BRIDGETOWN: Stuart Williams again underlined his tremendous liking for Barbados bowlers over the last decade by blasting a face-saving century for the Leeward Islands on the opening day of the sixth round top-of-the-table Carib Beer Series regional cricket clash yesterday.
Captain Williams hit 146 — his second century of the season — in three hours off 106 balls in a total of 249 all out after the Leewards were put in on an easy-paced Kensington Oval pitch. By the close, Barbados, who went into the match on 48 points — 14 ahead of second placed Leewards — were 107 for three. Opener Sherwin Campbell made 50 in 97 minutes off 55 balls with six fours and two sixes. At the crease were Hinds on 18 and Floyd Reifer, eight. Williams struck 27 boundaries, one six and an all-run four before he was ninth out, caught at long-on off left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds. It was Williams’ 22nd first-class century, sixth against Barbados and fourth on a ground, which has been good to him.
THE People’s National Movement (PNM) Government could have done more to wage war on illegal drugs despite the 18-18 stalemate arising out of the the 2001 general elections. This was the opinion yesterday of United National Congress (UNC) MP for Pointe-a-Pierre Gillian Lucky as she commented on the 2002 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) which was released in the United States earlier this week.
According to that report, the various security agencies in Trinidad and Tobago seized 227 kilos of cocaine and 175 kilos of marijuana. Figures from 2001, show that the Police and Defence Force seized 772 kilos of cocaine and 634 kilos of marijuana. The report said notwithstanding the 18-18 deadlock, the TT Government continued to participate actively in counter-narcotics intiatives and took steps to upgrade the facilities of the law enforcement agencies — acquiring additional aircraft for the Defence Force’s air wing and upgrading the radar capability. Lucky told Newsday that when the UNC was in government, there was holistic and comprehensive legislation to deal with drug trafficking, money laundering and drug-related crimes. She said that even though there was no sitting Parliament arising out of the 18-18 deadlock, the ruling PNM had legislation at its disposal to deal with the scourge of illegal drugs and all spin-off crimes. The Opposition MP claimed the PNM’s approach to governance at the time, gave criminals the impression there was a complete breakdown of law and order and they had a free hand to do whatever they wanted.
GEORGETOWN: Struggling India “A” captain VVS Laxman and Connor Williams, struck half centuries to prevent a serious collapse for their team against Guyana on the opening day of their sixth-round Carib Beer 2003 Cricket Series regional cricket match at Bourda yesterday.
India “A” struggled to 249 all out, 18 minutes before the scheduled close, and Guyana closed at seven without loss in reply, with Azeemul Haniff (6) and Sewnarine Chattergoon (1), the not out batsmen. Test batsman VVS Laxman (70) and the stylish Conner Williams (58) played well as the Indians generally failed to make use of the good batting conditions after winning the toss and electing to take first strike. Unlike in previous matches where the spinners were Guyana’s trump card, fast bowlers Rayon Griffith (3-50) and Esuan Crandon (3-60), in his first game for the season restricted the India “A” batting, while skipper Neil McGarrell and leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo ended with two for 48 and 81 respectively.
A RAID by St Joseph police on a house in Curepe, Thursday afternoon, led to the arrest of five persons including two teenaged girls, after a firearm belonging to a senior police woman, was recovered along with a quantity of ammunition.
The successful raid was coordinated by ACP (East) Nazamul Hosein and Snr Supt Lloyd Coutain, and came following weeks of surveillance work by the police. According to police reports, around 1 pm a team of officers led by Ag Insp Michael Modeste and including Sgt Don Lezama, Cpl Aldwin Collins and PC Nirmal Ramjattan raided the house in Curepe. They held a 37-year-old man, his two daughters aged 14 and 16 and two men aged 38 and 26, inside the house. During a search of the house, the officers found an Italian made Baretta .380 semi-automatic pistol, two ammunition magazines and 14 live rounds of .380 ammo. The five were arrested and taken to the St Joseph’s Police Station where up to late Thursday evening, they were being questioned. A trace on the recovered firearm later revealed that it belonged to a female police officer whose home was broken into late last year. Supt Stephen Quashie is continuing investigations into the theft of the firearm while PC Nirmal Ramjattan of St Joseph CID is investigating Thursday’s arrest of the five persons, who are expected to be charged with possession of arms and ammunition.
Justice Melville Baird will on Monday deliver a very important decision on legal submissions by attorneys in the Dhanraj Singh murder trial. The results of the judge’s ruling will determine whether or not the jury trying Singh for murder, will begin hearing evidence from witnesses. The ruling, to be delivered at 9 am in the San Fernando First Assize Court, followed two weeks of legal submissions before Justice Baird with the jury out of court and hearing.
Singh is charged with the murder of Hansraj Sumairsingh, chairman of the Rio Claro/Mayaro Regional Corporation. The murder is alleged to have been committed between December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000. The judge has sequestered the jury comprising eight men and four women, including one alternate juror at a hotel in Port-of-Spain for the duration of the trial. When hearing resumed yesterday, British Queen’s Counsel Timothy Cassel who is prosecuting Singh on behalf of the State, wound up his submission of legal arguments. The submissions were made in reply to issues raised by attorneys defending Singh. Cassel is leading acting assistant DPP Davan Rampersad and State Attorney Angelica Teelucksingh for the prosecution.
Upon Cassel’s completion shortly before midday yesterday, the defence was given the opportunity by Justice Baird to reply. Attorney Ravi Rajcoomar commenced and continued until 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Karl Hudson Phillips, QC, who is leading the defense team, has taken temporary leave from the case to be sworn in as a judge of the International Criminal court. He is due to return this week. He is leading Rajcoomar, and attorneys Prakash Ramadhar and Jennifer Hudson Phillips. When proceedings closed yesterday, Justice Baird said he will study the arguments over the weekend and deliver a written ruling. The jury would be brought back to the court on Monday.
SAN ANTONIO: Both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker scored 21 points for San Antonio, who fended off a late surge from New Jersey to win 92-78 on Thursday in the NBA.
The Spurs’ cause was not helped when David Robinson left in the third quarter with a strained lower back, an injury that has plagued the former MVP all season. Kenyon Martin was the highest scorer for New Jersey with 19 points. Nets All-Star guard Jason Kidd, rumoured to be eyeing a move to San Antonio when his contract expires, had a forgettable night, notching just 11 points. In Chicago, both Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler shone as the Bulls beat Golden State 119-105 to end the Warriors’ six-match winning streak. Curry had 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Chandler had 23 and 14. Jalen Rose added 21 points, all of them after the intermission. It was Chicago’s 22nd win of the season, one more than all of last year. In Portland, the Philadelphia 76ers held the host Blazers to fewer than 20 points in all four quarters in a lopsided 88-60 victory. Allen Iverson had no trouble scoring, notching 36 points for Philadelphia on 13-for-23 shooting.
Farmers in Matura stared in amazement on Wednesday afternoon as a helicopter driven by a trainee pilot landed in a watermelon field in Matura.
Reports revealed that around 3 pm, the helicopter from Hummingbird Aviation Trading Limited of Western Main Road, Cocorite, was en route from Tobago during a training session, and driven by trainee pilot Vijay Rampersad. Scottish pilot William Pollock, who was training Rampersad was also seated in the helicopter when it developed engine problems. Reports revealed that Pollock took control of the helicopter and landed in a watermelon field. He then radioed for assistance and Deputy Director of Civil Aviation, Daniel Bhagwansingh, other Civial Aviation officers and Julien Mills, a Director of Hummingbird Aviation went to the scene of the forced landing.
The mechanical problem was sorted out at 6 pm and Pollock drove the helicopter to Piarco. Reports revealed that a pilot and police officers on board a National Security helicopter, which was also in the area, heard the call and radioed for help to the Matura Police Station. A team of officers led by Inspector Edmond Thomas went to the scene. The National Security aircraft had been deployed to do surveillance work along the coast at Maracas and Manzanilla, due to the heavy crowd presence at both beaches. Both Rampersad and Pollock suffered no injuries as a result of the forced landing. The black Eustron 280-C Helicopter was inspected by a team of aviation specialists yesterday.
At the same time that Government has decided to move the Parliament from the Red House, the Parliament is commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Water Riots.
The Water Riots take place on 23rd March 2003. The Red House Building was destroyed by fire on this day, when the riots broke out at a meeting held in Brunswick Square (now Woodford Square) by the Ratepayers’ Association to protest a debate that was taking place in the Legislative Council regarding the distribution and payment for water. The swiftness with which the fire consumed the buildings has resulted in the local saying “as fast as the Red House fire”. The Parliament is inviting members of the public to an exhibition of memorabilia in the Rotunda of the Red House on Friday March 21 from 9 am to 5 pm. The Parliament Librarian is inviting members of the public who are in possession of information, artifacts or memorabilia to share their knowledge with the public by lending or donating the items to the Parliament Library for the Exhibition. The name Red House was given to the building by the public after it was painted red in 1897 as part of the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. An incomplete Red House comprising a north and south building connected by an archway over Prince Street was first opened to the public in 1848.
By April Government will take a decision on the Interchange Project. Works Minister Frankie Khan in response to a question in the House of Representatives yesterday revealed that the last administration declined cheap funding from the Inter-American Development Bank, and chose to borrow more expensively from Citibank. Khan also revealed that the $150 million loan had already accrued interest of approximately $40 million even as the project was still being designed.
Khan said it was obvious that from the outset the project had been mismanaged both at the financial and engineering levels. “By the end of April 2003, a clear and unambiguous solution will be advanced to the nation,” the Minister promised. But turning to the alleged irresponsibility of the UNC administration which turned down IDB funding, Khan stated: “Mr Speaker the EIB/IDB funding for $150 million would have carried a total interest of $59.8 million over the life of the loan resulting in a total cost to the country (capital and interest) of $209 million. The Citibank financing which the Government opted to use carried an interest rate of 11.4 percent resulting in a total interest charge of $320 million at a total repayment cost of $508 million…What this means is that the Government, with superior options available to it, deliberately chose to pursue the project at an additional cost of $300 million,” Khan stated.
Khan said while the IDB funding would have imposed a measure of transparency, Government, having sourced the funding locally, was free to direct the tendering and award of contracts as it saw fit. He read into the records a letter from former Planning Minister John Humphrey in which he directed UdeCOTT to award a design/build contract to Pres-T-Con and to EIFFEL. Khan said that throughout the contract there were concerns held by both UDeCOTT and the Ministry of Works and Transport regarding the engineering design work being produced by the Consultant, PCA/Interplan Group Limited whom UDeCOTT had been directed to hire. These concerns were reinforced by an international bridge and civil works specialist, Parsons Brinckerhoff of Florida, whom UdeCOTT had retained. Khan said the new government put the project back under the Highways Division’s Chief Planning Unit of the Ministry of Works and Transport. He said a team has made several presentations and a final report is to be presented to Cabinet on April 30, 2003. In the meantime a short term plan aimed at increasing intersection and lane capacities has been implemented at a cost of $13 million and is 80 percent complete. Saying that UdeCOTT attempted to award the contract for the construction of the Interchange “under complex and confusing circumstances, overlaps and conflicting instructions”, Khan said it was not surprising that the award process was challenged and is now the subject of a High Court matter.
ZURICH: The 2014 World Cup will be held in South America, world football’s governing body FIFA announced yesterday.
The announcement follows an earlier decision that the tournament should rotate between continents. “We are bringing it to a continent which hasn’t organised a World Cup since 1978, although they have won it nine times,” said FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Germany have already been awarded the next World Cup in 2006, while Africa — who have never yet hosted the event — has been promised the 2010 edition. Asia staged the tournament for the first time in 2002 when South Korea and Japan served as joint hosts.
The decision marks the World Cup’s return to South America for the first time since 1978, when it was staged in Argentina. The tournament was to be held in Colombia in 1986, but was moved to Mexico after organisers told FIFA they had financial troubles and were unable to stage the event. The South Americans are still chafing from the executive committee’s decision in Madrid in December to reorganise the distribution of berths, which in effect cost South America two places at the next World Cup. South America had always been guaranteed four berths at the World Cup, and used to play off with Oceania for an extra spot — an event it usually won, especially over the last two decades.
However, the executive committee decided in December to guarantee Oceania a spot, therefore eliminating South America’s chance at an extra fifth berth. In addition, the reigning World Cup champions will no longer automatically qualify for the tournament, meaning Brazil will have to compete for one of the four South American slots. The decision prompted FIFA senior vice president Julio Grondona, representing the South American confederation, to submit a proposal yesterday to have 36 instead of 32 teams compete at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Blatter said that would be considered at a later date.
