January 28, 2011 – Guyana Times International

Alika Morgan hopes to rebound and find form

January 28, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Kiev Chesney From consistently standing on the podium at the CARIFTA Games to dominating the CARICOM 10km, Run Barbados, Antigua’s 10km, and the University of West Indies Half Marathon, Alika Morgan reigned as regional distance running queen in the past six years. Morgan picked up the mantle after Cleveland Forde had won his three consecutive CARIFTA outings, and helped cement Guyana as long distance powerhouses in the Caribbean. Her consistent success was undeniable, although several hurdles prevented her from ascending to where she ought to have been at this…

National senior cricketers begin training under new coach

January 28, 2011 TIMES INT'L

– new coach feels he can transform Guyana’s cricket – injured Deonarine to be replaced by Vishal Singh By Rajiv Bisnauth As the senior cricket team begins training for the upcoming West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Regional four-day tournament under new coach Mark Harper, all cricket lovers will hope that this is the beginning of a new era in Guyana’s cricket. The squad, minus Narsingh Deonarine, who has withdrawn due to an elbow injury that eliminated him from the recent Regional T20 tournament, and seven standbys commenced training yesterday at…

Off to India! – T&T Caribbean T20 champions

January 28, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival celebrations have started more than a month early. A huge party unfolded at Kensington Oval on Sunday night, January 23rd, after the new Caribbean Twenty20 Cricket champions were crowned in grand style. Already assured a trip to the lucrative Airtel Champions League in India later in this year, even before a ball was bowled, Trinidad and Tobago’s cricketers added the tidy bonus of US$62,500, after beating English county Hampshire by 36 runs in the final before electrified spectators. If their 147 for seven was by no…

CARIFTA swim champ anticipates more success this year

January 28, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Kiev Chesney After recovering from a career-threatening injury to capture three medals at CARIFTA, and consistently bettering her personal records at the CAC and Commonwealth Games, Guyana’s prodigious swimmer Jessica Stephenson anticipates even more success in 2011. Jessica, Guyana’s first and only swimmer to medal at the prestigious regional swimming competition, CARIFTA Games, has already set her sights on more unprecedented success this year. So far, Jessica is eyeing the feat of defending her CARIFTA titles and making her debut at the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Pan American Games,…

New squash facility a possibility for junior CASA

January 28, 2011 TIMES INT'L

‘tBy Kiev Chesney Guyana will be hosting the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Caribbean Junior Squash Championships this July. And according to president of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA), Andrew Arjoon, matches may be played at the soon-to-be-completed public squash facility. The multi-million-dollar facility, which is expected to be called the National Racquet Centre, is located at Camp Street and Woolford Avenue. Formerly known as the Non-Pariel Tennis Courts, the facility will also include two side-by-side glass-back squash courts enclosed in a concrete building. Arjoon reportedly visited the facility yesterday…

Manickchand challenges Holder over pension stats

January 28, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Janelle Persaud Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand has called for the Alliance For Change Member of Parliament Sheila Holder to apologise or resign for what she called an “irresponsible” act aimed at “mischievously” misleading the National Assembly. On Tuesday January 26, during the 2011 Budget debate, Holder presented a self-administered study that found the sum of $1.3 billion from the old age pension fund being unaccounted for every year, whereas it is supposedly paid to 17,640 “phantom” pensioners. Manickchand retorted that Holder’s statistics are the ghosts. Holder used information…

Barbados newest MP receives ‘royal’ welcome

January 28, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Rapturous applause and cries of “queen” greeted Mara Thompson on Tuesday as Barbados’ newest Member of Parliament arrived at the Parliament Buildings to take her seat in the House of Assembly. Early morning showers did not deter the large number of people who turned out – most of them St John residents – and they were more numerous than those who had assembled for the official opening of Parliament following the 2008 General Elections. Shortly before the bell sounded to signal the start of the House session at 10 a.m.,…

‘I will not tolerate corrupt practices’ – Kamla Persad-Bissessar

January 28, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has declared an all-out war on corruption, insisting the People’s Partnership government was “deadly serious” about the issue. “As prime minister, I will not tolerate (or) condone, nor will I defend a corrupt practice. I will not allow anyone to breach the sacred public trust,” she stressed on Friday, January 21st, while delivering an opening address at a day-long seminar for chairmen and directors of state boards at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port-of-Spain. The event, which was attended…

53,000 Haitians apply for Temporary Protected Status in U.S.

January 28, 2011 TIMES INT'L

A top United States immigration official says that a year after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the Obama administration has received more than 53,000 applications from Haitians seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the U.S., disclosing that it has approved the vast majority. Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Alejandro Mayorkas, said the agency’s response to the disaster showed that it could handle a much larger immigrant legalization programme, like the proposal known as the Dream Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands…

Chutney is my culture and pride – Rajesh Dubraj

January 28, 2011 TIMES INT'L

With less than one month before the finals of the one-off Chutney Competition is staged at the Anna Regina Community Centre Ground, Essequibo Coast, on February 19th, Rajesh Dubraj, the 2009 Chutney Monarch, thinks that he has a chance to retain the coveted crown, if given opportunity to audition and get the judges’ nod. Dubraj had missed the 2010 competition because of prior commitments in New Jersey, U.S.A. He has announced that he is home this year and, if given opportunity, he would be happy to participate in the 2011…