Caribbean Times International

10,000 acres of Guyana land for TT farmers

Trinidad and Tobago’s Finance Minister Larry Howai on Monday announced in his budget presentation, that 10,000

acres of land in Guyana will be made available for use by local farmers under the terms of a new facility to be administered by the ministry of food production.

The facility is the result of the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Guyana government. Under the facility, investors will be able to apply to the ministry of food production for licence to use the lands in Guyana.

These applications are to be made in the form of business proposals, which will be evaluated by the ministry. The land must be used for the purposes of food production and to address demand for food locally.

It is expected that the initial amount of land

Guyana on robust literacy campaign

to be made available will be 10,000 acres but this could be increased to 100,000 acres.

In the 2013 Budget, Howai had noted that steps were being taken to establish such a facility.

“The ministry of food production, with agricultural land becoming less and less available in Trinidad and Tobago, is moving to establish a Food Security Facility with the government of Guyana,” Howai said.

“The Facility would commit both governments to expanding agricultural production in Guyana through the establishment of commercial relationships for funding the establishment of several large agricultural estates in Guyana,” the minister added.

Jamaica

National security major component of TT’s $61.3 billion budget

Trinidad and Tobago was presented on Monday afternoon with a TT$61.3 billion (US$9.5 billion) budget for fiscal year 2013-2014. Receiving the second highest allocation was national security at TT$6.5 billion.

According to Finance Minister Larry Howai, government has adopted a multidimensional approach with emphasis on operational and preventive interventions.

Increased police presence

The short term measures will include increased police presence, generally, as well as in targeted areas. This will be accomplished initially through the continuation of joint army-police patrols deployed in hotspots, to target gun-related homicides throughout these areas. Joint army/police patrols will be intensified in these hotspots through an initiative labelled Operation HOPE, Harmony, Opportunity, Peace and Enforcement,

which is ongoing and reintroduction of dedicated police highway patrols. In response to the high number of vehicular and fatal accidents on the highways, the

Highway Patrol Unit has been restructured, with the main operation centres at Freeport, Debe, La Horquetta and Aranguez. In addition, the government will deploy additional officers to highway patrol duties, to man the surveillance bays, lengthening the reach of the law and decreasing response time to serious incidents. There will be the introduction of the radar speed guns

and building capacity within law enforcement.

The government will also continue to increase staff levels and training to boost detection rates.

“We will recruit an additional 1,000 regular police officers; we will also recruit 5,000 Special Reserve Police with 1,500 expected to be trained by the end of 2013; we are training officers in scientific methods for solving crime, in evidence-based

policing and crime scene investigation (CSI) techniques. Coupled with the computerising of police charge rooms and the deployment of GPS technology in police vehicles, the approach to law enforcement will be accurate, reliable and efficient,” Howai indicated.

Border strengthening

In fiscal 2013, the government, acquired the final two of four AW139 multi-mission helicopters to address safety and illicit drug trafficking. They are able to conduct a range of air operations in TT and in the wider Caribbean region.

“In the coming year, the government will build upon these efforts by focusing on securing the nation’s ports as targets for arson, sabotage, vandalism, piracy, tampering with cargo, unauthorised access, smuggling of weapons and drug trafficking,” the minister added.

He reported that 245 CCTV cameras have been installed at several crime hot spot areas including Beetham, Sea Lots, Dundonald Street, Aranguez, El Socorro, Morvant, San Juan and Santa Cruz. Additionally, 118 cameras have been installed at various locations in

Tobago.

As at August 2013, 873 CCTV cameras have been installed in East Port-of-Spain and in Tobago. Installation is scheduled to continue in the Central, Southern and Western Divisions. Real-time response In highlighting a number of mediumterm security measures, Howai said that the policies will provide improved access to social services and deepen law enforcement/ community relations. Some of the measures entail full implementation of the National Security Operations Centre (NSOC), which will be the communications platform of all law enforcement agencies. There would also be enhanced E999 and rapid response service to provide real-time responses to all emergency calls with linkages to all police vehicles outfitted with GPS tracking technology and; establishment of a Counter Trafficking Unit, which will be tasked with the responsibility for investigating and prosecuting traffickers. The CTU will rescue, rehabilitate and repatriate victims, as necessary. (Excerpt from Caribbean News)

JLP will ensure high standards in elections, Holness assures

Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader Andrew Holness,

said Monday night that measures have been put in place to ensure that the party's electoral process lives up to the highest standards and expectations, if there is a challenge to his leadership.

"I have directed the secretariat to put in place all the necessary measures, to ensure that the process lives up to the highest standards and expectations of the Jamaican people," Holness told Jamaican media after Tuesday night’s standing committee meeting at Belmont Road.

The JLP leader made the comment after the party's standing committee agreed to extend the deadline for the selection of delegates, who can choose a new leader, if necessary, at its upcoming annual conference.

"My greatest wish is that the challenge will come off smoothly and, at the end of the day, it is

the party that wins," the opposition leader said.

Holness added that he has taken the view that any challenge to his leadership is such an important event in the life of the party, that the widest number of delegates should be facilitated in the process.

"But, I also have to consider the rules of the party as set out in its constitution, and I believe the standing committee after extensive deliberations came up with a solution that extends the democratic rights of the delegates while, at the same time, preserving the rules and spirit of the party's constitution," he added.

The JLP leader also denied a rumour that he failed to meet the constitutional March 31 deadline for registration of constituencies.

"That's not true. I was registered as at March 27 and paid in my cheque at that time," he

said.

"Democracy is not a free for all, it must rest first and foremost on the observance of rules and principles, and those seeking leadership must always remember that, in order to preserve democracy, there are rules and regulations that must be observed. Registration of constituencies within the specified period is a requirement of the constitution," he pointed out.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

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Syria: What next?

The world expressed shock at reports of a chemical attack, which has left hundreds of persons, including children, dead in a Damascus suburb on August 21. It is difficult to imagine that anyone could have carried out such a horrendous act. This will indeed go down in the history books as one of the world’s worse attacks on ordinary civilians.

The U.S. has put the death toll from that incident at 1429–though other countries and organisations have given lower figures–and says all the evidence implicates government forces. On its part, the Syrian government has said that such an attack would have been “illogical” because United Nations (UN) chemical weapons experts were visiting Damascus at the time. President Bashar al-Assad, in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro, denied the use of chemical weapons and called for proof from anyone making the accusations.

It should be mentioned that rebel groups have been fighting to overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s regime since 2011.

There are reports, most of which are still to be accompanied by evidence, that Syria has responded by shooting and bombing its own people, as well as committing human rights abuses against its citizens such as torture and rape.

U.S. President Barrack Obama has said there is evidence, which gives him “high confidence that Assad carried this out” and that action must be taken to deter the regime from using chemical weapons again and degrade its ability to do so. Obama was confident that the U.S. Congress would have approved intervention, but stressed that as commander-in-chief, he had the right to act in his country’s national interest regardless.

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has made it clear that while he has noted the argument for action to prevent future uses of chemical weapons, at the same time, consideration must be given to the impact of any punitive measure on efforts to prevent further bloodshed and facilitate a political resolution of the conflict.

As expected, the world is now anxiously waiting to see what will be the response of major western powers to the situation.

Will they wait on the UN to conclude its work and to come up with a unified approach before any sort of action could be taken, or will they proceed with military action against Assad and his regime? Last week, Guyana and Venezuela signalled their disagreement with the U.S. plan to proceed with a military strike on government forces. A few other countries in the region have also come out clearly and made their positions on the matter known–that is, the UN should be allowed to do its work before any response could be decided upon.

Russia remains firmly opposed to military action. President Vladimir Putin has warned that any strike without UN approval would be “an aggression”. But he said Russia did not rule out supporting a UN Security Council resolution authorising force, if it was proved “beyond doubt” that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons.

It is clear that the situation in Syria is a complex one to deal with, and for this reason the international community must tread carefully. Experts have pointed to the fact that the narrative is not as simple as a country’s oppressed majority fighting against an authoritarian regime. In addition to having extremist elements among its ranks, the opposition is fragmented and lacks a clear directive. That could lead to further instability should the Assad regime fall.

That aside, with the UN’s chemical weapons team working “around the clock” to expedite analyses of samples taken in Syria, Ban Ki-moon has since issued a call for the Security Council members to unite and develop an appropriate response should allegations regarding the use of such weapons prove true. Once analyses of the samples are completed, a report will be given to the UN head who will share the results with the 193 member states and the 15-member Security Council.

The UN team must be given every opportunity to complete its task in order to establish the facts in an objective and impartial manner. Like the UN secretary general, we hope that the decision on Syria will be made within the framework of the UN Charter, which states: “The use of force is lawful only when in exercise of self-defence in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and/or when the Security Council approves such action.”

Guyana, Brazil delegations to meet on major development projects

Guyanese officials and their Brazilian counterparts are scheduled to meet for another round of talks this month at the level of the Guyana-Brazil Joint Commission on Infrastructure Development as both countries seek to expedite the process of deepening bilateral cooperation.

This was highlighted by Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana Luiz Seixas De Andrade during a reception to observe the 191st anniversary of the Federative Republic of Brazil, at the Brazilian Embassy last Friday evening.

The joint commission meeting will prioritise the move to pave the long stretch of road from Linden to Lethem, establish a deep water harbour and evaluate the possibilities of a hydro power plant to supply energy to both countries.

The first meeting of the Working Group on Infrastructural Projects was held in February after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Guyana’s Foreign Minister Carolyn RodriguesBirkett and the Brazil’s External Relations Minister Antonio Patriota that brought it into being in December last year.

The priority areas are what both countries see as prerequisites to the opening up of new avenues to promote investment and build econom-

ic and trade relations between the two neighbouring countries.

The fulfillment of a commitment at the level of the working group to conclude proposals in July this year, relevant to implementing the major infrastructural projects was welcomed by President Ramotar.

“It is envisaged that this enhanced partnership between our two countries will not only increase the prosperity of our two peoples, but would also redound to the benefits of the region as a whole. Our infrastructure projects, while of national significance will form part of the wider South American physical integration programme,” President Ramotar said at the reception.

Improving the LindenLethem Road has been in the making since former Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva promised to support the effort when the bridge across the Takutu River separating the two countries was commissioned in 2009.

Deepwater Harbour

A deepwater harbour and hydroelectricity were the other priority areas, the two countries had also agreed during bilateral discussions.

Having partnered in military, security, agriculture and aquaculture at the bilateral level and shared the same vision for development at the

level of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), both countries are optimistic about the future.

Guyana became an associate member of Mercusor, after signing a framework association agreement, and according to the Brazilian ambassador, this step will “certainly open more opportunities for the development of Guyana’s trade and economic ties with Brazil and with all other member states of the trading bloc”.

The Guyana government has promised to deepen its involvement in Mercusor, when President Ramotar met South American leaders at a summit in Brasilia last December. Mercusor is a regional trade agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The Guyanese head of state believes the agendas of both Caricom and Mercusor are inseparable and inextricably linked.

Optimistic that Guyana can achieve its development goals through alliances with other countries, President Ramotar is pleased with the significant advances that have been made between Guyana and Brazil within the last few years. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

High time Caricom discuss legalising marijuana - PM Gonsalves

St Vincent Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has written to the chair of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) grouping calling for a discussion on the medicinal and other uses of marijuana.

In his letter to Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar, who is also the Trinidad and Tobago head of government, Dr Gonsalves said it is high time that Caricom addresses regionally "this matter in a sensible focus not hysterical manner"

Dr Gonsalves said that the marijuana plant has a bundle of proven and potentially beneficial uses and while it is true that its use and abuse and the consequential criminalisation of its cultivation, possession and supply have impacted on the health, welfare and security of the people.

The prime minister, in his letter, made a plea for "a reasoned debate" led by Caricom political and civic leadership in the context of the legislation of marijuana.

He said the matter should be explored at the next meeting of the Bureau of Caricom lead-

ers scheduled for Friday in Trinidad.

The letter added that preparatory work can possibly be done so as to place the matter in the agenda of the Caricom Inter-Sessional summit to be held in St Vincent in February next year.

Dr Gonsalves said the general public disappointed with "the failure and or refusal of the political and civic leadership in Caricom to jettison it or unnecessary caution and lethargy in addressing some of the controversial contemporary issues of real import".

Distinguished Caribbean professionals, including Jamaican chemist and cancer re-

searcher, Dr Henry Lowe have been urging the use of marijuana product for a range of medical purposes.

Earlier this month, Dr Lowe was reported as saying how he was discouraged from pursuing work on the medicinal properties of the weed several years ago.

Meanwhile, Jamaican attorney-at-law and advocate for the decriminalisation of ganja Miguel Lorne, suggested that local politicians tended to wilt under the glare of the United States.

"As a consequence of the US wielding that big stick over our head, our politicians are in fear," he told the forum. (CMC)

Another 85 Guyanese families get house lots

Guyana’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) of the housing ministry on Monday continued its housing drive with its second One Stop Shop for the year held in the ministry’s Brickdam compound. Some 85 applicants pulled their lot numbers for plots situated at Zeelugt, Phase 2, East Bank Essequibo.

The 2013 one stop shops are conducted under the theme: “Live the Guyanese dream, home ownership made easier”. Applicants select their house lots, make their payment, and are issued with their allocation letter. At the end of this process, they can have their Agreement of Sale made out and make arrangements to access funds for building their homes.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, before getting underway with the processing of allocations, Housing Minister Irfaan Ali explained that the previous focus was to consolidate the existing infrastructure in the housing areas to encourage occupancy.

Major challenge

He noted that as a result, many housing schemes have seen rapid response to building and construction.

However, the major challenge of electricity supply has seen close collaboration between the Guyana Power and Light Company and the housing ministry to fast track this aspect. Monday’s One Stop Shop saw the processing of applications made up to, and including 2006.

Government invested Gy$90.5 million in infrastructure to ensure that the lots are available to benefit 383 persons.

Ali reported that the entire infrastructure has been completed with the exception of electricity, which will be completed early next year, at a cost of Gy$5.160 million.

The total investment will be Gy$95.7 million with an average of Gy$1.75 million per household. Total revenue expected to be gar-

nered by government is Gy$25.5 million, which means that government’s subsidy is Gy$70.2 million or 73.35 per cent.

Ali said too that this displays government’s commitment to providing housing to every segment of society, notwithstanding the difficult political environment that exists in the country. There are plans for a further eight One Stop Shops before the end of the year, to distribute 6000 new house lots. In September, there will be one for Onderneeming on the Essequibo Coast, while in October, such an exercise will be held for Zeelugt, Phase 3, Lust-en-Rust and Kilcoy/ Chesney.

In November, more than 1000 lots will be distributed at the Guyana National Stadium for the Covent Garden Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.

Three One Stop Shops planned for December will see lots distributed at De Willem and Zeeburg, West Coast Demerara and Providence Phase 3, and Farm Phase 3, East Bank Demerara. The housing sector has already expended Gy$649.6 million on infrastructural works, which contributed significantly to the development of 2254 new house lots. The ministry distributed 636 house lots, processed 1540 titles and constructed 48 turnkey houses for young professionals. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

University staffer fired in Guyana on allegations of sexual harassment

Astaff of the University of Guyana (UG) was sent home following allegations of sexual harassment on the Turkeyen Campus. The unidentified staff was sent home on Monday, approximately three weeks after the commencement of the new academic year.

Vice Chancellor Dr

Jacob Opadeyi said sexual harassment at any level will not be condoned by the university. Currently, the tertiary institution is reviewing its sexual harassment regulations. Meanwhile, the vice chancellor also mentioned that late submissions of marks continue to affect the operations of the university.

St Vincent PM lauds Guyana’s housing drive as extraordinary

Guyana’s housing development is an extraordinary one and should be shared with the region, St Vincent Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said on Tuesday during a tour of the East Bank Demerara corridor to witness the many housing schemes there.

“I do not know of any programme of this magnitude anywhere else in the Caribbean; in the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS,” Dr Gonsalves was quoted in a housing ministry report as saying.

During the visit to several schemes along the East Bank, including Eccles, Mocha Arcadia and Providence, accompanied by Guyana’s Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali, the Vincentian leader lauded the policies and initiatives undertaken by the government to make access to housing affordable for its citizens.

Extraordinary

He explained, “We, in St Vincent and the Grenadines, we are reputed to have the best housing programme, but this one, the scale of it, because of the amount of vacant lands you have is extraordinary, and the prices are very good.

It is only because of the cross subsidy, the people of Guyana–I don’t know if they fully appreciate what they have here”.

According to Dr Gonsalves, the developmental model being adopted in Guyana also allows for the integration of private sector development, taking into consideration low-middle-income and middle-income settlements.

Testimony to his confidence and belief in the model, Dr Gonsalves extended an invitation for local private developers to travel to St Vincent and to work towards further enhancing the housing development there.

“The state-owned housing and land development cooperation does good work, but also there is scope for private sector development and they have the liquidity and there are opportunities, obviously, you will get a greater return than if you leave your money in the bank…the people also from the private sector who are investing, I would like some of them to come to St Vincent to assist with the investment programme for housing,” he stated.

New vision

Ali acknowledged Dr

Gonsalves’ role in spearheading a new vision of the region and to leading the whole process of integration.

As to the outcome of the visit to the various housing developments, Ali expressed gratitude to the St Vincent prime minister for opening the way for the sharing of information and possible integration.

Integration

The Guyanese minister added: “We are looking forward to two things; to have our private sector benefiting from the integration with St Vincent, and the prime minister has opened the door for investment there in the housing programme through the state-owned company, and then we also have a lot of private investors who will be here during GuyExpo. "We are looking to collaborate to have a St Vincent investment forum for GuyExpo and this is how the region should work together, so that we can ensure that the liquidity and the capital within the region stays within the region, so that we can build the region with each other’s strengths.” (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

To date, there are still outstanding marks; a situation which is causing a domino effect. “It is incomprehensible. We cannot understand why a lecturer would not be able to mark examine papers within two months.” Due to the delay, continuing students are unable to register for the new academic year or a new programme.

University of Guyana’s accounts in a mess – UWI auditors find

Major finan-

cial irregularities have been unearthed at the University of Guyana (UG), Turkeyen Campus following a financial audit conducted by experts from the University of the West Indies (UWI). In addition to the financial discrepancies, the premier tertiary educational institution has incurred a debt of Gy$482 million. Vice Chancellor Dr Jacob Opadeyi made these disclosures on Tuesday during a press conference at the campus.

Based on the reports submitted from phases one and two of the audit, Dr Opadeyi said the university’s accounting system had collapsed over the years, creating major financial loopholes. Phase three of the audit was completed last Friday. The report is currently being compiled.

Ghost workers

The vice chancellor said the audit has indicated that there is a to-

tal lack of system control in the accounting processes at the university. It was explained that in December 2012, there were unpresented cheques totalling Gy$19 million, of which Gy$900, 000 is still dated. It therefore means that cheques were issued, but staffers failed to uplift their salaries.

“When you are managing a bursary, when you have people not col-

lecting their salaries, within two weeks you must raise and alarm. The alarm could be, do we have ghost workers? Why anybody in the current state of Guyana and UG would not collect their salaries?” he asked.

The audit also found 22 other reconciliation differences totalling Gy$8.2 million in cheques, which were drawn during that period August 2012 to December 2012, but were omitted from the general ledger.

A general ledger is a complete record of financial transactions over the life of a company; in this case UG.

Reconciliation

As a result, the information presented on the monthly reconciliation of the general account may not be reliable Dr Opadeyi said, noting that the financial documents bear no evidence of review and approval. “Data can be changed at any time in our account-

ing system,” he lamented.

It was also pointed out that the Students’ Accounts Management System has major flaws, leaving space for the creation of fictitious figures, noting that there is no audit trail.

“So somebody can just change the student account and we will not know who changed it, when was it changed, why was it changed. So a student who owes Gy$200, 000, you can go the next day and see you owe zero,” the vice chancellor explained.

The vice chancellor said that he was prompted to conduct an audit into the financial affairs of the university after he observed vivid financial discrepancies shortly after his arrival.

It was based on the findings of the audit, which led to the dismissal of the Bursar John Seeram and the Senior Accountant Hazel Bentick. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

James Lambert appointed TT’s Senate VP unopposed

James Lambert, President General of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) and government senator, was Tuesday made Senate Vice-President after being nominated to the post, unopposed.

Lambert’s nomination was put forward by government Whip, Ganga Singh, and seconded by Minister of Food Production, Devant Maharaj.

There were no other nominations when Senate President Timothy Hamel-Smith enquired of the Senate. Therefore, at 1.43 pm, Hamel-Smith declared Lambert the new Senate Vice-President.

Lambert was ap-

pointed a government senator in the tenth Republican Parliament on June 22, 2012, replacing David Abdulah of the Movement for Social Justice.

Lambert first served in the Parliament as a UNC Senator during the 6th Republican Parliament (2001). He started out in politics in the People’s National Movement (PNM), and served as a PNM councillor for the Chaguaramas/ Glencoe area for nine years (1987-1996), but left the party to join the UNC.

He ran unsuccessfully against Dr Keith Rowley in the Diego Martin West constituency in the 2002 general election.

As Vice-President, he will be entitled to a salary

of TT$14,700, as opposed to the normal senator salary of TT$10,500. He will have officiating duties in the absence of the Senate President. The

Senate Vice-President is eighteenth on the Table of Precedence, one notch higher than the Deputy Speaker. (Excerpt from TT Newsday)

Jamaicans can now check property tax arrears online

Jamaica’s tax authorities have installed a new online feature designed to offer further convenience to persons paying property taxes.

According to Meris Haughton, director of communications at Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ), the new feature should have been up and running Monday.

“We have just put in place what we call a property tax online query, which now allows persons to actually look up their obligation," Haughton told reporters and editors at this week's Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.

Property owners, Haughton explained, can go online and check the status of their property, once they have the valuation number, "and that goes back seven years, so you can see what payments were made, whatever is outstanding".

Haughton and her colleague, Sharon White, property tax co-ordinator at TAJ, as well as Calvert Thomas, senior director of the Revenue Enhancement and Resource Mobilisation Division in the ministry of local government, were guests at the exchange, where they discussed property tax collection and compliance.

Haughton explained that the property tax online query service was introduced in an effort to assist persons who, during the peak property tax period between April and June, had complained that after going to the tax office they had to first check their status then go to a cashier to pay.

Haughton stated too that property owners can now pay taxes at any of 29 tax offices TAJ operates across the island, regardless of where their property is located.

"It wasn't like that a few years ago," she said, adding that the TAJ also offers what it calls an 'out of office service', which involves staff going into communities that are far from tax offices, and setting up an office in those areas to accommodate individuals.

That service, White explained, started in August. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

"With this facility you can check your status before going to the tax office, print it, then go straight to a cashier at the tax office. Or you can just check your status, ensure that you have enough funds and then go straight to the cashier," Haughton said. The new service adds to a number of other mechanisms already introduced by TAJ to make it easier for persons to pay property taxes.

Cuban protest group seeks answers in Bahamas detention centre death of Guyanese man

Miami-based Cuban protest group, Democracy Movement, said on Monday it wants answers into the death of a Guyanese man who died at a detention centre in The Bahamas last year.

Democracy Movement spokesperson

Ramon Sanchez, said he plans to meet with the Guyanese consul general in Miami to establish dialogue on the issue.

A coroner’s inquest has started into the death of Gordon Tilford, 33, who died at the detention centre on December 3, 2012, according to Director of

Immigration William Pratt.

At the time of his death, immigration officials said it was unclear how he died and foul play was not suspected.

Pratt confirmed Tuesday that some of his officers have been called to testify.

Sanchez claims

that Cuban detainees at the facility witnessed Tilford’s death. He claimed that one of the detainees attempted to give Tilford mouthto-mouth resuscitation when he collapsed.

“We want the people who watched him die questioned by the authorities,” Sanchez said.

When Tilford arrived in The Bahamas he presented a Trinidadian passport, according to immigration officials.

Shortly after his death, Tilford’s relatives said they wanted answers.

Caleb Alex Dorsett, an attorney retained by the family after his ar-

rest, said Tilford suffered breathing difficulties while at the center and was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) for treatment.

He was returned to the detention centre, where he died, officials confirmed. (Caribbean News)

10,000 acres of Guyana land for TT farmers

- as two countries enter joint farming scheme

Trinidad and Tobago’s Finance Minister Larry Howai on Monday announced in his budget presentation, that 10,000 acres of land in Guyana will be made available for use by local farmers under the terms of a new facility to be administered by the ministry of food production.

The facility is the result of the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Guyana government. Under the facility, investors will be able to apply to the ministry of food production for licence to use the lands in Guyana.

These applications are to be made in the form of business proposals, which will be evaluated by the ministry. The land must be used for the purposes of food production and to address demand for food locally.

It is expected that the initial amount of land to be made available will be 10,000 acres but this could be increased to

100,000 acres.

In the 2013 Budget, Howai had noted that steps were being taken to establish such a facility.

“The ministry of food production, with agricultural land becoming less and less available in Trinidad and Tobago, is moving to establish a Food Security Facility with the government of Guyana,” Howai said.

“The Facility would commit both governments to expanding agricultural production in Guyana through the establishment of commercial relationships for funding the establishment of several large agricultural estates in Guyana,” the minister added.

Win-win situation

Meanwhile, Guyana’s Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said Monday the investment by TT farmers in food production in Guyana will “be a winwin situation, not only for Trinidad and Tobago,

but for Guyana and the entire Caribbean.”

Ramsammy told TT media by telephone from Georgetown, that the provision of arable lands in Guyana is consistent with the “Jagdeo Initiative” which invites Caricom nationals to invest in agriculture to ensure food security and reduce the region’s high food import bill.

TT’s annual food import bill is pegged at US$4 billion. The areas under discussion, Ramsammy said, are for aqua-culture, and the production of rice, vegetables, and livestock. TT’s annual fish import bill, he said, is in the region of US$100 million.

Jagdeo Initiative at work

The Jagdeo Initiative takes its name from Guyana’s former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who in 2003 as lead head of government for Agriculture in Caricom, proposed that Guyana will make available lands for farming to any Caricom national

willing to invest in food production to create a more competitive and sustainable agricultural sector in the region by 2015. Over the past year, Ramsammy said that technical teams from TT have visited Guyana to assess the potential and situation on the ground. What the investors would want to produce, he said, would determine where the investment would be located.

Apart from the pro-

duction of rice, he said that one or two TT investors are also interested in the production of corn and soya as stock for livestock and poultry feeds. Because the mechanisms were not in place, he said the investments are still pending. If the region can produce its own corn and soya for stock feeds, he said that the price of poultry and livestock will also reduce.

In the same way

the Simpson family of Barbados in 2011 invested initially in 10,000 acres in Guyana, and has this year taken an additional 20,000 acres, Ramsammy said the acreage will be increased incrementally to 100,000 acres for TT investment. The Simpson family investment at Santa Fe in the Rupununi is in rice, cassava, corn and soya. All are for export. (Excerpt from TT Newsday)

Trinidadian manufacturers welcome TT$1 billion VAT refund

The manufacturing sector of Trinidad and Tobago is expecting to receive TT$500 million of the proposed TT$1 billion in value added tax (VAT) refunds proposed by Finance Minister Larry Howai in the 2013-2014 budget presentation.

In a brief telephone interview with TT media Monday, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA), Nicholas Lok Jack, said aside from finally getting outstanding payments

from late reimbursements of VAT, the association was also pleased with the minister’s statement that refunds will now be paid no later than the statutory period of 60 days.

In his national budget address, Howai said the government recognised that the delay in processing VAT refunds has been impeding the growth of exports and private sector development.

Over the years members of the local business community have

complained about delays in the administration of VAT refunds. In theory VAT refunds should be paid promptly following receipt by the Inland Revenue Authority of a VAT return giving rise to an excess credit. However, in Trinidad and Tobago (and other developing or transition economies) the process can take several months–sometimes more than a year–to process claims.

As a result of this, Howai was instructed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to clear

the outstanding VAT refunds, and this amount has totaled TT$1billion, and is expected to take effect from October 1.

To ensure that refunds are met within the legal limit, Howai said in the first month of the new fiscal year he will allocate TT$1 billion for clearing the backlog.

In a statement, the TTMA said it was encouraged by the measures outlined in the budget aimed specifically at bolstering the country’s manufacturing sector.

St Lucia political party to host national consultation on crime

The Lucian People's Movement (LPM) has indicated that it will no longer rely on the government to take action to stem the escalation of crime in St Lucia.

“After three years of appeal to the United Workers Party when in power and to the current Labour administration of Dr Kenny Anthony, to convene a national consultation on crime that would involve all sectors of society, the LPM and St Lucians are fed up,” said Therold Prudent, the leader of the LPM.

According to Prudent, “The LPM intends to commence a national dialogue with the many frustrated and disenfranchised youths, their parents, the business establishment, the media, law enforcement, religious institutions, farm-

ers, teachers, nurses and other professionals, the families of the deceased and other victims of crime.”

The national consultation on crime is tentatively slated to convene in early 2014, and will be held over two days.

It welcomed the statement regarding the recapitalisation of EXIMBANK, which would be beneficial to manufacturers. However, it was concerned with the proposed four-year time period in which this is to be executed.

The association said it was in support of a phased system for the reintroduction of land and building tax, but it objected to the inclusion of plant and machinery under this tax. (Excerpt from TT Express)

Prudent stated that the convening of a national consultation on crime would allow the people to voice their opinion on issues that affect their personal safety, national security and economic well-being. (Caribbean News) leader of the lpm therold prudent

Jamaica gov’t confirms tuberculosis cases in prison

The Jamaica government says it will continue to monitor the prisons after confirming seven cases of tuberculosis among people in police custody during the January and August period this year. The ministry of health said that investigations so far show that the infections were unlikely to have been acquired in lockups, but rather in their communities of origin.

“The public can be assured that active cases are being treated in keeping with established protocols. In addition field investigations, by the KSA health Department are ongoing including in-

vestigation and screening of household contacts and inmates in the affected lockups,” the ministry said in a statement.

It said that to date there have been no new active cases.

“Based on the latest data analysis including the comparison of cases between the corresponding periods for 2012 and 2013 and, the geographic distribution of these cases, the MOH has determined that the number of cases is not outside what is normally expected based on the burden of disease for tuberculosis in Jamaica. We continue to monitor the situation.” (Antigua Observer)

Guyana on robust literacy campaign

Guyana’s “drop everything and read” initiative to promote literacy, has received overwhelming response from children, government officials, the public and other stakeholders as they joined in reading at 11:00h Monday.

President Donald Ramotar was also involved in the literacy drive as he read from a book titled "Doing Business in Guyana" at the Office of the President Monday morning, joining other staffers of the presidential complex in promoting the initiative, in observance of World Literacy Day, September 8.

The education ministry erected tents at its 21 and 68 Brickdam locations where members of the public and school children were able to receive books, on a variety of topics. There were also tents at the National Library and at Camp and Regent streets; however, the latter had to be closed because of the overwhelming response.

During the morning session, Education

Minister Priya Manickchand visited the locations where she also assisted in handing out books, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported. School visit

The minister first visited Stella Maris Primary, her alma mater, and while there, she listened to the students

reading. Manickchand also left a package of grade specific books for the school’s reading room. Others including maths and science books will also be forthcoming. While addressing the students, teachers and representatives of the Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA), the minister recognised that the school is doing well, and for it to remain that way, it would depend on the stakeholders.

The minister emphasised that the president and his Cabinet are absolutely sure that they want children to learn and this is reflected in education being high on the list of priorities.

“In fact it’s the sector that gets the most money and money translates in us being able to give you services,” she posited.

Book distribution

Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony also presented a complete set of the ‘Guyana Classics’ to Manickchand while she

was at the book distribution tent erected in front of the 21 Brickdam office. Anthony noted that while there was a previous presentation of books, which was just a symbolic occasion, his ministry will be sending to the education ministry, 100 sets of the books for distribution to schools around the country. This is in addition to other books the culture, youth and sport ministry has handed out to schools over the last two to three years.

“We want to join the ministry of education in supporting this message to get more people to read and enjoy the joys of reading because through reading you can gain a lot of information and knowledge…it makes no sense that if you know to read and you don’t read, it’s the same thing like somebody who is illiterate, so let’s use that skill that we all have, and let’s spend some time reading,” Anthony urged.

Lester Bird nominated for national honour in Antigua and Barbuda

It’s a possibility that within two months’ time the title “Sir” would be conferred on former prime minister and now leader emeritus of the opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) MP Lester Bird.

Bird, whose nomination for knighthood was rejected in 2008, was recently nominated again–this time by ALP leader Gaston Browne.

“I sent in my nominations for three people to receive knighthood and our leader Emeritus was one of them,” Browne told Antiguan media.

“Lester Bird has made the second largest contribution to this country after his father and the nation’s founding father, Sir Vere Cornwall Bird. I expect that nomination to be considered as well as the others.”

Last week, the opposition sent nominations to Governor General Dame Louise Lake Tack, recommending Bird, Paul “King Obstinate” Richards and cricket icon Andy Roberts be accorded knighthood.

In 2008, then opposition leader in Parliament Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin nominated Bird, but it was rejected on the alleged basis Bird was still actively involved in politics.

Browne however said, apart from rules barring serving members of the National Honours Committee from being nominated, the governor general doesn’t have the power to reject other nominations except in

CCTV to assist policing in Montego Bay

The Area One police in Jamaica now have improved watch over the city of Montego Bay, with the official acquisition of a Closed Circuit Television Surveillance System last week.

Jamaica’s National Security Minister, Peter Bunting, handed over an access swipe card to the control centre for the system, to Assistant Commissioner of Police

in charge of Area One, Warren Clarke, during a ceremony held at the Montego Freeport Police Station.

The system, consisting of some 19 cameras strategically located across the city, was procured by the ministry at a cost of approximately Ja$55 million.

In his address, Bunting pointed out that six more cameras are to be added to the system

shortly, with the assistance of the private sector. “We are expecting that this is going to have a further positive impact on crime reduction in the areas where these cameras are installed,” he stated.

Bunting noted that “The first (benefit) (is that) it would improve our detection, and because these cameras are being monitored twenty four seven, so we would

be able to identify crimes in progress and dispatch teams to address that”. He said the cameras would provide useful evidence, and act as a deterrent.

The minister argued that the project had been highly anticipated, adding that the 19 cameras are just a start, to be improved over time to an ideal amount. He pointed out that his ministry is spending hundreds of

millions of dollars this year to upgrade several aspects of its technological resources and intelligence gathering capabilities.

“All of this will hopefully in the medium term show a significant return on that investment, in terms of making the communities across Jamaica safer and more secure, and I hope that this specific investment will contribute to keeping

the case where she can prove aberrant behaviour by the nominee.

“I don’t expect any rejection,” Browne said. “I know there has also been talk about the opposition leader only being able to make nominations once every two years, but this is the first time I’m making nomination under that title earned on November 25 last year when I became leader.” He also indicated that he submitted nominations “early” because he’s aware of at least one occasion when Bird made nominations and they were rejected because they were “submitted too late.”

The ALP political leader said if “partisan politics” result in the rejection of the nomination for Bird to be knighted, he hopes there would be “co-operation” between government and opposition officials to at least honour Roberts and Richards.

In 2009, Bird had submitted the names of late historian Leonard “Tim” Hector and Dr Joseph “Joey” John for knighthood, but both names were rejected.

In the case of Hector, Bird had said he received a letter from Governor General Dame Louise Lake-Tack informing him that Hector could not be considered for another posthumous award as he had already received one in 2006. Bird did not reveal the reason the nomination for Dr John was rejected.

(Antigua Observer)

Caribbean Airlines’ TT$300 million fuel subsidy removed

Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) will no longer have the benefit of governmentsubsidised fuel effective October 1. The subsidy for the Tobago air bridge will, however, remain.

In his budget presentation Monday in Parliament, TT’s Finance Minister Larry Howai said the debt-ridden State airline must move towards the adoption of a financially-sound business model for positioning the airline in targeted segments of the global tourism market.

“The new CAL board has completed the first phase of a revised business plan for the airline to achieve financial viability. The subsidy for the Tobago airlift will

remain. These factors have been incorporated into the business plan, which I expect to receive on September 17, 2013,” Howai said.

The fuel subsidy for CAL is estimated to be TT$300 million.

Howai said he had been assured by the board that there will be no impact on ticket prices.

“What is anticipated and consultants have asked us to do, is design our business model around that assumption, so all the procedures and options put in place are designed to be sustainable and viable without a fuel subsidy,” Caribbean Airlines communications director, Clint Williams, told TT media in a brief

telephone interview.

Becoming competitive

“At the end of the day it really does not matter because if the airline finds itself in difficulty, the State as the owner will have to put money in,” former People’s National Movement government minister Conrad Enill said Monday.

He said CAL should be a viable entity because when it was established in 2007, it was set up on the basis to have reduced cost and greater efficiency. If it followed that model faithfully, he said, it would have achieved its objectives and been able to stand on its own.

“CAL today should be a company operating

with a good cost structure so the need for money from the State should not be an issue. In those circumstances what it means, once the subsidy comes out, then the airline should be able to pay for that from internal profits,” he said.

He said the airline will have to be more competitive and get its cost down while delivering a better product to the consumer.

“The consumer has a lot of choices so if prices become uncompetitive it will start to suffer losses,” Enill said.

Economics lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Dr Anthony Birchwood, said he suspected Howai’s announcement came as a

response to arguments from other Caribbean islands that the fuel subsidy was harming regional airline LIAT.

“Because of regional integration he has taken a Caricom position. How successful that will be is another question because fuel is a large percentage of an airline’s cost. Removing that subsidy and then saying there will not be a rise in ticket prices how can that be? Because it will have to be that you are subsidising the ticket price,” he said.

Howai also announced the introduction of two new airlines to the country, low-cost American-based airline Jet Blue from July 2014 to Trinidad, and Greek airline Apollo Airlines , which will soon launch flights from selected cities in Europe to Tobago.

“I’m not sure what sector these airlines will be competing in but hopefully not directly with CAL, who still has to deal with the burden of Air Jamaica,” he said.

(TT Express)

Jamaica gets assurance from Venezuela regarding PetroCaribe

Jamaica’s Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell met with Venezuela officials in Haiti during the 11th meeting of the PetroCaribe Council of Ministers.

"We put to the government of Venezuela the fact we do have an IMF agreement with certain strictures, and that during the life of this agreement we have to ensure that we do not have any difficulties with other arrangements, and the life

of the agreement does go through until 2017.

"So we have put to the Venezuelan government that there be no changes to the arrangement within the PetroCaribe and they have assured us as such," Paulwell said.

Jamaica was one of the original signatories to the 2005 PetroCaribe initiative, under which Caracas provides oil and energy products to several Caribbean countries

that are allowed a deferred financing mechanism, through which a percentage of the costs is made available to their governments as a longterm concessionary loan.

Last month, Caracas also gave the assurance that there would be no increase in interest rates.

In May 2013, the IMF approved Jamaica's application for a four-year extended fund facility.

The agreement unlocked more than US$2 billion of loan support, including those from the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Under the IMF agreement, PetroCaribe remains a critical funding arrangement for the Jamaican government, and Paulwell also disclosed that trade compensation mechanism must be fast-tracked,

Sparrow still in a coma at NY hospital

Undisputed Calyspo King of the World Dr Slinger ‘The Mighty Sparrow’ Francisco is still warded in a coma at a hospital in New York, his wife Margaret confirmed Monday in a Facebook message.

The veteran calypsonian’s family has asked fans and the people of Trinidad and Tobago to pray for him, but to also

respect their privacy during this difficult period.

They promised an update on his progress, at the appropriate time.

In the Facebook message, which was reposted several times, Margaret stated: “Your prayers are needed. The family of Slinger Francisco, the ‘Mighty Sparrow’, is sad to announce that the Calypso King of the

World is in a New York hospital in a coma. The family is asking fans and the people of Trinidad and Tobago to pray for him and to respect their privacy. An update on his progress will be announced.”

Last week Thursday, the ‘‘birdie’’ was expected to accept a lifetime achievement award by the Trinidad and Tobago Consulate in New York.

But he was unable to attend that ceremony and a relative accepted the award on his behalf.

Sources told TT media that the Calypso King of the World, who in July turned 78, was admitted to hospital since last week. It was stated that most of the immediate family are in New York and at his bedside.

Sparrow was in Trinidad last month for

a special show at the De Nu Pub (Mas Camp) with the Mighty Stalin (Dr Leroy Calliste), dubbed “The Doctors in Concert”. Fans who attended were in high praise for the performances on the night.

and a major announcement would be made this week concerning a new arrangement for Jamaica to clear its PetroCaribe debts to Venezuela.

"We are also pleased that they have decided to fast-track the trade compensation mechanism that will allow us to trade our goods and services in lieu of payment of the debt in foreign currency," said Paulwell. (Caribbean News)

Sparrow, the illustrious lyricist, composer, singer, and grand entertainer has won the National Calypso Monarch title on eight occasions, and equally, the Road March crown. (TT Newsday)

Lift-off time for PP government

- PM Kamla says of Cabinet reshuffle

rime Minister

PKamla PersadBissessar last week promoted Gary Griffith, her former national security adviser, to the post of national security minister, “fired” two ministers and reshuffled and split the portfolios of several United National Congress (UNC) frontliners in her third Cabinet reshuffle. Griffith, who replaced Emmanuel George, former state board chairman Gerald Hadeed and one-time senator Raziah Ahmed were brought into the Parliament as People’s Partnership (PP) senators.

Persad-Bissessar, in announcing the three additions and other changes before colleagues at her St Clair, Port-of-Spain, office last Thursday, said it was a move towards

a reinvigorated government. “This ushers in a new era of my government,” the prime minister said, adding she wanted to fast-track delivery and development.

“I can assure you that no one will escape scrutiny of his or her performance and satisfaction of the public interest. This is lift-off time—launch of the most aggressive development and progressive period of governance in TT’s history,” she stated.

The prime minister also said of the changes: “Every single member listed here has been advised of the accelerated progress expected in each area for which they are responsible. Performance reviews will be conducted on a regular basis and if necessary further changes will be made. Citizens

will also have an opportunity to make opinions known through the National Conversation platform.”

Dismissals

The prime minister removed Jamal Mohammed from the communications ministry after he served a year and Christlyn Moore from the justice ministry. Moore was brought in last September to replace Herbert Volney, who was fired over the Section 34 issue.

Mohammed was replaced by former Airports Authority chairman Hadeed and Moore by George. Griffith was a captain in the army and was a ‘high profiler’ with the previous UNC administrations. He subsequently joined the COP, returned to the UNC in 2010, only to resign again in June.

Saying George had been an interim security minister, the PM said he had been excellent in that area and had the skills for his new portfolio as justice minister.

Persad-Bissessar appointed Ahmed to the post of minister of state in the ministry of gender, youth and child development. Ahmed, an insurance executive, had served in the Senate during 2000 to 2007. Ahmed will function alongside Clifton De Coteau, who was switched from ministry of national diversity and social integration to head gender, youth and child development.

Replacing De Coteau to head the diversity ministry is COP MP Rodger Samuel, who has been promoted from his position as minister of state in the Office of the Prime

Minister. Samuel last month had threatened to resign, then embarked on a fast for TT.

Bigger responsibilities

The COP had lobbied for him to be given bigger responsibilities, party officials said last week.

The PM also split the ministries of UNC frontliners Suruj Rambachan and Roodal Moonilal and shifted Chandresh Sharma.

Rambachan lost local government to Marlene Coudray, who formerly held gender, youth and child development. Rambachan retained the works ministry. Moonilal’s mega-ministry of housing, land and marine affairs was divided with former Minister of State Jairam Seemungal. Moonilal retained housing and urban development, while Seemungal,

formerly a junior minister in food production, was promoted to minister of land and marine resources. Sharma was shifted from transport to tourism, while Tourism Minister Stephen Cadiz was made transport minister. (Excerpt from TT Guardian)

PYO celebrates 61st anniversary in Guyana

The contribu-

tions made by the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) were lauded by President Donald Ramotar during a function to mark the

group’s 61st anniversary at Red House, Kingston, last Friday. The head of state recounted the history of how the ruling party’s youth arm was founded and the various

struggles it faced during the decade, from being banned at one time to the lives, such as those of Michael Forde and others, lost in the fight for democracy over the past

decades.

The PYO’s membership was called on by the president to, “learn lessons from our history, learn your politics, know and understand the machinations of those who oppose development of our country”.

The participants were also urged to volunteer their services in various

sectors and to encourage others to do so as it builds character.

Ramotar urged the group’s members to remember, however, that much work needs to be done and said that they must remain vigilant every day as the fight to protect the nation’s democracy was an ongoing one.

The organisation was established in 1952, through a decision at the second party congress of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP).

This was done according to the president, “So that by time they came in to the party, they would have had political experience and they would have been able to understand political activities and politics itself to do some studying in that regard”.

The name of the organisation at the time of its founding was the Pioneer Youth League of British Guiana, with Brindley Benn as the secretary. In February 1953, the Pioneer Youth League became an affiliate of the World Federation of Democratic Youth before changing its name to the Progressive Youth Organisation. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

Over 6000 people convicted in Jamaica’s Corporate Area RM court since January

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is reporting that just over 6000 people have been convicted in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s (RM) court with fines totalling Ja$37 million since the start of the year.

Statistics compiled by the Criminal Records Office of the JCF for the period January to July 2013, show that a total of 6150 people were convicted in the Court and sentenced to serve a total of 1,254 years and/or fines amounting to Ja$37.5 million, the police said in a release Saturday.

According to the police, the figure from the Corporate Area RM court brings the total number of people convicted in the country to 10,512, sen-

tenced to serve a total of 6,214 years and/or monetary fines amounting to Ja$90.5 million taking the Home Circuit Court and the other parishes into consideration.

The offences included ganja smoking, possession of ganja or cocaine, dealing in, trafficking and attempting to export ganja or cocaine, wounding, assault, larceny, malicious destruction of property and fraud related offences.

Analysis of the figures reveal that 71 per cent were convicted for drug related offences, 14 per cent for assault and wounding offences, five per cent for larceny and the remaining two per cent covered break-ins, robberies and malicious destruction of property, the police said. (Jamaica Observer)

Surinamese investor opens multimillion mining equipment firm in Guyana

Guyana’s economy is looking more lucrative to foreign investors as their numbers are increasing, this time with another Surinamese businessman taking the plunge in the local mining sector by investing millions of dollars in expanding his mining supplies company in the country.

Located at Forshaw and Oronoque streets, HFD Mining Supplies is a subsidiary of a Surinamebased company specialising in supplying mining equipment throughout South America.

Investing in Guyana

Owner of HFD Mining Supplies, Karel Dawson said he has been exporting high-tech gold detectors to Guyana for years and has observed the growth of the mining sector each year despite the fluctuation of the gold price; hence, his decision to enter the Guyanese market.

He added that his company is also the supplier of high-quality mining equipment imported from Brazil.

Dawson noted that his venture in Guyana was made possible with the partnership of three other Surinamese inves-

tors. Dawson, whose Suriname business is 20 years old, noted that he had his eyes on the Guyana market for some time now, but had to go through all the procedures before he could have set up shop in the

country. He noted that finding a suitable location and acquiring property were the two major factors he had to deal with.

He disclosed that now his business is in full swing, he will be looking to open sites in mining

areas so that products can be readily available to miners when they are in need, rather than having to source them from Georgetown. The businessman noted that while security will remain a concern, business always go with risks.

Dawson told the small gathering at the opening ceremony of his company on Sunday, that he feels at home when he is in Guyana because of the close relationship and similarities between the two countries.

He noted that his move into the Guyanese market is because of the local economic explosion over the decade.

Expanding sector

Guyana’s Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud pointed out that Guyana has a dynamic mining sector, which is expanding and growing technologically, thus, the need for better environmental practices.

The minister disclosed that currently, there are 16,000 dredges in Guyana and close to 10,000 licensed operations, which is testimony to the success of the sector.

Persaud urged the businessman to treat Guyanese miners fairly and not exploit them since the success of his business is link to the miners’.

"Economic bubble"

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Trade, Intelligence and Investment Committee of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Ramesh Dookhoo, said the local private sector welcomes the investment.

Dookhoo noted that Guyana is an “economic bubble that keeps bubbling all the time” and there must be no turning back from all that has been achieved. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

Jamaica embarks on massive cane replanting programme

The ministry of agriculture and fisheries in Jamaica has embarked on a massive cane planting and replanting exercise to expand local sugar cane production to some 1.4 million tonnes by 2018.

This is being undertaken through the Cane Expansion Fund, which forms part of government’s efforts to revitalise the sugar cane industry.

Speaking to journalists recently at a press conference, Jamaica’s Agriculture Minister, Roger Clarke, said the objective is to significantly increase sugar cane yield from the current 574,000 tonnes over the next five years.

“We are aiming to increase cane yields to above 70 tonnes of cane per hectare from the current average of 50 tonnes (cane farmers) and bring an estimated 8,000 hectares of new land into production,” he explained.

The sugar sector earns an estimated US$90 million on average, each year. As such, sugar is the largest foreign exchange earner in the agricultural sector. It is also the largest employer in the sector accounting for about 18 per cent of jobs.

Constraints

Unit and implemented by the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA).

To further bolster the expansion exercise, the ministry has ensured that increased funds are made available for investment in the sugar sector. “We have estimated that an amount of Ja$4 billion will be required to achieve our targets,” Clarke said.

Investments in sugar

cient funding to cover and complete a high

He noted that in 1965, the industry produced over 600,000 tonnes of sugar, compared to 128,000 tonnes during the 2012/13 period. National average cane yield, last crop, was 48.2 tonnes per hectare. “Our technical experts at the Sugar Industry Research Institute (SIRI) tell us that we should really be falling no lower than 80 tonnes of cane per hectare in order to reap the full benefits of our investment of time and money,” Clarke indicated.

He pointed out that the goal of overcoming these challenges forms the basis for the Cane Expansion Fund, which was set up by the Sugar Transformation

In spite of the positive contribution of the sugar sector in many areas, there are significant challenges, which must be dealt with, the minister highlighted

He added that the Cane Expansion Fund is expected to provide an estimated Ja$3 billion on a revolving basis over the next four to five years to plant and replant cane, provide land preparation and harvesting equipment, and support the installation of sub-surface drip irrigation in Clarendon and St. Catherine.

Already, the ministry has injected a total of Ja$1.77 billion into the Fund.

To provide even greater incentive for cane expansion, as of July 8, this year, the government increased the loan rates for cane planting and replanting from Ja$200,000 per hectare to Ja$250,000 per hectare for irrigated areas, and from Ja$190,000 per hectare to Ja$220,000 per hectare for non-irrigation areas.

The programme also aims to ensure that cane farmers will have suffi -

Repsol begins seismic surveys in Guyana’s Kanuku Block

In its quest to discover oil in Guyana, Spanish oil exploration giant Repsol has invested US$35 million to carry out a 2D and 3D seismic survey in the Kanuku Block. The surveys began offshore Guyana earlier this week and are expected to be completed on December 9.

Seismic vessel, the Polarcus Asima, has been hired by the company to do the surveys. The vessel, which arrived in Guyana three-days ago, is outfitted with state ofthe-art equipment and manned by a crew of 58 competent persons.

During a tour of the vessel on Saturday, Repsol Atlantic Basins Exploration Manager Allan Kean said the company will take advantage of the old data shot in 2008 in the area, merge it with the new data gained and reprocess it altogether to hopefully get the highest imaging resolution possible, so that it could identify the location most likely to have oil. After the final results, Repsol will then decide if it will invest another US$200 million to drill a well in the identified area.

Kean stated that it will take about nine months for the final processing of the data, adding that “by the end of next year 2014, we will know what direction we will be taking”. He said this bit of information will help to make recom-

mendations to the upper hierarchy of Repsol to determine whether to move forward. Repsol will also be receiving daily report on the progress of works from the Polarcus so that it can monitor developments.

One step closer

Meanwhile, Guyana’s Natural Resources and the Environment Minister Robert Persaud, who was present at the tour, said the initiative is a step closer to discovering oil in Guyana, which studies have shown has a high possibility. The minister said he is happy that there is now mobilisation of the vessel, which he noted has some of the best technologies in the business.

He commended the company for moving rapidly in its pursuit, noting that the latest development has come shortly after the company signed another agreement with the Guyana government to commence drill-

ing for oil and gas in the Kanuku Basin offshore Guyana.

Repsol’s new Petroleum Prospecting Licence and its accompanying Production Sharing Agreement signed in May, covers an area approximately 6525 square kilometres within the sedimentary basin offshore Guyana, and approximately 100 miles seawards of the mouth of the Berbice River.

At the signing, Repsol representatives had expressed the company’s anxiousness to commence work and had highlighted that the first phase includes the new 2D and 3D marine seismic acquisition, to be followed by an exploration well in the second phase of the licence, which has been granted for an initial period of four years.

In July 2012, Repsol had to halt works at its Jaguar-1 well in the Georgetown Block due to safety issues. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

‘Bring down crime’

- PM Kamla charges TT’s new national security minister

Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar’s mandate to newly-appointed National Security Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Gary Griffith, is to, “bring crime down; bring it down as fast as you can.” PersadBissessar gave Griffith this mandate last Friday afternoon as he received his instruments of appointment.

At the same time that he was receiving his instruments of appointment, police in central and south Trinidad were probing the unrelated murders of two women, one who was found semi-nude and dead in the forests and the other, who was bludgeoned to death at her home.

Speaking after Griffith was sworn in at the Office of the President in St Ann’s, Persad-Bissessar told reporters, “I told minister (Griffith) you better smile while you’re taking this photo, it might be your last smile.”

Confident that Griffith, who has a military background and a master’s degree in criminology, can make a dent in the crime situation, Persad-Bissessar said Griffith is versed in many of the projects and plans the government has to deliver in this fiscal year, having also been a security advisor for government over the past three years.

“There are several

projects we want to get off the ground and he has the will- power and drive to do it,” she said.

Of his new appointment, Griffith said he has no intention of asking for a honeymoon period. “I do not need a honeymoon. I am already married. I intend to hit the ground running.”

Stating he has no intention of politicising crime, he urged all political parties and non-governmental organisations to come to the table to tackle the issue of crime and security head on.

He said former security minister Emmanuel George, had left him a good foundation on which to continue building. Knowing most of the lead individuals in the

protective services because of his background, Griffith said, “gives me a head start.”

Asked if he has a crime plan, Griffith said, “We are not going to have anti-crime plans based on ideas, hit and hope. It is going to be clinical, based on data, analysing threat assessments and then implementing anti-crime strategies.”

On how he will deal with rogue police officers, Griffith said policing is a contract of trust between citizens and law enforcement. If the two cannot trust each other and if it involves putting in place mechanisms to bring back that trust, Griffith said, “then so be it.” (TT Newsday)

Ja$300 million worth of new vehicles for Jamaican police

Jamaica’s Minister of National Security Peter Bunting has said that the country’s police are set to receive new vehicles, including patrol cars, pickups and motor bikes.

"We have just placed an order for about Ja$300 million worth of vehicles for the police," he said.

Bunting made the disclosure at a handing over ceremony of a motor bike and refurbished barracks and a newlybuilt recreation area at the Mandeville Police Station last Friday.

He said he is certain that Area Three, which consists of Manchester, St Elizabeth and Clarendon, will get their "fair allocation".

Bunting said, however, that given that the

Jamaica’s national security minister peter bunting (Jamaica Observer photo)

country is at the beginning of the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), there are severe constraints on public sector investment and expenditure. He commended the

Manchester Chamber of Commerce, which spearheaded the initiative for the bike to be donated by automotive company, Kingston Industrial Garage and the other stakeholders who lent their support for the work to be done.

"These contributions today, to my mind, signal a recognition on the part of the (Manchester) Chamber of Commerce, its members, other wider stakeholders that they too have a part to play in making our communities safe and secure," Bunting said.

Manchester Chamber of Commerce president Wendy Freckleton said that the refurbished barracks and the building of the recreation area cost close to Ja$1 million. (Jamaica Observer)

Guyana imports chicken to cushion shortage

The tourism, industry and commerce ministry of Guyana has granted 18 licences valid up to January 2014 for importation of chicken, which has been in short supply on the local market.

“After careful consultations with the poultry association and the major stakeholders involved in the chicken industry, especially representatives of the farming community, we decided to issue permits for the importation of chicken to almost every per-

son who applied,” acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali told the media on Monday.

The licences were issued in a measured way, only for the quantity that both the poultry association and the ministry assessed to be the gap in the market. Ali expressed the hope that within weeks, the situation could correct itself with the demand meeting the supply.

“We are encouraging the large poultry producers, and small farm-

ers, to step up production so we can control the market for the end of the year. Indeed, our consumption of chicken has increased tremendously; we need to ensure production continues to increase to meet that level,” the minister said.

Last month, the ministry, through its Consumer Affairs Division, continued to monitor the escalating prices for poultry on the local market.

Towards this end, ministry officials had met

Don't bash Chinese!

The Jamaican government has issued a stern warning to citizens not to engage in xenophobic discussions, which could affect the decision by the Chinese to invest in the country.

Speaking in the House of Representatives Tuesday, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said the tone of the discussion surrounding Chinese investment was less than desirable.

"If we continue to have the discussion this way, the question I want to ask is whether we want to say to the Chinese, do not invest in Jamaica," the prime minister said.

Her statement comes against the background of criticism that Chinese nationals are being brought to the island by their employers to take

jobs that can be performed by Jamaicans.

Opposition Member of Parliament, Pearnel Charles, had questioned whether the government had negotiated with the Chinese for a percent-

age of the jobs on certain projects to be done by the Chinese.

Simpson Miller denied knowledge of such agreements, saying "if that existed, it would not have been negotiated under my administration".

Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, responding to Simpson Miller, said Chinese investment in Jamaica was extremely important.

"However, foreign direct investment comes with some conditions. Some of them are known upfront and some of them are discovered as you go along," Holness noted.

He said it was the duty of the opposition to ensure that as "investments come in, it is the people who benefit and that the conditions are

with representatives of the Guyana Poultry Producers Association and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority, to discuss the possibility of an impending shortage.

“Both agencies confirmed that the problem was with a shipment of hatching eggs,” Derrick Cummings, who spoke on behalf of the ministry, explained.

The permits for the importation of chicken were granted at 100 per cent duty and were given to traditional import-

ers whose applications were pending. Those granted permission will be restricted to one or two containers, to be imported from Suriname and the United States.

Earlier this month, Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, said with the granting of licences for the importation of chicken, the issue of shortage would be greatly eliminated and once chicken prices are stabilised, those licences would not be renewed.

(Excerpt from Guyana Times)

PM Portia warns that criticism could deter investors from Jamaica

known upfront".

The government has been courting Chinese investment, which, it says, is critical to stimulating economic growth and development. However, segments of the population have been viewing the Chinese investments with skepticism.

Simpson Miller Tuesday attempted to douse those flames and stopped short of saying that those criticising the Chinese investments should put their money into local projects.

Critics should invest

"When I hear people running up their mouths about Chinese investments in Jamaica, before anyone criticises, they should show their level of investment in Jamaica," the prime minister said.

She added: "I want to thank the Jamaican

business people, large or small, for their continued investment in their homeland. But where we are today, we need some big investments to pull the economy from where we are…So all who want to criticise, come if you want to invest, and come with the money because the government does not have the money."

To add to investment in sugar, the Chinese are putting up US$650 million to complete the north-south secftion of Highway 2000. Most recently, through China Harbour Engineering Company, the Chinese were preparing to invest US$1.5 billion into port and logistics facilities on the island.

The latter investment involves a proposal for the use of the Goat Islands, located off the coast of Old Harbour, St

Catherine. Minister of Transport Dr Omar Davies Tuesday told the House that he had instructed the Port Authority to continue its assessment and monitoring of the proposed project area, to undertake detailed environmental and feasibility studies, and to offer effective guidance to the Chinese investors about the required development processes and approvals, which must be followed or attained before any final proposal is put to the Cabinet for consideration.

"This proposed investment of approximately US$1.5 billion would represent a key development milestone and could have a significant positive impact on the country's development agenda," Davies said. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Caricom, Cuba look to active role in post-2015 UN agenda debate

The Caribbean should take an active role at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) debate on the post 2015 Agenda.

This was the view expressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, as she addressed the opening ceremony in Grenada of the fourth meeting of foreign ministers of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and Cuba last Thursday evening.

The minister said that, later this month, when the UNGA debate opens, countries will be called upon to engage in healthy dialogue on the future beyond the global development compact represented by the Millennium Development Goals.

“We are looking forward to this discussion and it is our hope that we all take an active role in the deliberations with a view to ensuring that our region’s interests are adequately and effectively addressed,” she added.

Rodrigues-Birkett told her Cuban counterpart that Caricom was pleased to witness changes to his country’s agriculture, private sector, tax, and economic policies. These changes, she said, attested to Cuba’s resilience, its ability to adapt and its commitment to pursuing a development path that benefitted not only the people of Cuba, but also the wider Caribbean.

The foreign minister added, “In this regard, we will continue to advocate for the removal of the US embargo on Cuba. It is wrong and unjust.”

Caricom Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque, in his remarks, also alluded to the embargo. He noted that the Community had stood steadfastly with Cuba in hemispheric and international arenas on matters of great concern to the region.

“Paramount among these is the Community’s continuing demand for the lifting of the US embargo,” he stated.

The secretary-general indicated that Caricom would continue to engage with other actors in pursuit of Cuba’s full participation in hemispheric affairs. He said the Community “looks forward to the day when Cuba will be invited to take part in the Summit of the Americas process.”

LaRocque, in recognising Cuba’s role as president pro tempore of the Community of Latin America and the Caribbean States (CELAC), observed that the organisation’s objectives of deepening dialogue and interaction between the sub-regional groupings and their member states, and promoting greater synergies and opportunities for cooperation between these groupings, resonated with Caricom’s belief that there was need for the hemisphere to become more cohesive.

Guyana Court upholds partial ban on cross-dressing

Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang has ruled that crossdressing is not a crime once it is not done for improper purposes, lifting a partial ban on the practice, which goes to the heart of transgender activities in Guyana.

Gay and rights activists have already indicated that they will appeal the decision, clamouring for an absolute ruling that nullifies the decades-old legislation that restricts the way people dress in the country.

Chang’s ruling last Friday afternoon was delivered in a case involving Quincy McEwan, Seon Clarke, Joseph Fraser and Seyon Persaud against the attorney general of Guyana.

Constitutional motion

The four men were charged for cross-dressing several years ago, but later through their attorneys filed a constitutional motion calling for the court to nullify the law. Section 153 (1) (XLVII) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) provision makes a criminal offence of a man wearing female attire, and a woman wearing male attire, publicly, for any improper purpose.

The acting chief justice said that cross-dressing in a public place is an offence only if it is done for an improper purpose, according to the ruling.

He also found that the police violated the human rights of the four litigants in the case during their crackdown in

February 2009 when they arrested them under section 153(1) (XLVII) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, and he awarded each of the four arrested compensation of Gy$40,000 for breach of their rights to be informed as soon as reasonably practicable as to the reason(s) for their arrests under Article 139 (3) of the Guyana Constitution.

Justice Chang also decided that section 153 (1) (XLVII) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, is immune from the constitutional challenge brought by the four transgender litigants and their supporting organisations.

As an 1893 law, predating Guyana’s independence, the chief jus-

tice said “legislative rather than curial action is necessary to invalidate the provision”.

Praise, condemnation

Meanwhile, a joint release by several rights groups led by Colin Robinson of the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) and manager of the CariFLAGS Secretariat based in Trinidad, praised the court’s finding that “it is not criminally offensive for a person to wear the attire of the opposite sex as a matter of preference or to give expression to or to reflect his or her sexual orientation”.

The court found too that the law applies only to “attire” and not other gendered accoutrements

such as head wigs, ear rings or even shoes.

Reacting to the judgment, the first-named applicant, Quincy McEwan, better known as “Gulliver”, who is also the director of Guyana Trans United (GTU), noted that the chief justice was relatively clear that once someone is expressing gender identity, it is not criminal for a man to wear female attire.

“But the law really stifles us, because what could be an improper purpose? The trans community is very worried, and still fearful of arrests, in light of this decision,” he said. ‘The court did not clarify what improper purposes gave rise to the arrests in this case.”

The groups said in their release, that the acting chief justice was not convinced that the cross-dressing law amounted to “discrimination” on the basis of gender, which would have been in violation of the Guyana Constitution. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

Speaker removes Volney from TT’s Parliament

Trinidad and Tobago’s Speaker Wade Mark removed St Joseph MP Herbert Volney, “with immediate effect” from the House of Representatives moments after Monday’s budget speech, in an unprecedented invocation of the “Crossing of the Floor” provisions of the Constitution.

Volney resigned from the United National Congress (UNC)—on which ticket he had been elected to the House on May 24, 2010-after being fired as justice minister over the “section 34” scandal, and has since joined the Independent Liberal Party (ILP).

exit from the UNC.

Honourable Speaker is to be guided accordingly.”

Mark said on September 3, he got Persad-Bissessar’s letter dated August 26, which said Volney, elected under the UNC, had told her by letter he had resigned the party with immediate effect.

The MP has 14 days to mount a legal challenge to such ruling (49A(2) and 49A(3)), or if not he must vacate his seat after that period, and cease to perform his functions as a member of the House of Representatives, only to resume if he wins his legal proceedings (49A(4)).

Heavy price to pay

Meanwhile, minutes after Mark declared vacant the St Joseph seat held by Volney, the former justice minister said the government will have a high price to pay as he embarks on a legal challenge to the development.

Mark, unfazed that a gap in the Standing Orders had stopped past efforts to eject defecting MPs, said these House rules elsewhere let him deem Kamla PersadBissessar as the UNC leader in the House who is the apt person to trigger the process of Volney’s removal.

Businessman

Sameer Younis was last Friday conferred with the Order of Jamaica, the nation's fourth highest honour, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to community development and the retail industry.

Younis, 71, was given the honour at a special investiture ceremony at King's House, last Friday.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller applauded Younis on receiving

Hardly had Mark finished his ruling when Volney rose from his place, shook hands with Chaguanas West MP and ILP leader, Jack Warner, and quietly left the chamber, pursued by reporters.

Mark began his ruling by citing the letters sent to him by Volney and Persad-Bissessar, both confirming Volney’s

On July 31, Mark had received Volney’s letter of the same date which said, “I am to advise of my resignation from the United National Congress with effect from July 30th, 2013.

Mark said, “The Speaker’s power to declare that a member has resigned or has been expelled from a party is not defined by the procedural manner of notification but by the fact of resignation or expulsion.”

Volney then told reporters outside the Chamber, his attorneys would initiate legal action against the Speaker’s decision within 14 days as was provided under the Constitution. He said his attorneys had been preparing his legal challenge over the past ten days, as he had no alternative, but to resort to the court. He said: “The UNC has silenced me and silenced St Joseph in the House of Representatives and they would pay a heavy price for doing that.” (Excerpt from TT Newsday)

Jamaican businessman conferred with OJ

the honour, which she said is most deserving for someone, who has contributed so much to the country's growth and development, particularly in the re-development of downtown Kingston.

She pointed out that as president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Younis spearheaded some of the most sustained campaigns to revitalise the city of Kingston and has been a tireless champion for a greener and clean-

er city.

"I am inspired by his selfless contribution to those who are less fortunate. He touched my heart when he launched the inner-city programme...and started a training programme to lift the lives of a number of our young people in our inner cities. For that, we are indeed grateful," the prime minister said.

"I want to thank you for your selfless service to your country and particularly your contribu-

tion to lifting the lives of the poor in our inner cities," she added.

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen pointed out that Younis is among the 138 people to be recognised this year for their service to Jamaica's growth and development, and one of seven who will be invested as a member of the Order of Jamaica.

Having been engaged in civic affairs for over 40 years, Younis said that he is "humbled and

oured to get this award". Much of his work in this area focuses on the youth, particularly, those from the inner city. Through the JCC's Junior Achievement Programme, for which he was chairman from 1986 to 2001, Younis said the aim is to try to "re-energise the youth of this country to take responsibility for their actions difficult task but if we continue to press, we have a chance".

St Lucia, Canada to strengthen cooperation

Canada will continue to work closely with St Lucia to increase its economic prosperity, and generally improve security and strengthen cooperation.

That assurance came during the weekend from High Commissioner designate Richard Hanley when he presented his Letter of Introduction to Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony.

“Canada and St Lucia have a long-standing relationship. We have been good friends over the years. We have economic ties, family ties, academic exchanges and deep people to people engagement,” Hanley indicated.

He said Canada continues to support projects in St. Lucia through the Canada Fund for local Initiatives such as the St Lucia Development

Bank’s Youth Enterprise Equity Fund.

This project works towards training young entrepreneurs to understand the components of an accounting system.

While in St. Lucia, Commissioner Hanley also attended the graduation ceremony of the Regional Security System Supervisory Management Course, an initiative funded by the

Guyanese appointed director of PANCAP

Guyanese Dereck

Anthony Springer has been appointed director of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat said in a statement last week.

government of Canada to provide law enforcement officers with the skills and knowledge to function as efficient supervisors.

He said Canada will continue to work with St Lucia, toward securing a more prosperous hemisphere and improve upon the already harmonious relationship between the two countries.

(Antigua Observer)

Doctor warns against fertility drugs in TT

Mothers, who use over-thecounter fertility drugs to get pregnant, have a greater chance of giving birth to triplets, but also a greater health risk, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) in Trinidad, Dr Krishna Rampersadsingh, has warned.

The doctor, who delivered the country’s latest triplets last week, to Princes Town mother, Jannel Green-Campbel, told TT media that so high is the risk that a mother pregnant with

triplets, could die. He said that the latest protocol England had mandated to be followed for the developed world, was for doctors to not implant more than two embryos in the womb of a woman in cases of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

IVF is the process in which an egg is fertilised by a sperm outside the womb when natural or the use of fertility drugs of impregnating the woman, have failed. Rampersadsingh said that apart from fertility drugs and IVF, many women are also opting to have embryos implanted in their womb in their quest to have children.

Dr Rampersadsingh, said Green-Campbell is a healthy mother and her three newborn boys would soon be discharged from SFGH.

The mother, he said, had a normal pregnancy, but the specialist consultant sounded an advice to mothers who are unable to become pregnant and who have subjected themselves to fertility drugs or IVF methods.

“The risk factors are tremendous. The mother could, post delivery, become anaemic or suffer a stroke which is called preeclampsia—caused by high blood pressure,” Dr Rampersadsingh said. (TT Newsday)

Springer, a public health practitioner, behavioural scientist and strategic manager brings to the position 20 years of experience in the health sector, focusing on HIV and mental health. According to the secretariat, his extensive experience in policy, management and programme implementation at the national and regional levels has been facilitated by his work with civil society, government, regional and international technical assistance agencies.

Prior to this appointment, Springer served as strategy and resourcing officer in the PANCAP Coordinating Unit, Caricom Secretariat, providing broad-based leadership to PANCAP’s resource mobilisation

and strategic planning platform.

He also had responsibility for the management of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit’s component of the Global Fund Round 9 Grant. He previously served as a regional consultant in several health and development programmes, and as the national coordinator of voluntary counselling and testing for the health ministry and as UNAIDS’ focal point in Guyana.

He was also the senior advisor at the U.S.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Global AIDS Programme. Asked about his immediate priority, the director said it was providing leadership to create a supporting environment for eliminating stigma and discrimination and building consensus around the principles of human rights by promoting the roadmap of the PANCAP Justice for all programme. He said he looked forward to providing the dynamic and effective leadership required for re-engineering PANCAP and retooling the PANCAP Coordinating Unit to be responsive to the changing global HIV landscape within the milieu of health and development. He plans to utilise persuasive public health and economic evidence to make a case for prioritising HIV and obtaining the commitment required for country ownership and shared responsibility, key elements for sustaining the region’s response towards an AIDS-free generation.

Lawyer dismayed with drugsmuggling Jamaicans in Barbados

Jaydene Thomas, a Jamaican lawyer practising in Barbados, has admitted that she is sickened to the core by the number of Jamaicans who get caught attempting to smuggle drugs into that eastern Caribbean island.

Thomas, who is representing a Jamaican woman who after being found guilty of attempting to smuggle marijuana into Barbados, was sexually abused by police officers while in custody, said that at least one Jamaican each week appears before the courts for drug-related matters in that country.

This, she said, helps to put all Jamaicans in a bad light and allows for immigration officials at the Grantley Adams Airport to treat law-abiding Jamaicans with disdain and subject them to harsh treatment.

Figures released by Jamaica's ministry of foreign affairs and foreign trade last year, revealed that a total of 1,485 Jamaicans were refused entry on arrival in Barbados between 2007 and 2012.

"Every week at least

one Jamaican appears in court for bringing up drugs. It's getting ridiculous and it looks bad. Trust me, every single week I can count on a Jamaican to be in court for drugs and it is always the same story. Most are from the country areas. I am tired of helping them," Thomas told Jamaican media recently. Jamaicans, along with Guyanese nationals, are most often refused entry into Barbados than other Caricom nationals.

Jamaicans have long complained of being subjected to unfair treatment at the hands of the Barbadian officials, but Thomas is of the view

that the behaviour of some of her countrymen has fanned the flames of that fire.

Thomas also had a warning for Jamaican women who travel to the eastern Caribbean island to make a living off the sex trade by working as exotic dancers or in massage parlours, that they too are taking a big risk.

Jamaican women are sought after in Barbados and often promised big bucks by Barbadian pimps to sell their 'wares' in that country. But Thomas issued a stern warning that Jamaican women should be wary of the hustlers.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Cancer causing Jamaicans financial ruin, says health minister

Jamaica’s Minister of Health, Dr Fenton Ferguson says cancer is among the non-communicable diseases that is causing financial distress for Jamaicans and costing the government millions to treat.

“A diagnosis of cancer can cause financial ruin of a family. I gave an example recently of a drug for breast cancer that cost Ja$200,000 per dose and 18 doses are required for treatment.

That is Ja$3.6 million for just one aspect of treatment,” said Dr Ferguson. “This is not affordable for the average Jamaican family. This however is the reality among many persons in this country,” he lamented.

Dr Ferguson, speaking late last week, at the official launch of Caribbean Wellness Day 2013 held at Rooms on the Beach in Ocho Rios, St Ann explained that many families in Jamaica face the prospect of paying out millions of dollars to treat

cancer and other NCDs. “Among these con-

TT’s elections order puts extra seats in Couva, Princes Town

The Elections and Boundaries order, which provoked heated debate in Trinidad and Tobago’s Parliament last Friday, changes internal boundaries in Port-of-Spain, Chaguanas, Arima, Mayaro and Point Fortin, and increases seats in the UNC-controlled Couva/Tabaquite/ Talparo and Princes Town corporations. This was confirmed by both PNM MP Colm Imbert and Works Minister Suruj Rambachan.

The draft order, which was laid in Parliament last Friday, increases the number of local government seats from 134 to 136. It involves boundary changes for the several districts and seat additions of one each in Couva and Princes Town corporations. Presentation of the EBC order caused the government to come under stiff fire from the Opposition PNM and ILP leader Jack Warner.

They took the govern-

ment to task for bringing the document for debate “late...like a thief in the night.” Both sides had been focused on debating the proportional representation bill that day.

Imbert said the EBC changed internal boundaries in almost half the corporations and left the other half untouched. He said internal boundaries were changed for six out of the eight seats in Chaguanas, in two Port of-Spain seats, five Arima seats, three Point Fortin seats and two Mayaro seats. He said the Couva corporation, which had 13 seats now has 14 and the Princes Town corporation, which had nine before, now has ten.

“This order may very well change the outcome of the local government poll since a change of boundaries can affect the first-past-the-post system, which is being retained for election of councillors,” Imbert said.

“Changes in Chaguanas, for instance,

may be significant since there’s PNM support in Enterprise, so this could strengthen or weaken PNM seats—we have to see. The other problem with the laying of this report at this time is that government had it since 2011 and it might change the demographic of an area.

“But we’ve only now been told about it after parties screened and selected candidates and started campaigning.”

Asked how the changes affected the PP, Rambachan said Sunday: “It doesn’t really. We hold control of 11 corporations and we’ll campaign based on our performance. It’s an open contest.”

“There’s one more seat added to Couva/ Talparo /Tabaquite corporation area and one more added to the Princes Town corporation. Both areas are controlled by the UNC, so we’ll do the work we have to.” (Excerpt from TT Guardian)

ditions cancer is being highlighted for special focus not only because of the emotional anguish it causes, but also because mortality statistics show that as a group cancer is the second leading cause of death among women and the third leading cause of death among men in Jamaica. The cost to treat these diseases from the standpoint of the government is significant,” Dr Ferguson said.

A 2001 Caricom study estimated that

Jamaica spends an estimated 6 per cent of its gross domestic product or just over US$460 million on treating diabetes and hypertension alone, the health ministry said, adding that a World Bank study in 2011 reported that an individual suffering from NCDs spends approximately one third of household per capita expenditure on healthcare services and purchase of pharmaceutical drugs. (Jamaica Observer)

Essequibo Coast gets clinic for VIA testing

Sexually active women will soon have free access to visual inspection of the cervix, using acetic acid (VIA) testing at the Charity Oscar Joseph Hospital on the Essequibo Coast.

A new clinic was recently handed over to the Region Two administration by the Guyana Medical Relief (GMR).

The Gy$5 million facility is the third of its kind to be built by the GMR, a company located in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

GMR Chief Operations Officer Sharir Chan, said the clinic will assist young sexually active women to know their status early. He was pleased with the assistance and cooperation received from the Region Two administration during the execution of the project.

The clinic was constructed by Ramkarran Contracting Service and was completed within the contract deadline.

The GMR enjoys a strong partnership with the health ministry and various stakeholders in the supplying of drugs free of cost to Guyana.

According to Chan, the organisation has been providing medicine and building medical facilities in Guyana for the

past 20 years.

He said on a monthly basis, drugs are being supplied free of cost to several hospitals in Guyana, including the New Amsterdam, Suddie, Bartica, Mahaicony, Mercy, Davis Memorial and Linden hospital.

Chan said thus far, over US$50 million worth in drugs has been sent to Guyana. The organisation has over the years also donated beds, sewage pumps and has built a mortuary at Mahaicony.

The company has also supplied over 70,000 pairs of shoes to children in Guyana, and Chan said, it will continue to reach out to the less fortunate.

Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud, thanked the organisation for the kind gesture, noting that the building is a “big achievement” for

the region. The chairman said VIA service was being offered in Region Two, but at no designated building.

The regional chairman also used the opportunity to lobby the company for more help in terms of providing medical equipment and more medicine for the two hospitals in Region Two. Doctor-in-charge of the Charity Oscar Joseph Hospital Afarah Khan also expressed gratitude to the GMR, pointing out that VIA testing will be done once per week once the requisite equipment are installed in the building.

She said the clinic will be targeting sexually active women between the ages of 18-55, and once diagnosed, patients will be referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. (Guyana Times)

Barbados PM confident of implementing fiscal adjustment programme

Prime Minister Freundel Stuart says his administration intends to meet the deadline set for implementing the fiscal adjustment programme, as Barbados grapples with a sluggish economy.

The adjustment programme was announced in the national budget presented last month by Finance Minister Chris Sinckler and Stuart, who met with union leaders last week, said “we intend to meet this 19-month programme of targets, not in a chaotic way, but in a clear and

humane way”.

Stuart met with officials from the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) to clarify issues pertaining to temporary employees in the public service.

He underscored the critical role the NUPW has to play in helping its membership adding it was, therefore, necessary to put all the issues into perspective so the union could advise accordingly.

“I met with the relevant government officials and we have put in place a set of procedures

that will govern the process, which was outlined in the budget. The ministries and departments are expected to gather all relevant information by September 30, 2013, for the analysis of the existing financial situation.

“That analysis will put us in a position to assess the real impact of the 10 per cent cut in government’s expenditure on the emoluments of temporary employees, persons in acting positions and substitutes,” he added. (Excerpt from Barbados Advocate)

TT’s tourism stakeholders upset Cadiz gone

Tourism stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago have spoken out against the prime minister’s decision to change the tourism minister for the third time in three years, saying each new appointment further delays much-needed plans to boost and improve the country’s tourism product.

President of the Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association (THRTA), Hassel Thom, last Friday lamented “every time a minister changes, our industry experiences much unwarranted and unneeded upheavals.”

“It takes the new tourism minister and the TDC Board, a minimum of six months to get their feet on the ground before we can start propelling this industry forward in the way it should go.” Thom was addressing the media last Friday afternoon at a joint press conference held at

Stephen cadiz has been removed from his previous job as tt’s tourism minister (TT Guardian file photo)

Courtyard by Marriott, Port-of-Spain. Also in attendance were representatives of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association (THTA), the Small Tourism Accommodation Owners of TT (STAOTT) and the TT Incoming Tour Operators (TTITOA).

In a joint statement issued last Friday, the tourism stakeholders said they “were shattered” when Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar replaced

Stephen Cadiz as tourism minister. Cadiz switches jobs with Chandresh Sharma, becoming transport minister with Sharma now the tourism minister.

“Minister Cadiz was only appointed in June last year with little experience in the industry. His approach was refreshing as he embraced the stakeholders on both islands almost from his first day in office,” the joint statement read.

The stakeholders voiced support too for Tourism Development Company chairman Brian Frontin, appealing to the prime minister to leave him in this position.

Secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Incoming Tour Operators (TTITOA), Lorraine Pouchet, told reporters that if the prime minister had thought to consult stakeholders prior to her Cabinet reshuffle, Cadiz would still be tourism minister. (Excerpt from TT Newsday)

Over 85 percent of missing children in Jamaica return home - Minister Hanna reports

More than 85 per cent of children reported missing for the period January to August 23 this year in Jamaica have since returned home, a senior government official has said.

Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna, reported that 1,297 of the 1,518 children reported missing over the period have been successfully reunited with their families.

Hanna, who was addressing a recent press briefing held at the Office of the Prime Minister, said that of the total number of missing children, 325 were males and 1,193 were females. Nine children (six males and three females) were found dead and 212 are still missing.

"I have mandated the OCR (Office of the Children's Registry) to devise a successful and reliable system of informing the public of when there is recovery and the return of missing children because still, persons feel that a lot of the children have not been recovered when they actually have and successfully so," Hanna said.

She also urged parents to ensure that they have a recent photograph of their child, and sup-

ply a copy to the school at the start of every academic year, as this will assist in the recovery effort in the event a child goes missing.

"If we all assist to create stronger platforms and integration mechanisms to work with the various government agencies, and if something happens to your child, the recovery will be a lot quicker. We are utilising electronic media now and we are utilising billboards," the youth minister said.

She informed that for financial year 2013/14, a sum of Ja$6.7 million has been allocated to the Amanda Alert programme.

The OCR has recruited an Amanda Alert officer and has shortlisted persons for the position

GPL promises Guyanese improved operations with ongoing investments

Amidst criticisms that the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) continues to operate below par, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bharat Dindyal expressed optimism that the power company will soon overcome its challenges.

Speaking at a public forum at Duke Lodge, Duke Street, Georgetown last Friday, Dindyal said the completion of the US$30 million 26 megawatt Wartsilla Power Plant at Vreed-en-Hoop and the US$38.96 million Infrastructure Development Project, which includes the construction of 69KV transmission line, seven new substations and the expansion and upgrade of three existing sub-stations will set the foundation to propel the company forward. These projects are expected to enhance the efficiency of the power company.

Demands

of Amanda Alert administrator following the approval of new posts by the Cabinet.

Hanna noted that three strategies are being proposed to create a more effective public advisory system.

"One is safety information to reduce the number of children that go missing; two, instances of missing children that are complete with names, locations, photographs and other pertinent information; and three, the recovery and return of missing children," she outlined.

Meanwhile, Spatial Data Analyst in the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Careylee Dixon, disclosed that mapping reports show a high concentration of missing children reports from the Waltham Park and Hagley Park Road areas of St Andrew.

"These are mostly areas some would consider low income areas and so, utilising geospatial technology, we can provide scientific basis and location," Dixon said.

She also informed that there is a higher number of missing children cases being reported at the Hunt's Bay police station for both 2012 and 2013. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

is the first major investment to reduce technical losses in the history of the company.

Turning his attention to commercial losses, Dindyal said with financial backing from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to the tune of US$5 million, the power company has implemented a project, which involves the

Metering Infrastructure (AMI) or ‘smart metering system’ will be implemented with the distribution 2000 meters across Georgetown and neighbouring communities.

Boasting about the initiative, Dindyal said the smart metering system is popular among North American nations and in other parts

With the completion of the 26 megawatt Wartsilla Power Plant in April 2014, Dindyal said major emphasis will be placed on loss reduction. In 2009, losses peak at 44.3 per cent; however, from 2010 to 2012, it remained at approximately 31 per cent. Despite the decrease since 2009, operational and electricity theft continue to be a major hurdle.

He said the Infrastructure Development Project, which is being funded through a concessional loan from the China Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank of China),

distribution of technologically advanced Prepaid Metering System that will reduce the high number of illegal connections. According to Dindyal, the project has already proven to be effective.

Theft

With the involvement of major technical expertise from the IDB, GPL has created an environment which reduces the high possibility of electricity theft.

Optimistic about the reduction of commercial losses, Dindyal said by year-end, the Advanced

of the world, since it allows for disconnection, reconnection and readings of consumers’ energy consumption from one central location, in this case, GPL’s main office. However, to achieve a major reduction of commercial and technical losses, millions of U.S. dollars are required.

Blackouts Meanwhile, in addressing the periodic power outages, the GPL chief executive officer said these were caused due to torrential rains. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

National exhibition promotes Guyana’s indigenous people

The Amerindian Craft and Food Exhibition and Cultural Night in Guyana, which ran from September 2 to 5, saw scores of persons in attendance on the final night, ending on a high note.

The event, which was held at the Amerindian Village, Sophia Exhibition Complex, displayed the diversity of the indigenous culture and was part of the planned activities for the 19th Amerindian Heritage Month celebrations.

On sales were a variety of indigenous jewellery, such as beads and necklaces.

The food exhibition afforded Guyanese an opportunity to taste a wide variety of dishes and drinks prepared and used by Amerindians. This year’s event was said to be the largest as compared to previous years.

The talent show saw electrifying cultural pieces in the form of dances, songs and rit-

uals from Amerindian talent groups from Surama, Karadaranau, Sand Creek, Mainstay, Kwebanna and Barima Wini.

Amerindian Affairs Ministry Liaison Officer Yvonne Pearson, said the ministry is pleased with the success of the event and the participation of persons this year, adding that the ministry is looking forward to have greater participation in 2014.

“A lot of effort was put in all the planning, to get

the people out here, so we are glad the event is so successful.”

Room for improvement

She stated that the ministry is always open to input on how it can improve its activities, adding that there is always room for development.

The event received mixed views on the overall response from exhibitors who took part, hailing from Regions One, Two, Four, Five, Six and Nine. Many of the exhibitors noted that being a

part of the exhibition over the years has aided them significantly, to financially support their families, adding that they hope the exhibition would have extended into the weekend.

Margerie Rodgrigues of Moruca, Region One, who has been a part of the exhibition since it began, said “It was good on the

Beneficial

She added that being a part of the annual event has helped her to send some of her products overseas to be sold and showcased.

Meanwhile, Barbara Thomas of Moruca, Region One, said initially, business was slow, but on the final night, it improved.

ous years. “The sales and the organising has really changed up, it costs more.” However, he said the event has helped him to gain more customers over the years.

first day while the second, the third, it wasn’t that good, but tonight has been very good and I can assure that before the end of the night, all my products will be finished.”

Another craftsman, Neville Calistro from Kabakaburi, who has participated in the event from the inception, added that this year was quite different from the previ-

Some of the exhibitor’s said they believe the event should have been advertised more, positing that it was not enough to market their products.

The month is being observed under the theme: “Honouring Our Culture, Advancing Our Future”. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

Jamaican big names spread dancehall fever in brooklyn

Apacked house saw outstanding performances on Sunday's closing night of the Caribbean Fever Irie Jamboree Music Festival. The three-day event took place on Labour Day at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Dancehall ‘who's who’ rocked the crowd—from Mr Easy, who opened the show, to Capleton who brought the curtains down.

I-Octane followed Mr Easy, scoring well with his signature hit ‘Say Boom’, as well as ‘My Life’, ‘No Love Inna Dem’, and ‘Gal A Gimmi Bun’.

Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley, joined by brothers Julian and Stephen, gave a rounded set, which included ‘Exodus’, ‘Set Up Shop’, ‘Road To Zion’, ‘It Was Written’, ‘Traffic Jam’ and ‘Shootout’.

Midway his set, he invited Irie Jamboree pitchman Bobby Clarke on stage. Clarke got down on his knees and proposed marriage to his lady Syn Dawkins who accepted.

Appropriately, Gong segued into ‘Affairs of The Heart’ as the couple sealed the moment with a kiss. For an encore, the Grammy winner performed the anthem ‘Welcome to Jamrock’.

Making what was billed as her last performance as a dancehall artiste, Lady Saw was typically outrageous.

She called on Beenie Man to do their hit song, ‘Healing’. Spragga Benz also joined her for an explicit stint that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

The highlight of Saw's performance was her delivery of the burlesque hit ‘Heels On’, which saw her bringing audience members on stage.

Shabba Ranks delivered a workmanlike set that found favour with hardcore dancehall fans.

The preceding nights of Caribbean Fever Irie Jamboree Music Festival were dedicated to performers from the French and Eastern Caribbean. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

week ending September 12, 2013 |

Caribbean and South Asian cultures showcased in one grand event

STORY AND PHOTOS

BY NADIA HUSSEIN

Two cultures were blended together for one great event in Newmarket last Saturday.

The Caribbean & South Asian Showcase took place at the Newmarket Community Centre featuring the music, art, food, and fashion of both areas.

Throughout the six hour festival, there was plenty of entertainment to enjoy. Attendees were transported to the islands by the sounds of the steel pan.

The ‘SteelBandits’ transitioned seamlessly between their songs. Their set started off with the soca song ‘Bacchanalist’ before going into Bollywood territory with ‘Kal Ho Na Ho.’

Many patrons moved to the beat in their seats as the group continued with ‘Nah Going Home’ and ‘It’s Carnival.’

The crowd was treated to dancing by the Footsteps Hot Divas consisting of Brianna Bridgemongal, Jasmine Ramcharran, and Selena Ramcharran-Smith. They put on a high-energy performance to the chutney tunes ‘Bacchanal’ and

members of the ‘Steelbandits’ brought some island vibes to the event with their performance

‘Sawan Ke.’ As well, sisters Alana and Aleah Pitamber were well choreographed to ‘Anarkali Disco Chali.’

Other acts included the popular calypso, reggae, and soca singer MonT-Hama, the soul and jazz stylings of Guyanese singer George St. Kitts, and bhangra and dhol by the Nachdi Jawani group.

UWI's treasure trove in Jamaica

What would you call a space that houses more than 170 pieces of art? A gallery? A museum? Or an art aficionado's sprawling villa? The answer: none of the above. What if one said that these artefacts sit in a library?

Visitors would rarely notice-as they lug their journals, laptops and reading material to study or sift through cat-

Mona campus, Jamaica, is the abode of pieces of art that are both steeped in history and a convergence of cultures from across the world.

"We have a wide collection of art in the library," informed Frances Salmon, head, West Indies and Special Collection. "This not only adds to the aesthetic appeal, but is, in a way, showcasing the works of art from different coun-

alogues and books to research-that a library is more than a book bank.

The Mona Library at the University of the West Indies (UWI),

tries."

From the replicas of Taino ceramic pieces from Cuba, which hold significance not only of their era, but for the

mere fact that they were gifted by President Fidel Castro when he visited the Mona campus in 1977, to sculptures carved by Edna Manley, and the Ras Dizzy collection, the premises of the Mona Library holds gems that are subtly scattered.

Salmon said the art collection dates back to the inception of the institution. "The collection has been built through purchase and donations. By far, the largest collection is housed in the main library," she said.

The sculpture of a woman in a corridorwith her arm wrapped around her bosom and eyes closed, as if in a trance-catches the eye of the visitor. A focal point in the section, this wood sculpture, 'The Land,' is a work by Edna Manley.

"'The Land' is one of our earliest acquisitions," Salmon informed. "This was an anonymous donation to the library in 1948."

Among other works, the A.D. Scott and Ras Dizzy collections form the meridian of the compilation, in addition to other pieces by Caribbean artists. "[The] Ras Dizzy Collection serves as a memorial to the Mona Campus' unofficial 'artist in residence'," she informed, adding that the collection comprises 26 paintings.

Mona Library's compilation of artwork is made up of original paintings, carvings, sculpture, ceramics and realia.

The works in the Mona Library are historical gems, which complement the rich history and culture of Jamaica, and are dotted across the UWI, Mona campus. Sitting on 653 acres, the campus charts its history dating back to the early days of black enslave-

Guests were not only invited to try the cultural foods, from chicken curry to butter chicken, but bring along a non-perishable food item for donation to the Newmarket Food Pantry.

The Caribbean & South Asian Showcase was a free event presented by the Ranji Singh Foundation, which has

a dedicated organizing committee.

“I believe we have a lot to offer in a society where multiculturalism prevails,” the foundation’s president Ranji Singh said. “Our foundation's purpose is, to help neighbours appreciate and celebrate this diversity time after time through events and programs,” he said.

Fossil evidence indicates sea turtles shared Earth with dinosaurs more than 210 million years ago, giving sea turtles the title, “dinosaurs of the ocean”.

Sea turtles are the ultimate lesson in ecology–everything is connected due to their inhabiting and using both land and ocean. If sea turtles become extinct, both the marine and land ecosystems will weaken, which will also weaken humans interaction with these systems.

project coordinator.

Recognising the importance of focusing on habitat and ecosystem management for species protection, as well as the need to address sustainable livelihoods for local communities, GMTCS identified and has been working in sea turtle monitoring and conservation; education and awareness; research, sustainable livelihood development and promoting Shell Beach as a protected area.

Monitoring and con-

evident through the number of turtles tagged along approximately 3-4km of the 120km beach.

Projects

Throughout the years, GMTCS has also established environmental camps that bring groups of youths, teachers and parents from schools in the north-western region of Guyana to learn and participate in the conservation efforts.

Upon returning to their respective areas, participants formed en-

For these reasons, sea turtles are worth saving, and the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society works to do just so.

GMTCS history GMTCS was formally established in April 2000. The co-founders were Dr Peter Pritchard, Audley James and Annette Arjoon, who was hired as

servation is accomplished through field camps covering main nesting sites, manned by local and former sea turtle hunters, as a means of gaining an alternative source of income to sea turtle harvesting. Nightly patrols deter persons from killing sea turtles for meat, and egg poaching.

GMTCS’ efforts are

vironmental clubs, and later hired as sea turtle wardens.

Recognising that the success of conservation at Shell Beach will depend on the empowerment of local communities, as well as improving the social condition of local user communities, GMTCS is looking at sustainable economic proj-

ects for these communities, which have centred on handicraft, embroidery, organic products and tourism.

As communities in and around Shell Beach have limited options for income generation and thus often turn to other resources, including sea turtle meat for both income and subsistence, in 2004, GMTCS launched North West Organics (NWO), a geographic branding used to market products from user communities along the Waini River in the Shell Beach study area.

Communities of upper, middle and lower Waini, Warapoka and Hossorroro were involved in the harvesting and production of NWO products. This line of products currently includes Crabwood oil, handmade soaps, cassava cassareep

and cocoa sticks. Profits from the sale of North West Organics have already contributed significantly to their development.

GMTCS has also assisted the formation of Moruca Embroidery, a sewing group of women and young girls from the Santa Rosa and Waramuri communities.

Shell Beach is recognised nationally as an area warranting protection for its ecological and cultural diversity. After continuous advocacy by GMTCS, the government of Guyana declared Shell Beach a protected area in October 2011.

Challenges

Biodiversity specialist and GMTCS’ board member Michelle Kalamandeen pointed out that “Sea turtles continue to be harvested at Shell Beach, and sold in

communities, but at a reduced rate. This makes education and awareness and continual engagement with communities a necessity.”

She added that, “We have seen that there’s more awareness and appreciation of sea turtles, especially among youths in communities. Unfortunately, we have a lack of continuous funding. Currently, most of our activities are project based, which hampers effective long term planning and sustainability of activities undertaken.”

Earlier this year, GMTCS received the Caribbean Tourism Organization/Travel mole award for Biodiversity Conservation for its outstanding conservation work. (Excerpt from Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Trinidad-born filmmaker brings Grenada Olympic victory to the screen

The 2012 London Olympics produced many high points for the Caribbean—the Jamaican track and field team’s domination of the 100m, TT in the javelin throw—but the most memorable regional victory had to be Grenada’s first Olympic medal thanks to Kirani James’ masterful performance in the 400m.

That gold—and the effect it had on James’ countrymen—is the subject of a new documentary film, ‘Footprints’, by co-producers Simone Princess Donelan and Barry Collymore. Perhaps best known locally for her role in the long-running soap opera ‘Westwood Park’, Donelan has long preferred working behind the scenes.

Trinidad-born of Grenadian parentage, she had worked with Grenadian producer Collymore on a documentary about the killing of Maurice Bishop. “Barry

called me just before the Olympics,” Donelan recalled, “and explained that there was a big possibility that Kirani James would medal, but that the Grenadian crews weren’t really covering it.”

Donelan, who grew up in Grenada, recognised the potential of the story and went on faith. She put a small crew together and got on a plane to Grenada.

Keron Lemessy, another Trinidadian, did the sound and the producers hired two more camera operators in Grenada. When it was time for the 400m final, the crew was ready, cameras rolling, just in case James placed in the top three. “You have to remember that things were rough in Grenada then. Tillman Thomas was in office,” she pointed out. (Thomas and his party, the NDC, lost every seat in this year’s general election.)

Capturing celebrations

“There was 50 per cent unemployment and crime was high.” James’

the trajectory of the story began to shift from being entirely about

down, but [the people there] are a proud people. Once, when Kirani was

win changed the climate. “There was suddenly an outpouring of love. People would hug and kiss you on the streets; there were no incidents. It was such a carnivallike atmosphere. It was magical!”

So magical, in fact, that when the producers saw what they had captured on camera,

Kirani James to exploring Grenadians’ celebration of his win. Donelan maintains that this is part of what makes the film compelling.

“Grenadians took ownership of him. Kirani comes from an area called Gun Battle, in Gouyave, a fishing village on the island’s west coast. The area is poor and a bit run

running a race against some older boys and beat them, the boys put their own money together to buy him a pair of shoes.”

The admiration for Kirani James stems from his own humble attitude and “what a beautiful person he is,” according to Donelan. “The people of Gun Battle knew his trials. His mother

worked hard and is a big reason behind his success. There were church services before his race and thanksgiving services when he came back home. Grenadian flags were flying everywhere.”

Toronto showing Come next month, the Grenadian flag will be flying high at the CaribbeanTales Market Incubator Programme at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. “That invitation was what forced us to edit the footage and finish the film,” Donelan admitted.

The hope is for ‘Footprints’ to screen on the film festival circuit, as well as show to schools and general audiences in Grenada. Naturally, Grenadians have a vested interest in seeing the film, but why should everyone else?

“Because,” says Donelan, “who doesn’t love a story about dreams coming true?” (TT Guardian)

Guyana welcomes convoy of yachts to Essequibo adventure

AConvoy of yachts graced Guyana’s shores earlier this week, as they made their way from Trinidad and Tobago to French Guiana, as part of the Nereid’s Rally.

As the fleets sailed up the Essequibo River, they were welcomed in grand style at the Hurakabra River Resort, owned and operated by Christopher Nascimento and his wife Gem Nascimento.

According to a Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) release, the welcome activity, sponsored by the tourism ministry was facilitated through an inter-agency collaboration with the Coast Guard, Customs and Immigration, the Guyana Police Force, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and other private sector stakeholders.

The joint approach employed is in keeping with Guyana’s acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali’s commitment to en-

sure that all systems are in place to make the inaugural event a success, with safety, security and ease of access of principal importance.

Yacht industry

is creating and the interest of participants, a second convoy is expected in October; this will be led by former international sailor Simon Wall.

When the vessels ar-

welcomes the arrival of cruisers.

Meanwhile, planning for this highly anticipated event began months ago and a team travelled to Trinidad and Tobago,

He said too that the ministry’s aim is to use this event to catapult the local yacht industry, and to harness the influx of yachts to develop the necessary infrastructure to further support the industry. As testimony to the stir, the event

rive, they will make their way to the mining town of Bartica, 30 miles from the mouth of the Essequibo and at the centre of the confluence of three great rivers, the Mazaruni, Cuyuni and Essequibo; this is an official port of entry and

in early August, to promote the event and to encourage maximum participation from yacht enthusiasts there.

During the meetings with the yachtees in Trinidad, GTA Marketing Manager Carla Chandra and now

Pulse chooses new faces at Caribbean Fashion Model event

Sixteen-year-old Francine James walked away with the coveted Caribbean Fashion Model title at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in St Andrew on Sunday.

The leggy 5ft 8.5in model's win signals the beginning of a modelling contract with local agency Pulse and an opportunity to launch an international career like her predecessors, including Jaunel McKenzie, Gaye McDonald and Oraine Barrett.

The evening's other

winners were Chrisna Chue, who copped Petite Model title; Ryan Stewart, Male Face; and Marsha Alexander, who took top honours in the Full Figure category. The runners-up in the Fashion Model category were Shanice Cutino and Janelle Watson. For the Petite Model, Tanecia Murray and Shanique Robinson, were second and third, respectively; while Raquel Ffrench and Collena Bryan, were first and second runners-up among the Full Figure ladies. Jamell

Smith and Alex Graham were second and third, respectively in the Male Face category.

Pulse's CEO Kingsley Cooper, whose firm has hosted the event for more than three decades, was happy with Sunday evening's event.

He said a New Yorkbased model agency representative--Tyron Barrington--was in attendance and offered a few contracts.

"He was very impressed and offered contracts to a couple of the girls. He is also a cast-

Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) President Christopher Nascimento, made presentations on Guyana’s tourism product, including visitor tips and travel information such as visa’s and customs clearance, which are to date, the most efficient and straightforward in the Caribbean.

Cruising destination

Cruisers may now sail up the Essequibo River, about a four-hour motor sail from the estuary, to clear customs, immigration and health authorities within an hour of checking in by completing the simplest of customs clearance forms to be found at any cruising destination in the Caribbean and South America.

Close to 50 persons attended the session and almost all the participants there expressed excitement at the possibility of sailing into the mighty Essequibo River, which is featured promi-

nently in the third edition of the ‘Chris Doyle Cruising Guide for Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Guyana’. Doyle, regarded as the guru of pleasure cruising in the Caribbean and North Eastern South America, decided to feature Guyana in his guide.

‘The Doyle Guide’ (www.doyleguides. com) provides full chart and waypoint navigational advice on approaching the Essequibo River and sailing upriver to Bartica and the attractive anchorages in the vicinity off Baganara Island Resort, Hurakabra River Resort and the Shanklands Resort. These resorts are exceptionally beautiful nature destinations, which offer exceedingly comfortable and well appointed accommodation, jungle walks, birding, beach front dining, well stocked bars, recreation facilities, water sports and dingy docking. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

Suriname’s most popular

novel to be released in English

The London-based epublishing house, Hope Road, has announced that it will soon release the English version of one of Suriname’s most popular novels–“The Cost of Sugar”.

“We acquired the ebook rights in 2011. From the moment I read the book, I fell in love with it and we are delighted to have now acquired the print edition,” said Hope Road Commissioning Editor Rosemarie Hudson.

novel was an instant bestseller in Suriname for Vaco Press, and also in the Netherlands in 1995 for Uitgeverij Conserve. About 100,000 copies were sold.

ing director and presently looking models for an Avon commercial. He has expressed interest in some of them," Cooper told Jamaican media.

Part of the evening's entertainment came from Caribbean Model Search (CMS) Dancers, who displayed some of the latest dance moves.

Model hopeful, Sadika Thompson's solo performance drew a few laughs as she ran off stage after a few words in her song. She returned, composed and mimed it to the end.

(Jamaica Observer)

“The Cost of Sugar”, the first book to be published by Hope Road in print, will be on shelves internationally just before the movie premieres. Hudson characterised the book as an engrossing account of 18th century Suriname at the time when the country was ruled by the Dutch.

The Dutch edition of the book sold 50,000 copies and has also been produced as a theatre play. The “Cost of Sugar” has also been produced as a six-CD audiobook, narrated by jazz singer Denise Jannah.

The “Cost of Sugar” is the successful debut of Suriname’s most celebrated historical novelist, Cynthia McLeod. Published in 1987, the

The book was also published in German. In an engrossing historical account, McLeod takes her readers back to the 18th century (between 1765-1779), recapping those intriguing rabid times through the eyes of two Jewish stepsisters, Elza and Sarith, descendants of the settlers of ‘New Jerusalem of the River’, know today as Jodensavanne, the oldest Jewish settlement in Suriname, which boasts the first synagogue in the western hemisphere.

The “Cost of Sugar” is a frank exposé of life in the Dutch slave colony when sugar ruled as king–and the tragic toll it took on the lives of colonist and slaves alike. McLeod was decorated as Dame in the Honorary Order of the Golden Palm in 1988 by the president of Suriname. She is the widow of the late Ambassador Donald McLeod, and daughter of Dr Johan Ferrier, the last governor and first president of Suriname.

Three Trinidadian students get Canadian scholarships

Three students of The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), ChristyAnn Motee, Joyelle Williams and Arminda Bailey will embark on a journey of a lifetime as they take up scholarships to study at Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Canada.

The scholarships have been granted through the Canadian government’s Emerging Leaders in the Americas Programme (ELAP).

The ELAP represents the government’s commitment to participation in international study and research partnerships among peoples of the Americas.

Senator Fazal Karim, Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training, Professor Dyer Narinesingh, President, UTT, and Professor Winston Suite, acting Provost, along with other senior academic and corporate staff were on- hand for a special ceremony where the students were presented with UTT-branded gear; includ-

ing backpacks, pins and polo jerseys.

Minister Karim encouraged the students to represent themselves and their country with pride and to “Do everything to acquire knowledge as you are our success story”.

President of UTT, Professor Dyer Narinesingh, commended the students’ achievements as they were among a select few in the Americas to be granted these scholarships. He applauded the involvement of the parents whom he commended for “weeding, molding and fertilising” these young minds over the years and insisted that as brand ambassadors, they were now representing both UTT and Trinidad and Tobago as well.

UTT signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in September, 2012. It was this formalised agreement that served as the catalyst for negotiations with the Canadian government resulting in the award of these three ELAP scholarships.

The scholarships are for the period September—December, 2013, and all three recipients will be given the opportunity to conduct research in their scholastic fields.

According to scholarship awardee Christy-Ann Motee who, along with Joyelle Williams, is currently enrolled in UTT’s Bachelor of Education programme with Specialisation in Early Childhood Care and Education, “I am looking forward to this new experience and interacting with other international students”.

Her colleague, Joyelle, said that she was “happy to be an ambassador for UTT and Trinidad and Tobago” and indicated that this scholarship was the continuation of something great in her academic life. Arminda Bailey, of UTT’s Diploma in Animation Studies programme, said that she was, “honoured to be among the first students of UTT to enjoy this opportunity of a lifetime” and pledged her commitment to “give back to Trinidad and Tobago”. (TT Newsday)

Most Caribbean people living longer, except young men - report

Anew World Bank report states that with the exception of young men, most people in the Caribbean and Latin America are living much longer than they did 40 years ago.

The report, “The Global Burden of

children 4 years old or younger and by more than 50 percent for women between the ages of 20 and 44.

For men between the ages of 15 and 19, however, the mortality rate has increased by 1 percent, largely due to deaths from road inju-

tween 1990 and 2010, while interpersonal violence, depression and low back pain grew by 35, 40 and 57 percent, respectively.

The report is based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2010 (GBD 2010), a

Disease: Generating Evidence, Guiding Policy,” released in Washington D.C last Wednesday by the World Bank and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), also says the mortality rate in the region has dropped by at least 80 percent for

ries and rising violence.

It also highlights the fact that the Latin America and Caribbean region (LAC) faces increasing threats from chronic disease, violence and road traffic injuries.

In the region, health loss from heart disease grew by 36 percent be-

collaborative effort of researchers from 50 countries around the world, led by IHME at the University of Washington and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The report finds that, similar to global trends, communicable,

A new home

By Anu Dev

“Home is the nicest word there is.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Well I’ve finally done it. I’ve taken that big step – I’ve enrolled in university. I’m now a med student at UWI Mt Hope, Trinidad. And I’ve survived my first week here! It’s been a lot to take in adapting to a new country with a culture that’s a bit different from Guyana’s.

maternal, nutritional, and newborn diseases are becoming less important in LAC as noncommunicable diseases kill more people prematurely and cause increasing disability.

“The rapid shifts in disease burden place poor people in low- and middle-income countries at high risk of not having access to appropriate services and incurring payments for health care that push them deeper into poverty,” said Timothy Evans, World Bank Director of Health, Nutrition and Population.

“The data in these new reports are critical inputs to the efforts of policymakers in countries towards universal health coverage that aim to improve the health of their people, communities, and economies,” he added.

The report details preventable risk factors that account for a substantial amount of premature death and disability in the region.

These include dietary risks, which include not eating enough fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and eating too much salt.

The World Bank said it commissioned the first Global Burden of Disease analysis as part of its World Development Report 1993. (CMC)

Their per capita GNP is three times larger than ours – and it shows! It’s a bit different hearing people all around me speaking in a different accent. And they have some different names for fruits and even some of the fishes over here, so that’s taking some getting used to. And learning new street names and places – I don’t think I even know all of the street names in Georgetown! I usually just say, “I’m at * insert landmark*”. But I guess the biggest change for me to get used to is the living away from home part. Away from my family, away from the friends I’ve made in Guyana. It’s like starting from scratch – a blank canvas.

After being at the highest level of high school (Upper Six) I’m now starting from the bottom again, except this time I’m in a whole new country.

And it’s the little things that are adding up and becoming the big things. I can’t sleep through my alarm and expect my mom or dad to dash up the stairs to my room to wake me up before I miss the bus. No more just dumping my clothes into my laundry basket and finding them neatly packed away in my drawers.

But there’s that powerful feeling of independence and accomplishment when you manage to wake yourself up on time, when you mange to make your breakfast early enough, when you make it to class five minutes early with your hair neatly combed.

But for the first time, I miss our QC uniform. A little bit. In high school I knew exactly what I’d be wearing the next day. Now I throw open my closet door and hope for something to fall out, neatly pressed and ready for me to wear.

And of course, having lived in Guyana all my life, it’s really different being probably the only Guyanese in year-one of med school – and only one of a handful of Guyanese in med school overall here in Trinidad. I have my Guyana Amazon Warrior flag on my wall though! But thank God for Skype and technology! At least I can still stay connected with my family, see them, and talk to them every day.

But this has just been the first week which has basically been just an orientation week familiarising us with what to expect from our classes and how to get around the massive complex.

Next week the actual work begins.

But Trinidad has been absolutely lovely so far. It’s a nice feeling waking up in the mornings to a view of the mountains from my bedroom window.

And also, I wish the new first-formers in Guyana all the best! They’re about to embark on some of the best years of their lives and they’ve already survived first week which, in some cases, can be one of the biggest hurdles.

Deepika Padukone out of 'Fast And Furious 7'?

With all the hoopla surrounding Deepika Padukone's Hollywood debut with 'Fast and Furious 7', it turns out that now the pretty actress might not even do the film.

The actress, who was finalised for the movie while she was in Dubai, has apparently decided to let go of the project due to date issues.

The actress, who was reportedly keen to star in the movie, did try her to best to accommodate her dates for the project. However, since she had work commitments with Bollywood directors, the actress had no option but to bow out of the project.

A report in Midday says that the

actress was asked to give dates from September 2013 to January 2014. However, these dates were clashing with her shooting schedule for ‘Happy New Year’ and ‘Ram Leela’. (TOI)

‘Women should carry knife to protect themselves’ - Shilpa Shetty

Urging women to become "selfreliant", Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on Saturday recommended them to carry a knife to protect themselves from molesters.

"Some people and molesters have a sick mentality...Police are doing their best to protect us, but how much they would do? Women should be self-reli-

ant and carry a knife when they are in crowd," the actress told reporters when her opinion was sought against the backdrop of recent assaults on women and gang-rapes in the metropolis.

The 38-year-old actor was speaking at Bhaidas Hall in Vile Parle on the sidelines of a programme organised by the city police to create awareness among the Ganesh mandals about the safety and security during the ten-day Ganesh festival starting from Monday.

"We are reading in newspapers about such incidents (assaults on women). I am just fed up and sometimes I feel what kind of society we are living in," she said.

The actor thanked the policemen for their "good work". (TOI)

‘Ranbir Kapoor is the biggest superstar of our country today’, says Abhinav Kashyap

Filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap has confessed that he considers Ranbir Kapoor to be the biggest superstar of India right now, asserting that the actor would remain one for the next 15-20 years.

During the song launch of their upcoming rom-com 'Besharam', Kashyap asserted that he was lucky to have worked with Kapoor in the flick.

Kashyap also opened up about the quirky title of his flick.

"There is a very famous saying "Ki duniya maie sabse bada rog ki kya kahenge log." I think the point of the title ‘Besharam’ is not that you become shameless. But it means don't be afraid of what the society will say or the world

will say. If you have your own thought process and point of view, then it doesn't have to be what the world says is right or wrong. I think that's where it comes from." (TOI)

‘My mom keeps telling me to get married’- Randeep Hooda

Randeep Hooda is enjoying a career high. However, his mother wants to see her famous son get hitched.

other mom she is worried, but she also understands the demands of my profession. I am blessed to have a family like this," Randeep told the media recently.

Karan Johar wishes Kareena, Imran were married

Filmmaker Karan Johar, whose new production 'Gori Tere Pyaar Mein' features Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor, says the duo looks so good together on screen that he wishes the two had exchanged vows off screen.

Both Kareena and Imran are married in real life. While Kareena is married to actor Saif Ali Khan, Imran wed his long-time lady love Avantika.

Talking about Kareena and Imran's pairing in the movie, Karan said: "They both are so gorgeous. How can anyone not be appealed by them? It's just that they have different spouses. I wish Kareena and Imran were mar-

‘Men

ried to each other."

Asked if it is even practically possible, he joked about it and said: "Even now it can happen. We can't say anything. Nothing is impossible."

Reacting to Karan's comment, Kareena asked: "Phir Saif ka kya hoga? (Then what about Saif?)"

This is the second time that Kareena and Imran have been paired. They were earlier seen in romanticcomedy ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’ (2012). (TOI )

should learn to respect women’ - Veena Malik

Films and fashion are not the reason behind rising crimes against women in the country, believes actress Veena Malik. "Neither films, nor is modern culture liable to the rising crimes against women. It's the mindset of men. It's absurd to say that if a woman is wearing fashionable clothes then she is inciting a man to rape her. Also, no film preaches to misbehave with women," said the actress.

Expressing her concern over the derogatory status of women in the country, Pakistani actress said that every man should understand that a woman is also a human being and has the right to live her life in her own way.

She added that, "There should be

a balance behavior between men and women. Every man should learn how to respect a woman. They should be educated about it. Similarly, a woman should know her limit and public behaviour." (TOI)

Akshay Kumar touched by fans who celebrated his birthday

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who turned 46 on September 9th, was overwhelmed with several birthday wishes. But he was especially touched by how some fan clubs celebrated his special day at orphanages and by organising blood donation camps.

The actor, who is often called tinsel town's 'khiladi' thanks to the string of action films he

'Life

has done in the past, took to Twitter to thank his fans.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Saying it as many times won't be enough. Blessed to get

so much love... saw so many of you celebrating my birthday as if it was your own, cutting cakes and treating friends. But what touched me most was how some of you celebrated my birthday at orphanages and even organised blood donation camps. Thank you for making 'Boss Ka Birthday' memorable. Love you all," he posted on the micro-blogging site. (TOI)

doesn't stop at box office numbers' - Farhan Akhtar

AThe 37-year-old actor, who reportedly dated a string of women including Sushmita Sen andNeetu Chandra in the past, is currently single and has no plans to marry any time soon.

The ‘Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster’ star considers his family as his biggest critic and counts on them from time to time.

"My mom often tells me to get married, but she gets it now that I don't want to. Like any

"My family is my biggest critic. Since they come from a non-filmi background they give me an audience's point of view. They have been very supportive of me," he said. (TOI)

ctor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, whose last film 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' reaped gold at the box office, believes life doesn't stop at the box office numbers.

When asked if he is an actor who keeps a track of the numbers that his movies make. He said "Not to the extent

that it drives me crazy. When you work on your

film, you want it to do well and one barometer of knowing whether your film is doing well or not is the box office. So that's one aspect of it that you like to know. But is your happiness only going to be based on this and life not move on, if you don't get those numbers? You have to move on," said the actor. (TOI)

Michael Douglas used to sew his underwear!

Actor Michael Douglas has revealed that he used strange precautions when he used to film intimate scenes-he says he used to sew up his underwear.

"I used to sew my underwear up. You know the little gap at the front of your briefs? Just sew that up so nothing can pop out unexpectedly," showbizspy.com quoted the 68-year-old as saying. The ‘Basic Instinct’ star also said that a sex

scene is all about the right preparation and rehearsal.

"Those sex scenes might look like impulse, but I wasn't some sort of rampant exhibitionist. A great sex scene is really an issue of being comfortable with the ladies in front of the camera. It's all about preparation and rehearsal. You practice, talk it through step by step," Douglas added. (TOI)

Oprah Winfrey admits to fear of balloons

Oprah Winfrey has revealed that she is extremely terrified of balloons.

The 59-year-old media mogul told O Magazine that she is ab-

lished interview Winfrey admitted that her fear sometimes makes it difficult for her to attend parties.

The talk show host recalled that on her 40th birthday her entire staff decided to surprise her and had filled a room with balloons.

solutely terrified of the sound of balloons popping, as it reminds her of gunfire, asserting that it really freaks her out, the New York Post reported. In the yet-to-be pub-

James Franco wishes he was gay

Actor James Franco is unfazed by rumours about his sexuality and wishes he was gay.

Franco, 35, known for his role in movies like ‘Spider-Man 3’,’Milk’ and ‘127 Hours’, doesn't take jokes on him being gay as insults, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"Great! Bring on the gay jokes! Because these aren't insults at all. I don't even care if people think I'm gay, so it was like, 'Awesome!' I mean, I wish I was ...I wish I was gay," Franco told thedailybeast.com.

The actor has revealed that girls, who hated him in college, spread the rumour about his sexuality. (TOI)

‘Never

had a drink’ - Jennifer Hudson

Winfrey said that she had to walk through the balloons and all she could think about was when one of them would pop.

She, however, added that she decided to face her fear and do what was required of her at the time. (TOI)

‘No gadgets in bedroom’ - Daniel Craig

Actor Daniel Craig says he and his wife Rachel Weisz have banned taking gadgets in their bedroom.

The couple has been married for over two years.

"It's a good fight to have, as far as I'm concerned...There's nothing technological allowed in the bedroom," New York Times quoted Craig as saying.

"If the iPad goes to bed, I mean, unless you're both watching p**n on the Internet, it's a killer. We have a ban on it...It's a complete anti-aphrodisiac," he added.

Meanwhile, the couple is planning to star in a Broadway play together. (TOI)

Gwyneth Paltrow would like bigger breasts

ron Man 3' actress, Gwyneth Paltrow, is happy with her figure and looks, but if she had to change anything about her body she'd boost her breasts from a 34B size bra. Speaking to Tatler magazine, she said: ''If I could change one thing?

Nothing. Not because I think I'm beautiful, but I think I look the way I do for a reason. I wouldn't mind bigger breasts though.''

While she's happy with her physical features, the Hollywood star, who is married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, is convinced her nose is getting bigger.

When asked about her defining feature, she said: ''I tend to see only things I don't like. My eyes are quite small. And I'm paranoid my nose is growing.''

Gwyneth, 40, has now started doing aerial yoga, where practitioners are suspended from the ceiling and then carry out the Indian exercises, and she loves the fact she gets to hang upside down ''like a bat'' when she's doing it.

(TOI)

Actress Jennifer Hudson says she has never consumed alcohol or drugs in her life. This made it hard for her to play a heroin addict in a movie.

The 31-year-old, who is acting as a heroin addict in a new movie ‘The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete’, found it difficult to connect with the role, reported femalefirst.co.uk.

"It terrified me to play that part because I had no reference point. I'm 31 and I've never, ever, ever had a drink or done a drug in my entire life," Manhattan magazine quoted Hudson as saying.

"I stick with Diet Coke and Crystal Light and water," she added. (TOI)

Liam Hemsworth wants clean break from Miley Cyrus

Actor Liam Hemsworth reportedly wants a "clean break" from his fiancée, Miley Cyrus.

The 23-year-old is said to be on the verge of ending their relationship soon following the 20-year-old pop star's raunchy antics on stage at the recently held MTV Video Music Awards, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

A source told Us Magazine.com that Hemsworth is "just weeks away from calling it off permanently. He is over her and wants to make a clean break. No more back and forth."

Cyrus was seen

and

Kelly Brook's butt inspires women to undergo surgery

Kment-Lipoglaze-have gone up by a staggering 33 percent, said that ever since Brook began flaunting her incredible bottom, women have been coming in for Lipoglaze on the back of their thighs just below their bum, the Daily Star reported. Robson asserted that many women don't have a definitive curve to their bottom but Lipoglaze can help. The non-invasive and painless treatment removes unwanted areas of fat from the tummy, arms or thighs.

(TOI)

Three historical Jamaican all-boys schools open doors to girls

For more than 150 years, it has been a defining example of an all-boys’ school in Jamaica.

But last week, for the first time, Munro College at Potsdam in the hills of Malvern, St Elizabeth, formally registered girls for its academic programme.

The girls, numbering “about 12”, school leaders say, are part of an expanded sixth form programme, which has been made easier by the leasing from government of classroom and accessory facilities across the road from Munro.

Those facilities became available following Education Minister Ronnie Thwaites’ decision to abandon plans by the previous Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government to establish a rehabilitative education centre for disruptive boys there.

When Jamaican media visited the school last week, former principal of Munro Brandford Gayle, who now co-ordinates activities at the new facili-

ty, was quick to point out that girls are “not new” to the Munro campus. For years, neighbouring girls’ school Hampton has been part of exchange classroom programmes with Munro, he said. However, Gayle said, “now they are registered for Munro. They are Munro and wear the uniforms (including ties) in the colours of Munro”.

Gayle—who, like new Munro Principal Arnaldo Allen, is an old boy of Munro—expects the number of girls entering the school for the

sixth form programme to increase over the short to longer term.

“Who knows, we may soon have a Munro netball team or a girls’ four by-one relay team at Champs,” quipped Gayle. He pointed out that two other boys’ schools— St George’s College in Kingston and Cornwall College in Montego Bay—have taken the lead in accepting girls to their sixth form programmes.

Allen, who has been seconded by the ministry of education from New

Forest Secondary and Junior High for at least a year to replace Acting Principal Sonia Neil, applauded the move.

“I am all for educating both boys and girls,” said Allen, who has been credited for “transfor-

mational leadership” at New Forest Secondary where he has served since 1988 and as principal since 2009.

Gayle said the new sixth form facilities— once slated to become a Jamaica Football Federation academy before those plans were abandoned and replaced by the idea of a special school for unruly boys— are being used mainly for classes in “business and the humanities”.

Five of seven classrooms are now in use. There is also considerable dormitory space, which Gayle says may well be used in the future, while teachers have expressed an interest in renting flats at the complex.

Gayle said the new

facilities were an invaluable addition to the school.

“Munro’s numbers increased this year to over 1,100 and I think they would have been pressured to find space,” he said.

When Thwaites announced his decision to change the role of the new facilities in mid-August, he said Hampton would be in partnership with Munro in using the facilities.

But, according to Gayle, “this year Hampton is not taking part…”

Girls accepted at Munro’s sixth form so far are from Hampton, St Elizabeth Technical High, Black River High, and Glenmuir. (Jamaica Observer)

Queens parade as Best Village comes to an end in Trinidad

The Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy competition in Trinidad and Tobago marked its 50th anniversary in grand style at the Queens Park Savannah on Saturday night. The ‘Le Grande Z’Affaire’ (grand finale) saw performances by the country’s best in the art of dance, music and drama.

The final show for 2013 saw 20 delegates of the Miss La Reine Rive parade before the judges in evening gown. In the end, the dancing damsel Anissa Ali Trimurti Dance Company was crowned Miss La Reine Rive 2013.

Ali, who represented the Trimurti Dance Company in the county of Victoria East, also won “Best Evening Gown’’ and “Most Original Gown”.

This is also the third win at the La Reine Rive for queen-maker Michael Salickram. Known for

his breath-taking choreography with the bmobile Shiv Shakti Dance Company, Salickram was responsible for producing the 2006 Best Village queen Katana Rambodh and the 2007 winner Sarah Barran. “I think this competition is unique in the sense that is not just about being a beauty queen but about representing people and their culture,” Salikram said.

He celebrated 29 years in dance at a recent show at Divali Nagar, Chaguanas.

Today he has hundreds of students who attend weekly dance classes at ten venues in TT, and has built a name for himself as the best in business of Indian dance. An overjoyed Ali said she worked hard during the competition and was happy to “bring home” the title for the Trimurti Dancers and Victoria East.

The overall winners

this year went to two villages-Ah We People International and Malik Folk Performers. Other winners include: 5th - Shanice John of Malick Folk Performing Company; 4th-Zuwena Giselle

James-Point Fortin East Secondary; 3rd- Patrice Thomas-Nationwide Cultural Performers (Pleasantville) 2nd place went to Rosemarie Mitchell of Ah We People Theatrical Horizon. Best Hair Style went to

Expression. Best Make-Up went to Ariel Douglas of Diego Martin Footprints.

Minister of Community Development Winston Peters, received loud “boos” from the audience when he decided to take centre stage and do his ex-tempo.

Danielle Balroop from Michelle Pilgrim Dance Forever.

Sade Parks of Five Rivers Community Council Cultural Caravan won two trophies-Best Talent contest and Best Self

Minister Peters in his speech to the audience said, over the fiftyyear period Best Village has churned out scores of stars for the national and international stages. “I hope we can do better in marketing our culture on the international stage in the future,” he urged. The Tobago Heritage Committee gave a tremendous performance in drumming, drama dancing and singing.

Also taking to the stage to do their winning numbers were Malik Folk Performers and North West Laventille. (TT Newsday)

Star of the Week

Fazil

Rahaman

Fazil Rahaman is an 18-year-old Guyanese, who aspires to be a successful entrepreneur. He is a three-time National Essay Writing Champion and a proud and consistent blood donor. An active humanitarian, Fazil has been a volunteer at the National Blood Bank for more than two years. He is a certified CPR and first aid respondent. The lad is also a proud participant in many charity events and activities. Recently, the five-foot-nine talented teen was on his first venture in pageantry vying for the Mr. Guyana Talented Teen title. Although he did not win, Fazil continues to use his pageantry experience to be a voice for young people and the less fortunate. He advocates against violence towards women and children, and believes in equality and human rights for them as well. His favourite music includes soca, Indian and chutney. His hobbies include surfing the internet, hanging out with friends and family, dancing, reading and writing.

Former Guyana Under-19 cricketer Shivanandan Madholall passes on

Former Guyana Under-19 batsman Shivnanand Madholall passed away last Friday at his home in Essequibo after a brief period of illness. He was 30. Shivnanand contracted dengue fever and was a patient at the Suddie Hospital, according to relatives. Shivnanand will be cremated on Friday in Essequibo.

The left-hander represented Guyana and Essequibo with distinction during the late 90s and early 2000s. Shivnanand comes from a family with a rich cricketing history. His brothers Rovendra, Ravendra and Narendra all represented Essequibo at the InterCounty level. Rovendra went on to play

for Guyana.

Former Essequibo Inter-county skipper, Elroy Stephney, said he was shocked to hear of Madholall’s passing. Further, he related that Shivanandan was a talented player and had mentioned his desire to make a comeback.

“It is indeed sad to learn about his sudden passing. Recently we had a chat and he spoke enthusiastically about his comeback in the game after a break due to family and work commitments,” Stephney related.

Shivanandan’s elder brother Ravendra, who is also a Caribbean Times International reporter in Toronto, Canada, expressed sadness and felt that his brother could have been a fine cricketer once he was willing to come back on the scene.

“I am devastated with the news that my younger brother passed away; it was very shocking for our family and by extension the cricketing fraternity. Playing cricket with him and teaching him some basics and then he went on to play for Guyana. I still think he could have done more for his county and his country,” Ravendra said.

Over the past two years, Shivanandan had been a dominant softball player representing Cotton Field.

He leaves to mourn his father, mother, siblings, wife and two children, ages three years and four months.

Trinidadian wins Barbados open

Trinidadian Christopher Richards, a 48year-old player from Diego Martin, emerged winner of the professional golf tournament of the 2013 United Insurance Barbados Open at Apes Hill on Sunday.

Richards defeated Barbadian Roger Beale Jnr in an exciting playoff, over three holes, after both had tied on a gross 289 after four rounds.

The Trinidadian made up an amazing sixshots deficit on the final day and sent the duel with Beale into a playoff as he sank a birdie on the last hole of regular play to post a two-underpar 70.

Beale, a former Canadian tour pro who

slammed his rivals over the first three days with scores of 72, 71, and 70, experienced his worst day on Sunday when he returned a 4-over-par 76.

The duel remained tight over the first two play-off holes, as both players made par, but Richards held on at crunch-time on the third hole. He sank a 12-foot birdie while Beale just missed his six-foot birdie putt and was forced into second place.

“It was tough but I’m always prepared for a play-off. I practise that way,” said Richards, whose last day score was his best over the 72 holes.

Lara, Walsh expected for World Masters

Fans around the world will soon get a chance to see cricket legends such as Inzamam-ul-Haq, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Shoaib Akhtar, Courtney Walsh, Graeme Hick and others in action at the T20 Clobi World Masters of Cricket Tournament in Barbados.

It has been learnt by The Express Tribune that the event will be played from November 1-10 and will be a fournation competition between the West Indies, Pakistan, India and England.

For eligibility, the participants should be aged above 35 before the start of the tournament and they must have represented their respective countries in either Tests or One-Day Internationals.

All players will be required to follow the rules and regulations of their one-year contract in order to avoid legal complications that may lead to the cancellation of contracts.

Pakistan is looking to field a strong line-up that includes 1992 World Cup winning members as well.

The expected squad consists

of Akhtar, Inzamam, Mohammad Yousuf, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad, Asif Mujtaba, Rava NavedulHasan, Rashid Latif, Shabbir Ahmad, Asim Kamal, Yasir Hameed, Arshad Khan, while the quartet of Moin Khan, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar and Azhar Mahmood will participate as per their availability.

Meanwhile, the West Indies squad is expected to feature Lara, Carl Hooper, Walsh, Curly Ambrose, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Floyd Reifer, Vasbert Drakes, Courtney Browne, Collis King, Ezra Mosley, Stuart Williams and Pedro Collins.

India is likely to be represented by Dravid, Robin Singh, Rahul Sanghui, Amay Khurhsiya, Pravin Amre, Narendra Herwani, Harvinder Singh, Viyay Dahiya, Iqbal Saddiqui, Abey Karuilla, Gagan Khoda and Sadagoppan Ramesh.

England is expected to field Paul Collingwood, Hick, Paul Nixon, Gladstone Small, Neil Fairbrother, Phil Defreitas, Devon Malcolm, Dean Headley, John Emburery, Glen Chapple, Mathew Maynard and Chris Schofield in the line- up. (windiescricket)

Third was Englandborn Alex Sandeman (gross 293) and fourth, Sean Edey of Barbados (307).

Edey, along with amateurs Sean Byer, Derek Hamilton and Ravi Deonarine, was the winner of a preceding proam tournament as the team posted a nett-score of 210.

A professional tournament was included in the Barbados Open this year for the first time to mark a special 30th anniversary of the annual championship.

Among other professionals taking part in the pro-tournament were Mitchum Jasper (Trinidad), Brian McMillan (Tobago), Fitzroy Collins (Tobago), Franklyn Stephenson (Bdos), Jesse Jattan (TT), Mike Marshall (Bdos) and Andrew Linch (England). (TT Newsday)

Limacol CPL beamed into more than 135 million homes across the globe

From overflowing stadiums, thumping party vibes and mass enthusiasm to scorching bowling, massive hitting and blistering catches, the inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL)

went off with a bang right across the Caribbean.

With a record breaking quarter of a million people attending the matches across the six countries and the action being beamed into more than 135 million homes across the globe, the stage was set for a truly electrifying cricket ex-

travaganza.

And the highlights of the action justified the hype around the tournament.

Playing for the Antigua Hawksbills, Jamaica soldier, Sheldon Cotterrell, who customarily bowls at over 140 kilometres per hour bowled the fastest ball of the tournament with a 150.1 kilometres per hour thunderbolt.

Not to be outdone, Tino Best playing for the St Lucia Zouks took the honour of bowling seven of the ten fastest balls in the tournament with a highest speed of 149.6

kilometres per hour.

And the batsmen made sure to wow the crowds with a total of 238 sixes and 415 fours being smacked in the tournament–an average of 10 and 17 respectively per match.

Loved by the fans and feared by the bowlers due to his mammoth hitting, Jamaica Tallawahs captain, Chris Gayle, predictably took the honour for both the fastest 50 of the tournament off just 23 balls against the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel-and for blasting the longest six, which sailed 114 metres into

Guyana’s team set for South American Youth Championships in Peru

Guyana’s 31-member contingent for the inaugural South American Youth Championships set to take place in Lima, Peru, from September 20, will be departing on September 17. The Guyanese will feature in seven sporting disciplines: athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, swimming, table tennis and weightlifting.

At a press conference on Monday at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) headquarters, the names were revealed, along with their coaches. Also, GOA president K. A. Juman Yassin noted that the event, which was funded by the GOA in excess of Gy$5 million, can be the start of the “Road to Rio” for the athletes on the trip.

“Funding for the team is totally from the GOA; we have not asked any of the association for help with the funding. The team has about 30 persons and it is hopefully the start of the careers for these young athletes; for some it is the start of the road to Rio and for most it should be start for the road to Tokyo in 2020,” Yassin told media representatives.

Coach for the athlet-

ics team Julian Edmonds commended the GOA for giving the athletes an opportunity to acclimatise.

“We have an experienced team, they all are healthy and preparing for the National Youth Championship so they are fit and I must congratulate the GOA on getting us there early so that we can acclimatise because it is going to be a bit cold over there. And we should be able to put in about five to six training session before the games athletics begin,” Edmonds stated.

On the other hand, Yassin pointed out that more needs to be done for boxing, which has brought Guyana’s only medal at the Olympics National coach Wincel Thomas, believes that his team is prepared for the challenge.

“We have two experience boxers on the team and we are now winding down training at the [Andrew] ‘Sixhead’ Lewis gym. We are well prepared and our team should do well,” Thomas related.

Meanwhile, with all the coaches believing that their teams are well prepared, they noted that the type of perfor-

mance they make return will depend on how well the athletes adapt to the conditions in Peru.

Teams

Athletics

Coach: Julian Edmonds, Athletes: Jason Yaw, Tirana Mitchell, Andrea Foster and Dequan Vancooten.

Badminton

Coach: Gokarn Ramdhani, Athletes: Ambika Ramraj and Narayan Ramdhani.

Boxing

Coach: Wincel Thomas, Athletes: Tefon Greene, Travis Fraser, Joel Williamson and Michael April.

Cycling

Coach: William Howard, Athletes: Akeem Arthur, Alonzo Ambrose, Shaquel Agard, Stepano Husbands and Crystal Lambert.

Swimming

Coach: Sean Baksh, Athletes: Hannibal Gaskin, Onika George and Omar Adams.

Table Tennis

Coach: Linden Johnson, Athletes: Shemar Britton and Chelsea Edghill.

Weightlifting

Coach: Sean Cozier, Athletes: Sheriah Melville, Darren Williams and Denoila Bristol. (Guyana Times)

the stands.

Commenting on the cricketing fireworks, winning team captain, Chris Gayle, said; “Cricket in the Caribbean is all about big powerful displays. It’s always a pleasure to bring the fans to their feet with some serious hitting. And to be able to do that with millions of people watching in the stands and on TV is just a great experience. I had a blast and can’t wait for next year.”

CEO of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League, Damien O’Donohoe, commented, “There’s nothing like the

buzz you get as a cricket fan when these giants of Caribbean cricket are firing on the field. The action in every match was just breathtaking and the crowd revelled in it. It’s fair to say that the action on the pitch matched the fun off it. We’re delighted that the “biggest party in sport” delivered on its promise.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the amazing support and enthusiasm of the fans-I would like to thank them most sincerely for the awesome part they played in making the CPL such a suc-

cess.

“The biggest party in sport” bowled off in Barbados on Tuesday 30th July and beautifully showcased the Caribbean passion for cricket, as it journeyed through six countries across the region, culminating in the final in Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday 24th August, which was won by the Jamaica Tallawahs who beat the Guyana Amazon Warriors by seven wickets. Planning is now underway for the 2014 staging of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League. (CPL)

Gordon emotional on TT return

Jehue Gordon, Trinidad and Tobago’s World 400m hurdles gold medallist, was left in an emotional state on Sunday evening following a welcome reception hosted by the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain.

It was almost three weeks since the 21-year-old created history by winning the country’s second gold medal at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow. Going past the final hurdle in second place, Gordon’s long strides caught American Michael Tinsley just before the finish line as he lunged forward to pip the American in a photo finish. The University of the West Indies (UWI) student stayed in Europe following his victory and continued his winning ways last Friday at the final stop of the prestigious Diamond League in Belgium.

With his mother Gabrielle Woods accompanying him, Gordon’s achievement was celebrated with a short ceremony featuring a video presentation of members of the public congratulating the ace hurdler, a portrait and plaque presented by Minister of Sport Anil Roberts, as well as tokens of appreciation from members of his former schools, Belmont Secondary and Queen’s Royal College.

“I’m trying to hold back my emotions right now. To see so many people that played a critical role in my development (is amazing),” Gordon stated. The former World Junior champion noted there were a lot of detractors when he decided to stay at home to train but his success has proven them

all wrong.

“A lot of people didn’t have faith when I decided to stay in Trinidad and Tobago but I kept my faith, kept my discipline, stayed focussed and kept my eyes on the prize and today I must say that I’m blessed to be number one in the world right now,” he said. Gordon, with his gold medal adorning his neck, paid tribute to all the background personnel who contributed to his success including his psychologist, massage therapist, doctors and physiotherapist. (TT Newsday)

Jamaica still has slim World Cup Final chance

As Jamaica's World Cup dream suffered a potentially fatal body blow with a 1-1 draw against Costa Rica in their match at the National Stadium Tuesday night, crowd favourite Jermaine 'Tuffy' Anderson had his moment of redemption.

The Waterhouse striker, who was kept out of the team by the previous coaching team, gave Jamaicans something to cheer about in the dying moments when he scored to give the Reggae Boyz hopes of a comeback having entered the field of play in the 68th minute.

But Costa Rica, who scored in the 74th minute through another substitute, Randall Brenes, moved to 15 points in the CONCACAF hexagonal play-offs, and secured qualification along with the USA, who defeated Mexico 2-0 at home to boost their points tally to 16, for a safe passage to the Brazil 2014 World Cup Finals.

Honduras followed up their 2-1 victory over Mexico at the Azteca last Friday with a 2-2 result against Panama at home to move to 11 points, while Panama inched up a place to fourth on

goalscorer Jermaine ‘tuffy’ anderson acknowledges the applause of spectators as he exits the field at the end of the game tuesday night. (Joseph Wellington/Jamaica Observer photo)

eight points, the same as Mexico. Jamaica advanced to four points, but remained firmly rooted at the bottom of the sixnation group, but having failed to gather maximum points and with nearest rivals Mexico and Panama doing likewise, the Reggae Boyz were kept on life support, as they still have a mathematical chance of stealing fourth place, should they register maximum points from their two remaining games, and neither Mexico nor Panama score a win in either of their games.

The team that fin-

ishes in fourth place will earn another chance at qualification when they engage the winner of the Oceania region, New Zealand, in a home-andaway play-off series in mid November.

Jamaica will oppose the USA on October 11 in Kansas City, and then Honduras at home four days later, while Mexico welcome Panama to the Azteca on October 11, before travelling to the already qualified Costa Rica on October 15, as Panama entertain the US on the same day.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Trinidadian cyclist praised for performances in Canada

Trinidad and Tobago’s Bromont Track Cycling Challenge team manager, Gary Acosta, has lauded the gutsy efforts put on by young national rider, Keron Bramble, on his international competitive debut at the spectacle event, which pedalled off in Canada last week.

Though Bramble did not finish among the medals in the Sprint and Keirin events, Acosta praised him for his credible performances on an unfamiliar 250m track. In the Sprint, the budding rider held on to sixth place and settled for ninth in the Keirin.

“Bramble has done

pretty well for his debut International Track event. For his first time riding a 250m track, Bramble was mentored by Njisane (Phillip) and Varun (Maharaj) and he took their instructions well. This was seen in the way he rode against Hugo Barrette (Canada) in the 1/8 final. Even

though he did not have the experience of his Canadian counterpart, Bramble handled himself well in the match-up. Additionally, Bramble made it to the final of the Keirin in a Class 2 Grand Prix, which is pretty significant for a debutant,” the coach stated. In relation to the

Olympic cyclist, Acosta revealed that Phillip’s track record-breaking performance at the National Cycling Centre in Bromont was indeed an impressive achievement. In the Flying 200m qualifier event, Phillip clocked a blistering 10.374 seconds, producing a new track re-

cord on the Canadian circuit. Endurance rider, Varun Maharaj also made the trip to Canada to contest the Omnium. He however, finished fifth overall, a good showing coming up against some of the world’s best endurance riders. (Excerpt from TT Newsday)

Pakistan’s Saqlain “honoured” to work with Windies spinners

Saqlain Mushtaq

said he was honoured to be invited to the Caribbean to train the current generation of West Indies spinners. The former Pakistan off-spin master accepted an invitation from the West Indies Cricket Board and has been sharing his wisdom and understanding with current and emerging spinners at the Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre, which is based on the campus of the University of the West Indies just a few kilometres outside of the Barbados capital of Bridgetown.

“It is a great honour for me because West Indies has such a great history in the game,” he

told WICB Media.

“Many legends of the game have come from West Indies. There are many cricketing knights, including Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Vivian Richards, and there is also one of my great rivals, Brian Lara, so I am very excited about this opportunity.

“When (West Indies coach) Ottis Gibson called, I was more than happy to come to the Caribbean and share what I know with the young players. This is also a beautiful place to be with warm, friendly people.”

The crop of bowlers benefitting from Saqlain’s knowledge includes fellow off-spinner Shane Shillingford, West Indies team-

mates, left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.

Saqlain said he was impressed with the players’ passion for the game, the deep interest in the art of spin bowling and their willingness to learn.

“We are working to improve the spin bowling reserves and I have seen a number of young players and a few that have played already for West Indies,” he said.

“There is a lot potential and there are all very talented and there is a lot of passion about the game–and my role is to make them more technically sound and tactically aware,” he added.

Saqlain, 36, played 49 Tests and 169 One-

day Internationals for Pakistan between 1995 and 2004.

He will spend three weeks working with the current crop of senior and emerging spin bowlers in the Caribbean. (windiescricket.com)

INTERNATIONAL

Guyana’s synthetic track 70 per cent complete

By Rajiv Bisnauth

The rubberised turf for Guyana’s Synthetic track and field facility at Leonora, West Coast Demerara, has arrived in the country and installation should commence shortly with the aim of completion by November month end.

This is according to Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Sport Ministry, Steve Ninvalle, following a visit to the site on Saturday.

German company, BSW Regupol, is the supplier of the

track and is also responsible for its installation.

The installation of the track and line marking is expected to be completed over a span of five weeks once there is favourable weather condition.

“The turf has been manufactured and is in Guyana. We have written to the German company BSW Regupol and they should be in Guyana very shortly to lay the synthetic materials on the track,” Ninvalle informed.

He added, “However, the track can only be laid in con-

tinuous dry weather, so we were informed by the meteorological office that Guyana should experience some dry weather between mid-September to mid-November. We have informed BSW Regupol about the weather so they will be here shortly.”

Project Manager of Design and Construction Service Limited, Patrick Pitt, said works under Phase II are moving apace.

He said that the overall work is approximately 70 percent complete.

“Phase II-Lots 4 and 5-has

been terminated with the remaining four in its construction stage. The remaining sub project is yet to be tendered.

Also the outstanding works under Phase II-Lot 4 have been evaluated, quantified and re-tendered. All four Sub Lots have been awarded with Sub Lots 2 and 3 completed and Sub Lots 1 and 4 under construction phase.

The outstanding works under Phase II–Lot 5 have been re-evaluated, quantified and submitted to the client into three Sub Lots and Phase II–Lot 6A is in the design stage,”

Pitt disclosed. Meanwhile, Ninvalle indicated that despite the termination of two lots due to two delinquent contractors, he is satisfied with the progress made thus far.

The project is divided into three Phases and twelve Lots. Phase I consists of one Lot, Phase II has seven Lots, while Phase III comprises three Lots.

A total of Gy$560 million has been spent on the facility thus far. The estimated cost to complete the entire facility is US$5 million. (Guyana Times)