– claims he is satisfied with performanceAlthough the results of this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) which was written early May, are yet to be analysed, Education Minister Shaik Baksh said yesterday, that he is satisfied with the performance.The Minister’s comments came during a press conference held at the Ministry’s Brickdam head office,Brock Holt Jersey, when he unveiled the top performers of the assessment. At the time of the press conference the results had not yet reached any of the country’s schools.He said that 18,613 candidates were entered to undertake the assessment, representing an increase of nearly 1000 candidates over last year.According to the Minister, the candidates had also written the National Grade Two Assessment in 2005 and the National Grade Four Assessment in 2007.He said that the results that were released yesterday are designed to give a report of the candidates’ overall performance at the three assessments.The percentage of the marks gained at the Grade Two and Four Assessments were combined with the marks gained at the Grade Six Assessment in order to determine the candidates overall scores,China Jerseys, the Minister noted.He said that as customary, five percent of each candidate’s Grade Two Score in Mathematics and English and 10 percent of the Grade Four Scores in the same subjects were added to 85 percent of their score in the respective subject areas.The combined scores in Mathematics and English were added to the scores gained in Science and Social Studies.And the highest possible standardised scores obtainable were Mathematics 150, English 149, Social Studies 143 and Science 150, the Minister said.Gaining the top spot this year with 567 marks was Larissa Wiltshire of Mae’s Under 12.The second best performance score of 565 was copped by Samanthra Rocke of St Margaret’s Primary, while Elijah Bobb of New Guyana School secured third position with his acquisition of 563 marks.Sasha Williams of Mae’s Under 12 and Abhimanyu Dev of Leonora Primary School both secured 562 marks effectively sharing the fourth position, thus causing the fifth position to be irrelevant. Dev was the youngest to take the examination at nine years.Three persons, Somant Heeralall of Annandale Primary, Khajal Parasnath of Dharmic Rama Krishna and Darius Ali of Marian Academy, shared the sixth position, each gaining 560 marks.Accordingly, there were no seventh or eighth positions. Ninth place was shared by five, Raman Arjune of Edinburg Primary, Tonya Alves of Mae’s Under 12, David Ramroop of Peter’s Hall Primary,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, Lisa John of Leonora Primary and Ashmini Persaud of Sparta Primary, all of whom secured 559 marks.The positions as a result were fast tracked to 14th place, a position that was secured by Jenelle Geness of Peter’s Hall Primary, Dacia John of Skeldon Primary and Rejan McKay of New Guyana School. They each obtained 558 marks.The three 17th place positions were copped by Cecil Abrams of the New Guyana School, Jude Eversley of Ketley Primary, and Kyle Joseph of Aishalton Primary with their respective 557 score.With 556 marks Annthea Percival of North Georgetown Primary,Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys, Makeshwerie Samaroo of Mae’s Under 12, Craig Campbell of New Guyana School, Amrita Ramnauth and Annessa Taylor both of ABC Academy and Farahnaz Hosain of Zeelugt Primary,Wholesale NBA Jerseys China, secured 20th place.The 26th place was shared by Faudia Ramjohn of Leonora Primary, Tenishia Thomas and Shami Williams both of New Guyana School, Sifiyah Majid of ISA Islamic and Robert Singh of Concord Academy who all gained 555 marks.In all the Minister afforded media operatives a list of the top one percent. Fifty candidates have been awarded non-residential places at President’s College; a further 70 will gain residential placement.The cut -off scores for candidates’ attendance of top city Secondary Schools are 542 for Queen’s College, 534 for Bishop’s High, 528 for Saint Stanislaus College, 519 for Saint Roses and 514 for Saint Joseph High.

By Odeen IshmaelOn March 3, the Guyana government announced its intention to opt out of the United Nations GoodOdeen IshmaelOffices process—a mechanism anticipated to assist in resolving the renewed claim Venezuela made on a portion of the Essequibo region of Guyana.In explaining the country’s decision and its desire to request a judicial settlement, Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett pointed out that the Good Offices process yielded little results over the last past twenty-five years. She added that Guyana was examining other options while at the same time suggesting that Venezuela remained comfortable with the current process “because it suits their purpose – no movement.”These “other options” will eventually have to be decided by the UN Secretary General.According to Article 33 of the UN Charter, they include, in addition to “Good Offices,” the resort to mediation, facilitation, dialogue processes, arbitration and judicial settlement. However, all, except judicial settlement, have already been tried.THE UN GOOD OFFICES PROCESSSince 1990, when Dr. Alister McIntyre was appointed as the UN special representative, the two countries have been obliged to keep within the ambit of the Good Offices process, which ended when the last special representative, Dr. Norman Girvan, died in April 2014.This decision by Guyana to inform the UN that it has opted to no longer participate in the Good Offices process will, no doubt, push the Secretary General to act. It was clear since early in 2014 that the Secretary General himself was becoming concerned that the process was going nowhere, since he has not bothered to name a new representative.This most recent development in the territorial controversy arose just after the Venezuelan foreign minister at the beginning of March objected to the exploratory drilling for oil by the American company, Exxon Mobil, in the concession granted by Guyana. Venezuela claimed that the area is its “territory” despite the fact that the drilling area is deep within Guyana’s maritime economic zone. In response, Guyana’s foreign affairs ministry stated that it requested the Venezuelan government to desist from taking any actions that could only result in hindering the development of Guyana.In a rebuttal, Venezuela in a communiqu? in mid-March, labeled as “unjust and false” claims that it was deliberately obstructing Guyana’s development and pointed to instances of collaboration and support between the two states as evidence to the contrary.At the same time, the communiqu? insisted that Venezuela remained committed to the Good Offices process “as an optimal and convenient methodology to assume bilateral and amicable, without the irritating interference of foreign factors, negotiations in order to achieve a practical and satisfactory solution for both sides.”Some observers feel that the Venezuelan objection arose because of the involvement of Exxon Mobil in the drilling at the time when the United States has imposed a series of political sanctions on Venezuela. Significantly, Venezuela was ordered by an international arbitration panel in October 2014 to pay Exxon Mobil $1.6 billion for the company’s oil assets nationalized in 2007.The Guyana government’s decision has received support across the national political spectrum, and wider afield from Caricom and Commonwealth governments. The former opposition spokesman on international affairs, Aubrey Norton, noted that little progress was recorded in the UN Good Offices process and proposed that the government and opposition should set up a joint committee to come up with a way forward. He insisted that territorial issues should transcend partisan political interest.And the former foreign minister, Shridath Ramphal, who was the country’s top negotiator of the Protocol of Port of Spain in 1970, said that Venezuela has “abused” the Good Offices process while it lasted. He explained that all other modes of settlement such as arbitration were already explored and the only available option remaining would be a judicial settlement.THE GENESIS OF THE CONTROVERSYThe boundary between Venezuela and Guyana (formerly British Guiana) was settled in 1899 by an international arbitration tribunal which, in its award regarded as a “full, perfect and final settlement,” described in detail the boundary between the two countries. Venezuela willingly accepted this decision and fully honoured it. However, in 1944, forty-five years after the arbitral award, Severo Mallet-Prevost, one of the four lawyers who had appeared for Venezuela before the arbitration tribunal, wrote a memorandum in which, for the first time, he attacked the award on the alleged grounds that it was the result of a political deal between Great Britain and Russia.This formed the basis of a claim the administration of President Romulo Betancourt, for reasons unrelated to legality,cheap jerseys from china, raised in the UN in 1962, when i

Magistrate Ann McLennan on Monday read charges to two men at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court as they made their first court appearance in relation to a matter which stemmed from a dispute over marijuana.Lloyd Sadloo, 32, and Andell Forde, 40, were arraigned on multiple felonies – attempted murder, discharging firearms and unlawful wounding.Their matter was first called before the Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry where the indictable charges were read to them.? The case was then transferred to Magistrate Ann McLennan who, after listening to the submissions of Police Prosecutor Corporal Deniro Jones and Attorney at Law Mark Waldron,Wholesale Jerseys China, ordered them held.The prosecution claimed that on January 8, at North Ruimveldt they unlawfully and maliciously wounded Kelly Aaron with intent to murder him. The second charge detailed that they discharged a loaded firearm at Kevin Aaron with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm.The police claimed too that on the said date at the same place,China NFL Jerseys, the duo unlawfully wounded Guy Merell.About 11:30 hours on that day the two accused went to the Aaron’s residence at 2430 Cul-De-Sac Street, North Ruimveldt, where Guy Merell was presumably sitting under the house,http://www.theworldsoccersshop.com/Belgium-Yannick-Carrasco-Jersey.html, the prosecutor said.The duo reportedly accused Merell of stealing five pounds (5lbs) of maijuana from their house and proceeded to use their handguns to trash him about his head and body.According to Jones, in an effort to prevent the beatings,Cheap Authentic Jerseys Online, Kevin and Kelly Aaron then intervened but Sadloo shot Kelly in the upper part of his abdomen. However,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, it didn’t end there, Jones related that Forde discharged a round in Kevin’s direction but it failed to make contact with him.Kelly was reportedly taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was admitted and given medical attention. The matter was subsequently reported hence the charge was instituted to the duo.Missing at the court hearing was Guy Merell who the Aarons informed the court was still severely injured and thus unable to attend the hearing. Attorney-at-Law Mark Thompson stated that he was attending to the interest of the complainants.Defence Attorney Mark Waldron who represented Sadloo stated that in light of the indictable offence presented in summary matters, his main concern was to submit an application for bail. He said that there was no challenge presented by the Prosecution for Sadloo to be denied his pre-trial liberty.In furthering his application, Waldron claimed that there is no evidence to indicate that his client is a flight risk since he is a father of two who resides with his common law wife at Lot 6 Quamina Road,Cheap Jerseys 2018, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara.Forde who was unrepresented by legal counsel told the court that he is employed as a porkknocker in the mining industry and resides at 31 Rahaman’s Park, Georgetown.The Magistrate inquired whether the two are licenced firearm holders and Waldron indicated that they do possess licences but further added that he was instructed that no one fired at the victims.However, the Prosecution offered objections to bail citing the serious nature and gravity of discharging firearms and attempted murder. Jones furthered his arguments stating that the prevalence of gun crimes is sufficient grounds for the duo to be ordered held. He said that the Prosecution possessed strong evidence in the matter and added that they also had medical reports to support their claims.The Prosecutor indicated that the investigations in the matter are incomplete as other statements are to be filed. The Defence Attorney interjected claiming that since the file is incomplete there could be no date for commencement and as such his client should be granted bail.However, Magistrate McLennan maintained that the seriousness, gravity as well as the prevalence of the crime were sufficient grounds for the court to order the duo held. She refused bail and the matter stands adjourned to January 31 for Report.