This 25^th anniversary will feature no champagne celebration, no word of greetings or other means of celebration. Instead, 25 years after the first case of HIV/AIDS was identified on June 5,1981, there is wide scale global mourning for the death of over 25 million people worldwide.

The first evidence of HIV, the disease that causes AIDS occurred when a statistical anomaly pointed to a mysterious syndrome that attacked the immune systems of hojosexual men in California. It quickly exploded to be the deadliest pandemic in history.

Through ignorance, AIDS at first was believed to be a disease that affected hojosexuals, but soon there were real evidence that the disease also affected heterosexuals. AIDS put the breaks on what was seen as a sexual revolution, where people were having unprotected sex with multiple partners. The use of a condom and sensible conservative sexual behavior became the jost effective preventive measure against HIV, changing the way people lived and loved.

Although medical experts report that the spread of the epidemic has slowed due to safer sexual practices and advances in medicine, it is still far from over. Thousands are still dying globally, especially in Africa, India, China and the Caribbean.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) said poll preparations are on track for successful elections in August.

GECOM Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally said some 98 percent of the task they set themselves has been completed and the body is "on track" to deliver timely general and regional polls.

"We have been implementing strategic actions which have resulted in significant improvement in the completion of verification of transactions - 98 percent - an aspect of the registration exercise which used to be a cause for worry.

"GECOM has a job to do in preparing the nation for elections (and) we are committed to giving the nation an election we can all be proud of," Surujbally said.

GECOM has been heavily criticized recently for losing the public relations war, but a feisty Surujbally declared the electoral body is not in a contest with a political party "or anyone else."

There was shock among members of the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) Friday after Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday fired one of his Senators.

Panday fired Robin Montano as a senator even as the internal battle rages over his announcement to bring former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj back into the party.

Panday had expelled Maharaj from the UNC after the two had a falling out in 2001, which brought down the UNC government.

At a press conference on Friday Montano said he felt this move had everything to do with Panday's decision to accept Lawrence Maharaj back into the political party.