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Workshop on monitoring, evaluation closes

The Finance Ministry on Friday closed a five-day workshop aimed at strengthening government’s monitoring and evaluation systems.

The initiative hosted at the Guyana International Conference Centre was the seventh of its kind and attracted a wide cross-section of stakeholders from the education and housing ministries, regional executive officers (REOs), the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), the National Centre for Educational Resources Development (NCERD), the Georgetown School of Nursing and the Supreme Court of Judicature.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill said the initiative is testimony to government’s commitment to strengthen public financial management.

“Strengthening public finance for us is vital and we are mainstreaming monitoring and evaluation, institutionalising it, it is not just going to be an ad hoc approach that is for a few sectors, but is for every sector,” he asserted.

He underscored the importance of monitoring and evaluation, adding that when persons know how to look at something and analyse it; they are better able to solve problems.

“You as a participant are a seed that is being sewn for development and improvement and strengthening financing management in your own sector and also building capacity in your own sector.”

He also urged the participants to

share the knowledge they received.

“We want you now to take that back into your sector and begin to implement the principles, share what you learnt in the manner that will be of benefit to all so that we can see improvement.”

He said government has a clear vision of its developmental agenda, adding that the programme aims to ensure the money it is spending is properly utilised and taxpayers’ get value for money.

The Finance Ministry Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Division is being guided by a five-year action plan, which is in its second year.

M&E systems are important for project development, as they can be an effective way to provide constant feedback on the extent to which projects are achieving their goals.

Two arrested for Full Works robbery

Almost two weeks after gunmen invaded the Full Works Auto Motor Spares at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara and escaped; two men suspected to be involved in the robbery were arrested at Parfaite Harmonie, West Coast Demerara on Thursday.

The two men were arrested during a police operation at a house where an unlicensed .38 Taurus revolver with four matching rounds of ammunition were found. Police confirmed that the two men were wanted in relation to the robbery of the business place. As investigations continue, the men are expected to be charged as early as Monday.

On July 17, two gunmen carried out a brazen daylight robbery on Fullworks Auto Motor

Spares at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara, carting off an undisclosed sum of money. The robbery occurred about 14:00h. It was reported that the men went to the business under the pretext of purchasing some spare parts and in so doing, they held the cashier at gun point and relieved her of about $400,000 in cash belonging to the company and $15,000 from her hand bag.

They then shifted their focus on a customer who was on the premises and took away a gold chain worth $250,000, a cellular phone and a quantity of cash.

The two men then made good their escape in a waiting beigecoloured car that was parked some 300 feet away from the business place.

Investigations revealed that

the two men walked into the large auto spares warehouse requesting specific car parts and was attend to by a staff who accompanied one of the men through the warehouse in search of the car part that he had requested. The injured staff told police that the man suddenly turned around and gun-butted him to his face.

As a result of the hit, he reportedly fell to the ground and saw the other gunman walking towards the cashier and demanding money from the female whom he held at gunpoint. The ordeal lasted a few minutes after which they made good their escape in a waiting car. During the robbery, another employee was struck to his face and was rushed to the hospital.

Man beaten to death at Port Kaituma

Aminer was on Thursday evening beaten to death at Port Kaituma, North West District (NWD) during an argument with another miner while they were imbibing at a popular drinking spot.

Wreford Williams, 25, of Kamarang, Region Seven was pronounced dead on arrival at the Port Kaituma Hospital sometime after 18:00h. From reports received, Williams may have suffered severe body injuries including a broken arm, leg and possible broken ribs.

Police stated that based on their investigation, the now

dead miner was involved in an argument with another man at 10 Miles, Port Kaituma, NWD which suddenly turned into a scuffle during which he was struck about his body with a piece of metal.

After the incident, the suspect attempted to escape but was circled by public-spirited citizens and handed over to the police. He was taken into police custody and is expected to be charged with murder.

The injured man was picked up and placed in a 4-runner but died on his way to the Port Kaituma Hospital. His body is at the hospital mortuary await-

ing a post-mortem examination. Over the past months, there have been a number of deaths which stemmed from arguments, especially in mining communities.

In June, Royston Greenidge, 38, of Kuru Kuru, Soesdyke/ Linden was beaten to death at Far Back, Cuyuni. Police revealed that Greenidge and another man had an argument during which he was lashed about his head and other parts of the body with a piece of wood. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Bartica Hospital. The suspect is still to be arrested.

BRIDGE OPENINGS

WEATHER TODAY

Countrywide: Thundery showers are expected during the day, with clear skies in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly at 2.68 metres per second.

High Tide: 07:38h and 19:59h reaching maximum heights of 2.62 metres and 2.55 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 01:11h and 13:33h reaching minimum heights of 0.58 metre and 0.64 metre respectively.

New appellate court judge sworn in

With 25 years of legal practice in the United Kingdom, Guyana-born Justice Rabi Shankar Sukul will be working to augment the local justice sector following his appointment as a justice of appeal on Friday.

He took the oath of Office before President Donald Ramotar in the presence of his spouse, as well as Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Carl Singh, and Director of Public Prosecutions Bibi Shalimar Ali-Hack among others.

The 60-year-old jurist told the media, “I intend to apply the legal principles, apply law logic, and good sound objective judicial reasoning which I have learnt and practised in the United Kingdom.”’

In a brief charge to the newly-appointed justice of appeal, President Ramotar,

who has often bemoaned the heavy backlog of cases facing the judiciary over the years, expressed the hope that his duties will reflect, fairness, and expeditiousness.

Cognisant that the shortcomings of the local judicial system are not unlike other jurisdictions’ where criti-

cism has been heavy, Justice Sukul said he will do all in his power to “minimise that effect”. The expectation of the chancellor of the judiciary was similar and he urged “hard work and a dedicated contribution to the development of our country’s jurisprudence”.

“It requires an aptitude, it requires careful consideration of the issues that are before the court… and of course, the ability to research and apply the law to the issues that confront us in our deliberations,” Justice Singh explained. The judicial sector has come a far way, especially with undertakings to modernise the system through legislative amendments; the appointment of new judges to buttress the complement of jurists needed to preside over pending cases; extensive renovations to the DPP’s chambers; and strengthening of both state and police prosecutors through training in criminal matters like narcotics, smuggling, cyber crime and other criminal offences. Online access to Guyana’s law reports and the launch of an informal justice initiative in rural communities that provides an alternative to the formal justice system have also been accomplished.

CBSI working group focuses on at-risk youth, vulnerable populations

Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) partners recently held a two-day Technical Working Group (TWG) on crime prevention, focusing on at-risk youth and vulnerable populations.

U.S. Ambassador to Guyana D Brent Hardt; Caricom Officer-in-Charge of the Directorate of Human and Social Development, Myrna Bernard; Reverend Kwame Gilbert, representing the Guyana government; and Youth Vice Minister Jorge Minaya, representing the Dominican Republic government delivered remarks at the opening session.

CBSI is a CaribbeanU.S. partnership that fulfils the commitment to deepen regional security cooperation launched by America President Barack Obama at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009. Through the CBSI, the United States, Caricom nations, and The Dominican Republic are working together to reduce illicit trafficking, increase public safety and security, and promote social justice.

TWG meetings provide an opportunity for CBSI partners to evaluate progress, generate new ideas, and identify concrete out-

comes that have spurred new programmes. Ambassador Hardt noted in his remarks: “To be successful, we must constantly adjust our tactics, build upon successful experience, and develop new ways of operating in which communities play a central role. While other TWGs in the past have focused on more traditional security and law enforcement efforts to combat illicit trafficking and to boost public safety and security, this TWG focuses on the vital issues of social justice and economic opportunity, which are indispensable to any effort to build safe and prosperous societies.”

Successful strategies

Government and civil society partners from around the region joined U.S. government representatives and partners from other regions to assess what has proven most successful in reducing youth violence and providing young people with educational and employment opportunities.

Assessments made by Caribbean member countries revealed that many of the issues faced are common throughout the region, but often require locally-crafted solutions. Participants also heard from organisations

working in other regions on ways to reduce the spread of gangs and the involvement of youth in organised crime.

The methodology and best practices shared by these organisations offered transferrable solutions to address similar challenges in the Caribbean. Participants also highlighted the value of effective monitoring and quantifiable results.

With CBSI support, more than 23,000 young people in the Caribbean have participated in education and workforce develop-

ment activities. To help reduce the number of young people imprisoned in the juvenile justice system, activities have focused on the use of alternative sentencing and diversion. CBSI is also working with youth already being held in juvenile facilities by supporting their transition back into communities and toward the establishment of a productive life. Community-based policing is complemented by community education on effective collaboration with police on local safety issues.

Editor: Nigel Williams

Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

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Editorial

The global burden of NCDs

According to statistics from the Health Ministry in Guyana, chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, cancer, lung diseases, and neo-psychiatric disorders are responsible for almost 60 per cent of deaths in the country annually. This is indeed quite shocking; and now, more than ever, stakeholders in the health sector and funding partners must step up and take bold actions needed to tackle NCDs.

Every day people’s lives are cut short and more and more persons are becoming disabled as a result of NCDs. More persons are getting blind and are becoming physically disabled because of amputations. It should be stated that official statistics confirm that the number one cause of disability in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) region is NCDs.

Additionally, NCDs are one of the major causes of poverty globally. Not only are individuals and families being impoverished, there is a direct impact on the economy. NCDs have an equally critical impact on productivity, as we lose victims who have developed years of experience in various fields of development. Guyana cannot afford to lose its best resource in this manner; hence, we are encouraged by the fact that the Health Ministry has placed the issue on top of its agenda in its implementation of the 2013 Strategic Plan.

It should be mentioned that the global burden of NCDs – mainly cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, and chronic lung diseases – constitutes one of the major challenges for development in the 21st century. The vast majority (86 per cent) of deaths between the ages of 30 and 70 from these diseases occur in low- and middleincome countries, representing 12 million premature deaths per year. Most of these deaths are linked to common risk factors, namely tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, and lack of physical activity.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently reported that the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted a resolution requesting that the United Nations (UN) secretary general establish a UN Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases. The task force will be convened and led by WHO and will be created by expanding the mandate of the existing UN Ad Hoc Interagency Task Force on Tobacco Control and the work to support the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

It is expected that the task force will coordinate the activities of all UN organisations to implement the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020, adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2013. This is important because new WHO estimates show that three of the four leading causes of death worldwide are linked to non-communicable diseases, specifically cardiovascular diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The action plan aims to achieve nine voluntary global targets, including a 25 per cent reduction in premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases by 2025. The plan provides a road map and a menu of policy options for member states, WHO, other UN organisations, NGOs and private sector entities to implement collectively.

Heads of state in 2011 recognised the role and responsibility of governments in reducing NCDs through the UN Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of NCDs. With this resolution, ECOSOC is following up on those commitments. It is expected that WHO will convene a formal meeting with member states later this year to complete the work on a draft terms of reference for the UN Task Force on NCDs.

The task force will provide developing countries with policy advice, technical assistance and capacity building. It will share lessons learned in mobilising different sectors of government to respond to NCDs since it is necessary for other non-health sectors to also take action in this regard.

The use of surveillance cameras

Dear Editor, Guyana should use security cameras as much as possible. They are affordable and are now becoming popular and with good reasons too.

Home and business security is getting more and more important and we all want to protect our valuables and

our families. Many are therefore turning, quite rightly, to simple home security systems instead of having to keep firearms in the home, or be depending on security officers and the law proper.

Having a few outdoor cameras around the premises can have a number of benefits. Many cameras are

wireless, and can tie into any existing security system as well. An intruder can be spotted and reported long before he/she can even get to a possible entrance. Criminals just hate the idea that they have been spotted or recorded.

Maybe it is time for some kind of action group to get

going with the promotion of these private surveillance cameras. They work wonders, people can normally afford them and criminals hate them. We can arrest the current spate of crimes if we really want to.

Sincerely, Annette Figueira

The Botanical Gardens can be spruced up

Dear Editor, The Zoological Park, when completely modernised will have a coastal wetland for aquatic animals, a savannah area for the deer, tapirs and other related animals, mountainous highland for the small cats and rainforest for the harpy eagles.

The

So far, based on a number of consultations among regional and international partners, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, along with several bodies, will embark on the restoration, modernisation and upgrade of the Zoological Park. But this will take time and we all will have to be patient. However, in the meantime a few things need addressing, and I will limit myself to the Botanical Gardens.

There are quite a few vagrants there. The next thing is that of washrooms. Also, the gardens can accommodate a better and expanded playing zone for children. We are all dreaming of that day when all will be modern and expansive. However, for now, we can do that bit more to make visiting the botanical gardens safer and more enjoyable.

Yours sincerely, Rudolph Hinds

Port Mourant Ophthalmology Hospital is

living up to expectations

Dear Editor,

A 50-year-old woman from Annai, North Rupununi, Region Nine is now able to see again after three years following intervention by the health minister.

A few years ago, the International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London revealed the importance of restored eyesight at the psychological level. The researchers investigated the association between visual

impairment and depression and anxiety in older people in Britain.

So extensive was the research, that some 13,900 were engaged in the project. The outcome as regards the levels of depression and anxiety was quite startling. Visually impaired people had a higher prevalence of depression compared with people with good vision.

Of visually impaired older people, 13.5 per cent were depressed, compared with 4.6 per cent of people with good vision. Although

cause and effect cannot be established in a cross-sectional study, it is plausible that people with visual impairment are more likely to experience problems with functioning, which in turn leads to depression.

So, this woman, in many ways, has been delivered. Most people think that being blind is just about not seeing. It really cuts deeper. Through intensive work by the surgeons at the Port Mourant Ophthalmology Hospital, her sight problem was reanalysed and now it is

almost totally fixed. She has just one more operation to go through and then she will be back to normal vision.

The Port Mourant Ophthalmology Hospital was constructed to the tune of US$13 million with the objective of offering free eye care service to the people of Guyana, in addition to foreigners. Since it was declared opened on July 25, 2009, hundreds of Guyanese have been treated.

Yours faithfully, Asif Mohamed

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

Monitoring our police is very important

Dear Editor,

We have a few problems in the police force and we in Guyana are not unique in this at all.

Worldwide, police, being mere human beings after all, do malfunction and always steps have to be taken, lest this should become widespread and chronic.

Here the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is soon to electronically monitor its mobile patrols, to ensure they perform assigned duties in

the recommended manner.

The findings are quite copious where police misconduct is concerned. It continues throughout the world, often without any oversight, accountability or justice. This must not become a sick in Guyana.

In this vein, a critical tool used in some places for documenting misconduct, seeking redress, and advancing reform efforts is the street-level use of video monitoring, even by civil society.

The innovation of social networks and informationsharing platforms, together with the accessibility of audio-video technology, have all come together to enhance the ability of everyday civilians.

I am afraid that if the police are not monitored, things can get out of hand. So it is very much in order that the leaders of the GPF start this themselves.

Yours sincerely,

Rhonda McMorris

The new GPL meters

Dear Editor, I have heard that many people just love the new Guyana Power and Light (GPL) meters, as they allow for a lower bill, in that consumers are now much more careful in electricity use. There are going to be some incipient problems, but in the long run, it will make for a far better system. I want meters for everything and people must learn to be very responsible regarding their utilities.

Yours sincerely, Ingrid Lovell

Dangerous driving a big problem in Guyana

Dear Editor, Things have really become bad on the roads. The police should implement “time-out” for some drivers, that is, those who drive

recklessly, but were intercepted before causing injuries or deaths, should be giv-

en a time out of some form. Some drivers need some education, even if it is only along the lines of personal growth towards maturity and responsibility. I believe that it is a bad man who makes a bad driver. If we can change the individual, then maybe the roads will be safer.

Yours truly, Conrad Reno

Teenage pregnancies are a major concern

Dear Editor, Guyana has made significant progress on issues relating to migration, sexual reproductive health, the vulnerable population and the elderly. My concern, however, is specifically teenage pregnancy.

Judging from discussions I had with two social workers and one doctor, teenage abortions are on the increase. Most of these abortions are done safely and, in this regard, I feel a bit better that their health is not in direct and immediate jeopardy.

Guyana needs to provide a better framework for our teenagers, who are still in the process of obtaining their education. People have ways of doing whatever they want to do,

but that does not mean that we turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to reality. Many students are on the road, returning home from lessons, and the place is almost full night. It is as though we are accommodating them to do all kinds of after-dark activities.

There must be a cut-off hour for lessons. Also, many of the private schools never follow the term system of the Education Ministry. If I am deemed old fashioned, I do not care – the bottom line for me is that we have to educate our youths and save them from moral misfortunes.

Yours sincerely, Fiona Huggins

Hosting work study students has many benefits

Dear Editor, A very big thing these days is that of work study arrangements and attachments. The world at large is like this and it is good that Guyana is catching on.

The input into students’ lives does well, as it makes a company a highly sought-after employer. It also gives the opportunity to earn, even if it is a small allowance, as most companies will return some kind of monetary appreciation. This of itself helps to pre-

pare the younger folk to get a glimpse of the real working world.

I know of more than a few students, who so impressed some employers, they were afforded employment, even while they were allowed to further their studies. Guyana has many thriving companies and it will not hurt for many more to come on board and help our students.

Yours faithfully, Garth Camacho

Guyana must address the smoking issue

Dear Editor, I was at a roadside stall having a meal and I was terribly upset when a smoker, his cigarette dangling from his lips, came to order. I was so shocked. I told him how his smoking was bothering me, but he rudely opposed me, collected his food and went off.

It will not be difficult to ask food vendors to enforce the no smoking rule here. The same obtains where public transportation is concerned. Too many bus drivers are puffing and driving. This has to stop.

Here in Guyana, it is now not only about enforcing the law, but also making the public much more aware. In Guyana, most people tend to see smoking as more anti-social, especially if it is done in the supposed wrong places.

I think that we are all aware that there was a rev-

olution in Jamaica. The no smoking law is really taking effect and many business men are beginning to complain. Jamaican education officials are even calling on teachers and students not to smoke,

There was a call by France’s health minister for local authorities to ban smoking in parks and on beaches. Marisol Touraine told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper that she wanted to see more tobacco-free zones, to protect children’s health.

Tobacco is very addictive, and I realise that people have personal choices, but personal liberty must not be at the expense of the comfort and health of others. Guyana must do something about smoking.

Yours faithfully, Julian Auguiste

Page Foundation

BY ERIN DOWER

SAges one to two

aying the magic words

Your little ones will be busy bodies at the table and elsewhere, so be patient as they’re developing the skills to sit at the table, eat with utensils, and say the magic words. Try these activities with your toddler:

• Use stuffed animals, dolls, or puppets to play dinnertime or teatime and practice saying “May I,” “Please,” “Thank-you,” and “You’re welcome.”

• Encourage him to say “Excuse me” for burping (and bumping into others), and “I’m sorry” for being naughty. Don’t make a big deal of burps and messes at the table when he’s still little. It will take time to pick up good table manners.

• Have your children hand you their cup or bowl when they’re finished. This is a precursor to helping clear the table. They can help bring napkins and kidfriendly dinnerware to and from the table, too.

How rude! An age-by-age guide to teaching children manners

Ages three to six Playing well with

Preschool and the early grades will help your child socialise with his teacher and other children and practice good manners. Toys and games can help him pick up the skills of sharing and taking turns. Work on these manners with your younger child:

• Sharing his toys, taking turns, and playing fair with other children.

• Keeping his hands to him self and nev er hitting or name-calling.

• Picking up toys, books, and dirty clothes. Use this print able on cleanup time to help him learn.

• Helping set and clear the table (of anything child-friendly) at mealtimes.

hand before speaking. At home, make sure she pays attention when someone is talking and doesn’t interrupt. Try these tips:

• Practice good listening as a parent so that your child can model your

impressive social skill that might help him make new friends. Here’s how:

• Practice shaking hands and saying “Hi, my name is...” at home with his siblings or even dolls or toys so that she gets used to the idea.

ter-writing skills by working on thank-you cards for gifts she receives. Here are some helpful hints:

• Have her make a list of who came to her birthday party, gave her a holiday gift, or did something nice for her. Buy or – even better – make some thank-you cards on special paper and try this thank-you card writing activity.

• Saying good-bye and thank-you when leaving a friend’s house or party.

Listening and speaking on turn

• In school, your child will learn to raise her

• Ask her to look at and listen to the person who’s speaking and say “Excuse me” if she has something to say.

Making introductions

This one can be tricky, especially if your child is shy around strangers. But learning to introduce himself at a young age is an

him more introduction etiquette, such as whether to call someone Mr or Mrs, and how to be nice when older family members want to hug or kiss him.

Ages seven to 10

Being gracious Reinforce saying thanks and let her practice her let-

Being a good sport Games and sports can continue to help your children play by the rules and interact well with their siblings and peers. Work on these skills:

If your child is playing with younger children, make sure he plays fair and lets the little ones have their turn and chance to shine.

• Explain good sportsmanship, teamwork, and how to accept help and coaching.

• Find an afterschool sport or activity that brings out the best in your child.

Respecting others’ belongings and privacy Children of all ages get curious. Make sure your child understands boundaries:

• Go over rules for privacy, ownership, and space in your household. Tell your child she always needs to ask permission before touching or taking things from family members and friends.

• As a family, make or decorate door signs or doorknob hangers for everyone’s bedroom to show that it’s their own space. Ask your children to knock before entering if a door is closed.

Ages

11-13

Being a good guest Give your tween guidelines for good behaviour as a guest. Ask him to observe the host parents’ rules even if they’re different from your house rules:

• Don’t overstay his welcome. Talk with the host parent about when he should come home.

• Use his best table manners.

• Speak and listen respectfully, making eye contact and not rolling his eyes. Don’t tolerate swearing or other rude behaviour.

• Clean up after himself and thank the host family before leaving.

Ages 14-18

Respecting you and other adults

Your teen’s respect toward you and other adults might waiver, but don’t let her get away with being rude or blowing you off. Maintaining good manners at this age will set her up for more successes in adult life:

• Listen to your teen and expect her to listen to you in return. Mutual respect is more important than ever during your child’s teen years.

• Tell her that being on time for appointments and other plans is a sign of respect, so don’t be late.

• Encourage her to help older people when they need a hand. Volunteering is a great way to practice good manners and interacting with different kinds of people.

• Give your teen time for privacy and using new media, like cellphones and music players. But ask for her full attention when you’re talking or eating with her. Most teens are obsessed with media, so setting rules for appropriate use will help her learn good etiquette. (Family Education)

Operation Floodgate 2013 to be staged in October

Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Director General, retired Colonel Chabilall Ramsarup has disclosed that a number of the agency’s emergency plans will be retested during a simulation exercise in October when a second Operation Floodgate will be staged.

Dubbed Operation Floodgate 2013, the exercise is geared to test the gaps that were found and corrected when the first exercise was held last March. Ramsarup revealed that 20 entities participated in Operation Floodgate and worked on a number of scenarios possible in event of a national disaster.

“During that exercise, we involved one region actively, which is Region Three and we recognised a number of gaps in our plans and working to correct them, we again want to retest those plans in October,” he noted. The director general noted that the commission has started running simulation exercises, since they are an important phase in the disaster risk management.

Ramsarup said there are a number of other plans that are yet to be simulated and after completing the exercises in all regions, the commission will be in a better position to ensure a national exercise is in place.

During this week, the CDC conducted outreaches in Essequibo and is expected to complete the training with outreaches to Region Five.

“So we’re hoping that regions can take this down to the communities. But we are not stopping there: we are getting down to communities. We have done so in Upper Mahaica River; we are working in Albouystown, and West Watooka in Region 10,” the CDC head said.

Vulnerability assessment

Ramsarup said the commission has also partnered with the Guyana Red Cross in working across the country with 18 communities, which were selected through a vulnerability assessment.

There are also some religious and civil organisations that have come on board and are requesting training from the commission.

Last Sunday, the CDC conducted a presentation with community policing groups

(CPGs) at the Georgetown Club on disaster risk management planning which it has already done with other organisations.

The CDC is the disaster coordinating agency that has been preparing plans and standard operating procedures (SOPs) over the past few years with support from a number of agencies, such as Inter-America Development Bank (IDB); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and government.

Public education campaign

According to Ramsarup, the CDC has done the flood risk evaluation and the disaster risk reduction indicators, and is now embarking on a public education campaign with a focus on different strata of society including school children.

The commission has also completed an integrated disaster risk management plan, a community-based risk management plan, and the development of guidelines for incorporating disaster risk reduction into agricultural planning and environmental management.

The CDC was also instrumental in conducting the vulnerability assessment and evacuation planning for Region Four and the Draft Disaster Risk Management Act.

“Some are completed and some are a work in progress. What is more important is the implementation of these plans. We are already doing some work to ensure that when plans are drafted, there is some measure of implementation,” the director general noted.

He disclosed that eight of the 10 regions in Guyana have completed disaster plans and

600 persons have been trained in damage assessment, needs analysis, shelter management, and management of regional operations emergency centres.

“This system is meant to devolve the responsibility and authority to make people conscious of disaster preparedness and planning. But in order to determine the effectiveness and practicality of our plans outside of a real disaster, these simulation exercises are important.”

Ramsarup said there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that disasters are increasing both in frequency and intensity and while some schools of thought suggest a link with climate change, this is yet to be proven. However, what is evident is the reduction in the loss of life.

Building capacities

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction 2012 report found that loss of life owing to disaster decreased by 10 per cent, compared to the 10-year average.

Ramsarup said this was directly related to building capacities for direct public investment into integrated climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

“If we are not prepared as a nation, then consequences will be disastrous as witnessed during the 2005 floods,” the director general stated.

Ramsarup said an assessment from the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (ECLAC) placed economic losses after the 2005 floods at 60 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and development was pushed back at least 10 years.

“We have learnt our lessons and we have put disaster risk reduction as a priority in disaster risk planning. We’ve had more rainfall in subsequent years to the 2005 floods, but did not experience the devastation of that period,” he stressed.

This, he said, is directly attributed to the risk reduction effort carried out by many government agencies such as National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the river and sea defence department, which is now taking into consideration climate change and sea level rise.

Advocates seek Guyana’s support for animal rights

Two executives of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) are in Guyana on a mission to solicit government’s support for a declaration on animal rights that could see the United Nations (UN) adopting the resolution.

WSPA South American Director Luis Carlos Sarmiento and Policy Advocacy Coordinator Diana Rodriguez, along with executives of the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) on Thursday met with President Donald Ramotar and Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.

The Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare is geared to inform member countries about the regulations and policy guidelines that are necessary for the care, treatment and protection of animals.

During an interview with Guyana Times shortly after the meeting, Sarmiento said he was very satisfied with the response he received from the government.

Fruitful meeting

He disclosed that the meeting was fruitful and that local administrators acknowledged the need for animal rights to be included into the national agenda.

According to Sarmiento, the United Nations has never issued any official document on the protocol for animal welfare.

So, the animal rights executives are hoping to have the UN recognise the declaration and adopt it as a convention.

“So in this particular case, we are working on a campaign for the Universal Declaration of Animal Welfare and the GSPCA is supporting this working with us jointly. The meeting with the president went very well and basically it was to promote the initiative and letting them know the importance of supporting the campaign and the benefits such regulations can bring to the country,” the WSPA director said.

Sarmiento stated that the declaration can be a very important tool for motivating government to introduce adequate animal welfare legis-

lation or to update the laws that may already exist.

Several countries around the world have already become party to the campaign and Sarmiento said there are already five South American countries onboard.

“So I have a lot of expectations to listen to what Guyana has to say and I’m sure this country will be the next in the region to support the initiative,” he mentioned.

Detailing some of the regulations, Sarmiento said there are many issues that can be taken into account in Guyana’s situation such as the inclusion of animals in disaster management prevention plans.

Policies

“Some years ago during the 2005 floods, they were not taken into consideration and while people always come first, if Guyana includes these animals into their policies for disaster reduction, then the situation will be different in the future. These are just some of the many things a country can do to change the situation of animals.”

Sarmiento stressed that animals must not become the forgotten victims of disaster.

Commenting on the timeline to secure Guyana’s approval for the declaration, the organisation was anticipating a response “quite soon”.

However, he wished that Guyana’s indication of support could come in a matter of days.

For countries that do not

have legislation, Sarmiento revealed that there is information available that can be used to customise animal protection laws to specific needs and situations.

He disclosed that animals which are used for various purposes, particularly those which are used in commercial activity or production should have a minimum standard requirement for their treatment, care and protection based on international animal welfare protocols.

“It’s a movement to lobby these persons who depend on animals for one reason or another. Each person’s life is affected in direct and indirect ways by animals from pets, birdwatchers or even those who rear meat birds for sale,” Sarmiento added.

Animal welfare

The WSPA is an organisation that was formed to promote the welfare of animals and to ensure a halt in the cruel treatment of animals.

The WSPA works along with various agencies all over the world to support different campaigns aimed at protecting all species of animals.

The society has more than 15 offices around the world, including Colombia where the South American office is based.

“We’ve had long relations with GSPCA having been to Guyana before. The work we do is always related to the local agencies all over the world,” Sarmiento pointed out.

saturday, july 27, 2013| guyanatimesgy.co2

Lusignan

Massacre trial

No fingerprints taken from crime scene − corporal

Apolice corporal testifying in the Lusignan massacre trial told a jury on Thursday that no fingerprint samples were taken from the crime scene.

Mark Williams called “Smallie” and James Hyles called “Sally” are indicted jointly with the murder of the 11 persons, including five children, who were killed in the wee hours of January 26, 2008 at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara.

Corporal Floyd Hosanna took the stand on Thursday morning, testifying about recovering spent shells, cartridges and bullets from the five yards in which persons were killed. He also gave evidence about examining the bodies of the 11 persons who were killed.

Hosanna said that around 04:14h on January 26, 2008, he and then Sergeant Ewin Trotman who is now retired,

went to Track A Lusignan. He recalled that they went to Lot 20, where they saw the body of an East Indian man and two females. The officer said Trotman took pictures of the bodies and then he examined them, observing what appeared to be gunshot wounds about them. The wounds were photographed, he noted.

Spent shells

The witness then went on to say that he searched the scene and found four spent shells and a fired cartridge casing. Photographs were taken of them after which they were placed in white envelopes and labelled. This process was followed, according to the officer, when he visited Lot 23 where he observed the bodies of an East Indian woman and two males. However, no spent shells, bullets or cartridges were found there.

Hosanna continued that

he proceeded to Lot 25 and saw the motionless body of a male East Indian lying on a bed, facing downwards. Eight spent shells and two ammunitions were found at this scene. He then said that he went to Lot 26, where he observed the body of another male East Indian lying with his face downward. He noted that he found 10 spent shells at his address.

The last place the officer said he went to was Lot 30 where he saw a male Amerindian and two East Indians, a male and a female, both of whom were on separate beds. He disclosed that he found 13 spent shells, four cartridges and five fired bullets.

Initialed envelopes

Hosanna explained that he took all the white envelopes to the CID headquarters and placed his initials on them before sealing the

envelopes with a police seal. He added that on March 17, 2008, he took the envelopes to the Ballistic Department and handed them over to Sergeant Jackson.

Then on January 5, 2009, he continued, he uplifted the objects along with the ballistic reports and took them to the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court where they were tendered and admitted into evidence in the preliminary inquiry. He noted that afterwards, he took the envelopes containing the objects and lodged them at the CID headquarters. On Thursday’s date, he uplifted a yellow envelope containing the several white ones and took them to the High Court.

The white envelopes containing the spent shells, cartridges and bullets, were then shown to the witness and after he identified them, they were tendered and admitted into the trial as exhibits.

turn to page 14

Eyew tness

Writing and re-writing...

... Emancipation history

Minister of Culture, Dr Frank Anthony made a plea for our history to be written by locals from a “Guyanese” perspective. He was presenting cheques from the government to a number of groups to fund activities for this year’s “Emancipation Day” commemoration. He specifically mentioned the 1763 Rebellion led by Cuffy – which happened exactly 250 years ago – and the Demerara Rebellion of 1823. We couldn’t agree with him more. While it’s now a cliche to say “history” is written by the victors – what is not explicitly noted is that observation accepts that the events written about in “history” are invariably about some sort of struggle between groups. Take “emancipation”’ for instance.

The British, who wrote all our textbooks and popular texts on history, insisted that they freed the slaves because of “humanitarian” motives. Great and noble British men and women realised after a couple of hundreds of years that Africans were humans after all and worked assiduously to get rid of the “peculiar institution”. The most identifiable image of “abolition” was a kneeling, supplicating African man in chains with the inscription “Am I not a man and a brother?” It was made by Wedgewood, the famous potter.

It’s found in museums all over the world and whenever the abolition of slavery is mentioned. The story it still tells is that the African slave begged for his freedom and appealed to the higher morality of the British. We must, therefore, be eternally grateful to those enlightened souls. It hides the truth that slaves always fought by whatever means necessary for their freedom. If the abolitionists had forgotten Cuffy from 1763, surely Toussaint L’Overture who led the slaves of Haiti to defeat one of the greatest European powers of the time – France – and form the first Black republic, couldn't have been out of their minds?

But Minister Anthony and his ministry is also complicit – albeit unwittingly – in this “silencing” of the real factors behind Emancipation where the African slave is denied agency in the quest for freedom. They do this every year when they conflate the 1763 commemoration of Cuffy and his fellow slaves' heroic battles to free themselves, with the fete that the slave owners threw after the sugar crop was “over” for the season.

That we call it Mashramani does not in one way alter the fact that we are trivialising our history and perpetuating another myth fostered by the writers of history -- that we’re just a bunch of happy-go-lucky buffoons.

...

“neo-colonialism”

As we’ve said before, what’s going on right now in Guyanese politics is real madness. Recall all the arguments the leaders of the Alliance For Change (AFC) have made against the construction of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project (AFHEP) – almost US$100 million in “inflated” costs. Costs of petroleum will go down. Tariffs will still go up...and so on and so forth. These fellas aren’t just throwing out these claims as speculations.

They’ve even trotted out numbers to “prove” their case. But at the same time they proudly and loudly assert that if the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) tells them that AFHEP is okay, then they’ll automatically jump aboard the AFHEP bandwagon. Note well...they’re not saying that they only sign on if the IDB addresses their objections they’ll reverse their stance. No siree!! Once the IDB says it’s okay...it’s okay.

It is these kinds of contradictions that expose the neocolonial mentality that has endured since we supposedly got independence. These naysayers won’t give the government spokespersons’ figures and projections the time of the day...but once an outsider organisation says so, it must be so.

When will we pick up the rewriting of this kind of neo-colonial mentality already launched way back by Dr Cheddi Jagan?

...local government

Does the latest fracas on the local government bills mean that we’ll have another two years of Hamilton Green? God forbid! There’s only so much even Job could bear.

Four bills not necessary for holding of local govt elections – Teixeira

Government said the holding of local government elections is not dependent on the passage of the four bills, which recently emerged from a parliamentary select committee, noting that the proposed legislation are more for post-poll actions.

Speaking during a debate as to whether to adjourn the National Assembly on Thursday, Chief Whip Gail Teixeira said government was not trying to delay the elections as was being claimed by the opposition.

“We have said it publicly, that we want local government elections. These four bills are not required for local government elections, but they are required for post-local government elections. We have an act right now that allows us to have local government elections under the new hybrid system. The opposition has held out all the time that unless these bills for postelections are resolved, then they don’t have local government elections, and that has been their position for the last seven to eight years.” The four bills are the Fiscal Transfer Bill, the Municipal and District Councils Amendment Bill, the Local Government Amendment Bill and the Local Government Commission Bill.

Willingness

The chief whip said government has indicated its willingness to debate the said bills, “even when we were last week trying to get them to agree to Amaila, we said that we are prepared to bring the four bills, we will say what we have objections to, we are prepared to let the bills go through”.

Teixeira said that the problem with the parliamentary opposition is that Amaila is a national project, a transformative project and it will be the single largest developmental project in Guyana since independence.

“The impact for this will go on for decades, it’s not just for this generation… in terms of not only electricity for ordinary people and the price

coming down, it is also attractive for investors who need to have access to cheap and reliable electricity. Certain developments have been held off because we haven’t got a reliable supply at a good price.”

The two sticking points, the need for local government elections and for the Amaila hydro project are viewed as very important by government, but Teixeira opined that they are not exactly related as, “one is an issue of patriotism and moving forward on a programme that is for the benefit for our nation and where it needs people to buy into that, and to be able to support it, whether they like the government of the day or not. The government is anxious to have local government elections as we can have them tomorrow, with or without these bills. The issue is that the opposition doesn’t want it that way. All this talk about local government elections is rather fallacious because they know that that act that allows for local government elections under the new hybrid system was passed in 2009 in this House. They have refused to have local government elections unless these four bills are passed”.

The chief whip reiterated that government is not blocking any election and the public needs to understand this fact clearly. “Local government elections can be held at any time, based on the law we now have. The issue is based on a political impasse… we are prepared to go ahead

with local government elections and we’re prepared to debate it before recess. They may not like what we have to say, but in a parliamentary committee, the majority exercises its vote despite efforts by the government’s side to say let’s compromise on this, they say ‘No, no, vote, vote’. This is the attitude so what are we supposed to do when we come to Parliament? We don’t have the right to speak? Is the right for democracy only for the opposition side because they have one seat more than us?”

Joint statement

Local government elections have not been held in Guyana for more than 19 years. Western diplomats here had said following the completion of the select committee’s work on the four bills that the path is now clear for local government elections to be held in Guyana. In a joint statement, representatives of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union had noted that at the start of 2013, political party leaders, civil society, private sector representatives, and members of the diplomatic community all expressed confidence that this would be the year in which Guyana would move forward to ensure that its citizens benefit from strong and effective local governance.

According to the diplomats, after months of debate, hard work, and compromise, the parliamentary select committee on local government has forged agreement on the four bills necessary to establish a more modern and effective system of local governance.

They said local government reform would make it possible for the active civic participation that leads to better services, increased investment, and greater accountability and transparency, all of which contribute to better governance and stronger communities. Guyana had its last local government elections in 1994.

saturday, july 27, 2013 | guyanatimesgy.com

Local Govt Ministry commissions several buildings in Region Nine

Government recently commissioned three buildings during an outreach in Region Nine, the Government Information Agency (GINA) has reported.

The buildings were commissioned by the minister and permanent secretary of the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, Ganga Persaud and Collin Croal respectively.

Croal declared open the district development officer’s quarter and doctor’s quarter in the administrative compound in Karasabai Central, and the sanitary block at Tipuru Primary while Minister Persaud commissioned the Sand Creek doctor’s quarter.

He urged officers at the commissioning of the district development officer’s quarter to work harder and beyond the call of duty now that they are being placed in a condu-

cive environment. The building was constructed at a cost of $8.68 million.

Croal speaking at the commissioning of the $3.59 million sanitary block at the Tipuru Primary School said 59 students will now be benefitting from the new sanitary facilities.

“Children would be able to utilise the best facility as possible… We will continue to work as the government to make the lives of our children much more competent and that as they access education, they receive the best,” Croal said.

At the opening of the $8.38 million doctor’s quarters in Karasabai, Croal said that residents will benefit from the services of doctors stationed in the region. He added that residents also decided to provide a vehicle from the subdistrict to service the health programme.

Meanwhile, the Sand Creek doctor’s quarter built at a cost of over $8 million will be provided with the services of suitable medical personnel whose responsibilities include being part of medical outreaches in the interior.

Minister Persaud at the commissioning expressed the hope that Sand Creek and other Deep South residents could benefit from a higher level of medical expertise. The minister expressed the hope that the medical personnel and the district development officer would provide the services necessary to serve the community. He also pointed out that the health post would make it possible for more frequent outreaches in the area.

Residents expressed their appreciation for the commissioning of the new buildings that would bring more benefits to them.

saturday, July 27, 2013 | guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, July 27, 2013 | guyanatimesgy.com

Visitors get CPL welcome at CJIA

– Digicel, Limacol reps distribute goodies

Telecommunication giant, Digicel in collaboration with NEW GPC under the Limacol brand and Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) on Friday morning welcomed a number of returning Guyanese and other visitors at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) as part of promotional activities for the upcoming Limacol Caribbean Premier League tournament.

The reason behind choosing the 08:30h Caribbean Airline flight which happens to be the flag bearer airline of Guyana was to give returning Guyanese a taste of home while giving the internationals a taste of the Guyanese culture just in time for the Limacol Caribbean Premier T20 League (LCPL), according to Digicel Marketing Manager Jacqueline James.

“Well we are here and we are just welcoming people trying to give them a taste of the Guyanese country and just a reminder of home so that is basically what we are doing, welcoming people to Guyana, welcoming them to the Limacol CPL game which is scheduled to start on July 31.”

“So we are starting early to ensure they get the feeling of cricket, get the feeling of wanting to go the game, getting the feeling of being cool man and having that

Guyanese flavour attached to everything that they do,” James told Guyana Times at the arrival lounge of the CJIA. The event which has been

Look out fuh de real hydro people

Oendorsed by the Tourism Ministry is expected to be in short spurts and not a continuous event.

“Well we are hoping to continue this, maybe not for the entire summer but then coming again at Christmas time when you have so many visitors and returning residents coming home for the holidays, we want to ensure that everyone gets that Guyanese flavour, that warm welcome and feeling of being home,” James mentioned.

The first Limacol CPL game will feature Guyana Amazon Warriors taking on Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel on August 31 at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence from 20:00h.

GDF boosted with 164 more soldiers

The new batch of GDF recruits during their passing out parade on Thursday

The 164 new additions to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were charged by the Chief -of-Staff, Commodore Gary Best to uphold the values of the force; to live by its creed and strive to be professional in and out of their uniform at the occasion of their ‘Passing Out Parade’ held Thursday afternoon on the National Cultural Centre (NCC) tarmac.

Commodore Best charged the new recruits to be responsible, respect the law and others, live by the oath of the force and bear true allegiance to the state, serving honestly and faithfully against all enemies, obeying all orders from the president and those officers above them.

The new recruits are the successful ones of a total of 242 who had embarked on the 16-week basic recruit course 2013-01. Most of the drop outs were for medical reasons. During his address, Commodore Best noted that this was the last batch of entrants into the force he would address as chief-ofstaff. To this end, he said, “I would therefore attempt to use my time wisely and leave something of worth for you to consider as you pursue your career, as I close mine.”

Commodore Best also spoke about the merits of a true soldier.

“As a soldier, you are a person who has agreed to

give your life to this country,” he stated. Also among the qualities he listed were the soldier’s constitutional duty to defend his/her country, to maintain order , to be an upholder of the law, upholder of high values, defender of territorial integrity and to be a role model for the force and his/her community.

Best also advised of the force’s commitment to educate and empower its members in addition to military skills. “We will educate you right up to the level of university once you possess requirements,” he stated.

The event saw awards given in categories such as best section, best platoon, best shot, best fitness, mili-

tary knowledge, best drill, best student and best runner-up students. Shaquel Carroll was named best student and Basil Watson runner-up student.

The recruits were trained in areas such as foot and arms drills, field craft, map reading and navigation at the Colonel John Clarke Military School at Tacama and internal security, swimming and rappelling at Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri and in close country warfare inclusive of construction of shelters, traps and the preparation of jungle food at the Colonel Robert Mitchell Jungle and Amphibious Training School in Makouria.

ld people seh “do fuh do nah obeah”. That is de opposition motto. Is every day every body realisin that whatever de opposition want, de people don’t want. And what de people want, de opposition don’t want either. De PEE-N-C believe in that system a long time now. That is why since de days of Burnt Ham de riggin used to tek place. Is because de people never want what they want.

Is de same ting happen wid de hydro. De PSC seh dem want hydro. De PYO want hydro. De business people want hydro. De chambers of commerce around de country want hydro. De GMSA want hydro. Even GPL want hydro. De poor people want hydro. De whole country want hydro. But de opposition don’t want any hydro, so dem don’t want give any body hydro.

Rambo and Ram givin one another hydro, so de two of dem don’t want de guvament hydro. De whole of Kocheur full of hydro, so dem don’t want hydro from Amaila. Dem boys who seh dem is boys but who just lookin like boys seh dem gettin enough hydro from one another and from de Kocheur.

De Amaila hydro must be too cold fuh dem boys, so dem prefer de warm hydro from one another. A reporter seh that de hydro so good at de Kocheur that dem boys tekkin plenty plenty. And now plenty of dem swellin up big big.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! But is not de Kocheur alone. Some of de Stabber big people like hydro too, so look out fuh dem all de time.

Prosecution closes case in Lusignan Massacre trial

By Vahnu Manikchand

Nine days after the trial into the Lusignan Massacre began the prosecution led by Senior State Counsel Judith Mursalin on Friday closed its case, calling a total of 15 witnesses.

Mark Williams called “Smallie” and James Hyles called “Sally” are indicted jointly with the murder of the 11 persons who were killed in the wee hours of January 26, 2008 in the peaceful village of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara. Williams is being represented by Attorney Roger Yearwood while Hyles is represented by Attorney Nigel Hughes.

When the matter continued before Justice Navindra Singh on Friday, the prosecution called state pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh to the stand. The doctor testified about conducting post-mortem examinations on the bodies of the 11 persons who were killed during the Lusignan Massacre.

Post-mortem

He said on January 28, 2008, the bodies were identified to him by relatives after which he conducted post-mortem examinations in the presence of Constable Kelon Fraser.

The pathologist explained that with the extent of the gunshot wounds sustained by those persons, death would have been instantaneous; however, he did give the cause of death as due to multiple gunshot injuries. Dr Singh noted that he then prepared reports of his findings which he handed over to Fraser on a later date. The post-mortem reports, which are exhibits B to K, were then shown to

the witness and he read and explained his findings to the jury. Four relatives of the deceased persons then testified about identifying the bodies and witnessing the funeral.

Rajkumar Harrilall told the court that on January 28, 2008, he went to the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary where he identified the bodies of his wife, Mohandai Gourdat, and their two sons: four-year-old Seegobin Harrilall and 10-yearold Seegopaul Harrilall. The man said the autopsy was then conducted on their bodies. He added that on January 31, his wife and sons were cremated at the Good Hope Cemetery, East Coast Demerara.

Burial

Gaindalall Bhagwandin testified that on January 28, he went to the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary and identified the body of Shaleem Baksh to Dr Singh and Fraser. The witness said Baksh was his brother-in-law and after the examination, the body was handed over to him. He then stated that on January 31, he witnessed the man’s burial at the Good Hope Cemetery.

Kassim Khan told the court that he went to the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary to identify his nephew Shazam Mohammed’s body and then witnessed his burial the following day at the Good Hope Cemetery. Mohamed was the only deceased whose funeral was held separate.

Meanwhile, Parmanand Sidwah disclosed that he identified the bodies of Clarence Thomas, Vanessa Thomas and Ron Thomas at the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary. He said Clarence was his neph-

ew-in-law. The man further explained that after the autopsy was done on January 28, three days after he witnessed the burial of the Thomas’.

Also to take the stand on Friday was Assistant Police Superintendant Trevor Reid, who returned to be cross-examined. Reid gave his evidence in chief on Thursday.

During cross-examination, Attorney Hughes asked the witness if Hyles denied the allegation of the murders twice to which the officer said “yes”.

Alibi

He then continued to ask whether anyone investigated or checked out the accused alibi or his living environment.

Reid responded saying that he did not cause anyone to check out Hyles’ alibi because he did not say where he was, but just told the police that he is a conductor and is not involved in any gang, while adding that the police could not have checked out the man’s house because he was living in Buxton and at that time the officers were scared to go to the village alone. Hughes then disclosed that his client was arrested at his home in Buxton.

The attorney then went on to question Reid about the evidence they have against his client. The officer stated that the only evidence they had against Hyles was the statement of Dwayne Williams, who, according to the attorney, was a self-confessed murderer. However, the assistant police superintendent explained that while Dwayne was charged for “Mango man” murder, he does not know whether he was charged before or after the arrest of Hyles.

Hughes continued to crossexamine Reid, this time enquiring about his relationship with Dwayne Williams. The officer told the court that he and Dwayne had “good communication” and he used to call him about three to four times every month to check-up on him.

Finally, Attorney Hughes noted that Dwayne Williams had admitted that he was with “Fineman” in over 30 murders and yet today, he is not even facing a single murder charge. He then suggested to the assistant police superintendent that somebody had to set that up but Reid denied this claim.

After presenting her last five witnesses, Senior State Counsel Mursalin informed the court that she is closing her case. Earlier in the day, Justice Singh had decided that he would not allow the photographs taken at the scene to be admitted in the trial because they are traumatising, and as such, the prosecution did not call their sixteenth witness Sergeant Trotman, who was the photographer.

Defence

Defence attorneys, Hughes and Yearwood then indicated to the court that they both intended to lead their defence and requested an adjournment until Monday to do so. Yearwood informed the judge that he has two witnesses to call while Hughes disclosed that he has one witness to present. The matter will continue on Monday when the two accused will be called upon to lead their defence. They men can elect to do so by giving an unsworn statement from the dock, go into witness box and testify, or remain silent. (vanhum@guyanatimesgy. com)

IAPA believes bill to regulate Uruguayan media threatens freedom of press

Inter American Press Association (IAPA) Freedom of the Press and Information Committee President Claudio Paolillo on Thursday attended a hearing held by the Uruguayan Parliament on the proposed bill for the new Audiovisual Communication Services Law.

Speaking in front of Congress, Paolillo highlighted that the bill, which is meant to regulate radio and television, contained articles that guaranteed freedom of expression, but also contained elements that threatened the validity of that essential human right. He pointed out that the creation of a Council for Audiovisual Communication (CAC), made up of officials appointed by the political elite and with the authority to impose self-regulation mechanisms on the media and interfere with their content and editorial policies, was contradictory to the spirit of the law.

Paolillo, director of the weekly newspaper Búsqueda, who attended the hearing together with the IAPA Regional Vice President for Uruguay, Washington Beltran, of the newspaper El País, also questioned the designation of information as being of “public service”, and the media be considered, according to the bill, “strategic for the development of the nation”, as these premises would open the doors to arbitrary government intervention on content meant for distribution.

The IAPA is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the defence and promotion of freedom of the press and of expression in the Americas. It is made up of more than 1300 print publications from throughout the Western Hemisphere and is based in Miami.

No fingerprints taken...

However, some of the spent shells were not tendered in evidence because they got out of the white envelopes and it could not be determined from which scenes they were obtained from.

No fingerprints

Under cross-examination, Attorney Roger Yearwood representing Williams, asked the officer whether he caused fingerprints dusting to be done at the scene to which the office replied in the negative. He was also asked if the objects found were dusted for fingerprints and said no.

Meanwhile, during cross-examination by Attorney Nigel Hughes, representing Hyles, the witness disclosed that there was a trail at the end of Track A. He said that there were footprints on the trail, which led to a canal and that there were no other exit points at Track A other than the canal and

the entrance.

When the prosecutor, Senior State Counsel Judith Mursalin asked Hosanna why the objects were not tested for fingerprints, he explained that when the ammunition is being fired, the heat and gas from the barrel destroys the any prints that would have been there.

Ballistic expert, Sergeant Eon Jackson, then testified about receiving the white envelopes from Hosanna and conducted tests on the contents after which he prepared analysis reports of his findings. These, he told the court, were all handed back to Hosanna.

Assistant Police Superintendant Trevor Reid then took the stand and testified about his involvement in the investigations into this matter.

He said that on February 19, 2008, at the CID headquarters, he witnessed when then Corporal Singh put the allegations to

Hyles and cautioned him to which he responded saying “me is a bus conductor, me na no about Fineman and gang. I learn about Lusignan massacre pon TV”.

He continued that on June 15, 2008, he invited Singh to his office where he subsequently took Williams. The assistant police superintendant stated that he put the allegations to Williams and then cautioned him after which he said, “Bigga leh me tell yuh about this wuk”.

The officer added that the accused requested that Singh write the statement as such he (Singh) filled out the Caution Statement form.

He further stated that Hyles then proceed to narrate a story which Singh recorded after which he (Reid) signed as a witness and Hyles attached his signature after he read over the statement and said “ok dat is de story”.

Mandela Avenue accident leaves two injured

The occupants of a car that was involved in an accident on Mandela Avenue on Friday night are thankful for their lives following a near collision between a RAV4 and a car.

The driver of the car bearing licence number PNN 6791, Ram Chan, reportedly tried to avoid hitting the

RAV4, so he swerved out of its path and lost control of his vehicle, which toppled over in a nearby trench.

When Guyana Times visited the accident scene Chan, who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, was lying was lying on the road, unconscious.

His vehicle was badly damaged, while the RAV4

was in good condition except for a loose tyre. Chan and another occupant of the car, Latoya Mahava, who is believed to be his wife, were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she is in a stable condition. No one else was severely injured, according to reports.

Timehri woman accused of shoplifting underwear

Awoman was granted bail for simple larceny when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday.

Tia Dotson, 25, of Timehri, pleaded not guilty to the simple larceny charge, which stated that on July 24

at High Street, she stole four panties valued $420 and four bras valued $840, property of Ashmin’s Trading Company.

According to reports, the accused ventured into Ashmin’s, picked up the articles mentioned in the charge, and placed them in her bag. As she left the store, a security guard who

was observing her stopped her and retrieved the items. Authorities were then contacted and the charge imposed.

The prosecution had no objections to bail.

The chief magistrate granted bail in the sum of $5000 and the matter will be heard again on July 29 in Court 10.

Cannabis accused to know fate August 9

The trial of Keith Daly for possession of narcotics was postponed after the prosecution on Friday closed its case when the matter was heard again before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Courts.

Daly, of Lot 492 North East La Penitence, first appeared in Court Five on May

Egyptians stage rival rallies as Morsi charges fuel tension

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets in rival mass rallies on Friday, hours after the state news agency said ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was being investigated for charges including murder.

In Cairo, huge crowds heeded a call by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to give him a popular mandate to confront violence unleashed by his July 3 overthrow of Morsi, many of them clutching pictures of the general in full ceremonial uniform.

Supporters of the deposed Islamist leader staged mass counter-demonstrations to demand his reinstatement, shrugging off fears of an imminent crackdown.

The army’s move against Egypt’s first democratically elected president has caused deep alarm in the West. The country of 84 million people forms a bridge between the Middle East and North Africa and receives US$1.5 billion a year in mainly military aid from the United States.

Highlighting the potential for bloodshed, hospital officials said four people were killed in clashes in Egypt’s second city Alexandria – three stabbed and one shot in the head. More than 50 were wounded.

A Reuters reporter said hundreds of people fought

a pitched battle in the city, with birdshot fired and men on rooftops hurling stones down at the crowds below.

Seven protesters were also reported hurt in the Nile delta city of Damietta.

Close to 200 people have

died in violence in the three weeks since the army deposed the president. (Excerpt from Reuters)

29 where he pleaded not guilty and was remanded on the charge, which stated that he had in his possession 40 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

The defendant led his own defence and denied being in possession of the cannabis that the police found, but admitted that he smokes a joint periodically. He added that on the day in question when he was finished with his joint, the little piece

left was what he disposed of. According to the prosecution, acting on information, the police proceeded to the defendant’s home where they saw him with a transparent plastic bag, which he tried to dispose of over a fence. Daly was arrested and upon checking the discarded bag, leaves, seeds and stems alleged to be cannabis were found within.

The magistrate will rule on the matter on August 9.

Africa

Caribbean Telecommunications Union enters into strategic alliance

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to assist their common stakeholders to utilise information and communication technologies (ICTs) more effectively for development, by combining the strengths of the premier ICT organisations of the Commonwealth and the Caribbean.

North America

The CTO is the oldest and largest Commonwealth organisation in the field of ICTs, with a membership network spanning over 40 Commonwealth countries and more than 100 other stakeholders, including the private sector. Its main operational activities comprising of research, advisory services, capacity building and international conferences are geared to assist innova-

SAC Capital pleads

tive use of ICTs. Importantly the CTO provides a platform that facilitates consultations and consensus building on ICT policy across the Commonwealth.

As the regional leader in the development of harmonised ICT policies, the CTU aims to create an environment, in partnership with members, to optimise returns from ICT resources for the benefit of the Caribbean.

(Caribbean News Now)

not guilty, but remains silent to investors

Billionaire investor Steven A Cohen’s hedge fund pleaded not guilty on Friday to insider trading charges in federal court, as investors in the roughly US$15 billion fund awaited word on plans for the fund’s future.

Middle East Asia Caribbean

Computer model gives early warning of crop failure in Africa

An international team of researchers has developed a computer model to predict global crop failures several months before harvest. Since 2008, widespread drought in crop-exporting regions has resulted in large increases in food prices on global commodity markets. With climatic extremes also expected to become more common, being able to predict global crop failures could help de-

veloping nations that are reliant on food imports – making them more resilient to spikes in food prices. The study, published in Nature Climate Change this week (July 21), involved analysing 23 years of climate forecasts and satellite observations to develop a computer model for predicting crop yields. The researchers then tested how well their model predicted the actual yields

at the end of each season for four staple crops: wheat, rice, maize and soybean. They found that climate-induced crop failures were reliably predicted in up to a third of the global crop area. The results suggest that computer models such as this could be used to produce crop estimates up to five months before harvest and help establish a system to predict global crop failure. (allAfrica)

Samsung overtakes Apple as "most profitable phone firm"

Several SAC Capital Advisors LLP clients said they had yet to be contacted officially by the firm in an investor-wide call or note. Investors have until August 16 to decide if they will submit a redemption request to the fund. At least one client called, but could get no information.

dustry experts said.

Separately, the influential insurance ratings group, AM Best Co said on Friday it was monitoring the situation at the hedge fund’s reinsurance unit, SAC Re Ltd. A year ago it gave the hedge fund’s reinsurance unit a top rating, but if the company were to cut that rating in the wake of criminal charges, people may shy away from doing business with SAC Re, insurance in-

Prosecutors said on Thursday that SAC had presided over a culture where employees flouted the law and were encouraged to tap their personal networks for inside information about publicly traded companies.

The criminal case imperils the future of one of Wall Street’s largest hedge funds and could end Cohen’s career of managing outside money. His average annualised returns of 25 per cent beat most of his rivals. (Reuters)

Bank of England gets Sir Jon Cunliffe as deputy governor

The Bank of England has recruited one of the most influential figures who grappled with the 2008 banking crash to succeed Paul Tucker as head of the central bank’s financial stability arm. Sir Jon Cunliffe, a career civil servant who worked closely with former chancellor Gordon Brown at the height of the financial crisis, will succeed Tucker as depu-

ty governor. The 60-year-old is Britain’s most senior diplomat in Brussels and well known to the Bank’s new governor Mark Carney, who said Cunliffe’s experience during negotiations at G8 and G20 summits will prove invaluable as Threadneedle Street seeks to influence implementation of European and international financial rules.

Cunliffe will also find him-

self at the centre of the highly charged debate over the regulation of Britain’s high street banks and the City, where Brussels is having a growing influence. He will have a place on the committees dealing with monetary and financial policy and is being appointed at a time when the Bank is being criticised for demanding banks hold more capital. (The Guardian)

Samsung has become the most profitable mobile phone company in the world, overtaking Apple, a report says. Samsung’s handset division had an estimated operating profit of US$5.2 billion (£3.4 billion) in the second quarter of 2013, according to Strategy Analytics.

Apple’s iPhone operating profit was estimated at

US$4.6 billion, with the iPhone range “underperforming”. Total mobile phone shipments were 386 million in the April-to-June period, four per cent up on the same time last year. In all, 27.7 per cent of phones shipped were made by Samsung. Separately, Samsung, which is also the world’s biggest TV maker, reported second-quarter profits of US$7 billion for the en-

tire company. “This was the mobile phone industry’s fastest growth rate since the second quarter of 2012,” said Neil Shah, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics.

“Strong demand for entrylevel Android devices in Asia and Latin America drove much of the growth. Samsung continued to dominate, shipping 107 million mobile phones worldwide.” (BBC News)

Jet Airways shares surge on Etihad deal talk

Shares in Jet Airways India Ltd surged as much as 19.7 per cent on Friday after traders said India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board was likely to approve a planned stake sale to Etihad Airways. Jet Airways and Etihad Airways officials were not immediately reachable for comment on the market speculation. A spokesman for India’s finance minis-

try, which oversees FIPB, declined to comment. The FIPB, which clears foreign direct investment proposals, is scheduled to consider the Jet-Etihad deal at its meeting on Monday and traders said it may be approved.

The FIPB last month deferred a decision on Jet’s plan to sell a 24 percent stake to Etihad. Jet shares were up 14.6 per cent at 09:00h UAE time, well above the 0.2 per

cent gain in the broader NSE index. Etihad in April agreed to buy the Jet stake in a deal priced at a 32 per cent premium to the market price of the target’s stock. It also agreed to make a US$150 million investment in Jet’s frequent flyer programme and to spend US$70 million to buy Jet’s three pairs of Heathrow takeoff and landing slots through a sale and leaseback agreement. (Arabianbusiness)

Should a small business owner take accounting courses?

While having an MBA from Harvard is certainly not a prerequisite for running a successful small business, having some basic accounting skills and knowing how to use accounting software can save a small business owner a lot of money and frustration. Even if the business owner has the resources to hire an accountant, a lack of accounting knowledge could allow an unscrupulous accountant to commit fraud without being detected for quite some time.

Also, keeping track of money flows and having a good basis in accounting makes good business sense for owners of both small and large businesses. In many ultimately unsuccessful enter-

prises, failing to keep track of the money often results in the company’s money gradually or suddenly disappearing.

Learning basic

bookkeeping: A good place to start

Many a small business has failed due to a lack of proper bookkeeping. One of the most important elements shared by all successful businesses of any size is keeping accurate records, which is also a legal requirement.

Besides unnecessary fees such as overdrafts and late charges, a lack of poor records also attracts the attention of the Internal Revenue Service and can be the reason for an audit and other tax consequences. Poor record keeping can cost a busi-

ness a lot of money and is the first step to ruin in many small businesses.

To help remedy any lack of understanding of basic accounting principles, a course in business accounting will generally include bookkeeping skills. Once you have taken the course, a family member could easily be taught to keep the company’s books until the firm’s profits allow for the hiring of a professional bookkeeper or accountant. Furthermore, having basic bookkeeping knowledge will give you the possibility of effectively reviewing another person’s work. Having a working knowledge of bookkeeping is an essential financial element for just about any small business owner. (Business Dictionary)

Pan Minors complete steel pan workshop

Level one participants from the

with Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry

and senior management of Republic Bank

One hundred and fifty young people from across Guyana benefited developed the skills required to play the steel pan when they attended the Republic Bank RightStart Pan Minors Music Literacy Programme 2013, conducted during the period July 8-25.

Workshops were held in Regions Four, Five, Six and 10 and facilitated by six instructors. According to a release by Republic Bank, the programme focused on steel

pan history, music theory, techniques of playing, and steel band arrangement. Participants were divided in three levels: level one –first-time participants; level two – participants who have been playing for six months to a year; and level three –participants who have been playing for over two years.

The programme concluded with a special ceremony on Thursday, July 25, at 15:30h at the Grand

Savannah Suite, Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown where the Georgetown participants received their certificates and provided entertainment. The participants in other parts of the country received their certificates at their respective closing sessions.

The ceremony included a feature address by Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry Permanent Secretary Alfred King, with a programme overview delivered by head of the ministry’s Music

Development Unit, Andrew Tyndall.

This initiative, a collaboration with the ministry, was first introduced to Guyana in 2010 as part of the “Power to Make a Difference”. A similar programme is hosted annually by Republic Bank Trinidad and dates back to 1996. Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited continues to strive for the sustainment of the steel pan art form in Guyana, which provides youths with another avenue to showcase their talent.

Over $56M spent on Caribbean Press

– Culture Minister Dr Frank Anthony

Editors working with the Caribbean Press are doing so freely, Dr Frank Anthony told the National Assembly on Thursday, adding that in excess of $56 million has been spent to keep afloat the operations of the facility so far.

Dr Anthony said former President Bharrat Jagdeo had committed US$100,000 ($20 million) in 2008 for the establishment of the unit. However, it was only until 2009 that the Caribbean Press was birthed. Since then up to 2012, the organisation spent a total of $56,640,000.

While no remuneration was paid to consultants in establishing the press, he posited that the formalisation resulted in a number of books being edited, proofed, laid out, designed, and printed.

The New Slavery, Hearing Slaves Speak, The Chinese

in British Guyana, Mama Dot, The Asylum Journal Volumes 1&2, The Collie, His Rights and Wrongs and Undisclosed Entrances are among the 38 pieces worked on. These were complemented by 12 National Assembly speeches from former Presidents Linden Forbes Burnham, Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan. Additionally, $7.850 million from the $56.4 million was used specifically for administration of the Caribbean Press. Dr Anthony explained that between 2009 and 2012, the money was used to hire secretarial assistance for the editors.

Permanent editorial board

To guarantee the longevity of the association, the ministry has pledged financial support. “The ministry will incorporate into its future budget monies to employ one salaried worker (the administrator/secretary) of the Caribbean Press. This person would oversee the commissioning and publication of titles; liaise with writers, printers and editorial boards, and the government,” Dr Anthony explained. Additionally, the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry will be making financial provision for the unit to provide a permanent editorial board.

The board will comprise professional writers from different Caribbean countries who will advise the ed-

itor-in -chief on what titles should be published.

The culture, youth and sport minister was responding to a series of questions posed by the Alliance For Change’s Trevor Williams in the National Assembly. Williams had also asked Minister Anthony to provide the House with a breakdown of the books that were distributed in Guyana by title, location, and the number of copies as of June 20, 2013.

“The ministry would be unable to provide an exact breakdown as is requested at this point in time. The compilation of this information is ongoing and when completed, a copy would be provided to the National Assembly,” Dr Anthony replied.

However, he noted that publications by the unit were distributed to the National Library, University of Guyana Library Turkeyen, Walter Roth Museum, foreign embassies based in Guyana, Caricom Secretariat, and the Guyana Police Force among other entities. In addition to the published books and documents, the Caribbean Press is in the process of preparing 12 books to be released. These include Scriptology by Egbert Martin, Twentyfive Caribbean Poems For Children Anthology of Caribbean Stories For Children and six volumes of the National Assembly Speeches by Desmond Hoyte. The Caribbean Press, which was established by the government, on April 15, 2009

saturday, july 27, 2013

Hero trooper dies from injury at plane crash scene in U.S.

New York State Police Trooper Winston I Martindale, Jr, an old student of Queen’s College and St Margaret’s, died Wednesday, July 24, of complications from an onduty injury he sustained in 2011.

Police say that on May 9, 2011, while responding to the crash of two small airplanes in the town of Waywanda, in Orange County, Martindale fell on a piece of equipment, causing internal bleeding to his abdomen, according to the Myfoxny.com website.

Though seriously injured, Martindale struggled with heavy wreckage to assist victims of the plane crash and stayed at the crash scene for six hours.

Ultimately, both pilots of the single engine airplanes died.

is led by the general editor, Professor David Dabydeen who has been volunteering his services since 2009.

After suffering through several serious medical procedures to combat his injuries and further complications, Martindale died following surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Governor Andrew

Cuomo issued a statement saying, in part: “Trooper Martindale courageously battled serious medical hardships for more than two years, and passed away on Wednesday. He was just 40 years old – a tragic, heartbreaking loss. We will never forget Trooper Martindale’s selfless sacrifice, dedication, and bravery in rushing into a dangerous situation to protect the lives of others. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend my deepest condolences and send my thoughts and prayers to the loved ones that Trooper Martindale left behind.”

Trooper Martindale was a seven-year police veteran and as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, he served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife, Michelle; 19-year-old son, Kyle; and 15-year-old daughter, Moriah.

Service arrangements for Trooper Winston I Martindale Jr have been set for Monday, July 29, and Tuesday, July 30.

SUDOKU

Go out of your way to touch base with some old friends. Owing to something new that’s stirring, it’s to your advantage to maintain as many strong relationships as you can.

By Bernice Bede Osol

(June 21July 22) (Jan. 20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

You’re still in a very fortunate cycle where benefits can be derived from handling tasks and assignments as effectively as possible. Do the best you can and focus, focus, focus.

If at all possible, do not delegate any important assignments to a subordinate. Even if it puts you under some pressure, you’re the one best equipped to handle the matter.

Substantial returns are in the offing from all the effort you’ve expended on something that has yet to yield fruit. That big payoff you’re looking for is just around the corner.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

(July 23Aug. 22) (Feb. 20-March 20)

This is an excellent day to enter into serious negotiations, provided each party is as concerned about protecting the rights of others as they are their own privileges.

(March 21-April 19)

You have a natural ability to take something that’s old and transform it into something far more useful. You’ll get a chance to use this in both your work and social life today.

(April 20-May 20)

Something good is likely to happen that should strengthen the bonds between you and your special someone. It’ll be up to you to take full advantage of this excellent opportunity for growth.

(May 21June 20)

You’re on a productive roll when it comes to wrapping up deals, but it’ll be up to you to take full advantage of favourable circumstances. Put your priorities in order and handle what’s most important first.

One of your most valuable assets will be the ability to motivate others to get off their duffs. You will inspire people to get something done. Go ahead and lead, they’ll follow.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Your material aspects continue to look quite encouraging. Follow the same formula that you’ve been using and you should be able to get a profit through both direct and indirect action.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Although a friend of long standing might come to you for help, ironically, you could be the party who’ll derive the greatest benefits from it. Be openhanded in all that you do.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

To get others to be more effective, let them think your good ideas are theirs. By doing so, you’ll be the one who will end up with the greatest success.

saturday, july 27, 2013

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Guyanese charged with child pornography in New York

The Guyanese girlfriend of a Brooklyn court officer charged with making child pornography has been charged herself with being his pervy coproducer, authorities said Wednesday.

Collette Robertson, 45, a home health aide for the venerable Children’s Aid Society, admitted she took sexually explicit photos of naked young girls with a cellphone given to her by codefendant Alberto Yard.

“She took them for her own and Alberto Yard’s sexual gratification,” FBI agent John Robertson – who is not related to the offender – stated in a complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court. Robertson has worked for the past decade in the organisation’s Homemaker Programme; it’s unclear if the four victims identified so far were clients of the Children’s Aid Society.

“She assists families with homemaking skills and she does have hands-on interactions with children as part of that position,” said Anthony Ramos, a CAS spokesman. Robertson was fired on Wednesday after the FBI notified the organisation of her arrest.

Yard, 44, a state court of-

ficer assigned to Civil Court in downtown Brooklyn, was arrested earlier this month on charges of making child pornography. His trove included pictures of children in his bedroom and others taken with a hidden camera in his bathroom.

More than 2000 pictures and more than 50 videos characterised as child pornography was seized from his home. Robertson took several hundred pictures of young girls sitting naked in a bathtub. “These pictures are particularly egregious,” said Assistant Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Margaret Gandy.

“They make clear the children were manipulated to reveal their genitals.”

Magistrate Robert Levy agreed to release Robertson on a $150,000 bond and house arrest. Yard, who became a gun control activist after his 17-year-old daughter Nyasia was shot dead at a Brooklyn club in 2009, is being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Centre. The couple face at least 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges. Robertson, a legal resident, could also face deportation to her native Guyana. (NY Daily News)

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Man shot dead over “old grievance”

An old grievance over a minibus turned tragic on Friday night when one man ended up dead and another injured.

Dead is Gregory Fernandez, while Lloyd Britton is nursing a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

A24-year-old was remanded to prison for trafficking in narcotics when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday.

Andre Gustav, of Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read before him.

It is alleged that on June 4 at the Secret Ville Apartment he trafficked 2.615 kilograms of cocaine to an outgoing passenger, Joel Majet. Further, a United States citizen, Brianna Rodney, 25, who was also allegedly supplied by Gustav, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, along with a fine of

According to reports, there was a confrontation between the two men over an issue involving a Sophia route minibus.

According to sources, Fernandez was picked up by Britton to go to hang out and on their way, the vehicle they were in was stopped by another on Mandela Avenue, where the incident took place.

$30,000 for possession of cocaine when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. She pleaded guilty to the charge that on June 3 at the CJIA she had in her possession for the purpose of trafficking, 4.130 kilograms of cocaine

According to Prosecutor Stephen Telford, on the day in question, a Canadian citizen, who was an outgoing passenger at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), was intercepted with 2.615 kilograms of cocaine. During investigations, it was revealed that Gustav had given the drugs mentioned to Majet.

Investigations were carried out and the defendant

It is said that Fernandez was shot in the head by Britton during the confrontation. Details surrounding the incident are still sketchy, as police investigations are ongoing.

was contacted. He denied the allegations. Prosecutor Telford stated that there were fourteen additional witnesses who gave evidence. Advice was sought and the charges were then imposed. The other accused, Majet, who was caught at the CJIA, pleaded guilty and was held by CANU. Further information given by the prosecutor stated that Gustav was remanded for the past three weeks for another narcotics matter being heard in Court Two. The said matter will be called again on August 2.

The chief magistrate transferred the matter to Court Five where the next court date was scheduled for August 15 for the commencement of the trial.

saturday, july 27, 2013 guyanatimesgy.com

Headquarters win Police Championships under lights

By Treiston Joseph

Headquarters fought back on Friday to retain their title at the 59th edition of the Police Athletics Championships at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary.

They ended on 509 points while A Division, who held the lead for the first three days, ended as runner-up on 489 points; C Division finished with 198 points and B Division ended in the cellar on 142 points.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day Carifta representative Alita Moore easily ran away with the women’s 100m, clocking a time of 12.2s on the damp outfield. Nadine Rodrigues was second in 12.7s while Leota Bobb picked up third in 13.2s for a Headquarters’ sweep.

Carifta 1500m bronze medalist Jonella Jonas ran away with the women’s

1500 metres in 5:44.6s to capture a distance triple after she had won the 800m and 3000m earlier in the week. Shion Boyer finished second in 5:58.0s while Tisha Grimes was third in 6:04.9s.

Moore then returned to capture the women’s 200m to claim the sprint double, clocking 26.3s in the event. Rodrigues finished second to secure a Headquarters one-two finish, while Shannah Thirnhill of A Division was third. Meanwhile, with Chavez Ageday false starting, Shawn Semple finished first in a time of 10.9s to win the men’s 100m for A Division while Keith Roberts took second in 11.2s. Derwin Eastman was third in the event clocking 11.4s.

Roberts then returned to capture the men’s 200m

in a time of 23.0s after Semple false started. Eastman was second in a time of 23.7s while Timothy Morison picked up third in 24.0s.

Headquarters’ Kevin Bayley sprinted away from fellow Headquarters teammate Nathaniel Giddings in the final 150m to pick up the win in the men’s 1500m in 4:18.9s. Giddings finished the event in second in a time of 4:21.2s while A Division’s Tyson Johnson was third in a time of 4:25.3s.

Field event specialist Natasha Alder also contributed to the points standing for Headquarters after winning the women’s shot put with a throw of 10.23m while Joanne King-Brown took second with a distance of 8.75m and Latoya Rodney, third in 8.45m.

The men’s shot put

saw a one-two finish for A Division with Julio Sinclair taking the event ahead of Ronald Payne with a throw of 13.04m. Payne threw 11.69m while Cordell English was third with a throw of 10.72m.

In the Youth Club events Kevin Abbensetts won the male 100m in a time of 11.6s while Tiffany Carto took the female version in 13.0s.

The 1500m invitational saw Carifta Under-17 1500m gold medalist Cassie George running away with the event easily in a time of 5:13.5s while Cleveland ‘Fish’ Thomas took the male side of the race in a time of 4:30.2s.

Stephan James ran away with the men’s invitational 100m in a time of 10.9s while his club mate Neisa Allen took the female version in 12.5s.

Sammy promises a winning show as World Champions face Pakistan

K

ingstown, ST VINCENT – World Champions West Indies will be going all out to beat Pakistan in the two-match Twenty20 International Series this weekend at the picturesque Arnos Vale Cricket Ground.

The two teams will meet today and Sunday in what will be the first T20 Internationals to be played at the stadium. First ball on both days is 14:00h (13:00h Jamaica Time).

Captain Darren Sammy said it was important West Indies continue their winning form in the weekend contests.

“We are the world champions and we plan to come out

and play like world champions,” a confident Sammy said after Friday’s morning training session.

“We have some of the best players in the world in our dressing room and we all believe we can come out here and beat Pakistan. This will be an historic weekend, as the people here in St Vincent will get to see their first T20 International and I know the fans will come out and support us as they always do.”

West Indies have played unbeaten in this format since they won the ICC World T20 Tournament in Sri Lanka last October, and Sammy said his team will look to maintain their unbeaten run as they start to build to-

wards the ICC World T20 tournament in Bangladesh early next year.

Since the World T20 triumph, West Indies beat Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla in Dhaka last December, defeated Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane in February and had back-to-back wins over Zimbabwe at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua in March.

“We are presently listed at Number 2 in the ICC T20 rankings and if we win this weekend, we will move closer to the Number 1 position. We want to be Number 1 in the world so in order to do that we need to win and prove our strength,” Sammy

Miller, Tsotsobe keep series alive

What a difference two overs can make.

That was all it took for South Africa to stay alive in the series, have their confidence restored and beat Sri Lanka at home for the first time in close to 20 years on Friday.

The 49th and 50th over of their nnings produced 38 runs and took their total from middling to challenging. David Miller scored 35 of them himself – prior to this match no South African batsman had managed a score greater than 29 in the series – hitting Thisara Perera and Lasith Malinga straight down the ground. He proved South Africa could be competitive and could come back after being under pressure in the first two matches, and even large sections of the third.

And what a difference an over can almost make. Perera hit Robin Peterson for the second-most expensive over in ODI cricket to throw Sri Lanka back into contention after they slumped to 93 for 7. The 35 runs included five sixes and a four, Perera displaying his prowess, especially over the leg-side.

Like Miller, he showed the temperament required to succeed in conditions where the surfaces are sluggish –survive first, thrive later. Unlike the South African, Perera was asked to do too much at the end.

Because Miller did not have a target to chase, he had less pressure on him. His strike rate hovered between 70 and 80 for most of his stay at the crease as he settled in. He needed AB de Villiers to usher him through the period where even singles were hard to come by and soon realised patience would pay off.

Only at the very end, when Perera and Malinga seemed to have dinner rather than death bowling on their minds, did Miller pounce on anything too full and one which was too short.

Miller registered the first South African half-century on the tour after their top order failed – Hashim Amla’s absence is growing glaring as each match goes by.

South Africa tried a third opening pair in as many matches with Lions’ teammates Alviro Petersen and Quinton de Kock fronting up first. Both were watchful but de Kock was unable to contain his attacking instincts and was vulnerable outside the offstump.

He offered a chance in the fourth over when he swung at a wide one without any foot movement but Tillakaratne Dilshan at slip could not hold on. Sri Lanka hit back two balls later when Malinga bowled his first short ball and Petersen tried to hook too early, only to glove it to Kumar Sangakkara.

Sri Lanka’s attack continued to find the edge of de Kock’s bat and the youngster fell on his sword to open South Africa’s middle up to a familiar state of panic. Both JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis posted insubstantial scores, with Duminy looking good again but unable to kick on and du Plessis uneasy at the crease and almost run out twice before actually being found short of his ground.

De Villiers looked closer to breaking the lean run but Sri Lanka’s spinners and Ajanthan Mendis in particular did not let him get away. Mendis was difficult to pick while Rangana Herath and Dilshan kept things tight. It was only when Miller decided to hit out that the complexion of South Africa’s tour became a little rosier.

Things got better for them from there as the fitagain Lonwabo Tsotsobe did the bulk of the damage upfront. He plucked three wickets in a six-over spell in which he extracted bounce, produced seam movement and partnered Morne Morkel to perfection. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

South Africa innings

A Petersen c †Sangakkara b Malinga 8

added.

“We are looking towards defending our World T20 title. As everyone is aware, the tournament is due to be played in Bangladesh next year and we want to make sure we will be ready when the time comes. This weekend offers a great opportunity for players to put their hands up and be counted in a major way.”

(WICB)

West Indies: Darren Sammy (Captain), Samuel Badree, Christopher Barnwell, Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Marlon Samuels and Lendl Simmons.

Q de Kock† c †Sangakkara b N Perera 20 JP Duminy b N Perera 23 AB de Villiers* c †Sangakkara b Mendis 47

F du Plessis run out (Chandimal/†Sangakkara) 16

F Behardien b Mendis 2

D Miller not out 85

R Peterson b Mendis 3

R McLaren not out 14

Extras: (lb3, w2) 5

Total: (7 wkts, 50 overs) 223

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-50, 3-53, 4-95, 5-100, 6-148, 7-154

Bowling: L Malinga 10-0-571, A Mathews 5-1-17-0, T Dilshan 10-0-39-0, N Perera 8-0-51-2, A Mendis 10-035-3, H Herath 7-1-21-0

A Mathews* c de Villiers b Tsotsobe 14

A Perera c de Villiers b Behardien 1 N Perera c du Plessis b Behardien

Sri Lanka innings U Tharanga c Petersen b Tsotsobe 5 T Dilshan c de Villiers b Tsotsobe 6 K Sangakkara† c Duminy b Tsotsobe 0 M Jayawardene b Peterson 24 L Chandimal c †de Kock b McLaren 29

Khan pleased with Amazon Warriors' preparation

– says players’ commitment and dedication heartening

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Manager of the Guyana Amazon Warriors cricket team, Omar Khan declared that he is satisfied with the team’s preparation ahead of the inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League tournament.

Khan, former West Indies manager, has stressed the importance of the squad’s training camp ahead of the tournament and believes the camp will help the squad prepare for its campaign.

“The camp has gone pretty OK; we have achieved most of the goals and objectives we set out regarding the overall readiness. What is most heartening is the commitment and dedication by the players. They have given it 150 per cent effort and you can see they are committed to all procedures and systems that are being laid out by head coach Roger Harper and the management team,” Khan, told this publication on Friday.

Khan continued “This is the ideal preparation for such a tournament. Head coach Roger Harper and the assistant coach Curtly Ambrose have been doing a great job. That aside, the players appreciate each other well. We have done a number of team building sessions, working together with the guys and let them under-

stand that no two human beings are the same, they are different, but at the end of the day all of them are here for one common goal and objective and that is to win the tournament.”

Meanwhile, Khan, who is the current manager of the Trinidad and Tobago national cricket team, believes that the Limacol CPL will definitely add value to the young Caribbean cricketers and at the same time assist in the development of their career.

“The CPL tournament means a lot to our young Caribbean cricketers. They will play along said top international cricketers so it will add a lot of value and at the same time assist in the development of their overall career.”

Meanwhile, New Zealand

all-rounder, James Franklin will join the squad today, while his fellow team mate Martin Guptill will join the squad upon his arrival on Sunday.

International star Mohammed Hafeez, Guyana franchise player Sunil Narine and Lendl Simmons will connect with the squad at the end of the West Indies/ Pakistan series, which concludes on Sunday. They are expected to join the squad sometime on Monday.

The squad will play two practice games this evening and Sunday against a Guyana XI, before they swing into action on Wednesday evening for their first game against Trinidad and Tobago’s Red Steel at the Guyana National Stadium from 20:00h.

YK Investments Pawn Shop onboard with Boyce and Jefford Classic

YK Investments Pawn Shop continued its alliance with the Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic for the fourth consecutive year on Thursday at the organisation’s head office.

With the event being described as the top athletics competition in Guyana by the proprietor of the pawn shop Harry Yenkana, he

also informed media representatives that the growth of the event tells of a bright future as his organisation remains on board.

“I think this event will be very big in the future and YK wants to ensure that it is always there as we were from the beginning. Last year I was impressed that despite the rain, there were so many people there and

Bolt wins at Anniversary Games at Olympic Stadium

Six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt produced a season’s best to win the 100m on his return to the Olympic Stadium for the Anniversary Games.

A year on from the London 2012 opening ceremony, Bolt paid his own homage to last year’s Olympics by clinching the blue riband event in 9.85 seconds.

Before a sell-out crowd, the Jamaican ran nine hundredths of a second quicker than he had previously done this year.

Britain’s James Dasaolu pulled out injured before the race.

Bolt got off to a lacklustre start, but the Olympic champion overpowered his rivals in the closing stages to dip across the line three hundredths of a second ahead of America’s Michael Rodgers in second.

Jamaica’s Nesta Carter was third in 9.99 while Dwain Chambers, the only Briton remaining in the race following Dasaolu’s withdrawal, was fifth in 10.10.

Bolt, who will look to regain the world title in Moscow next month, was happy to lap up the adulation from 60,000 fans.

“It’s so wonderful to compete in London, it’s a brilliant experience to be here again,” he said.

But the world record holder admitted he had work to do ahead of the World Championships.

“My start was poor and I need to work on that,” he added. “To make a perfect race I need to make a good start and just get into the race. Hopefully I can make a good time at Moscow and continue to do well.”

The stadium was hosting an evening of athletics

for the first time since last summer, when the likes of Bolt, Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill whipped the crowd into a frenzy during an unforgettable Olympic Games.

Much has changed in this corner of east London since that glorious sporting summer. The Olympic Park now resembles a building site, and gone is the Olympic flame, but Friday night’s capacity crowd rekindled the spirit of the Games.

For all of the nostalgia, however, it was effectively the first night of a twoday Diamond League meeting, and the last track and field event before the World Championships.

And for all the Olympic talent on display – 12 gold medallists will compete over the two days – it was Bolt, the world’s fastest man, who was the centre of attention on a celebratory evening in the capital.

All eyes were on the 26-year-old for many reasons. The night began with Bolt being transported into the arena in a gigantic me-

tallic vehicle, described as a “rocket ship”.

Such is his box-office appeal – and importance to a sport which is in the doldrums because of drug scandals – Bolt now routinely opens Diamond League events by driving onto the track, but seeing the great sprinter in the sort of contraption more normally found in a sci-fi movie was a first.

Unsurprisingly, a wall of sound greeted Bolt’s arrival, stirring up memories of the thunderous noise which filled the stadium 12 months ago.

The 100m and 200m world record holder stood on top of the machine, dancing on the podium and waving his country’s flag during the lap of honour, exhibiting the showmanship which has made him one of the world’s most recognisable sportsmen.

But the crowd saved their loudest cheers for when Bolt brought the curtain down on an uplifting, albeit sentimental, evening. (BBC Sport)

everyone had a good time,” Yenkana stated.

Yenkana’s son also stated that more risks should be taken to develop sports and that was one reason the YK Investments and Pawn Shop got on board.

The fourth Boyce and Jefford Classic, which will be held on August 17 and 18 at the Police Sports Club ground and the Mackenzie Sports Club ground respectively, will see the top club winning $500,000 while second place will pocket $300,000 and third place, $200,000. Fourth will carry home $100,000 while fifth and sixth will receive $60,000 and $40,000 respectively.

Further four international races will also run off at the event with the top prize being $50,000; second and third will receive $30,000 and $20,000 respectively. In addition, the champion male and female athlete will receive $50,000.

By Avenash Ramzan

As the Limacol Caribbean Premier League draws closer, Guyana Times will help to get you familiarised with the players on the Guyana Amazon Warriors squad. In the lead-up to the July 30 start of the tournament, we have been featuring members of the squad, sharing with you their profiles and achievements. Today we continue with our tit bits, and the players in focus are opening batsmen Martin Guptill and William Perkins and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.

At age 26, the strongly-built Martin James Guptill is an experienced member of the Guyana Amazon Warriors line-up, having appeared in 147 games spread across all three formats for New Zealand.

An attacking right-handed opener, Guptill has enjoyed tremendous success in limited overs cricket, with four hundreds and 17 fifties in 75 ODIs and one century and five half-centuries in 41 T20 Internationals.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Guptill will enter the Limacol Caribbean Premier League in a rich vein of form, having stroked back-to-back hundreds against England earlier this year.

However, an area Guptill needs to work on is his consistency, given his tendency to throw his wicket away after getting a start. However, he has the gift of timing and on his day, can be a purist’s delight.

Guptill’s success is particularly remarkable as he has only two toes on one of his feet as the result of a forklift accident a few years ago.

L(Right-handed batsman; occasional wicketkeeper)

ike Guptill, William Keith Donald Perkins is 26 and an aggressive opening batsman.

A pugnacious right-hander, Perkins is also a useful wicketkeeper who can be called upon to double up to fit the needs of the team.

When he turns out for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League, Perkins will create history by becoming the first player to represent three territories in regional T20 cricket.

He has also played for his homeland Trinidad and Tobago and the Combined Campuses and Colleges.

After 40 T20 matches, Perkins has ammassed 808 runs with a highest score of 56 among three half-centuries.

A healthy strike rate of 119 is a plus in T20 cricket and that is something Perkins would want to maintain going forward.

Like Guptill however, Perkins is often guilty of wasting starts, and that is a concern he would certainly want to address in the coming weeks.

NSC Teach Them Young cycling on today

Youngsters participating in the 37th annual Teach Them Young cycling programme at the inner circuit of the National Park will be afforded an opportunity to test their skills today when the National Sports Commission stages an 11race programme at the same venue.

The programme will pedal off at 09:00h and will con-

clude at around 13:00h with the feature 35-lap School Boys and Invitational race.

The youngsters however, will be given their time to shine in the BMX events, which will cater for the 6-9, 9-12, 12-14 and Open categories.

“This is an opportunity for them to get a taste of competitive action. Some of them have already participated in races, but for the

younger ones, this will be a first,” national coach and organiser of the camp and today’s activities, Hassan Mohamed, related.

Other races planned for the day include the juveniles, mountain bikes, veterans and females.

Director of Sport Neil Kumar is expected to assist in the presentation of prizes at the conclusion of the programme.

In Denesh Ramdin, the Guyana Amazon Warriors have snapped up three players packaged into one.

A brilliant wicketkeeper, the 28-year-old Ramdin has been the top glovesman in the region for close to a decade.

While his batting has not been as consistent at the international level, he has a more than decent domestic record with 11 FirstClass hundreds and 22 fifties.

He also brings leadership experience, having captained Trinidad and Tobago. Ramdin has also served as vice captain of the West Indies team.

The wicketkeeper/batsman has appeared in a total of 124 T20 games, both at the domestic and international level, with a combined strike rate of 116 runs per every 100 balls.

Recently overlooked by the West Indies selectors, Ramdin would be eager to use the Limacol Caribbean Premier League to work his way back to the top.

TT, Barbados junior hockey teams to tour Guyana

Bouyed by the national ladies team qualification for the Pan Am Challenge Cup slated for later this year, the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) in collaboration with Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has invited junior players from Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados to participate in a two-fold tournament from July 31 to August 4.

According to Secretary of the Board, Tricia Fiedtkou, the tournaments which will be known as the GT&T Caribbean Kids Hockey Festival will be played outdoors and indoors, at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground and the National Gymnasium respectively.

Fiedtkou disclosed that

the tournament will cater for players between the ages of 13-19 years and has been organised as part of the GHB’s development plan to get more players involved and exposed at the same time.

Barbados arrives on July 29 and is using the tour for its own developmental purposes as well as offering the children the opportunity to see Guyana.

They will be sending 23 players between the ages of 13-16 years since according to Fiedtkou, like Guyana, the country is now attempting to implement a vibrant junior system, adding that the teams will also use the opportunity to experience outdoor hockey, at the same time.

Trinidad and Tobago on

the other hand is among the leading nations in the sport within the Caribbean with a strong system at perhaps every level and is expected to provide a stern test for the other two territories.

It was reported that they will be sending 16 players mixed with both male and female players comprised of players from schools and clubs.

The GHB secretary informed that the festival could very well be the first of its kind in the Region at this level and they are hping that it becomes an annual event.

The outdoor segment of the festival will be held on Wednesday and Thursday from 09:00h to 16:00h, while the indoor activities will be staged between 13:00h to 21:00h.

Fiedtkou also announced that the visitors will be taken on tours of famous sites and buildings within Georgetown as part of experiencing the culture of the country.

Hockey has been making a strong resurgence locally and many of the country’s top players at both the junior and senior levels have travelled to Trinidad and Tobago and performed creditably in their competitions.

Secret of Usain Bolt’s speed unveiled

Scientists say they can explain Usain Bolt’s extraordinary speed with a mathematical model. His 100m time of 9.58 seconds during the 2009 World Championships in Berlin is the current world record.

They say their model explains the power and energy he had to expend to overcome drag caused by air resistance, made stronger by his frame of 6ft 5in.

Writing in the European Journal of Physics, the team hopes to discover what makes extraordinary athletes so fast.

According to the mathematical model proposed, Bolt’s time of 9.58 seconds in Berlin was achieved by reaching a speed of 12.2 metres per second, equivalent to about 27mph.

Less dynamic

The team calculated that Bolt’s maximum power occurred when he was less than one second into the race and was only at half his maximum speed. This demonstrates the near immediate effect of drag, which is where air resistance slows moving objects.

They also discovered

less than 8 per cent of the energy his muscles produced was used for motion, with the rest absorbed by drag.

When comparing Bolt’s body mass, the altitude of the track and the air temperature, they found out that his drag coefficient − which is a measure of the drag per unit area of mass − was actually less aerodynamic than that of the average man.

Effects of drag Jorge Hernandez of the National Autonomous University of Mexico said: “Our calculated drag coefficient highlights the out-

Christie topples Lopes at GBTI Open

Jonathon Christie’s fairytale run in the annual Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Tennis Open continued on Thursday night as he took out fourth seeded Daniel Lopes in three sets, 3-6 7-5 6-4. Playing at the GBTI recreational facility at Bel Air Park, the unseeded Christie stuck toe to toe with one of the nation’s top junior player, whose over confidence proved to be his down fall in the end.

Also moving on Doubles night was the duo Joseph DeJonge and Khalif Gobin who took out the PandaysRyan and Avinash- 6-2 6-1. They have been joined in the next round of the Men’s Doubles by the fa -

ther/son duo of Seaven and Steven David-Longe, who ousted Bishan Dalip and Kester Abrams 4-6 7-6 4-3 with the latter team forfeiting due to injury. In Mixed Doubles play, Gavin Lewis and Nicola Ramdyhan took out Nicholas Glasgow and Efanne Doobay in quick time 6-1 6-1 to progress. Also in Mixed Doubles, top seeds Leyland Leacock and Shelly Ramdyhan were run away winners against Ronald Murray and Maria Stephens 6-1 6-2. The competition will continue this weekend and end on August 3.

standing ability of Bolt. He has been able to break several records despite not being as aerodynamic as a human can be.

“The enormous amount of work that Bolt developed in 2009, and the amount that was absorbed by drag, is truly extraordinary.

“It is so hard to break

records nowadays, even by hundredths of a second, as the runners must act very powerfully against a tremendous force which increases massively with each bit of additional speed they are able to develop.

“This is all because of the ‘physical barrier’ imposed by the conditions on

Earth. Of course, if Bolt were to run on a planet with a much less dense atmosphere, he could achieve records of fantastic proportions.

“The accurate recording of Bolt’s position and speed during the race provided a splendid opportunity for us to study the effects of drag on a sprinter.

“If more data become available in the future, it would be interesting to see what distinguishes one athlete from another,” added Hernandez.

Bolt’s time in Berlin was the biggest increase in the record since electronic timing was introduced in 1968.

Large stride

John Barrow at Cambridge University who has previously analysed how Bolt could become even faster, explained that his speed came in part due his “extraordinary large

stride length”, despite having such an initial slow reaction time to the starting gun.

“He has lots of fast twitch muscle fibres that can respond quickly, coupled with his fast stride is what gives him such an extraordinary fast time.”

He said Bolt has lots of scope to break his record if he responded faster at the start, ran with a slightly stronger tail-wind and at a higher altitude, where there was less drag.

Bolt’s Berlin record was won with a tail wind of only 0.9m per second, which didn’t give him “the advantage of helpful wind assistance”, he added.

“You’re allowed to have a wind no greater than 2m per second to count for record purposes, so without becoming any faster he has huge scope to improve,” Professor Barrow told BBC News. (BBC News)

Khan pleased with Amazon Warriors' preparation –

says players’ commitment and dedication heartening

Sir Gary Sobers endorses Limacol CPL franchise system

Bridgetown, BARBADOS –Barbados’ only living national hero, the Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, has hailed the emergence of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League as crucial to the development of cricket in the Caribbean, and has also given the thumbs up to Kieron Pollard leading the Barbados Tridents.

Sir Gary, arguably the finest cricketer the world has ever seen, said Twenty20 is important to the commercial survival of the game and lauded the fact that the Caribbean now had its own league of which to boast.

“I think it is wonderful from the point of view that all around the world you have the Twenty20 game and it would be nice to have it in the West Indies,” said the legendary 76-year-old.

“You need it. You need

Twenty20. If you didn’t have Twenty20, do you know how many counties in England would have gone out of cricket? When you look at the four-day games of cricket in England you don’t have anybody there at all.

When you look at a Twenty20 game, the ground is actually full so they are making the money from that format of the game to help the four-day cricket.”

The Limacol CPL is set to bowl off at Kensington Oval in Barbados on July 30 with a glitzy opening ceremony, followed by a super clash between host team Barbados Tridents and St Lucia Zouks.

Tridents will then turn their attention to Antigua Hawksbills on August 1 before rounding off the tripleheader with a much anticipated clash with Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel on August 3.

Sir Gary, who led West Indies in 39 of his 93 Tests during an illustrious career, said he believed the franchise system would help to strengthen the bonds of regionalism.

“Let’s look at it from this

point of view: they say that West Indies cricket is the only thing in the Caribbean that unites us. We’re all together,” he noted. “If you have a Trinidadian playing in Barbados, [that’s ok]. You can have Trinidadians

playing for Barbados, you can have Jamaicans playing for Barbados, you can have Barbadians playing for Jamaica because there are no rules or limit on how much time they have to spend in an island before they play.”

To this end, Sir Gary was quick to endorse Pollard’s appointment as captain.

“If Pollard is playing for Barbados and he is the captain, I don’t see anything wrong with it. He is a Trinidadian who is playing for the Barbados franchise,” Sir Gary contended. “If it was like the interterritorial games [in the past] and he was playing for Barbados, well then he became a Barbadian because he was playing for Barbados and that is a similar thing that is happening right now. I don’t see the big argument about it and all the fuss that is being made. All that matters

is that he is a good enough captain and once he is good enough to captain I don’t see any arguments.”

The Limacol Caribbean Premier League will feature an array of Caribbean and international stars contesting 24 matches, played across Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago, from July 30 to August 24.

Ninety players have been contracted to play in the CPL, with each of the six franchise teams comprising 15 players.

Barbados Tridents comprises Pollard, Shoaib Malik, Shakib al Hasan, Umar Akmal, Dwayne Smith, Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, Rayad Emrit, Ashley Nurse, Carlos Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Kyle Mayers, Devendra Bishoo, Kirk Edwards and Raymon Reifer.