Kaieteur News

Wednesday December 28, 2016

Unacceptable police failure during the Springlands robbery DEAR EDITOR; A letter written by me was published in the Kaieteur News on Page 6 of Tuesday, 13th December, 2016, in which I mentioned the slow or no response to reports of crime made at the Aurora Police Station. Well from then to now I have been receiving many calls from persons who are also concerned about that situation. But on the front page of that said edition, the headline news read, “Heavily armed 15 man gang storms Cambio Dealer’s home, 21 million in cash and jewellery taken. No Police response despite 40 minutes ordeal. Ex-cop among seven detained.” On page 7 the story was carried in full story. When I read that story I had to pause and reread some paragraphs, the second which tells you about the weapons, sledge hammers, the time it occurred. The crime was committed near to the Springlands Police Station. I reckon that the Springlands Police Station because of its location would be well staffed and manned

by the most dedicated, disciplined, courageous and experienced ranks including officers. The amount of spent shells found at the scene would wake up the entire neighourhood, not forgetting the sledge hammers used on that steel door seen in the photograph. In this day and age when every home has at least one cell phone, there are no doubt that call from many residents would have been made to the Police Stations; both Springlands and new Amsterdam. Seventy five minutes the time this robbery started, take out 40 minutes to commit the crime to when the police arrived. Thirty minutes was good enough time for them to travel miles and miles away. The crime rate as it is, I am sure that most home would have at least one of the numbers of Springland Police Station, a station that I am certain would have at least four telephones. I also know that there are some Commanders who are happy to let members of the community, especially

businessmen, have their cell phone numbers, the reason which is to call them in time of need anytime during the day or night. Every year the budget allocated for the Ministry of Home Affairs increases as expected, a lot of which is spent on communication and transportation, both land and water. The Public Security Minister even before he took up that portfolio was always concerned about the crime rate in the country. Talking to him, he would always suggest ways and action to be taken. I am certain he will order an investigation to determine why the police response was so poor to that robbery in question on that dreadful night, and while the findings may not be made public for obvious reasons, it would go a long, long way to prevent a re-occurrence. It is unreasonable to expect the Police to solve every crime committed, it is reasonable to except they respond to each and every report in a timely manner. Archie W. Cordis

Racism is going to continue in the US for a long time to come DEAR EDITOR; What goes around comes around. The United States of America has never quite been able to extricate its self from the iniquity of racism. Upon close examination of what is happening now it seems as if its roots have been more firmly implanted and spreading new shoots. I maintain that that building was not named White House by accident. On the contrary, it was a rather resolute and expressed act. If this just concluded election didn’t remind some and brought home this message to others then they are lost or whipped folks as Black Americans would say. I think in some ways the democrats themselves contributed to, though some may argue unwittingly and may very well have a point, for why else would they knowingly craft their own defeat!? US racism is reaching for the sky; in fact it has never left the shores of the great USA and has always had a stranglehold on the nation. But this is not the first time this has occurred, and will sure continue to play out for there are as we know inherent contradictions within its socio-economic system primarily responsible for many imbalances from which spring those constant antagonistic social behavior and which are stubbornly and falsely defended and promoted, even in the light that many have awaken to the harsh reality that the “American Dream” is peppered with nightmares. I have further concluded that it wasn’t

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fashioned/designed for the sake and glory of every soul, in fact with every passing day too many hardworking everyday people are finding its credo “all men are created equal” nothing more than a “fleeting illusion”. I recall one Robert Goldston who a long time back examined the state of economic exploitation that developed and was imposed on poor Southern white farmers/working class by the rich ruling class that had a severely wretched impact on them. So devastating it was that they became bitter with themselves for their poor lot. As Goldston pointed out, self-hatred, selfcontempt is the very foundation for hatred of others, and the Negro was the most apparent and fitting object of hate. Thus he reasoned further; “when the foundation of externalized hatred carefully nurtured fears were piled; the fear that the blackman is the cause for them being unemployed, impoverished and a struggling life, a strange phenomenon was created”. The majority of poor whites were turned into the most violent advocates of slavery – the very system which kept them in poverty. What a contradiction! Coming closer, a similar scenario played out some years before the period of the great depression in the 1930s when poor working class whites were fed the propaganda that – negroes were the ones stealing their jobs, making them unemployed. This led to Negroes not being hired; Continued on page 6

Fear and pessimism about the benefits of oil DEAR EDITOR; With the public announcement in the local media that ExxonMobil is gearing up for oil production from Guyana’s first oil well by mid-2020, and that the company announced that it has awarded contracts to United Statesbased, SBM offshore for a floating production storage and offloading vessel, we trust Guyana economy and all Guyanese would directly benefit from this find when production starts. Many of us locals had hoped and prayed that Guyana would become one of the first Third World nations that find, extract and sell oil on the world market that will allow its oil wealth to trickle down to the masses. History has shown us that trickle down is a rarity. Oil wealth is notorious for corrupting its host nation. We do hope and wonder how our national administrators will conduct themselves if and when the oil begins to flow? This is based on the traits shown by some greedy persons over the past years. And we do hope also that those in authority will revise and update our

antiquated laws regarding foreign multinational corporations. With the present laws we have, we are going to expose ourselves to be “ripped off” by any one, especially large multinational corporations. This is in light of our history of giving things away to foreigners. Many locals may be very troubled by the differences in power and resources between Exxon Mobil and Guyana as this project moves forward; Guyana being at a distinct disadvantage. For the moment things look grim for Guyana. It’s hard up for cash and we fear agreements may be made that favour Exxon Mobil. A powerful nation like Russia had to capitulate. Just imagine little Guyana. Guyana verses Exxon Mobil is like David and Goliath all over but the result will be different. Our hopes are being lifted but we must be realistic and be prepared for the fall. Remember bauxite. Look at Nigeria whose oil is controlled by foreigners and large multinational corporations. Rooplall Dudhnath

This helpless woman should not have been jailed DEAR EDITOR; I recall the following headline; “Domestic worker jailed for leaving children home alone”. The mother of eleven children received a 6 months sentence for leaving the children home alone. It upsets me that this parent is being jailed because of neglect. I don’t care what her occupation is. She was out there earning a living to care for her children. It is not the mother, it is the Ministries of Social Protection and Education and the community at large that failed these children. Was this family known to the above Ministries? I am sure that the children attended school at one time or the other. Did the Ministry of Education share their information about children’s attendances and performances with Ministry of Social Protection? If information was shared did the Ministry of Social Protection intervene and put in place services to address the problems plaguing the family? If they did not, Magistrate Moore you must rescind the sentence and bring in the officials from the above Ministries before the court for neglect. Did the church and other organizations within their

community reach out to help this family? The community members and organizations no longer reach out to families in need and in crisis. Self preservation has a new meaning. It is more save yourself and let your brother go astray. Mr. Moore you must rescind that sentence and bring in the community leaders and organizations before the court for neglect. I became angry and really livid when I read the last sentence of the story. “The victims disclosed that their stepfather raped them and asked them to leave the home”. Why is this mother in jail? Where is the stepfather? This mother left her children in care of the stepfather. The victims reported that he raped them and asked them to leave the home. Mr. Moore this mother did not neglect her children. Rescind the sentence for the mother and bring the stepfather to court and hold him responsible. Mr. Editor, our communities must be made stronger so as to address the social problems we face every

day. The experts within our communities are more likely to provide for their members and/or those who can pay. Organizations like the church must be more Christ like. Feed the hungry, clothe them, and house the homeless. The church and other such organization must return to the call of the old hymnal “Make me a Blessing”. The members of the vulnerable families will be jailed, sent to the New Opportunity Corps and/or become misfits of our communities because Government Ministries do not collaborate with each other. They are stewards of the old saying; “never let the left hand know what the right hand is doing”. The Ministry of Social Protection is reactive instead of proactive because they have no relationship with related Ministries like health, education and communities. Mr. Moore, please use your good office to advocate for better collaboration between Ministries so families can be helped and not destroyed. Clyde Clarke

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Wednesday December 28, 2016

Thirty one cynical condemnations of Guyana DEAR EDITOR; I would like to thank the political leaders of this country and their Ministers, past and present, in creating an environment and providing us with the tools to a historic achievement in the world. These patriots should be given Nobel prizes for manmade disasters. Some, medals for corruption and idiocy beyond the call of duty. We are now the head of the class and number one, in the Southern Hemisphere and I dare say most of the third world, in the following: 1. The poorest country just bested Haiti, what a historical achievement. 2. Highest suicide rates per population. 3. Highest depression among young people. 4. Prison deaths.

5. Electricity rates. 6. Cruelty to Pensioners. Persons aged 60 plus paid less than $100.00 US per month and have to stand in sun or rain, adding further insult to this daylight robbery, to collect this measly sum. While they pay themselves a King’s ransom, for a lifetime of nepotism. 7. Immigration rates to ABC countries and anywhere else that will accept us. 8. Poor water supply - Yes it is rusty and dirty. 9. 90% of the country without paved roads - Most of the paved ones do not have sidewalks, street lights or traffic lights, safety rules. 10. Zero intellectual property laws. 11. Ministers and leaders in Government not paying a single utility along with free

cars and houses. 12. Poorest telephone and internet services. 13. A university that nobody in the first world recognizes. 14. A public hospital that emergency waiting time is 12 to 24 hours on average... condoms plenty, drugs scarce if any. 15. A minimum wage that buys exactly four pieces of Church’s, yes with fries, I forgot. 16. A recent Columbus of Oil that goes to Uganda for advice. Only thing that country ever produced was Idi Amin, who was worse than the world’s oldest dictator, Robert Mugabe. Sure both of these devils were mentors to those in power. Uganda discovered oil in 2006 not a single ounce has

been extracted to date, I am confident we can learn so much from them, pure geniuses making decisions here. Please don’t tell me about Chattam House. 17. A Minister of Business and smart Government officials, who think extracting water out of coconut is a novel science. Even a coconut monument has been erected. So we are at the forefront of cutting edge science, entrepreneurship and business policies. I am so happy; this will take us out of this economic catastrophe we are facing. 18. A Finance Minister, who reminds me of the three card trickster at street corners. Shuffling and moving the money, with you getting legally robbed at every turn of the card. The level of

Lincoln Lewis condemns Clive Thomas DEAR EDITOR; In the veins of almost every Guyanese run the bitter sweet legacy of sugar. The Wales Sugar Estate closed its doors two Sundays ago. The coverage by the media of this issue, including the expressed views of those workers, requires of us to stop and take heed. None can deny that within recent years the sugar industry has not been economically feasible and has been dependent on the Consolidated Fund to maintain its activities. However, as a people what ought to be of major concern to us is the absence of treating with each other with dignity and respect, borne out of the principle of respecting the equality of all. Our ancestors, be they slaves, indentured or colonised, fought valiantly against the brutish system of plantation society where the owners and managers treated them as sub-human and beasts of burden. The struggle for respect

and dignity runs deep, and we who are the beneficiaries of those who fought for our freedom should keep trying at all cost not to repeat what they fought against. How we as a people are where we are today requires of us taking the time to reflect on where it went wrong and what ought to be done to correct it. The Wales sugar workers are Guyanese and irrespective of their association- political or trade union - their entreaties to the management of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and Government of Guyana should have been treated with deserving respect. Those workers should have been given an ear, through their unions, to have their voices heard, including hearing if they had any proposal towards making the operation viable. The Chairman of GuySuCo Board is Professor Clive Thomas, a man I consider a friend and colleague in the trade union

movement. Thomas is renowned in the trade union community throughout the world as a leading labour economist. To his credit, he has not spared criticisms of the way the business of the industry was handled by the Forbes Burnham, Desmond Hoyte, Cheddie Jagan, and even Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar administrations. The issue here is the treatment of the human resources element where under Thomas’ leadership both GuySuCo and the government have continued some of the said practices he is on record condemning. To the trade union community there is need to do introspect, and examine what role some of us played in contributing to workers/ citizens being treated with contempt today. It is obvious that the decision-makers in closing the factory felt that they could do so without feeling within them that civility and constitutional requirement expect certain standard of behaviour. What is evident is that they chose to capitalise on the cleavages in the society to ram through their decisions. Some leaders of the trade union have allowed partisan politics to trump universally acceptable principles. This has contributed to the achievements of the trade union movement being trampled on. When persons stayed silent for political expediency in the presence of others’ rights being transgressed and laws violated when the table turns similar silence is seen. If efforts are not made to rid this mindset from our midst

the sacrifices of our forebears and those whose shoulders we stand on will come to naught. The issue of sugar is a matter of national importance with dire consequences, all of which require studied responses that would have come through diverse engagements. For instance, 600 workers are now placed on the breadline. This will adversely alter theirs and their family standard of living, even more so that Guyana does not pay unemployment benefit. The National Insurance Scheme (NIS), which is financially cash-strapped, immediately loses contributions that would have been paid by those workers, among whom are at least a quarter, who in the next six to seven years would be eligible for a pension. This contribution loss will put at risk the pension of every contributor to the scheme. And where there are more pensioners than contributors a scheme loses its viability. Let me make it very clear, I am not opposed to measures being put in place to make GuySuCo profitable. What I am opposed to is the process being applied in the treatment of workers, and their representatives, which are reminiscence of the days when people had no constitutional protected right. The growth and development of this country require of us treating with each other, if not as brothers and sisters, as least as human beings with the inalienable right to be treated as equals with dignity and respect. Lincoln Lewis

incompetence, lack of vision and policy is simply stunning. His budget reflects that he is in some alternate reality, far removed from this galaxy. 19. The illegal drug hub of the Caribbean. 20. Blackouts - until the population has come to believe it is some vitamin. They just take a daily dose without complaining. 21. Burnt appliances because of number 20. 22. A corrupt judicial system. 23. A corrupt police force. 24. A thoughtless soul of a Security Minister and an even bigger loser of a Prime Minister. My grandmother with a bamboo rod could plan a better criminal deterrent strategy. Sorry granny to insult you. 25. Social Minister and Community Ministers, Whatever those jobs are... laughable really, sitcoms could be based on these two. 26. Working on been best at acquiring all types of diseases. 27. Domestic Violence epidemic. 28. Robbery capital. 29. High rate of white collar crimes and nepotism by Government officials past and present. 30. A disastrous public school system. 31. A former Mayor, current Mayor and Town Clerk, those negative adjectives cannot justify their buffoonery, corruption and incompetence. They have the audacity to compare Georgetown to Manhattan. Speechless This is for any citizen that wants to add, I am tired of listing these fantastic achievements. These were listed in less than five minutes. Sure can top a 100 in ten minutes.

Really Mr. Editor, I implore you to beg these leaders to stay this course, for it will indeed be heartbreaking to lose this number one position. Even Mr. Burnham and Mr. Jagan must be envious, for in all their grand schemes, could not perceive, we would be first in all these areas. What a great 50 years it has been. Let us build another stadium to celebrate these achievements. I am not as smart as the elites in our business and political class, but it must be this great position that the ABC countries loved that we partnered with the IMF - that great bastion of progress for the poor, look at its fantastic track record around the world. Our relationship with this esteemed institution, that our dear leaders above so treasure and nurture, along with their iconic leadership, has championed us to the head the class and number ones in the Southern hemisphere. Mr. Editor, if I may so request, that you have this letter printed and framed like a diploma, so the Presidents and their Ministers, past and present, (my dear leaders) can hang it in their offices. A tribute to their intellectual and academic prowess - And public service. A copy can also be also read as any future obituary, if the need arises. What champions! What heroes! Words alone cannot describe these patrons and saints of this God forsaken country. Let us erect monuments, shrines. Oh I forgot arches; that’s the new symbol of achievement. What a 50 years of progress it has been. Your children, families, colleagues, citizens and friends, must be so proud of you, my dear leaders, I know I am. Congratulations! Aryan Ghosh

Racism is going to... From page 5 further, those who were employed in the fields and on the railways were laid off, even the menial jobs they had were taken away. Years later when the depression came causing massive loss of jobs, putting poor whites in the swelling unemployment lines, they were forced to face a stubborn reality that begs the question; who’s to blame for their condition now? Blacks were long jobless – nowhere employed. Today in 2016 USA there are parallels. Folks of colour who were dealing with this troubling issue of American racism in a superficial way almost forgot the fact that it has been an undercurrent, dormant but simmering. Indeed the “Reality Show” man has awoken those in slumber to the reality that racism in the USA is alive and well. When Trump intoned; “we are going to make America great again…we are going to bring back the jobs that were taken away from our people”, go figure, these are all familiar statements of terrible times used in the past. As for me I say that racism in the US will not disappear until the philosophy that governs her existence within the scheme of things are so designed and crafted in every facet so it can benefit of all her people, and this though not impossible is a mighty tall order that may not be witnessed in the foreseeable future. Frank Fyffe

Wednesday December 28, 2016

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NICIL not as rich as it used to be – Finance Minister By Kiana Wilburg Even though it has been said by Government officials that there have been significant changes at NICIL, criticisms still remain overwhelming that the entity continues to operate in a clandestine manner. However, Finance Minister Winston Jordan recently discredited such views, stating that it is no longer business as usual at NICIL. He made it clear, too, that the entity has nothing to hide. Minister Jordan was also reminded of the fact that since the change in board members last year, there has not been a single press conference held by the authority. The NICIL Board Members include Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, Board Chairman, Dr. Maurice Odle and Head of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Berkley Wickham.

- says new board “conservative”, has nothing to hide - will urge entity to be more open to media Jordan told Kaieteur News that he will urge the entity to be more open to the media. “I am going to urge them to be more open, because there is nothing to hide at NICIL, beyond the fact that they are not as rich as they used to be. But there is nothing to hide. Their transactions are fairly transparent and open. I think they have been able to get a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).” The Minister continued, “The CEO will be recruited in the New Year and let’s hope in the context of new, they will experience a new level of dynamism at the entity.” Asked to say if the company has made any transfers to the treasury as of

late, Jordan retorted, “There is nothing to transfer; in fact they need lots of money, because remember, they are agents for certain agencies plus they are a holding company, AHI is a holding company for Marriott and NICIL is the holding company for AHI. So trust me, they don’t have anything to transfer.” The Finance Minister said that in any case “it is business unusual” at NICIL. At the level of dividends, the Finance Minister said that the entity is now only required to hold it in accordance with what was the original intent of the company, and then transfer in full to the Consolidated Fund. “So there is nothing that NICIL has to hide. What they

Govt. fails to produce framework for Sovereign Wealth Fund in set time Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman had vowed to, by the end of 2016, take to the National Assembly, a proposed framework for the much needed Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) for discussion and debate. However, days before year end, there is yet to be even a signal that this document will make it to the National Assembly anytime soon. A Sovereign Wealth Fund is a government-owned investment fund. It has been set up by many countries with oil wealth, and there are several models to choose from. On several occasions, Trotman assured the press that his Ministry was well on stream in preparation of the document and Guyana was gearing to get the best version of the fund suited for the country’s unique needs. However, in his budget speech, he hinted otherwise. For the first time, on that occasion, the Minister said that the framework will be delivered in 2017, but did not give a reason as to the delay. Efforts to contact the Minister yesterday to get word of a new timeframe and the reasons for the delay proved futile. In his recent address to the National Assembly, Trotman said that it is important that the extractive industries that fuel Guyana’s growth “today also provide for our children tomorrow.” He said that in an effort to ensure that the benefits accrued from the natural resources sector reach every Guyanese for generations to

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman come, “the Government of Guyana will develop a framework for a Sovereign Wealth Fund in 2017.” He told the House that the Sovereign Wealth Fund will enable the government to “protect the economy from the volatile nature of natural resource revenues, help grow and modernize the sustainable non-extractive sectors of the economy, and further enhance the capacity of our people”. Trotman outlined the considerations for the three sub-funds within the Sovereign Wealth Fund; Stabilization Fund, Infrastructure and Social Development Fund and Citizens Participation Fund. He said that the government has already begun seeking advice and guidance on developing such a Fund from the School of Public Policy - University of Calgary and the Commonwealth Secretariat,

both of which are equipped with strong expertise on extractive resource governance. Trotman told the House that the creation of a long overdue sovereign wealth fund will demonstrate to Guyanese and the world at large, that hydrocarbon development, and by extension all other extractive industries, can be catalysts for a green economy. Earlier this year, Trotman and Minister of Finance Winston Jordan went to Uganda to get a firsthand understanding of the mechanisms that country has employed for the health of its oil and gas sector. Trotman said that his Ministry is working along with the Ministry of Finance Continued on page 9

have is a very conservative board and management who like to stay away from the public and do things quietly. But I will talk to them about holding a press conference early in the new year,” Jordan said. Since last year, Kaieteur News has tried relentlessly to contact the Chairman, as well as Minister Harmon, on a number of issues relating to the entity. But all efforts proved futile. It continues to be a case the “royal run around.” Last year in an interview with this newspaper, Chairman Odle bemoaned the fact that under the previous administration, the entity was run with little to no transparency and accountability for investment decisions. He also spoke against the way in which taxpayers were kept in the dark on the happenings of the state-owned company. One year later, under Odle’s directive, NICIL is being accused of keeping the nation “in the dark” as it relates to how reforms have been made by the company under the new administration and the status regarding the millions of dollars in debt it is owed by various agencies. Additionally, meaningful reforms recommended for NICIL in a forensic audit report are yet to be implemented. In this regard, Odle had said that the Board is awaiting the completion of two other audits as instructed by Cabinet. The status of these audits is yet to be made public. In the forensic audit report which was prepared by Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran, it was recommended that the entity be closed down and a small

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan department opened under the Ministry of Finance, if Government deems it necessary. It was explained that the reason for such a recommendation was premised on the fact that NICIL was initially established for the purpose of privatization of state assets. That was done in two phases in the 1990s. Since that phase ended years ago, the report recommends that there is no need for NICIL to remain a company. It says that it should be liquidated and Government should make moves to establish a department to manage the assets being held by the company. Finance Minister Winston Jordan said, however, that he is not inclined to go this route, and has since made it clear that the entity is necessary. Meanwhile, Goolsarran had told this newspaper that he is deeply disappointed that recommendations to shut down NICIL have not been implemented. He reminded that it was this very administration which had at one time, called for the closure of NICIL when it sat

on the opposition benches. The former Auditor General stated that this new Government had given the commitment that it would not use NICIL in an abusive manner. “However, what Government must see is the bigger picture. What will happen when there is another government in place? Too late shall be the cry then. It is a grave disappointment and NICIL should without question be brought to a halt. It practically allows too many avenues for eerie forms of corruption which the nation has witnessed under the previous administration,” Goolsarran had said The anti-corruption activist had also said that the forensic audit which he prepared provides irrefutable grounds which show how financial lawlessness took place at unimaginable scales at the entity. In this regard, Goolsarran expressed that he is in agreement with other financial minds who believe that the NICIL Board seems uninterested in going after those persons who committed grave acts within the stateowned entity. Goolsarran recalled that it was since last year December that a Cabinet decision was made for NICIL’s former CEO, Winston Brassington and his Deputy, Marcia Nadir-Sharma to be sent on leave pending the outcome of investigations. The former Auditor General said it is troubling that months later, not a word has been uttered by NICIL to the nation regarding the status of these investigations. He stressed that NICIL needs to remove itself from the veil of secrecy. Goolsarran nevertheless maintained that “NICIL has been at the centre of some of the worst corrupt acts of our time and it must be closed down.”

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Wednesday December 28, 2016

Trafficking victim, 9, being held against will by Ministry The Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) clashed with Ministry of Social Protection, over the weekend, accusing the latter of forcefully detaining a nine-year-old human trafficking victim against her will. The story of the victim had shocked the nation in September after it became known that the child was only nine and that it was her mother who allegedly facilitated the trafficking. According to the association in a strongly worded statement, on September 23rd 2016, Guyana first learnt of the girl. “The young victim was allegedly raped by her trafficker just days before her mother forced her to live with him, take care of all of his needs, sexual and physical, all the while being forbidden to speak to others, including her own brothers. She suffered in silence for two years, as her mother collected food supplies and on one incident, a generator, in exchange for

her daughter’s childhood.” The organization said that on September 26th, 2016, a Kaieteur News article carried an article ‘TIP officials to interview “trafficked” nine year old girl’. This had followed a “swift press release” from the Guyana Police Force which stated that the medical examination conducted in Port Kaituma proved that the victim was not sexually active. The GWMO said it arranged for the young victim to travel to Georgetown on September 28th, 2016, and was scheduled to return to Region One on October 2nd, 2016, in the company of her foster mother. “It was difficult for her to accept being away from school, which she had started only two weeks prior to the request for her to be interviewed; as well as, being away from her brothers. Her first day in Georgetown was shocking, both negatively and positively. She was interviewed and re-

- Women Miners’ body claims examined.” FALSIFIED DOCTOR’S REPORT GWMO said that the reexamination greatly contradicted the Guyana Police Force’s initial statement, as well as the falsified doctor’s report. “We were pleased that the evidence validated her statements. What negatively surprised us was when the GWMO’s President, Ms. Urica Primus, was contacted by the Coordinator of the Counter Trafficking Unit, Mrs. Tanisha WilliamsCorbin, informing her the alleged victim would not be given to her foster mother, instead she would be placed in protective care for one night and return on September 29th, 2016, to complete her statement and return home on October 2nd, 2016; this arrangement allowed the Ministry interviews and the victim would return to her community to participate in her school sports where she was scheduled to run and participate in high jump.” According to the statement, the alleged victim was adamant that she did not

want to be at the Protective Care Facility and refused to move from the door. An official from the Ministry of Social Protection’s Counter Trafficking Unit promised her that she would have been returning to her foster mother the following day. Still crying and inconsolable, she had no choice but to spend the night; as her rights as a victim were not respected.” According to the organization, the United Nations Human Rights and Human Trafficking Fact Sheet No. 36 clearly outlines the rights-based approach to providing services and support for victims of Human Trafficking. “The GWMO would like to believe that with all of the training opportunities the Counter Trafficking Unit has been afforded, one outlined the rights of victims to accept or deny protective care. E s p e c i a l l y, in a situation when the trafficker is deceased and there are no threats on your life, the victim simply wished to attend school, which she started for the first time, and participate in

school sports.” The organization made it clear that from September 28th 2016, the victim’s life has been reduced to misery and deception - not only was she separated from her foster mother, but on September 29th, 2016, no one from the Ministry of Social Protection returned to take her complete interview, and as such she was not reunited with her foster mother. “Again, she sat in dismay gazing longingly, wishing for the figure of her foster mother to appear, but this never happened. Her return date of October 2nd 2016 came and only her foster mother returned to Region One. The Counter Trafficking in Persons Coordinator informed the GWMO on October 7th, 2016 that her Ministry along with the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs were searching for a Carib translator for the alleged victim. The GWMO expressed shock in the process being held back for the Carib translator search, since the victim is fully capable of speaking English.” THREE MONTHS Even after the second statement was completed, the Ministry of Social Protection still did not release the young victim to return to the care of her foster parent. “To date, three months after the victim first journeyed to the city for what

she was promised would be a short stay, Mrs. Corbin is still maintaining that the victim may be needed for another statement. The GWMO hereby reminds the Ministry of Social Protection that the United Nations Human Right and Human Trafficking Documents highlight ‘no detention of trafficked persons’.” GWMO stressed that routine detention is always illegal. “The GWMO is not against victims being placed in protective care, as the organization along with the Sisters of Mercy has pioneered the creation of the country’s first Safe Home for Victims of Trafficking in Persons; but the victim must have the right to choose to be in protective care.” The GWMO made it clear that it is well aware that this “victim” is not the only one who has been forced into care, with no contact with their family. “Some have even attempted suicide in frustration of being denied continuous requests to return to their communities, both from local victims and international victims. Some of the classified victims have no grounds, legal or otherwise, to be classified as victims. To this we ask, are we a nation that is serious about Trafficking in Persons or a nation that is serious about statistics and false impressions?”

Wednesday December 28, 2016

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Kaieteur News

AN APOLOGY! It happens to all of us in the worst of times and in the best of times. Mistakes are possible, and at times, those mistakes can seem incomprehensible. In the Christmas edition, this column indicated that the Minister of Public Security had denied an application for the extension of opening hours for operators in the private sector. This was a falsity. In fact, the very opposite had happened. The Minister had relented on the standing policy and had granted a waiver for entertainment to go beyond the stipulated 2 a.m. during the period, Christmas Eve to New Year’s. This column unreservedly apologizes to the Minister of Public Security for misrepresenting his decision, and for any embarrassment and confusion which it may have caused. This column

also expresses its regrets to its readers who are deserving of an explanation for what happened. The tenor of the Minister’s letter was based on questioning the deeper implications of the request made by the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission. The response led to the belief that the request was going to be denied, but later in the letter, the Minister did relent, and this was completely missed by this column, leading to the false claim that the Minister did not grant permission. The misrepresentation is deeply regretted. It does not detract, however, from the substantive view that the government cannot rely, either exclusively or overwhelmingly, on the “legal” argument to deny such permission.

The particular column had argued that while the law is the law and must be abided by, the law was itself a product of a policy decision made under regulations issued under the hand of the policymakers, and therefore, it was amenable to changes which consider the broader implications of the 2 a.m. curfew. The Christmas Day column listed a number of points rejecting a legalese rejection of the extension of the curfew. It now congratulates the Minister for relenting and for granting the extension. It is a difficult time for businesses in Guyana. Do not be fooled by those who want to make people feel that local businesses are booming in Guyana. They are not. Local businesses are hurting, including the entertainment industry.

More sensitization needed for ICT sector to flourish – UG lecturer “I believe that there is great potential for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to benefit businesses in Guyana. There is an explosion of ICT that transcends other careers and there nothing stopping Guyana from being a part of that movement. There definitely needs to be more sensitisation.” This is the opinion of Head of the Computer Science Department at the University of Guyana Andresa Harris when interviewed by Kaieteur News about the state and future of ICT and software development in Guyana. She told this publication that broadly speaking, Guyanese are “technology laggards”.

“This is often the case due to the lack of disposable income, and thus Guyanese not being able to purchase, experiment and innovate with cutting edge technologies.” The Head of Department (HOD) said that there needs to be deliberate and widespread sensitisation which will foster technology buyin, where there existed none before. “In this way, the average citizen will be aware of the benefits and develop the confidence to use software in a variety of ways, such as applications in eHealth, eAgriculture, eEducation and even recreation,” Harris explained. She further stated that since Guyanese get Continued on page 23

Dem boys seh...

Moses put blame pun a Duttagee Hydromet is people who does determine if you walk wid umbrella or long boots or if de place gun flood. Dem is de people who does tell farmers when to plant because dem seh that dem always know when rain gun fall, when de sun gun hot and wheh it gun shine. Dem like Busyraam and ee pole, always malfunctioning or tell a lie. None of Busyraam poll ever tun out to be accurate. Dem boys been listening to de Hydromet people fuh de longest while and when dem seh no rain keep you children inside because dem gun drown. When dem seh sun gun shine hire Malali to fetch you out of you house. De odder day dem announce Christmas would be brighter than any time Guyana ever see. The sun would shine even wheh de monkey put de nut. It tun out that nobody ain’t get proppa Christmas because of de water. De place flood. Dem boys hear dem

drinking bush rum one month before de holidays start. De result is that dem drunk every day and dem talking fraff every hour. Dem tell de nation to look out fuh four days of rain and how de place gun flood. De whole nation look out. Some people had to wear sunshades. Others was hiding under a tent shading from de sun.

Dem boys know Jagdeo that scamp, train dem. Ee train Moses too, and it look like if Moses wukking in de Hydromet office. Just like how Hydro people announce rain and there was no rain, Moses announce radio licence and Guyana still waiting. He blaming a no-good Duttagee. Talk half and walk wid you umbrella.

Govt. fails to produce... From page 7 on the establishment of the fund and “we are proceeding apace.” He said that the collaboration is necessary, as the Ministry of Natural Resources is tasked with developing policies to govern the incoming oil and gas sector, but the responsibility of actually setting up the fund is with the Ministry of Finance. Trotman described his trip as a “study mission” as he explained, “we are to observe Uganda’s development of their oil and gas sector.” The Minister said, “We are not saying no to anything, it is just a matter of streamlining. So by the end of this year we will be able to bring to Parliament the proposed framework for discussion and debate.”

One of the challenges is unfair competition to legitimate operators. A business has been established on municipal parapets. It may or may not have official permission. It is located opposite a multimillion-dollar business operation. It is giving competition to that business which pays taxes and which, no doubt, has loans to be repaid. Some of the customers are patronizing the “parapet” business park on the roadway in a manner that affects the flow of traffic. Legitimate businesses with high overheads, credit facilities, employment costs and taxes, have to compete with roadside operators who do not have comparable

overheads, but enjoy comparable patronage. Businesses need a “break”, especially at this time when thousands of Guyanese come home for the holidays and are in a mood to spend to enjoy themselves. The entertainment industry has made an appeal and the Minister has granted the request for an extension of the curfew hours over a seven-day period. This will assist them, but does not remove the need for a longer short-term policy to be looked at, to boost the entertainment. No one is asking for a long-term extension. If the tourism sector is to be developed, there will be a need to grant greater support to the entertainment industry, because shows and megaconcerts have become crucial

to the tourism industry in Guyana. People will come to Guyana to enjoy the country, but entertainment must be available for them. The local entertainment crowd, as most promoters will tell you, is not as large as it is presumed. The crowd that is willing to pay entrance fees to mega-concerts on a regular basis is small. Tourists and foreigners working in Guyana help to complement these numbers, and an extension of the curfew during the holidays is a good way of helping to grow the entertainment industry and to support tourism.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday December 28, 2016

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN...

APNU+AFC in 2016: The Metaphysics of Presence Simply put, the philosophical approach of deconstruction is to show that words have layers of meanings, and those meanings do not necessarily have objective existence at all. The central methodology deconstruction employs is the “metaphysics of presence.” This concept was first used by the fantastic German philosopher Martin Heidegger in his magnum opus, Time and Being (undoubtedly the best philosophical explanation on the nature of human existence). It was from Heidegger that the French philosopher Jacques Derrida, in birthing deconstruction as a philosophical school, took

the meaning of the “metaphysics of presence.” Simply put again, the “metaphysics of presence” is the exposure (as beautifully done by Heidegger) of the false existence in philosophy that in human existence there is an autonomous agent that exists outside of time. Heidegger then deconstructed philosophy from Plato right down to the beginning of the 20th century, then Derrida right down to the ending of the 20th century. I got the idea of deconstructing power under the APNU-AFC late on Tuesday night, December 20. I borrowed the Joe Singh report into the Guyana National Broadcasting

Association from a Kaieteur News colleague, Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell. I had to digest it that night because Abena wanted it back the next day. In deconstructing power in 2016, the Joe Singh report is required reading. It tells the story of failed power and the abuse of authority that began with colonization and continues to the date of the publication of this column. For the President, his Cabinet and the five lawyers in that Cabinet, to accept the findings of that report, when the evidence is shockingly contradictory, indicates that this country is a failed state. But this column is not about that report. I will devote an entire column to the inquiry. Is there evidence other than the tragedy of the Singh report that deepens the Thanatos of the pessimistic mind in Guyana? The answer is yes, and it is mountainous. The year was about to

close and a senior minister gave the nation the Overdeveloped State as a Christmas gift, but in forms rawer and more bestial than colonial hegemony. We are moving rapidly into the pond where Tantalus was cruelly treated and walking fast toward the rock to which Prometheus was tied and his body destroyed. In a failed nation, the Overdeveloped State tantalizes its subjects. It dangles a brighter horizon, then, it pulls it back. You live in hope and die in despair. The eagle eats out the liver of Prometheus but he survived and was reborn. Rebirth is a mirage in Guyana. The minister told his subjects, the State (which is the embodiment of the citizenry) will only repay what it can and those owed can take it or leave it. The State is constitutionally owned by the citizenry but when the State becomes

overdeveloped, it becomes a Leviathan. However, Hobbes’s Leviathan was not owned by the people. There is a seminal difference between Hobbes’s Leviathan and the Guyanese Overdeveloped State. In Hobbes’ social contract, the Leviathan had total power over the people, but Hobbes’s covenant had a revolutionary clause that allowed the citizenry to remove the Leviathan’s hegemony. If at any given time, the Leviathan broke the social contract, the masses had the power to revolt and remove him. The Overdeveloped State in Guyana cannot be removed so easily. The divided masses perpetually fretting over ethnic advantages allow the Overdeveloped State to violate the social contract. As the year drew to a close, a barefaced violation of the social contract took place. The minister said we will pay what we can. If you don’t like it then that is your problem. And who was the minister talking to? The citizenry who lent money to the State. The State, which has a sacred duty to serve and protect the dêmos (ancient Greek,

Frederick Kissoon philosophical word meaning the people), takes the money the dêmos lent it and refuses to repay. In case you are confused, the Minister referred to contractors who lent money to the State in the construction of the Durban Park. This is a reversion to the previous Leviathan who took money, goods and services from the dêmos for CARIFESTA, and many of those dêmos are yet to be paid. This is how the Overdeveloped State operates in the post-colonial world. I did say that in these columns I will make frequent reference to the Overdeveloped State. So what goes through the mind of a citizen who provided goods and services to the State and is told; “we will pay you what we want to pay and you can take it or leave it.”

Wednesday December 28, 2016

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Kaieteur News

SOCIAL PROTECTION MINISTRY AS EFFECTIVE AS LABOUR MINISTRY – MINISTER SCOTT The renaming of the Ministry of Labour to the Ministry of Social Protection has made that Ministry no less responsible and efficient in dispensing its labour related functions. This assertion was recently amplified by Junior Social Protection Minister, Mr. Keith Scott. The Minister speaking at a recent press conference disclosed that “I have heard certain (trade) unions have been making demands that there be a separate Ministry of Labour.” But according to Minister Scott, “the president is the person who structures his Cabinet. The president is the person who sets up the Ministries that he wants...he is in power for five years and if he wants to experiment, if he wants to try a way of coming with

s o m e t h i n g n e w, o u r (Ministers) job is to make it work. What the president has put forward we have to work with,” Minister Scott emphasised. He further stressed that “because of my success with dealing with labour matters and Coop matters, it shows we have suffered no ill effects in any representation.” Scott was bestowed with the instrument of appointment that states that he is Junior Minister of Social Protection. But according to him, he is also a member of Cabinet who attend meetings at times when he is invited by the President. “I am free to participate in anything...I am asked to make representation when necessary. I don’t see myself as suffering any loss of status, dignity or ability to pursue the aims of labour at

Cabinet or anything that I have to do,” Minister Scott underscored. He added, “I have always had the ear of the president at short notice and I have full faith that my job is to make his experiment work...” As he made reference to the inclusion of the Ministries of Social Protection and Social Cohesion in the governing administration, Scott considered that such moves are in fact not novel. “We have always had Ministries changing names...At one time there was even a Ministry of L a b o u r, H e a l t h a n d Housing...that was in the ‘50s,” related Minister Scott as he added “the ability of the Minister to execute his or her functions does not change.” “I cannot say I function

National Housing Strategy to be developed next year The strategic direction of the Central Housing and Planning Agency (CH&PA) for the year 2017 is expected to embrace the notion of creating livable and wholesome communities in Guyana. This is according to Minister with responsibility for Housing Valerie Patterson. The politician said that in keeping with the proposed line of direction, one of the primary measures that will be adopted in the medium term is enhancing collaboration with Local Democratic Organs (LDOs) and public participation in the housing and community development process. To achieve the longstanding goals of expanding the supply of housing, improving affordability and ensuring access to housing and infrastructure to poor families, Patterson said that actionable policy recommendations will be realized through the development of a National Housing Strategy. She said that the thrust to give prominence to planning, awareness and renewed interest at national, regional and local levels is critical to the work of the CH&PA. In this regard, she said that a National Planning Forum will be held during the first quarter of the new year with major stakeholders, to initiate dialogue and action to enhance the current fragmented planning framework. Also, as mandated under the Town and Country Planning Act, Patterson said that the CH&PA will initiate and support the preparation of development schemes in collaboration with the LDOs and other key stakeholders to set out objectives and policies to guide the growth and development of communities, whether urban, rural, regional, or other areas. Patterson said that this process will give clout to the enforcement aspect as the planning control activities. In this regard, she said that the enforcement arm of the CH&PA will be strengthened with the recruitment of additional enforcement officers to boost the agency’s planning function. She said that there will also be the consolidation of selected existing housing areas and regularized squatting areas and focusing primarily on the development of low income settlements.

Minister with responsibility for Housing, Valerie Patterson “The consolidation of areas will not only focus on investment in physical infrastructure, but revitalization programmes that include social services and community development projects in keeping with the commitment to create wholesome and cohesive communities,” Patterson said. She added, “In view of the limited resources and the need to make informed decisions, the continued investment in the existing housing areas will be informed through current, comprehensive, accurate data and financial information for each housing area.” The Junior Minister said that these proposals are part of the Government’s broader Medium Term Strategy that was presented to the Delegation of the Islamic Development Bank. She explained that this strategy articulates a multi-pronged approach to ensure inclusivity, and consists of a number of components such as the supply of 10,000 housing units to eligible Guyanese between 2016 and 2021 and the expansion of the current Hinterland Housing Programme to other Indigenous communities and households.

and feel less than a Minister of Labour. In fact if you look at some Labour Ministers of the past, they have been found wanting. I am not here to sing my praise, but look at the records that we have...and we have been pursuing that at all stages,” Minister Scott added. But according to the Minister, there will always be complaints when it comes to changes. He however accepted that there are some instances when there are valid complaints when it comes to matters of labour. “ We have heard complaints against our labour officers, we have heard complaints against the Minister, and we have heard complaints against senior officers. In the case of the Minister, I can say without fear of contradiction that there has never been any

Junior Minister of Social Protection, Mr. Keith Scott employer or any employee who has ever come to this Ministry (Ministry of Social Protection) who has been unable to see me,” said the Minister, as he noted that if there was such an occurrence he might have been involved

in a meeting at the time. He also said that there has never been a letter that was sent to him that he has not attended to. In fact he disclosed that as a matter of policy “any letter than comes to us, we begin first of all with an acknowledgment and after that we call people (by phone), in some cases we call them in.” “I do understand that there will always be concerns because we are dealing with human beings, and that is a thing that we can’t determine,” said Minister Scott as he stressed that “I have served this Government, I have served this Ministry, I have served Guyana with total sincerity.” He added, “my entire life has been dedicated to service, I have been brought up that way and I have not strayed from it and I will not stray from it”.

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Wednesday December 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

Noel Blackman for February sentencing The sentencing of former Minister of Health, Dr. Noel Blackman, has been pushed back for a month because of the unavailability of a New York court. Instead of being sentenced in the first week of the coming year, on January 6th, Blackman will now have to appear on February 10th, before Judge Joanna Seybert. Blackman, who served under the Desmond Hoyte led-People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) administration, had signaled his intentions back in August to change his plea on charges relating to the dealing of drugs. In court documents filed in a New York court, Blackman, who was arrested in February, last, as he was about to board a JFK airport flight to Guyana, said that he had managed to reach a plea agreement with the US prosecutors. The doctor was arrested while on his way to Guyana after being named as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Georgetown

Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Federal authorities took the 68-year-old doctor into custody after they ordered a Guyana-bound jet, taxiing for takeoff, to return to an airport terminal. Prior to his arrest, investigators had the doctor and his Brooklyn office under surveillance for weeks. The David Granger administration subsequently named Dr. Carl ‘Max’ Hanoman as the new GPHC Chairman. Prosecutors said that Blackman had illegally prescribed vast amounts of a painkiller drugs in what has been described as a “drugdealing enterprise spanning three States.” According to court documents, Judge Joanna Seybert, in allowing the application for the doctor to change his plea, also agreed for him to cancel a status hearing on the case, which was scheduled for yesterday. Blackman is co-owner of the Hoyte Blackman Television (HBTV- Channel

Nine) station locally. The doctor and his assistant, Eva Torres, 31, of the Bronx, were indicted on two counts: conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and distribution of a controlled substance. Prosecutors had signaled intentions to seize Blackman’s assets that would have come from the illegal activities. There were reports that he prescribed oxycodone to some patients he hadn’t seen, which was especially troubling, since the addictive drug could cause lifethreatening breathing problems during the first 72 hours of treatment and anytime the dose is increased. He was also accused of failing to declare more than US$30,000 which he carrying at the time of his arrest on his way to Guyana in February. Records show Dr. Blackman wrote 114 prescriptions in 2014 for about 3,800 oxycodone pills and nearly 2,500 prescriptions for about 365,000 pills last year. According to Newsday,

US Magistrate Anne Shields ordered Dr. Blackman held as a flight risk, pending future hearings. Until his arrest, Dr. Blackman had practiced surgery and pain management from offices in Franklin Square, Elmhurst and Brooklyn, and most recently lived in Far Rockaway, but was a longtime resident of Valley Stream, New York. Blackman’s arrest, at the time, was the latest in a string of cases involving Long Island doctors charged with illegally doling out highly addictive prescription painkillers. In Blackman’s case, Torres was stopped and searched at Kennedy Airport in December 2015, returning from visiting him in Guyana, with more than 40 oxycodone prescriptions signed by Dr. Blackman for patients,

For sentencing in February: Dr. Noel Blackman according to court papers. Agents checking the names of those for whom Dr. Blackman wrote prescriptions found that some lived in the Bronx and New Jersey, and as far away as Florida.

When his assistant was arrested at her Bronx home, she told agents an unnamed person, identified only as John Doe One, would give her a list of names, and Dr. Blackman would write oxycodone prescriptions without examining the recipients, the court papers said. Torres said Dr. Blackman was paid $300 for each of those prescriptions, the papers said. After he was arrested at the airport, Dr. Blackman told agents that “it was possible that some of his patients were addicted to oxycodone, and that he charged approximately $300 to see patients at his ‘pain management’ practice, and that he typically saw approximately 100 patients per day, which he estimated was about one patient every six minutes,” according to the papers.

Father of eight succumbs days after struck by car The holiday celebrations for a Haslington, East Coast Demerara family ended miserably yesterday morning after one of their loved ones, who was involved in a road accident over one week ago, succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Dead is Michael McPherson, 62, a father of eight. McPherson was struck down by a motorcar on December 18, at Haslington Front, while he was riding his bicycle on his way to work. According to one of McPherson’s relatives, the security guard was riding to work when he was hit off his bicycle by the car. The relative said that McPherson, who received severe head injuries, was rushed to the Georgetown Hospital, where he was admitted. The injured man was discharged from the hospital five days later. His relative related that the family was advised by doctors that it

would be better for McPherson to recover at home, so as to avoid him contracting any infections. However, his relatives rushed him back to the hospital yesterday morning after he began complaining of severe headaches. McPherson was transported to the hospital in a car accompanied by several family members. He was taken to the Accident and Emergency Unit, where he was pronounced dead. The dead man’s relatives believe that he was never on the road to recovery. “They (the doctors) ain’t see that he walking or nothing. That man (McPherson) ain’t recover. When he left the hospital he was not walking or stooling.” One relative related that the driver of the car is known to police and the vehicle was impounded at the Cove and John Police Station.

Wednesday December 28, 2016

Dozens of ISIS fighters killed in Mosul battles Irbil (CNN) Iraqi security and coalition forces killed 97 ISIS militants in eastern and southern Mosul on Sunday, Iraq’s Joint Military Command said, as the group continues to defend its Iraqi bastion with suicide attacks and artillery. The militants were killed in three separate incidents, the Iraqi military said in a statement.

In one incident, ISIS fighters tried to advance near a federal police position, south of Mosul, before Iraqi forces detonated two vehicle-borne IEDs and killed 21 “terrorists”, the military said. In a second incident, the military said it killed 51 ISIS fighters and injured a number of others after the militant group — using vehicle-borne IEDs and suicide bombers —

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Kaieteur News

West Virginia official who called Michelle Obama ‘ape in heels’ fired

tried to launch attacks on Iraqi military positions in the neighborhoods of Intisar, al Salam and al Shaimaa’ in southeastern Mosul. Separately, aircraft belonging to the coalition forces carried out airstrikes on an ISIS g a t h e r i n g i n a l Wa h d a neighborhood in eastern Mosul, killing 25 terrorists, the military said.

Venezuela says to cut 95,000 bpd crude output in OPEC deal Michelle Obama (Reuters) The director of a West Virginia nonprofit agency who called first lady Michelle Obama “an ape in heels” in a Facebook post has been fired and the institution put under outside management, state officials said on Tuesday. Pamela Taylor, director of the Clay County Development Corp (CCDC), which provides services to poor and elderly residents, drew international condemnation after her comment last month about Obama went viral. She resigned in November but was reinstated last

month, prompting West Virginia to review its contracts with the nonprofit. Democratic Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s office said the state had secured an agreement under which the Appalachian Area Agency on Aging will manage the CCDC for six months. “Following the state’s request for specific assurances that the CCDC is following anti-discrimination policies, we have been assured that Pamela Taylor has been removed from her position as CCDC director,” Tomblin’s office said in a statement. Taylor could not be

reached for comment. The nonprofit in Clay, West Virginia, a small town about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Charleston, the state capital, receives state and federal funding. After the Nov. 8 election, Taylor went on Facebook to praise the switch from Obama to former model Melania Trump, the wife of Presidentelect Donald Trump, a Republican. “It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified first lady back in the White House. I’m tired of seeing an ape in heels,” she wrote.

Don’t use our employees... (Reuters) Venezuela said on Tuesday it will cut 95,000 barrels per day of oil production in the New Year in fulfillment of a producers’ deal to reduce global output and strengthen prices. January 1 marks the start of the pact by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and several non-OPEC producers to lower production by almost 1.8 million bpd. “Without prejudicing its international contractual obligations, from January 1 2017, (state oil company) PDVSA and/or its subsidiaries will implement a reduction in the volumes of its main crude sale contracts, all in conformity with existing terms and conditions,” the Energy Ministry said. Venezuela, a price hawk within OPEC and one of the nations worst affected by a fall in crude revenue since mid-2014, currently produces

just over 2.4 million barrels of crude and condensates per day, according to ministry data. Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino said the output deal should lead to a re-balancing of inventories, after which he forecast Brent crude would settle at a price range of around $60-$70 a barrel and Venezuela’s crude basket between $45-$55 a barrel. Venezuela’s basket trades at a discount to other benchmarks because of its higher content of heavy oil.

President Nicolas Maduro has said he will soon embark on a tour of oil-producing nations to support the OPEC deal. “I am proposing a new system, a new formula to fix markets and oil prices to enable stability, harmony, continuity,” he said on Monday, without giving further details of his itinerary or planned proposal to fellow producers. “I aspire to at least 10 years of stability with realistic, fair prices of oil, and I am going to achieve it.”

(From page 15) increase in 2015 and 2016’.” GuySuCo insisted that the statements are considered by the corporation to be of a political nature and while employees have a right to protest as citizens in accordance with the Constitution, employees must be aware that this right has a responsibility attached to it. “Another placard stated,

‘one top man salary in GuySuCo - $5.2 M per month’. The corporation has taken note that this is the second occasion where our employees were engaged in a picketing exercise and were highlighting this matter. This statement is untrue, and the Corporation would like to request that the responsible organisations discontinue their efforts to fuel

discord between management and employees.” GuySuCo admitted that the times are challenging, with the corporation not oblivious to the impacts. “However, let us continue to work together, work harder and remain focused, while we explore the possibilities together, in our quest to find solutions.”

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Kaieteur News

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PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 House & Land available for sale. Contact Pacific Development Inc: 223-6035/ 227-8274 Two buildings on lot at180 Charolotte Street Bourda (W30XL120). (Price negotiable). Call:624-7341/ 227-6817/226-5183

WANTED 1 Offset Printer to operator AB Dick machine. Inter services Enterprise. Call:2261877/641-3687 (attractive salary) Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic. Call: 223-7500 Monday-Saturday 8:15-4:15 Need immediately dry cow mold 400 bags, preferably from Berbice Area. Call: 6437193 One live in waittress $70,000$80,000 monthly, boarding & lodging free, 18-30yrs. Call: 610-3974

CAR RENTAL

LAND FOR SALE Land at Lot 432 Section ‘A’ Block ‘X’, Plantation Great Diamond, E.B. Demerara – Call: 718-598-7149

Cambellville 2 storey house -$31M, $45M, South Ruimveldt -$17.5M, $25M, 32M, Grove -$9M, East $12M. Call Shawn: 231-2199/ 618-7483

Rooms with bed to let $20,000 & $25,000 per month. Call: 223-9677 8am-5pm

Spacious one bedroom upper flat at 239 Herstelling E.B.D. Call: 265-0204/ 601-0223/6459921

C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj Building- Call: 644-5166; 6222872; 615-0964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

Wednesday December 28, 2016

One live in couple to work as domestic and clean yard, in Mahaicony River. Call: 6446905/655-9419 Live in waitress. Call: 6439007 1 Live in nanny/domestic to take care of children & home, must know to cook various dishes 38-48yrs. Call: 6001898

ACCOMMODATION Harmony Inn: furnished apartments and rooms, ideal for overseas visitors from $6,000 per night. Call: 6680306/ 218-1400/ 694-7817 FOR SALE/RENT American Pool Table. Call: 277-0578

Significant reduction in cases referred to mediation centre Over the past decade there has been a significant reduction in the number of court cases which have been referred to the Mediation Centre, located in the compound of the Supreme Court of Judicature. Based on statistics provided by the Mediation Centre, from the period October 2013 to December 2015, 721 court cases were referred to the Centre and 188 of those were successful. In 2004, a total of 175 cases were referred to the centre. The numbers began dwindling the following year, whereby 120 cases were referred; in 2006, 65 cases; in 2007, 72 cases; in 2008, 46 cases; in 2009, 31 cases; in 2010, 37 cases; in 2011, 42 cases; in 2012, 37 cases; in 2013, 28 cases; in 2014, 35 cases and in 2015, 31 cases. These statistics are specific to the Georgetown centre. There are established mediation centres in New Amsterdam, Berbice, commissioned in 2014. One can deduce from the reduction in referred cases that Guyana is still a highly litigious country, preferring to go before the courts, or not enough is being done by members of the judiciary to encourage persons to utilise the services of the centre. In May of this year, this newspaper reported that there were an alarming number of civil and criminal cases which have rolled over to 2016. In 2015, there were 7,998 civil matters filed in the Supreme Court Registry, Georgetown and the subregistries of New Amsterdam and Essequibo. The total number of backlogged cases was 7,686 which took the total of cases to be heard to 15,684. At the end of 2015 only 5,629 cases were heard which left 10,055 civil matters still pending. At that time mediation was used by the Supreme Court as an option for civil matters and there were plans to make Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) compulsory for civil matters and to train mediators to facilitate this procedure. In November, the new Supreme Court rules were tabled in the National Assembly by AttorneyGeneral Basil Williams. The rules contain procedures for settling civil matters and making payments both in and out of court to help ease the Continued on page 23

Wednesday December 28, 2016

More sensitization needed for... From page 9 access to the internet, free and open source software and other internet-based tools predominantly at work, sensitisation can aid in the spread of appropriate, meaningful use of software/ apps and also that of digital responsibility. When asked if there is an atmosphere in Guyana that encourages software development, Harris said n o . A c c o r d i n g t o h e r, “Many corporations in Guyana, and even Government agencies, look outwards for their software solutions. There is a preference for off-the-shelf products.” Despite this, the HOD said that software is still developed by a few startup companies and even fewer established technology firms. “Nonetheless, there are not sufficient sophisticated demands being placed on the software sector to drive its development, or to challenge and bring the best out of the existing firms and freelancers.” She said that website development is popular and is often done by local firms and individuals. Harris said that it is notable that the Hackathon held earlier this year was won by a local team which fielded students of UG’s Computer Science Department. Such an event, according to Harris, is one of the major ways of informing local businesses about the abilities of local developers. “Most people naively think that our developers are not as

competent as those abroad.” The department usually hosts an exhibition where notable projects out of the department over a two-year period are showcased. However, Harris said that this event is not sufficient to inform the entire population about what the students can do. “I believe local developers need more channels to showcase their talent and win the trust of businesses in Guyana. As I have no doubt that they are capable of producing any solution required by any corporation here.” As it relates to employment prospects for persons who choose a career in this field, Harris said that before the options were limited, which included the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, Digicel or IT departments in government offices where there are usually used as technicians only. However, “with the recent creation of the eGovernment Agency, there seems to be more opportunities becoming available. This is evident by the job vacancy advertisements on their website”. She added that government ministries and agencies have been hiring as IT gains increasing respect as a transformational pillar and these entities are scampering to reap the benefits. Harris believes that the eGovernment initiative, since it employs a whole-ofgovernment approach, will definitely place greater demands on the ICT workforce and training

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institutions for appropriate high-end technical skills. In addition to working in the public sector, the HOD said that entrepreneurship should be encouraged in the sector. “In my view, selfemployment is honourable, and we must encourage it. Entrepreneurship, around the world, is gaining greater respect and acknowledgement as a key economic activity and source of solutions, often which government and enterprisesized organisations are unable to supply.” In light of this, Harris said that the question is not about the relative chances of obtaining a job, whether it be in government or selfemployed, but rather is the sector sufficiently developed to cater to the career ambitions of citizens, youths in particular. Nonetheless, she said, the environment and indications of government is encouraging. Harris believes that software and application development in addition to other ICT services offer tremendous potential for the creation of a nontraditional sector in Guyana. “There is a growing need, internationally, for innovative technology solutions to social and business issues, opportunities and problems. Guyanese, as w e a l l k n o w, a r e a n extremely innovative and creative people. The potential for software and application development to catalyse this new sector is great.” (Murtland Haley)

FLOODING PERSISTS IN WEST BERBICE The rains are here and residents in the West Berbice area which is drained by the MMA (Mahaica-MahaiconyAbary) water control system, especially those between Bush Lot and Number Thirty Village, are somewhat nervous given their experience earlier in the year. That event eventually forced frustrated residents to stage a protest by blocking the public road. It was that time of the rice crop when many rice farmers would release excess waters from their fields. That water would then to flow north to be emptied into the Atlantic Ocean via the MMA drainage canals. The system is so designed that whenever there is too great a volume of water in the system, giant pumps installed at Trafalgar (Number Twentyeight Village) would be activated to complement the sluices to get the water off the land. Earlier in the year the system failed residents because the Trafalgar outfall was badly silted, and none of the pumps installed at Trafalgar was operable. The sluice at Abary together with installation at Cotton Tree, could ‘not adequately service the system, thereby resulting in the residential areas being inundated. The present situation is rapidly becoming alarming, and farmers and residents have begun to complain. People are losing livestock. There are also implications for crop farmers since the water

is receding very slowly. Cash crop farmers could lose their crops, and rice farmers would have to contend with weeds. Much of the residential areas between Bush Lot and Number Thirty Village remain flooded. The situation is the same in th e B e l l a d r u m district, with residents complaining that in times past, the water was drained q u i t e q u i c k l y. O n t h e c o n t r a r y, a c c o r d i n g t o residents, there is now a build-up overnight, even though there is no rainfall. General Manager of the MMA, Aubrey Charles, on Monday, said that as far as he was aware, all the sluices are in proper working order, and the authority endeavours to monitor the situation as closely as possible to ensure that sluices are open when they should be. He also said that

authorities have managed to repair one of the original pumps installed at Trafalgar, and that pump is also in operation boosting the drainage system. Addressing the issue of the build-up of water when the sluices are closed, Mr. Charles said that such a situation can develop if there is a breach in the irrigation system. However, the authorities have not received any report about any such breach, but the MMA/ADA (Mahaica/ Mahaicony Abary/ Agricultural Development Authority) would carry out necessary inspections. The general manager promised to visit residential areas to have first hand assessments, and to ensure that the MMA/ADA provides the best possible service to the community.

Significant reduction... From page 22 clogging of court matters. Mediation has been identified as one of the ways to deal with the high amount of backlogged cases before the court system by giving disputants another alternative to settling their disputes. The process was aimed at giving persons a more flexible avenue to deal with their problems since mediation allows for agreements to be made which are not possible through the court system. The mediation process was further bolstered in 2010 when the Alternative Dispute Resolution Bill was assented to by then President Bharrat Jagdeo. The ADR process includes Arbitration, Negotiation, Mediation, Adjudication, Settlement Conference, Facilitation and conflict resolution. For mediation to begin, both parties select a neutral third party who mediates the proceedings to allow the disputants to agree on a solution. One benefit of this process is that it encourages the preservation of relationships instead of destroying them as is common when cases are tried in the courts. (Murtland Haley)

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One dead, four injured in drive-by shootings NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Police are searching for the killers who shot and killed one person and injured four others in a drive by shooting here on Monday. The police have not identified the man killed or those injured but said the incident

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Kaieteur News

occurred when gunmen travelling in a vehicle drove alongside another in which three adult females and two adult males were traveling on the Tonique-Williams Darling Highway. They said the gunmen fired several shots before speeding off.

Cuban parliament passes law that bans naming sites after Fidel Castro

“All five of the victims were shot and transported to hospital where one of the adult males later succumbed to his injuries. The other four victims remain in stable condition. Investigations are ongoing,” the police said in a brief statement.

10 Years Later, Patient Gets Compensation For Botched Blood Transfusion KINGSTON, Jamaica,– A former patient has been awarded J$4 million (US$31,056) in compensation for an error that took place 10 years ago at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). Barbara Wright was given a blood transfusion with the wrong blood type in March 2006. She later sued the Mona hospital, claiming that she had suffered physical and mental injuries. Wright claimed that she suffered from hypertension

and posttraumatic stress disorder, among other complaints. The assertion was supported by medical reports from two psychiatrists, stating that she needed ongoing therapy to cope with the side effects. The hospital admitted liability in the matter, but challenged the amount being sought for compensation. The Supreme Court accepted submissions from both sides and found that Wright did suffer physical and

mental injuries. The former patient was awarded J$4 million (US$31,056) in general damages, J$84,000 (US$652) in special damages and J$360,000 (US$2,795) for future medical expenses. Receiving the wrong type of blood during a blood transfusion can trigger an ABO incompatibility reaction, a rare but serious and potentially fatal response by the immune system to incompatible blood. (Caribbean 360)

US says Caribbean nationals among huge number of immigrants nabbed in 2016 WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says Caribbean nationals were among a large number of immigrants nabbed in 2016, as the agency “protects America from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration that threaten national security and public safety. “Our mission is accomplished by the people of ICE working together and by adhering to our values of integrity, courage and excellence,” said the agency in its Yearin-Review report. In the report, ICE offers a “snapshot” of its Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Management and Administration’s (M&A) “daily work.” “As we move confidently into 2017, ICE will continue to strive for excellence in all our efforts,” the report notes. During a five-week operation in March, dubbed “Project Shadow fire,” ICE

said 1,133 immigrants, including Caribbean nationals, were arrested. ICE said the sweep included more than 900 transnational criminal gang members and others associated with transnational criminal activity, such as drug trafficking, human smuggling and sex trafficking, murder and racketeering. ICE said nationals from 13 countries in Central America, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean were arrested in “Project Shadow fire.” It said 1,001 were charged with criminal offenses, and 132 were arrested administratively for immigration violations. Project Shadow fire was a “surge operation” conducted under Operation Community Shield. In June, an unidentified Belizean was among 331 individuals arrested during a month long operation targeting criminal immigrants and other immigration violators in six Midwestern states, ICE

said. It said the operation was aimed at arresting and removing convicted criminal immigrants from the US. The arrests were made in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri. Two Belizean nationals were also among 100 immigrants arrested in the Los Angeles-area in July. The largest number of those taken into custody during the enforcement action were originally from Mexico. In August, officers from ICE and ERO arrested 58 individuals during an operation spanning the New York metropolitan area, targeting criminal immigrants and “other enforcement priorities.” Those arrested had criminal histories with past convictions for rape, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and other serious criminal offenses, ICE said. The foreign nationals arrested during the operation included citizens of 17countries, including Trinidad and Tobago; Dominican Republic; Belize; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Guyana; Philippines; Jamaica; Indonesia; Guatemala; Ecuador; Mexico; El Salvador; Lebanon; Colombia; Israel; Romania; and the United Kingdom.

Fidel Castro (Reuters) Cuba’s National Assembly approved a law on Tuesday that bans erecting commemorative statues of Fidel Castro or naming public places after him, in accordance with the wishes of the revolutionary leader who died last month. Castro always said he did not want a cult of personality although critics point out that the cult was everywhere. His words are posted on billboards nationwide and his name is invoked at every public event.

Every since his death, a large photo of a young Castro dressed in military fatigues, with a rifle and pack slung over his back, has hung from a buildings on Havana’s Revolution Square. “Our main homage will not be to name everything we build after him but rather to keep his work alive and continue our socialist society,” lawmaker Jennifer Bello Martinez, president of the University Students’ Federation, was quoted as saying by official media outlet

Juventud Rebelde. President Raul Castro had already announced that his older brother did not want to be immortalized with statues or public places named in his name. The law does not ban artists from u s i n g F i d e l Castro’s figure in music, literature, dance, cinema or other visual arts, official media specified. Photos of him hanging up in offices, places of study or public institutions also may be kept.

Government moving to deal with illegal use of scratch bombs PORT OF SPAIN, CMC – Public Administration and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie says suggestions regarding the illegal use of scratch bombs will be forwarded to the Attorney General as the government moves to deal with the matter. Cuffie met with various stakeholders as part of the anti-scratch bomb campaign themed “Have Fun without Having a Blast.” A statement from the Ministry noted that since the campaign was launched just over two weeks ago there have been numerous suggestions, concerns and conversations on social and traditional media surrounding the proliferation and wanton use of scratch bombs and fireworks. Director of the Human and Environmental Care and Management Foundation (HAECMF), Lisa Ramlogan, said the animal welfare com-

munity and vets are reporting cases of animals being brought in after scratch bombs were inserted into their mouths and lit. President of Animals 360 Foundation Incorporated, Derek Mohammed, in a letter to Cuffie called for fireworks to be banned, “and failing that, the legislation governing the use of fireworks should be strengthened and strictly enforced to ensure controlled and responsible use to protect our citizenry including our elderly, infirmed, infants and animals”. Cuffie in his meetings with the stakeholders reaffirmed that the objective of the Scratch Bomb Public Awareness is to eliminate the use and stop the importation of scratch bombs into Trinidad and Tobago. He said the campaign is based on strong collaboration with the Ministry of Na-

tional Security and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service that have “committed to treat firmly” with the scratch bomb issue. During Divali celebrations of this year, Sally-Ann Cuffie, a grandmother was seriously injured when a scratch bomb exploded in her hand as she attempted to shield her grandchild from its blast. Scratch bombs are illegal and, according to Section 99 and 100 of the Summary Offenses Act, the use of fireworks in an area defined as a “town”, including Port of Spain, without permission from the Commissioner of Police at least 48 hours in advance, is illegal and subject to a TT$1,000 (One TT dollar =US$0.16 cents). The issue regarding the use of fireworks becomes an annual matter as the country prepares to usher in the New Year.

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Wing flap fault main theory behind Black Sea Russian jet crash (Reuters) Russian investigators looking into the crash of a military plane that crashed, killing all 92 on board, believe a fault with its wing flaps was the reason it plunged into the Black Sea, an investigative source told the Interfax news agency on Tuesday. The plane, a Tupolev154 belonging to the Defence Ministry, d i s a p peared from radar screens two minutes after taking off on Sunday from Sochi in southern Russia, killing dozens of Red Army Choir singers and dancers en route to Syria to entertain Russian troops in the run-up to the New Year. The three black box flight recorders from the aircraft were found on Tuesday, Russian news agencies said, amid unconfirmed reports that authorities had grounded all

aircraft of the same type. The Defence Ministry confirmed one box had been found. The Life.ru news portal, which has close contacts to law enforcement agencies, said it had obtained a readout of one of the pilot’s last words, indicating a problem with t h e w i n g flaps: “Commander, we are going down,” the p i l o t was reported to have said. There was no official confirmation of the readout. The Interfax news agency separately cited an unnamed investigative source as saying preliminary data showed the wing flaps had failed and not worked in tandem. As a result, the aging Soviet-era plane had not been able to gather enough speed and had dropped into the sea, breaking up on impact. If confirmed, the technical failure will raise

questions about the future of the TU-154, which is still actively used by Russian government ministries but not by major Russian commercial airlines. Interfax cited an unnamed source as saying Russia had grounded all TU-154 planes until the cause of Sunday’s crash became clear. There was no official confirmation of that.

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Wednesday December 28, 2016

Anger in Afghanistan at female pilot’s U.S. asylum bid (Reuters) There was an angry reaction in Afghanistan to news that the first female fixed-wing pilot in the country’s air force was requesting asylum in the United States after completing an 18-month training course. The Afghan defense ministry confirmed on Sunday that Captain Niloofar Rahmani, 25, had sought asylum after the Wall Street Journal quoted her as saying that she feared her life would be in danger if she returned home. A recipient of the U.S. State Department’s “Women of Courage” award in 2015, Capt. Rahmani had been a

symbol of efforts to improve the situation of women in her country, more than a decade after the fall of the Taliban regime. Mohammad Radmanish, a defense ministry spokesman, said the government hoped that her request would be denied by U.S. authorities who have spent billions trying to build up Afghan security forces. “When an officer complains of insecurity and is afraid of security threats, then what should ordinary people do?” he said. “She has made an excuse for herself, but we have hundreds of educated women and female

civil right activists who work and it is safe for them.” Capt. Rahmani, who graduated from flight school in 2012 and qualified to fly C208 military cargo aircraft, had been in the United States on a training course and had been due to return home on Saturday. In a conservative country notorious for the restrictions placed on women, Rahmani’s story stood out as a rare example of a woman breaking through in areas normally reserved for men. Her success came at a price, however. The citation for the “Women of Courage” award said she and her family had received direct threats not just from the Taliban but also from some relatives, forcing her family to move house several times. However, there was little sympathy on Afghanistan’s active social media networks, which were replete with comments criticizing Rahmani, accusing her of wasting government money spent on expensive training and avoiding her responsibilities.

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Wednesday December 28, 2016

Wednesday December 28, 2016

Botha the difference as... (From page 27) Emirates. Then Giroud, given a rare league start by manager Arsene Wenger, powered a header past West Brom’s impressive keeper Ben Foster from Mesut Ozil’s cross. “We have an honest relationship,” Wenger said of his French striker. “I have big respect for him and he knows that. He was not always playing and despite that he kept a strong motivation level.” Sixth-placed Manchester United kept in touch thanks to a 3-1 defeat of Sunderland as former boss David Moyes

had another disappointing day at Old Trafford. Daley Blind fired the opener in the 39th minute but inspired goalkeeping by Jordan Pickford prevented further damage until Zlatan Ibrahimovic slotted the second with eight minutes to go. Henrikh Mkhitaryan sealed United’s fifth straight win when he cleverly flicked in the third before Fabio Borini grabbed a last-minute consolation for Sunderland. Leicester City’s struggles continued when they lost 2-0 at home to Everton and the champions are now two places and three points

above the relegation zone. “What a year. Everything was right for the first six months and now everything is wrong,” said Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri. It was also an uncomfortable day for Bob Bradley as his second-from-bottom Swansea City were crushed 4-1 at home by West Ham United, the fifth time in six matches they have conceded three or more. Burnley edged away from the danger zone with a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough and Sam Allardyce’s first match as Crystal Palace manager ended with a 1-1 draw at Watford.

Wednesday December 28, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Get back down to earth and to basics. Discord could be unnerving. Be sure to sidestep those who are eccentric or unpredictable. TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) Relationships will be emotional today. Don't sign up for too many extra activities or you'll have trouble fulfilling your obligations. You can certainly gain popularity; however, don't do it by paying for everyone else. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You need to start planning that vacation. Don't hesitate to voice your opinions when it comes to matters pertaining to work. Think about taking the time to complete unfinished domestic chores. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Small business ventures can earn you extra cash. If you can get away for a vacation, do so. Listen to a good friend who is truly looking out for your best interests. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You have your own family to consider as well. Go after your professional goals. You will have a childlike approach today, big hearted and full of spunk. Get together with friends and do something entertaining but not too expensive. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Don't let situations get out of control. Disappointments are likely if your mate embarrasses you in front of

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friends. Don't hesitate to take short trips. LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Plan to visit friends or relatives. You can change your living arrangements. Your communication skills may win you points. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Help others solve their dilemmas. Don't let others bully you into agreeing with them. Romantic opportunities are evident if you get involved in large groups or organizations. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Don't involve yourself in the emotional problems of those you work with. A residential move may be necessary to get a better job. This could be a serious relationship. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Try to be reasonable. Dream a little today. You will be emotional when dealing with coworkers or employers. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Stomach problems could prevail if you haven't been watching your diet. Don't let individuals with wild schemes talk you into a financial deal that is not likely to be successful. Avoid disputes with family; their complaints can't change anything anyway. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You can make money if you concentrate on producing services or goods that will make domestic chores easier. Take precautions while traveling; you don't have to get anywhere that fast. Sudden changes concerning coworkers may surprise you.

De Silva hits defiant 43 to keep... (From page 26) fall, out for 37. South Africa then made quick inroads through the pace duo of Abbott and Philander to wrestle back control of the contest. Dimuth Karunaratne was the first Sri Lankan dismissed, getting an inside edge to Abbott and playing onto his stumps to depart for five.

Kusal Perera went next for seven, caught behind by De Kock off Philander, and Kusal Mendis followed soon after without scoring as the wicketkeeper took another diving catch, this time off Abbott’s bowling. Sri Lanka lost Matthews and opener Kaushal Silva, who had seen three wickets go down before him, in the second session and after tea

Dinesh Chandimal (28) was given out leg before wicket off a Philander delivery and Rangana Herath (24) similarly trapped by Maharaj. Play will start 28 minutes earlier today but rain is predicted for some part of the day. Scores: Sri Lanka 181 for 7 (De Silva 43*, Philander 3-35) trail South Africa 286 (Duminy 63, Cook 59, Lakmal 5-63) by 105 runs.

Dak and Dez fire as Dallas... (From page 28) tight end Eric Ebron had eight receptions for 93 yards. Bryant made a juggling one-handed touchdown catch, despite being interfered with by Lions cornerback Johnson Bademosi, to tie the game at 21 going into halftime. Prescott converted a thirdand-7 by hitting Bryant for the 25-yard touchdown with 1:04 left in the second quar-

Azhar becomes... (From page 31) resistance. The scoreboard was quickly amended, prompting groans from the home crowd and Azhar marched on. Rain forced a break and left him stranded on 96 but unfazed, he returned to tease two runs down the leg-side to bring up an assured and morale-boosting century. Scores: Pakistan 6 for 310 (Azhar 139*, Shafiq 50) v Australia. Latest Score: Pakistan 6 for 310 (Azhar 139*, Shafiq 50) v Australia

ter. Detroit scored on its first three possessions to take a 21-14 lead with 7:40 remaining in the half. Zenner ran 7 yards for the Lions’ first touchdown and 5 yards for the third. Stafford plunged forward 1 yard to convert a fourth-and-goal and tie it at 14. Dallas struggled for most of the first half to stop the Lions’ combination of Stafford and Zenner. Stafford finished the first half with 137 passing yards, and Zenner

rushed for 64 on 10 carries before intermission. However, Prescott and Elliott helped the Cowboys keep pace. Prescott hit wide receiver Brice Butler for a 21-yard touchdown to give Dallas a 7-0 lead after its first drive. Elliott broke loose for a 55-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter to put the Cowboys back in front 14-7. Elliott finished the first half with 74 yards on eight carries.

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Wednesday December 28, 2016

Steelers beat Ravens with lastgasp touchdown, win AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell (26) backs into the end zone to score a seven yard touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports) (The Sports Xchange) Ben Roethlisberger threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown with nine seconds remaining to finish off a frantic 21-point Pittsburgh fourth quarter and the Steelers rallied to beat the Baltimore Ravens 31-27 on Sunday and win the AFC

North. The Steelers (10-5) overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and a 10-yard, go-ahead touchdown run by Kyle Juszcyk with 1:25 remaining to beat the Ravens (8-7) for the first time in five games, and win their NFL-best 22nd

division title since 1970. The result eliminated the Ravens from playoff contention. The Steelers looked to be in position to win their seventh AFC North title since 2002 when two Le’Veon Bell touchdowns of 7 yards each about four

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) has his facemask grabbed while he extends the ball across the goal line to score the game winning touchdown against Baltimore Ravens strong safety Eric Weddle (32) in the fourth quarter. (Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports) minutes apart, aided by a key pass interference penalty, helped them overcome a 2010 Baltimore lead and take a 24-20 lead. Bell ran for 122 yards. But Baltimore surged back as Joe Flacco mounted a 75-yard, go-ahead touchdown drive ended by

Juszcyk’s run up the middle — the third time in the drive he gained key yardage. However, the Ravens gave Roethlisberger (24 of 33, 279 yards) just a little too much time to put together a game-saving, 75-yard drive. The Steelers won their sixth in a row after dropping

four straight and now will finish the regular season next Sunday against the Cleveland Browns (1-14) in a meaningless game. The Ravens, only minutes after they looked to be in position to claim the division, were eliminated from playoff contention.

De Silva hits defiant 43 to keep Sri Lanka in contention (Reuters) Dhananjaya de Silva enhanced his rapidlygrowing reputation with an unbeaten 43 as he kept South Africa’s strike bowlers at bay to see Sri Lanka to 181 for seven in their first innings at the end of the second day of the first test yesterday. The 25-year-old, who hit a six with his first scoring shot when he made his test debut against Australia in July, brought Sri Lanka within 105 runs of South Africa’s first innings total of 286 before bad light stopped play for the day. Sri Lanka had been in serious trouble at 21 for three as their top order was decimated but De Silva’s knock and 39 from captain Angelo Matthews stemmed a possible collapse. Eleven wickets fell on a day when a bowlerfriendly track proved something of a nightmare for batsmen. Suranga Lakmal claimed career-best figures to help

Vernon Philander appeals for lbw against Dinesh Chandimal, South Africa v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Port Elizabeth, 2nd day, ©AFP

dismiss South Africa in the first hour, completing his first test match five-wicket haul and finishing with 5-63

as the home side added just 19 runs to their overnight total of 267-6. South Africa’s hopes of

Dhananjaya de Silva ducks under a bouncer, South Africa v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Port Elizabeth, 2nd day, ©AFP

significantly adding to their score quickly faded as Vernon Philander was dismissed and followed

back to the pavilion by Keshav Maharaj and Kyle Abbott, who each faced only three balls and failed to

score. Quintin De Kock was the last South African wicket to (Continued on page 25)

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Record-breaking Chelsea surge seven points clear

Chelsea’s Pedro celebrates scoring their third goal with Nemanja Matic. (Action Images via Reuters / Tony O’Brien Livepic)

Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez in action with West Bromwich Albion’s Ben Foster before he hits the bar. (Reuters / Toby Melville Livepic) LONDON (Reuters) Spaniard Pedro scored twice as Chelsea tightened their grip on top spot by sweeping past Bournemouth 3-0 on Monday, a club record 12th successive Premier League win taking them seven points clear. Approaching the

halfway point of the season, Chelsea have 46 points to the 39 of Manchester City who won 3-0 at Hull City. Liverpool, who host Stoke City yesterday, and Arsenal, who needed a late Olivier Giroud goal to sink West Bromwich Albion 1-0, both have 37 points.

Wi t h D i e g o C o s t a suspended, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte opted to play without a recognised striker and he was rewarded with inventive attacking displays from Pedro, Belgian Eden Hazard and Brazilian Willian. Pedro’s sumptuous chip

put the home team ahead after 24 minutes before Hazard made it 2-0 with a penalty at the start of the second half. Bournemouth, who won this fixture last season when Jose Mourinho was in charge at Stamford Bridge, conceded a third goal when

Pedro’s deflected shot went in during stoppage time. The victory took Chelsea past their 11-game winning run from 2009, leaving them within two of the top-flight record set by Arsenal in 2002. “To win 12 in a row is not easy in this league. It’s a

Botha the difference as Sixers cruise home ESPNcricinfo - The Sydney Sixers produced a sublime spin bowling display and a composed run chase to dispatch the Perth Scorchers by six wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Sixers restricted Scorchers, who elected to bat, to 8 for 130, on what appeared a good batting surface. Mitchell Marsh was left to salvage the innings with an uncharacteristic subdued unbeaten 29-ball 31 after they slumped to 8 for 107. Sam Billings began Sixers’ chase with a 30-ball 40. The inventive righthander was promoted to the top of the order after his England teammate Jason Roy was withdrawn from the line-up after injuring his back at training. Johan Botha finished the job with a

composed unbeaten 30 and was a thoroughly deserving of the Man of the Match award for an excellent allround display. Sixers spin a web The Scorchers produced a dominant batting display in their tournament opener on a fast WACA surface. There, they took 56 in the powerplay overs against Adelaide Strikers to set up a big win. At the SCG, Sixers employed their spinners for five of the six power-play overs, and it worked brilliantly. The Scorchers scored just 34 runs from those five overs for the loss of Michael Klinger. Shaun Marsh managed just three from eight deliveries on his return from injury before falling to Doug Bollinger. Sixers spin trio of Botha,

Steve O’Keefe and Will Somerville applied the squeeze in the middle overs; their combined figures read 4 for 59 in 10 overs. Botha a potential Australia T20 bolter Botha has played 123 international matches for South Africa across formats, the last of which was in October 2012. Prior to this tournament, Botha was given Australian citizenship after he complied with the eligibility criterion. He produced a stunning allround display against the Scorchers, taking 1 for 26, including bowling in the power-play, and scoring 30* off 19 balls to see his side home. He also took an outstanding catch on the boundary to remove Sam Whiteman. Considering

Australia picked a 43-year old Brad Hogg for the 2014 World T20, there’s perhaps a case of Botha being considered for the shortest format too? L a n g e r ’s l e f t - r i g h t t h e o r y Scorchers coach Justin Langer has impressed upon his side the need to have a flexible batting line-up; the need to have left-right batting partnerships throughout the innings. But the timing of the dismissals meant that the dangerous Mitchell Marsh walked out at No. 6 in the 12th over and in form Ashton Turner batted at No. 8 despite producing a match-winning 19-ball 44* against the Strikers prior to Christmas. Marsh had to play a subdued role to steady the ship while Turner was

forced to hit-out straight away. Tye-ing them down Andrew Tye produced one of the best spells of the tournament so far. He deceived Brad Haddin with a clever knuckle ball and conceded just two runs in his first over. He went on to add the wickets of Moises Henriques and Jordan Silk into his kitty, finishing with 3 for 15. He has represented Australia in three T20 internationals and his variety of slower balls, changes of pace and yorkers make him a difficult bowler to get away. Scores: Sydney Sixers 4 for 132 (Billings 40, Botha 30*) beat Perth Scorchers 8 for 130 (Mitchell Marsh 31*, Whiteman 28) by six wickets.

f a n t a s t i c r u n b u t i t ’s important to continue that now,” Conte told reporters. “We have another tough game (at home to Stoke on Saturday) and we have to prepare very well because, now, every team wants to beat you.” Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said: “They are an outstanding team. They have individuals of such quality that we couldn’t keep them quiet the whole game.” DEFENSIVE DISPLAY It was a similar story for bottom club Hull who contained Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City for 72 minutes before Andy Robertson’s rash tackle on Raheem Sterling gave the visitors a penalty that Yaya Toure tucked away with ease. Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho made it 2-0 before Sterling’s cross was turned into his own net by Curtis Davies in stoppage time to seal a third consecutive win. “In the first half we forgot where the goal was, in the second half our strikers saw the goal a bit more and after the first goal it was easy,” Guardiola said. Arsenal seemed set to drop points again, having lost their two previous games, as Tony Pulis’ West Bromwich Albion frustrated them for 86 minutes at the (Continued on page 25)

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Wednesday December 28, 2016

Golden Blue Ecko shines brightly on damp day for feature win at KMTC Nazrudeen Mohammed Jnr. of the Jumbo Jet stable receives the winning trophy in the E class event from a representative of DDL.

Settling Star with Ramnauth of the Shariff Stable on the rails winning from Its My Turn and Firing Line in a close finish with Work Force. Golden Blue Ecko of The Karibee Rice Stable and ridden by Colin Ross continued its winning ways when the racehorse used the opportunity of the Kennard Memorial Turf Club Boxing Day meet to show that indeed it is one of the top horses in Guyana with a clinical gate to pole beating of all opponents to with the feature D and lower 9F event, at the meet held last Monday at the Club’s entity, Bush Lot Corentyne, Berbice. Imported out of Canada, the animal owned and trained by Mohendra Persaud of the Nand Persaud Group Of Companies was a class above the field as it put

on a show for a gate to pole beating of its opponents, romping home with the $1.2M top money and trophy compliments of Metro Computer Supplies. Golden Blue Ecko with the win showed that it is one of the better all-round horses around with the ability to sprint and cover the longer distances. This was after winning the feature events at the two Sprint Classic events held at the Nand Persaud Race track. The horses were off to a level break with Golden Blue Ecko taking the lead with the wily Ross holding it back around the turn. It soon began to open up a sizable lead as Ross gave it full reign

along the back stretch as the others tried to play catch-up by which time the race was going at full pace. The animal maintained the lead around the far turn and into the homestretch and by then the fight was for second place a Golden Blue Ecko was going at full pace as it continued to distance itself from the rest of the field with every passing step in the wet conditions to win by about 10 lengths. The other two positions were occupied by Lady Budapest of the Bactowar Stable, Keep On Swinging of the Jumbo Jet Stable and Brave Sky also of the Karibee Rice stable to take

the first and fourth positions. Release the Beast of the Jumbo Jet stable with Randolph Richmond took charge early as it once again ate up the field to take the E and lower 6F event and trophy from a fast finishing Golden Blue Ecko, Brave Sky and Wichie Poo. Settling Star of the Shariff Stable with Rupert Ramnauth ran one of the better races of the day in the G class event. With its pathway blocked, the experience Ramnauth timed his move perfectly down the homestretch as he slipped between a number of horses to take the front just in time to race home ahead of Its My Turn, Firing Line and Work

Force in the 7F encounter. Genuine Risk ridden by R. Appadhu eased away from the pack to take top honours in the Guyana Bred two years Old maiden 6F event from Miss Angelie, Princess Saria and Mischief Maker. The race for West Indies bred maiden and Guyana bred H and lower animals saw Amazon Warrior of the Abrahim stable winning its first event as it defeated Another Time, Blondie and Confusion over 5F. Party Time of the De Mattos stable with Yap Drepaul on the perch had a grand time as it won the J and lower and 2 years Guyana Bred event from She So

Special, Red Jet and Massapequa Dr. The top jockey was Rupert Ramnauth with The Karibee Rice Stable the top stable and the top trainer was Mohendra Persaud. They were presented with accolades compliments of the Trophy Stall, Bourda Market. The track was in good condition despite the inclement weather with the authorities spending a sizable amount of money to make the track one of the better ones in Guyana. The KMTC is already known to have some of the best facilities for horseracing in Guyana. (Samuel Whyte)

Dak and Dez fire as Dallas deny Detroit ARLINGTON, Texas (The Sports Xchange) - The Dallas Cowboys entered their final regular-season home game with the NFC East title and home-field advantage in the playoffs in their back pocket. Even so, Dallas showed no signs of slowing down as it raced past the Detroit Lions in the third quarter on the way to a 42-21 victory on Monday night at AT&T Stadium. The Lions (9-6) were the team trying to lock up a playoff berth, but they couldn’t keep up after halftime with Dallas (13-2), which had all of its stars on display. Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott passed for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Wide

receiver Dez Bryant caught a pair of TD passes and threw another, and rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 80 yards and two scores on 12 carries. The only sign that Dallas might have let its hair down a bit, with the NFC East title in hand, came in the third quarter when Bryant threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jason Witten. On first-and-goal from the Detroit 10, Bryant took a pitch going to his left on a reverse and appeared headed upfield. But just before Bryant reached the line of scrimmage, he tossed to a wide-open Witten in the end zone for the score. The Bryant-to-Witten connection put an exclamation point on the Cowboys’ domination of the

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) is tackled by Detroit Lions middle linebacker Tahir Whitehead (59) during the first half at AT&T Stadium. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

third quarter. After going to halftime tied at 21, Dallas won the

third 14-0 by moving the ball efficiently and shutting down the Lions’ offense.

Cowboys safety J.J. Wilcox ended Detroit’s second-half-opening

possession by intercepting Matthew Stafford at the Lions 46-yard line. Dallas stopped Detroit’s second series of the third quarter at the Lions 36, and Detroit kicker Matt Prater missed a 47-yard field goal on the Lions’ third and final offensive series of the period. The Cowboys responded to Prater’s miss by driving 63 yards in seven plays. Prescott hit Bryant for a 19yard touchdown that put Dallas ahead 42-21 and in total command with 12:12 left. Stafford finished 26 of 46 for 260 yards and the one interception. Detroit running back Zach Zenner produced two touchdowns and 67 yards on 12 carries, while (Continued on page 25)

Kaieteur News

Wednesday December 28, 2016

PAGE 33

Pistons stun Cavs to ease out of slump Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) grabs a lose ball during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. (Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kay Felder (20) dribbles the ball as Detroit Pistons center Aron Baynes (12) defends during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. (Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports)

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (The Sports Xchange) - Desperate for a victory, the Detroit Pistons needed to catch a break. Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue delivered that gift a day after Christmas, resting the game’s biggest star. LeBron James got the night off as the Pistons snapped a five-game losing streak by downing the Cavaliers 106-90 on Monday night at The Palace. James, who played 40

minutes in Cleveland’s 109108 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, sat in street clothes and watched his team’s offence disintegrate. The Cavs shot 38 percent from the field and committed a season-high 22 turnovers. James was rested in two other games this season after playing a home game the previous night. Cleveland is 23-4 when he is in uniform and 0-3 without him. “He’s probably the best player in the world,” Pistons

forward Jon Leuer said. “When he’s not in there, it’s a different feel, for sure. They still have some talented guys with Kyrie (Irving) and Kevin (Love), their shooters and how they space the floor. It still makes it difficult, but LeBron kind of facilitates everything.” Detroit hounded Golden State into 23 turnovers in its previous game, but Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy felt the Cavs’ giveaways were mainly due to James’ absence.

“I didn’t think we forced a lot,” he said. “Kyrie’s used to making plays, but nobody else on that team really ever has to make a play other than Kyrie or LeBron. Today, (others) had to try to make some plays. They’re in unfamiliar territory. These are guys that normally play off those two guys. When there’s only one of them, it’s a little bit harder.” Pistons forward Tobias Harris scored 21 points while coming off the bench for the second straight game

after starting the previous 31. That performance followed up a season-high, 26-point outing against the Warriors. “It’s different,” he said. “Obviously, when you come off the bench, you have to use that time on the bench to evaluate the speed of the game, how we’re playing, what we’re doing well, what we’re not doing well. And when you get into the game, you have to try to make that impact from there.” Kentavious CaldwellPope had 18 points, Marcus

Logie under pressure to retain Red Force coaching job – newspaper P O RT O F S PA I N , Trinidad - CMC – David Williams is one of the candidates being considered as a possible replacement for current Trinidad & Tobago Red Force head coach Gus Logie. A Trinidad Guardian newspaper report has indicated that Williams, the former T&T and West Indies wicketkeeper, as well as former national coach, could replace Logie, following the results of the Red Force in the WICB Regional 4-Day Tournament. The Guardian said some members of the T&T Cricket Board executive are in favour of Williams, as he was associated with a very successful period for the national team in regional competitions between the years 2006 to 2011. But Patrick Rampersad, the second vice president of the TTCB, said Logie, the

former West Indies batsman and head coach, was still strongly favoured for the position. “ We h a v e h a d n o discussion as far as Gus Logie is concerned,” told the Guardian. “As far as I know, Gus is still the man in charge of the team and he will be working with the players as they prepare for the Regional Super50 Tournament. “ We h a v e h a d n o discussions as far as removing Gus from his position. We intend to meet with him soonest to hold dialogue as far as what has happened before, but no decision has been made to remove him. That is an executive decision and no meeting has been called to discuss his removal. “We are all disappointed over the results we have gotten in the first-class

tournament and we are about looking to continue to put things right for the team.” TTCB officials plan to meet with the Logie and the rest of the team management unit of the Red Force in the coming days to discover why the side has under-performed this season. After starting the season with great promise and a comfortable win over Windward Islands Volcanoes, the Red Force sunk to their third defeat of the season two Mondays ago, when the Guyana Jaguars crushed them by 10 wickets at the Guyana National Stadium. They are now last at the halfway stage in the six-team tournament on 35.6 points, heading into the long break in the season for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, plus the Regional Super50.

Gus Logie facing pressure to remain Trinidad & Tobago Red Force head coach

Morris supplied 15 and Leuer and Reggie Jackson chipped in 13 apiece for the Pistons. Andre Drummond added 11 points and a gamehigh 17 rebounds on a night when the last-place Pistons (15-18) never trailed. Irving led the Cavaliers, who had their five-game winning streak snapped, with 18 points and eight assists. Love contributed 17 points and 14 rebounds. Iman Shumpert, Kay Felder and Channing Frye had 11 points apiece. “Guys have to do more,” Lue said of playing without James. “We have specialists, guys who can make shots. That opens up the floor for Kyrie, LeBron and Kevin to go to work. When one of our key guys doesn’t play, that makes it tough on the other two and it makes it tough on the rest of the team, also.” Irving sensed from the opening minutes the Cavs were in trouble. “Those guys were ready for us,” he said. “They came out and jumped on us. Got out to an 8-0 start, and we were just climbing back the whole game and never really got the lead or the game in our possession.” The Cavs pulled within one on a couple of occasions in the third quarter but couldn’t get over the hump. Leuer had an eight-point quarter, and Detroit finished it with an 11-3 spurt for a 7664 advantage. Harris and CaldwellPope tossed in 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, extending Detroit’s lead to 17. The margin remained in double digits the rest of the way.

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Wednesday December 28, 2016

Organisers to meet on new dates for STAG Nations CUP KO Football The continued unprecedented rainfall at this time of year continues to put a damper on the STAG Nations Cup knock-out football championship that involved teams from five associations affiliated to the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) which has sanctioned the competition. Teams and fans would have been disappointed that the traditional Christmas and Boxing Day matches would have been cancelled due to consistent heavy rainfall which has rendered the playing venues unfit for play. The competition has reached the stage where the final two round-of-16 matches had to be called off due to a waterlogged Grove Playfield. The organisers of the championship will meet shortly to decide on new dates for the re-start of the c h a m p i o n s h i p . Grove Hi Tech will play New Amsterdam United, while Den Amstel will match skills with Ann’s Grove to close out round-of-16 play after

Action in the Young Achievers

which quarter-final action will get underway with semifinal spots on the line. Already through to the quarters are Western Tigers

which has earned a date with Pouderoyen; Santos which will tangle with Uitvlugt Warriors; Police which will battle the winner of the

G r o v e H i Te c h / N e w Amsterdam United clash and Riddim Squad which will oppose the winner of the Ann’s Grove/Den Amstel

match-up. Teams walking the play are Mahaicony Thunderhawks, Flamingo, Golden Stars, Young Achievers, Northern

Rangers, Kuru Kururu Warriors, Cougars, Rosignol United, Herstelling Raiders a n d M a h a i c a Determinators.

Taylor leads Thunder to victory, Dottin injured, rain sidelines Matthews SYDNEY, Australia CMC – A season-best knock f r o m S t a f a n i e Ta y l o r anchored Sydney Thunder to a comfortable, eight-wicket victory over struggling Melbourne Renegades in the Women’s Big Bash League yesterday. T h e We s t I n d i e s Women’s captain struck four fours and two sixes in 48 not out from 37 balls, making

her a shoo-in for the Playerof-the-Match award, as the Thunder successfully chased a modest target of 94 in the 22nd match of the tournament at the Blacktown Sportspark. Ta y l o r s h a r e d a n unbroken, third-wicket stand with Australia Women’s international Alex Blackwell to give the Thunder their third win in

the tournament with 50 balls remaining. The result also meant that the Thunder now has seven points from their six matches, placing them third in the current standings. Taylor, also a decent part-time off-spinner, was not called upon to bring her tweakers, as the Renegades, sent in to bat, were restricted to 93 for six in their allocation of 20 overs. In another match at Allan Border Field, a five-run victory for hosts Brisbane Heat over the tournamentleading Melbourne Stars was overshadowed by a heavy, head-first collision b e t w e e n We s t I n d i e s Women’s star all-rounder Deandra Dottin and her teammate Laura Harris. Dottin was rushed to the hospital with a suspected concussion and was later released, but Harris was able to walk away and remained at the venue. Earlier, Dottin was

Stafanie Taylor anchored Sydney Thunder Women to victory

dismissed for two, as the Heat posted 129 for five from their 20 overs, after they chose to bat and she conceded 22 from two overs in the Stars’ chase which fell

just short. The other match on the card between home team Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes, whose squad includes

t e e n a g e d We s t I n d i e s opener Hayley Matthews, was abandoned without a ball being bowled at the Gliderol Stadium, due to rain.

Wednesday December 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Azhar becomes the man for all seasons at rainy MCG M E L B O U R N E (Reuters) Pakistan’s opening batsman Azhar Ali has rarely seemed a man in a hurry in six years of test cricket so it was fitting that his 12th century was eked out in fits and starts over two rainy days at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Azhar’s unbeaten 139 pushed Pakistan to 310 for six at the end of day two of the second test against Australia yesterday and was a triumph of patience and determination in the face of frustrating rain delays and a world class pace attack. The ton lifted the gritty 31-year-old past 1,000 runs for the year, a milestone

shared by only four others from the south Asian nation. He is also within striking range of Majid Khan’s 158 at the same ground in 1972, the highest score by a Pakistan player in Australia. The rain has crimped the tourists’ hopes of forcing a result to keep the threematch series alive after their 39-run loss in the Brisbane opener. But Azhar may have at least won over more fans, having left some cold with his one-dimensional, blue collar batting style. He also boosted his claim to be a man for all surfaces. Having previously scored all his centuries on

Asian pitches, Azhar ’s knock at the MCG added to the 139 he scored in Birmingham in August in a losing cause against England. “He was very committed, very determined ... from the first day as well,” Pakistan paceman Wahab Riaz told reporters after his team mate’s unfinished 287ball knock. “We had a chat as well that he wanted to score a century and that he wanted his name on the board at the MCG.” Azhar has proved a bugbear to Australia since his debut at Lord’s in 2010, where he scored 16 and 42

Russell’s black bat is back

Azhar Ali sets himself up to pull one away, Australia v Pakistan, 2nd Test, 2nd day, Melbourne, ©Getty Images

but soaked up plenty of time at the crease. He scored back-to-back centuries in the Abu Dhabi test in 2014 to help Pakistan blank Australia 2-0 in the series. At the MCG, he was at his most stolid and frustrating on day one, and took over 90 balls before hitting his first boundary. But on day two he

opened his shoulders against the ageing ball and sent a string of sublime straight drives thundering past Australia’s hapless seamers. He was fortunate Nathan Lyon missed the stumps for a run-out chance when coaxed into a reckless single by Asad Shafiq, with whom he shared an important 115-run stand. Just before the morning

drinks break, he had to lunge back to his crease when Shafiq smacked straight back at bowler Jackson Bird who got a hand to the ball before it clattered into the stumps. A third umpire review showed he was safe but the scoreboard flashed that he was “out”, as if its operator was also weary of Azhar’s (Continued on pag e 25)

Windies Women’s all-rounder out of hospital after nasty collision Andre Russell can resume use of a black bat

SYDNEY, Australia (CMC) — Andre Russell can resume use of his blackcoloured bat during the Big Bash League. Cricket Australia said it had granted approval for the West Indies Twenty20 star to use the black-coloured bat after reviewing modifications made to the material covering the willow. “Following feedback from the match officials that the bat used by Andre in the opening night of the season left black marks on the match ball, Andre has worked with his bat manufacturer to modify the bat,” said Head of the Big Bash Anthony Everard. “A clear laminate cover has been applied to the bat

which complies with regulations to ensure the ball discolouration does not occur again. “We’re now satisfied that the bat will not compromise the integrity of the game by discolouring the match ball and we have granted approval for Andre to use the bat in any future BBL matches.” Russell unveiled a black bat – a throwback to the S t a n f o r d Tw e n t y 2 0 To u r n a m e n t i n t h e Caribbean – for the opening match of the BBL against cross-town rivals Sydney Sixers last Tuesday. Complaints from the umpires and rivals in the game led CA to provisionally bar him from using the bat, which is

trimmed with pink handle rubber and highlights, until the manufacturers can prevent it from leaving marks on the ball. Before the start of the competition, Russell had permission to use a black bat under the rules, which stipulate it must be the same colour as the Club’s primary colour – or black. Russell used a conventional bat during the Thunder’s second match last Thursday, when they lost to the Melbourne Renegades. But bat-maker Spartan has worked with Russell to solve the problem with the black bat and he posted a video to his Instagram account showing the founder of the company giving a demonstration.

BRISBANE, Australia CMC — Deandra Dottin has now left hospital, but the severity of her head first collision with a teammate in a Women’s Big Bash League match will be known after the results of her X-rays are reviewed. T h e We s t I n d i e s Women’s star, playing for the Brisbane Heat, collided heavily with teammate Laura Harris, when they tried to field a ball on the boundary against Melbourne Stars yesterday at Allan Border Field. Dottin was stretchered from the field after the incident and was taken to hospital with a suspected concussion, but Harris was able to walk away from the incident and remained at the ground. The Windies Women’s all-rounder did not suffer any external injuries and team officials are hopeful initial fears of internal, structural injuries are allayed, when doctors examine the results of the scans conducted on the allrounder. The incident occurred with the Stars at 72 without loss in the 11th over of their run chase, when Stars

Deandra Dottin (file photo) captain Meg Lanning lofted Heat medium-pacer Haidee Birkett over mid-wicket. The ball landed between Dottin and Harris just inside the rope and, in their haste to stop the boundary, the pair

collided at pace and clashed heads. Both suffered heavy falls, Dottin appeared to land on a team kit bag just in front of the perimeter picket fence into which Harris crashed.

t r o Sp

Golden Blue Ecko shines brightly on damp day for feature win at KMTC

Mr. and Mrs. Moendra Persaud of the Karibee Rice stable is all smiles as they received the feature D class Trophy compliments the Kharag family and Metro from representative Arif Baksh for Golden Blue Ecko win.

Golden Blue Ecko of The Karibee Rice stable with Colin Ross is all alone in winning the feature event.

Sarama Football Team thanks Mountain View General Store Greawall Ghanie (kneeling forefront) poses with the Sarama Football Team.

Logie under pressure to retain Red Force coaching job – newspaper

De Silva hits defiant 43 to keep Sri Lanka in contention

Sarama Football Team has expressed thanks to proprietor of the Mountain

View General Store at Aranaputa Village, Region 9, for sponsoring the top prize

of $100,000 for a football tournament. The team said that they

look forward to the continued support from Ghanie in the New Year.

Organisers to meet on new dates for STAG Nations CUP KO Football

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