Monday April 02, 2018
Remove the incompetents from City Hall DEAR EDITOR, There is a NASAproduced documentary titled “The Journeys of Apollo” in which the Apollo 13 mission produced the popular phrase “Houston, we have a problem.”, as the astronauts communicated their discovery of the explosion that crippled their spacecraft In Guyana the Town Clerk has caused all and sundry to produce the phrase “Georgetown we have a problem”, to describe the crippled state of our capital city, due to mismanagement, venality and incompetence. By now it ought to be crystal clear that our style of management of our capital city is not working and in fact is a total disaster. What we have now in spite of a significant amount
of work that has been undertaken in recent years to review and improve the local government sector more popularly known as local government reform, is our capital city being run under very archaic laws dating back to the colonial times, laws that cannot relate to, nor deal effectively with the current circumstances. What we have now is the Town Clerk of Georgetown making himself into an Imperial Overlord, cloaking himself with ridiculous powers, scope and authority to completely ignore the views and wishes of the elected Council, of the laws pertaining to procurement, of covenants ascribed to state lands, of accounting and audit regulations, of even answering to the Minister of
Communities. All over the world city governments are run like businesses, municipalities have become municipal corporations, with executive mayors and city managers who are given by charter a large degree of control and responsibility. Right nearby we have the likes of the Port of Spain Corporation and the Kingston Corporation. In none of these places do we have a Town Clerk who is merely the Secretary to the Council who performs several administrative tasks, running around creating havoc, as this one is doing. In fact none of the previous Town Clerks of Georgetown ever attempted to seize and convert public open spaces into private housing projects for
themselves, to establish parking meter systems in our city on the basis of a falsehood that the previous Council had approved it, of withholding statutory deductions from the Guyana Revenue Authority, the National Insurance Scheme and the Credit Unions, of granting contracts amounting to billions of dollars without adherence to tender board procedures, of practising widespread nepotism, cronyism and favouritism in employment processes, of jaunting around the world for no practical purposes. It is time for the Council to replace the incompetent, deceitful and unruly officers with persons who are capable, accomplished and knowledgeable. Magagula Jackson
Bringing Guyana into The 21st Century DEAR EDITOR, In light of the consistent failures of the PNC, the PNCled coalition and the PPP administrations, I have in the past strongly advocated for the formation of at least one new political party as a vehicle through which to channel better and more effective government for Guyanese. I am pleased to announce the formation of the Democratic National Congress (DNC), which will contest the 2020 national elections to form a full government under the theme ‘Bringing Guyana Into the 21st Century.’ As a preliminary estimate, we only require twenty persons to assume ministerial portfolios for a resounding victory at the polls. The Party’s official launch and public discussion forum is due to be held soon. The draft constitution of the DNC is as follows: The Democratic National Congress will be committed to the following principles: 1. Guyana be governed as a Democratic Republic, where the authority of the state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people through their elected representatives; 2. Preservation of a sound, effective political system for choosing and replacing governments through free and fair elections;
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3. Encouraging and facilitating the active participation of the people as citizens, in politics and civic life; 4. Recognize the income levels of our citizens and the address of unemployment as central to our efforts in advancing welfare growth; 5. Delivering effective government which recognizes private industry, innovation and workers, as central to the attainment of our country’s goals of a standard of living where we can enjoy the fruits of our labor, achieve of our goals, be healthy and happy; 6. Protection of the human rights of all citizens; 7. Enforcement of the Rule of Law, where the laws and procedures of Guyana apply equally to all of our citizens; 8. Freedom of Expression – Everyone is guaranteed the right to communicate with each other and express ideas freely in an open and fair society. The core objectives of the party, which I propose as the DNC’s contract with Guyana, are as follows: The DNC’s Contract with Guyana 1. Maintain the Constitution of Guyana so that it reflects the will and wishes of the People. 2. Promote economic prosperity for all by creating an enabling environment which provides the legal,
regulatory and physical infrastructure to support innovation and industry within the private sector. 3. Ensure that the income levels and unemployment are central to the DNC’s policy framework. 4. Provide the physical and social infrastructure to ensure a mobile, healthy, educated work force. 5. Guarantee social, cultural and religious freedoms to all ethnic groups. 6. Guarantee equal rights of citizens under the law. 7. Guarantee freedom of expression and freedom to associate. 8. Develop and maintain Guyana’s national security to safeguard against both internal and external threats. 9. Work with the United Nations Commissions on Human Rights to facilitate the adoption of its universally established rights, to the extent that these rights reflect our country’s values, customs and traditions. The Democratic National Congress rejects all forms of racism and race-based politics and policies. Our constitution has been shaped to reflect the wishes and aspirations of all Guyanese. Individuals both at home and abroad may consider the above policies as something to which they can commit.
The success of the DNC at the 2020 national elections hinges on Guyanese themselves responding to the challenge of leadership, and security of our democracy and way of life as a people. It also involves the allocation of tremendous resources and effort to create the political machinery to create a solid administrative framework which will deliver on the needs of Guyanese. This is a call to all Guyanese to take their stand against what obtains under the coalition and PPP, to establish their future for themselves, to reclaim the Guyana that was stolen from us for the last 51 years. A successful democracy depends on the policies and leadership of its people. Let the politics the PNC-led coalition and PPP be the politics of the past. Our future is now. Examine our proposals. Join us today so that together we can Bring Guyana Into the 21st Century. Yours Faithfully, Craig Sylvester, Party Leader, DNC
The West Indies Cricket Board should step down DEAR EDITOR, Our own, West Indies men’s cricket team, is a multi-national cricket team, representing the Caribbean Region and administered by Cricket West Indies. The official International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings of West Indies, dated 18th March, 2018,as follows;- Test 8th, ODI’s 9th , T20’s 5th and from 1970 - 1990, the West Indies team was the strongest in the world. Today, a large number of West Indies cricket supporters have called it a day. It is because, the last twenty-five years or more, performance continues to decline and the root problems, is within the administrators. A tour was confirmed well in advance with West Indies and Pakistan, scheduled to start in Karachi yesterday and continuing on 2nd, 3th of April, 2018. In the Caribbean, the tour became silent and no team has been selected, because the key players, opted out for security reasons. Only on Thursday 29th of March, 2018, a team had been selected. This is gross disrespect to the now hold-on West Indies Cricket fans. I say openly to Mr.Dave Cameron and others, it is time for you all to demit office. Yours in Sports Parmanand Ram
Stupidity abounds and it is shared among the city councillors DEAR EDITOR, No one can disagree that there are many ancient artifacts from the past that are still running around and mismanaging the Georgetown City Council, but I must admit that one of them recently made an amazing discovery; a discovery that should earn him a national award. This elder Councillor, who is the Chairman of an important Committee discovered and announced that all of the Georgetown City Councillors are stupid people; a waste of flesh and brain cells. How did he come to this realization? Well, it is actually not that difficult for a stupid person to recognize that he and his colleagues are stupid. Stupid people always blame others for their own mistakes. It’s very noticeable, unprofessional, and something a smart person would never do. If you consistently try to foist your mistakes on others, you demonstrate to everyone that you can’t be the sharpest
tool in the shed. Of course the woes of the city always cast upon the citizens and not the incompetence of the City Council, whether it be the litter all over the city, the late payments monthly to workers, the robberies around the municipal markets, the derelict condition of City Hall or the enormous debt that the city has incurred. Stupid people always have to be right. Just look at the parking meter fiasco, the attempted land grab of the Bel Air Park playfield or the nonpayment to the garbage contractors. Stupid people always ignore the needs and feelings of other people. This is clearly demonstrated when the Council splurges money on itself on luxury foreign trips, fancy vehicles whilst failing to repair roads, to replace defective street lights or clean the drains. Stupid people react to conflicts with anger and aggression. Obviously even the smartest people can get Continued on page 6
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The PPP is on the upswing That parking meter contract DEAR EDITOR, A good friend of mine called me to say did you see Jagdeo’s welcome by the people compared to Granger on their walkabout over the Easter Weekend? Upon my investigation, the videos and social media told a story. Social media illustrated a fact that Bharrat Jagdeo was received by the people almost like a rock star. The videos on David Granger in Corriverton, on the other hand, reveals one who was tired, fatigued and washed-out. There is still a lot about Guyana that the PNC political strategists need to learn because they clearly do not get it. This political revival of the PPP just three short years after they were on their knees politically was as a direct result of the oldfashioned political efforts by a team lead by one man, to reach an audience that they could not have reached effectively in 2015. That constituency is the rural working class youths from all races, especially those in the sugar belt. The fact remains that this constituent was underserved by the PPP during the Ramotar government but today those youths are seeing how much worse the policies of the Granger government are, thus this almost god-like embrace of Jagdeo. What Jagdeo has done is for the political record books. He took the PPP back to its core and has effectively logged on to the
sentiments of a carefully crafted snapshot of the Guyanese people. What Granger and his cabinet colleagues say on NCN is not reality because it does not reconcile with the economic fitness of the ordinary man. When Minister Jordan predicts on NCN a 3.8% growth in the economy, but people in 2018 are feeling less money in their pockets, they know he is talking utter poppycock because from their dinner table they see the world differently. It is this disconnect from the people by the PNC led Government that Mr. Jagdeo continues to successfully tap into, with little or no political resistance from the Granger Cabinet. How can a government lose so much political ground so quickly? This is nothing but a political meltdown for the PNC and a total vanquishing of the political minions they call partners in the APNU. The fact remains that Mr. Jagdeo’s poll numbers are going up while Mr. Grangers are going down. What about Moses Nagamootoo? Is he on the charts at all? If he and the AFC submits themselves to a poll on their public action since 2015, I am convinced that their popularity rating will definitely be in single digits. The Guyanese people are very politically awake and only a fool with his new found gold will not arise to this reality. Regards Albert Allen
A COI is needed into the City Hall DEAR EDITOR, One can only wonder why no investigation or Commission of Inquiry is being launched into the unconcealed rush by certain municipal officials from the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown to illegally acquire and convert the use of large tracts of state lands and municipal reserves in our capital at the expense of the citizenry. Just looking at the Farnum Playfield, a large portion that was snatched from the residents of the area and handed over to a school
located in but which should never have been allowed in the residential area of Subryanville, the open space in Bel Air Park which had to be rescued by a lawyer on behalf of the residents and the city reserve in the Lamaha Springs area which has seen two model houses constructed on it, all land deals that were illegal and marked by secrecy and which should trigger an investigation. If one were to drive along Francois Street in Section ‘K’, Campbellville just off of Sheriff Street, one would see on the southern side a huge chunk of reserve land contiguous to the Lamaha Canal that has also be the subject of some fishy business, with someone doing land clearing and claiming to have recently acquired it from an official of the Council. Another bit of hanky panky there.
Indeed all of the land aback of properties located on Jacaranda and Lama Avenues in Bel Air Park, that runs contiguous to the Lamaha Canal that is under the control of the Guyana Water Inc. was also handed out to the property owners illegally by officials of the Georgetown Municipality some time ago. Then we have secret transaction of the leasing to a private developer, of a section of prime city land which is located on David Street behind the GuyOil Gas Station in Kitty, Georgetown, where a city abattoir once stood. Several Councillors are claiming that the transaction was done without their knowledge or consent. Then we also have the city reserve lands adjacent to Mandela Avenue and the list goes on and on. Shouldn’t the relevant agency put a stopping to this? Laquisha Kaftans
embodies illegality
DEAR EDITOR, The doggedness and explicit bullyism being displayed by some members of the Georgetown City Council as they seek to shove down the throats of Guyanese the purported benefits with regards to the renegotiation of the scandalous parking meter deal, clearly means one of two things. It is either those unrefined oppressors who are championing the return of the parking meters have a pecuniary interest in its operations and therefore are duty bound to see it up and running or it means that they are just heartless sadists who could not care less of what the political, economic and legal consequences and fallout will be. They are all aware that foisting what can only be described as a corrupt contract on the citizens of Georgetown is not only wrong but is proscribed. Let me say from the very outset that most citizens recognize that space is precious in our capital city – and so is time for our drivers, so they do not oppose a modern, transparent and efficient parking system being implemented by the City Council, what the oppose is having it done by Smart City Solutions. They challenge the legality and transparency of the arrangement and the credibility of the company to which the city has entered into the contract with. From the outset it should be noted that the previous Council never approved the imposing of the draconian parking meter project as was erroneously stated repeatedly by the administration, and therefore everything else that followed including the renegotiations was null and void and premised on a falsehood. Secondly and very
importantly it must be noted that the parking meters fiasco has been mired in controversy from the inception. The tortuous journey began with the setting up of an opaque company going by the name National Parking Systems (NPS) some time around 1995 which listed its address as 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, where the security and other officials in the building that NPS claimed as the address from which it rented office space, emphatically denied that National Parking Systems had an office there, leading to the first set of concerns by citizens. Then we had NPS partnering with a company called Smart City Solutions to install the parking system and there again another controversy as there seemed to be two Smart City Solutions, one with just two
directors and registered locally and one which is owned by a Mexican group. Evidently no due diligence was done by the Council on these companies as one of the original principals behind the deal had been jailed for four months in New York in 2002 and placed on five years’ probation for grand larceny in the third degree, whilst the other convicted and then released from US federal prison in 2007. The ‘Terrific Triumvirate’ which incorrectly believes installing parking meters is the legal right of the Council, and that they will be forcibly implemented, is in for a rude awakening as until and unless the entire parking meter initiative is done over transparently and with reputable companies it will go nowhere. With thanks Sincerely, Mark Roopan
Stupidity abounds and it... From page 5 really angry from time to time. But for less intelligent people this is the go-to reaction whenever things aren’t going their way. When they feel like they don’t have control over a situation as much as they would like, they tend to use anger and aggressive behavior to secure their position. One just has to sit in on a statutory meeting to see what obtains. And finally stupid people think they are better than everyone else, and thus the reason why they regale themselves with bodyguards, have the city purchase for them expensive sports utility vehicles, take off on frequent first class luxury trips abroad etc. Melissa Chiu
Monday April 02, 2018
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ExxonMobil refuses to come clean on payments made to Nigerian Govt. The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI); an international body that requires disclosures on moneys governments receive from the extractive sector, appears to be of little help to Nigeria. At least this is the case especially when it comes to payments made to the Government by USA oil giant ExxonMobil. As a company based in the U.S., ExxonMobil is not required to release a Paymentto-Government report. However, it is clear from analyzing disclosures from other oil and gas companies engaged in consortia with ExxonMobil that the company makes significant payments to Nigerian government entities. This is according to the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). Assuming payments are made proportionally to the company’s equity share, NRGI said in one of its reports that one can estimate that in 2016 the company paid USD $39 million in taxes and royalties for the Usan project and between USD $212 and $223 million in
taxes and production entitlements for the Bonga project. The transparency group said that these sizable revenues cover only two projects in which ExxonMobil has an interest, but point to the company’s significant role as a source of government revenue. It noted that ExxonMobil, through its Nigerian subsidiary Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN), also has several operations for which this type of estimation is not possible. The Institute said that while the company is under no obligation to release Payments to Government report, it is clear that if it did so voluntarily, Nigerian citizens would be better equipped to hold the government accountable for the natural resource revenues it receives. NRGI also stated that ExxonMobil declined when, as part of the research process for its briefing, it asked the company to voluntarily report 2016 payment data for Nigeria in line with data disclosed by other companies covered in this document.
...hinders citizenry’s ability to hold administration accountable Guyana is the latest member of the EITI. The Government is convinced that ExxonMobil would respect the disclosure rules of EITI and corporate with Guyana in this regard. But its behavioral pattern in other parts of the world says otherwise. REMOVALFROM EITI The refusal of USA oil giants, ExxonMobil and Chevron to disclose their tax payments in the USA has resulted in civil society groups calling for their immediate removal from the Board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The civil society organizations made these sentiments pellucid in a letter to EITI Chair Fredrik Reinfeldt. In the letter, it was explained that ExxonMobil and Chevron were members of the US-EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group from its creation in December 2011 to its disbandment in November 2017. Both
companies are members of the EITI International Board’s industry constituency and have served in that role, with a few brief exceptions, since its creation in 2003. It was further noted that from its founding, the EITI and its Standard have required comprehensive disclosure of material payments from companies to governments, including taxes. In fact, no EITI implementation has ever excluded the disclosure of tax payments. However, in the US-EITI report issued in 2016, only 12 of the 38 eligible companies disclosed their taxes. In the USEITI report issued in 2015, 12 of the 41 eligible companies disclosed their taxes. ExxonMobil and Chevron were among the companies that refused to disclose their tax payments in both cases. The civil society groups said that during the December 2015 USEITI MSG Meeting, an ExxonMobil represen-
tative provided the following explanation of his company’s decision not to disclose taxes through the USEITI process: “… Knowing that income tax reporting will soon be required under Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Act, companies may have chosen to wait until that rule was finalized and the requirements more clear. (ExxonMobil representative) added that many of these companies have exercised leadership in EITI around the world, and are very committed to USEITI and to tax reporting, but are awaiting the finalization of the SEC’s rulemaking.” In spite of ExxonMobil’s response, the groups noted that a May 2017 Interior Department Inspector General assessment of US-EITI points out that tax data can actually be disclosed. They also noted that Dallas-based Kosmos Energy has voluntarily disclosed its U.S. tax payments for years, and BHP Billiton, one of the largest mining companies in the world, voluntarily disclosed its tax payments to the U.S. government before it was
required to do so by the EU Directives. The civil society groups noted, “This issue could have been avoided if there was a standard that required companies to practise what they preach and disclose their payments fully as a condition of being an EITI supporting company or EITI Board member. In the absence of this, and in light of the ongoing circumstances outlined, we recommend strongly that these companies be removed from the EITI Board for violating the EITI Code of Conduct, as well as the spirit of EITI, thus endangering the EITI Standard.” The letter sent to the EITI Chair received the blessings of Danielle Brian, US-EITI CoChair and Betsy Taylor, Executive Director of Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN) and US-EITI Representative among others. (To read more on this issue, follow the link: http:// www.pwypusa.org/pwypnews/civil-society-organizations-call-on-exxonmobil-andchevron-to-be-removed-fromthe-eiti-board/).
Make fiscal concessions for oil part of law A sustainable oil and gas sector must be underpinned by a system which ensures that there is hardly any room for manipulation or collusion for personal gains. This is according to the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). This is an international body which provides expert advice to administrations around the world as it relates to getting the best deals and arrangements out of extractive sectors. The Institute notes that there are several characteristics of a strong, fiscal regime governing an oil and gas sector. In listing some of these, the Institute said that Members of Parliamentarian (MPs) should set fiscal instruments through laws rather than individual contracts. It said that negotiated, rather than standardized fiscal regimes, are prevalent in the extractive sector. In this regard, it noted that setting fiscal regimes through laws increases transparency and accountability, because contracts are more likely to be kept secret. Also, the Institute said that negotiations bring additional opportunities for corruption or manipulation. Additionally, if the applicable fiscal regime varies from contract to contract, NRGI said it can make monitoring onerous and frustrate the ef-
...Int’l group says one-on-one negotiations open gateway for corruption, manipulation
Some of the nation’s MPs during a sitting of the House forts of policymakers to carry out policy reforms. The international group stated, too, that fiscal regimes should divide risk appropriately between the investor and the state. Uncertainty, it articulated, is inherent in the extractive sector. It said that oil, gas and mineral projects may encounter technical challenges or be affected by unexpected price increases or contractions. As such, the Institute stressed that the fiscal regime should ensure that the state does not end up bearing a share of risk disproportionate to its expected return.
It said, too, that the state should be compensated for the loss of resources, regardless of the profitability of a given operation. NRGI said that this is because oil, gas and mineral resources are finite. It stressed that fiscal instruments such as baseline royalties provide a guaranteed return for the state even if a project runs losses. The Institute also noted that transparency and consistency can help strengthen the state’s position. In this regard, the body noted, “The extractive industries are characterized by significant asymme-
tries between states and private actors. States own the resources and thus have real bargaining power. However, companies often have more information about the specific parameters of extractive projects and are more sophisticated in tax planning, which can give them the upper hand in negotiations.” Furthermore, NRGI stressed that fiscal regimes should be progressive. In this regard, it noted that extractive projects can generate substantial rents. It pointed out that rents (sometimes called “windfall tax”) are the finan-
cial returns above those a company requires to make the investment profitable. NRGI stressed that mechanisms to measure and tax a share of windfalls can enhance state returns in times of high profits and adjust to allow for adequate company returns during times of low profits. OVERSIGHT The Natural Resource Governance Institute also believes that parliamentarians must ensure strict oversight of the oil and gas sector. The independent nonprofit orga-
nization stressed in a parliamentary briefing that parliamentarians should also exercise their oversight role to ensure that good deals are made in the extractive sector. NRGI said, “Through their oversight role, parliamentarians should ensure that all legislation affecting the fiscal elements of oil, gas and mining projects are coherent. “Some countries have wrestled with inconsistencies between pieces of legislation. For example, mining laws and investment promotion laws might each spell out distinct incentives, which together may give away far too much or result in a lack of clarity as to which incentives apply.” In the interest of transparency and accountability, the Organization noted that opposition parliamentarians should ask the government to provide revenue projections over the life of any major project— particularly when special fiscal exemptions or incentives are granted. It also said that the Opposition MPs should request a detailed listing of all assumptions (prices, costs, etc.) upon which these projections are based. The Institute asserted, (Continued on page 12)
Monday April 02, 2018
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THE POLITICS OF KITE DISTRIBUTION The People’s Progressive Party has disgraced itself and embarrassed its supporters. The main opposition party distributed to thousands of children cheap and foreign imported ‘bird kites’. The PPPC’s kite distribution was overshadowed by that the government who distributed a more expensive but substandard box board kite made from cheap greaseproof
paper. In this modern age when there are inexpensive colored cellophane paper, it was quite embarrassing for the government to be distributing kites made from cheap greaseproof paper. The government went a step further. It has started to politicize kite-distribution. Even Burnham did not go this far. The APNU+AFC ill-
advisedly pasted pictures of the President on its kites, a cheap and vulgar politicization of the kite distribution. The APNU+AFC should not have involved the children in its attempt to build a personality-cult around the President by having children fly kites which bear his image. But it was the PPPC’s bird kites that was more disappointing. For a party which draws such strong
‘Ghost employees’ suspected on Region One payroll …REO must provide proof by Tuesday Are there ‘ghost employees’ at Region One? An investigation is underway to ascertain whether some 68 persons on the payroll of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region One (Barima Wini) really do exist. State auditors have found that dozens of persons were paid without National Insurance Scheme (NIS) numbers and Tax Information Numbers (TIN) certificates. This situation was highlighted when auditors examined the region’s accounts at the end of 2016. Despite promising to provide employees with their NIS and TIN, two years later, Regional Executive Officer (REO), Leslie Wilburg told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last Monday that the matter was still to be fully addressed. PAC Member, Juan Edghill requested the REO to provide information to allay fears that the employees exists. “I would like to have verification that these 68 persons exist because if they don’t have their TIN certificates and they were being paid, PAC would want to be satisfied that they exist,” Edghill stated. Wilburg had previously committed to addressing the matter by having the affected staff sign the requisite forms when uplifting their salaries. This was not done and PAC Chairman, Irfaan Ali, scolded the REO. “From 2016 to now you cannot complete this. Getting the TIN certificate for the employees from 2016 to now,” Ali stated. The REO replied, ‘No’. Ali asked the REO if he found the situation acceptable to which the REO said no. According to the REO, the location of the staff made it difficult to conclude the situation. Wilburg then told the PAC that not all of the application forms for the 68 employees were submitted to Guyana
Regional Executive Officer (REO), Leslie Wilburg leaving the PAC after a grueling session of questions. Revenue Authority (GRA). However, he could not say when the applications were submitted and how many were submitted. “You have the staff there and you are telling us that you are following up on it since 2016 and basic information as to how much and when you can’t provide to the PAC,” Ali stated. The PAC members agreed that the REO was not ready for the meeting. “When you come back you will have to tell us how many [TIN applications] were submitted and when they were submitted. If you come here and the application being submitted after the 26th of
March then I would have to make serious recommendations as PAC chairman because you have been dancing all afternoon and I am not going to sit here as chairman and allow this committee be danced around,” Ali stated. The PAC expressed concern over statements made by the REO which suggested that 857 persons were being paid by when in fact the budgeted allocations approved by Parliament catered for 811. It was pointed out that the additional staff would have been paid out of an account under the Ministry of Finance. Edghill cautioned that the Auditor General’s major function is to check to see what monies were appropriated by the National Assembly and to ensure it is expended in keeping with the rules and financial laws of the country. “If there are variations it would have meant that a financial paper which is an amendment to the Appropriation Act would have had to come to the house to show that under this line item there is a supplementary provision made to finance additional expenditure,” Edghill stated. Ali questioned whether there was ‘some money floating that could have been diverted for other things,” He requested the REO provide along with the information, the supplementary financial paper to cover the additional staff that was not appropriated for in the 2016 budget, but were paid in 2016. The REO has up until Tuesday to provide the PAC with the requested information.
support from the business class, it was shocking to see the PPPC’s General Secretary distributing kites which bear a price tag of $300 each in the market. Where were the rich businessmen who fork out millions to the PPP each election season? How come they could not contribute to ensuring fit and proper kites for distribution by the party they support? These bird kites are not useless. They are very convenient. Many parents prefer them because they fly easily. They are very light and designed in a way which uses their aerodynamic shape to propel them skywards. The bird kites can be flown by children of any age. This is unlike box-board kites which are not suited for very small children. Bird kites have other advantages They do not require having to find ‘tails’ and then to determine the length of ‘tail’ which is needed for specific wind conditions. The bird kites are like a fast food restaurant. You make a quick easy convenient purchase. However, the bird kites not substitutes for the box-board kites. A party like the PPPC should never have found itself in a situation where it was distributing substandard and cheap kites to children at Easter. This is more so since the party found itself in
competition with the government which was distributing unattractive kites, which even though made of cheap grease proof, was far superior to that of the government. It is great embarrassment to the supporters of the PPPC for their leaders to be seen distributing such cheap kites. They could have called for donations of proper kites and they would have had a good response and a far better model of kite for distribution. The PPPC will want to claim that while it distributed cheap bird kites, it could buy six or seven of these kites with the money spent on one of the government kites. But the PPPC did not seem to take account of the preferences of children. Every child wants a kite. They may enjoy the ease and convenience of flying a bird kite. But they also prefer a wooden frame kite of what is commonly called a box-board kite. How is it going to look for some kids to be flying a boxboard kite and for the beneficiaries to be flying bird kites today? The PPPC has no reason to complain about the lack of funds. The PPPC could have, long before Easter, have asked their supporters to each donate a ‘fit and proper’ kite for distribution to poor children. The PPPC did this last Christmas. It asked its
supporters for donation of toys and it got proper toys for children. The PPPC has lowered the bar when it comes to Easter. The PPPC should be ashamed of what it did. It just shows the casualness with which it approaches issues which concern the masses. The way it handled its kite distribution exercise is the same causal and thoughtless manner in which is handed out $10,000 vouchers to the parents of school children, when the party was in government. The PPPC was more interested in hand-out rather than addressing a need within the society. Both the PPPC and the APNU+AFC should stay clear of politicizing the kite distribution process. Both should be more concerned about ensuring that eveyr parent cann afford to buy kites for their children rather than having to line up to receive free kites. Kites should not be used for political purposes. It was utterly disgusting for the government to be placing the pictures of the President on kites which have to be paid for by taxpayers. It was poor judgment on the part of the PPP to be sharing out bird kites.
Monday April 02, 2018
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‘Plastic kites’, parties and picnics…
Kite flying at Easter a dwindling Guyanese tradition By Enid Joaquin It’s Easter Monday again, and children and some adults all across Guyana will make their way to various open spaces, parks, hilltops and community centre grounds to fly their kites. Most are hoping that the sunshine of the past few days will continue and that there will be enough breeze to take their kites airborne. But while the mostly younger children will be engaging in this activity, most of the older ones seem not to be too excited in kite flying of late. Mark Allicock, a former resident of Lower Kara Kara reminisced on his Easter holidays as a child. "I remember growing up, that Easter used to be a real exciting time, almost the entire community of families used to pack picnic baskets and head over to the dyke to fly our kites. It used to be real fun and it gave families the opportunity to do things together. " Allicock added that now, as a father, things are totally different, where his sons, though they were excited about kite flying when they were smaller, now seem to
have lost interest in the activity. They prefer to just hang out and watch while others enjoy the thrill of kite flying. A few youngsters asked to compare what obtains today as compared to long ago, said that things have changed. "While people still fly kites there is not much excitement, like there used to be, when we were growing up. "We used to start with the caddie old punch since before school closed, and we used to be out flying our kites long before Easter Monday. Nowadays people wait until Easter Monday, so there is not so much fun and family interactions." a young father opined. He added that with the advent of ready-made kites that could be bought cheaply, fewer families are engaging in making kites, he lamented. "Long ago fathers used to be busy with children getting their kites ready for the big day and even big brothers used to help out the smaller ones to put their kites together, so there was a whole lot of fun even before the actual big day of flying when everybody went out in a picnic-like atmosphere." A young mother of one
M.P Jermaine Figuiera shares out kites to children in Victory Valley said that "commercialism" is killing the real essence of Easter where most youths are more interested in going out to parties, getting dressed up, and if they do feel inclined to Fly a kite, they purchase the cheap and readily available ‘bird kites.’ There is no prior preparation, with the anticipation and adrenaline rush to get the kites up, she said.
APNU member of parliament Jermaine Figuiera who yesterday presented a few children with kites, reflected on his own kite flying days. Easter for me as a child was a wonderful experience. It provided us not only with the opportunity to participate in the symbolism it represented (the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,) but an opportunity for my brother and I to spend quality time with our father. He took time to teach us how to make kites, to be creative and learn life lessons that continue to shape our lives today. He
took great pride in those shared moments and even helped us in getting our kites up.” Figuiera added that at the time, he never truly appreciated the importance of what his father was doing. It was not until later when he started teaching where he observed the profound impact, the absence of fathers had on countless children. "I do believe the Easter of my childhood has significantly evolved to a lesser family oriented activity that embodies the symbolism it ought
to represent. Easter is now more commercialised, it's more about making a profit; Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, hat shows, pageantry, barbeques, drinks and music. Parents seldom make kites for their kids because the mass production of those plastic kites and others makes it easy. I believe the church is cognizant of this reality so the question is, what should and will be done to take back Easter if it's possible, and allow the message of the Resurrectionto take prominence once more.”
Make fiscal concessions for... (From page 7) “Over time, legislators should request regular reporting of revenues the state receives and compare them against these projections.” NRGI stated, too, that there should also be a request for disclosure of all contracts with companies. It said that this is pertinent so that parliamentarians can access information about deals, including all the exemptions and incentives offered to companies that may
deviate from those contained in generally applicable law. It stressed that contract disclosure is essential for effective parliamentary oversight. In another note to opposition parliamentarians, NRGI said that they should ask Government officials to explain the actions they take to ensure compliance with the fiscal regime, including conducting independent tax audits.
Monday April 02, 2018
PEOPLE’S NATIONAL CONGRESS REFORM The People’s National Congress Reform extends Easter Greetings to all Guyanese and more especially to members of our Christian Community, both here and around the world, on the celebration of one of the most important events in the Christian Calendar. This festival, which commemorates the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, contains both in its symbolic significance, and its secular relevance, important and powerful messages. For the members of the Christian Community, the Easter story represents the fulfilment of God’s prophecy
that mankind would be offered the hope of eternal life through the sacrificial death of His son, Jesus Christ and His subsequent Resurrection from the dead. It is this faith, which has kept the worldwide Christian Church alive and enabled its followers to significantly contribute towards making the earth a better place for all mankind. The Easter Season in Guyana is best known for widespread kite flying that is seen by many as a representation of the theme of the Resurrection. Whatever may have been its origins, kite flying attracts widespread
participation of Guyanese, from all walks of life, regardless of religion, ethnicity or culture. It, therefore, offers another opportunity for Guyanese to share common experiences and work towards a more socially cohesive society. This Easter as our kites of many colours soar to the heavens, let us be inspired; let us celebrate our multireligious, multi-cultural, multiethnic society. Let us be proud of this rich mosaic that is Guyana. Our diversity is an asset, not a liability. HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!
THE PEOPLE’S PROGRESSIVE PARTY The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) takes this opportunity to extend Easter Greetings to all Guyanese especially our brothers and sisters within the Christian community. Easter provides many pertinent lessons for all humanity teaching tolerance, humility, love and respect for others with an abundance of hope that one can rise to a brighter future; despite being confronted with insurmountable challenges.
At this time, our Party urges reflection on the significance of this sacred occasion given the importance it can play to realize universal peace and brotherhood among all mankind. Easter, like many of our national holidays, transcends religious boundaries and Guyanese from all walks of life participate as families and communities gather across the country for the traditional kite-flying. In this regard, our Party urges that safety be foremost. Once again Happy Easter to all!
GUYANA AGRICULTURAL AND GENERAL WORKERS UNION We are well aware that Easter has a special place in the faith of Christianity and we are fully cognizant of the fact that it is a period observed with reverence and prayers. The observance of Easter goes back a long way in our country and its national recognition calls attention to the diverse religious faiths, which make up the spiritual fabric of our society. Religious faiths and their meaningful and moral underpinnings have and continue to have an influencing role in our lives, offering guidance and helping so many to avoid or endure the pitfalls one finds in life’s journey. Over the years, Easter is
widely associated with kiteflying, an activity that is popular and engaged in by Guyanese of all faiths. This national celebration can be considered as yet another activity that goes to strengthen national unity along the way of consolidating our nationhood. On this occasion, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is pleased to send special wishes to that substantial portion of its membership who are Christians. Many of them will have to face up, together with their colleague workers, to the reality that Easter this year will be observed but not without concerns over the
loss of jobs or the threat to employment that hangs over their heads. Moreover, their plight today is worsened by various economic pressures, tax burdens, and erosion of standards that are also part of today’s reality. One of the abiding messages associated with Easter is that of hope. In our challenging times, that message strengthens the resolve of workers and those suffering from burdens that their struggles and sacrifices for betterment will win out. Let the Easter period keep our hopes alive and undaunted by the adversities in our steady march to a satisfying future. A Happy Easter to all Guyanese from GAWU.
MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILLORS OF GEORGETOWN The Mayor and City Council wishes to take this opportunity to encourage all citizens to enjoy the Easter holidays in the traditional Guyanese way of kite flying, picnicking, family gettogethers and other outdoor activities. However, Council is calling on all those, who will be indulging in such activities to spear a thought for the environment. It has been observed in the past that after
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such activities many areas are left untidy and accumulated with scattered refuge, disrupting the beauty and aesthetics of the city. It should be noted that jollification is no excuse for indiscipline and untidiness, and the health of the city is vital to our public health. Therefore, the Mayor and City Council is urging all citizens to ensure their surroundings are clear and
tidy at all times since; all citizens have a role to play in a well-kept and healthy environment. Whilst the Council has not instituted a charge for those using public and community spaces it is expected that they will clean after their kite flying, picnicking, vending and other activities at the end of the day. HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!
INDIAN ACTION COMMITTEE The Indian Action Committee (IAC) in recognition that many Guyanese, including a number of persons of Indo-Guyanese origin, are adherents of Christianity, in which a Jewish Carpenter named Yehshua (Jesus), is believed by his followers to be the son of God. The IAC also recognizes that the followers of Yehshua believes that he was crucified by the Romans acting under the advice of the Jewish religious leaders of that time; and that after his brutal execution managed to regain life and proceed out of his tomb and sometime later made himself visible to his disciples. The IAC further recognizes that Islam includes Jesus as one of the holy prophets preceding the Prophet Muhammad SWT; but Muslims do not acknowledge that Jesus was the son of God nor that He was crucified. The IAC understands that Buddhists claim that Jesus was a monk who spent his ‘missing years’ between the ages of 13 and 29 in the Himalayas as a student of sages and that he
visited many places in the Indian subcontinent and even Tibet. The IAC is of the opinion that the teachings of Yehshua are universally held to be good and thus encompasses all of the great religions of the world including Sanatan Dharma. The IAC acknowledges that festivities will occur on Easter Monday, which is characterized by flying of kites and enormous consumption of alcoholic beverages and so, the organization calls upon all revellers to raise their kites in open areas devoid of electrical wires and have regard for the practice of no drinking and driving. The IAC calls upon all Guyanese to follow the teachings of Yehshua who preached peace on earth, forgiveness and goodwill towards mankind, which are necessary goals for the development of a unified Guyana. The IAC takes this opportunity to wish Christians of all denominations a Happy Easter.
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Monday April 02, 2018
Kaieteur News
Violence erupts in Kashmir after security forces kill militants – POLICE
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VACANCY
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620
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SRINAGAR (Reuters) Indian security forces killed at least three civilians and wounded about 70 in restive Kashmir yesterday when hundreds of people tried to prevent them from carrying out operations against suspected militants, police and residents said. At least 17 other people, including 13 suspected militants, were killed in gunbattles during the day in southern Kashmir, police officials said, the worst violence in the region this year. When hundreds of people came out on the streets of Kachdoora village in Shopian district to try to halt a gunbattle between militants and security forces, troops used tear gas and pellet guns to disperse the crowd. They later opened fire. Local residents said that after the protests, the security forces called off the operation. Police said five militants and three soldiers were killed in the fighting. Muslim separatists have been waging a violent campaign against Indian rule since the late 1980s in Indianheld Kashmir. Fighting also broke out in two other villages in the region yesterday. S.P. Vaid, the state director general of police, said the army received information on Saturday night about militants hiding in an area near Dragad village, about 50 km (30 miles) south of Kashmir’s capital of Srinagar and also in Shopian district. “In Dragad, 7 bodies of militants were recovered including top commanders. They were killed in a gun battle,” Vaid said, adding that the owner of the house in which the militants were trapped was also killed. Another militant was killed in Dialgam village in Anantnag district, about 60 km (37 miles) south of Srinagar, while one was caught alive, he said. Authorities have directed schools and colleges in Kashmir to remain closed today to prevent any recurrence of violence, and restrictions have been imposed in several areas. Train services to south Kashmir have been suspended as a precautionary measure, a railways official said, and internet services in five districts have also been blocked. In south Kashmir’s Pulwama district the local administration has imposed restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles to prevent any violence.
Monday April 02, 2018
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Kaieteur News
German minister wants to rebuild Trump says DACA deal for trust with Russia after spy standoff young immigrants is off BERLIN (Reuters) German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wants to resume dialogue with Russia and gradually improve ties after diplomatic expulsions over a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in England that Britain blames on Russia, he said yesterday. Conservative German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Maas have joined the United States and other European countries in standing with Britain in a major standoff over the attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Maas, a member of the Social Democrats (SPD) who are split on how tough to be on Moscow, told Bild am Sonntag much trust had been lost in the last few years due to Russia’s behaviour. “At the same time, we need Russia as a partner to settle regional conflicts, for disarmament and as an important pillar of multilateralism,” he was
quoted as saying in the paper. “We are therefore open for dialogue and are trying to rebuild trust bit by bit if Russia is ready.” He also, however, defended the decision to expel diplomats, “to show solidarity with Britain but also as a signal of unity”. In the last week, as part of mass expulsions on both sides, Germany expelled four Russian diplomats and Moscow has reciprocated with the same number, prompting talk of a crisis in relations between Russia and the West. Some Social Democrats have urged the ‘grand coalition’ of their party and Merkel’s conservatives to ensure a new Cold War does not start and business groups are also worried. Germany relies on Russia for roughly a third of the gas it uses and, before Western states imposed sanctions on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis, Europe’s
Heiko Maas biggest economy exported about 38 billion euros of goods to Russia. London accuses Moscow of being responsible for the first known use of a militarygrade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two and Germany has repeatedly called on Moscow to cooperate more with the investigations.
No Gaza inquiry, Israeli defence minister says
GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel’s defence minister rejected yesterday calls for an inquiry into the killing of 15 Palestinians by the military during a Palestinian demonstration that turned violent on Friday at the Gaza-Israel border. Hamas, the dominant Palestinian group in Gaza, said five of the dead were members of its armed wing. Israel said eight of the 15 belonged to Hamas, designated a terrorist group by Israel and the West, and two others came from other militant factions. A tense calm descended yesterday on the border area, where hundreds of Palestinians, a fraction of the tens of thousands who initially turned out, remained in tent encampments along the fenced 65-km (40-mile) border. Organisers expect many to come back on Friday, when schools and businesses are closed for the Muslim sabbath, and rejoin the planned six-week protest pressing for right of return for refugees and their descendents to what is now Israel. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the European Union’s top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, have called for an independent investigation into Friday’s bloodshed. Pope Francis, in an apparent reference to the
Avigdor Lieberman events in Gaza in his Easter address, called for “reconciliation for the Holy
Land, also experiencing in these days the wounds of ongoing conflict that do not spare the defenceless.” Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli defence minister, rejected criticism of Israel’s actions, saying soldiers along the Gaza frontier “deserve a medal” and did what was necessary to protect the border. “As for a commission of inquiry - there won’t be one,” he told Israeli Army Radio. The United States blocked a Kuwait-drafted U.N. Security Council statement on Saturday, diplomats said, that would have called for an independent investigation and urged restraint by all sides.
WA S H I N G T O N / IXTEPEC, Mexico (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said yesterday that there will be no deal on legalizing the status on young adult immigrants known as Dreamers, declaring on Twitter that the U.S.-Mexico border is becoming more dangerous. After tweeting a “Happy Easter” message, Trump followed with: “Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. ‘Caravans’ coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!” He also threatened to kill the North American Free Trade Agreement, which is currently being renegotiated with Mexico and Canada. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is the programme created in 2012 under Democratic former President Barack Obama that Trump sought to rescind last autumn. Designed for individuals brought to the United States as children by parents who were undocumented immigrants, the programme shielded the individuals from deportation and gave them work permits. Trump had said he was open to brokering a deal with congressional Democrats who want to protect DACA in exchange for funding to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall, a frequent campaign trail promise. He insisted during his run for the White House that Mexico would pay for the wall. Although Trump threatened a veto last month of an omnibus spending bill because it did not address the fate of Dreamers and did not fully fund his border wall, he did sign the bill.
Al Shabaab attacks an African Union base in Somalia MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Islamist insurgents battled for hours yesterday with African Union troops after exploding two car bombs outside one of their bases, Somali police, military and the militants said. Al Shabaab militants attacked an African Union (AU) peacekeeper base in the town of Bulamarer, 130 kilometres southwest of the capital Mogadishu, around 9 a.m. local time, residents from the area told Reuters. Since withdrawing from Mogadishu in 2011, the al Qaeda-linked group has lost control of most of Somalia’s cities and towns. But it still retains a strong presence in regions outside the capital.
The militants initially detonated two suicide car bombs that hit one AU vehicle and one Somali military vehicle, Somali army major Farah Osman, who is stationed near the AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) base, said. “Then a large number of al Shabaab fighters began firing from under the trees ... it was a hellish battle,” he said, adding there was an unknown number of casualties. Militants on foot then attacked nearby villages, said Ali Nur, deputy governor of the Lower Shabelle region where the base is located. “They were repulsed, but all these attacks were to stop reinforcement.”
President Donald Trump In the months after Trump took office, the number of apprehensions of illegal crossers along the U.S.Mexico border dropped dramatically, from more than 42,400 arrests in January 2017 to a low of around 15,700 in April, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Since then, the number of arrests has risen and in the first months of 2018 was above the levels seen during the Obama administration. Trump is spending the Easter holiday at his Mar-aLago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. “Mexico has got to help us at the border,” the president told reporters on his way into an Easter church service. “A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA. They had a great chance. The Democrats blew it.” His DACA tweets came shortly after a report on the Fox New Channel’s Fox & Friends programme, one of Trump’s favourites, that a “caravan” of mostly Honduran migrants was crossing Mexico and headed to the United States, “either illegally or by asking for asylum.” More than 1,000 would-be migrants have passed through Mexico’s southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca in recent days in a so-called “refugee caravan” organized by U.S.-based immigrant advocacy group Pueblo Sin Fronteras. In the town of Ixtepec, more than 1,500 men, women and children from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala waited in a sweltering warehouse on Saturday, mattresses rolled and bags packed, as local authorities and immigration officials f r o m M e x i c o ’s f e d e r a l government organized 15 buses to take them to their next stop on the long journey north.
By traveling together, the immigrants hope to protect themselves from the crime and extortion that makes the route through Mexico dangerous. They say some but not all of them will seek asylum if they reach the United States. A guest on Sunday’s Fox & Friends show, Brandon Judd, head of the National Border Patrol Council union, said illegal immigrants benefit from the “catch and release” program that Trump referenced in his tweet. Under it, they can be freed while awaiting court hearings if detained in the United States. If recent border crossers do not claim asylum, they can usually be deported quickly. But if they say they fear targeted violence or persecution in their home countries, they can begin the long process of petitioning for asylum in immigration court. In such instances, the government can choose to release those individuals while their cases are processed. Trump and his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, have often criticized the Obama administration for routinely paroling asylum seekers. That situation has changed: last month, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of nine plaintiffs alleging that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were now detaining almost all adults who seek asylum at a port of entry. Trump said on Twitter yesterday that Mexico is doing “very little, if not NOTHING,” to stop the flow of people across the southern border. “They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. Last week, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer expressed optimism that negotiations to modify NAFTA to terms more favorable to the United States were making progress and that a deal in principle could be reached quickly. The thorniest issues in the NAFTA talks concern U.S. demands on automotive trade and dispute settlement systems. Linking the future of the 24-year-old trade deal to Trump’s border wall plan has never been among U.S. negotiating objectives. Reporting by Valerie Volcovici in Washington and Delphine Schrank in Ixtepec, Mexico; Additional reporting by Mica Rosenberg, David Lawder and Steve Holland; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Daniel Wallis.
Monday April 02, 2018
Kaieteur News
CTO says NY to wake up to ‘Caribbean Wellness’ NEW YORK - CMC – The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) says New York will wake up to “Caribbean Wellness” during Caribbean Week 2018. CTO said Caribbean Week New York (#CWNY18) will have “a special feel this year as the city of over 8.5 million people gets a taste of the re-energizing and rejuvenating power of Caribbean wellness.” During the weeklong event, from June 2-8, the CTO said “the wellness theme will be incorporated into many of the bespoke activities, including a trade show and educational forum for travel agents on June 5 to better prepare them to sell the Caribbean as a wellness and rejuvenation destination.” CTO dubs Caribbean Week New York as “the largest regional tourism activity in the New York area.” It said artistes, performers, celebrity chefs, investors and other strategic partners join government officials and the media “as all converge on the ‘Big Apple’ for a week of festivities designed to raise awareness for the Caribbean’s diverse tourism industry and provide opportunities for member destinations to promote their individual products and services.”
CTO said ministers, directors of tourism, national tourist office representatives and other tourism and hospitality officials will participate in meetings, seminars and other business development events “to further enhance the Caribbean brand and provide necessary updates and critical support to the travel agents and press who influence key traveler demographics.” One of the key changes this year is the “Getting up Close & Personal with Top Journalists”, event, Caribbean Media Marketplace, “which is set to be even more effective with a refreshing morning schedule on Thursday, June 7,” CTO said. It said the media will have an additional opportunity to network with tourism officials and industry executives later that evening with the expanded, Jamaica cosponsored Caribbean Tourism Industry Awards Dinner. In addition to the
traditional media categories, CTO said this year’s program will recognize excellence and innovation in digital marketing and social media news coverage. Caribbean Week New York culminates with a starstudded cultural celebration at the iconic Capitale in New York City for the annual Rum & Rhythm Benefit – “the Ultimate Food and Rum Experience in New York City – where the region’s top food and beverage talents will serve as flavor ambassadors for Caribbean gastronomy and mixology on Friday June 8.” The week-long agenda of consumer and trade events includes: Celebrity Chefs Programme; Tourism Industry Workshop; Caribbean Diaspora Forum; Trade Show and Educational Forum for Travel Agents; Caribbean Students Colloquium; Caribbean Marketing Conference; CTO Press Conference; Caribbean Media Marketplace; Caribbean Tourism Industry Awards Dinner; and Rum & Rhythm Benefit.
COP BACKS PLAN TO PROBE DATA HARVESTING Trinidad Express - The Congress of the People (COP) is in full support of Government’s proposed investigation to determine whether the rights of citizens were infringed given recent allegations that local politicians contracted Cambridge Analytica in 2013 to harvest people’s personal data. Leader of the COP, Carolyn SeepersadBachan, Saturday said this investigation must begin immediately and if it was found such an illegality did in fact take place, those responsible must be held accountable.
Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan
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Antigua seeking to take advantage of cryptocurrency wave ST. JOHN’S, Antigua CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda government says it intends to pilot legislation that would allow the island to take advantage of the new wave of global financial technology. “Antigua and Barbuda is determined to be on the cutting edge of the new system of creating wealth with the expectation that the Exchange will generate nontax revenue for the Treasury,” according to a government statement issued here. Information Technology Minister Melford Nicholas said the cryptocurrency exchange will act as a facilitator to bring together cryptocurrency buyers and sellers for a fee. “One of the persons who is involved at the forefront of this new cutting edge technology is Mr. Calvin Ayre and he himself had earlier been appointed as an economic envoy, he’s now a citizen of Antigua and
Barbuda. We’re thinking that we can leverage both those relationships. “By establishing an exchange here it will bring Antigua into the game as it were should there be any potential economic spinoffs we should be in the front seat,” Nicholas said. Ayre, the founder of online gaming platform Bodog, is the government’s cryptocurrency adviser. Last month he announced he would be building a US$100 million resort here, with profits gained from his digital currency investments. last week, a prominent United States-based economist described cryptocurrency as a “bubble” and does not believe it will succeed. “Many financial services and firms thereof, really have no idea what is going to emerge in cryptocurrency because there are so many competing firms, so many competing standards. It is not
clear that any are going to succeed. “Something associated with blockchain is going to succeed, but cryptocurrency at this point strikes me as a bubble and it’s a bubble and is therefore very popular to discuss,” said Professor Andrew K. Rose, of the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Cryptocurrency is a digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank. The decentralized control of each cryptocurrency works through a blockchain, which is a public transaction database, functioning as a distributed ledger. Bitcoin, created in 2009, was the first decentralized cryptocurrency. Since then, numerous other cryptocurrencies have been created.
Zambia asks Cuba to recall ambassador over opposition ‘support’ LUSAKA, Zambia (AFP) — Zambian President Edgar Lungu yesterday requested that Cuba recall its ambassador for allegedly expressing support for a new opposition party. Cuban ambassador Nelson Pages Vilas reportedly attended the launch of the “Socialist Party” on Saturday in Lusaka and was accused of publicly saying that he supported the party. “The president has directed that the Cuban ambassador be recalled for behaviour that is unbecoming of a diplomat,” presidential spokesman Amos Chanda told reporters. “The Cuban ambassador attended a party function and announced that he will support the opposition party and said he wished them well.” Lungu has been accused by critics of increasingly authoritarian rule and of cracking
down on dissent in Zambia since he narrowly won elections in 2016. The main opposition UPND party disputes the election result and has filed a motion to impeach the president, but the scheduled vote in parliament last week was delayed. The motion would likely be easily defeated by lawmakers from the ruling Patriotic Front (PF). Lungu’s spokesman said the request for the Cuban ambassador to be recalled would not affect relations between the two countries. The Cuban embassy and the Socialist Party were not immediately available to comment. The Socialist Party’s leader was named as Fred M’membe, the former editor of the private Post newspaper that was critical of Lungu’s government and which was closed down before the last election.
Coming in by boatloads Venezuelans on the move... Trinidad Express - As a small boat pulls up to the long pier in Cedros, chatter begins among the people gathered just outside the unmanned guard booth that leads to an Immigration office. It feels like a place removed from the rest of Trinidad, especially as the people waiting are speaking Spanish. They are waiting for friends, relatives and workers, men and women included. The boat does not look seaworthy, yet it makes the 45minute trip to and from Venezuela more than three times a day, sometimes bringing people looking to escape the economic collapse in their homeland.
BRISK TRADE: Venezuelans walk along the pier at Cedros after disembarking from a small boat which brought them to Trinidad last month.
Monday April 02, 2018
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Feeble Windies crash to historic low in heavy defeat
The evening belonged to the Pakistan bowlers, though, as Mohammad Amir and co. dismantled West Indies to their lowest-ever T20I score ©AFP
Veerasammy Permaul, another T20I debutant, was stretched off after twisting his ankle while bowling his first over ©AFP KARACHI, Pakistan, CMC – West Indies were dismissed for their lowestever total in Twenty20 Internationals in a crushing 143-run defeat to Pakistan – the second heaviest loss in T20 history – as the tourists lack of preparation and
inexperience was laid bare here yesterday. Tasked with chasing an imposing 204 in the first match of a bilateral series on Pakistani soil in nine years, the Caribbean side were embarrassingly bundled out for 60 in the 14th over,
marking their only third score under three figures in the shortest format. They were slumping at 15 for four in the fifth over and never found a saviour as only Marlon Samuels, of the top six, managed to reach double figures with a top score of 18. The innings was rattled by the new ball pair of seamer Mohammed Amir (2-3) and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz (2-19), while part-time off-spinner Shoaib Malik (213) helped polished off the Windies feeble effort. Sent in earlier at the National Stadium in a match played under presidentialstyle security, the home side piled up an imposing 203 for five off their 20 overs, with debutant Hussain Talat topscoring with 41 and opener Fakhar Zaman getting 39. Captain Sarfraz Ahmed weighed in with 38 while veteran Shoaib arrived late on to stroke an exciting unbeaten 37. West Indies, who arrived late Saturday via Dubai and
Medium pacer Hussain Talat celebrates the final wicket of Samuel Badree (left) in the Sunday’s first Twenty20 International. (Photo courtesy ICC Media)
had no practice session, were on the backfoot from early when Fakhar and Babar Azam (17) posted a lively 46 from 30 balls for the first wicket. Seamer Rayad Emrit, in only his second T20I after making his debut last December, broke the stand when he trapped Azam lbw with a full length delivery on leg stump. Thirteen balls later, Fakhar, who lashed six fours and a six off 24 deliveries, was run out after backing up too far at the non-striker’s end, leaving Pakistan on 65 for two in the eighth. However, Talat and Sarfraz then combined to dent the Windies hopes of slowing the scoring, adding 75 for the third wicket off a mere 49 balls. The 22-year-old Talat faced 37 balls and counted two fours and a six while Sarfraz punched four fours and a six in a 22-ball knock. Talat’s demise in the 16th over saw three wickets tumble for 17 runs in the space of 11 deliveries but Shoaib once again proved his weight in gold, smashing four fours and a pair of sixes in an exhilarating 14-ball cameo, as Pakistan got 47 off 17 balls in an unbroken fourth wicket stand involving Faheem Ashraf (16 not out). The Windies innings began with the same tone set by their bowlers. Chadwick Walton blasted the first delivery from Nawaz over the ropes at square leg but then skied the fourth ball to longoff without adding to the total. Amir then snatched two key wickets in the second over as both Andre Fletcher and captain Jason Mohammed drove to Talat at cover in the space of three deliveries to depart without scoring. When Denesh Ramdin, in his first match for West Indies in 18 months, whipped pacer Hasan Ali off his pads to Nawaz at mid-wicket also without scoring, the innings was descending into free fall. Rovman Powell (5) tugged a return catch to leg-spinner Shadab Khan in the seventh over and veteran Marlon Samuels, who looked the most promising of the lot with three boundaries in a 19-ball 18, skied one from Nawaz to point at the end of the eighth over, to leave the innings in dire straits. Emrit (11) and Keemo Paul (10 not out) held up the inevitable in an 18-run stand – the best of the innings – before Shoaib triggered the final slide. The second match is scheduled for the same venue today.
The match had four debutants, of which Hussain Talat was the star. He made 41 before being runout due to a mix-up with his captain ©AFP
SCOREBOARD PAKISTAN Fakhar Zaman run out Babar Azam lbw b Emrit Hussain Talat run out *+Sarfraz Ahmed c wkp Fletcher b Powell Shoaib Malik not out Asif Ali b Paul Fahim Ashraf not out Extras (lb6, w7, nb1) TOTAL (5 wkts, 20 overs)
39 17 41 38 37 1 16 14 203
Did not bat: Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Hassan Ali. Fall of wickets: 1-46, 2-65, 3-140, 4-150, 5-156. Bowling: Badree 4-0-37-0, Paul 4-0-26-1, Williams 4-0-43-1, Permaul 0.3-0-8-0, Samuels 0.3-0-7-0, Powell 3-0-34-1. WEST INDIES C Walton c Asif Ali b Mohammad Nawaz A Fletcher c Hussain Talat b Mohammad Amir M Samuels c Fahim Ashraf b Mohammad Nawaz *J Mohammed c Hussain Talat b Mohammad Amir +D Ramdin c Mohammad Nawaz b Hassan Ali R Powell c & b Shadab Khan K Paul not out R Emrit c Hussain Talat b Shoaib Malik K Williams c Babar Azam b Shoaib Malik S Badree c Shoaib Malik b Hussain Talat Extras (w3) TOTAL (all out, 13.4 overs)
6 0 18 0 0 5 10 11 0 7 3 60
Did not bat: V Permaul. Fall of wickets: 1-6 2-8, 3-8, 4-15, 5-27, 6-33, 7-51, 8-51, 9-60, 10-60. Bowling: Mohammad Nawaz 4-0-19-2, Mohammad Amir 2-0-3-2, Fahim Ashraf 1-0-9-0, Shadab Khan 3-0-13-1, Shoaib Malik 2-0-13-2, Hussain Talat 0.4-0-3-1. Result: Pakistan won by 143 runs. Series: Pakistan lead three-match series 1-0. Man-of-the-Match: Hussain Talat. Toss: West Indies. Umpires: Shozab Raza, Ahsan Raza; TV – Ahmed Shahab.
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Bartica Easter Regatta 2018
2018 Junior CARIFTA Games in Nassau, Bahamas
Dave Scott unstoppable on Day One Chantoba Bright adds to her medal By Franklin Wilson in Bartica Six-Time defending Overall Powerboat Top Drive Dave Scott has again lined himself up to secure a 7th year as the best when he obliterated his opposition on the first of two days of the Bartica Easter Regatta 2018 Powerboat championships yesterday at the Golden Beach Circuit. Witnessed by a colourful crowd of thousands of patrons, inclusive of, His Excellency President David Granger, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams, Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall, Regional Chairman Gordon Bradford and Chairman of the Bartica Development Business Association Ramcharran Boodhoo among others, the day saw some exciting races but was cut short due to the falling tide which left many of the sand banks visible. But even before the decision to pull the curtains down on day one was made by the organisers, Bartica Development Business Association (BDBA), fans were treated to some scintillating races headlined by the speed and bravery of defending Overall Champion, Dave ‘Jaguar’ Scott. Scott swept the two F1/Unlimited events, which went for 5-laps each, he did so in commanding style, blowing away his nearest rival Sean Belle by some distance in both races. Belle the son of Clarence Belle, another of the leading racers from the Belle Clan, made a fight of it in the second race and momentarily took the lead about half way into lap two but was soon after overtaken by Scott who powered ‘Jaguar’ away to victory. Selwyn
Joseph was 3rd in both races. For his wins he has already pocketed $300,000; Belle $240,000 and Joseph, $200,000 in the Banks DIH and ExxonMobil sponsored events. Belle, piloting Quicksilver in the 200hp 5lap race romped to victory over Kevin Woolford’s Flamboyant and Selwyn Joseph’s De Girls Dem Suga. The winner pocketing $100,000, 2nd place $80,000 and 3rd place $60,000 in the Courtney Benn Contracting sponsored contest. Jose Jardine piloting Flash in the 90hp showdown took the top prize of $80,000 ahead of Denny Benjamin in control of Young Guns who collected $60,000 with 3rd place prize of $40,000 going to Raymond Rasul in 10 Outta 10. Rasul in command of Targaryen took the top spot in the 40hp 3-lap race and was followed by Dave Young in 3:16 and Halim Hissain in Runnings. The Jet Ski 3-lap showdown which featured nine (9) starters was won by Alex Hopkinson ahead of Donavan Washington and Bobby Rasul in that order, while the 15hp Passenger boat event went to Jose Jardine in Kid Flash followed by Mark Daniels’ Power of Love and Terence Gonsalves piloting Baby Bucky. Today’s action is anticipated to power off at 10:00hrs sharp as the organisers seek to make up for yesterday. More exciting events are slated with the Overall champion driver in Category 5, Category 4, Category 3 and Category 2 set to walk away with One Million, $500,000, $300,000 and $200,000, respectively.
haul with Bronze in the triple jump Daniel Williams runs personal best to qualify for Boys Under-20 200m finals
Chantoba Bright won Bronze in the Girls’ under-20 triple jump yesterday and Daniel Williams is through to the Boys’ Under 20 200m final. South America under-20 long jump champion, Chantoba Bright, added to her and Guyana’s medal haul at the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA)
CAPTAIN PAINE PLAYS THROUGH PAIN AS AUSTRALIA FIGHT BACK JOHANNESBURG, April 1 (Reuters) - Captain Tim Paine batted bravely with a stress fracture on his thumb as scandal-hit Australia showed some much-needed fight in the fourth test against South Africa, going to lunch on the third day on 201 for seven at the Wanderers on Sunday. Paine (47 not out) and Pat Cummins (50), who reached a maiden test half-century, put on 99 for the seventh wicket before the latter was out leg before wicket to spinner Keshav Maharaj 10 minutes before the interval. Australia are still in trouble as they still trail by 287 runs on the first innings, but have slowed the victory charge of the home side who seek a first home test series win over the tourists in almost 50 years. South Africa’s frustrating morning was compounded when seamer Morne Morkel, playing in his final test before retirement from international cricket, was forced from the field with a left side strain that leaves his further participation in the test in doubt. Paine will resume after the interval with Nathan Lyon (four), with the first target to avoid the follow-on, though
Tim Paine was found to have a hairline fracture in his right thumb, and batting wasn’t too easy ©AFP
it looks unlikely that the home side would enforce it with Morkel receiving treatment. Wicketkeeper Paine picked up his injury while standing up to the stumps for seamer Chadd Sayers on the second day, but has been able to continue in the match and has provided dogged resistance. Australia resumed their innings in desperate trouble on 110 for six, and after a cautious start took the attack to the South Africa, particularly spinner Maharaj (2-83). On what should have been a bowlers morning with
heavy cloud cover, the home side beat the bat with regularity, but battled to create wicket-taking chances. It looked as though Australia would survive the session, but when Cummins attempted a sweep off Maharaj, the ball struck him on the back heel plumb in front. Umpire Ian Gould, who had earlier incorrectly given Paine out leg before wicket when the batsman got an inside edge, was forced to change his decision again having originally not upheld the South African appeal.
Australia need victory to avoid a first series defeat in South Africa since 1970, but have been rocked by the balltampering scandal that saw former captain Steve Smith, his deputy David Warner and batsman Cameron Bancroft sent home after the third test in Cape Town and slapped with hefty bans. Scores: South Africa 488 and 134 for 3 (Elgar 39*, Du Plessis 34*) lead Australia221 (Paine 62, Khawaja 53, Cummins 50, Philander 3-30, Rabada 3-53, Maharaj 3-92) by 401 runs.
Youth Games which is being run off in Nassau, Bahamas after finishing with Bronze in the under-20 girls’ triple jump last night. The athlete who won the long jump on the previous day, leaped 12.14m to finish behind Jamaicans Leone Farquharson (12.24m) and Lotavia Brown (12.23m). Meanwhile, in other long jumps age groups, the Guyanese did not fare so well with Carl Williams finishing 7th in the under-20 boys’ and Princess Browne finishing 6th in the under-17girls. On the track, Guyana’s sprint sensation, Daniel Williams, who finished second in the 400m final at the IAAF World under-18 championships last year, booked his place in the final of the 200m last night as well. In the semifinal, Williams ran a personal best time of 21.21 seconds to finish second behind Jamaican Christopher Taylor, a former World Youth Games 400m champion, who sprinted to victory in a scorching 20.65 seconds and ahead of Barbados’ Matthew Clarke who clocked 21.41 seconds. Daniel will certainly be gearing up to put in another personal best performance in
the final which will be completed today, to defeat the inform Taylor. In other results on Day two, South American Youth Games 400m Gold medalist, Deshanna Skeete, narrowly missed qualification for the final of the under-17 girls’ 200m final after finishing with the ninth fastest time of 24.79 seconds despite finishing second in her heat. Meanwhile, Kenisha Phillips time of 24.48 seconds was good enough to carry her into the under-20 girls 200m final after finishing third in her preliminary race. Guyana’s 3000m under-17 duo of Cordell Charles and Murphy Nash finished 5th and 6th respectively in the final of that event which was won Mitchell Cordis of the Bahamas in a time of 9 minutes 04.65 seconds. Charles finished in 9 minutes 22.86 seconds, while Nash ran a time of 9 minutes 26 seconds for his sixth place finish. So far, Guyana has six medals, 1Gold and five bronze. Chantoba Bright has two inclusive of the gold, while Murphy Nash, Deshanna Skeete, Kezra Murray and Shaquka Tyrell each has one Bronze medal to their name.
Monday April 02, 2018
Regional Under-15 Championship – 3rd round
GUYANA OUT FRONT AFTER TROUNCING T&T KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Guyana remained the only unbeaten side after they trounced Trinidad and Tobago by 32 runs, to install themselves as front-runners to win the Regional Under-15 Championship. Playing in round three here Saturday, Guyana were dismissed for 105 in the 46th over, after opting to bat first at the Windalco ground. The innings was tottering on 15 for three before a series of small partnerships – Jonathan Rampersaud (12) put on 23 for the third wicket with Zeynul Ramsammy (16) and 24 for the fourth with Romel Datterdeen (15) – got the total past the 100-run mark. Ronillster Perreira was the best bowler with three for 11. In reply, T&T were reduced to 73 all out in the 36th over, with Safeik Khan (4-11) and Chanderpaul Ramraj (4-18) wrecking the innings with four wickets apiece. Scores: At Windalco: Guyana won by 32 runs. GUYANA 105 off 45.5 overs (Ronillster Perreira 3-11, Avalon Changoor 2-10). TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 73 off 35.2 overs (Safeik Khan 4-11, Chanderpaul Ramraj 418). At Chedwin Park, reigning champions Barbados climbed their way back into contention with their second straight victory, easily brushing aside hosts Jamaica by six wickets. Asked to chase a tricky 168, the Barbadians reached their target in the
46th over with opener Jacob Bethell topscoring with 53 and captain Nimar Bolden stroking an unbeaten 35. Bethell faced 106 balls and struck four boundaries, posting 56 for the first wicket with Jaden Leacock (19) and a further 54 for the second wicket with Micaiah Simmons (24). Skipper Sanjay Walker had earlier continued his rich vein of form with an unbeaten 64 as Jamaica, opting to bat first, tallied 167 for seven off their 50 overs. They were 60 for three before Walker, who struck six fours in a 104-ball innings, anchored a 63-run, fourth wicket partnership with Javon Nembhard (20). Tariq O’Neale (2-16) and Jaden Leacock (2-37) both finished with two wickets each. Scores: At Chedwin Park: Barbados won by six wickets. JAMAICA 167 for seven off 50 overs (Sanjay Walker 64 not out; Tariq O’Neale 216, Jaden Leacock 2-37). BARBADOS 168 for four off 45.2 overs (Jacob Bethell 53, Nimar Bolden 35 not out, Micaiah Simmons 24; Alex Hinds 2-29). At Jamalco, Windward Islands chased down a paltry 71 to beat Leeward Islands by seven wickets. Scores: At Jamalco: Windwards won by seven wickets. LEEWARD ISLANDS 70 off 28.2 overs (Hilroy Andrew 40; Luke Andrew 3-15, Ackeem Auguste 2-8, Ryan Goodman 2-13). WINDWARD ISLANDS 71 for three off 25.5 overs.
England in strong position at end of third day CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (Reuters) - England were in a strong position to win the second test against New Zealand and level their two-match series as they extended their lead to 231 runs when bad light stopped play three overs early on the third day at Hagley Oval yesterday. Captain Joe Root was 30 not out, while Dawid Malan was on 19 with the visitors on 202 for three in superb batting conditions. Barring an unlikely batting collapse today, the outcome of the match is now firmly in Root’s hands with the major decision to be made on how long he wants to bat on the fourth day to give his side enough overs to bowl New Zealand out. “We’re not in a bad position at the minute,” England batting coach Graham Thorpe told reporters. “In an ideal world, we’ll probably be batting well into the second session with a healthy lead, and maybe out of sight. “If it doesn’t go according to plan, and we want to win the test match, then we’ll have to review it
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as it goes along.” James Vince and Mark Stoneman, who had consolidated England’s lead in the middle session, were the only wickets to fall after tea with both no doubt ruing the missed opportunity of scoring their first test centuries. Stoneman was caught by wicketkeeper BJ Watling off Tim Southee for 60, before Vince was snapped up by Ross Taylor at first slip off Trent Boult for 76. Vince had earlier been dropped by Taylor at a wide first slip by Colin de Grandhomme while on 55. Alastair Cook was the only wicket to fall in the middle session when he was caught by Watling off Boult for 14. Stuart Broad had earlier completed his 16th fivewicket haul, finishing with six for 54, while his new ball partner James Anderson had four for 76 as they bowled New Zealand out for 278. Watling top-scored with 85 before he was bowled by Anderson, while Tim Southee scored his fourth test half century before he was bowled by the 35-year-old for 50. Neil Wagner (24 not out) and Boult (16) then provided
a swashbuckling 10th-wicket partnership of 39 runs to get their side within sight of England’s first innings of 307. England need a win to deny New Zealand their first series victory against them since 1999. The hosts won the first test at Eden Park in Auckland by an innings and 49 runs. “I don’t think it’s going to break up and do a hell of a lot on the last day, so we just need to get ourselves into a position to hopefully win the game,” Watling said. “There’s still two full days of cricket to go. “The weather’s looking pretty good so I don’t know if anyone will get too adventurous just yet. I think tomorrow morning’s a massive session in the game. “If we can take four to five wickets in that session, we can put them under some pressure. “Obviously if they get through it, then they’re in control of the game.” Scores: England 307 (Bairstow 101, Wood 52, Southee 6-62, Boult 4-87) and 202 for 3 (Vince 76, Stoneman 60) lead New Zealand 278 (Watling 85, Broad 6-54) by 231 runs.
Several organisations, businesses on board with Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS 28th Annual Award Ceremony scheduled for the 29th April, 2018 promises to be the biggest ever in the history of Guyana’s most dynamic sport organisation. A total of 60 Club Members, Teachers, Students, Retired Teachers and Law Enforcement Officers would be honoured at the event which would be held at the St. Francis Community Developers Training Centre from 13.00 hours. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, Vice President Mark Papannah and Assistant Secretary Simon Naidu are spearheading preparation for the prestigious event, President David Granger, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS Patron has been invited to be the Guest Speaker. Foster, the long serving Secretary/CEO has disclosed that preparations are well in advance and on Wednesday last the organisers received donations from several donors. Those making contributions were the Office of the Prime Minister, Farfan & Mendes Ltd, Bakewell, Andrew’s Art, Guyana Water Inc, Sterling Products Ltd, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Starr Computer. The Office of the Prime Minister, Farfan & Mendes Ltd, Andrew’s Art, Guyana Water Inc, Sterling Products Ltd, Bakewell donated a combined $400,000 worth of trophies, medals and framed certificates, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs donated a trophy. Starr Computer, a long time sponsor of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, donated a Cellphone for the Cricketer of the Year Award. Additionally, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club also received financial contributions from Farfan & Mendes Ltd, Bakewell and the National Milling Company towards the publication of its 2018 Youth Review Magazine. Among the 40 Awards that would be shared out are Under-15 Player of the Year, Under-19 Player of the Year, Female Cricketer of the Year, Fielder of the Year, Most Discipline Player, Most Promising Player and Cricketer of the Year. The Awards Committee has shortlisted National Youth Players Kelvin Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson for the prestigious Cricketer of the Year Award which carries a prize package of $350,000. Other Awardees expected to be honoured are Clinton
Ms. Mishal Juman, daughter of Andrew’s Art CEO hands over donation to RHTYSC Vice President Mark Papannah. Pestano, Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings, Junior Sinclair, Keith Simpson, Jonathan Rampersaud, Jeremy Sandia and Mahendra Gopilall. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club would like to express gratitude to Rajin Ganga of Bakewell, Onai Vasconcellos of Farfan & Mendes Ltd, the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Majeed of Starr Computers, Ramsey Ali of Sterling Products, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Mrs. Juman of Andrew’s Art, Dr. Richard Van West Charles of Guyana Water Inc and Mr. Bert Sukhai of Namilco.
The Award Ceremony would also include donations to several groups, the Induction of Honorary Members into the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, while several outstanding Guyanese would receive the RHTYSC Highest Award “The Dolphin Award of Excellence”. The Club would also be hosting the Scotia Bank Tribute of Teachers, Tribute to Retired Teaches, Tribute to Outstanding Students and Tribute to Law Enforcement Officers during the Award Ceremony. A total of over $2.5M worth of trophies, medals, framed certificates, prizes and gifts would be shared out.
A representative from Farfan & Mendes Ltd hands over donation to Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster.
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Large turnout defies Popcaan’s Odyssey Transportation Services presence on penultimate night donates Scorebooks to RHTY&SC - Semi-finals, final on this evening
Part of the Guinness football action on the East Coast on Saturday last. The presence of popular dance hall artiste Popcaan failed to affect the turnout of fans who filled the interior and perimeter of the Haslington Tarmac to witness the penultimate night of the East Coast Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Competition on Saturday evening. The established street phenomenon which has grown in popularity and stature, once again emphasized its unrivalled importance among community teams and fans that easily exceeded opening night’s attendance. At the end of the night, Buxton Diamond and defending champion Melanie B led the four teams into the semi-finals after playing unbeaten to top their respective groups. They were joined by Paradise A and Uprising who finished in the runner-up spots after the completion of the group stage. The semi-final fixtures will see Buxton Diamond tackle Paradise A, while Melanie B take on Uprising in what is undoubtedly anticipated to be two scorching encounters. All four teams produced impressive performances to make it this far, but Buxton Diamond and the reigning champions have looked unbeatable throughout the competition and will have to be installed as favourites to contest the final set for tonight, at the same venue. The champs have already shown that they are deadly accurate in penalty shootouts, having made it this far via that route, while Buxton Diamond on the other hand have demonstrated that they possess the skills necessary to beat a team in regulation time. However, this is not to
take away from the other two teams whose comparative strengths are their determination and will to win. Also carded to take place is the Plate final which carries a winning prize of $50,000 and a trophy. However, all eyes will be on the teams battling for the ultimate prize of $400,000, bragging rights and a place in the national playoffs. The losing finalist will take home $150,000, while third and fourth place finishers will be given $100,000 and $75,000 respectively. The Organisers extended thanks to the Guyana Police Force, residents of the East Coast communities and even those from other areas for their support throughout the tournament. Saturday Night complete results: Guinness Goal-GG-2 goals Round-1 Game-1 Belfield Warriors-0 vs Victoria Church Yard-0 Victoria won 1-0 on penalty kicks Game-2 Buxton Diamond-0 vs Uprising-0 Buxton won 1-0 on penalty kicks Game-3 BV-A-2 vs Mahaica Determinators-0 Akin Curry-2nd and 9th Game-4 Paradise-A-0 vs MelanieB-0 Melanie-B won 1-0 on penalty kicks Round-2 Game-1 Belfield Warriors-0 vs Buxton Diamond-0 Buxton won 1-0 on penalty kicks Game-2 Victoria Church Yard-0 vs Uprising-1 Calvert Hoyte-13th Game-3 Melanie-B-0 vs Mahaica
Determinators-0 Melanie-B won 2-1 on penalty kicks Game-4 Paradise-A-1 vs BV-A-0 Quincy Adams-10th Round-3 Game-1 Victoria Church Yard-0 vs Buxton Diamond-2 Dillon Wright-(GG)-18th Game-2 Belfield Warriors-1 vs Uprising-2 Uprising Scorer Phillip Williams-(GG)-18th Belfield Scorer Shamar Holder-14th Game-3 Paradise-2 vs Mahaica Determinators-0 Quincy Adams-4th and 14th Game-4 BV-A-0 vs Melanie-B-0 Melanie-B won 1-0 on penalty kicks Group-A Winner- Buxton Diamond9 points Runner-up- Uprising-6 points Group-B Winner- Melanie-B-9 points Runner-up- Paradise-A-6 points Fixtures-Monday April 2nd Championship Final Winner (3) vs Winner (4)23:15hrs Championship 3rd Place Off Loser (3) vs Loser (4)22:45hrs Plate Final Winner (1) vs Winner (2)22:00hrs Championship Semifinals (4)Buxton Diamond vs Paradise-A-21:15hrs (3)Uprising vs Melanie-B20:30hrs Plate Semi-finals (1)Belfield Warriors vs BV-A-20:00hrs (2)Victoria vs Mahaica19:30hrs
Office Clerk Naseema Ralph hands over scorebooks to RHTYSC Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster. “Every week of the year, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club receives about four letters seeking assistance for cricket related items from Clubs, Schools, NGOs and Players. People seemed to forget that we are just a youth and sports organisation and not a profit oriented one but we work hard every day to assist as much as possible. This donation of scorebooks would allow us to fulfill the requests of dozens of Cricket Clubs in Berbice and this we are grateful.” Those were the words of Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster as he received over $100,000 worth of Cricket Scorebooks from Odyssey Transportation of Light Street, Bourda, Georgetown. The Company and its Chief Executive Officer Mr. Barakat over the last seven years has been assisting the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club with Scorebooks which are distributed to less fortunate Cricket Clubs in Berbice under the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Cricket Development Programme. Over the last twenty years, the Club and its ten cricket teams have assisted over 100 cricket clubs with millions worth of cricket gear including bats, pads, stumps, gloves, scorebooks, wicket keeping gloves, while dozens of Cricketers have also received assistance to further their cricketing careers. Among those who have
received assistance were Shimron Hetmyer, Rajendra Chandrika, Askay Homraj, Loyydel Lewis, Shawn Pereira, Linden Austin, Gudakesh Motie and Plaffiana Millington. The newly elected Berbice Cricket Board President stated that the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club since its formation in 1990 had attained success though sheer hard work, dedication and it wants other clubs to reach such success as it would allow them to serve youths better. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, he stated i s unmatched anywhere in the Caribbean concerning its assistance to rival Clubs. The better that Clubs perform, Foster stated would result in more youth rejecting Satan and his evil world of Drugs, Crime, Suicide, Alcohol and Tobacco. With his election to the Presidency of the Berbice
Cricket Board, Foster disclosed the requests for assistance has doubted and the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club is struggling to respond to every request. Clubs are being reformed after being dormant for a period due to the lack of cricket that was being placed in Berbice. With numerous tournaments being scheduled for 2018, Clubs are preparing for the busiest year in the history of the Berbice Cricket Board. Special thanks were expanded to Mr. Barakat, Manager Troy Khan and the Staff of Odyssey Transportation Services for the donation of the Scorebooks. Among the Clubs expected to benefit are Tamarind Root, Kildonan Cricket Club, Mental Hospital, Whim National, Police Sports Club, No. 73, Mount Sinai Cricket Club, Guymine Cricket Club, Rose Hall Canje and Bush Lot Rising Star.
Bakewell renews sponsorship... From page 32 Town Youth & Sports Club and for the Company’s assistance over the years. Ganga, in brief remarks stated that Bakewell is very proud of its relationship with the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS and hailed the relationship between the two organisations as remarkable. The Bakewell boss expressed confidence that the relationship would be strengthened in the future as the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club has always represented the Company’s brand with pride, discipline and passion. Bakewell, he stated understands its corporate responsibilities and as such would continue to invest in Education, Culture and Sports. He also congratulated the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club on its outstanding work and urged its executives to uphold the high standard they have set themselves.