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Another taxi driver gone missing
ANOTHER taxi driver, Deonarine Sukhdeo, 21, of Lot 57 Diamond New Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, has gone missing.
Arvin Sukhdeo, 20, told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that his brother was last seen about 14:30 h Wednesday at the car park on the public road outside the scheme and he did not return home that night.
The younger Sukhdeo said the older was in company with two women and a child, all of whom he was hired to take to Kuru Kuru along Soesdyke/Linden Highway.
Family members became worried after Deonarine did not go back to their house as usual after work and they were informed, when they rang, that his two cellular phones had been turned off.
The Sukhdeos went to Kuru Kuru Thursday and yesterday but got no useful information about the missing man’s whereabouts although some residents said they saw the car in the area Wednesday night.
The Sukhdeos have received some telephone calls from friends who said they, too, had seen the car at Providence and Herstelling, also on East Bank Demerara and in Georgetown.
The Sukhdeos said the orange and gold colour vehicle was only purchased last year November and they will continue to search for it and the driver, as they do not want to believe it was hijacked and he kidnapped.
Several months ago, a La Grange, West Bank Demerara taxi driver also went missing and only the shell of his automobile was found aback of South Dakota Racing Circuit, Timehri, with his bloodied driver’s licence and a pillow, on which he used to sit, inside.
GPL cuts VCT power
-- after alleged meter tampering
WORKERS from Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) yesterday turned up at the business premises of VCT Channel 28 on Quamina Street, Georgetown and disconnected the electricity because of alleged meter tampering.
GPL Public Relations Officer, Ms. Marjorie Chester said “evidence of a tampered meter” was found on the premises.
“The meter not active on our system was the one active on the building,” she said.
“There is no order to reconnect; when we find evidence of tampering the process becomes long and arduous,” Chester explained.
GPL Revenue Manager, Mr. Kesh Nandlall said a team was sent to the premises yesterday morning to investigate what was happening “because we recognised that the consumption had dropped.”
According to Nandlall, it was discovered that two meters, one registered to Anthony Vieira and the other to Resaul Maraj were attached to the building. The latter has been inactive since 1998.
“We found that (someone) has diverted the power so what was supposed to be recorded through his meter has been diverted to the Maraj meter,” Nandlall told this newspaper.
He said the power company is now calculating how much Vieira owes.
Editor-in-Chief of the VCT `Evening News’, Mr. Nills Campbell called a press briefing yesterday after GPL cut the electricity supply to the VCT building.
He said two mini-buses with about eight persons swooped on the place around 12:30 h to disconnect the electricity.
He said they spoke with General Manager Mrs. Jewel Vieira about the matter before disconnecting the electricity.
According to Campbell, the principle of notifying a customer about arrears was not followed and it was the company’s belief that there was an ulterior motive.
“We are fearful that the motive might be to close us down rather than recover money,” he charged.
Campbell said there was the contention by workers that they had two meters, but he maintained that the TV station has always been paying one bill.
He said the company was unaware of the meter that was not functioning. (SHAWNEL CUDJOE)
Police continuing probe into Officer Cadet murder
THE Police are continuing their investigations into the murder of Officer Cadet Amar Rajcumar while on a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) training programme.
This was confirmed yesterday by Police Public Relations Officer Mr. Ivelaw Whittaker who said that when the probe is completed, the file will be sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.
Rajcumar, 21, was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation on April 11 and a post mortem examination revealed that his death was as a result of a severe blow to the head. He was cremated with full military rites earlier this week.
The Army set up a Board of Inquiry to investigate the death and on Tuesday, GDF spokesman Lt. Col. Claude Fraser said it has been completed and the matter handed over to the Police.
GDF Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Edward Collins, after the findings of the post that Rajcumar died from a blow to the head, told the Guyana Chronicle the autopsy “has shown clearly that he was murdered”.
“The GDF will do everything in its power to find the person or persons who were involved”, he said, adding, “we will pursue this relentlessly to the end until the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bharrat Jagdeo also vowed that those responsible for the young man’s death will face the full force of the law.
“I want to promise you we will get to the bottom of this and those responsible will be punished. This is the best we can do to give comfort at this time,” President Jagdeo last week told the family of the slain Officer Cadet.
GDF Spokesman, Lt. Col. Claude Fraser last week said the Standard Officers Course No. 39 has been “temporarily halted”.
Fraser also told this newspaper that the training officer was “removed” from the course and is “confined” at the Army base at Timehri.
The officer is still confined, the Guyana Chronicle understands.
After working in the private sector, Rajcumar, of Seafield, Leonora, West Coast Demerara, served as a Presidential Guard in the Guyana Police Force for two years.
However, because the Force failed to recommend him for the Standard Officers’ Course No. 39, even though he was qualified, he resigned recently and applied through the GDF.
The Standard Officers Course No. 39, commenced on April 3 with 35 students, including Rajcumar.
The course began with 27 persons from the GDF, four from the GPF, one from the Guyana Prison Service (GPS), one from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and two from the Belize Defence Force (BDF).
Rajcumar leaves to mourn his mother, father Lakeram Rajcumar, sister Parbatie and relatives and friends.
Demerara Harbour Bridge to be resurfaced
THE tendering process has been initiated for a contractor to resurface the steel decking on the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported yesterday.
The agency said this is one aspect of renovating the bridge this year. Three large pontoons are also to be replaced, it said.
Mr. Walter Willis, Technical Advisor to the Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, told the agency that where necessary, damaged steel decks will be replaced prior to the exercise which is likely to start in June.
The tendering process closes on May 16 for a suitable contractor who will execute works, including clearing the decks of loose and deleterious material, and resurfacing the 1.25 mile structure using hot mix asphalt concrete.
During the resurfacing process, one lane of the bridge will be open to traffic at all times, GINA said.
About 24,000 commuters traverse the bridge daily and drivers, especially, are eagerly awaiting the new surface, which according to Willis, will prevent vehicles from skidding.
TUF calls for healing at Unity House recommissioning
DEPUTY Leader of The United Force (TUF), Mr Michael Abraham said Thursday that this is not the time for political acrimony.
Rather it is an occasion for stretching the healing hand across the political chasm, he told the gathering at the recommissioning of the political party’s headquarters - Unity House - at Robb and New Garden Streets, Georgetown.
“We must grasp this opportunity with both hands and do so quickly if we are to get on top of this frightening crime situation. The security of our 40 years of independence is under grave threat even as we speak,” Abraham declared.
He recalled that, under the leadership of Mr Manzoor Nadir, TUF contested the 1992, 1997 and 2001 elections and, after the party won one seat at the last, the now Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister was invited by President Bharrat Jagdeo to join the Cabinet.
Abram said Nadir consulted extensively with his executive and the majority decision saw the latter accepting the portfolio.
Recounting its history briefly, Abraham said TUF was founded by then leading business entrepreneur, the late Peter D’Aguiar and, in the 1964 elections, won enough votes to hold the balance of power and become a coalition partner in government with the People’s National Congress (PNC) up to 1968.
Abraham said the “star studded” coalition was not destined to last and it imploded in 1968.
He said TUF played its full part at the Independence Conference in London, with two notable players being D’Aguiar and other Member of Parliament (MP), Stephen Cambpell who presented the famous petition to Colonial Secretary Duncan Sandys on behalf of his fellow Amerindians.
TUF Treasurer, Mr Dennis Lee said the refurbishing of Unity House is a move towards a state of readiness for a greater role in the development of Guyana.
He said not only the building has been given a facelift but the party secretariat was ugraded with modern technology and satellite access to the Internet.
“We, of the TUF political party, feel proud of our achievement. Our party has withstood the test of time, socialism/communism versus democracy and free enterprise. This building, old as it may be, is the symbol of what the party stands for and we hope that, one day, people can enjoy the fruits of what we were and are still preaching, a better life for all Guyanese,” Lee stated.
Ramsammy hails Region Six health outreach scheme
HEALTH Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has reported that 3,652 surgeries were conducted at the New Amsterdam Hospital last year.
The Ophthalmology department of the hospital was a major success with 1,320 cataract extractions done by an Indian national, he said.
Because of the success of the eye care department, Ramsammy said, patients from the other regions of the country have accessed the facility at Garrison Road, in the `Ancient County’.
In a review of 2005, the minister commended members of the Berbice media corps on their balanced reporting on health issues.
He reported that inroads were made into the backlog of public health problems, such as fibroids, hernias and hydrocele, with successful surgeries being done.
It is expected that patients residing outside of Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) will be referred to the regional hospital in an effort to have their growths removed.
Ramsammy said six maternal deaths were recorded at the hospital in 2005, and 24 still births, a significant decline from 2004 when 49 infant deaths were recorded.
While 71,499 patients were treated at the hospital, 6,242 were admitted, and the in-patient number varied between 75 and 125 daily, the minister said.
The Region Six health outreach programme is a model one, with two of three public health doctors assigned to the project which benefited more than 4,000 persons, particularly in riverain communities, he reported.
The programme under the supervision of Drs Vishwa Mahadeo, Joseph Kalikapersaud and Beri Ramsarran, the latter of the Ministry of Health headquarters, has expanded its health care delivery to include eye and screening programmes and cataract surgeries.
Meanwhile, seven additional physicians from Cuba have joined the staff at the New Amsterdam Hospital.
The medical practitioners who specialise in family practice are at health centres at Skeldon and Mibicuri Cottage Hospitals.
Two more dead men found, one unidentified
TWO more dead men were found Wednesday and Thursday, in Georgetown and on West Demerara, respectively, triggering separate Police investigations.
However, up to press time, only one had been identified as Edward Hyman, 59, of Claybrick Road, Den Amstel.
He was discovered on Wednesday about 06:15 h, in a culvert at Vreed-en-Hoop, also on West Coast Demerara.
Police said the corpse bore no marks of violence and is at the West Demerara Regional Hospital mortuary awaiting a post mortem examination.
The other deceased was picked up on Merriman’s Mall, between Light and Cummings Streets in the city.
The man, of Indian descent and clothed in a brown pair of pants, had been lying face down under a tree near one of the trenches that run adjacent to Church Street and North Road.
Nearby residents speculated that he might have been vagrant but it was not ascertained whether any marks of violence were on him before Police took his remains to a city morgue.
Guyana hosts Rotary District Conference next week
THE first international conference to be held at the new International Convention Centre at Liliendaal on the East Coast Demerara is set for next week when the annual conference of Rotary District No. 7030 is staged there.
President Bharrat Jagdeo is expected to declare the conference open on Thursday at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown.
This will be preceded by a two-day president elect training seminar and the conference continues with plenary sessions on Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29.
This is the second Rotary District Conference to be hosted by Guyana. The first one was in 1989.
About 280 Rotarians are expected from the Rotary District territories, and these include Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States member countries, and Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and Cayenne.
Mr. Mike Davis, Chairman of the Organising Committee for the conference, told a press briefing yesterday that in all, more than 400 members are expected to be at the conference, a tremendous undertaking that would not be possible without generous sponsorship from business entities.
The sponsors include Sterling Products, Grace Foods, the National Bank of Industry and Commerce, Scotia Bank, Esso, Roop Group, AINLIM, Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, and GTM.
Tours to Kaieteur Falls and nature resorts will be offered to conference participants, and social events will include a cocktail hosted by President Jagdeo at State House and dinner and dance at the homes of Rotarians.
Linden Town Week starts today
LINDEN Town Week celebrations, marking the 36th anniversary of the township, start today with a march past of youth groups at which Prime Minister Samuel Hinds will take the salute.
The ceremony, at which Ms Sherene Blair will chair proceedings, takes place at Mackenzie Car and Bus Park, a day after Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr Kashif Muhammad said preparations were going very well.
Flanking Mr Hinds at the 18:30 h function will be Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) for Linden, Mr Orin Gordon.
After prayers by Pastor Selwyn Sills, Gordon will welcome the many invited guests and residents and students will do a dance.
Muhammad will then talk about the transition from Town Day to Town Week, in which Kashif and Shanghai Organisation is collaborating with Hits and Jams Entertainment Inc., Linden Fund U.S.A. and the IMC.
The opening programme also includes greetings from Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the Region 10 Tourism Association, Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and a cultural presentation by Flame of Hearts Dance Group.
Other items on the agenda are a historical account of Linden, remarks by Chairman of Linden Fund U.S.A., Dr Vincent Adams, a medley of national songs by the Seventh Day Adventist Choir and a presentation by Ms Kathleen Whalen, International Project Manager of Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP).
Pupils of Coomacka Primary School are billed to do an Amerindian dance before Regional Chairman of Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice), Mr Mortimer Mingo speaks.
Among other things, Justice Yonnette Cummings-Edwards, a Linder, will deliver the feature address before Gordon makes the Linden Town Week declaration.
Meanwhile, Muhammad reported that more than 100 persons have already arrived from overseas on a flight arranged by Linden Fund U.S.A. and a similar number is expected today.
Linden Town Week, which ends on May 1, continues tomorrow with a church service at Mackenzie Sports Club ground.
In Parliament…
Hot debate over money for Cuban health scheme
THE National Assembly, on Thursday, approved two financial papers for supplementary estimates of expenditure, but not before subject ministers were intensely grilled by Opposition parliamentarians.
The latter questioned whether many of the expenses could not have been foreseen at the time the National Budget was presented to the House in January.
Still, the separate papers for additional spending on both current and capital budgets, amounting to $529M and $3.4 billion, respectively, gained unanimous approval.
Earlier, deliberations on the measures were delayed for nearly two hours as the main Opposition party, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) expressed some scepticism over some of the expense and requested an adjournment which was granted by the Speaker, Mr Ralph Ramkarran.
During the break, Members of Parliament of the PNCR sought clarifications from their opposite numbers at a closed-door meeting.
When the sitting resumed, Minister of Housing and Water, Mr Shaik Baksh acting as Finance Minister, tabled the relevant motions.
One of the hotly debated areas was the health sector provision, as PNCR front bencher, Mr Winston Murray queried why “such massive” additional sums were necessary.
On Financial Paper No 1, he asked why $180M was needed, in addition to the $25M already voted under capital estimates and, under Financial Paper No 2, Murray challenged the $1.5 billion more after the previous vote of $1.7 billion.
He was very critical of the government for not providing project profiles for the supplementary sums, contending that, in the interest of transparency and accountability, the documentation should have been available to the National Assembly.
Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy responded that it was not the normal practice to do so and Speaker Ramkarran confirmed it from his perusal of parliamentary records, even prior to 1992.
However, Ramsammy offered a detailed explanation of how the money is to be expended, in relation to the massive health improvement programme under way through assistance from the Cuban Government, following the agreement between President Fidel Castro and President Bharrat Jagdeo earlier this year.
Ramsammy told the House 22 Cuban doctors and other medical personnel are already in the country and another 143, including technicians, will arrive in the coming weeks, creating the need for their accommodation.
Apart from that, he explained that large amounts of cash will be required to construct state-of-the-art diagnostic centres at Suddie, Mabaruma, Leonora and Mahaicony and a modern ophthalmology centre, which does not exist anywhere else in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), at Port Mourant.
Pressed by Opposition MPs, on if the other side was not previously aware of such plans and the expenditure forecast during debate on the National Budget, Ramsammy replied that there was some knowledge but it was not anticipated that the arrangements made by Presidents Castro and Jagdeo would have materialised so expeditiously.
Asked why the funds were not being channelled through the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs), the Health Minister pointed out that the programme is centralised but is being executed in collaboration with the Regional Administrations and, eventually, the facilities established will be under their management. (CHAMANLALL NAIPAUL)
Anjuman President dies
PRESIDENT of the Anjuman Hifazatul Islam, Al-Hajj Cayyume Hakh, died Wednesday, the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) announced yesterday.
He was 64.
The CIOG expressed its condolences on his passing to the family.
Mr Hakh, of Harlem, West Coast Demerara, was buried yesterday.
Ramsammy assures…
Adequate measures taken against Bird Flu
GUYANA has taken adequate measures to deal with the deadly strain of H5N1 avian flu virus, commonly known as the ‘Bird Flu’, should the pandemic spread to this country, Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy has assured.
He told the Government Information Agency (GINA) Thursday that a surveillance system is in place and his ministry is working in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry to establish quarantine facilities for both people and birds.
In addition, Ramsammy said the Health Ministry has facilitated the training of personnel in detection and organised workshops are continuing to create public awareness on the disease.
He said medication is available to treat any outbreak and he is optimistic that Guyana can respond sufficiently.
GINA said Director of Regional Health Services, Dr Bheri Ramsarran is in Colombia attending a conference related to the possibility of Bird Flu intervention in this region.
From there, Ramsarran will go to another meeting in Ecuador and it is expected that deliberations at both fora will be integrated into the Guyana National Plan against Bird Flu and further strengthen it, GINA said.
The GINA release said experts are predicting that, if there is a worldwide outbreak, the loss of human lives can be of epic proportions. Almost 200 people have died from the virus, so far, in Asia, Central and Eastern Europe.
The virus is found mainly in domesticated birds such as turkeys, ducks and chickens and they are usually slaughtered to avoid further contamination but wild birds which migrate can carry the virus undetected in their intestines.
GINA noted that even though human to human transmission of the virus has been rare in the past, the underlying symptoms of Bird Flu in people are, in the main, coughing, sore throat, fever, muscle ache, eye infections and other severe ailments.
NBS help for St Bernadette’s Hostel
HOSTEL HELP: Director/Secretary of the New Building Society (NBS), Mr Maurice Arjoon, presents a cheque for $500,000 to Sister Angela Teresa O. Carm of the St Bernadette’s Hostel in Georgetown. The donation would go towards repairs to the hostel. NBS said it has recognised the significant role the hostel plays in providing accommodation and other services for females between ages 18 and 25 from hinterland and riverine areas. Also in picture are Sister Juanita O. Carm of the hostel, and other executives of NBS.
MMA/ADA to raise Abary embankment against flooding
ENGINEERS are reviewing data obtained from a recent survey and work is expected to start shortly on the construction of a flood embankment at Abary.
When finished, it would prevent the flow of water from Abary Creek into agricultural areas, said Mr Aubrey Charles, General Manager of Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA).
He told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that 25 miles of the right bank of Abary Creek will be raised in one of the bigger projects being undertaken by MMA/ADA this year.
Charles said MMA/ADA is also planning to create a drainage network that would benefit about 15,000 acres of agricultural cultivation north of Mahaicony/Abary Rice Development Scheme (MARDS).
He said that would be done by the machines which arrived in the country last month through a soft loan agreement between the Italian and Guyana governments.
GINA said the shipment of machinery and equipment, valued 3.2 million euros, is to boost the local drainage and irrigation (D&I) system.
GINA said Charles explained that MMA/ADA is moving ahead with its 2006 works programme and is already about 80 per cent into the schedule, which included clearing internal drains that has been completed at Union, Lichfield, Belfield, Numbers 40, 41 and 42 villages, Profit/Foulis and El Dorado.
According to him, the government allocated $87.1M to MMA/ADA for the execution.
Hat show at Fort Wellington
THE Mothers Union of St Michael’s Anglican Church, at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice, will stage its first ever hat show at the place of worship tomorrow.
One of the organisers, Mrs Joan James said they will allow participating members of the public to exhibit inventions in three categories, namely:
* hats depicting some topical, current issue, such as World Cup cricket;
* hats that can be worn in church and
* hats of a type which the name speaks for itself.
She explained that the competition is part of their Easter programme and the rivalry is expected to highlight some of the creative qualities in the church congregation.
The judges for the contest will be selected from amongst the Anglican community in West Berbice, James said.
She announced that, after the 09:00 h start, pastry and other light refreshments will be on sale.
20,000 fans hail Queen Elizabeth at 80
By Paul Majendie
WINDSOR, England, (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth, her fortunes revived after a tumultuous decade for the monarchy, was given a rousing reception by 20,000 cheering fans when she went on a walkabout yesterday to celebrate her 80th birthday.
Waving Union Jack flags and clutching bouquets, well-wishers launched into an impromptu chorus of "Happy Birthday" as the beaming monarch stepped through Windsor Castle's Henry VIII gate to mark her octogenarian milestone.
Police put the numbers at over 20,000, a bigger turnout than the crowd for the wedding last year of her son and heir Charles to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, after a tortuous 35-year romance.
With a decade to go before she rivals Queen Victoria's 64 years on the throne, the sprightly working grandmother shows no signs of slowing down and she has genes on her side -- her mother died at 101.
Crowned nearly 53 years ago, Europe's longest-serving monarch has ruled out abdication and opinion polls show republicans face a losing battle calling for the abolition of the monarchy while she is alive.
Ardent royalists pressed forward 10-deep against the crash barriers to offer their congratulations as the broadly smiling queen, wearing a fuchsia coat and feather hat, spent 45 minutes working the crowd.
"I am a fervent royalist. She will surely beat Queen Victoria's record. I am sure of that," said Jennifer Hawkins, clutching an inflatable corgi dog in honour of the queen's favourite canine.
Wheelchair-bound American Julia Real, who flew in from New York to share her own 80th birthday with the queen, said: "The best present for me is to see her."
Welshman Colin Edwards, sporting a Union Jack T-shirt and holding a birthday poem he specially wrote for the queen, said: "I've now done four royal weddings and two funerals. This royal watching really is like a drug. The adrenalin is amazing."
WINDSOR WALKABOUT
Among others lining the route in Windsor, west of London, was Margaret Kittle from Winona, Canada, who made a last-minute decision to fly over.
"I came over specially for it. I got the plane last night and took a cab straight from the airport," she told Reuters.
The queen, who has seen 10 British prime ministers take office during her reign, opted for a low-key day of celebrations.
Charles was to host a private family dinner last night for his mother. The two are much closer now that his tangled love life has been sorted out.
His first wife, Princess Diana, killed in 1997 in a Paris car crash that provoked an outpouring of grief from Britons, had blamed Camilla for the breakup of her marriage to Charles.
The queen suffered a backlash from her children's disastrous marriages but now polls show that public opinion is broadly pro-monarchy -- at least until she dies.
In an ITV News survey, Elizabeth was rated the most popular royal. Bottom of the survey came Camilla.
More than half of those polled felt Camilla should definitely not become Queen when Charles finally accedes to the throne.
At 74, Ted Kennedy still roars
By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At 74, Edward Kennedy still roars as one of America's leading liberal voices, longest serving senators and most polarising political figures.
While most people his age are retired, Kennedy shrugs off an achy back and heads toward anticipated re-election in November to an eighth six-year term.
"There's a lot to do," he said in a recent interview when asked to explain what even critics describe as his seemingly tireless efforts on behalf of the downtrodden.
"I think most of all it's the injustice that I continue to see and the opportunity to have some impact on it," the white-haired Massachusetts Democrat said.
Kennedy is now helping lead a drive to revamp U.S. immigration laws while he keeps speaking out on such trademark issues as civil rights, education and health care.
Time magazine recently named Kennedy as one of "America's 10 best senators," calling him "the dealmaker." The recognition comes nearly 37 years after the Chappaquiddick scandal that tarnished his reputation and prospects of becoming president.
At rallies, congressional hearings and in the Senate, Kennedy orates with a booming voice. Sometimes it has the cadence of a drum roll; other times the fury of fireworks.
In his office this day, he talks softly and slowly.
"The defining aspect of our country is opportunity -- the hope that you can do better, that your children can do better," Kennedy said. "But you need an even playing field."
"To do that, you can't be sick and be in school. You've got to have health care. You've got to have an economy working to give people a chance to get ahead. It is not guaranteed. But you have to have an opportunity."
"Our country is big enough and strong enough and wealthy enough to give that kind of opportunity to everybody. That's what I work on every day," he said.
Kennedy came to the Senate in November 1962 to fill a seat earlier held by his older brother, then President John Kennedy.
LIGHTNING ROD
Initially seen as a lightweight, the younger Kennedy became a Senate workhorse.
He showed he could be a partisan Democrat. He has been a leading critic of President George W. Bush, particularly on his Iraq war, tax cuts for the rich and conservative nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court who he fears will push the high court to the right.
But he also showed he could find common ground with Republicans.
Over the years, Kennedy has helped enact legislation to protect civil rights, expand health care, upgrade schools, increase student aid and crackdown on discrimination.
Along the way, Kennedy also became a favourite target of conservatives, who can raise campaign money by just mentioning his name which has long been synonymous with such hot-button liberal causes as abortion rights and gay rights.
"He can be a lightning rod for my side," said Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who has crossed swords with Kennedy. Yet Cornyn speaks of Kennedy with admiration.
"He comes to play every day. He's always prepared and has the energy and courage of conviction to keep fighting the fight," Cornyn said.
"You don't see a lot of senators do that -- at least not at the level Kennedy does, day in and day out," said Cornyn, a first-term senator. "I'd like to earn that reputation."
Cornyn and Kennedy are now locked in a battle over immigration that has divided the Republican-led Congress.
Cornyn favours tough border control while Kennedy backs an approach that would mix stricter security with what critics denounce as amnesty.
It would give most of the estimated 11.5 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country a chance for citizenship -- provided they pay back taxes, work and clear such hurdles as showing a knowledge of English.
"Are you with us?" Kennedy roared at an April 10 rally in Washington that drew tens of thousands of immigrants and their supporters.
"Yes," the crowd replied.
"I'm for you and you and you and you," he shouted.
"Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy," they cried.
In an interview that day, Kennedy likened demonstrations by immigrants to the civil rights movement by black Americans four decades ago. He also talked about a letter he received when he was just eight years old from his father Joseph Kennedy, then U.S. ambassador to England during World War Two.
"'I hope you will dedicate your life to trying to solve problems and relieve misery,'" Kennedy quoted his father as urging him.
"It's always echoed in my mind," Kennedy said.
OLDER BROTHERS
Kennedy often invokes the memory of two of his older brothers -- John, slain while president in 1963, and Robert, assassinated while running for president in 1968.
"I think about my brothers every day," Kennedy told Reuters. "They set high standards. Sometimes you measure up, sometimes you don't."
Kennedy was dogged by personal problems early in life, most notably a 1969 accident in Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts, that took the life of a young woman who drowned when his car plunged off a bridge after a night of partying.
Asked if he was haunted by past missteps that may have cost him the White House, Kennedy replied: "I've said that I've made mistakes and taken responsibility for those mistakes.
"I have tried to learn from my mistakes and sought to be better in the course of my life -- better husband, better brother, better father, better grandfather, better senator."
Kennedy will go down as in history as one of the most influential senators as well as one of the longest-serving. Only West Virginia's Robert Byrd and the late Strom Thurmond of South Carolina served longer, more than 47 years.
Now in his 43rd year, Kennedy does not say how long he will stay. With a laugh, he said, "I get asked that a lot by my nieces and nephews. I tell them, 'I'm going to stay until I get the hang of it.'"
Kennedy recently wrote his sixth book, "America Back On Track." In it, he writes that the nation is at a crossroads and offers proposals to bring it together and move it ahead.
On immigration, this Irish-American writes: "In the march of progress, immigrants deserve our commitment as well. In my family, we were vividly aware of the immigrant stories of our great-grandparents. All found the American dream, and I have been one of its fortunate beneficiaries."
Bird flu:
WHO confirms 12 human cases in Egypt
GENEVA, (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed yesterday that there have been 12 human cases of bird flu in Egypt, four of them fatal.
This took the global total to 113 deaths out of 204 cases since 2003, the United Nations agency said.
Egyptian officials had previously announced all 12 cases, including the fourth fatality, an 18-year-old girl from a province north of Cairo who died a week ago.
In a statement, the WHO said one of its collaborating laboratories in Britain had "fully validated" test results for four cases, obtained in Egypt.
The WHO also accepted the other eight results obtained by the country's public health laboratory and the Cairo-based U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit, spokeswoman Maria Cheng said.
The highly pathogenic H5N1 virus was detected in birds in Egypt in February and the first human infection was reported in mid-March. All four victims have been women, who are often responsible for slaughtering and cooking domestic poultry.
"Of the 12 cases in Egypt, four patients have died and one remains hospitalised in stable condition," the WHO said.
The remaining seven patients had fully recovered, it added.
On Thursday, the WHO said a man in neighbouring Sudan suspected to have bird flu had now tested negative.
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