Caribbean Times International

Isis Metoo, a young Canadian of Trinidadian descent, floored the judges of the Miss West Indian

Canadian 2013 pageant on Sunday with her impressive vocal performance, her stunning evening gown and brilliant

Isis Metoo captures Miss West Indian Canadian 2013 crown

answer for the Q&A segment. She captivated the entire audience when she sang Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ for the talent piece.

Held at the Red Rose Convention Centre, the event saw great representation from all of the top 12 Miss West Indian Canadian 2013 contestants, who were outstanding in depicting what it is to be a talented, intelligent, and cultured West Indian woman, all in keeping with the objectives of the pageant.

First runner-up went to Nadia Rooney, second runner-up Vanessa Narsingh, third runnerup Stephanie Rajkumar, fourth runner-up Sabrina Podai and fifth

runner-up Nicolette Seecharan.

The day was a grand spectacle for everyone including the special Little Miss West Indian Canadians, who were inspired by the contestants and looked adorable themselves in their dresses, sashes and tiaras.

The audience showed their appreciation with lots of cheers, signs, tshirts, and horns. The stage entertainment kept the pageant moving smoothly with the singing of Canada’s National Anthem by Ms. Paige.

Carnival Spice brought the ultimate Caribbean carnival experience with their island vibes while come-

dian Jean Paul made the audience literally want to roll on the floor with laughter.

Wi Can Dance Competition 2013 winners from the duo and group category also got a chance to show why they won the competition.

Additionally, there was jaw-dropping stage decor by S&A Party Decor and Rental as well as perfect sound system execution by DJ Kiren, and exquisite stage lighting by LASER.

The displays of the bridal exhibitors were stunning with the Best Booth Award captured by Divine Beauty by Sathi.

Canadian models were mesmerizing

in both Western and South Asian bridal wear by Sara Lee Fashions and Ann & Gopal’s Om Deepam.

Jewelize U also showcased their best jewelry pieces on the models and lit up the stage.

Stunning makeup was done by SMB and hair by Travis.

The host, Reneil Kistodial stole the show too with his natural talent of commanding the audience and keeping everyone interested.

The organisers have since expressed special gratitude to its main sponsor Ricky Nandlal, Realty Executives Plus Ltd. Brokerage, Sales Representative.

Guyanese Canadian writers’ celebrate another successful year

By RavendRa Madholall

The Guyanese

Canadian writers’ association is currently celebrating another milestone and to mark the special occasion, the group held its annual dinner Saturday at the Twilight Restaurant in Scarborough for members and friends from the Caribbean.

The association is the

brainchild of Guyaneseborn Janet Naidu, poet and writer, whose leadership has encouraged Canada-based writers to have a forum for support in their writings and publications.

“Being an active member of the Guyanese community here in Toronto, and having published three collections of poetry and other writings, I have helped

to portray the writers' works at the Annual Guyana Independence Festivals,” she related.

Her first collection of poetry ‘Winged Heart’ was short-listed for the 2000 Guyana Prize for Literature in the Poetry Category.

The writers’ association is named Pakaraima to reflect Guyana's rich rainforest region.

The annual literary dinner social brings together a variety of authors, budding poets, writers and novelists such as Habeeb Alli, Ken Puddicombe, David Johnson, Shirley Najhram, Ashmead Ali, Colin Ninvalle, Ray Williams among others.

The association continues to welcome new members to be part of their circle of supporters

and simultaneously encourages people to read more on a regular basis.

The recent event was a resounding success, according to Naidu, owing to the wonderful turnout and the presence of some veteran writers. The authors read from their works, much to the enjoyment of the close to 70 attendees.

They also had the pleasure of being entertained by Eddie Yhap whose humour kept the audience attentive with

laughter.

The event was graced by the presence of a special guest reader Dr. Ramabai Espinet, a Trinidadian-born author, poet, critic and educator, who made a massive contribution to the event.

Naidu said that the association was honored to have Dr. Espinet be part of the literary event.

Dr Espinet, who is also a Professor of English at Seneca College and lectur-

er at the University of Toronto in Post-Colonial and Gender studies, delivered several pieces of her works----from her masterful novel ‘The Winging Bridge’ and her other works including a collection of poetry ‘Nuclear Seasons.’

Additionally, the evening showcased Guyanese-born Barbadian author, Sabir Nakhuda, who is in Toronto to promote his new book ‘From Bengal to Barbados.’

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EDITORIAL

Managing risks

Dealing with risks has always been part and parcel of the human condition. We are forced to act in a world of uncertainty about whether an event–leading to good or bad outcomes–will occur. As David Hume pointed out centuries ago, we cannot even be absolutely sure that the sun will rise tomorrow, even though it has done so for eons.

We can, however, believe that there is a very high probability that it will so rise because of our experience. So we measure risks in terms of probability and if we are prudent, we take efforts to reduce the probability of unfavourable outcomes to our actions and increase the favourable ones.

Risk management has always been integrally connected with survival strategies, ever since early hunters figured out it was better for them to hunt in bands. In commerce, insurance was certainly a major innovation that acted to reduce the dangers of taking risks as was the decision by governments to allow the formation of corporations as legal “bodies”. The latter allowed risks to be taken by individuals without their personal assets being threatened. Ever since the financial meltdown of 2008 in the developed countries, “risk management” has taken on a higher profile since it is now accepted that the crisis was precipitated by financial firms practicing extremely loose credit risk management.

While those man-made risks have brought us low, newer ones such a global warming and older risks originating from the workings of Mother Nature continued to plague us.

The Haitian earthquakes and the hurricane that followed reminded us that the Caribbean is one of the most disaster prone regions of the world.

The “United Nations (UN) Development Report 2014” which was released earlier this month, chose the theme, “Risk and Opportunity: Managing risk for Development”. The issue of “risk” was placed at the centre of its efforts to stimulate development in the present aura of doubt and uncertainty that pervades the global recovery efforts.

We hope policymakers will study the document carefully and heed its advice. We might never be able to know the future but we can reduce uncertainty about it.

As the report notes, there are “the missed development opportunities that arise when necessary risks are not taken.

Pursuing opportunities requires taking risks, but many people, especially the poor, are often reluctant to do so, because they fear the potential negative consequences. Failure to act can trap people in poverty, leaving them vulnerable to negative shocks and even less able to pursue opportunities that would otherwise improve their well-being”. With the world becoming ever more interlinked, leaders in every sphere of activity, but especially those at the helm of states, cannot remain passive in the face of burgeoning risks.

They have to change from being “crisis fighters” to becoming “proactive and systematic risk managers”. In our own Caribbean Community (Caricom), while some countries such as Guyana were able to maintain healthy rates of growth in the last six years, most of the other members headed in the opposite direction because they refused to deal with risks posed by their macroeconomic fundamentals such as debt/gross domestic product (GDP) ratios.

Even after then President Bharrat Jagdeo offered to share the experience of Guyana, he was derided as offering “begging bowl” advice. Several of them are now being forced to reform their economic policies under the not too warm embrace of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Maybe they will now take the same advice from the UN: “Protecting hard-won development gains by building resilience to risk is essential to achieving prosperity. That is true whether one is grappling with natural disasters, pandemics, financial crises, a wave of crime at the community level, or the severe illness of a household’s chief provider.

“Risk can never be completely eliminated. But people and institutions can build resilience to risk by applying a balanced approach that includes structural policy measures, communitybased prevention, insurance, education, training, and effective regulation.”

Money transfer agencies in Guyana fear backlash from failure to pass anti-money laundering act

B y S vetlana M ar S hall

There may be dire consequences if Guyana fails to pass the Anti-Money Laundering/ Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill in the National Assembly by the November 18 deadline set by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF).

On Tuesday, Bank of Guyana Deputy Governor Dr Gobind Ganga told reporters that passage of the bill before Guyana returns to the CFATF International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) in November is critical to the banking and financial sectors.

In May, CFATF placed Guyana on its watch list owing to its failure to comply with the 16 requirements of anti-money laundering law.

Dr Ganga said nonpassage of the bill puts Guyana’s integrity on the line, explaining that regional and international financial institutions would be “very suspicious” when conducting transactions with financial institutions in Guyana.

Money transfer agency

“Now this will create long delays when conducting transactions and would most likely impact every aspect of the financial system and even the economic system,” he added.

He pointed out that commercial banks in Trinidad and Tobago have already heightened scrutiny of transactions with Guyanese companies, after a warning letter was issued by that country’s central bank.

First Global Money has added its voice to the pleadings of civil society and the business sector for the government and the opposition to resolve their difference on the bill and approve it.

First Global Money Regional Vice President and General Manager Bobita Ram said money transfer agencies will likely experience significant challenges if Guyana is blacklisted.

She said licensed money transfer companies around the world could rescind their decision to conduct business with agents or payers in Guyana.

If money transfer agencies are forced to scale down operations or close, it would mean that workers would have to face unemployment.

Black market possible

In 2012, Guyana received approximately US$400 million in remittances, accounting for 17 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but this figure could significantly decline if Guyana is blacklisted.

With heightened costs or limited access to money transfer agencies, the “regular man in the street” would feel the impact, Ram said.

This can lead to the development of a black market or the illegal transfer of money within the financial system.

“Since the need to send money to family and friends will not disappear, persons in the diaspora will be forced to utilise informal channels to send money to Guyana such as: 1) sending cash physically with persons who are travelling; 2)

paying phenomenal fees to person who are operating outside of the financial system; and 3) finding ways to send money cross border,” she explained.

First Global Money is now joining with the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the Insurance Association of Guyana, and the government to advocate for the anti-money laundering bill to be passed.

Ram said both the government and the opposition owe it to the Guyanese people to pass the bill.

However, she said if there is something fundamentally wrong with the bill, then she understands the position, which could be taken by some stakeholders.

But, she made it clear that the passage of the bill must not be hindered by issues that do not relate directly to the legislation.

Adequate measures

“No one wants to be in a country which says we are not going to put adequate measures in place to avoid a potential money launderer or terrorist using our financial system to create havoc in the world,” she said. “We don’t want to be affected by an act of terrorism, or money laundering or the proceeds of illicit crimes entering into the financial system.”

Laparkan Financial Services Limited General Manager Aruna Singh echoed these sentiments, emphasising the importance of remittances to Guyanese of all walks of life.

She too called for elected political leaders to put the interest of the country first. (Guyana Times)

Fallout from illegal August strike in Trinidad

- NP Fires 68 Workers

TT’s state-owned National Petroleum Marketing Company (NP) has fired 68 of 85 suspended employees for illegal work stoppage in August. Workers began receiving letters of termination Tuesday through registered mail. They were initially suspended between August 15 and 16 and sent home with pay, pending investigations, after they walked off the job because of concerns of possible privatisation.

On August 12, workers at the Pointea-Pierre gantry walked off after two of their co-workers were sent home for the day for refusing to train managers to operate the gantry where fuel transport trucks are loaded. The following day, workers at the Sea Lots compound also walked off the job, in a show of solidarity.

In a release Tuesday, NP said individual disciplinary hearings were held between October 7 to 10 and each suspended employee was given the opportunity to respond to three charges—refusing to perform job functions, participation along with others in an illegal work stoppage and unauthorised absence from work stations.

At the hearings, employees were represented by officers of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU).

NP said the OWTU cited health and safety issues as the reasons for their members withholding their labour during the specified period, however, the company said, at the time of the illegal work stoppage, the OWTU cited privatisation as the reason.

The company noted that it requested an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) inspection in July which took place

on August 28 and 29, and September 3, 11 and 12 2013.

Millions in losses

It said it was in receipt of the OSH report which did not trigger the issuance of an improvement or a prohibition notice, as is mandated in cases of serious or imminent danger in accordance with Section 74 of the OSH Act.

NP Chairman, Neil Gosine in a telephone interview Tuesday said the company had no choice, but to terminate the employees. He said in the last two years the union has shut down NP 20 times and everytime they did, it cost the company TT$9.5 million a day.

“They claimed it was privatisation and it was absolutely not true there is no way NP will be privatised,” he said.

He said the company has approximately 750 workers and the filling of the vacancies would be done through the normal process through the company’s management team.

Gosine said he did not know what this termination would cost the company, but he said the company would save money. He said while the investigation was being conducted, there were no disruptions and they have since increased its deliveries.

In the statement, NP said it was committed to the practice of good industrial relations.

“The company’s focus remains to ensure the timely delivery of fuel to our service station network; airports in Tobago and Trinidad; industrial customers including the Port Authority and Powergen; all hospitals; and all of the protective services,” NP said. (Excerpted from TT Newsday)

l Aundering Bill…

Guyana blacklisted in draft CFATF report – Nandlall

Legal Affairs

Minister Anil

Nandlall said unless Guyana attends the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) November meeting with the enacted Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Bill in hand, it will not be able to prevent the adoption of the draft report in which the county is blacklisted.

During an interview on the National Communications Network (NCN) in Guyana Monday, Nandlall, who is also the attorney general, noted that this was not even guaranteed.

Review

The parliamentary special select committee dealing with the bill re-

convened its first meeting after the two-month recess on October 14.

Alliance For Change (AFC) leader Khemraj Ramjattan and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) member Debra Backer were absent.

Nandlall said that while APNU’s members, Basil Williams, Joseph Harmon and Carl Greenidge were present at the meeting, “again, with uniformity and consistency, nothing was accomplished. They resumed efforts to frustrate work already done...”

The issue became heated when the time came to fix a date for the next meeting, as the opposition members insisted on Monday, October 21, rejecting all earlier dates suggested by the

government side.

Committee Chairperson Gail Teixeira was informed on October 21 that it was not convenient for the APNU members to meet, although this was the date that they chose. The next meeting was fixed for October 22.

The bill was transmitted to the select committee for certain aspects to be reviewed, by the combined opposition which used their one- seat majority. Six months after the select committee was established, its task is not completed.

Guyana was supposed to submit a report to the CFATF on August 26, and this was done. However, the report did not include that the bill had been passed into law, a requirement which was expected to be

Labour ministry threatens

satisfied.

Stakeholders ignored

The Guyana delegation, headed by Nandlall, which attended the CFATF meeting in May, had promised that the bill would be passed by the November meeting. Unfortunately, all government’s work in the select committee was thwarted by the opposition members.

The minister observed that both the AFC and the APNU have demonstrated that they are not interested in passing the bill.

The Private Sector Commission, Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the trade union movement, Berbice Chamber of Commerce, Upper

Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, and the Insurance Association have all issued statements about the urgent necessity for the passage of the anti-money laundering bill. Draft report

Nandlall explained that the CFATF has already prepared a draft

court action against

report, which will constitute the evaluation report of Guyana. In the conclusion of that report, “Guyana is scheduled to be declared a non-compliant jurisdiction and member states worldwide are invited to implement against Guyana such counter measures that they deem necessary to protect themselves and their business entities within their respective jurisdictions from the money laundering and terrorism risks which Guyana will pose.”

The opposition has concluded that if Guyana is sanctioned, somehow only the government will face the drastic consequences, the minister posited. He reiterated that every person in the country will be affected.

(Excerpted from Guyana Times)

Guyanese companies that flout new minimum wage rule

Guyana’s Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul said his ministry was preparing charges against a large security firm, having found that it was in breach of the new minimum wage order.

Dr Gopaul said that his ministry believed that wages owed to workers at that particular firm could run into millions of dollars.

He added that the firm had not been paying staff according to the previous minimum wage order, much less the new one. While the minis-

ter did not disclose the name of the security firm, he noted that strict measures will be taken against the owners. He also disclosed that the firm has, for a number of years, been awarded several government contracts.

Dr Gopaul also stated that it was found that some private sector companies in Guyana had not implemented the new minimum wage order.

However, after inspectors working with the ministry would have discovered that, the businesses were instructed to comply with

the order or face prosecution.

Many of these said companies are now complying and have started

Guyanese youth ambassadors off to U.S. exchange programme

Five students and one mentor representing several regions of Guyana have embarked on a three week exchange programme to the United States as part of the Youth Ambassadors Programme (YAP).

The YAP group arrived in Denver, Colorado on Sunday and will travel to Washington, DC before the programme concludes October 29, the U.S. embassy in Guyana said in a statement.

Representing Guyana are Kadeem Gordon, Kaya Dover, Larrex McAllister, Blossom Dublin, Kayshell Jennings, and Ryan Hoppie as their mentor.

This is the second group of youth ambas-

sadors representing Guyana for the 20132014 Youth Ambassadors Programme for the Caribbean.

The programme, which includes participants from The Bahamas, Grenada, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, focuses on civic education, youth empowerment, environmental issues, social entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and food security.

Through experiential activities, discussions, site visits, training modules, and home stays, participants will have the opportunity to develop the knowledge, attitudes, intellectual skills, and practical competencies to effectively lead efforts for

positive social change in their home countries.

The Youth Ambassadors Programme gives students and adult leaders an opportunity to develop leadership and problemsolving skills that enable them to act as community leaders.

The project aims to hone participants’ senses of civic responsibility and foster civic activism.

Prior to their departure, U.S. Ambassador D Brent Hardt met with the ambassadors and mentor to congratulate them on their selection and to discuss their visit. The participants shared their backgrounds and personal interests as well as their expectations of the programme.

paying salaries retroactive to July 1, the date the national minimum wage order came into effect.

He said, “I want to say clearly that we have given enough time, and we will charge and prosecute persons once they fail to implement. We will continue doing inspection works in and around Georgetown in particular and move into the other communities.”

Regions Six and Nine will also be targeted, particularly as the ministry has been getting reports that employers there are not paying overtime, which is mandatory in the new order.

In January, the Guyana government established a ministerial team to fine-tune the necessary procedures

that would facilitate the establishment of a national minimum wage.

The new minimum wages agreed to are: Gy$35,000 monthly, Gy$8000 weekly, and Gy$200 hourly. This new national minimum wage affects all business sectors in Guyana, replacing the existing one that covered only specific sectors. Government had said that the new national minimum wage is an improvement that will bind employers across the board to subscribe to a standard amount to be earned by any employee.

(Excerpted from Guyana Times)

USVI moving toward visa-free travel for Caricom nationals

United States Virgin Islands (USVI) Governor John de Jongh said he would seek to encourage visitors from the English speaking Caribbean to his country and is moving to get Caribbean Community (Caricom) nationals to enter the country without the necessary United States

visa. De Jongh, who was meeting with regional tourism officials on the final day of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) sponsored State of the Industry Conference (STOIC 2013), told reporters that he had made a proposal this year to the Senate and

the House that as part of the Immigration Bill that “Caricom nationals could come into the US Virgin Islands without having to go through those visa requirements.

“We spoke to the Committee in the House and the Senate and we spoke to US Department of Homeland Security to come up with a re-

Special event in Toronto this Saturday to honour Manning’s School of Jamaica

Manning's

School is one of Jamaica oldest educational institution that has been educating children for over 275 year since it's existence, and it continues to do so today. This remarkable high school is the pride and joy of the people in the parish of Westmoreland, Jamaica.

Built in 1738 in the town of Savanna la Mar, it is highly regarded as a

tourist attraction partly due to one of its iconic building, which has been declared a heritage site in Jamaica.

To celebrate this milestone that the school has achieved, the past students of the Toronto Chapter has decided to commemorate the occasion with a dinner and dance on Saturday October 26, 2013. This event is being held at the Speranza

Banquet Hall, 510 Deerhurst Rd, Brampton (Goreway South of Queen St.) and will begin at 7:30pm.

US Army Corps Chief Paul Colthirst will be the guest speaker.

The event will feature live music by Steele, Canada’s top male reggae performer for 2012-2013. For reservation and tickets please call:416-7899895, 905-970-9007or 905-791-4802.

gime, which they would feel comfortable with for countries within Caricom and they agreed with it...

“We have written the bill, we have submitted legislation...so we are just looking for the right vehicle for it to pass,” he said, adding that “we recognise...the region represents a tre-

mendous opportunity for the traffic that goes back and forth and we would like to have an opportunity to participate without being overburden by some of the regulations”.

The USVI will be the venue for the next STOIC conference in 2014 and de Jongh said that he hoped it would encourage more visitors

to his territory that is already on a campaign to lure more visitors.

He told reporters that he wanted closer relations with the 15-member Caricom grouping since “there is always a relationship with Washington that takes place and we are a US territory.” (Excerpted from Caribbean News)

Lots of concessions for Sandals’ establishment in Barbados

The two Sandals properties coming to Barbados will be offered a number of concessions, but Tourism Minister Richard Sealy says these concessions will not be exclusive to the Sandals Resorts Inc.

This assurance was made in the Lower House Tuesday as the minister gave a statement on the Memoranda of Understanding which were signed last week for the development of Sandals at Casuarina and Sandals Beaches at Heywoods.

One of the concessions include tax free inputs for

construction and other imposts. “This concession has been given previously to other projects such as Westmoreland and Pierhead marina. Such concessions are also generally available to all approved tourism projects and products under the Tourism Development Act. It is therefore not new for the tourism industry in Barbados.”

“Tax concessions for inputs required for the operation of Sandals [include] items such as linen and cutlery. These items are available to all hotels as articulated in the second schedule of the

Tourism Development Act...which has been updated as of August 5, 2013.”

He said that the third category of concessions is new and involves tax concessions for food and beverage. “The Sandals property in Barbados will provide on average an additional 130 000 visitors and as stated earlier will result in an investment of over Bd$500 million.

“It is proposed that with immediate effect, all investments of this size–that is, Bd$500 million or greater in the allinclusive segment in the

market–should qualify for this concession. The matter will remain under constant review since it is also proposed to extend the concession to all other inclusive operators in Barbados as government’s finances permit.

“It should be appreciated that giving this concession to new players in the industry will not result in a loss in the Treasury in taxes, as no taxes are being collected now since there is no existing hotel for example at the Heywoods location,” Sealy explained.

He revealed that Sandals Resorts Inc will

be seeking a duty-free operator’s licence to operate some of its speciality shops at the hotel. “This is not new and in fact any Barbadian can open a duty-free shop once the necessary criteria are met.”

The introduction of these two properties will bring 800 high quality rooms, which according to the minister will substantially enhance the product offering in Barbados.

He told the Lower Chamber Tuesday that the Sandals Casuarina property represents a substantial investment by Sandals Resorts

International and is a tremendous vote of confidence as to the investment climate in Barbados.

“This momentous and timely investment represents over six per cent of our national gross domestic product and will in years to come greatly assist Barbados in maintaining and enhancing its first world standard of living.”

The minister stressed that there have been no discussions or requests to privatise the beaches on which the properties will operate. (Excerpted from Barbados Advocate)

Jamaica mourns death of former Falmouth Mayor Joseph Wright

The Georgian town of Falmouth, Jamaica was plunged into shock Tuesday when news broke that Joseph Wright, one of the country's longest serving mayor had died, a day after he was recognised by the Trelawny Parish Council for his 22 years of service in politics.

"Mr Wright was one of the greatest organisers that you will ever find. He was one of the easiest persons to work with," said Mayor of Falmouth Garth Wilkinson, who succeeded Wright as the People's National Party

(PNP's) councillor for the Falmouth Division in 2003.

"I was not blessed to serve under his tenure at the council, but it was he who encouraged me to enter into representational politics," Mayor Wilkinson added.

The former mayor died at about 7:25 am Tuesday at the MoBay Hope medical facility in St James, after ailing for several years.

According to Wilkinson, Wright, 85, who served as mayor of Falmouth for 17 consecutive years, "advised me

to take care of the young people as well as the old people."

"He would never forget his kids and the elderly," Wilkinson stressed.

"He will be greatly missed and I strongly believe that Jamaica will be poorer for the passing of a stalwart like Joseph Wright. To be a councillor for 22 unbroken years and a mayor for nearly 18 years, show the strength and character of the person he was."

Wright was born in Ewarton, St Catherine, in 1928, and moved to Falmouth in 1970.

In 1981, he won the Falmouth Division on the PNP's ticket, and retired from representational politics in 2003.

Amidst the thrust of political office, he found time to serve residents as Justice of the Peace, and chairman of various organisations and charities. His contribution to the development of the political process to Trelawny and Jamaica was acknowledged by the government in 2001 when he was confirmed with the Order of Distinction, Officer Class. (Excerpted from Jamaica Observer)

Guyana inks US$10 million deal to expand Amerindian land titling

The government of Guyana and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a US$10.7 million Amerindian Land Titling agreement, which will pave the way for more villages to be titled and demarcated.

The agreement will see funds being released from the Guyana/ Norway forestry partnership through its Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF).

Speaking at the signing, which was done at the opening of the annual National Toshaos Council meeting on Monday, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh disclosed that under this project, it is expected that the funds will be utilised to issue absolute grants to 13 communities, demarcate 33, and another 32 will be given their applications for extensions.

He said the government sees this project as a very significant initia-

tive since it places control over the land in the villages’ hands, noting that as far as these communities are concerned, these lands belong to them.

“The project funded by GRIF represents a significant advancement of this initiative…the government remains firmly committed…to demonstrate to the world, Guyana’s commitment to the principles outlined in the Low Carbon

Development Strategy,” Dr Singh said.

He urged all the relevant heads who will oversee this project to ensure it is done in a timely and efficient manner.

Manifesto promise

President Donald Ramotar said once the project was completed, government would fulfil its manifesto promise to Amerindian people and people of the interior.

“Despite all the efforts to

get all the stakeholders’ support, some forces were writing to Norway to stop this project,” the head of state declared.

“That is the depth that some have descended to, they obviously want to feather their own nest instead of promoting Amerindian development.”

He noted that additional land titling should have started a year ago, but as a consequence of

‘I’m ready to ride out’ - TT’s Patrick Manning to quit politics

“W

hen I am finished with this term of office, I am going to ride off into the sunset,” former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago and current San Fernando East MP Patrick Manning, 67, said Monday, as he confirmed he will be bowing out of electoral politics.

He spoke shortly after casting his vote at the San Fernando, Methodist Primary

School at Mon Chagrin Street, San Fernando which was used as a polling station for the electoral district of Paradise/Springvale in the local government elections.

Manning of Sumadh Gardens, Vistabella, suffered a stroke in January 2012 and has since been granted leave from the Parliament sittings on medical grounds.

Due to the stroke Manning suffered, he

has limited mobility on the right side of his body.

The jovial Manning, whose speech was a bit slurred during Monday’s brief interview, added that his health was good, “but not as good as yours” as he looked at a reporter.

In response to Manning’s announcement that he would bow out of politics, Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar, speaking to reporters shortly after

casting her vote at the Hermitage Presbyterian School, Penal, Monday, said, “Mr Manning has served our country well as prime minister on more than one occasion. I wish him best of luck in whatsoever future endeavour he may engage in.”

Manning is the longest serving member of the TT Parliament, having been in office for 42 years. (Excerpted from TT Newsday)

the opposition cutting several projects, including the one under which land titling falls, the process was delayed.

To date, some 97 villages have been titled, while 77 villages have been demarcated.

Fourteen per cent of Guyana’s land mass has been granted to indigenous communities. The administration has set the policy objective of addressing all land titling

issues for Amerindian villages by 2015. In the past, high costs were a barrier to achieving this policy objective; however, it is envisioned that with the allocation of funds from the GRIF, this objective can finally be realised.

Demarcation and titling of communities aim to strengthen land tenure security, expand the asset base of Amerindian villages, and allow for long-term planning for their future development. It is a crucial step for villages to opt-in to the REDD+ agreement with Norway to securing tenure and clearly quantified forested areas; however they are not forced to do so. The land titling project is being executed by the Amerindian affairs ministry, and implemented by Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, with institutional support provided by the partner agency, the UNDP.

(Guyana Times)

Dominican woman of Haitian descent struggles to survive without ID card

As pressure mounts on the Dominica Republic (DR) to rescind a Constitutional Court ruling that primarily strips Dominicans of Haitian descent of citizenship, a woman in the DR who falls into that category says “without my identity card, it’s like I’m dead”.

“This has ruined my life,” Elena Lorac, 25, who was born and raised in the DR, told the Londonbased human rights watchdog, Amnesty International.

“I wanted to study, but now I can’t do that, nor work,” she added. “I can’t even buy a mobile phone. This has paralyzed my life completely.

“I would like to be able to study and help my family, because they live in a very precarious (financial) situation,” Lorac continued. “But without my identity card, I cannot do anything. It’s like I’m dead.”

According to Lorac, despite being born in the Dominican Republic, the government considers her a foreigner. She said the authorities want to send her to neighboring Haiti–a country she has never visited and has no relatives–just because her parents were born there.

Lorac said, when she tried to enroll in university in 2010, the authorities said her identification

card was not valid.

Lorac’s Haitian parents moved to the Dominican Republic to work, years ago, but at that time the constitution automatically granted Dominican nationality to their children.

But a recent change is stripping them of it and all the rights that come with it, Amnesty International said.

Without a birth certificate and an identity

card, it said Lorac is not allowed to study, get a job, open a bank account or even receive medical treatment.

Hundreds of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent are believed to be in the same situation as Lorac.

Last month, the Dominican Constitutional Court ordered the Central Electoral Board to search all birth registries since 1929 and remove anyone who was believed to have been wrongly registered and recognised as a Dominican citizen.

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) has since joined the global community in expressing grave concern about

the Dominican Republic Constitutional Court ruling.

Late last week, the Caricom Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, noted “with regret” that the decision goes against pronouncements of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (ICHR). The ICHR has repeatedly called on the Dominican Republic to adopt measures to guarantee the right to nationality in the country and to adapt its immigration laws and practices in accordance with the provisions of the American Convention on Human Rights. (Excerpted from Caribbean News)

Guyana opens high commission in South Africa

Bilateral relations between Guyana and South Africa are expected to be improved significantly, as the government of Guyana has officially established a new high commission in one of that country’s three capitals, Pretoria, following the appointment of Barbara Halley as the new chargé d’affaires.

Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said Halley was appointed over a month ago and was in South Africa, assisting with the completion of the premises where the commission will be housed.

She explained that President Donald Ramotar approved the establishment of the high commission and supported the process to ensure that it became a reality. “The reason we have not yet made an announcement on this matter is, because we

are just completing the premises of the high commission in South Africa,” she reiterated during an interview with Guyanese media.

The minister said the foreign affairs ministry will soon move to make pertinent details known about the commission.

She underscored the importance of improving the relations between the countries, given their collective histories and diplomatic friendship, which dates back centuries.

The foreign affairs minister said too that she was confident that Halley would perform and do her best in the new portfolio.

“Ms Halley is a career diplomat and had worked to establish the mission in Delhi,” she informed.

Rodrigues-Birkett confirmed that the establishment of the commission also forms part of the ministry’s efforts

to fully implement all aspects of its five-year strategic plan. Asked to comment on the status of that plan, which was expected to be redrafted, she informed that most of the plans contained in the document have been accomplished or implemented.

She also stated that the ministry continues to reform aspects of the plan based upon current development and its outlook on the future as far as advance appropriate foreign policy is concerned.

Government defeats ‘noconfidence’ motion against Barbados’ finance minister

The ‘no confidence’ motion brought against Finance Minister Christopher Sinckler, by the opposition Barbados Labour Party, was defeated in the House of Assembly Tuesday, by a vote of 15 to 14.

The motion brought by the Opposition Leader Mia Mottley cited a lack of competence in the finance minister, a lack of judgement on the minster’s part and a breach of the law. While all members of the opposition voted in favour of the motion, it was voted down by 15 members on government’s side.

Sinckler, in his response to the motion–the only one on his side to speak on the matter–said that he saw “a show of no confidence” in the opposition leader since senior members of the opposition did not speak on the motion and only a few “less accomplished or experienced” members addressed the House.

Saying that he had perused numerous motions of no confidence the world over, Sinckler said in the majority of cases when such motions are filed, it is on account of very serious breaches

of conduct and in some cases corruption on the part of a minister, who has brought into disrepute the office he holds. He noted that he is perhaps the first minister that a ‘no confidence’ motion has been brought against, simply because the opposition believes that his proposed policies have not worked. Plot against Sinckler’s life

Sinckler also revealed that he was informed of a possible plot to take his life. The news, he said, was brought by a superintendent from the Royal Barbados Police Force’s Special Services Unit, who asked to speak to him on a “security matter”, just before he arrived at Parliament Tuesday.

“He told me that they had credible information that two people were overheard planning to shoot me. It’s a fact… The gentleman said to me, he did not wish me to be overly alarmed, but that for my safety, I should be one, aware of my circumstances and my surroundings, two, that I should approach Parliament with caution and that they were going to detail officers for my protection,” Sinckler related.

He also indicated his displeasure with the hate mail he alleged is being pushed by the BLP on Facebook and through other mediums.

However, the opposition leader vehemently denied being associated with any hate mail and accused the minister of trying to detract from the matter at hand.

“The Honourable Member is misleading this Chamber, to suggest that the Barbados Labour Party is promoting or is associated with any hate mail. And Sir, you know this really has to stop because this government has now sought to execute its primary

Head of Canadian manufacturers’ group addresses business forum in Trinidad

Dr Jayson Myers, President and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters was the feature speaker at the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Assocaition’s President’s Dinner on Wednesday at the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre in Port-of-Spain.

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters is the country’s largest industry and trade association and is dedicated to improving business conditions for Canada’s manufacturers and exporters and helping its more than 10,000 members compete and win in domestic and international markets.

Dr Myers is also the chair of the Canadian Manufacturing Coalition, a coalition of more than 40 industry associations that have come together to speak with a common voice on priority issues for Canada’s manufacturing sector. He is a wellknown economic com-

mentator, and is widely published in the fields of Canadian and international economics, as well as technological and industrial change. He has been recognised by consulting firm Watson Wyatt as the most accurate economic forecaster in Canada.

Dr Myers sits on special advisory councils to the Minister for International Trade, the Minister of Industry, Immigration Canada, Human Resources Development Canada, and the Canadian Border Services Agency. He is co-chair of Canada’s Roundtable on Workforce Skills and Vice-Chair of both the Ontario Manufacturing Council and the Great Lakes Manufacturing Council. He studied at Queen’s University, Kingston, and the University of British Columbia in Canada, and at the London School of Economics and Oxford University in the United Kingdom. (Excerpted from TT Guardian)

Activist Samad arrested outside polling station in Trinidad

defense, as trying to suggest that people are trying to get at them. All of us may have had issues in the past, but what you don’t do is to get up on the floor of Parliament and use it as an excuse to plead mercy or as an excuse against the other side. It is unfounded, and it is a distraction from reality,” Mottley argued.

Speaker of the House Michael Carrington acknowledged that the reports with respect to the threats also reached him, but he noted that “arrangements were put in place” to ensure the protection of parliamentarians. (Barbados Advocate)

Political activist in Trinidad Ishmael Samad, 69, was Monday arrested after he staged a oneman protest in front of the Boissiere RC School shortly after 10.30 am while voting in the local government elections took place.

According to reports, while voters were making their way into the Boissiere RC School to cast their votes, they were greeted by shouts from Samad, who walked with a placard as he sought to encourage persons not to vote for the Independent Liberal Party (ILP). Samad shouted out

reminders to voters about alleged discrepancies in monies, which were supposed to go to the Haitian people following a devastating earthquake in 2010. Officers from the St Clair Police Station, who were on duty at the polling station at the time, intervened and arrested Samad, who was taken to the St Clair Police Station where he remained in custody up until late Monday. He was interviewed by a party of officers led by Senior Superintendent Pustam, ASP Ajith Persad and Inspector Powder. (TT Newsday)

PNM reigns in TT’s local government elections

- grabs eight of 14 corporations

The People’s National Movement (PNM)

Monday night scored victory in the local government election in Trinidad, gaining ground from its performance in 2010 and in the process consigning a wipe-out of the Congress of the People (COP) and the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) while the United National Congress (UNC) held onto its power base, winning five corporations.

Preliminary figures indicated the PNM took home eight of the 14 corporations, improving by five, on the three corporations it won in 2010 when the PP won 11 corporations (UNC 6, COP 5).

In addition to Port-ofSpain, Point Fortin and San Juan/Laventille, the PNM was projected to take back all the corporations it lost in the last election, namely: Arima,

Diego Martin, San Fernando, Tunapuna/ Piarco and Sangre Grande.

The UNC held on to its traditional strongholds winning five of the eight corporations in which it contested following an arrangement with coalition partners the COP and the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC). The UNC was projected to have won: Couva/ Tabaquite/Talparo; Rio Claro/Mayaro; Princes Town; Penal/Debe and Siparia. The COP did not win a single corporation it contested while NJAC lost Point Fortin.

Jack Warner’s ILP was unable to replicate the success of the Chaguanas West by-election on a national level and was rejected in each corporation it contested. However, the ILP presence was felt in terms of splitting of votes in the Chaguanas corporation,

a traditional UNC corporation.

Historic

The eight-district corporation was projected to have gone 3-3-2 in favour of the UNC-PNMILP respectively. This means the two ILP councillors arguably stopped the UNC from an outright victory, opening the door to what could be a history-making PNM/ UNC tie in UNC heartland.

The historic election was the first to be conducted under a new system, which sees proportional representation used to select aldermen.

At Balisier House, PNM political leader Dr Keith Rowley Monday night said: “I want to thank the young people who were involved in this campaign very much. By and large the PNM is very happy with the result and we look forward to greater things in the future. From the

preliminary results it would appear as though we have won a number of corporations and made our presence felt in every corporation.”

At her Siparia constituency office, an upbeat prime minister and UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar sang songs, kissed a baby, danced to tassa music and said, “I am heartened by the results tonight. President Obama lost his midterm and came back to score a great victory. So do not despair. We have 18 months ahead of us. The way forward will be greater and victory will be waiting for us in 2015.”

In an apparent reference to the deadlocked situation at Chaguanas, Persad-Bissessar called on all parties to start working together.

COP political leader Prakash Ramadhar, speaking at COP

Operations Centre, Charlieville, appeared undeterred by the results.

“We are undeterred by any one election. We are not here for just this election, but we will be here for the next generation,” he said.

Some estimated that about 200,000 voted, out of an electorate in excess of one million, meaning the turnout could hover around a record low of 20 percent when the final figures come in. (Excerpted from TT Newsday)

President Ramotar swears in new GECOM commissioner

President Donald Ramotar on Monday swore in Athmaram Mangal as the new commissioner to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), to replace Jaya Manickchand, who resigned a few weeks ago.

Ramotar congratulated the new member of the GECOM team and took the opportunity to reiterate the importance of the commission.

He also said there was need for it to function at its maximum. Ramotar said he hopes that the new commissioner will serve the commission with pride and professionalism, maintaining its standards.

The president noted that the new GECOM commissioner is capable

of carrying out the function of commissioner and is a suitable replacement for Manickchand.

In his remarks, Mangal said he was prepared to execute his duties with the highest level of professionalism and noted that his area of expertise in management will aid the commission.

Mangal added that he has much to offer and will work towards ensuring GECOM continues to offer effective and reliable guidance of the voting process in Guyana.

Manickchand, a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)appointed commissioner, submitted her resignation

a few weeks ago. Manickchand did not state a reason for her resignation, according to reports. She took up office

at the commission during March 2012, replacing former Commissioner Moen Mc Doom, who resigned in February 2011.

Jamaican gov’t launches new bid to sell decaying Forum Hotel complex

The Jamaican government has formally launched yet another bid to offload the Forum Hotel complex in St Catherine, the latest in a series of attempts that began in the 1970s.

The state-owned Urban Development Corporation (UDC), in newspaper advertisements Sunday, invited interested parties to submit sealed proposals for the property by 3:00 pm on November 8.

The package, as advertised, includes the 15.759 acres of land that supports the 11-storey, 200-room hotel; 57 selfcontained two-bedroom cottages and 23 unimproved lots.

The UDC said prospective buyers must include in their proposals "a summary of the development concept, an offer price, projected timeframe for completion of the development, and demonstration of financial capacity to complete and finance the development".

Sunday's development came months after the UDC declared that the property—considered a major non-performing asset and an eyesore to the entrance of Portmore—was "close to being sold".

Addressing a meeting of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on March 19, UDC General Manager

Desmond Malcolm said that the corporation was engaged in general discussions with "interested parties" to offload the Forum Hotel complex and other non-performing assets that it owns.

"We are discussing it with one individual, but I know other persons who indicated an interest. We are optimistic that we will be able to do what the country has never been able to do," Malcolm told the PAC in response to a question from committee chair Audley Shaw.

At the said meeting, Onika Miller, permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, disclosed that four expressions of interest received during the last round of advertisement were be-

ing discussed.

A newspaper report in May highlighted a property in a state of decay, with the cottages and hotel scrapped of all fixtures, including the elevator system.

Also missing were the glass windows, sliding doors, carpeting, bathroom fittings, electrical sockets, light bulbs, airconditioning units and other items of value.

Squatters have also taken residence on the property.

During the discussion in Parliament in March, Opposition member of Parliament Pearnel Charles had suggested that the government give away the property, citing the many failed attempts to sell. (Jamaica Observer)

No incremental rise in Caribbean tourists–CTO

Caribbean countries welcomed a total of 15.6 million visitors between the period January to July this year, but regional tourism officials say there had been no “incremental difference” when compared to the same period last year.

Nevertheless, the officials say the actual levels “still remain above pre-crisis levels”, with 17 destinations recording increases in tourist arrivals–as high as 65 per cent–and other destinations “growing faster than the world average of 5.2 per cent”.

Figures released at the State of the Industry Conference (STOIC 2013), organised by the Barbadosbased Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), show that Anguilla, Aruba, Belize, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Guyana, Haiti, Montserrat, St KittsNevis, and Suriname were the fastest growing destinations in the region.

The figures show the best monthly performances were in March and July, reflecting the celebration of Easter and carnival season respectively.

The CTO figures indicate that the main markets for the Caribbean were either “relatively flat or declining”, with the United States showing “marginal growth” of 0.8 per cent during the period January to July, representing a total of

7.8 million visitors. The market share for the U.S. rose slightly from 49.6 per cent last year to 50.4 per cent while the Canadian market contracted by 1.5 per cent with only 2.1 million Canadians visiting the region in the first seven months of this year as compared with 2.2 million last year.

Caribbean travel website

The CTO said there was need to pay attention to the fact that Canadians took 1.6 per cent fewer trips to places other than the U.S., where the growth was 4.3 per cent. Tourist arrivals from the European market declined by 5.1 per cent so far this year with only 2.8 million tourists visiting regional destinations.

The CTO figures showed that only 10 destinations showed improved numbers over the 2012 level. There was a 4.1 per cent drop in arrivals of British nationals to the subregional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) for the period January to July, with Caricom countries registering a 1.7 per cent fall off in United Kingdom arrivals.

CTO Chairperson Beverly Nicholson Doty told reporters that the Caribbean travel.com website launched in February as the latest initiative to increase visitor arrivals had so far attracted in excess of 700 hotel properties. (Excerpted from CMC)

Canadian mining company acquires 'key' equipment for operations in Guyana

Canadian firm Guyana Goldfields Inc (GGI), the company behind the large-scale gold-mining project in Guyana, says it has ordered long lead time equipment critical for the development of the venture.

GGI stated last week that it has entered into an agreement to purchase one 5.5-megawatt semi-autogenous (SAG) mill as its primary grinding solution for the initial milling facility. The purchase of the key long lead time item is a significant milestone in the development of the Aurora Gold Project, the company said.

"The mill is designed for an initial throughput of 5,000 tonnes per day (tpd) expanding to 10,000 tpd in the third year after the commencement of underground production. A ball mill will be added in order to facilitate the expansion and the additional throughput," the company said.

The purchase price of the SAG mill, including motors and spares, is approximately US$ 6.3 million (including freight) and the anticipated delivery time to Guyana is approximately 46 weeks, GGI reported.

Earlier this year, GGI's Board of Directors

approved a fiscal 2013 budget of approximately US$43 million with the majority of the expenditures dedicated towards the development and construction of the Aurora Gold Project.

Guyana is among the world's top 30 gold producers, with the metal

being one of the country's top exports. The Guyanese government signed a US$1-billion agreement with GGI last year for what it says is the largest private mining investment in the South American country. The project in the Aurora region is the first

large-scale gold mining licence that Guyana has issued since 1991.

The government said it is expected to create more than 1,900 temporary and permanent jobs and Guyana Goldfields said it is expected to generate US$1.6 billion in government revenues at a time of record gold prices.

Meanwhile, GGI stated that it has also spent US$3 million (including freight) on a fully equipped and self-contained camp that will meet the company's near-term requirements for construction. The anticipated delivery time to Guyana is approximately six weeks.

"The company is currently evaluating options for remaining accommodations and recreational facilities required for full construction and will source from local vendors. Additional equipment and supplies will be required over the course of construction and operation of the

project and the company is dedicated to purchasing as many items as possible from within Guyana," GGI reported.

The company further highlighted that the bulk of the development and construction activities planned for the remainder of the year will be focused on continuing to upgrade the existing access road to the project site.

It also announced that it expects to award full engineering, procurement, construction and management contracts for physical construction of the mill, power plant, river levee, tailings and support facilities for the project within the next 30 days.

"We are excited to be moving the Aurora Gold Project forward and the ordering of these key long lead time items is a significant milestone in the development of the Project," Scott Caldwell, GGI President and CEO, said in a statement. (Jamaica Observer)

Adduci seeks US$50 million partner to return cigar production in Jamaica

Adduci Agriculture Manufacturing Export, which ceased cigar production in Jamaica, is seeking a US$50 million investment partner to return to the island and employ 5,000 people.

The company still believes that Jamaica can become a global leader in quality cigars. The investment, although formidable, received some level of certitude from government marketing agency Jamaica Promotions (Jampro).

"I currently have halted business and production in Jamaica due to crime, lack of government support, sabotage and a general lack of willingness from private and institutional investors to believe that Jamaica can produce and compete on a global level," said Joe Adduci, majority shareholder and CEO in mailed comments to Jamaica media queries.

Adduci owns the Adduci Jamaican Cigar trademark and the King Lion Jamaican Cigar trademark.

"The purpose of this specific capital is to hire, train and employ up to 5,000 Jamaican workers immediately-2,000 factory workers, including administration and sales, plus 3,000 farm workers," said Adduci about the investment prospect.

"In essence the US$50 million would train and employ 5,000 workers to grow Jamaican tobacco, then manufacture 50 million Jamaican cigars, and exporting them for US$100 million in foreign exchange," he said. "The profits would be reinvested in stock and personnel. All manufacturing and agriculture would be accomplished in Jamaica."

The prospective investment was discussed by (Jampro) in its ‘Investing in Jamaica’ publication.

"...Adduci Cigars making strides and embarking on a US$50 million expansion plan, as part of its efforts to be-

come a premier brand in the international cigar market. The company is actively seeking investment partners to assist them with their expansion and international promotion," according to ‘Investing in Jamaica’ published in July 2013.

The "trigger date" depends on the seriousness of an investor, Adduci told Jamaican media when asked about the Jampro statement.

"This opportunity exists for a globalminded thinker-cash rich with a bold, if not 'gutsy' investment acumen," he said.

In 2011, Adduci tried in vain to acquire lands in May Pen and Royal Jamaica brand from a Dominica Republic company.

"I did not go through with the May Pen acquisition nor the purchase of Royal Jamaica," he indicated.

Adduci last week added that he is still applying for trademarks on Original Royal Jamaica. (Excerpted from Jamaica Observer)

UN envoy pleased with Guyana/Venezuela border dispute talks

AUnited Nations envoy has presented a plan to move forward the longstanding border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.

According to a note on Tuesday from a UN spokesperson, Norman Girvan, the personal representative of the Secretary-General on the border dispute, had “very productive separate meetings” on 17 October with the foreign ministers of Guyana, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and Venezuela, Elías Jaua.

The ministers emphasized the excellent bilateral relations that currently exist between the two states, the readout noted, and welcomed Girvan’s initiative, which includes a schedule of meetings “to move the process forward over the coming months.”

The UN spokesperson said that Girvan appreciated the confidence that the ministers put in the good offices process.

“He looks forward to providing the ministers with suggestions in the coming weeks, and discussing them with each of the foreign ministers in the near future,” the note said.

Marine issue

Last week, RodriguesBirkett met with her Venezuelan counterpart in a meeting that lasted for several hours in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, as part of efforts to overcome the impasse arising out of the recent detention of a seismic ship RV Teknik Perdana

guyana Foreign affairs minister carolyn rodrigues-birkett

which was conducting an oil survey in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The ship’s captain, Igor Bekirov, was charged by Venezuelan authorities for allegedly violating Venezuela’s security zone. The captain was then released pending trial.

During the meeting, Rodrigues-Birkett spoke of Guyana’s commitment to abiding by the principles governing dispute resolution, international law and diplomacy while firmly relating the government and people of Guyana’s position on the incident as well as concern over the actions of Venezuela.

Concern

Apart from Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud was also part of the delegation in Trinidad, along with Foreign Affairs Ministry Director General Elisabeth Harper, Ambassador Rudolph Collins, Ambassador to

Suriname Keith George, Ambassador to UNASUR Audrey Jardine Waddell, and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Deputy Commissioner (Technical) Newell Dennison.

Speaking with Guyanese media during a subsequent interview, Rodrigues-Birkett said she was very frank throughout the sevenhour meeting as she recorded Guyana’s condemnation and concern about the action of the Venezuelan navy.

She disclosed that her delegation also made it clear that the seizure took place within Guyana’s EEZ and presented strong evidence and coordinates to depict the exact location of the RV Teknik Perdana when it was intercepted by the Venezuelan authorities.

“The discussion was very frank as you would expect it to be on a matter like this. It was made easier, though because we have good relations with Venezuela and we were able to outline each other’s position in a cordial manner,” she reported.

“I maintained our position because we (Guyana) subscribe to the international laws and jurisprudence as far as maritime delimitation is concerned. And using equidistance, we have drawn a line as to where this maritime border should be,” RodriguesBirkett emphasised. (Excerpted from Guyana Times)

Complaints Authority wants cameras in TT’s Police stations

The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) of Trinidad and Tobago has suggested that closed circuit cameras be placed at strategic locations in all police stations. The idea is one of several changes to help improve public confidence in the Police Service that were suggested by the PCA’s director Gillian Lucky, at a meeting with senior police officers at the Police Administration Building, Port-ofSpain, last Wednesday.

In a press release last Thursday, the authority said Lucky suggested cameras be placed in the front desk, the charge room and the holding cells of all police stations. She also said the cameras must be in proper and constant working condition. Lucky suggested that the police provide her organisation with a photo database of all police officers to assist in the identification of officers under investigation by the PCA.

Another recommendation proposed by Lucky was ensuring that the TTPS was more thorough in gathering of evidence and in the conduct of enquires during its investigations.” She said the Police Service be mandated to preserve crime scenes of fatal shootings involving the police to allow PCA investigators to conduct independent and thorough analysis of them.

In response, Police Social and Welfare Association secretary Sgt Michael Seales commended Lucky’s ideas as being innovative and dynamic, but noted that the association must be consulted if they were to be implemented. “The association took note of what was said, but the views of the as-

sociation must be considered in everything that is being done in regards to the Police Service, particularly in regard to its members,” Seales said. He said most of Lucky’s recommendations fell within the purview of the Police Commissioner, but added that the issue of the photograph database with officers’ personal information would have to be discussed with the association. Lucky had previously suggested that police officers wear body cameras while on duty to prevent false accusations by members of the public.

The project, which aims to provide expert advice and assistance to help improving the criminal justice system, is part of a tripartite agreement between the Canadian government and United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service. (TT Guardian)

Cocoa production up in Jamaica

The Cocoa Industry Board (CIB) of Jamaica is reporting an increase of more than 100 per cent in the production of cocoa for the 2011/2012 crop year.

Some 476.5 metric tonnes of cocoa, valued at Ja$150.6 million, were produced during that crop year, as against the 2010/2011 crop year, which recorded 216.5 metric tonnes.

Co-ordinator for Extension Services at the CIB, Dunstan Gaynor said the Board is committed to accelerating the growth of the cocoa industry, and in this regard, will undertake various initiatives to increase production.

Currently, an estimated 7,000 farmers are engaged in the farming of some 8,800 acres of cocoa across the island, with Clarendon recording the highest acreage.

The cocoa sector was given a boost in 2012, with the injection of Ja$375,000 through the Rural Reengineering Cocoa Rural Economy through Agroprocessing, Eco-Tourism and Entrepreneurship (RECREATE) project.

Funding for the project was provided by the European Union (EU) early in the last decade

when the World Trade Organisation (WTO) removed the preferential treatment for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) bananas.

Ranked among the best exclusive producers of fine or flavoured cocoa by the International Cocoa Organisation (ICO), Jamaica presently exports cocoa to Japan, Switzerland, Holland, France and the United States of America.

According to Gaynor, the support of organisations such as the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) and the Jamaica 4-H Clubs is essential to the CIB achieving its target.

"The involvement of young people is also crucial to the sector. Each school with an on-going agricultural programme and adequate land will be assisted to set up a one-half to one acre of cocoa demonstration plot. Special attention will also be given to 4-H Clubs," Gaynor added. He explained that 4-H centres with existing cocoa plots will be assisted to rehabilitate these plots and those without will be assisted to establish one-acre plots. Cocoa is grown in almost every parish, but the major cocoa producing parishes are Clarendon, St Mary, St Catherine, St Andrew and St Thomas. (Jamaica Observer)

Republic Bank Guyana opens Gy$185 million branch in Lethem

Republic Bank

Limited Guyana on Saturday opened a branch in Lethem, with Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh saying that government has long recognised that a strong, well managed, well-regulated, vibrant financial services sector is critical to the economic health of Guyana.

He said as such, the administration has sought to ensure the establishment of a strong legislative and regulatory framework. Dr Singh said the administration is happy that the sector has responded very positively.

The new branch located at Manari Road, Lethem is customerfriendly and spacious with a modern environment, which will provide all the basic banking services, including an Automated Teller

Machine (ATM) facility.

“Today, we see a financial services sector that has proven that it is well-managed with sound, stable and strong institutions, and it is no accident that at a time when the global and regional economy have been put to the most severe test in living memory, financial institutions operating in Guyana have withstood the regional and external developments, have remained strong, and have been an outstanding example,” the finance minister stated, according to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release.

Confidence in economy

He said Republic Bank was a regional leader in financial services across the Caribbean, and since its entry into the Guyana market, it has contributed in a very

Jamaica signs on to ‘Seoul Framework’ to combat cyber crime

significant way to raising the standards in the country’s financial services sector, introducing new products, improving service, and improving access to services across the 10 administrative regions.

“The bank is a valued and respective member of the corporate community; it is an important member of the financial services sector, an important employer and provider of services,” minister Singh posited.

He explained that the fact that the bank has been expanding in the manner in which it has in Guyana, speaks volumes about its confidence in the country’s economic future.

Construction of the Gy$185 million edifice commenced in November 2012.

Officials from the bank, as well as the min-

ister, spoke of Guyana’s bright economic prospects, which the banking sector and other investors have recognised and are responding to favourably.

Republic Bank Managing Director John Alves said the decision to extend the bank’s services to the Region Nine community was guided by its strategic plan for continued expansion.

Bank chairman Nigel

Baptiste spoke of the promise fulfilled and vision realised.

He said the opening of the Lethem branch is a clear demonstration of the bank’s continuing commitment as a partner in the economic and financial development of all corners of Guyana.

Jamaica is among 87 countries that have endorsed the newly formulated ‘Seoul Framework’, which seeks to strengthen global collaboration in efforts to combat cyber-crimes.

Consensus on the agreement was reached during the recent two-day international cyber-security conference hosted in Seoul, South Korea and attended by Jamaica’s Science, Technology, Energy, and Mining State Minister, Julian Robinson.

The ‘Seoul Framework’ is predicated on consensus of a need for greater cooperation among developed and developing nations to curtail growing threats to cyber-security.

The Framework is deemed significant as it is the first recognised document outlining discussions on the impact of cybercrimes across the global community.

The document, which will be issued to the United Nations (UN) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for use as reference material, will be integral in determining the focus and direction of future discussions on the issue.

Robinson underscored

consensus on the agreement was reached during the recent twoday international cybersecurity conference hosted in seoul, south korea

the importance of and need for Conventions that will assist in curtailing illicit cyber activities and facilitate investigations and prosecutions, complemented by transnational collaborations.

In this regard, he said that he urged representatives of developed and developing countries, during the recent conference, to collaborate in an “urgent bid” to reduce and eventually eliminate cyber crime activities, to which all nations are deemed vulnerable.

“My call is for those countries with the knowhow and the resources to share that with other countries to ensure that we have a global system which is robust. Noone in the world is safe if in that chain you have weak links, and developing countries with weak systems and a lack of resources are going to be more vulnerable to attacks than developed countries,” Robinson said.

The two-day conference was held under the theme: ‘Global Prosperity through an Open and Secure Cyberspace: Opportunities, Threats and Cooperation’, and was organised by the South Korean foreign ministry. (Jamaica Observer)

Trinidad and Tobago’s National Security Minister Gary Griffith said last Thursday his ministry was still compiling a list of gang leaders and gang members, so information could be passed on to other ministries and taken into consideration when state contracts were being awarded.

“I have been liaising with the relevant ministers and we are putting mechanisms in place. It is a very delicate, a very sensitive matter. What I can say is, this government will not aid and abet criminal elements in trying to acquire state funds,” Griffith added. He was speaking at the handing-over ceremony of the TT$2 million police post at Duncan Street, Portof-Spain.

The building, he added, was believed to be the first solar-powered public building in TT. It also will serve as a mediation centre and has been outfitted with a flat-screen television and a homework centre, catering to about 30 students. “In keeping with its function as a police post, this building has been outfitted with advanced surveillance technology,”

Lethem residents will have access to a wide range of financial products and services including: deposit and checking accounts, electronic banking, various forms of lending, and foreign exchange and money transfer facilities.

Republic Bank’s ties with Guyana date back to 1836; it was the first commercial bank to start business in the colony of British Guiana, the first indigenous commercial bank, and the first bank owned by the indigenous private sector. (Excerpted from Guyana Times)

TT’s Police compiling gang list

Griffith added.

Saying government was aware of the rising crime in certain areas, he said the Duncan Street community was stigmatised on the basis of crime statistics. “The opening of this police post would go a long way to take away this perception and hopefully turn what has been deemed a ‘hot spot’ to maybe a lukewarm spot to hopefully a ‘soft spot’ in the near future,” Griffith said.

He also urged citizens not to be apprehensive when they saw police officers in their community, but rather to feel safe. “We need to change that culture that when you see a roadblock or hear a siren, it should not be seen as something that would affect you but, something that will instill a sense of comfort, to act as a deterrent and to provide your most fundamental right, which is safety and security and by and large your right to survival,” Griffith added.

He said the government was exploring the idea of having similar posts in other communities. (Excerpted from TT Guardian)

Barbados Water Authority inks US$58 million deal with Canadian corporation

The Barbados Water Authority and the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) have negotiated an agreement for US$58 million to modernise the institutional setting of the water and sanitation sector in Barbados and improve the efficiency of operations.

The strategic contract was signed last Thursday by Dr. Atlee Brathwaite, Chairman of the Barbados Water Authority and Luc Allary, the Canadian Commercial Corporation’s (CCC), Regional Director for Business Development for Central America and the Caribbean.

The signing took place at the offices of the High Commission of Canada, located at Bishop’s Court Hill, St. Michael and was witnessed by Dr. David Estwick, Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water

chairman of the barbados water authority dr. atlee brathwaite

Resource Management and Canada’s High Commissioner to Barbados, Richard Hanley.

Minister Estwick, during a brief address, noted that the contract will also allow for the roll out of almost 100 000 smart meters across the island, which will provide customers with an improved system to monitor water consumption and provide them with better information on consumption patterns and billing. He noted the loss of the precious water resource through a few faulty meters.

He however highlighted that the West Coast Sewerage Project is not included in the venture, as the final design package is now being worked out. Well over Bd$1 billion in investments may be needed for an overall overhaul of the infrastructure. Development partners will however help with that, he said.

Commenting on the signing of the strategic contract, Dr. Brathwaite noted that “providing Barbadians with enhanced service standards while giving the Water Authority the means to generate revenue, is a wise investment in the future by the government of Barbados”.

Acting as prime contractor, the CCC will work with Canadian firm Cowater International, to deliver the key components of the project, which include the smart meters roll out, the strengthening of customer service, capacity building and change management at the Barbados Water Authority. It has been noted that this project will greatly improve the Authority’s internal customer information system, as well as the financial and work order management processes, to improve efficiency. (Barbados Advocate)

News editor admitted to Bar in Guyana

Naomi Christie, the editor-in-chief of “News Watch”, which is aired on Little Rock Television Station, Berbice was admitted to the Guyana Bar last Friday. In a packed courtroom at the Berbice High Court, Attorney General Anil Nandlall presented a petition to Justice Brassington Reynolds to have Christie accepted to the Bar.

The 23-year-old Christie attended St Therese Primary before attending the New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary from 2001 to 2008. She gained pass-

es in 14 subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, and was among the top ten performers in the country at the 2006-2007 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).

Nandlall, in presenting her credentials, said Christie entered into the law programme at the University of Guyana in 2008 and graduated in 2011.

“While there she participated in two mooting competitions at the Caribbean Court of Justice, Trinidad.

In 2010, she was awarded the Anne Blue

Award for best performance in Part II of the law programme.

Upon completion of the programme, she was awarded a Bachelor’s of Law degree with distinction and presented with the Pro-Chancellor’s Award for best graduating student.”

Christie completed her legal studies at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad (2011-2013). The attorney general, who is also the legal affairs minister, said in her first year, Christie was awarded the Justice Jessi Haynes Memorial Prize for best performance in the law of remedies.

“She also participated in the Hamel-Smith Mooting Competition 2012. At the completion of her studies, she was awarded the Legal Education Certificate and placed on the honours roll.”

Justice Reynolds welcomed Christie, telling her that he was impressed and not to forget the standards that she was trained to uphold.

Christie, who made a vow to uphold the integrity of the legal profession and to adhere to its ethical standards, told the media during an interview that she was relieved to have completed her studies.

new lawyer

“I am ready again to hit the highest point of the ladder.” Currently, Christie is working at the attorney general’s office, where she is hoping

to gain experience before branching out. “I am going to help everybody that is in need and I want to be a voice for persons who don’t have a voice and especially for the poor people.” She said she will press forward to make Guyana proud.

Christie, who is engaged only with civil matters at the attorney general’s office, said she sees herself as a criminal lawyer. She is the daughter of Rockcliff and Pearl Christie, the proprietors of Little Rock Television Station and Little Rock Suites. (Excerpted from Guyana Times)

Canadian consulting firm to reform TT’s Licensing Department

TT’s Transport Minister Stephen Cadiz, reported that Canadian company, Barrington Consulting Group was being “re-engaged” for the reformation of the Licensing Department to be the Motor Vehicle Authority (MVA) and by last Friday the final draft of the contract should have been sent to the company.

The MVA was first proposed by the former People’s National Movement administration in a heads of agreement with the government of Nova Scotia, in Canada. The Canadian government had recommended a partnership with the TT government and the Barrington Consulting Group.

Cadiz addressed the issue last Friday while speaking with reporters following the opening ceremony for the Full Container Terminal Extension at the Port of Port-of-Spain.

He reported that construction was under way at Frederick Settlement, which is the site for the relocation of the Licensing Office at Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain when the Licensing Department is transformed to the MVA. He noted that the MVA required new legislation, and was a new way of doing business, and stakeholder meetings were ongoing.

“I intend by September, 2014 that Trinidad and Tobago will have a full

blown, completely reformed (Licensing Department). One hundred and eighty degrees from where we are now,” he said.

He predicted that there will be brand new legislation that will assist with stolen vehicles, and issues of fake vehicle registration will be “out the window”.

“We are going to get the Licensing Office where you see a vehicle with a registration, a licensing officer, or a police officer, will know exactly who owns that vehicle, with whom it is insured; are there any issues with the vehicle, was it reported stolen, was it involved in an accident, is there any loan on the vehicle? All of this we are going to be able to deal with by just getting that licence plate,” he said.

He also spoke on the temporary shutdown of operations at the Licensing Office building at Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, due to protest action by the Public Services Association (PSA) over health and safety concerns. Cadiz said there were “certain deficiencies” at the building, which have been “sorted out.”

He noted that the building has been inspected by the Fire Services, the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), structural engineers and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) doing tests for the air quality. (Excerpted from TT Newsday)

Portuguese added to Guyana’s high school curriculum

Guyanese students will now learn to speak Portuguese at the secondary level, as the education ministry last Thursday officially added the language to the curriculum, with five pilot schools kicking off the initiative.

The five schools, which will commence Portuguese language training are: Queen’s College, the Bishops’ High School, St Stanislaus College, St Roses High School and St Joseph High School.

Speaking at the launch at the Theatre Guild, Kingston, Education Minister Priya Manickchand said since Brazil and Guyana enjoy close relations, persons learning Portuguese will boost these relations further and in turn, benefit both nations.

She noted too that

the countries will be able to share experiences to further develop, pointing out that Brazil is the sixth largest economy in the world. Manickchand stated that though Spanish and French are taught in schools, the country needs to examine if they are as relevant as

they used to be.

She disclosed that the programme is commencing with five schools instead of six like she initially announced in May, since there are not enough teachers to teach the language. She added that the ministry will have to introduce the lan-

guage in the Cyril Potter College of Education curriculum.

The education minister said the launch of the programme is simple but significant, as students can interact with Portuguese-speaking person’s hence making them more rounded.

CXC exam

She disclosed that Guyana is in preliminary talks with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) for Portuguese to be an examinable subject. She expressed hope this could occur within the next two or three years. She added that the CXC registrar has already indicated its willingness to examine how it can get Portuguese on the CXC curriculum.

QC language department head Candida Williams, who assisted in formulating the Portuguese curriculum, acknowledged that the students might think that they are already having difficulties with Spanish and French and question why they have to learn Portuguese.

In seeking to convince students of the worthiness of the pro-

gramme, she pointed out: “There is a large influx of Brazilians into this country and they are opening a lot of businesses here and many of you come into contact with them… some of you hang out with them, so you want to be able to communicate with them even if it’s just the basics”. She also told the students that the subject is similar to Spanish.

She disclosed that putting together the curriculum was not an easy task, noting that the major problem was getting materials.

The curriculum developers will also prepare a common test to be administered in all five of the schools. The ministry is hoping to extend the programme to other schools within the next year. (Excerpted from Guyana Times)

Caribbean’s indigenous people wants TT Parliament removed from Red House

Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean have joined TT's first peoples in calling on the government to remove the Parliament from the Red House, and to develop it into a national heritage site, following the discovery in April of bones and artifacts of the indigenous people.

They are also calling on the government to assist in identifying the bones found to determine whether they were Arawaks, Caribs, or were of other groups. They made the call following a peace ceremony held last week around the Red House in Portof-Spain.

Chief of the Santa Rosa First People Community, Ricardo Bharath-Hernandez told

TT's media that the activity was the third and final ritual to appease the spirits of the ancestors. The Santa Rosa Community representatives were accompanied by indigenous groups from Belize, Dominica, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.

Led by their spiritual leaders, including Bharath - Hernandez, they proceeded around the Red House shaking maracas and beating drums. They caused a stir among downtown pedestrians, who lined the sidewalk to take photos of them in their traditional wear.

One observer, a young man in his late teens, or early 20s, asked reporters, “Who are those people?” Told they were indigenous

peoples of TT and the Caribbean, the young man asked again, “You mean people like Arawaks and Caribs?” Told once again they were, he said with a surprised look on his face, “I thought they had died out.”

The regional delegations were in TT to celebrate the Hyarima Festival with the Santa Rosa community. Since the remains were discovered in April, BharathHernandez said they have asked the Great Spirit (creator) for peace in TT, the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean

and wider world, and for global peace, and to seek blessing and guidance for all leaders.

Leader of the Guyana delegation Colin Klautky told TT media that the delegations were in support of the First People’s call to preserve the historical finds in keeping with the United Nations Convention on the rights of indigenous peoples. He said it was important that the remains be turned over to the first peoples of Trinidad and Tobago who will decide how they should be finally laid to rest. (TT Newsday)

Nine entities issued with broadcasting licences in Guyana

Nine broadcasting entities that have submitted their relevant documentation for licences to continue to operate were last Friday presented with their licence certificates by Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) Chairperson Bibi Shaddick. She stated that the licences for television and radio are issued under the Post and Telegraph Act and assign the frequency and the specifications of transmission.

Five television stations were presented with their licences at the small handing over ceremony at the GNBA office, Hadfield Street. These are Television Guyana Incorporated, GWTV Channel 2, Pinnacle Communication Incorporated, Multi Technology Vision (MTV) Incorporated, and CNS Incorporated. Those receiving radio licences were Radio Guyana Incorporated

and Telecor, Cultural and Broadcasting Incorporated.

Cable licences were given to Atlantic Cable Networking and E-Networks.

Shaddick explained, “These licences were ready before today, but the law said that we have to advertise them in the official Gazette, so we wanted to have a number ready before we advertise.” She also highlighted that the law requires the licences to be exhibited in the place of business like TIN certificates are exhibited.

Shaddick added, “This is just to publish that licences have been granted for 2013, we have a list of people who are calling in trying to make last-minute negotiation, which we really cannot make”. The GNBA chairperson believes that all other stations that have not yet submitted their full documentation to receive licences to continue broadcasting “will get

themselves in order” by the October 31 deadline.

Earlier this month, the GNBA had disclosed that a number of broadcasting entities are yet to submit all outstanding documents to the board and failure to do so would result in them being deemed illegal broadcasters.

As such, she disclosed that these entities have until the end of this month to submit the relevant documents.

Eight radio and television station operators, including the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN), are yet to submit all outstanding documents to the GNBA board.

The other stations are STVS Channel 4, The Guyana Learning Channel, National Television Network (NTN), Rambarran, WRHM, Tarzie in Bartica, and the New Guyana Company. (Guyana Times)

Twenty-seven Jamaican juveniles attempt suicide in State’s facility in four years

Data released from the Children's Rights Working Group of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) shows that some 27 juveniles in the care of the State have attempted suicide between 2009 and June of this year.

In November last year, 16-year-old Vanessa Wint hanged herself inside the New Horizon Adult Remand Centre, despite frantic calls from other teenagers who were witnessing the act.

But their cries fell on deaf ears, as the correctional staff at the penal institution ignored them and only came to the cell block after the child had taken her life.

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has since ruled that the matter should be sent to the Attorney General's Office for compensation to be made to Wint's estate due to gross negligence on the part of the Department of Correctional Services.

INDECOM also recommended that warders should be trained to deal with troubled children who have shown signs of suicidal tendencies, and that a system be developed to diagnose the signs of suicidal tenden-

cies, among other things.

The INDECOM recommendations come three years after a commission of inquiry into an incident at the Armadale Juvenile Centre in St Ann where seven girls— Ann-Marie Samuels, Nerrissa King, Rachael King, Kaychell Nelson, Shauna-Lee Kerr, Georgina Saunders, and Stephanie Smith— died due to burn injuries sustained in a fire, which broke out while they were on lockdown, made similar recommendations to improve the treatment of juveniles in State care.

The combination of being molested by adult males or being neglected by parents and deemed in need of care and protection before ending up in a maximum security facility and being sentenced to remain in State care until adult-

hood, leaves many juveniles in government care depressed and often sends them down the road to suicide.

In Vanessa's case, she was molested by an adult male in her Kingston community, who threatened to kill her parents if she spoke up. To escape the man's constant abuse, the child ran away from home many times.

She was eventually deemed uncontrollable by a magistrate and sentenced to remain in custody until she was 18 years old.

JFJ Executive Director Carolyn Gomes said that the lack of urgency in dealing with the present lot of the children, the majority of whom are locked up but, have not committed or have been accused of any violent offence or any other crime, is unlawful.

"It is appalling that, based on what INDECOM ruled on Vanessa Wint's suicide, that they have not done what has been recommended by the Armadale Commission, almost three years ago. They do not even have basic protection for the children and somebody should be held accountable," Gomes said. (Excerpted from Jamaica Observer)

IMF predicts hard times ahead for

Countries in the Caribbean are going to experience more hard times, according to a new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The report, 'Regional Economic Update— Latin America and the Caribbean', said growth in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) remains in low gear, reflecting a less supportive external environment and, in some cases, domestic supply-side constraints.

The region’s output is projected to expand by 2.3 to four per cent this year, with domestic demand remaining the main driver. The growth rate is expected to edge up to three per cent in 2014 as external demand strengthens gradually, but will remain below the average growth rate of the last decade, the IMF said. In countries with low inflation and anchored inflation expectations, monetary policy should be the first line of defense if downside risks to the baseline materialise.

“Fiscal consolidation remains appropriate for

countries with tight capacity constraints or limited fiscal space; it will also help constrain the continued widening of current account deficits. Safeguarding financial stability is a key priority in an environment of tighter global financial conditions and increased asset price volatility,” the report said.

Alejandro Werner, Director of the Western Hemisphere Department of the IMF, said for many Latin American and Caribbean economies, clouds have appeared on the economic horizon. As the global growth momentum shifts from the emerging to the advanced economies, the strength of domestic economic policies will be crucial for how countries can cope with the combination of lower commodity prices and tighter external financing conditions.

Lower commodity prices have already started to affect the region’s exporters. Even though prices remain high by historical standards, countries can no longer count on the tailwind from ever-im-

Caribbean

proving terms of trade, which had propelled economic activity over the past decade.

For territories with financial centres, hard times will not spare them either because, longer-term US interest rates have started to rise, with knock-on effects for emerging markets.

“Against this backdrop, economic activity across the region has continued to moderate. As detailed in our latest 'Regional Economic Update', we project growth this year at 2.75 per cent, the lowest rate in ten years, with the exception of 2009.

For 2014, we are projecting a pick-up to about 3 per cent, but even this rate remains well below the average annual growth of four per cent observed between 2003 and 2012. The outlook holds particular risks and uncertainties for those economies in the region that depend heavily on commodity exports and are less well placed to benefit from higher US growth,” the report noted. (Excerpted from TT Guardian)

New LIAT head says emphasis will be placed on passengers’ comfort

The acting head of the Caribbean airline, LIAT, in a message to staff, declared the comfort and well-being of passengers will be her overriding priority.

“At the new LIAT, we are working to build an airline which places the customer, our loyal passengers, at the centre of our focus,” stated Julie Reifer-Jones, who was appointed acting chief executive officer by the airline’s board of directors this month.

Reifer-Jones underscored the importance of the airline’s focus on the security of its passengers: “Today marks another significant milestone for LIAT–57 years of continuous service to the peoples and countries of the region. We can also proudly say that these have been 57 years of safely serving the Caribbean.”

Pointing out that for many destinations, LIAT remains the major car-

rier, transporting more passengers than any other airline, she added: “LIAT continues to contribute to the economic and social development of our region, providing important linkages for inter-regional travel as well as for connections to international, particularly trans-Atlantic, travel.”

Recalling that LIAT has evolved from a single Piper Apache to its present fleet of 14 aircraft, she asked for patience: “As we go through change once again, we promise to serve our re-

gion better and in more efficient ways.”

Major investment

She thanked customers and stakeholders for their patience and support as LIAT transitions from its Dash-8 fleet to new ATR air craft: “This change of fleet is a major investment for the company with a cost of US$107 million.” She was pleased to note, however, that on several routes, “our passengers are already experiencing the comfort of our new ATR 72s”. In addition to the introduction of new aircraft into the fleet, the airline has been able to stabilise its flight schedules throughout the Caribbean: “By the end of this year, we will have six new aircraft and this should improve our operational performance considerably,” she reported.

The LIAT acting CEO proclaimed the fleet modernization, which continues into 2014 will improve schedules.

Legislation coming to recall non-performing MPs in Trinidad - PM Kamla

Even as she called on supporters not to split their votes and allow the PNM to regain control of local government corporations, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar Saturday revealed that legislation would soon be introduced in the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament to give citizens the right to recall non-performing parliamentarians.

Addressing a

large crowd at Mid Centre mall car park, Chaguanas Saturday night, Persad-Bissessar, reminded supporters of a promise in the People’s Partnership 2010 manifesto about the right to recall non-performing parliamentarians.

Saying a major mistake by government was to not inform the population about its achievements, the prime minister said this may have been as a result of MPs

failing to reconnect to their respective constituencies.

“You have my email, you are on my Facebook, twitter, you can send me texts and tell me whether your MP fails to reconnect to you. I have legislation prepared, which I shall bring to Parliament to give you the right of recall for those MPs who fail to perform,” she said. (Excerpted from TT Newsday)

Guyana’s Family Court could be opened before year-end

The operationalisation of the Family Court in Guyana has been delayed, as the furnishing of the building has not yet been completed.

This is according to acting chancellor of the judiciary, Justice Carl Singh, who told the media, that he was hopeful that the court would become operational before year-end. The court was scheduled to be open earlier this year.

According to the acting chancellor, everything other than furnishing has been put in place to facilitate the court’s operation.

Justice Singh highlighted that systems are in place to ensure that highly trained personnel guide the functioning of the court. On that note, he disclosed that a judge has been identified to take charge of the court.

He declined to provide a name, saying the identity of the person selected “will emerge in due time”.

Additionally, High Court judges are being trained to adjudicate there. “All of our High Court judges are competent to adjudicate in the Family Court,” Justice Singh said.

He noted that the rules governing the operation of the court were finalised and passed in the National Assembly during the latter part of 2012.

“It would be different to the extent that the new rules make provision for it (the Family Court). Of course, there are new measures that are going to be adopted with recourse to mediation of case management. Those would be new procedures that would presently obtain,”

he explained. It is expected that the services of the court would be mostly sought by the human services and social security ministry, through the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA).

Back in 2010, former Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand said the establishment of a Family Court was prompted by observations that Guyanese family units are affected by societal demoralisation. When opened, the Family Court will address issues related to divorce, division of property, adoption, guardianship and custody to name a few. The court, located in the Supreme Court compound, was constructed following a decision by Cabinet in 2009 to have the court established. (Guyana Times)

Guyana Fashion Week rolls out in grand style

Flames on the roof, the scintillating smells of premium meats on open grills, and an array of mood

lighting set the tone for what was to be an evening to remember at the Guyana Fashion Week (GFW) opening night

at Rahaman’s Park on Sunday night.

The capacity crowd was treated to music, eye-catching and mouthwatering delicacies on tastefully decorated tables in bold colours covered by creative works of art, and were even surprised with a fashion show featuring the creations of designers from six countries including The Bahamas, United States, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Fashion models became waiters and waitresses, hosts and hostesses quite in keeping with the evening’s fashionable theme. GFW Chief Executive Officer Sonia Noel was the official “grande dame” for the ball, which was hosted by GFW directors Ronnie Morris (Barbados) and Richard Young (Trinidad).

In the end, the true focus of the evening was

the culinary competition, where there was fierce competition between six teams, each representing a fruit or vegetable grown in abundance in Guyana.

After tasting starters, a main course and dessert, the judges decided that the winners were Natasha David and

red fabric, with a headpiece curiously made of lettuce and an attractive arrangement of tomatoes, which resembled a floral arrangement.

Third place went to Team Watermelon, who had the audience buzzing with their fantastic pork main course and their watermelon and ice cream deserts.

Denzil Doom, who represented the coconut. Their area was well decorated with the leaves of the beautiful coconut tree, and their choice of gold metallic seating complemented their eye catching table pieces, made of young coconuts, which were painted and sprayed with gold glitter.

Second place was awarded to Team Tomato, who boasted a mannequin bedecked in

The chief judge for the evening was Carnegie School of Home Economics Principal Penelope Harris, while special guests in attendance included the wife of the British High Commissioner, former Miss Guyana World Arti Cameron (the face of GFW 2013), and many other luminaries of fashion, music, dance, and the corporate world.

As the GFW activities continue, the Courts/Fly Jamaica aspiring designers’ showcase was held Wednesday. Various workshops are scheduled for throughout the week and the big runway shows are on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (Guyana Times)

Jamaican writer Ishion Hutchinson receives prestigious award

Jamaican writer

Ishion Hutchinson Monday was named as one of the recipients of the prestigious Whiting Writers Awards, reported the New York Times.

According to the world renowned New York newspaper, Hutchinson received his awards for his book of poems entitled “Far District: Poems”.

According to the Times: “‘The Whiting Writers’ Awards, given annually to 10 writers who have “exceptional talent and promise in early career,” were announced on Monday.

Each writer receives US$50,000 from the Mrs Giles Whiting Foundation, established in 1963 by Flora E. Whiting. The awards honor works in the cat-

egories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays, and are intended to identify writers, the foundation says, “who have yet to make their mark on the literary culture.'’ The 2013 winners are Hannah Dela Cruz Abrams (“The Man Who Danced With Dolls”); Amanda Coplin (“The Orchardist”); Jennifer duBois (“Cartwheel”); Virginia Grise (the play “Making Myth”); Ishion Hutchinson (“Far District: Poems”); Morgan Meis (“Ruins”); C. E. Morgan (“All the Living”); Rowan Ricardo Phillips (“The Ground”); Clifford Thompson (“Signifying Nothing”); Stephanie Powell Watts (“We Are Taking Only What We Need”). (Jamaica Observer)

Terry B. enjoying his music career

Canada-based Guyanese singer/songwriter talks about his experiences in the entertainment industry

Terry B. was born

Terry Bacchus in Georgetown Guyana in 1959 and attended the Dolphin Government School until his family migrated to Canada in 1971. For him, singing is a gift from God; a gift he accepts wholeheartedly, and which, he said in an interview with Guyanese media, chose him rather than he chose it.

Terry got his first gig just five years after arriving in a completely new world when he performed in 1976 at a Country and Western club in downtown Toronto, which was arranged by one of his teachers.

“The response from the large, all-Caucasian audience was tremendous–and this was in a time of high racism. So for me to get this kind of response showed that my talent was such that the audience forgot that I was not one of them,” he recalled.

While working as a fitter/welder, he would perform as lead singer in bands such as Electric Vision, Sage and Sapphire during the 80s, but left the music scene when his daughter Amanda was born in 1991.

Following her father into the music industry, Amanda is now also

a singer/song writer and goes by the name Manda B. His wife Rena, whom he met in 1977 at a party at a mutual friend’s home, works in the insurance industry and is also his writing partner and public relations liaison for him as well as their daughter Amanda.

After Amanda was

born, his love for singing and performing still strong, he returned fulltime to the music business in 1999; and to solo performances.

“Bands were being phased out and the singers were going solo. But instead of joining this scene, I decided to re-enter with a CD,

“If Everyday was Like Christmas,” he revealed.

“If Everyday was like Christmas”, according to his website, www.terryb.ca, is a collection of Christmas classics done in Terry Bs style: a little R&B, Soca, Reggae and Salsa.

The Christmas CD, released under the Spotlight Records label in 1999, “was well received back when it was released, and today it is still one of the top selling CDs of its kind,” he recalled.

His other CD albums include “These Moments Last Forever” (2002) under Spotlight Records and “A Jackpot of Golden Hits Volume I”; while by request of many disc jockeys, his dance remix recording of The Temptations’ hit “My Girl” has been released on vinyl (45 RPM).

Recalling his early years trying to make it in an industry that is fraught with more failures than successes, he said that he was never discouraged, only frustrated.

“The music business,” he pointed out, “is a very, very competitive field, and your competition did not want you to get ahead of them, so there was a lot of “back-stabbing”–no different from today.”

And, with his first love singing ballads he wrote and the old classics, he is satisfied with his successes in life.

“I am realistic enough to know that at my age and the type of music I sing, it is unlikely that I will ever make it big–I am comfortable where I am, getting paid for what I love doing best,” he stated. (Excerpted from Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Shanique Myrie considers working for charity

Shanique Myrie, the Jamaican woman who successfully sued the government of Barbados after her rights were violated at the Grantley Adams International Airport in that Caribbean island, is planning to become an ambassador for a non-government organisation in Jamaica to educate people in communities about their rights.

Myrie said that she was approched by members of the Cross Roads Development Committee, and she intends to be a crusader against injustice

and enabling people to know what they are entitled to under the law.

"I was approached by the organisation and I am now considering the idea," Myrie told Jamaican media recently. She made the comment as she joined with members of the CDC last week to donate a television set and other items to several schools in the Cross Roads area.

A microwave was also presented to officials at the Cross Roads Post Office.

Myrie claimed damages against the Barbados government for what she said was unfair treatment meted out to her when she arrived at the Grantley Adams Airport in March 2011.

Following a legal battle, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) handed down its judgment in the case involving the Jamaican, earlier this month.

Myrie was awarded Bd$77,240 by the CCJ, which ruled that subjecting her to a cavity search, locking her up in an unsanitary cell, and deporting her, ran contrary to the rules of the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which, among other things, allows for free movement of Caribbean nationals within the Caribbean Community (Caricom region). (Jamaica Observer)

R Kelly touches hearts of Guyanese fans

Guyanese were blown away on Sunday morning by the melodious and powerful voice of international R&B singing sensation, R Kelly, during his spectacular 90-minute performance at the Redemption Concert at the Guyana National Stadium.

In dim lights, he made his grand stage appearance about 01:45h, opening with “Your Body Is Calling Me” to the delight of thousands of fans, who flocked the venue to witness the concert.

While the superstar dished out several of his hits, he stole the show with his penultimate tune “I Believe I Can Fly” and the last, “Step

In The Name Of Love”.

As he started to sing “I Believe I Can Fly”, the crowd sang along, forcing Kelly to stop and al-

low the crowd to continue singing. He held his head in amusement, as tears trickled down his cheeks. He then ap-

Sean Paul wins MOBO Award

plauded his fans for their overwhelming support and continued the song intermittently.

The artiste sang with a lot of emotion as he reminisced from where he came; hence, the reason for him writing the song, “I Believe I Can Fly” and encouraging his fans to “believe it can happen”. After performing that rendition, he was evidently in tears and so were some of his fans in the audience. As he took some time to compose himself, the fans started to chant “Kelly! Kelly! Kelly!”

Next, the lyrics of Kelly’s hit song, “Step In The Name of Love” boomed through the speakers.

The fans went hyster-

ical and started to sing before the entertainer opened his mouth.

As he started to sing, again, the crowd sang and danced along.

By this time, it was time to say goodbye to his fans, and he did, promising to return to Guyana, noting that it was his first and he will obviously take back great memories. He said prior to being contacted to perform in Guyana, he did not know where the country was, and more so anything about it, but after spending two days, he realised how

much Guyanese love him and more so, his music. During his 90-minute performance, he was extremely thankful to be in Guyana for the first time.

Meanwhile, the show also included Trinidadian soca sensation Kees and band, which dished out some of his popular soothing tunes that blended in well to suit the occasion. He also tried his vocals with some reggae and some R&B and managed to get the crowd fully engaged.

His performance was followed by several Guyanese including Jumo Primo and Rkhty. There was also the Morgan Heritage reggae band out of Jamaica and the popular Karma Band, featuring Ravi B and Nesha B.

Among the patrons were Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Alli, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and other high level government officials, along with members of the diplomatic corps. (Excerpted from Guyana Times)

Grammy greats in TT next month

nternational,

IGrammy-award winning, singing superstars, R Kelly and Ne-Yo will perform at one of the biggest shows in Trinidad for 2013, The Red Light concert series.

Sean Paul copped his third Music Of Black Origin Award (MOBO) Saturday, winning the Best Reggae Act category. The Grammywinning deejay was not present at the ceremony, which was held in Glasgow, Scotland.

The deejay, whose given name is Sean Paul Henriques, had two songs in the British national chart this year: ‘What About Us’, which was done with British girl group The Saturdays, and ‘The Other Side of Love’.

Deejay Stylo G, a Jamaican singer based in London, Mavado, Tarrus Riley and Popcaan were the other nominees in the Best Reggae Act block.

Stylo G, whose given name is Jason McDermott, had a Top 20 British hit this year with ‘Soundbwoy’. He and Sean Paul were front-runners for the award.

The concept of Kanya King and Andy Ruffell, the MOBOs were first held in 1996. It honours the year’s top performers of Afro-themed music. (Jamaica Observer)

The event is schedule to take place November 2 at Hasley Crawford Stadium from 8pm. A first of many concerts for Collin Abraham and Chase Parsons, the men responsible for producing such an event.

Despite Ne-Yo having had disagreements in the past with Rowe Entertainment, R Kelly’s tour promoter, Abraham said both artistes are professionals and more concerned about the music and their fans and the show will go on.

The Red Light concert will also feature Trinidadian artistes, Machel Montano and Asylum Vikings with Bunji Garlin and Fay Ann Lyons. Abraham is the

CEO and founder of Pollen Nations and P2 Productions, which was formed earlier this year with the sole purpose to produce live concert events in the Caribbean.

He said, “This is a collaborative venture be-

tween Chase Parsons and myself. This is the first time we are working together on such an event of this magnitude. We met this year through mutual friends who introduced us, we hit it off, we had some ideas we both

shared and we thought it best to act on those ideas hence P2 Productions was formed.”

No stranger to planning events, Abraham has had the distinct privilege of spearheading a number of major events including the 2008 and 2013 Inauguration of US President Barack Obama, the wedding of Hip Hop royalty Jay-Z and Beyoncé, the 40th birthday party of supermodel Naomi Campbell and the annual LIME Carnival fete held at Hyatt Regency Trinidad to name a few.

He said, “The message I want to send with this concert series is to show people that we really want to do something that everyone can enjoy because we are seeing a niche in an area where the population is being underserved–and we want to try and fill that void with top quality, live production.” (Excerpted from TT Express)

A Guyanese tradition

The Limacol brand name has been a tradition in Guyana and around the world since its Guyanese developer, J.A. Adamson (later nicknamed Johnny “Limacol” Adamson) was employed as chief pharmacist, chemist, general manager and managing director at what was then known as Bookers Drug Store in British Guiana in the early 1900s.

According to Alvin O. Thompson writing in “Colonialism and Underdevelopment in Guyana 1580–1803” (1987) Adamson developed Limacol “after some months of experimenting”, when he needed to find a substitute for bay rum, which was expensive, and was asked to develop a less expensive lotion that could be used instead of eau de cologne.

The result was the “creation and introduction of the lotion ‘lime rum’ ”, which would become so popular that Bookers, who named it Limacol, registered it as a trademark to protect the creator, the product and its market, as cheap imitations started appearing.

The result of Adamson’s experi-

ments is, according to its current manufacturer, a “unique combination of alcohol and blended aromatic oils, with a lime fragrance” whose “proprietary formula [is] sourced from the Amazon and beyond”. Adamson’s Limacol formula began selling across the Caribbean, and, by the 1930s was on sale in Britain.

Close to a century later, Limacol remains a household name throughout Guyana, the Caribbean, and the West Indian diaspora. By the late 1930s, with the introduction of Limacol and Ferrol, the latter also a well-known cough and cold elixir in

which JA Adamson was also involved, Bookers Drug Store was on its way to becoming the Caribbean region’s oldest and largest pharmaceutical company, and its Limacol brand a Guyanese tradition.

But it almost never happened. Events affecting its company would place the Limacol brand into hard times before it would survive to continue its tradition in Guyana and the Caribbean.

Under the umbrella of the Bookers Group of Companies, a firm with interests in the colony’s sugar, rum, shipping and many other industries at the time, Bookers Drug Store had opened in the 1920s at the corner of Church and Main streets, Georgetown, with the aim of manufacturing and distributing pharmaceuticals and over-thecounter (OTC) drugs.

Within a decade of their Limacol introduction, Bookers Drug Store’s manufacturing and retail site was razed in the 1945 “Great Fire of Georgetown”, and much activity reduced or suspended for a period.

After a spate of temporary locations and–according to an autobiography of Wilfred A. Gilkes, who was hired by Adamson in the 1930s and managed the company’s Bourda branch–a period of hardship for employees, Bookers eventually rebuilt on its original site as Bookers Universal Store, and relocated the manufacturing section to La Penitence, then considered just outside the city, where it continued producing the Limacol brand as Bookers Manufacturing Drug Company Limited (BMDCL).

When the Limacol manufacturing company was nationalised in the 1970s, it was renamed, and fell behind in its services. It would take privatisation of the Limacol company to put the brand on more solid ground, when a new company was formed to ensure its continued production.

Today, Limacol has added to its international recognition after being awarded the Caribbean Premier League cricket competition franchise under its well-established flag ship brand.

Four receive Forest Heroes awards in Jamaica

Two individuals and two organisations have been designated Forest Heroes by the Forestry Department for outstanding contribution to increasing, conserving and protecting Jamaica's forests.

They are Dalkeith Hanna, Petre Williams-Raynor, The Dolphin Head Local Forest Management Committee, and the Lions Club of Mona.

Hanna was awarded in the category of Private Forestry for his pioneering work in the establishment of a worldclass forestry plantation in Mandeville, which showcases a mix of forestry systems, including agro-forestry, private planting and eco-tourism. Williams-Raynor was awarded in the category of Media and Communication for her dedicated coverage of issues relating to the environment, particularly the forestry sector.

The Dolphin Head Local Forest Management Committee got its prize in the category of Communitybased Organisation for its efforts which have resulted in the community using the forests for more sustainable livelihood projects, including an apiary and a live botanical museum; while the Lions Club of Mona was awarded in the category of Non-Governmental Organisation for being the only

service club to date that has invested significant amounts of money and time towards reforestation and has so far successfully restored 65 hectares or over 160 acres of forest cover in the Blue Mountains.

The designations were made at the inaugural Forest Heroes Awards last Thursday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston, and formed part of the Forestry Department's celebration of its 75th anniversary.

"The bestowal of the awards is the agency's ultimate recog-

nition of the work of individuals and groups whose efforts lead to positive change in forests and forestry," the department said in a release to the media.

Robert Pickersgill, minister of water land, environment and climate change in addressing the awardees, praised them for recognising the value of forests and for the work they have contributed to its development. He also urged others to emulate the heroes.

"To the recipients, I say, you are an inspiration to us all, and

I encourage you to continue to lead by your own excellent example and in addition, strive to involve your families, your friends, your colleagues, and your communities to join you in your efforts to preserve and protect our forests," he said.

Speaking to the value of forests, the minister described trees as "the lungs of the planet" and said the loss of forests was a "clear and present danger" to the survival of human beings.

"I know that you are aware more than many, that our for-

ests are directly related to our livelihoods as they provide medicines, animals, wood, water, and almost every natural object around us. Everything we do and eat has a link to our forests and trees. The destruction of our forests therefore means that we are heading for a natural disaster.

"Indeed, trees are the lungs of our planet. They help to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while producing life-giving oxygen so, when we destroy our forests, we progressively reduce our ability to breathe," he said.

"Moreover, carbon dioxide is one of the so-called greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and climate change, so by destroying our forests, we exacerbate climate change and its impacts including sea level rise, increasingly intense storms, protracted periods of drought and other intense weather phenomena," said Pickersgill.

Denise Forrest from the Lions Club of Mona, who responded on behalf of the awardees said they were extremely proud and grateful for the recognition of the work that they have done and that it will certainly encourage them to do more to continue to spread the message of forest conservation and protection. (Jamaica Observer)

Taking innovative graphic design and printing to the next level in Guyana

With vision, determination, and entrepreneurial savvy, Queens Atlantic Investment Inc (QAII) has made significant investments in the acquisition of state-ofthe art machinery and equipment for the printing industry in Guyana.

advanced print options, guided by high intervention of “flexible customisation”.

State-of-the-art equipment

To augment the printing needs and enhance the quality of graphics and print, the company acquired several presses including

printing quantities.

This fully functional machine has the ability to produce superior print quality on both gloss and non-gloss paper. This allows for the printing of high-end promotional material such as calendars, brochures, flyers, magazines, catalogues

Printing in Guyana had seen a drastic decline for a number of years, and the sector left much to be desired as printing establishments offered either poor quality print and/or substandard finish at inflated prices. The management of Global Printing and Graphics Inc (GP&GI) saw the shortcomings of the existing industry as an opportunity to introduce to the local market a much improved quality of print and finish comparable to what was available outside of Guyana at competitive prices.

a state-of-the-art Man

Roland 5-colour offset sheet fed press; a Naph Graphics Web press, and an Aquaflex flexographic press. These three modern presses totalling in excess of US$3 million have significantly en-

and posters in commercial quantities.

er due to superior equipment capabilities.

GP&GI was incorporated in June 2007 to establish a state-of-the-art printery that would provide conventional offset printing jobs, which include labels, inserts, cartons, posters, brochures, annual reports, banners, calendars, books, magazines, complimentary slips, business cards, and letterheads. In keeping with the company’s mission statement to become the one-stop expert printing solution, GP&GI has invested significantly in machinery to ensure that customers receive high-quality prints. The company has since made a name for itself, becoming increasingly popular in the business sector for its impressive print quality and consistent addition of technologically

There are several advantages of offset printing compared to other printing methods including consistent high image quality; offset printing produces sharp and clean images; quick and easy production of printing plates; offset printing is the cheapest method for producing high-quality prints in commercial

In 2011, the company further invested in a digital offset sheet fed press, capable of printing on a wider variety of print material (substrates). This digital press was introduced to cater for clients who required smaller quantities of prints as well as a quicker turnaround service. Digital printing uses plate-less technology, and needs no makeready and virtually no run ups. This results in the use of less time and material during the production period. Digitising the conventional offset printing techniques has seen added sharp quality indices in our printing business.

The high technological mix of print press acquisition for GP&GI has enabled the company to deliver unmatched quality and reach higher levels of productivity as it is capable of printing over two million coloured pages or more than five million monochrome pages per month. The digital technology offers the look

and feel of traditional offset with genuine photo-quality prints.

Printing support services – finishing flow

To enable the provision of quality service, GP&GI also invested in several pieces of finishing equipment that allows for the following spiral and wire binding; saddle stitching; perfect binding; folding; UV coating; embossing and debossing; cutting and trimming; drilling and punching and packing.

The investment in state-of-the-art equipment has not only placed the company ahead of its competitors, but has ensured that it maintains the edge in the printing industry by being able to offer its products and services at competitive prices. With prudent technological advances in the printing stream, GP&GI, through innovation, induced the customisation model thus enabling customers with value addition preferences in their print options.

The investment made by GP&GI also saw the employment of a number of skilled individuals who have today become a dynamic and experienced workforce. Training in the use of the equipment is conducted by both local and overseas experts at the introduction of new equipment and at regular intervals. This has contributed to the efficiency of the individual staff members and the company as a whole, resulting in a value added service to customers.

It has been almost five years since GP&GI opened its doors and it continues to fulfil its objectives by offering high quality and value at competitive rates in the designing, printing, and finishing of posters, books, brochures, booklets, magazines, calendars, catalogues among others.

Scholarships

Part 1: Why CAPE is important

By Anu Dev

It’s always disappointing when things aren’t allowed to reach their full potential. Like how we have all of those rivers in our interior flowing down precipices just looking pretty, when they could be used to generate hydroelectricity, providing our nation with a valuable renewable energy source. We spend our time squabbling about present cost instead of looking at opportunity cost.

But even more disappointing, is when our most valuable resource – our human resource –isn’t allowed to reach its full potential. In Guyana, over the years we’ve produced some of the brightest minds around. Remember our ‘Guyana Scholars’? It’s been so long since they abolished that scholarship, but yet persons like my dad still talk about the Guyana scholars with awe. Persons like Walter Rodney are still revered to this day –and he wasn’t even one of THE Guyana Scholars. And of course, if you’ve ever stepped into QC’s auditorium, you’d see the boards up with the names of all of the Guyana scholars.

Going to QC for the past seven years, suffering through enjoying the experience of our biweekly assemblies, I’ve become well acquainted with those boards and I used to wish that we still had the Guyana Scholarships available, desultorily wondering if my name could be up there with the greats.

We need to bring back the Guyana Scholarship that was awarded to the best GCE A-level student which has now been supplanted by CAPE. And also offer more national scholarships to our students overall. President Ramotar made a good start last year but we need to award more to students who’ve battled through CAPE. Maybe not 412 like Trinidad dished out this year but we need significantly more than we have at present. Going through the CAPE experience I can say that it was a quantum leap from CSEC. Going into Lower Six we were informed upfront that we’d be expected to cover 80 percent of the work on our own, with our teachers there to cover the remaining 20 percent. Compared to CAPE, we were practically spoon-fed at CSEC. And the level of the work at CAPE compared with CSEC is so much in depth. I never thought I would reach a point in my life when CSEC would seem as simple as Common Entrance, but then I did CAPE and well, I found myself wishing I was still back in 5th form.

But in terms of preparing me for university, CAPE did a much better job of preparing me for university than CSEC ever could – I learnt a lot about how to use the resources around me to learn things on my own. So do I regret doing CAPE? Not in the least! In fact I would recommend that all students writing CSEC wishing to proceed on to university or any tertiary institution continue on to write CAPE.

To be continued…

‘My room is like college dormroom’ - Priyanka Chopra

Actress Priyanka Chopra recently compared her bedroom to a college dormitory and says it has everything--from glow-in-the darkstars to a mood board.

"My room is like a college dorm (dormitory)-room. I've like glowing stars on the roof, mood board, whatever my moods are I write on the mood board because I am very creative. I like writing," said the 31-year-old actress while doing a photo shoot for a realty brand.

"I have a tack board. I cut things that I like and I put that in the board. I have a vision board, lots of photograph

‘Sonam

of friends and family. I have books, a library in my room because I like seeing my books in my room...it's like cluttered.

"It has everything that I would ever need from the reach of my bed," she added. (TOI)

used to make me her elder brother when in trouble’ - Arjun Kapoor

Arjun Kapoor recently spoke to Indian media about growing up, losing weight and women. The following is an excerpt. You are constantly bombarded with questions about how you lost weight. Does this annoy you?

No, it does not. Why should it? Losing weight was one of the most difficult battles I have fought. If my story inspires even one person to shed some extra pounds, I would be more than happy.

Your school memories?

I remember my school days quite vividly. I spent most of my schooldays outside the class. Although I had

a fondness for History and Literature, I was never much into studies. Sonam and I went to the same school, and although we hardly used to hang out together, she would conveniently make me her protective, elder brother whenever she was in trouble.

What is the best way to sweep a woman off her feet?

I don't think there can be any trick to it. But, I think it always helps if you are honest. Don’t be pretentious. (TOI)

‘I shop more online’- Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor ends up splurging more than required whenever she shops online from the comfort of her home.

"I am a voracious online shopper. I buy a lot of stuff via the internet because I don't get a lot

of time to go to the stores and try on things. I have a wonderful experience," the actress said at an event.

"It seems I end up buying more while shopping from the comfort of my home. So, sometimes you tend to buy a little extra, which is good, I think," she added.

On the movie front, the actress will soon be seen in Punit Malhotra's 'Gori Tere Pyaar Mein' with Imran Khan. The film will release on Nov 22. (TOI)

‘I don't do films to make records’ - Shahrukh

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan feels that box office records are meant to be broken.

"I don't do films to make records. Every film will make some record...It's stupid to think records will not be broken."

"Any good film will do well and it feels fantastic when such film does well. It's important to make better films. The film (‘Chennai Express’) had the finest commercial director...great actress Deepika...It feels heartening to see this kind of response," SRK said. Shahrukh and Deepika-starrer 'Chennai Express', directed by Rohit Shetty and released in August, has earned Rs 220 crore at the box office.

"There are so many platforms to release a film today. It's natural there won't be a golden or a silver jubilee today. There's speed today in terms of theatrical release and enjoyment of a hit film is amazing," he said at a recent event. (TOI)

It is easy to make Salman Khan dance, says Mudassar Khan

Mudassar Khan, who choreographed superstar Salman Khan's dance moves in songs like 'Humka Peeni Hai' and 'Dhinka

Chika', says it is relatively easy to make the actor learn the dance steps. Salman, during a recent event, was impressed with Mudassar's dance moves and had asked him to choreograph his dance on an awards night. Later, Mudassar was asked to design the moves of 'Humka Peeni Hai' from 'Dabangg', which marked his first break in Bollywood.

"He is a godfather and will remain that for me. Salman Khan is so far the best dancer I know as we have done several songs with him, be it films or at stage shows. We made him do different moves and he did it all properly. I don't think he leaves any beat, he is one of the best dancers. He has good knowledge about dance," Mudassar said in an interview. (TOI)

Pooja Bedi asks dad Kabir to vacate mother's house

All is not well between Kabir Bedi and his 43-year-old daughter Pooja. The fallout had been brewing for some time; with Pooja sharing an uneasy equation with her father's partner Parveen Dusanj, who is younger than her. The conflict has now taken a turn for the worse with Pooja asking Kabir to vacate his late wife Protima Bedis’ 2 BHK apartment in Juhu.

According to Indian media, the father and the daughter recently had a showdown, which led to Kabir being asked to move out from the flat. The Bedi family was a united one, not so long ago. Known to be outspoken and liberal, Pooja was also known to be close to her stepsiblings, including Adam Bedi.

Kabir who has been a long time resident of the flat was shocked when his daughter told him in no uncertain terms to find another accommodation. Kabir then walked out with Parveen. Sources close to Pooja say that she could not get along with Parveen and often referred to Parveen as ‘evil personified’.

When contacted, Pooja said, “Relationships go through highs and lows. That is all I want to say at this point of time.” (TOI)

‘I saw death staring in my face’- Fardeen Khan’s sister

If the fire brigade had come five minutes later than they did, I wouldn't have been speaking to you," says Fardeen Khan's sister Laila Furniturewala, who was in the ill-fated Bandra building on Waterfield Road that was gutted on Sunday night.

Laila had gone to Faks salon on the first floor of Silver Pearl building when the fire broke out."I had just settled down for my treatment. Suddenly, the lights went off and the acrid smell of burning wires began to fill the place. Within moments, we heard a blast."

Laila, who is married to Farhan Fruniturewala, Pooja Bedi's ex-husband, said she and the salon staff tried to run out, but huge flames had already reached the first floor. "We knew we were trapped. I called up Farhan and Fardeen. I saw death staring in my face."

The members of the salon and Laila then tried to break the glass facade with chairs, but in vain as the glass was very thick. They were eventually rescued by firefighters. (TOI)

Vidya doesn't like to cut on 'me time'

Actress Vidya Balan, who is generally tied up with film shootings and promotions or brand endorsements, admits that she is selfish about "me time".

"When I am working, I am selfish about my 'me time' every night, before going to bed. Just some time to unwind. Whether it's talking to family or writing my diary or listening to music or doing nothing, it's something that helps to relax me," Vidya told the media.

The 35-year-old will be seen on the

Britney Spears admits dreaming about Ryan Gosling

Britney Spears has revealed that she recently had a dream about Ryan Gosling.

During a chat with British radio show KIISFM UK, the 31-year-old American singer-songwriter admitted that she had a dream about her former 'Mickey Mouse

Club' co-star where they were "just having a conversation", the Daily Star reported.

Gosling has previously revealed to 'The Sunday Times' magazine that he and the 'Toxic' singer had a little bit of a history growing up sideby-side on the Disney show. (TOI)

Pamela Anderson and ex-hubby Rick Salomon 'still best friends with benefits'

Pamela Anderson has revealed that she is "best friends with benefits" with her former husband Rick Salomon.

During an appearance on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', the 46-year old Canadian-American actress also said that the 45-year-old film producer is "a great guy" and admitted that they both are happy, People Magazine reported.

The couple got married in 2007, but split a year later. (TOI)

Glee's finale to be rewritten to honour Cory Monteith

Ryan Murphy, the creator of hit series 'Glee' has revealed that the show would be ending after its 6th season with a tribute to Cory Monteith.

Murphy said that that the final scene of the show was originally meant to be between Rachel (Lea Michele) and Finn (Monteith), Metro.co.uk reported.

The 47-year-old screenwriter said that he always knew how the show was going to end, and what the last shot would be. (TOI)

Jackman sees himself as skinny long-legged guy

Actor Hugh Jackman says he doesn't see himself as a well built hunk the way he appears in movies.

Jackman, 44, has flaunted his perfect abs in ‘The X-Men’ franchise as Wolverine.

"I still see myself as this skinny long-legged person. That body I have is for 'The Wolverine.' I did work on it but it's

not my natural body, and I get a hard time for it," Cosmopolitan magazine quoted Jackman as saying. The actor says his wife Deborra-Lee Furness expects him to be fat, reports femalefirst.co.uk. (TOI)

"Deb tells me 'Your job as my husband is to be fat and schlubby', so no matter what's going on with me, I look great," he said. (TOI)

Oprah Winfrey auctions personal items for

Oprah Winfrey is auctioning off a slew of personal items for charity.

The legendary talk show host is hoping to raise funds for her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation College Fund----which benefits graduates of her school for girls in Africa, as they try to get into universities around the world-----by selling collectables from her homes from all over the

United States, including residences in Chicago, California, Indiana and Hawaii. Among the items up for auction are poster prints from her hit 1985 film 'The Color Purple', which the 59-year-old star

Kimye planning to have Vegas wedding

Kanye West and his fiancée Kim Kardashian have decided to tie the knot in Las Vegas, it has been revealed.

A source has revealed that West is a big Elvis fan and thinks it would be fun to get married in a chapel, the Daily Star reported.

The insider said that it was the 'Black Skinhead' hitmaker's suggestion and Kardashian had agreed that it was indeed a great idea.

The source said that the couple had earlier checked out the Graceland Wedding Chapel, the same place where Jon Bon Jovi and Miley Cyrus' parents got married and wants an Elvis impersonator sing

'Love Me Tender' at their wedding.

The source added that the 33-year-old reality TV star and her fiancé know that it's cheesy, but feels that it is kind of sexy and cool at the same time.

The 36-year-old rap-

per had proposed the 'Keeping Up With The Kardashian' star on her 33rd birthday at the AT and T Park basketball stadium in San Francisco, while the words "pleeese marry meee!!!" appeared on the giant scoreboard. (TOI)

‘Action is fun’-Jason Statham

Actor Jason Statham thinks action scenes are "a lot of fun" despite injuries.

The ‘Hummingbird’ actor does his own stunts and admits while he often gets hurt, it's more enjoyable than relying on a stuntman, re-

Portman

ports contactmusic.com.

"I'm always getting banged about. I just expect it now---it's part of the job. Coalminers get dirty, I get hurt! It looks serious, but it's actually a lot of fun; although it can get pretty ridiculous at times," he said. (TOI)

hates travelling for work

Actress Natalie Portman has to travel from one place to another for her work commitments, but if she had her way, she would love to live and work in one place.

The ‘Black Swan’ actress, who lives in Los Angeles and often shoots in London, does not like so much travel.

She is envious of her British costars who can live and work in the

charity

has autographed, electric bikes, several paintings, a children's doll and even a British-inspired post box.

Oprah is also auctioning off numerous home furnishings such as glamorous chandeliers, a marble bathtub, and a side table, which is thought to be from the late 18th Century or early 19th Century.

The items will be sold by Karminski auction house on November 2. (TOI)

same city, as most of the Hollywood productions are now making use of London's production studios, femalefirst.co.uk reports.

"I love working here in London and I'm envious of British actors and British crews because American actors, we end up like gypsies---movie to movie, moving cities every time," BANG Showbiz quoted Portman as saying.

She feels being based in the same city as her work will help her career too.

"You can have such a fulfilling, wonderful, rich career here (in London) between the theatre, the TV, and the film all in one place. It's pretty cool to get to live and work in the same place," the 32-year-old added. (TOI)

Jennifer Garner wanted to feed co-stars pasta

Jennifer Garner wanted to feed Matthew McConaughey pasta on the set of 'The Dallas Buyers Club'.

The 43-year-old actor lost 50 pounds for his role as an AIDS victim campaigning for proper healthcare in the new drama, and his co-star admits it was upsetting to see him and fellow actor Jared Leto---who also lost weight for his role in the film----in such frail conditions.

She told Access Hollywood: ''It was shocking and upsetting and really hard to see...I wanted to feed them a bowl of pasta!'' Jennifer is overjoyed to see her two co-stars back at a healthy weight now, however.

She added: ''It's such a relief. The big mama in me was so happy.''

The 41-year-old beauty recalls Matthew and Jared's commitment to losing weight for their roles and says she was completely awed by their hard work. She gushed: ''They never complained, neither one of them. They were completely focused and ready to go and their performances are just remarkable, really unbelievable.'' (TOI)

Pomeroon women turn subsistence farming into business in Guyana

By IndrawattIe natram

Women have traditionally lived as subsistence farmers, eking a meagre living off a few crops just to maintain their family, with or without male assistance. Today, while many women dominate in offices, some women from

fore she ventures into the fields. Shedding traditional roles, Beverly noted that before she began her business, she would realize that sometimes, providing all the necessary amenities for the home was difficult with her husband’s earnings alone. She said her home needed many things, and

the Upper Pomeroon in Guyana choose to remain farming–but not to exist in poverty. They have adopted farming because they have seen the satisfying advantages of farming as a business.

Nicola Williams, Judith Lyte and Beverley Lyte of Kabakaburi, a village in the Upper Pomeroon, located 40 miles from Charity on the Essequibo Coast, revealed how farming changed their lives.

Beverley Lyte, a mother, housewife and a farmer, said she usually takes care of her home be-

many wants were left unsatisfied.

Farming as business

One day while making cassava pone, she realized that cassava as a produce has much potential in local markets.

She said that she spoke later to the two other women, who also faced similar challenges in their homes, and asked them to join her on the farm.

Lyte said she met with Nicola Williams and Judith Lyte, and the idea of cultivating 10 acres with cassava emerged. She recalled that they

were all excited, and their journey into business began.

Today, the three women are thrilled to be earning profits from their 10 acres of land under cultivation.

A ‘normal’ day

Beverly said that being a housewife makes farming a great challenge. She explained that after breakfast is prepared for the children and they are sent off to school, the three women go into the fields.

Clearing the lands is most tedious and requires many laborious hours. This is done with axes and cutlasses. The women’s husbands would sometimes help, but most of the work is done by the women themselves: the clearing, land preparation, sowing and harvesting.

Harvesting, Beverly said is difficult since the farmland is located far back of the landing, and the harvesting is done

manually then transported to their boats.

After harvesting, they would sell the raw materials to other women in the village, who in turn bake cassava bread and sell at the Charity Market.

‘God bless’ opportunity

Lyte, who spoke on behalf of the other women, said that farming has opened many opportunities, and described the profession as “God bless”. She declared that she is earning and enjoying her life because of farming. She said farming is a great profession where one can see tangible results within weeks.

She stated that she would sometimes even "Google" new farming techniques so as to keep up with technology.

Due to the profit gains, the three farmers are hoping to expand their cultivation.

Apart from bitter cassava, the women also cultivate eddoes and cash

crops. Meanwhile, another female from the village, who finds love in farming, is Hazel Daniels, who operates her farm separately.

Daniels cultivates two acres of cassava and said that she enjoys farming

because she earns extra. She said that she enjoys the company of her children on the farm at weekends, and it is her fervent wish for them to become farmers also one day. (Excerpted from Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Trinidadian wins prestigious PMI award

Trinidad and Tobago entrepreneur Simone Sant-Ghuran has made history as the first woman from Trinidad and Tobago to receive an award from the highly recognised international body, The Project Management Institute (PMI).

At a recent ceremony for the PMI Southern Caribbean Chapter’s Excellence in Project Management Award competition, held in the ballroom of the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre, SantGhuran was presented with a special award in the category “Most Creative Application of Project Management (PM) Tools and Techniques.”

Sant-Ghuran, who is the Founder and Managing Director of www.trinidadweddings.com and Editor-in-

Chief of the annual Trinidad Weddings Magazine (TW Wed-Zine) was bestowed with a Special Award for the project “Publication of the TW Wed-Zine 2013 Magazine”–a project from the non-traditional project management sector.

TW Wed-Zine, was the first glossy-format, locallyproduced, commercially distributed wedding magazine in Trinidad and Tobago. Now in its fifth year, the annual publication (available to a global audience in both print and digital format) is a one-stop resource and forum for soon to be married couples and for various wedding industry practitioners, vendors and stakeholders in the fields of event management and corporate communication.

The 2013 PMI SCC Excellence in Project Management Award Competition coincided with the 7th Bi-Annual International PMI SCC Project Management

Conference the theme of which was, “Improving Performance In Challenging Times; Transformation, Diversity and Sustainability”.

In keeping with this theme the PMI SCC was pleased to realise its goal of embracing diversity when Sant-Ghuran was awarded with this international distinction.

According to Chief Judge Raoul John, “All three judges for the Excellence in Project Management Award Competition consistently judged the project ‘Publication of the TW WedZine 2013 Magazine’ as deserving of an award for excellence and for the creative application of PM Tools and Techniques”.

PMI SCC President, Cynthia Gloria Hayes also

congratulated Sant-Ghuran on her win.

Sant-Ghuran who was elated at receiving the award, said, “I don’t only view this as an industry acknowledgement for my own personal efforts, but also as a professional victory and affirmation for the local and regional creative sector as a whole.”

The PMI Southern Caribbean Chapter (PMI SCC) is a chartered component of the PMI since 1999 and was registered as a non-profit organisation in Trinidad and Tobago in 2001. There are currently over 600 members in 13 nations representing various sectors such as energy, ICT, financial, construction, manufacturing, training/education, services and consulting. (TT Newsday)

Hero cop gets Medal of Honour for Gallantry in Jamaica

- after life-threatening fight with gunman on passenger bus

Afrightening encounter with an armed criminal on a public passenger bus a year ago in Jamaica should have left 26-yearold Special Corporal Jermaine Alexander Burgher dead. But the thought of his then oneyear-old daughter Alyssa saw the severely wounded cop winning the fight of his life.

Burgher was the sole recipient of the Governor General’s Medal of Honour for Gallantry at the 2013 National Honours and Awards Ceremony at King’s House in St Andrew on Monday.

The 26-year-old cop, who returned to frontline duties a month ago, carries with him both the physical remnants—

a bullet lodged near his spine, a scar on his left ear, and another on his left arm—as well as the mental pictures of the event.

Last year, June 15, Burgher was in a Coaster bus that plies the HalfWay-Tree to Portmore route, when three men attempted to board the vehicle at the bus stop. Only one managed to get in. According to the cop, the suspicious-looking man kept staring at him, perhaps suspecting that he was a police.

It was not long before his suspicions took on life.

The man placed a gun to the cop and told him to keep quiet. It was then that things turned ugly.

“He didn’t even take a full step away before he turned back to me, pointed the gun directly me and said, “Hey bwoy,

how yuh look like yuh a police so? Mi know u ennuh, a dead yu fi dead.”

Burgher sprang into action in that split second but with terrible odds against him.

“I had a service pistol but it wasn’t charged, so I said I couldn’t take a chance and pull, so I just sprang out of my seat towards him. I got the first shot on my left arm, which rendered it useless because it damaged the nerve instantly,” he said.

By now, the cop was engaged in a fight for his life. He held on to the right hand of his wouldbe killer, who then put the gun to his left ear.

“As he was about to fire, I don’t know, it was just luck I guess, he moved it and it grazed my ear,” Burgher said. A third shot, however, caught him in his left

side, but he was determined not to quit.

The cop luckily managed to secure his attacker’s weapon and fired it to stop the man.

“It was when I shot him I said to the persons ‘Don’t worry, I am a police officer. Just take me to the Hunt’s Bay Police Station’.”

When they got to the station his colleagues took him to hospital.

Burgher said he is “about 95 per cent healed”. “I still have to do physiotherapy, but emotionally I am okay. Physically, I am getting there,” he said.

Burgher, who was three years into his service at the time of the attack, said it has sharpened his senses.

(Jamaica Observer)

Aleft-hand middle-order batsman, Leon Rayon Johnson, born Aug. 8, 1987, made his firstclass debut for Guyana at 16. He played two matches that season but then had to wait four years for his next opportunity, in the meantime captaining West Indies at the Under-19 World Cup in 2005-06. When he returned to the Guyana line-up in 2007-08, Johnson had a solid Carib Beer Series, and scored 427 runs at 42.70, a consistent effort considering that he did not make a century during the campaign. The promising signs were enough for the West Indies selectors to choose him for the ODI tri-series in Canada later that year. He impressed with a halfcentury in his second match. He later earned a callup to the Test squad to New Zealand. Johnson is said to be the only Guyanese cricketer with a double century at the Regional U-19 level. He attended St. Roses High school and is a member of the Demerara Cricket Club. (Excerpted from www.espncricinfo. com)

Windies start Elite Team tour in Florida

Members of the West Indies cricket team assembled in Florida on Monday for a one-week Elite Team tour.

The group of players and team management has been joined by WICB President Dave Cameron as they prepare for the upcoming tours of India and New Zealand.

During the week the team will be involved in several team building exercises–indoors and outdoors–as well as interaction with Dr Jason Scott Hamilton, the Jamaican Elite Sports Psychologist,

who has worked with the team for the last six months.

In welcoming the group, Cameron outlined the WICB’s vision.

“When we play we represent all the people of the region and all the people around the world who support West Indies cricket. We are looking for a partnership that says ‘West Indian people and what we do is vitally important’ and we represent them with pride and passion. This is part of the vision we have to reposition West Indies Cricket as a glob-

al brand,” Cameron said.

“We want to create a culture of unity, winning and overall success. We are not saying you’re not going to lose games–every sports team will lose games–but it is how we lose. We should always go down to the end in every game. We are for partnerships which will see the brand West Indies Cricket continue to grow. We want to see our players develop on and off the field and see our cricket reach the top again.”

Speaking after the first session on Monday, fast bowler Tino Best said he was happy to be involved.

“As a team we are working towards bigger and better things so I’m really happy to be here at the camp for this week. We have the motto ‘One Team One Goal’ and as players we can always get more information and form a closer bond. We have two tough tours of India and New Zealand coming up, so this will form the beginning of what we believe is something special.” (WICB)

TT’s Emile Abraham earns Curacao Road Race silver

Trinidad and Tobago’s top endurance rider, Emile Abraham, secured himself a spot in the 2014 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games when he produced a silver medal finish on the final day of the region’s Cycling Championships Road Race in Curacao Sunday. It was revealed that Joshua Alexander also finished in the main bunch.

For this year’s Road Race, the Caribbean Associations of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) made ten spots available for automatic CAC qualification and Alexander may have also captured a spot for the 2014 Mexico meet.

Also representing the red, white and black Sunday was Gevan Samuel and Collin Wilson. Even though the two did not finish in the top ten, they both played pivotal roles in helping Abraham bag the silver medal.

Reports coming out of Curacao stated that Samuel and Wilson rode the role of domestique (helper) for Abraham, by chasing down breaks and making sure he was safe for a strong finish. In the end, Samuel’s bicycle sustained a puncture with two laps to go and therefore fell off the pace. Samuel went on to finish out of the top 10 while Wilson did not finish, but their roles as domestique were crucial.

Caribbean Motor Racing Championships final showdown set

for November 24 in Guyana

The curtains will come down on the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC) on November 24 when motor-racing fans would have the chance to witness the fastest car in the Caribbean at the South Dakota Circuit in Guyana.

According to information emanating from the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC), Jamaica’s Doug “Hollywood” Gore has confirmed participation in the season ending meet and word is that the lanky motor racer has promised to give the local fans a real treat when he competes against the best drivers in the rest

of the Caribbean, including Guyana’s own Kevin Jeffrey, Andrew King, Paul and Mark Vieira, Irfaan Kalamadeen and Vishok Persaud.

The GMR&SC also revealed that Barbados will be sending a strong group of drivers, led by the Maloney clan-father Doug and son Mark.

The experienced Peter Rae, powering his Mazda RX7, will be part of the Jamaica contingent, which also includes Chris Campbell, George Bailey and Gary Williams.

However, the highlight of the day could be the show down between Gore and his Audi TT against the likes of

Jeffrey, King, the Vieiras and others in the main race.

The other categories are expected to be equally exciting and Guyana’s Afraz Allie, Shairaz Roshandin and Syed Hassan are all eager to show the Guyanese fans what they are capable of doing.

Stephen Vieira, though not at his best in the last meet, is definitely a ‘big’ day performer and while there are quite a few contenders ready to ascend to the throne, they will have to demonstrate the kind of daredevilry that he consistently exudes to dethrone him. (Guyana Times)

Speaking on his team’s effort, national manager/coach Joseph Charles-Walcott was pleased with the athletes’ communication skills on the road in ensuring a podium finish for at least one representative.

He stated, “Fantastic team effort, Joshua, Colin and Gevan all worked hard to get Emile on the podium. (The) whole team still on a high.”

Meanwhile last Friday, the reigning national Time Trial champion, Abraham, finished seventh in the Individual Time Trial. Former Pan American Games gold medallist, Marc de Maar (Curacao), won this event in 46:28.691. (TT Newsday)

30 sport

Guyana’s track and field team stands strong at IGG

Guyana got off to a commanding start in track and field on Saturday when the second leg of the Inter Guiana Games (IGG) continued in Suriname.

The athletes dominated the track as they recorded six gold medals and a bronze on day one of the event.

Rising sprinter Alita Moore picked up gold in the women’s 100 metres, while Kevin Abbensettes mirrored her performance with gold in the 100 metres.

The 400 metres saw junior Carifta 400 metres bronze medallist, Jason Yaw, winning gold over the quarter mile event, while the little dynamo, Jevina Sampson, retained her status as IGG 400 metres champion by picking up gold in this year’s edition of the games.

Three-time 1500 metres Carifta gold medal ist, Jevina Straker, just

might be the golden girl of Guyana, picking up gold at the IGG games in the 1500 metres.

East Coast athlete, Ornesto Thomas, who was outgunned and won silver in the 1500 metres in the 2011 edition of the event, got some measure of retribution this year by topping the field and picking up yet another gold for the Land of Many Waters.

Jumper Natricia Hooper was also in action and picked up a well deserved bronze medal

for her efforts in the pit in the triple jump event.

Meanwhile Guyana’s male and female volley ball teams fell to Suriname when the event started last Friday just after the opening ceremony. The male side battled hard, losing against Surinamese 2-3 overall. The scores read 27-25, 19-25, 25-15, 2025 and 7-15.

The female Guyanese were blown away by their Dutch counterparts, losing in straight sets 25-9, 25-7. (Guyana Times)

TT’s Waterfield, Baptiste take top ten at Audi Golf Cup

Trinidad and Tobago golfers

Neil Waterfield and Wayne Baptiste placed ninth in the 23rd edition of the Audi Quattro Cup in Los Angeles this month. Competing with teams from 52 countries around the world, the local golfers had a solid showing at the world finale for amateur golfers which ended in thrilling tournament days on the Pacific coast on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

The teams from South Africa (Andrew Galloway and Duane Viljoen) and Guatemala (Alejandro Garcia and Jose Garcia) prevailed as the best competitors.

Along with the golf competition, participants and guests experienced a varied supporting program at the Trump National Golf Club. It included demonstrations and a golf clinic with Justin Rose, who is currently in third

Soca Warriors move ahead of Reggae Boyz in rankings

Trinidad and Tobago have moved ahead of Caribbean rivals Jamaica in the latest official FIFA World rankings released last Thursday.

The TT Soca Warriors are now in 81st position, with Jamaica slipping four spots to 82nd.

TT's jump is due largely to their performance at the OSN Cup in Saudi Arabia, which included a 3-3 regulation time draw with United Arab Emirates and a 3-1 win over Saudi Arabia.

Last Tuesday's 0-0 draw with New Zealand is likely to have a positive impact on TT's November ranking.

"Rankings are not

something I pay particular attention to, but yes it's good when we can continue to make improvements as we are trying to do at the moment," said TT head coach Stephen Hart.

"For the sake of the players who are trying to excel on the international club stage, this is always a plus when the country can improve in the ranking."

TT are ranked ninth among CONCACAF nations, and fourth in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

United States head the CONCACAF rankings, followed by Mexico and Costa Rica.

"We have set our-

selves some goals and making our rise to the top of the Caribbean again is one of those goals and of course improving the standard of our football and our national teams," said president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, Raymond Tim Kee.

"The process is an ongoing one and any improvement on our rankings is welcomed," he added. Spain continues to lead the World ranking table, followed by Germany, Argentina, Colombia and Belgium.

World Cup 2014 hosts Brazil, have dropped three places to 11th. (Jamaica Observer)

Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson medals again

Alia Atkinson, Jamaica's top female swimmer, Monday copped another silver medal in the 50m Breaststroke, this time on the second day of the Doha leg of the FINA Swimming World Cup as the rivalry between her and Russian Yuliya Efimova heats up.

place of the golf world rankings, and Trick Shot World Champion Geoff Swain, as well as a visit to the Los Angeles city centre.

“Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 Audi quattro Cup,” said Florian Zitzlsperger, head of brand partnerships and sports marketing of Audi AG.

“We’re proud of the 23 great years of our tournament series,” Zitzlsperger added.

Since its 1991 inaugural season, more

than one million players worldwide have participated in the Audi Quattro Cup. At the invitation of Audi partners, qualification tournaments as “foursomes with selected drive” are held for six months.

The winners qualify for the relevant country finale and the best teams from the countries then meet with the international competition. The 24th season of the Audi quattro Cup will tee off in February 2014. (TT Guardian)

Efimova took the gold in a time of 29.22, but Atkinson was not far behind with a time of 29.25.

On the Dubai leg of the World Cup, Jamaica's Atkinson beat Efimova in the 100m Breaststroke and though expected to take the Breaststroke double, Efimova outswam

Atkinson in the 50m distance.

Much like experiencing deja vu, the feat has been repeated in Doha as Atkinson took the gold in the 100m distance Sunday, beating Efimova into second place, while Efimova outswam Atkinson in the 50m distance Sunday. Efimova is the world champion in both the 50m and 200m Breaststroke.

Moniek Nijhuis of the Netherlands finished third in a time of 30.40. Atkinson had also taken a bronze medal in a time of 2.07.30 in the 200m IM, behind Hungary's Katinka Hosszu (2:05.45) and Great Britain's Sophie Allen (2:06.36) Sunday. (Jamaica Observer)

Three Caribbean cricketers...

Over the weekend, the team, under the guidance of fitness trainer and strength and conditioning athletic therapist, Scott Stanger, and performance analyst, Keith Deonaraine, fine tuned the players’ preparations with a number of physical activities.

According to the 53-year old Logie, the team has worked on every aspect of their game since the selection and commencement of the training sessions at the Scarborough Cricket Centre.

“The confidence level [is] very high and that is very important; the guys have put in a lot work on a daily basis and they have fitness test again to ensure they are physically and mentally prepared for the competition,” Logie related.

He also mentioned they have gone through work on the technical aspect of their game since that will help enhance their performance and morale simultaneously.

Several players left on Monday while the remainder of the side will depart on October 31 to Sri Lanka, where they will engage in a few warm- up games, before heading across to the Dubai.

Auty Cup

Earlier, this year Canada also participated in the Auty Cup limited overs competition against neighbouring USA and a number of players emerged with

outstanding performances, raising the side’s confidence of matching their skills with their opponents in the qualifiers.

The Canadian team is placed in Group A, alongside Ireland, USA, Uganda, Hong Kong, Italy, Namibia and UAE. With six teams advancing to the next stage, Canada is confident they will be one of those teams.

“We anticipate stiff competition and challenges from every team, but we are confident of being among the top six by the completion of the competition; we have been working very tirelessly and the players have shown great commitment and enthusiasm to go out there and represent Canada,” Logie, who also coached Bermuda and Jamaica, expressed. Canada has never featured in the T20 World Cup since its inauguration in 2006; they had placed fifth and eighth in the two outings at the Qualifiers in 2008 and 2010 respectively.

Meanwhile, this publication also caught up with the trio and they spoke confidently of doing well for Canada on the tour, which runs from November 1530. The side will return home, but will immediately after start their preparations for the ICC 50 overs Qualifiers early in January in New Zealand.

Canada will begin that campaign against old nemesis USA.

Young Windies slump to 67-run defeat

- Bangladesh win series 4-3

By RAjiv BisnAuth

West Indies Under-19 imploded under a barrage of spin and were sent crashing to a 67-run defeat in the final youth One-Day International against Bangladesh at the Everest Cricket Club ground in Guyana Monday.

Chasing a moderate 169 for victory on a ‘slowish’ track, West Indies capitulated to 101 all out off 33.5 overs. By virtue of the victory, Bangladesh won the seven-match series 4-3.

West Indies were left scrambling after a horrendous batting collapse triggered by left-arm spinner Uzzaman Nehad and off-spinner Mehedi Miraj. Nehad took 5 for 12 and Miraj, who was later adjudged Man-ofthe-Match and Series, finished with four for 25.

Although Jeremy Solozano put up a valiant fight with an unbeaten 35, which prolonged the West Indies innings, he could not find enough support at the other end to carry the team through to a possible victory.

Rammal Lewis (19) and Nicholas Pooran (10) were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.

Earlier, the West Indies had a decent bowling effort on the

sluggish pitch to restrict Bangladesh to 168 in 44 overs.

The West Indies exploited conditions ideally with left-arm fast bowler Jerome Jones being the main destructive force, claiming 5-23, including a hat-trick in the 44th over. Jones received valuable support from Alazarri Joseph with 2 for 48, Fabian Allen, 2 for 27, and Lewis, 1 for 3. Sadman Anik, in rich form at the top of the order top-scored with 48, while his teammates Jashim Uddin (33), captain Mehedi Miraj (28), Joyraj Emon (26) and Yasir Rabbi (20), added some resistance for the visitors.

After deciding to bat first, Bangladesh got off to a decent start. Openers Anik and Emon put on 43 runs for the first wicket in the first 10 overs. However, Alzarri Joseph spoiled the Bangladeshis’ start when he dismissed Emon.

Anik was joined by Jashim Uddin and the pair added 56 runs for the second wicket. They scored mainly ones and twos, although the occasional boundary came.

The hosts then reduced Bangladesh to 100 for 4 in the 27th over, with Lewis dismissing the in-form Uddin and Fabin Allen removing Mossadek Saikat and

Nazmul Shanto from successive deliveries.

Anik, who was dropped on 35, got brief support from captain Miraj, but was the lone fighter. His innings of 48 took them close to the 150-run mark.

However, a cluster of wicket at the back end of the innings saw Jones snaring four wickets in an over, including Yasir Rabbi (20) and his hat-trick victims, Javed Rahuttul (7), Uzzaman Nehad (0) and Zubair Likhon (0).

At the start of the chase, West Indies were in dire straits when they lost openers Shimron Hetmyer and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, as well as, Tristan Coleman, Taryck Gabriel, Pooran and Fabian Allen within the first 18 overs, leaving the hosts 51 for 6.

Miraj and Nehad did the early damage, claiming three wickets apiece, before a defiant 33-run, seventh wicket stand between Jeremy Solozano and Lewis, offered the hosts temporary solace.

But after Lewis was dismissed, the last three batsmen were also dismissed quickly.

Bangladesh will host the West Indies for a return series in December before the Youth World Cup, scheduled for Dubai, is held in February next year. (Guyana Times)

Jamaica in CFU semis

Jamaica and Dominican Republic have joined Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago in the semi-finals of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women's Under-20 Finals. Jamaica sealed their spot by whipping Suriname 5-0 while Dominican Republic cemented their place with a 5-1 win over St Kitts-Nevis in a double header at the Anthony Spaulding Sports

Complex in Trench Town Monday night. Yaqueisi Soriano netted a brace, while Gabreila Romero, Anajaiira Burgos and Winibian Perez also scored for Dominican Republic.

Leranja Williamson scored the lone goal for St Kitts-Nevis. Jamaica were frustrated in the early part of the match by Suriname and opened the scoresheet when Kayla Gray shot past goalkeeper Caneisha Barrow in

Canadian, American golfers to participate in Digicel Guyana

Open

the 32nd minute. Then three minutes later, Oshay Lawes made it 2-0. Gray completed her hat-trick with goals in the 47th and 86 minutes while Keona Simmonds also scored in the 72nd minute in an easy win for Jamaica. The semi-finals are scheduled for Friday. The two finalists will qualify for the CONCACAF Championships and join hosts CaymIslands as Caribbean representatives. (TT Guardian)

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

The Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) is hoping to attract 6075 golfers from Guyana, North America and the Caribbean for its premier golf tournamentthe Guyana Open- billed for November 2-3 at the country’s lone golf course at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara.

Unlike previous years, when it was exclusively sponsored by Banks DIH Limited, the upcoming two-day tournament will now be sponsored by cell phone service provider Digicel.

Giving an update to this publication regarding plans for the event, president of the LGC, attorney Jerome Khan, said preparations are moving apace with some overseas competitors already in Guyana getting acclimatised.

Khan revealed that golfers from the United States of America are already in the country, while several others from Canada are expected in the coming days.

“We are also expecting competitors from Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and French Guiana, but as you would know, everyone is just waiting on the last moment to indicate their interest in participating,” Khan said.

The LGC head said the organisers are anticipating a large turnout of competitors on the nine-hole course, with heated rivalry in the Championship Flight (0-9 handicap), B Flight (10-18), C Flight (19-28) and Ladies Flight.

Khan said that from all indications, the Championship Flight will be a hotly contested category with defending champion Avinash Persaud throwing down the gauntlet to local rivals Mohanlall Dinanauth, Alfred Mentore, William Walker, Patrick Prashad, Imran Khan and Munaff Arjune; the Canada trio Roger Rajkumar, Jaipaul Suknanan and Seupaul Suknanan, and Anwar Shafi of New York.

The LGC president also used the opportunity to salute Digicel as the new sponsor of the Guyana Open, a partnership that gained roots a few years ago when the company first sponsored the Digicel Golf Classic.

Khan added that the LGC is using the tournament to once again aid in the sports tourism drive, as the event will draw a wide cross-section of golfers and supporters from various countries.

“We’re very encouraged by the commitment made by Sport Minister Dr. Frank Anthony [at the opening of the President’s Cup], who has

pledged to ensure that the access road is properly maintained because golf is a major tourist attraction, and we want to use it to our advantage to help the tourism drive, as is being done by the other Caribbean countries.”

Defending champions

When the competition gets underway, fourtime winner Avinash Persaud and multiplechampion Christine Sukhram, will be looking to keep a hold on the titles they won in 2012. In a thrilling finish last year, Persaud defeated Canada-based Guyanese Roger Rajkumar on the final hole to lift the title, while on the distaff side, Sukhram duly retained her 2011 title, returning from a first day deficit to beat Suriname’s Nom Sook Choi, who had assumed pole position at the end of the opening day.

Following the Digicel Guyana Open, local golfers will engage in battle in the MACORP, Wartsila ECI and King’s Jewellery World Open tournaments. (Guyana Times)

Three Caribbean cricketers in Canada’s

World Cup Qualifiers team

By RavendRa Madholall

Three players from the Caribbean have been selected in Canada’s team for the 2013 International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup Qualifiers set to commence mid-next month in Dubai.

Guyanese all-rounder Damodar Daesrath, fast bowler Jeremy Gordon and Trinidadian off-spinner Abzal Dean are the members to represent the country.

Coach of the team, former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies batsman Gus Logie, stated the players are ready to make a huge impression, and hopefullu gain a spot in next year’s T20 World Cup to be held in Bangladesh from March 16 to April 6.

Daesrath, a former Guyana First Class skipper, represented Canada at the recently-concluded Intercontinental Cup four-day match against the Netherlands while Gordon also featured in the game that was played at King City, Toronto. Eager

Both players had im-

pressive performances and are eager to resume with the same degree of confidence and optimism. They are teammates of Brampton Masters Cricket Club. They played in the Toronto and District Cricket Association Elite Division final two weeks ago against Centurions Cricket Club that eventually won. Dean last played for

Canada in 2010 in a limited overs game against Ireland and is anxious to return to action for his new homeland in this exciting version.