realised how much of a team’s budget could be saved by replacing expensive hotels and the cost of feeding personnel at race circuits with a purpose-built from their first transporter, designed to move the racing truck and ancillary equipment and to provide accommodation and catering for 10 people, the family business Hopkins Motorsport has developed into one

of the leading suppliers of bespoke transporters and hospitality units in British and European motor sport.

While elder brother Philip raced from 1993 in Formula Ford, then in Formula 3 and GTs, with the Bristol-based family creating the transporter necessary to suit each racing programme, Oliver has only recently started to compete.

Shortly after, the brothers competed in a tarmac event on the

notorious high-speed Epynt Ranges in Wales, where things did not go so well. Oliver explained.

Oliver went back to the venue last year to lay the ghost of his huge accident.

“With the old car rebuilt, I returned for the Tour of Epynt, just to conquer my fear. I wanted to go and finish and, with co-driver David Tortoishell, we did –– 49th overall.” (Barbadostoday.com)

TT’s Griffith willing to work with Sancho

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD: Dr Rupert Griffith, former Minister of Sports, is willing to work with his successor Senator Brent Sancho, during the transition period from one Minister to another.

Dr Griffith, who held the post as Sports Minister from August until last Monday, described his six-month period at the helm as “excellent”.

“When I went in there, it was a difficult period, everyone knew that, when (Anil) Roberts stepped down from the Ministry, and we had to stabilise things and pull it back up, which I think is what we did. It had always been a temporary appointment. It was a temporary arrangement. So (the Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar) made a decision now and I’m happy for Brent Sancho.”

He continued, “I propose to work with him as much as he would want me too, and assist him in discharging the remit of the Ministry. I’m very pleased to do that with

Jamaica

him. I am glad for him and I wish him well.

Concerning Sancho’s ability to cope with the pressures of being a Cabinet Minister, Dr Griffith noted, “there were a number of initiatives and I’ll take time to go over it with him. I’m very pleased and happy, and I’ll be willing to work with him.”

Reflecting on his time as Sports Minister, Dr Griffith said, “in terms of accomplishment, you’ll remember the game we had with the female football players (on December 2 against Ecuador) right here in Trinidad. Getting ready for that, putting things in place for that successful game I think was one of the biggest challenges.

“And then also to regularise the grant funding. I’ve been able to look at the policy to make it more efficient. In the six months, those were some great challenges. Of course, meeting with the various sporting governing bodies, finding out their plans was also a good experience,” he ended. (TT Newsday)

Under-17 to face Costa Rica in twogame

friendly series

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Jamaica's National Under-17 squad will play two international friendly games against their Costa Rican counterparts on February 21 and 24 in Costa Rica.

These two games will be the final warm-up matches for the squad ahead of their travel to Honduras for the 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship.

The Young Reggae Boyz are drawn in Group A of the CONCACAF Under-17 World Cup Qualifiers alongside the USA, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, Cuba and Honduras.

Costa Rica are drawn in Group B alongside Canada, Mexico, Haiti, St Lucia and Panama.

Coach Andrew Edwards' squad has been in preparation since March 2013, with weekend and weekly camps, as well as an extended camp at Jakes Hotel in St Elizabeth.

They have also participated in three tournaments with the following results:

CFU Preliminary Qualifiers, where they won three games from as many starts; CFU Final Round in Haiti

Guyana Jaguars beat Jamaica to stay on top

WICB PCL 4-day

tournament…

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA: In the end, a stubborn last-wicket partnership all but delayed the inevitable as the Guyana Jaguars surged to a commanding 105-run victory over Jamaica in round five of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Professional Cricket League (PCL) Four-day competition to stay at the summit of the points table.

Chasing an improbable 340 on the Sabina Park track, the Jamaicans, resuming on 105-6, slipped to 1509 before a fighting partnership of 84 between Odean Brown and Jason Dawes kept the Jaguars at bay.

The first session was even extended by half an hour, but even that couldn’t separate the pair. The innings finally ended minutes after

lunch as the Jaguars collected their fourth win in five games.

The Jamaicans were dismissed for 234 in 81.3 overs when fast bowler Keon Joseph completed a fine match by removing Dawes for 33. Brown was left stranded on 45.

Joseph was the pick

of the bowlers with 3-34 from 8.3 overs, while left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul claimed 2-37 for six in the match. Permaul now has 38 wickets in the competition, the most by a distance.

Fast bowler Ronsford Beaton claimed 2-47,

while there was one each for Raymon Reifer, Christopher Barnwell, and Devendra Bishoo. Guyana’s next match in the competition is against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, starts on Friday in North Sound, Antigua. (Guyana Times)

TT beat out Dubai for CPL semis, final

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

where they won three of four, losing the final 2-0 to Haiti; and the CASA Youth Classic in Florida where they won three of four, losing the final 4-1 on penalties.

The Jamaica Football Federation has also engaged a performance coach, who has been working with the squad as a unit as well as with individual players. A tutor also travelled with the squad to Haiti to assist with academic work.

The coaching staff has scouted most of the teams in Group A with Edwards attending Guatemala qualifying matches.

The squad has been involved in some 20 practice games locally against mainly senior men's teams.

Jamaica's delegation departs the island on February 19 at 3:00 pm en route to Costa Rica. They depart Costa Rica on the 25th for Honduras for the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship for their opening game against the host nation on the 27th.

The squad plays a practice game against Premier League leaders Arnett Gardens FC on Tuesday, at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.(Jamaica Observer)

Trinidad and Tobago won the right to host the semi-final and the final of the 2015 Limacol Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 competition ahead of the United States and Dubai.

This was revealed by CPL chief executive officer Damien O’Donohoe during a press conference held at the Ministry of Tourism on Tuesday when he also announced that TT, home to the Red Steel franchise, will host seven matches, including the “Super Bowl of the Caribbean”, the CPL final.

“We actually had bids from outside of the Caribbean to host the finals but Gerry (TT Minister of Tourism Gerald Hadeed) was insistent that we brought it back here to Trinidad and Tobago,” said O’Donohoe.

“It was actually two countries (that bid to host the semifinals and final). One was going to be the United States and the next one was going to be in Dubai,” he added, saying that taking the CPL to markets outside of the Caribbean has always been his plan.

“We were in discussions to take some games over there...that is the future,” he explained.

“I have always said and it was always part of the plan to take the CPL into the US because we believe we have the best platform and we all know if you can make any traction in the US, the scale that they have changes things considerably.

“It would absolutely brilliant if we could bring a Caribbean game there. If we could bring everything great about the Caribbean into the US it could be great,” O’Donohoe added.

He also noted that the CPL was drawing up plans to see how

best it could make an impact in communities, which newly appointed Minister of Sport Brent Sancho was eager to see take place.

“He (Sancho) was all about what CPL could do for the community and for the children and it is great when a Minister of Sport is thinking about the communities.

“We are going to have the top West Indies and international stars in Trinidad for two weeks, so we have to come up with initiatives to make sure they get into the schools, into the summer camps and in any

way possible where they could work with the children of the country to inspire them that if they is anything they want to achieve in life, it is actually possible,” O’Donohoe explained.

“The CPL final is the Super Bowl of the Caribbean and you are going to have the biggest stars from the world of cricket and the biggest entertainers, and big celebrity names,” he added.

The CPL CEO also noted that the tournament is turning heads around the world. (TT Express)

INTERNATIONAL

Canadian-based Guyanese Samaroo laud efforts of SCA executives after AGM

By RavendRa Madholall

TORONTO, CANADA: The executive body of Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) came in for high praise from President Deo Samaroo following the conclusion of their Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was held on Sunday at the Agincourt Community Centre in Scarborough.

According to the Constitution, Samaroo can run the affairs of the SCA cricket for another oneyear term while his vicepresident Bisham Singh, another Guyanese, retained that position unopposed.

The only change to the team was Grounds Coordinator Usman Patel who was replaced by Trinidadian Fareed Mohamed. Eon Gunraj remains Secretary while Vish Jadunauth retained as the Treasurer.

Shiv Persaud also held on to his position as the Registrar/Statistician unanimously and Mohammed Ahmed as the Assistant Secretary/Web Master.

Richard Ramlall was unanimously re-elected the Public Relations Officer position while an assistant Grounds Coordinator will be appointed at their first statutory meeting which is scheduled to be held early next month.

The executives performed tremendously well to organize and run the various competitions in 2014, stated Samaroo and they deserved the accolade.

“I want to congratulate

everyone who was re-elected and I must say the executives had done a great job last year; we really worked hard and were happy to have another successful year,” Samaroo pointed out.

Samaroo also acknowledged the fact there were few hiccups along the way and mentioned the executives were disappointed with the unpleasant scenario that occurred during the Premier Division final between Hawaiian Arctic Cricket Club and East West Cricket Club when the latter forfeited the game due to an unfavourable decision.

“We recognized these issues but we have worked out things and can now hope for a better year; teams have got to respect the umpires’ decisions and be more disciplined; we put our best foot forwards to ensure cricket is being played in the right spirit at all time and I have to thank my fellow colleagues for that,” Samaroo declared.

Hawaiian Arctic created history in 2014 having become the very first team to win the Premier Division on five consecutive occasions since the formation of SCA in 1981.

They lifted the Frank Faubert trophy while Toronto Smashers Cricket club emerged as champion in the first-division category. The second-division championship was shared between SCA Colts and Scarborough Cricket Club “B”.

Samaroo rated last year as another productive season and now with

the introduction of Women and Junior cricket in the upcoming season, fans will be in for more excitement and entertainment.

Only recently they introduced the fascinating T20 format and it was deemed another success on their cricketing calendar. He strongly believes everyone is committed to see the continued growth of SCA and is highly optimistic they will have another prosperous year at the both administrative level and on-field.

In addition, Samaroo revealed that the announcement of the women’s league has also brought about great interest and that will be played simultaneously with the men’s category but only in the form of T20 version.

Notably, a large number of established cricketers played in SCA tournaments over years, including Sunil Dhaniram, Fauod Bacchus, former West Indies opener Sewnarine Chattergoon, Eion Katchay, Desmond Chumney among others.

TT’s Naim striving for badminton excellence

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Rising national star Naim Mohammed is striving for further success on the Badminton court in 2015, and among his sights is a place at this year’s Pan Am Games in Toronto. Fresh from his best ever year, in which his achievements earned him a place among the First Citizens Sports Foundation’s top ten Youth Personalities, the ambitious 18-yearold is working hard to turn his dreams into reality.

Mohammed’s accomplishments in his final year as a Junior are impressive, given his ability to get among the medals when competing away from home. In his first major event, the Guatemala Junior International. He earned a bronze medal in the Under-19 Men’s Singles. Naim went one better at the Open Junior Argentina event, winning bronze medals in both the singles and doubles in the Men’s Under-19 category. Closer to home, he claimed yet another bronze in the Under-19 singles of the CAREBACO (regional) championship. These accomplishments positioned him at year’s end with a world ranking of 83- one of the highest for a junior in the history of the sport in Trinidad.

It was, therefore, no major surprise when the central Trinidad resident, in tandem with the accomplished veteran Anil Seepaul finished runner-up in the Men’s Doubles at the National Championship. “It calls for a lot of sacrifice,” he reflected, speaking to TT media this week. “I have to do what I have to do.”

Training involves between two-anda-half and three hours, for a minimum three days per week. It is a tough grind for the St George’s College, Barataria sixth-former; apart from the long hours working under Seepaul, Shiva Persad and the long-serving Trever Smith, he takes extra classes to make up for time lost in training and on tour.

Mohammed splits his concentration between hitting the shuttlecock around the court and academic studies. “Business, Sports Management or Accounting,” was the answer to the obvious question. He has the support of his parents and his elder sister, with whom he spent many hours playing the sport at home before making the choice to receive formal training at club level-a decision that, in the space of five years, has produced an excellent talent to represent the red, white and black in years to come.

Two months into the new year, he is already in competition mode, set to leave next week for Lima for the Peru International from February 19- 22; but qualifying for the Pan Am Badminton Championship is clearly the cherry that interests him most.

Few would question his ability to achieve it, or anything else in the sport that this young man sets his sights on. Local badminton fans can see him in action at the National Badminton Championships next month and likely as well at the International Badminton Tournament set to follow in May. (TT Newsday)

Jamaica’s Fraser-Pryce targets sub-10.7 this year

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Be afraid, be very afraid. That's the warning to the women's sprinting world after double Olympic 100m champion, Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce declared that she wants to lower her personal best and national record of 10.70 seconds this year.

"Last year or the year before I didn't have a personal best, so I want to do that this year. My personal best is 10.70, so as you can imagine, I want to go faster than that," said Fraser-Pryce, shortly after winning the 60m in 7.11 seconds at the Queen's/Grace Jackson meet on January 31.

"This year I want to run well. I am training well and I want to be stronger this year. That's the emphasis Stephen (Francis, coach) and I have talked about... me getting stronger. So I am working towards it, especially in the gym and hopefully it will bear fruits," she added.

She continued: "As it relates to leading up to the World

Fraser-Pryce… I am working towards it, especially in the gym, and hopefully it will bear fruits

Championships, I am not sure if I will be doubling, but I am preparing, just in case, to do both events."

In 2013, Fraser-Pryce became the first female sprinter to win gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in a single World Championships in Moscow, Russia. The 'Pocket Rocket', as FraserPryce is called for her explosive

starts, has dominated the 100m for the last six years, winning back-toback Olympic 100m titles in 2008 and 2012.

The dynamic sprinter, who burst onto the international scene as a 21 year-old seven years ago, has since reaped 11 global medals, but she is still hungry for more success. (Jamaica Observer)