Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Oxfam: time to learn, not destroy (Republished from the Guardian) On 12 January 2010, a catastrophic 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti. One of the poorest countries in the world, it was utterly unprepared. Roads and bridges, hospitals and government buildings as well as thousands of homes collapsed or were severely damaged. At least 220,000 died – including more than 100 aid workers already in the country – and as many again were injured.

Scores of aid agencies with hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of relief raced to bring help, each agency hastily recruiting hundreds of extra workers. Among these men and women of goodwill who were dispatched to organise medical help, to inoculate, feed and protect the thousands of vulnerable people were seven Oxfam employees who, it has now emerged, spent their time off procuring young, possibly underage, girls and women for sex.

It is likely that some of their victims were reliant on the aid Oxfam provided, with donations collected on street corners and jumble sales in Britain.

The enormity of employees of an organisation dedicated to ending poverty, hunger and social injustice hosting sex parties said to be of Caligulan proportions amid the wreckage of a humanitarian catastrophe is what turns a scandal into a crisis that could damage the whole UK charitable sector.

A year after the earthquake, in 2011, Oxfam’s head office was alerted by a whistleblower to the allegations. The charity then made two more serious errors of judgment.

First, it played down the seriousness of the offences. The Charity Commission was told only that “serious misconduct” relating to abuse of power and bullying was being investigated.

Later the Department for International Development was misled in the same way. As a result neither treated the report with the seriousness it required – and both are now rightly furious at the way they feel they were deliberately misled.

The second mistake was to fail to prevent the four men who were sacked and the three required to resign from working in the sector again.

Allegations about sex parties in Chad in 2006, four years before the Haiti earthquake, led to the sacking of one senior employee. Roland van Hauwermeiren, who resigned after the Haiti scandal emerged, was head of Oxfam in Chad at the time.

Reputational harm is an existential threat to charities. It is not an accident that Oxfam has been caught out; it is the same mix of negligence and complacency that has exposed the Catholic and Anglican churches to similar disaster.

After Haiti, Oxfam tightened its safeguarding processes.

But this may well be the tip of the iceberg. One challenge for organisations working with children and vulnerable people is the acknowledged risk posed by sexual predators seeking out respectable cover for contact with their potential victims.

Oxfam denies giving references to the employees sacked or allowed to resign after the Haiti allegations, but Mr Van Hauwermeiren went on to another senior job in Bangladesh working for a French charity, and another man involved is reported to have gone on to work with the Catholic aid charity Cafod.

What this crisis must not be allowed to do is undermine the case for generous aid spending as both a moral obligation and as pragmatic policy.

The Oxfam case involves fewer men than can be counted on two hands. The courageous and dedicated efforts of thousands of its employees have saved millions of lives in the most gruelling and dangerous circumstances.

They and their peers in other charities deserve the best defence.

That means honesty and transparency, and a conspicuous determination to root out anyone who threatens their reputation for it.

Thursday February 15, 2018

That court challenge is a case of cheap political points DEAR MR. EDITOR, I have noted that the PPP has moved to the courts to compel Government to place the Exxon signing bonus into the Consolidated Fund.

I am rather surprised that the PPP would pick on such an issue of national importance.

The laws indeed say that Government revenues should go to the Fund but I do expect that anything to do with Venezuela would be off limits.

As I do understand it, the money is in a special account

at the Bank of Guyana and it is getting interest at rates at which I do not know.

But what I do know is that if the money is to be placed into the Fund, it would have to be converted into Guyana dollars at one rate and bought back at a higher rate similar to what the commercial banks in Guyana do with foreign exchange transactions.

I learned this bit from a friend who is a senior official at the Finance Ministry. He also suggested that Government would have to go to Parliament through a

supplementary provision to get that same money out of the Fund.

Now suppose there is urgent need to get the money quickly to pay lawyers and researchers connected to the World Court case?

From what I am told, parliament would have to meet, get the money released and then it would have to be bought back at a rate higher than that at which it was sold at?This obviously means that the state of Guyana would earn more money if the US$18 million is left in the

special account rather than placed in the Fund. This is very simple arithmetic. Therefore what is the point of going to the courts Mr. Nandlall.

The only issue here is that the party is moving to win cheap political points? Say it ain’t so Messrs Nandlall, Jagdeo and others.

I really thought that things relating to the Venezuelan claim would be off limits to political disagreements and treated as a national rather than partisan issue. Again, say it ain’t so gentlemen.

Earl Hamilton

DEAR EDITOR, The Ministry of Natural Resources notes attempts by the publisher of the Kaieteur News to mislead its readers on the Production Sharing Agreement between the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and ExxonMobil and its joint venture partners.

An article in the February 14 edition of the newspaper headlined, “Oil contract reveals … Guyana agrees to not go after ExxonMobil’s hidden financial records regarding operations here” is nothing short of disingenuous.

First, the right and responsibility of the Minister of Natural Resources in relation to having regular audits of ExxonMobil’s operations in Guyana would have been reported on by Kaieteur News and other media.

To state in a headline that Guyana agrees to not go after financial records of the company could only be construed as disingenuous.

Clear contradictory statements contained in the article can be credited as either mischief or careless editing. In one paragraph the article states, “…the Government of

Guyana agreed to relinquish all rights to go after documents in relation to operations here” while the following paragraph states, “The Government of Guyana has agreed to limit the scope of any audit it may pursue…”

These two statements are inconsistent and show the incongruity of the arguments put forward in the article.

Annex C of the PSA, “Nothing herein shall entitle the Minister or his auditors to have access to data and records which: i) are subject to statutory restrictions on disclosure or ii) do not relate

to petroleum operations; or iii) are not customarily disclosed in auditing practice in the international petroleum industry…” is clear and Kaieteur News should explain the exact complaints with the quoted section.

The ministry welcomes scrutiny and calls for transparency but, these need to be tempered by objectivity.

Yours faithfully, Johann Earle Public Affairs and Communications Officer Ministry of Natural Resources

Ministry of Natural Resources responds to Kaieteur News

That surprise gambling announcement DEAR SIR, I noticed from the Media where the Surinamese Investor pulled out the gami n g m a c h i n e s from t h e Sleep-in Casino which surprised most of us, as this gives us the impression that the Casino was on the verge of opening or the opening was imminent despite the protests from our Religious Community and others.

There are about 100,000 Muslim votes within Guyana, so many hundreds of thousands more from the Christian and Hindu Community, most of whom do not support this Gambling, especially near to so many Churches and a stone throw away from the Fatima Church and especially Queenstown Masjid whose members are against such a sinful practice.

Take a look at the Populace. A good number of young people have gone and even following the Devil.

So many crimes. Rape, Robbery and Murders are prevalent, several due to some of the movies we have been seeing.

If we are to add more, we will make our Society worse. Please G o v e r n ment, stop this Church Street gambling busi-

n e s s n o w.

What about you B i s h o p s , P r i e sts and Pandits of other denominations? What say you?

Over to you, Your Excellency President David Granger, as a Religious man yourself where do you stand, tell us please.

Yours-in-Islam S.M.V Nasseer For the Queenstown Masjid

The City Council is rotten DEAR EDITOR, Is the former Deputy Mayor, Sherod Duncan, the only sane, morally upright and decent person left at City Hall? What has happened to the 29 other Councillors who sit around the horseshoe table and who witness the madness close up and do nothing?

To those 29 other Councillors I encourage you to read the book ‘Lessons on Leadership by Terror: Finding Shaka Zulu in the Attic’ Citizens of Georgetown and indeed Guyanese from all walks of life are united and fed up with the bullying, the incompetence and the scandals that have rocked the

Georgetown Municipality for the last two and a half years, yet the man at the center of it all, the Town Clerk of Georgetown, continues to sit firmly in place apparently waiting out the two years more that he has to retirement.

During this time more mayhem and havoc will be wreaked on the capital of Guyana.

From the secret trips abroad to China, to Mexico, to the Mediterranean and to many other continents, which brought nothing but the misery of the parking meters on motorists in Georgetown, to the plan to name a street in Guyana’s capital,

Georgetown, after China, to the filling of their pockets with per diems. It seems that travelling is the priority at City Hall, even if it is to enjoy the Trinidad Carnival.

From the nasty scandal of a lance corporal who is ac-

cused of having sex with a “detained male juvenile” at the City Hall, and which the Town Clerk did not report to the police, the Child Protection Agency, or the parents of the juvenile until (Continued on page 6)

A case of myopia DEAR EDITOR, The captioned heading is one of my quotidian favorites. However yesterday’s topic must draw a strong rebuke.

How could Exxon and Goinvest Panty Showing? I am sending some designer spec-

tacles in the mail for the editor. Serious case of myopia!!!

It is BUKTA AND THE BUKTA HAS HOLES !!!

Regards John Hollaway Editor’s note: Dem boys didn’t see de underwear good.

Thursday February 15, 2018

On World Radio Day our announcers are lacking DEAR EDITOR, On February 13, 2018, World Radio Day was celebrated. The day was dedicated to the role of radio and sports. Radio is a medium of educating, providing information, and promoting freedom of expression.

Very early in my life, I developed a keen interest in Radio. I remember my parents purchasing a Panasonic Radio Cassette player in the late 1970’s,way before the first television set - a gift from a migrating friend -entered our home in 1990.

My fondness for radio remains strong, with an acquired preference for certain Stations and programme content.

In the 1980’s I was an ardent DX-er. Only persons familiar with listening to International Radio via Short Wave would be familiar with the term DX. I listened mostly to English and Spanish broadcasts, from the BBC, VOA, Radio Habana, Czech Radio and HCJB, just to name a few.

HCJB, which transmitted out of Quito in Ecuador was one of my favorites. That radio station transmitted programmes in English and

Spanish. I once entered a writing competition hosted by HCJB, and won two hard-covers, one being ‘Towers of Eternity’ by Dr. Paul E. Freed.

FM or Frequency Modulation was not very popular in Guyana back then, although most radios came with AM, FM and SW1-3 bands. On the AM or Amplitude Modulation bands, local stations were transmitted on 560Mhz and 760Mhz. Those stations changed names, but were mainly referred to as GBC Channels 1 and 2, respectively.

Given our inclination to tune in on AM, I explored that band. Through most of the 1980’s and 1990’s, Trans World Radio (TWR) of Bonaire in the Netherland Antilles also captured my interest.

That station boasted a strong transmission on 800 Mhz. I was privileged to place second in the 16-19 years old category for regional essays in one of the writing competitions hosted by the said TWR. I continue to pay keen attention to both local and international media. It is on such volition that this missive was inspired.

In his World Radio Day message, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres posited – “On World Radio Day, let us celebrate both radio and sports as helping people achieve their full potential.”

What I hear on many of our local radio stations nowadays is particularly worrying.

I often wonder if our radio practitioners ever READ, other than when they are tasked to do so from work scripts. Sometimes, their efforts reveal a lack of familiarity or preparation of what they present.

My curious thoughts also ponder if they ever hear or listen to other internationally renowned media outfits; the quality of language, grammatical usage and correctness of pronunciation.

Radio is not just informative or entertaining, it is also a learning tool and beacon of who we are and what we represent.

I encourage our radio practitioners to be cognizant of the importance of their roles and thrive to perform professionally and eloquently. For Radio impacts lives!

Orette Cutting

The first Union Carbide lease was signed by the British DEAR EDITOR: Mr.Harris’s “Half a Loaf” column pertaining to Manganese Mining in the North West District (Region 1) by Union Carbide Corp. of NY is ‘half baked’ and not a true reflection of the nation’s history.

First and foremost, in early 1952, Manganese Mines Management, Ltd; a subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation of New York applied for a lease in Matthews Ridge (North-West District / Region 1 ) to mine extensive deposits of manganese ore.

The production of columbite - tantalite on a small scale began in 1952. Between 1961 andv1966 with large scale mining, over 250+ tons of 40%+ Manganese (Mn) concentrate was produced and exported.

It should be noted, prior to 1953, the nation sovereignty was under the Crown, and voting in the land was restricted until 1953 when Universal adult suffrage came into operation. During 1953, for the first time the British with a new constitution, introduced a Ministerial system of Government.

The Hon. LFSB was NOT a principal player during the initial lease agreement with Union Carbide.

Finally, construction was completed of property holdings (Pomeroy Construction Company of the USA) , the laying of 25 + miles of railroad between Port Kaituma and Matthews Ridge with locomotives, the dredging of a ‘turning basin’ at Port Kaituma and a 2.5-mile canal on the Kaituma River.

The ‘turning basin’ was

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required to facilitate two small converted oil containing ships fr o m T r i n i d a d t o transport the ore to Trinidad, and further North to a newly (1960’s) built Union Carbide smelting plant in Newport-News, Virginia.

In summary, the Hon. LFSB was involved years after the initial lease agreement, and was courageous enough to stop the plundering of the nation’s Natural Resources.

Respectfully yours, C A.Griffith

Land grabbing is now rampant at Corriverton DEAR EDITOR, There is now land being given away galore at the Office of the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) at Corriverton.

On 13th February, 2018, nearly 800 prospective and current cattle and rice farmers flocked the GLSC office to apply for lands located at the #52/66 Communal Pasture.

Some even came all the way from the USA allegedly making gifts to certain officials in an attempt to get preferential treatment. It is also alleged that many local applicants followed suit. There was a haste to dispense of monies for favors- a typical Guyanese sickness!

This Pasture comprises 17,000 acres and has been in existence for decades, but in the last 12 years or so, there has been a gradual fencing of portions of this pasture by cattle farmers who have been trying to stake ownership.

This was accelerated since this Coalition took office. These cattle farmers have

been digging and fencing huge areas making it impossible to drain the Pasture since water is now being trapped in these canals. The drainage and irrigation system bore no structured design. This was evident during the heavy rainfall last year. The savannah was heavily flooded and the water took a long time to recede.

Unfortunately, this has now progressed to the stage where the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) at Corriverton has been inviting and receiving applications from farmers inviting them to show an expression of interest. The Application Form is on the GLSC letterhead.

These prospective applicants have been told that they should apply for the lands at that particular location.

On many occasions the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Noel Holder, would have made statements on his visits to Region Six in support of the development of our cattle and dairy farming. This was

also supported by the Prime Minister, Mr. Nagamootoo and the Junior Minister of Finance, Mr. Jaipaul Sharma.

However, from the applications made, it is evident that many of these applicants, nearly 90%, are rice farmers and many do not own any cattle, especially those from abroad. It is apparent also, that those overseas applicants have real estate intentions or intentions to rent the lands at a later date, especially when it is a known fact that many of the lease land owners are residing abroad and renting their lands for hefty rental fees.

Moreover, many cattle farmers would have complained to the PM’s Representative in Region Six, Mr. Gobin Harbhajan about the constant problems and struggles they face with rice farmers and it is clear that should rice be planted in localized areas within this savannah then bloody and murderous conflicts (Continued on page 6)

DEAR EDITOR: The longer I listen to Town Clerk Royston King, the longer I contemplate on his actions, the more I am convinced that we can no longer countenance his brand of administration over the nation’s capital, Georgetown.

When we, the people, elected the APNU+AFC government in 2015 we had high hopes that the government we were electing would give us a clean break from the past.

It was the mandate and expectation carried in the expressions, “It Is Time!” and “Vote for Change”.

The hope of change buoyed us. It was the deep desire shared by the majority of Guyanese and precipitated regime change. It was a new dispensation which unleashed Local Government Elections (LGE) in 2016. Yet events since the election of the “new” City Councillors have caused the reasonable man to conclude that at the local government level, we were not to have a change but an exchange.

LGE was an opportunity for the promise of democratic renewal to be made real, yet it was not to be in full measure

or any meaningful way. Our city is managed from crisis to crisis; we lurch from scandal to scandal, the latest being the Bel Air Park and Farnum Play Grounds.

At Monday’s Statutory Meeting I stood in awe as our Town Clerk, when quizzed on who instructed the appeal of the Bel Air Park Play Ground court matter, declared he was under no obligation to inform Council. He deemed it as an “administrative matter” and as such perhaps within his exclusive jurisdiction. This is madness!

(Continued on page 6)

Royston King is bigger than the City Council

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The City Council is rotten From page 4 months after, which indeed was nothing more than a failed but massive attempt at a cover up by the administration of this gross wrongdoing, to the slaughter of a citizen who was being detained by the City Police.

Again this Chief Administrative Officer bailed the errant Constable for nearly a million dollars and on top of that provided expensive legal services to him, all at the expense of the citizenry without the Council’s prior knowledge or approval.I have to agree with the Guyanese social activist and artist, Mark Jacobs, when he said that “The Mayor and City Council of Georgetown is a cesspool of lawlessness and depravities of the lowest order”. Hardly a week passes without this Georgetown City Council not finding itself in

the throes of a scandal.

In fact, on most occasions, one scandal erupts even before the previous one subsides.Of course, right before us now is the destruction of the green space earmarked as the Bel Air Park playfield, and the Farnum Playground which was gifted by the Farnum family to provide recreational facilities for the people, and part icularly the children, of Subryanville, Kitty and Campbellville.

A large part of it has been handed over to a commercial venture for their exclusive use. All these, the doings of the Imperial Overlord, the Town Clerk of Georgetown.

City Councillors as Mr. Duncan puts forward his no confidence motion against the Town Clerk, I ask that you support him and be reminded of a poem called “First they

came ...” which was written by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) and which was about the cowardice of German intellectuals following the Nazis’ rise to power and subsequent purging of their chosen targets, group after group.

It goes like this: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Jew.Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak for meAs City Fathers and Mothers , Please Help to save our capital city.

With thanks, Riley Matthews

Land grabbing is now ...

From page 5 may arise among these farmers.It is indeed baffling why the Commissioner of the GLSC, Mr. Trevor Benn, has not seen it fit to discuss this matter at length with the Regional Chairman, Mr David Armogan, so that a collective decision can be made at the RDC level.

Many times the GLSC would try to impose its will in the Region and the RDC have had to block the applications after the matters were reported by the NDCs affected.

I have two cases at the Kilcoy/Hampshire NDC where communal pastures of more than 200 acres have been applied for and claimed by avaricious individuals to

the detriment of the residents who now have no pastures to rear their animals.

Although the applications to the GLSC were blocked by the RDC upon my intervention, the individuals went ahead and fenced the lands. One of the areas located at High Reef Albion was crowned by dams by the applicant preventing the villages from being effectively drained leading to persistent flooding.

This has negatively affected more than 1,000 residents. It is ironic that an MP is the lawyer for this applicant and this man is the same lawyer opposing the application of the other applicant! It is indeed difficult to rationalize

this. I am calling on the Minister of Communities to intervene in these matters.

I have made a report to Mr Dereck Kowlessar on a few occasions but nothing has materialized. These land grabbers seem to have people in high places!These communal pastures should remain as that and should not become the private property of greedy individuals. There are lands available in remote areas, let them apply for those.

Everyone should have access to these pastures to rear their cattle and it is the function of the Government to provide access roads and proper drainage to facilitate this.

Why would Mr. Trevor Benn desire to commit such an injustice?

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC CouncilorRegion 6 Chairman (Kilcoy/Hampshire NDC)

Thursday February 15, 2018

The first Union Carbide lease was signed by the British DEAR EDITOR: Mr.Harris’s “Half a Loaf” column pertaining to Manganese Mining in the North West District (Region 1) by Union Carbide Corp. of NY is ‘half baked’ and not a true reflection of the nation’s history.First and foremost, in early 1952, Manganese Mines Management, Ltd; a subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation of New York applied for a lease in Matthews Ridge (North-West District / Region 1 ) to mine extensive deposits of manganese ore.

The production of columbite - tantalite on a small scale began in 1952. Between 1961 andv1966 with large scale mining, over 250+ tons of

40%+ Manganese (Mn) concentrate was produced and exported.It should be noted, prior to 1953, the nation sovereignty was under the Crown, and voting in the land was restricted until 1953 when Universal adult suffrage came into operation. During 1953, for the first time the British with a new constitution, introduced a Ministerial system of Government.

The Hon. LFSB was NOT a principal player during the initial lease agreement with Union Carbide.

Finally, construction was completed of property holdings (Pomeroy Construction Company of the USA) , the laying of 25 + miles of railroad

between Port Kaituma and Matthews Ridge with locomotives, the dredging of a ‘turning basin’ at Port Kaituma and a 2.5-mile canal on the Kaituma River. The ‘turning basin’ was required to facilitate two small converted oil containing ships from Trinidad to transport the ore to Trinidad, and further North to a newly (1960’s) built Union Carbide smelting plant in Newport-News, Virginia.

In summary, the Hon. LFSB was involved years after the initial lease agreement, and was courageous enough to stop the plundering of the nation’s Natural Resources.

Respectfully yours, C A.Griffith

From page 4 Allow me to draw to your attention as well, the fact that both Mayor and Deputy Mayor were overseas when our recent Statutory Meeting was held. Our guide, the Municipal and Districts Councils Act, Chp.28:01 dictates precisely what should happen in such a situation. At the Meeting, Councillor Akeem Peter was elected by Councillors present to carry out the responsibilities of Mayor and hence Chair the meeting.

The Act is clear that the person so elected is to discharge those functions until either office holders have resumed their respective post.

I am advised that Councillor Peter was told his election was only to Chair the meeting, and he would not be accorded any of the privileges of his elected post after the meeting. The Town Clerk, again, sets his own precedents.

What is more alarming here is that a short time ago the Minister of Communities

Ronald Bulkan had cause to write (21/09/2016) to the Mayor in a similar scenario and which correspondence was copied to the Town Clerk, a copy he ignores.

Please allow me to rehearse here what our subject Minister said: “With regard to the appointment of the Deputy Mayor to the position of Mayor, the law is similarly clear. Section 17 of the Municipal and District Councils Act Cap 28:01, sets out under what circumstances the Deputy Mayor must be elevated to the office of Mayor and given access to the funds of the municipality.

“There can be no doubt that the letter and spirit of the law contemplates that there must at all times, be a Mayor within the jurisdiction of the municipality and common sense would reveal that this would more so apply to the capital city. Therefore, it is expected that whenever the Mayor leaves the jurisdiction, the Deputy Mayor shall act.”

We can all appreciate the very

spirit of the learned Minister’s clear utterance. The Town Clerk actions then must be deemed insane!

The Council is no longer in charge at City Hall; the Town Clerk is in full command.

The things which should occupy our attention: the President’s brilliant vision for capital towns as engines of growth for their regions, the Sustainable Urban Transport Project for Georgetown, the National Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy and allied projects never find their way into Council discussions.

Page 18 of our 2017 Budgets speaks to factors which contributed to the low level of achievement at City Hall, listing several areas, including, “Lack of an overarching strategic vision”, yet we have not spent a minute over the last year addressing same.

We are a city adrift without rudder, sail or compass.

From the repulsive document called a parking meter contract to the active plans to build houses for senior members at City Hall, including the Mayor and Town Clerk, and all the major issues in between which never meet the level of Council for approval as they should, Her Worship continues to squander the tremendous opportunity given to her to transform our city, while the Town Clerk continues with his rogue actions, unchecked.If the cries emanating from the people continue to go unanswered we will have to apologize to the PPP for our indictment of this management of the capital among other issues and be not worthy of that sacred act of the people in their ballots cast and their vote.

With this letter, I therefore signal my intention to move a vote of no confidence against the Town Clerk.

Sherod Avery Duncan City Councillor

Royston King is bigger ...

Thursday February 15, 2018

Kaieteur News

Questions arise over watered-down qualifications for GECOM’s deputy chief The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is apparently unsure about the academic qualifications and criterion required for senior positions within the organization- that of the Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) and the Assistant Chief Elections Officer (ACEO).

This supposed uncertainty was observed in vacancy advertisements placed in the local newspapers.

Questions are being raised over the human resources policy of GECOM and motive for “watering down” the qualifications needed for two senior positions.

In new advertisements, the requirements for the Public Relations Officer were placed above those of the DCEO and ACEO. During the month of January 2018, the Commission placed advertisements inviting suitably qualified persons to apply for the posts of DCEO, ACEO, Logistics Officer, Information Technology Manager, Public Relations Officer, Civic and Voter Education Manager, Legal Officer, and Research and Planning Officer.

All applications were to be addressed to the Chairman of GECOM. And, the deadline for applications was February 1, 2018. However, the Commission reportedly reopened the application process.

Again, advertisements were placed in the newspapers requesting persons to apply for the respective posts. The new deadline given for applications is February 17, 2018.

This time, there were adjustments to the academic qualifications and criterion required for the certain positions, particularly that of the DCEO, ACEO and the PRO. This move by the Commission has observers wondering the motive for the adjustments since the academic qualifications required for two of the most senior positions within the organization were significantly reduced.

And the academic qualification for the PRO was increased.

The new advertisement states that the DCEO and ACEO are required to have: 1) First Degree in Social Sciences, Humanities or related discipline from a reputable and recognised institution. Training and experience in electoral management practices and at least five year-experience in the management of national elections.

2) A Diploma in Social Sciences, Humanities or related discipline from a reputable and recognised institution. Training and experience in electoral management practices and at least 10 year-experience in the management of national elections.

3) Qualifications in Elections Management and/ or comprehensive knowledge of GECOM’s procedures and processes along with excellent oral and written communication skills and computer literacy would be considered an advantage.

Incidentally, the successful candidate for the position of DCEO is likely to be paid from $706,711 to $941,371.

Furthermore, the DCEO has significant responsibility towards the organization.

These include preparing schedules and plans for field activities; coordinating the preparation of annual and quarterly work programmes and related budgetary estimates; and reviewing weekly, monthly and other periodic reports submitted

by Managers, and coordinates the preparation of Departmental Reports for submission to the Chief Elections Officer.

Meanwhile, the successful candidate for the position of ACEO is likely to be paid between $613,783 and $847,773.

The primary duties for this position include: ensuring that all field activities confirm to the relevant laws, regulations and GECOM policy, directives and guidelines; coordinating, directing and ensuring the implementation of all operational plans; and regularly monitor and evaluate the perfor-

mance of the various Divisions/ Sections/ Units/ Offices within the Operations Department.

In what appears to be improper human resources practice, the qualification requirements for a junior to the DCEO and ACEO was increased.

In the first advertisement the maximum qualification required for the PRO was a degree in Public Relations, Communications or related discipline. However, the new advertisement for the PRO states that the PRO is required to have: 1) Post Graduate Qualifications with two years relevant experience; 2) A First Degree in Public Relations, Communications or related discipline from a reputable and recognised institution with at least three years of relevant working experience; 3) A Diploma in Public Relations, Communications or related discipline from a reputable and recognised institution with at least five years of relevant working experience; Ironically, the successful candidate for this position, even though being more qualified than the DCEO and ACEO would only be paid between $272,697 and $475,925. The primary duties for this post include: maintaining a good image of GECOM; establish a system of two-way internal communications; and establish and maintain links with the media. According to officials, minimizing the academic qualifications for the two top positions was done to facilitate more applicants. However, this is an unheard of situation, according to Human Resources sources.

It was explained that requirements for senior positions within organizations are supposed to be harder to satisfy. This limits the number of applicants and attracts only persons with the requisite competence.

GECOM is the body charged with overseeing the electoral process in Guyana, including local and general elections. It had come under fire for what was described as highly questionable procurement practices during the 2015 general elections. That matter is now engaging the attention of the Commission.

Govts must have power to visit oil...

From page 3 Government is yet to release the Bridging Deed.

While the Government has released the petroleum contract it has with ExxonMobil, the Bridging Deed was one of the key documents it failed to make public. The purpose of the Deed is to replace the 1999Agreement and Petroleum Prospecting Licence.

Gaskin reminded that former President Janet Jagan signed the 1999 Agreement in violation of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act (the Act) to the extent that the company (Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited) was granted 600 blocks instead of the 60 blocks permitted by law.

He said that the 1999 Agreement and Prospecting Licence appears to have been contained in a single package and included in it is a full descrip-

tion of the blocks and a map of the area allotted to the oil company. However, the 2016 Agreement merely states that a Petroleum Prospecting Licence was granted for an initial period of four years.

With the Bridging Deed not being published, Gaskin said that the Government is operating in contradiction of the nation's petroleum laws.

Section 16(2) of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act states: “The Minister, shall, as soon as may be practicable after a licence has been granted, cause notice of that fact to be published in the Gazette stating the name of the licensee and the situation of the land in respect of which the licence has been granted.”

With such behaviour, Gaskin argued that the Government has lost all moral ground to criticize anyone about secrecy.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 15, 2018

Brothers remanded for Angoy’s Avenue home invasion Two brothers appeared yesterday before Magistrate Alex Moore at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court to answer to two charges of robbery under arms.

The duo, Ravindranauth Samaroo, 26, a Porkknocker of Timmers Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam and Parmanand Samaroo, 23, self-employed, of Lot 16 Ogleton Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, stood before the Magistrate and a packed courtroom, unrepresented, as the charges were read to them.

It detailed that the men in the company of another on Wednesday, February 7th, 2018 at Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, gained entry to a premises, and armed with knives, robbed Jimmy Mohabir of $350,000 in cash, three gold chains worth $500,000 and four gold chains worth $482,000.

They were not required to plead to the indictable charge.

The second charge stated that on February 7th, the men, armed with guns and knives, robbed Gansham Rai in his dwelling place of a cellphone worth $10,000, flashlight worth $2,000 and $1200 in

The Samaroo brothers in the police vehicle as they were being whisked away to the New Amsterdam Prison. cash a total of $15,200.

Both pleaded not guilty to the second charge. Bail was denied and they were both remanded to prison.

Gobin Mc Donald, 39, a labourer, of Angoy’s Avenue, a third accused was charged

a week ago for robbery also committed on Jimmy Mohabir.

The three men are set to return to Court on March 7, when it is expected that the charges will be instituted jointly.

Canter truck driver is second person charged in coke-in-fish case Five days after a Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara, businessman was charged and remanded to prison for trafficking cocaine in frozen fish, the driver of the Canter truck which was allegedly used to transport the narcotics, has also been charged.

Baldeo Persaud, 32 , of 47 Kingston Street, ‘C’ Field, Leonora, West Coast Demerara, was yesterday slapped with a trafficking of narcotics charge. It is alleged that on February 6 at Laparkan Cargo Shed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri (CJIA) he trafficked 9.366 kilograms of cocaine.

Persaud appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and denied the charge after it was read to him.

The defendant was represented by attorney-at-law Bernard DaSilva, who in his application to secure bail for his client told the court that his client was the driver of the Canter truck that allegedly took the shipment of fish to the airport.

The lawyer further stressed that the Canter truck is not owned by his client and that he was contracted and paid $5,000 for his service on the day in question.

The lawyer added that his client’s name does not appear

Baldeo Persaud on any documents that can attach him to any knowledge of the content of the cargo.

However, Custom Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) prosecutor Konyo Sandiford strongly objected to bail being granted.

The prosecutor said that the defendant and six others were arrested and taken to CANU following the discovery of the narcotics. They were all released, but the defendant was rearrested after CANU ranks saw several telephone messages between the

defendant and Amir Ally who was previously charged for the same offence.

Sandiford told the court that when Persaud was invited back to CANU, he gave ranks a confession statement to which he signed his name.

Bail was refused and the defendant was remanded to prison. He was instructed to make his next court appearance on March 7.

Last week, Amir Ally, 30, of Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara was also charged with the offence.

Thursday February 15, 2018

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

It makes sense for Exxon to return to the negotiating table It took a full one and a half years for the contract signed between ExxonMobil and the Government of Guyana to be made public. The contract was signed on June 27, 2016 but was only made public in late December 2017.

Had it not been for the efforts of Chris Ram and the Leader of the Opposition who confirmed that he was sure that a signing bonus was paid, this contract would have still be buried in the woodwork in the Ministry of Natural Resources.

A lot of ‘strange’ excuses were provided as to why the contract could not have been made public.

None of the excuses made were credible. None should be accepted as reasonable.

Even Exxon, who was the main culprit in this deal, came out and said it had paid a signing bonus. The President has not fired any of those individuals who sought, by their statements, to deny that there was a signing bonus.

The government is not being let off the hook for signing the worst deal in the history of Guyana. The government has to accept responsibility for what it did.

But we must understand that the government was also the victim.

E x x o n ’s superior

negotiating ability, when placed alongside that of Guyana’s inexperience, resulted in a lopsided deal.

The government got the shaft. Exxon came out smiling and Guyana came out stunned. We therefore should not dismiss the inequality in the negotiating positions of Exxon and Guyana.

It is easy for people to say that the government has to take responsibility.

You do not put a seasoned veteran to negotiate with b a b y, a n d t h i s i s w h a t happened.

The argument that is being made within these columns is not that the government should be

Dem boys seh ...

You got to be like a pit bull pun some of these MoFos Old people seh, ‘Good things come to those who believe; better things come to those who wait; and de best things come to those who don’t give up.’

Dem boys deh in de last category. Dem don’t give up. Everybody in Guyana know that and dem boys got balls like ballanjay.

People seh suh.

Dem boys read de ExxonMobil oil contract and when dem see how it lopsided dem start to criticize it. And dem will never give up till Soulja Bai and dem thiefing colleagues wha he got come straight wid de Guyanese people and mek de contract right.

De Elections Commission got to get dem act right, too. Dem got to come clean. Dem panty showing too.

Dem put out advertisement and ask fuh a certain qualification. When dem realize who dem want to put ain’t got de qualification, dem change de qualification to suit dem friends.

De first ad ask fuh a Deputy Chief Elections Officer and you must have ten subjects. After dem realize that none of dem friends who dem want to tek de job ain’t got ten subjects dem lower de qualification to match wha dem friend got and who dem want.

Now dem boys got a problem wid that.

Jagdeo and he party use to do de same thing.

He set criteria fuh all ee friends.

He set fuh Babbie fuh give ee de drug contracts. He tell him how big warehouse he must mek. How much shelf, how much people to employ, that will qualify him all de billions in drug contract.

Now Soulja Bai want ee people go in de elections commission, but he got to set criteria to suit dem.

Dem boys will continue to watch wha will unfold wid this appointment.

Talk half and insist that Soulja Bai put de right and qualified people to do de job.

exculpated from blame. The argument is not that the government mishandled the negotiations. These are not being denied.

The argument is that a powerful company like Exxon dealing with a baby like Guyana should not have been so ruthless in its negotiations. As a good corporate citizen, which it holds itself out to be, it should have tried to help Guyana to get the best resources to negotiate on behalf of the country.

This may sound absurd, but this is how responsible corporate companies behave. When dealing with ‘babies’, they do not try to ‘jook’ their eyes out. They are to help them.

It makes good business sense for Exxon to have tried to point Guyana in the direction of experts. Exxon is here for fifty years.

Guyana’s oil can’t finish in your or my lifetime. Exxon has long-term interests in Guyana. It therefore makes sense for Exxon to ensure that a fair deal was negotiated. A major oil company does not wish to attract negative publicity from within the country with which it is doing

business.

Exxon and other oil companies know all too well what a bad reputation can lead to. The oil companies which operated in Venezuela more than one hundred years ago were only interested in plundering the resources of that country. They created pockets of wealth, but for the vast majority of Venezuelans, the foreign oil companies were draining them of their wealth.

Carlos Andres Perez came to power and nationalized the oil companies. He created large state-owned oil companies which ensured that the oil wealth remained, for the most part, in his country.

Exxon also had a bad experience in Venezuela, a matter which it is still fighting.

Its assets were nationalized by the Venezuelan government. It therefore knows the dangers of not deal i n g fairly with countries in which it operates.

Exxon therefore has an obligation to renegotiate the contract which it signed with Guyana.

Making political capital over the fact that an

incompetent government sold out the birthright of Guyanese will not change anything.

Public pressure will be brought to bear on Exxon to renegotiate this obscene deal. The government therefore has to press for a renegotiation of this deal.

But the fact of the matter is t h a t E x x o n ’s c o n t r a c t allows it to decide whether any changes should be made.

No government likes to admit that it blundered. The APNU+AFC coalition will not admit this, not in its present mode. But neither do multinationals want to operate in an environment in which the public feels that the company shortchanged the country.

Therefore it is in Exxon’s interest to correct the deficiencies in its contract with the Government of Guyana. It makes the world of dollars and cents.

PAGE 10

Thursday February 15, 2018

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Jail for a spent shell: We are heading for another bloody mayhem When the daughter of deceased legal luminary and former Attorney-General, Doodnauth Singh, took the British Government to court, asking for a ruling that Parliament must approve BREXIT and the judges agreed, sections of the British press who didn’t like the decision made front page comments condemnatory of the judges’ ruling. Throughout the world the media and governmental leaders voice their opinion on judges’ decisions if they find that such rulings are extraordinarily out of sync with traditions and norms.

I can recall a few years earlier that the moribund Guyana Hu-

man Rights Association found its voice after decades of invisibility and harshly condemned Judge Insanally for a decision that favoured a gold miner over an Amerindian community. When society speaks out against strange court decisions, it creates a watchdog culture that makes the agent under criticism more careful about being cavalier with his/ her decision.

Yesterday I wrote about the time when as a lecturer, I took the university to court for not bringing the law applications before the statutory meetings of the Board of Social Sciences. I won and since that year, every application came before the

board for approval.

Magistrate Faith McGusty made a decision on Tuesday that is simply unacceptable in the modern world, and the government, media and civil society should intervene. And by civil society, I include the law department at UG, the Bar Association, the Women Lawyers’ Association.

McGusty sentenced an Amerindian man to two years for possession of a spent shell. Even if the law allows for such a charge, a spent shell cannot do any serious bodily harm because it is a dead bullet that cannot be reused, hence the term “spent.”

Every day, including up to

yesterday morning on the seawall, I see derelict persons with old cutlasses in their hands. An old cutlass or an old screwdriver can do far more harm to the human body than a spent shell. Is it possible that McGusty does not know what a spent shell is? You do not jail an accused for two years for a spent shell. Even if it was a six weeks incarceration it might have escaped societal attention. I believe nowhere in the world would a court give an accused two years for a used bullet.

I say unapologetically that this magistrate should be condemned for that cruel sentence. I also will go out on a limb and say we should investigate the ideological beliefs of the magistrate because of the ethnicity of the accused. In this context, Amerindian groups need to show concern. The Bar Association

and the Women Lawyers’Association should petition the higher court for bail.

Last week Jason Abdulla was granted bail by the Court of Appeal Judge, Dawn Gregory for his assault on me – having thrown a miasmic substance on me. If I was called to testify in the bail application, I would have asked that he be released. When he, Kwame McCoy and Shawn Hinds made their first court appearance, Magistrate Latchman asked my opinion, and I voiced concern about denial of bail. My remarks were carried in this newspaper. On charges like these I do not believe accused should spend a long time on remand.

I am of the unshakeable belief that a higher court is going to vary that sentence. An appeal must be lodged immediately. I now turn my attention to the Minister whose portfolio in-

Frederick Kissoon cludes the prison and police – Khemraj Ramjattan. He faced a crescendo of denunciations after the mayhem at the two prisons. His friend, Chris Ram used unflattering language to call for his resignation. There were many such similar demands.

This minister was quoted as saying that his government needs to look at certain types of incarceration for certain types of crime.

I am calling on the Minister and the President (not the Prime Minister who is ill and should not be burdened with criticism at this time) to reject this sentence by Magistrate McGusty. It is unbelievably cruel. Irrational (I use that word unapologetically) sentences like these breed violence in the prison. Prison riots can have horrible consequences for the entire society. Escaped prisoners kill drivers when they steal their vehicles. They invade homes and kill occupants. A taxi driver was miraculously saved during the last jailbreak.

I don’t expect civil society to generate a debate over this harsh magisterial decision. Civil society is non-existent, and some who Guyanese are busy looking for their fifteen minutes of fame, so Exxon is an obsession with them. I also don’t expect the lawyers to say a word or two. They aren’t looking for fame, but for big bucks.

Thursday February 15, 2018

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 15, 2018

Thursday February 15, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Carjacking network crumbling ...more vehicles, bikes found; two arrested Police continue to make inroads into a massive carjacking network that appears to comprise gunmen, taxi drivers, bodywork repair operators and individuals with the ability to provide forged documents.

Working through the night on Tuesday, police ranks arrested two more persons and seized two vehicles and two motorcycles, during raids at Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke/ Linden Highway.

A release stated that acting on information, ranks commanded by a senior Officer proceeded to a location at Yarrowkabra and found a black Premio PMM

6979, which is suspected to be stolen.

Shortly after, the team went to another location in Yarrowkabra and arrested a 39 year-old taxi driver on whose premises two dirt bikes (a red and black Honda Tornado and a CRF Honda 150) suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained, were found.

“As the search continues, a 22 year-old taxi driver of Chand Sand Road, Timehri, was apparently alerted of the police’s operation and quickly handed over to the police at Timehri, a beige Spacio motor car # PPP 82, which he alleged was given to him to work taxi since last Thursday by a

named individual who is in police custody. He (taxi driver) is also arrested,” a release stated. A police official said that at least 13 people are now in custody. The vehicles are all lodged at the Brickdam Police Station In a ten-hour operation at Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke/Linden, a team from ‘A’ Division arrested an ex-policeman and six others and seized at least two cars and a truck laden with spares.

Those detained in that raid are reportedly employed by the detained ex-policeman.

The Canter that the police seized was loaded with the shell of a silver Toyota Spacio and a quantity of vehicle

Cocaine-in-plywood bust…

Farmer jailed 3 years for bribing CANU officer - State moves to forfeit money Forty-six year-old Rajesh Kissoondyal, called “Paddle”, a Canal Number Two Polder, West Bank Demerara farmer, was yesterday jailed for three years and fined $30,000 for offering a Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) agent $1.4M to let him go while he was in custody at CANU Headquarters, pending investigations for trafficking cocaine.

After seeking advice from his attorney, Kissoondyal yesterday pleaded guilty to perverting the administration of the law, by offering Lyndon Thompson, an officer of the CANU $1,495,000 for his release, while he was in custody pending an investigation into a trafficking in narcotics allegation against him.

The offence occurred on January 5, at Homestretch

JAILED: Rajesh Kissoondyal, called “Paddle” Avenue, Georgetown.

CANU Prosecutor Konyo Sandiford told the court that on the day in question CANU Officer Dexter Roberts and another went to Ruimzeight West Coast Demerara, after

receiving information that Kissoondyal was there.

Prosecutor Sandiford said that CANU Officer Thompson approached Kissoondyal and told him that he was wanted

by CANU for trafficking just over 48 kilograms of cocaine in sheets of plywood between March 1, 2016 and April 21, 2016 at Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

On two occasions, Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman, who Kissoondyal appeared before, reminded him that the offence attracts a jail term of between two and five years. During his address to the court, Attorney Mark Waldron reminded that he had advised his client of the penalty the offence attracts.

He disclosed that his client also consulted with his relatives about his decision to plead guilty to the charge.

(Continued on page 27)

parts. A release said that a Barr Street, Kitty resident owns the truck.

According to a senior police official, several people have come forward in the hope of identifying their stolen vehicles.

However, the process is being made difficult because most of the registration numbers have been removed.

Tuesday’s operation oc-

curred just three days after police seized several stolen vehicle parts during raids at North Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara and Monument Hill, Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

A former policeman, a husband and wife and four women were detained in that raid. Police believe that the vehicles were stolen during carjackings and stripped of

their parts which are being sold. A raid at North Vryheid’s Lust was carried out by ranks from the Major Crimes Investigation Unit. They raided the home of a 29-year-old taxi driver and his 25-year-old wife and retrieved several car mirrors, with engraved licence plate numbers; doors, lights, wipers and other vehicle parts for Toyota Allion, Spacio and Premio motor cars.

PAGE 22

FOR RENT

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Thursday February 15, 2018

Kaieteur News

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY- $19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-2274754.

All size solar pannel & batteries lowest price guarantee. check us out @ Boodhoo’s General store @ Parika EBE. Video games and consoles at affordable price. Repairs to video game system .Call:6722566/265-3231 6 weeks old, vaccinated dashund pups for sale. Call: 670-2653, 638-8449.

Used strong American construction steel scaffle for sale. Call: 623-1615 for more information.

Plant-closing down sale: potting soil, plant pot, flower plant at Garden Centre, Plantation Schoonard WBD #615-2346/627-3443/15001600 Supari palm, Lipstick, Royal, Foxtail. Exora 4 for $1000 Ficus 4 for $1000. Organic potting soil. Tel: 626-1044 1 3pc Suite - $50,000 1 flat screen TV 42"-$80,000.

Tel#662-9832.

Lenovo desktop with 17" Acer monitor, keyboard and mouse -$35,000. Call: 624-7155 Restaurant pans- stainless steel. Heavy duty, various sizes, great condition. #6266335.

Compressors for refrigerators & freezers, Used, Good condition. 115V/ 1 phase.

Cheap #626-6335 Yamaha outboard motor, 200, 225, 9.9, 40, crank shaft and double control box, all foreign use. Please call: 672-5830

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Space for rent at Ashmin’s Building- suitable for salon or office- Call today! 683-7954 Petboy shop at Howes & Ketley streets, Charlestown.

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Former TSU rank freed on AK-47 smuggling charge

Prime residential area in Schnoord (100ft x 50ft) $2.6M Title ready. Tel# 656-0701/6511969 Herstelling New scheme (4th Bridge) on a turn $1.9M Tel# 656-0701/651-1969 Uivlugt (New scheme) first street (100ftx50ft) with reserve $3M & 2M Tel # 651-1969/6560701 Parafaite Harmonie (upfront) $1.5M Herstelling $1.8M Farm $3.2M Schnoord residential $2.6M Uivlugt $2.8M Tel# 6560701/611-7223 Eccles New scheme (concrete fence, concrete bridge, land filled) 100ft x 50ft $7M Tel#6117223/656-0701 PROPERTY FOR SALE House and land available @ La Parfaite Harmonie, Providence, Etc. Financing assistance available. Contact Pacific Development: 2236035/ 604-4909 Riumveldt Public Rd (opp Massey) (6) bedroomed house on double lot. (2) apartments with all utilitiesparking, fenced. Call: 2258427/609-7766

FREED: Former Police Corporal: Shavon Marks Shavon Marks, who had been accused of smuggling an AK-47 assault rifle out of the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, was yesterday, freed on charges of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.

Senior Magistrate Leron Daly dismissed both the charges, citing that insufficient evidence was led by the prosecution to establish the elements of the offences.

At the time when the offence was alleged to have been committed, Marks, was a Police Corporal and had been attached to the TSU. Kaieteur News understands that Marks was dismissed from the Guyana Police Force sometime after the charges were brought against him. Marks, 37, of Rose Hall, Corentyne, Berbice was arrested and charged for the offence after it was alleged that he facilitated the smuggling of the high-powered firearm out of TSU headquarters on February 28, 2017.

The charges stated that he had the rifle and 40 rounds of ammunition in his possession when he was not the holder of a firearm license. The former policeman was represented by Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos in association with Attorneys-at-Law Patrice Henry and Dexter Todd.

During the trial, the prosecution contended that police received information that Marks was planning to sell anAK-47 rifle.

A sting operation was reportedly set-up, during which it was alleged that Marks was seen handing over the rifle to an individual at TSU compound. The individual was seen placing the gun into a car which was later driven out of the compound. The car was intercepted by police and during a search the rifle along with the ammunition was found. The individual who was driving the car had reportedly claimed that Marks gave him the gun to sell.

Thursday February 15, 2018

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Kaieteur News

US-based experts here to increase cyber security awareness With the infrastructural growth of a country, it is likely to be more vulnerable to cyber threats. This troubling dilemma could however be addressed with the acquisition of cyber specialty.

This is according to technological expert, Mr. Ben Tchoubineh, President and Chief Operations Officer of the United States-based PhoenixTS. Tchoubineh is currently here on an exploratory mission that could not only raise awareness about the importance of cyber security but also one that sees Guyana learning about tactics to safeguard it-self.

“The more knowledge there is in the country, the better it will be for you,” said Tchoubineh during an interview with this publication.

PhoenixTS, according to Tchoubineh, is an information technology, cyber and management training company for professionals. Moreover, the company has been able to gain an outstanding reputation by offering its training capabilities in several technical subject areas, including cyber security, IT and the latest management mechanisms, to adult professionals, corporations, and the United States Government.

PhoenixTS has long been working in partnership with another US-based technology driven company –

Mr. Ben Tchoubineh, President/COO PhoenixTS CyNtell – both of which are here to lend their expert support. The support was streamlined by Director of School of the Nations, Dr. Brian O’Toole, who is currently working towards the realisation of a cyber security curriculum for his educational institution.

“It is part of our push into technology. As you know Nations has been established for quite a while in law, business, accounts and other subject areas but about two years ago we moved into technology too,” Dr. O’Toole noted.

To ensure that more Guyanese become suitably

Fire destroys upper flat of D’Urban St. house The badly damaged house

An early morning fire destroyed the upper flat of a house at lot 59 D’Urban Street, Lodge, yesterday, leaving two persons homeless. According to information reaching this newspaper, the blaze began at around 5am, while the two occupants were asleep. However, they both managed to escape without injuries. One of the occupants, Vernie

Hamilton had to be taken to the hospital because she suddenly fell ill, as she “was in shock” when she woke up and saw that her home was on fire.

Kaieteur News was told that items resembling bottle bombs were found on the scene after firemen managed to extinguish the blaze.

Investigations are continuing.

Claude Williams, CEO, CyNtell qualified for various emerging fields, Dr. O’Toole revealed that deliberate efforts are continually being made to offer up-to-date programmes. It was against this background, he informed, that efforts were made to reach out to experts at the US based organisations to solicit cyber security support.

“I know the huge importance about it [cyber security], and I have been talking to them and they graciously agreed to come down,” said Dr. O’Toole as he revealed that free cyber security awareness sessions will kick off as early as this afternoon at the Nations Barrack Street, Georgetown facility. A move in this direction, he revealed, has already attracted organisations such as the Caricom Secretariat and the Ministry of Telecommunication, among others, as well as

individuals.

Even as he stressed the need to direct keen focus to cyber security, Tchoubineh said, “From my perspective, the training perspective, I think that adult professionals at any level, anywhere in the world really need to be cyber aware, no matter what they are doing...whether they are the secretary, whether they are the administrators or whether they are the managers... they all need to be cyber aware.”

Complementing Tchoubineh disclosure was Chief Executive Officer of CyNtell, Mr. Claude Williams.

Although primarily focused on cyber security, CyNtell is also involved in IT cloudbase services. The company is one that has been contracted by the Department of Defence in the US and has been working with financial

establishments in the US and other institutions that have a need to strengthen their cyber security posture.

“If you think about it, in the US, the two major organisations that are hit with cyber security attacks are first - the government, specifically the Department of Defence; the number one attacked in the world in terms of cyber security and second is the financial services sector,” related Williams, as he emphasised the crucial nature of cyber security. He pointed out that without cyber security, the financial structure of a country’s economy could be undermined. “You can do real damage if you are an enemy of the State,” said Williams as he assured that “What we are looking to do here is Guyana is to see if we can come in and support the government to enhance cyber security.” And this support, according to the CyNtell CEO, could range from helping to shape policies to helping to affect change or understanding when it comes to technology.

Aside from the forum today, interested persons will also be able to benefit from in-depth cyber security sessions on Saturday and Sunday too.

“Anyone who wants to really learn what is this cyber security thing and what is the nuance of cyber security, where it is coming from and where is it going, they would want to come to come to these sessions,” said Williams.

According to him, “What we will be covering is how the US got to where it is and how we see Guyana growing in the use of its technology in business as well as in personal lives...we will be bringing some of the lessons learnt in the US over to Guyana and hopefully be able to eliminate some of the impediment to being successful in cyber security.”

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Kaieteur News

Trinidad police detain more suspects in alleged carnival “terror threat” PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - (CMC) — The Trinidad and Tobago police are informing that they have so far detained 13 people as investigations continue into the alleged terrorist plot to destabilise the Carnival celebrations that ended here on Tuesday night.

“No one has been released and the number is growing and there should be 13 persons detained,” Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams told reporters flanked by National Security Minister Retired Brigadier Edmund Dillon and members of the other arms of the security agencies here.

Williams, who along with the other officials walked the parade route of the Carnival street jump up on Tuesday, said several properties had also been searched ever since the authorities disclosed the alleged plot last Thursday.

The family of one of the men detained has since sent a letter to Williams demanding his release.

Last week, the Canadian, United States and British authorities issued statements warning their nationals to be wary of the terrorist threat.

The British government said that “terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Trinidad and Tobago”.

Stephen Williams The US Department of State’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2016 has named Trinidad and Tobago the country with the highest per capita rate of ISIS recruitment in the Western Hemisphere.

According to the report, more than 70 nationals are believed to be fighting with ISIS in Syria.

Asked by reporters about the overall efforts of the security forces to maintain security over the Carnival season, Williams said “Trinidad and Tobago has had a combined effort with police, Defence Force and intelligence agencies working together to address the challenges that

are confronting us today and into the future.

“We are working as a team to address all the issues in the context of crime and likely incidents of crime.”

Dillon commended law enforcement officers for their efforts in ensuring the revellers enjoyed a mostly safe Carnival season.

“People are enjoying the activities and doing it in a peaceful manner. The law enforcement and members of Defence Force can’t do it by themselves and what we have, we’ve seen a good deal of collaboration by the citizens and foreigners and I believe together we can make it through this evening and enjoy a safe and secure Carnival celebrations,” he said.

At least four people were killed in separate incidents during the celebrations, but the authorities said they were not linked to the terror threat.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar has called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to address the nation on the threat saying as head of the National Security Council, he should have provided the population “with some assurance that the Government had a plan to deal with any plot to cause mayhem and terrorize citizens and visitors during this time”.

Jamaica to host FAO regional conference KINGSTON, Jamaica - CMC – Agriculture ministers from the 33-member countries of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Latin America and the Caribbean will meet in Jamaica next month to discuss priorities for the sector over the next two years.

Rising hunger and obesity, climate change and rural poverty are among the agenda items for the 35th FAO conference scheduled for March 5-8.

The meeting will be also be attended by FAO’s Director General, José Graziano da Silva and ministers of agriculture, education, social development and the environment from the region.

According to FAO, the conference is of particular importance, since, for the first time in decades, hunger is once again on the rise in Latin America and the Caribbean.

It said hunger has risen again in Latin America and the Caribbean for the first time in decades, reaching 42.5 million, while obesity affects 96 million people.

“The FAO conference is a unique opportunity for countries to call for an immediate and large-scale push, without which the region will not be able to reach the second Sustainable Development Goal: zero hunger by 2030<’ the FAO said in a statement.

It said rural poverty reduction has declined in the region and that more than 20 per cent of rural inhabitants cannot afford a basic food basket.

“Thousands of people are migrating to and from countries, escaping violence, lack of opportunities, poverty or environmental

José Graziano da Silva risks,” it added.

The FAO said that the conference will also allow countries to share public policies that increase the pace of rural poverty reduction, thereby revitalizing rural areas both economically and socially.

The FAO said Latin America and the Caribbean must produce more, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing sustainable practices to adapt production systems to new climatic conditions.

“The regional conference will allow countries to promote a fully sustainable agriculture, resilient to climate change and better prepared to face natural disasters,” the statement added.

Thursday February 15, 2018

Antigua PM discusses investment opportunities in Dubai

Prime Minister Gaston Browne in talks with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - CMC – Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has held talks with the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, according to an official statement issued here.

The statement by the Antigua and Barbuda government noted that Browne met with Al Maktoum on Tuesday during which he thanked the prime minister for the invitation to participate in the World Government Summit and also for his continued support of the Caribbean.

“Prime Minister Browne emphasized that, despite the recent storms, Antigua is

open for business, and investment opportunities in the island are tremendous,” the statement said, adding that Antigua and Barbuda recently signed several memoranda of understanding, including joint investment agreement and a tax exchange agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

UAE Minister of International Cooperation, Reem Al Hashimy, who also attended the meeting “emphasized the importance of the …agreements in moving forward investment opportunities between both countries,” the statement said.

It said Reem indicated the possibility of investment in the tourism sector, agriculture

and air transport, “and looks forward to working closer with the government of Prime Minister Browne.”

Browne spoke of the National Assets Management Company Limited (NAMCO), a similar mechanism to that of the Investment Corporation Dubai (ICD), saying that NAMCO provides “a good investment opportunity for investment from the UAE. “This was met with positive reaction from the UAE delegation, who pledged to have continuous follow-up discussions,” the statement said, adding it is envisioned that the Crown Prince will visit Antigua and Barbuda within the coming months.

Devil’s Woodyard volcano erupts twice -Evacuation ordered Trinidad Guardian Hours after it began spitting gas, the Devil’s Woodyard mud volcano erupted before dawn Tuesday, leaving residents cowering in their homes.

The rumbles and explosions shook the community of Hindustan, New Grant, around 4.20 am and again at 8.52 am. Some 40 people had to be evacuated.

The first eruption lasted for about 20 seconds before the heaps of volcanic sulphuric dirt began spewing about 20 feet in the air.

The second lasted about five seconds and went up about 10 feet in the air. The volcanic dirt, which measured about 15 feet in height, covered an expanse of three acres after the eruptions.

Fire substation officer Marvin Richardson Tuesday called on residents to evacuate their homes and remove their vehicles from the area, saying this posed a hazard.

Despite the call, hundreds of people flocked to the scene hoping to catch a glimpse of the eruption.Eventually, police cordoned off the area and prevented anyone from enter-

ing Hindustan Road.

Caretaker Premchand Boochoon said he knew the volcano would erupt since Carnival Monday.

Having been a witness to the last eruption in 1995, Boochoon said he became concerned when he noticed the cracks stretching from the crater to the walkway.

“It was bubbling up a lot more than usual and it was hissing. I knew something was going to happen and this is why I didn’t stay there last night. I went home and sure enough it erupted this morning,” Boochoon said.

Resident Tara Pooranlal said her family was liming on

the outskirts of the Devil’s Woodyard play park until 1 am oblivious to the danger.

Around 4.30 am, after she returned home, she began hearing explosions like gunshots, followed by a loud rumbling which resembled the sound of an air plane taking off.

“It was louder than an air plane, much scarier. I realised the volcano was erupting.

There was a hissing noise and the house began to shake. I wanted to go out and see what was happening but I was too scared.

This is not something you want to experience,” Pooranlal said.

Kaieteur News

Thursday February 15, 2018

ZOSO extension for two communities as authorities move to tackle crime

Jamaica security forces on patrol KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – The Jamaica government has successfully tabled resolutions extending the zones of special operations (ZOSOs) in Mount Salem, St James, and Denham Town in Kingston for a further period of 60 days.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who tabled the resolutions in the Parliament on Tuesday, said the decision to continue the extension is also justified, given that there has been no report of murder or gang-related serious crimes in either of these two communities since their respective periods of declaration.

“Likewise, there has been no report of abuse by State actors. Moving forward, the security forces are expected to maintain an effective presence to facilitate the socialintervention work, which is already under way. These efforts have already begun to yield important results and have largely been supported by the community,” Holness

told legislators.

This is the third time the ZOSO has been extended in Mt Salem Zone, the first to become operational on September 1, 2017, while it will be the second extension for Denham Town in West Kingston.

The zones were established under the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act, which was passed in Parliament last year. The law seeks to contain crime while safeguarding the human rights of residents and promoting community development through social intervention.Parliament was requested to extend the zones of special operations in Mount Salem for a further 60 days, effective February 28; and for Denham Town, effective February 14.

Holness said the implementation of the zones has been justified, and the results speak for themselves.

“We accepted from the onset that achievements in these areas could not be realised in the limited period allowed by the legislation.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that the government’s resolve to continue and extend the zones of special operations represents an important pillar …to a long-term approach to crime. It is not a quick fix,” he added.

The Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act gives the prime minister power to declare an area a Zone of Special Operations in order to tackle increased crime and volatility in a community.

This is in consultation with the National Security Council.

The zone can only be established after the Police Commissioner and the Chief of Defence Staff make a request for such a declaration in writing to the prime minister.

ISIS threat in the Caribbean WASHINGTON - CMC – A United Statesbased counter-extremism expert is calling for an end to security threats from the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in the Caribbean.

In a column published in the Newsweek magazine on Tuesday, Dr. Muhammad Fraser- R ahim, the executive director, North America, for Quilliam International, urged that local leaders in Trinidad and Tobago work with US Embassy efforts, including the International Visitors Leadership Programme, “to create dialogue at the grassroots level between faith-based communities in Trinidad and Tobago and the US. “Together they can attempt to find effective strategies to combat extremism.

In addition, empowering local voices across societal lines on a range of topics will allow for long-term sustainability,” said Fraser-Rahim whose organisation is described as the first counter-extremism organisation, with offices in London and Washington.

Dr. Muhammad Fraser-Rahim

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 15, 2018

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai dies aged 65 (BBC) Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has died in South Africa, a senior official in his MDC party has said.

Mr Tsvangirai, 65, a former prime minister, had reportedly been suffering from colon cancer.

“He died this evening. The family communicated this to me,” MDC vice president Elias Mudzuri told Reuters.

Mr Tsvangirai’s career was marked by a long political struggle against former President Robert Mugabe. He had been beaten and imprisoned numerous times.

Announcing Mr Tsvangirai’s death, Mr Mudzuri said on Twitter that the MDC had “lost our icon and fighter for democracy”.

Mr Tsvangirai founded the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) in 2000, repeatedly challenging Mr Mugabe during the expresident’s long grip on power.

Morgan Tsvangirai took part in a long political battle against Robert Mugabe

South Africa’s Jacob Zuma resigns after pressure from party South Africa’s embattled President Jacob Zuma has resigned after intense pressure from his own party. In a televised statement he said he was quitting with immediate effect but said he disagreed with his ANC party’s decision.

The ANC had told him to step down or face a vote of no confidence in parliament.

The 75-year-old has been facing calls to give way to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, the ANC’s new leader. Mr Zuma, who has been in power since 2009, faces numerous allegations of corruption.

Earlier on Wednesday, police swooped on the Johannesburg home of the powerful and wealthy Gupta family with whom Mr Zuma has close ties.How did Mr Zuma announce his resignation?He began his speech by laugh-

ing and joking with members of the press, asking them why they looked so serious.

After paying tribute to those whom he had worked with over the years, Mr Zuma said that violence and division within the ANC had influenced his decision to step down.

“No life should be lost in my name and also the ANC should never be divided in my name. I have therefore come to the decision to resign as president of the republic with immediate effect,” he said.

“Even though I disagree with the decision of the leadership of my organisation, I have always been a disciplined member of the ANC. “As I leave I will continue to serve the people of South Africa as well as the ANC, the organisation I have served... all of my life.”

Lost dog found 400km from home after six months Despite looking for their lost dog for six months, the Ehret-Vath family from near Frankfurt never gave up hope.

Last week, the family of five was thrilled to get a call saying the German Shepherd was alive, having crossed the border from Germany to Switzerland.

Rapunzel the dog was found 400km (250m) away, beside a road near Zurich. The eight-year-old pet was seriously injured, but is now recovering at an animal hospital.

Two Swiss paramedics were returning to Zurich in the middle of the night when they noticed a large motionless animal on the edge of the motorway.

Thought to have been hit by a car, Rapunzel, now very thin, was suffering from hypothermia and wary of the humans approaching.

Realising they could not wait for an animal ambulance to arrive, the emergency responders provided first aid, blankets and oxygen to the canine before rushing her to the University of Zurich’s

animal hospital, said a city press release.

She has been treated for fractured bones and internal bleeding.

Her owners, who drove down to see Rapunzel at the weekend, said the dog was skilled at opening doors and escaped during a trip to the local vet on 15 August.

“She had never run away before,” owner Jasmin EhretVath told local news source Main-Echo, adding that the dog was usually known to be lazy.

A search operation was

launched on social media and the family would rush to remote places if any possible sightings were reported.

“We were always on the move,” the mother of three said to Swiss news outlet Blick. “But we were always too late.”

The pet is still in a critical condition, according to Ms Ehret-Vath, but the family are hopeful she will return home soon.

As for what Rapunzel the runaway saw and did on her six-month odyssey, that will remain a mystery.

Kaieteur News

Thursday February 15, 2018

Florida shooting: At least 17 dead in high school attack (BBC) At least 17 people have been killed in a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, police say.

The suspect has been named as Nikolaus Cruz, 19, and is a former student at the school who had been expelled.

He reportedly pulled the fire alarm and caused chaos in the school before he started shooting, law enforcement officials told CBS News.

Students were forced to hide in classrooms as police scoured the building.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters that Cruz had used a rifle and had “countless magazines”.

He said the shooting spree began outside the school where three people were killed. Cruz then entered the building and killed 12 people. Two people later died after being taken to hospital.

Earlier on Wednesday, the local public school district tweeted: “Today, close to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s dismissal, stu-

dents and staff heard what sounded like gunfire.

“The school immediately went on lockdown but is now dismissing students.”

Police were clearing students from the school “one building at a time”, the school said.Video footage from the scene showed students being evacuated in small groups, while armed police patrolled the school’s perimeter.

As the situation unfolded, helicopter footage appeared to show a person being handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car.

Coral Springs Police department tweeted instructions to teachers and students to “remain barricaded inside until police reach you”.

US television networks reported large numbers of parents had gathered outside the police perimeter.

Several witnesses inside the building at the time told news outlets that the fire alarm had been set off as the shooting began.

One student evacuated

from the school told CBS that Miami students had thought it was a drill.

“We already had one earlier this morning... and then we heard gunshots; some students thought it was not that serious.”

Another student, Bailey Vosberg, said: “I heard what sounded like fireworks and I looked at my friend and he asked me if I heard that.”

Florida Governor Rick Scott said he spoke to President Trump about the shooting, and was continuing to receive updates from law enforcement.Students were taken by bus to a “staging area” on Heron Bay Blvd, Coral Springs, where their parents could collect them.

Wednesday’s attack is the 18th shooting in the US this year on or around school premises, according to research

by Everytown for Gun Safety.

Since 2013, there have been 291 reported school shootings in America, which averages out to about one per week.

Trump lawyer says he paid porn star $130,000 with his own money WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - A private lawyer for President Donald Trump says he paid $130,000 of his own money to adult film star Stormy Daniels who once claimed she had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago.

The payment to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was made during the 2016 presidential election campaign but the lawyer, Michael Cohen, said he was working alone and that it was not a campaign expense.

“Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly,” Cohen said in a statement issued on Tuesday night.

Daniels was quoted as saying in a 2011 interview with In Touch Weekly that she had an affair with Trump after they met at a Lake Tahoe golf tournament in 2006.

Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in January that Trump lawyer Michael Cohen had paid $130,000 to Daniels in 2016, the year Trump won the presidential election.

In his most detailed account yet of what happened, Cohen said in his statement that the payment was a “private transaction”. He did not explain why he made the payment or say whether Trump was aware of it.

The White House referred questions about the payment to Cohen.

Cohen’s statement was in response to a complaint filed at the Federal Election Commission by the Common Cause watchdog group.

Common Cause argued in its complaint that the payment amounts to a campaign contribution well in excess of the $2,700 limit to the amount any individual can give, and it has asked the FEC to enforce campaign finance laws.

“The complaint alleges that I somehow violated campaign finance laws by facilitating an excess, in-kind con-

tribution. The allegations in the complaint are factually unsupported and without legal merit, and my counsel has submitted a response to the FEC,” Cohen said.

“Just because something isn’t true doesn’t mean that it can’t cause you harm or damage. I will always protect Mr. Trump,” Cohen said, adding that he would not comment further.

Common Cause said on Wednesday that the timing and circumstances of the payment “make it appear that the hush money was paid to Daniels in an effort to influence the election.” It called on the FEC to conduct a full investigation.

The FEC confirmed it received Common Cause’s complaint and declined to comment on the case.

Daniels’s manager, Gina Rodriguez, told Reuters that by issuing the statement, Cohen was in violation of a non-disclosure agreement with Daniels about the matter and that Daniels believes she can now talk about it publicly.

Farmer jailed 3 years for bribing ...

From page 11 In asking for Kissoondyal to be awarded the lower end of the jail term, Waldron said, “(My client) has not in any way attempted to waste valuable judicial time.” After taking into consideration all the mitigating factors, Kissoondyal’s early guilty plea, the

seriousness of the offence and the need to prohibit others from committing the offence Magistrate Latchman imposed the custodial sentence and fine.

Nevertheless, proceedings will be filed in the court to have the bribe money forfeited to the state.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 15, 2018

Thursday February 15, 2018

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Kaieteur News

No reason given for my Jamaica Russell hundred puts team demotion says Kiriasis Scorpions on course for semis PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - Former Olympic and world champion Sandra Kiriasis on Thursday blamed her sudden departure as coach of the Jamaican women’s bobsleigh team to an inexplicable demotion by team officials that she could not have accepted.

The German was preparing for Jamaica’s first female bobsled appearance at an Olympics but her Pyeongchang Games adventure was cut short yesterday before the team even got to compete.

The Jamaican bobsleigh federation president Christian Stokes said Kiriasis had been “a destructive force on the team” but the 43-year-old rejected the allegations and said she had been suddenly demoted to a position as the

team’s track analyst.

“Without giving any reasons I was told out of the blue that with immediate effect I should work only as a track and performance analyst, would have to leave the Olympic village, would lose my accreditation as part of the Jamaican team and was not supposed to have any more contact with the athletes,” she said in a statement on Facebook.

She said the decision to demote her comes after she had supported the team “beyond the call of duty”, getting sponsors and equipment and even rented a sled at the German track of Winterberg for the athletes to take to Pyeongchang and compete in.

“Naturally I cannot accept to be treated the way I have

been treated,” she said.

“I still do not know the reasons behind the decision of Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation and certainly will not allow to be used as the puppet on a string by the federation which have also saved a lot of money due to my commitment and contacts.”

The acrimonious split was certainly not part of the script that has captured global attention as the Jamaican women have been inextricably linked with their men’s team’s appearance at the 1988 Games, which inspired the successful movie “Cool Runnings”.

Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell will become Jamaica’s first female Winter Olympians next week. Training begins on Saturday with the opening heats on Tuesday.

Thursday February 15, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) This should be a very busy day for you, Aries, as communications involving business matters could take up much of your time.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) New enterprises that you've worked to perfect for a long time, perhaps involving writing, speaking, or publishing, might pay off today, Libra.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Business matters take a sudden turn for the better, Taurus.

Paperwork may need to be executed. A new sense of selfconfidence contributes to these developments, and the more good things that happen to you

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Some paperwork involving business enterprises could be executed today, Scorpio, possibly in your home.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) A chance to travel, perhaps for business purposes, could present itself to you today, Gemini. This might require some temporary adjustments in your personal life, but don't let this stop you.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Someone in the know could come to you today with opportunities for increasing your income, Cancer, perhaps involving investments of time or other resources in new business enterprises.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) If you've been thinking about starting a new business partnership, Leo, this is the day to take some positive action toward that end.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Some rather boring and mundane tasks, perhaps involving paperwork, could take up much of your time today, Virgo. .

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Success in business, perhaps involving writing or speaking, might come your way today, Sagittarius. Paperwork, such as contracts, could take up a lot of your time.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You've worked hard to promote your business interests, Capricorn, and today it might pay off. Money, or contracts promising it, could come your way, as well as new opportunities to pursue success AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Your optimism and enthusiasm should be very high today, Aquarius. Business and partnerships have been proving both satisfying and profitable lately PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today your level of imagination and intuition is especially high, Pisces. Trust your heart today, especially where new projects and money are concerned. Insights may appear to knock at the doors of your conscious mind

NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – Andre Russell’s unbeaten hundred proved the difference as Jamaica Scorpions trounced English county Kent by three wickets, to go top of Group B in the Regional Super50 here yesterday.

Chasing a competitive 240 for victory at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Scorpions reached their target with five balls to spare, with the right-handed Russell ending on 108 not out off 111 deliveries.

Brandon King chipped in with 43 in a 76-run, sixth wicket stand with Russell which pulled Scorpions out of trouble at 57 for five in the 15th over.

Opener Daniel BellDrummond had earlier struck an unbeaten 105 as Kent, sent in, raised 239 for five off their allotted 50 overs.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Adam Rouse stroked 75 not out but the remainder of the visitors’ batting failed to come to grips with the Scorpions attack.

Fabian Allen finished with two for 35 from his 10 overs while fellow left-arm spinner Chris Lamont, who bowled the new ball, conceded only 27 runs in a stingy 10-over spell.

Kent lost Zak Crawley for one in the fourth over but BellDrummond then added 54 for the second wicket with Sean Dickson (11), to repair the damage.

When Dickson and Joe Denly (1) fell with four runs added to leave Kent 61 for three in the 21 st over, Drummond combined with Alex Blake (14) in a 37-run, fourth wicket partnership to revive the innings yet again.

Blake and Will Gidman (3) perished in the space of seven balls leaving Kent to rebuild yet again, and this time BellDrummond found a more reliable partner in Rouse to execute the job in an unbroken 135-run, sixth wicket partnership.

Bell-Drummond, short of runs in the tournament, faced 146 deliveries and counted five fours and a six while Rouse was more aggressive, smashing five fours and four sixes in a 68-ball knock.

Scorpions found their run chase quickly in turmoil as legspinner Joe Denly (3-53)

Marvin Josiah...

From page 34 counted all six goals after he hit the target with three “Guinness Goals”.

The stage is now set for grand finale tomorrow where these free scoring teams will match their skills at the Pouderoyen Tarmac.

crippled the top order with critical strikes.

Left-hander Steven Taylor was caught at the wicket without scoring off the fourth ball of the innings from seamer Ivan Thomas, with a single run on the board.

Chadwick Walton, fresh off a career-best hundred three days ago, again looked in good touch with 22 off 24 balls, which included three fours and a six.But he was one of four wickets to tumble for 29 runs, leaving Scorpions in need of something special.

That effort came through Russell’s enterprise as the aggressive West Indies allrounder blasted half-dozen fours and eight sixes to take command of the innings in scoring his second List A hundred.

His first fifty was mea-

sured, coming from 74 balls but he upped the tempo for his second to reach his hundred off only another 33 deliveries.

His ally King faced 68 balls and counted six fours but when he fell in the 35th over, caught at the wicket off Thomas, Scorpions were still some way off their target.

However, Russell dominated a 71-run seventh wicket partnership with Peat Salmon (19) as Scorpions flourished late on.

Scores: KENT 239 for five off 50 overs (Daniel BellDrummond 105 not out, Adam Rouse 75 not out; Fabian Allen 2-35).

SCORPIONS 240 for seven off 49.1 overs (Andre Russell 108 not out, Brandon King 43, Chadwick Walton 22; Joe Denly 3-53).

PAGE 30

Haas reveals first shots of F1’s Halo era ESPN.com - Haas has released the first images of a 2018 Formula One car with the Halo.

The new F1 season features one of the biggest regulation changes in the sport’s history, the controversial cockpit protection device running over the head of the driver. On Wednesday Haas shared rendered images of what its VF-18 car will look like.

The VF-18 will be the car the American outfit uses to contest its third season in F1.

This week team owner Gene Haas gave the team the challenge of cutting the gap to engine supplier and technical partner Ferrari to 0.5s.

Several F1 teams have spoken of the challenge of incorporating the Halo onto this year’s models, a point echoed

by Haas team boss Guenther Steiner.

“The biggest part of the car’s evolution was the addition of the Halo,” he said. “It took quite a bit of study by

Mumbai to play Chennai Super Kings in IPL season opener

The Haas F1 Team released this photo of their car. (Haas F1 Team) the aerodynamicists, but the designers had to work hard to modify the chassis so the halo could survive the mandated loads. The total minimum weight of the car increased because of the halo, and there’s a higher center of gravity simply because of the halo’s position. But, everyone is in the same boat.

“The regulations stayed pretty stable between 2017 and 2018, so the VF-18 is an evolution of our car from last year. It’s less about reinvention and more about refinement. You see elements we

had from last year on the car this year.

“Our 2017 car was actually pretty good, but we didn’t always get the best out of it, and that’s what we aimed to change in 2018. We got the car as light as possible to carry more ballast. We were able to do a better job of putting the weight where we wanted it.”The livery continues the team’s use of the corporate scheme of Haas Automation, owned by Gene Haas.

Also of note is a slightly refined sharkfin running along the back of the car.

Ronaldo double helps Real to 3-1 win over PSG MADRID (Reuters) Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Paris St Germain 3-1 yesterday, with the holders roaring back to life in the Champions League last-16 first leg tie after a dismal domestic campaign.

Adrien Rabiot smashed runaway Ligue 1 leaders PSG ahead in the 33rd minute but Ronaldo levelled from the penalty spot on the stroke of halftime, scoring his 100th Champions League goal for Real to set up a pulsating second half.Ronaldo put Real in front in the 83rd minute with a scrappy strike from close range, following a cross by Marco Asensio, who made an impressive cameo appearance off the bench.Brazilian left back Marcelo further stretched the lead in the 86th, giving PSG a tough task in the second leg at the Parc des Princes on March 6.

The tie pitted 12-times European champions Real

Thursday February 15, 2018

Kaieteur News

against the Qatar-backed Parisians who have never gone beyond the quarter-finals in the competition but boasted an attacking trio that cost over 460 million euros (408.67 million pounds) to assemble in transfer fees alone. The two squads’ combined cost exceeded 1.2 billion euros.

“This is a very important victory, these Champions League games are nights you always want to remember and we showed exactly how you need to play,” Real captain Sergio Ramos told reporters.

“We showed lots of personality and proved that despite all the speculation about us you can never presume Madrid are dead.”Embattled Real coach Zinedine Zidane has faced serious questions this season with his side falling 17 points behind Liga leaders Barcelona.He played a master stroke, however, in reverting to almost the same lineup that outclassed Juventus to win last year’s fi-

nal, leaving Gareth Bale out for Isco.

“SMALL DETAILS” Real had more of the ball and created the first clear chance when Ronaldo fired a shot against the face of PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

The French side opened the scoring when Kylian Mbappe flew past two players to play a low pass towards Neymar in the box but Nacho’s attempted clearance sent it towards Rabiot, who buried it straight into the middle of the net.

Ronaldo fizzed a shot over the bar at the other end but made no mistake when Giovani Lo Celso was penalised for tugging Toni Kroos’s shirt in the area.

PSG were denied a penalty when a shot from Rabiot appeared to strike Madrid captain Sergio Ramos on the arm, while Mbappe spurned their best chance of the second half when he fired straight at Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas.PSG coach Unai Emery turned his fire on Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi after the defeat but said his side could still turn the tie around back in the French capital.

“I think our team played a great game but we got a bad result. We played with a lot of character,” he said.“I think we deserved a better result. Everything is decided by small details and I don’t think the referee helped us.

Kieron Pollard survived a stumping chance on 19. (BCCI) ESPNcricinfo - Defending champions Mumbai Indians will face Chennai Super Kings in the IPL opener on April 7 in Mumbai. Super Kings will also play the last match of the league phase, which ends on May 20, against Kings XI Punjab. The IPL has also decided not to alter the tournament’s regular match timings with afternoon matches scheduled for a 4pm IST start and the evening matches commencing at 8pm.

In a welcome change, all the double headers - 13 in total - will be played over Saturday and Sunday. In the final schedule released by the IPL on Wednesday, 44 matches during the league phase will be played in the evening, while the remaining 12 games will be start in the afternoon.

In addition to the home bases of the eight franchises, Indore will be the ninth venue,

playing host to the home games of Kings XI. Apart from the tournament opener and the final, Mumbai will also host the first qualifier.

Incidentally the venue for the other two play-offs - the eliminator and the second qualifier - remains unannounced. The main reason behind that was because the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) sent a letter to IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, demanding the two play-off matches be played in Pune, home of last year’s runner-up Rising Pune Supergiant.

In the letter, MCA president Abhay Apte told Shukla that he was merely asking the IPL to stick to the norm and allot the Eliminator and second qualifier to the home base of last season’s runner-up. A final decision on the issue is likely to be taken by the IPL Governing Council at its next

meeting.

Meanwhile, the IPL acquiesced to the franchises’ demand of sticking to the original match timings and not alter it. In January, the Governing Council had approved the proposal - worked out with the host broadcaster Star - that afternoon matches would begin at 5.30 pm, and evening games would commence at 7pm. The immediate repercussion of that move, the franchises argued, was the second innings of the first match and the first innings of the second would overlap on double-header days.According to an IPL official, one solution was to start the day match at 3.30pm to “avoid” the overlap. That, however, was not a feasible solution considering the IPL is played during peak summer and the franchises did not want the players to suffer in India’s unforgiving heat

Five-star Liverpool thrash Porto with Mane hat-trick PORTO (Reuters) - Sadio Mane grabbed a hat-trick and Mohamed Salah scored with a mesmerising piece of balljuggling as Liverpool demolished Porto 5-0 away with an irresistible attacking display in their Champions League round-of-16 tie yesterday.

Roberto Firmino completed the scoring in the first leg tie to hand the Portuguese league leaders their heaviestever home defeat in European competition and virtually guarantee Liverpool a quarter-final place.Salah’s 29thminute goal arguably upstaged Mane’s treble as the Egyptian took his tally to 30 goals in all competitions this season.

Liverpool midfielder James Milner’s shot hit the post and rebounded to Salah who flicked it up over Porto goalkeeper Jose Sa, then controlled it with his head and

touched it into the net.

Liverpool took their goal tally in the Champions League this season to a remarkable 34 goals in nine games, including qualifiers, as they equalled the record for the biggest away win in the knockout stages.“We needed to play as a team and that’s what we did,” said Mane. “We played great football, created great chances and scored five goals. I enjoyed the fifth goal the most.”Twice European champions Porto sorely missed injured leading scorer Vincent Aboubakar and midfielder Danilo although they began brightly as Otavio saw a shot deflected onto the roof of the net by Dejan Lovren’s outstretched leg.

For a while, it was an endto-end game but swung Liverpool’s way with two quick goals, both helped by poor defending.

Liverpool went ahead in the 25th minute when they won the ball in midfield and Georginio Wijnaldum found Mane whose shot squirmed through Sa’s arms and into the net.Four minutes later, Milner won the ball off Moussa Marega, ran on as the Porto defence hesitated, waiting in vain for a foul to be called, shot against the post and Salah did the rest.

Porto also started the second half brightly but were again caught when Salah opened them up with a diagonal pass to Firmino whose shot was stopped by Sa, only for Mane to snap up the rebound.Already facing a record home European defeat, the hosts were sliced apart again in the 69th minute as Mane won the ball, burst forward and released Milner whose low pass into the centre was turned in by Firmino.

Thursday February 15, 2018

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Gibson’s tenure twist: from honeymoon to nightmare ESPNcricinfo - Guess what Ottis Gibson? Valentine’s Day seems an opportune time to tell you that the honeymoon is definitely over.

After easing in with a clean-sweep over Bangladesh in all formats and a one-anda-half day win in a Test over Zimbabwe, you said the media would be the ones to decide when your dream start ended. We didn’t think it would turn into a nightmare this quickly.

Of course we understood when you and Linda Zondi, the convener of selectors, said that, “Vision 2019” would mean results could take a backseat as you tried to widen the player pool but we didn’t think you’d give winning the boot so emphatically. At least you seem to have accepted that your experimental, injuryridden side is “not at good as it should be.”

So, what now? Is the vision so blurred that you want new lenses, or at the very least some different personnel? It sounds like it. “I know we’ve been focusing on the World Cup, but I don’t think the team that will go to the tournament is the one that you saw tonight. It’s a long way to go yet.”

That’s what you said after

the series was lost in Port Elizabeth.

But if you’re not going to take this group, who batting coach Dale Benkenstein called “the best team we’ve got,” after the second ODI, even as he acknowledged the absence of Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers at the time, then who?

“People that can use the new ball and get wickets at the top of the order. That will be essential in England.”

You may want a new attack but the names on paper read like a pack that should be doing exactly as you wish.

Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi and Chris Morris are four of your frontliners in the longer format but cannot seem to replicate that with the white ball.

You’ve identified length as one reason they’ve gone for so many runs. “We haven’t been able to hold length very well. I keep saying to the bowlers that in order to control the scoring rate you have to control your length.”

It may also be a case of them appearing one-dimensional - all four are tall, fast and rely on back-of-a length balls to a large extent - and variety could be an alternative. But your choices are scant. Left-armers Wayne

Parnell and Beuran Hendricks both had poor one-day campaigns while Dane Paterson, who played against Bangladesh and finished fifth in the one-day cup was not considered. Vernon Philander might be an option but he hardly plays any white-ball cricket these days and Dale Steyn, well, you’ve said he should probably concentrate on Tests when he recovers.

And that’s only the fast bowlers. As far as the line-up is concerned, where the real problems seem to be rooted, your answers seems to lie in the hope that when Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock return, things will get better.

“We’ve got four batsmen in the top 10 in the world in this format and three of them are missing. You take three of your best batsmen out of any team in the world they will struggle, and when you do it against a very strong Indian team it has exposed us.”

In du Plessis’ case, you have a point, because he is the only South African batsman to score a century in the series but de Kock looked so out of form that his injury probably saved him from being dropped. De Villiers’ sensational reputation has not extended to the point where you

can rely on him consistently in a chase and while Hashim Amla has started to come into his own again, he cannot do it again.

And the rest need to be able to do more, often. JP Duminy simply has not produced enough runs for a man with 184 caps, David Miller needs to deliver more reliably, Farhaan Behardien, recognised as one of the best white-ball players on the domestic circuit, needs to play.

Everyone else needs to learn to face wristspin, even if it won’t be as much of a factor at the World Cup. “When I came here we spoke about building for the World Cup. In England in May and June I don’t believe that the ball will spin as much as we’ve seen here.

I think India has two world-class spinners and they might spin it anywhere, but we’ve got a whole year to learn to deal with that stuff.

But I don’t believe it will spin that much in England next year.”

Is it time to panic? You don’t seem to think so.

“It’s been a good lesson and in a year’s time, I think it will be a good lesson to learn right now; just where we are with our cricket and our think-

AB de Villiers was dismissed for a measly 6. (BCCI)

Ottis Gibson addressed his first press conference as South Africa’s new coach, Johannesburg, September 19, 2017 ©Associated Press

ing, and the way we are going to play the game in the next 12 months before the World Cup. We’ve got a good hiding from India, let’s not kid ourselves about that, but it’s also given us a lot of food for thought going forward. Twelve months from now we’ll be a lot stronger for having had this experience.”

Just know that ODI cricket, after this series, is five months away in Sri Lanka and then, depending on whether a Global T20 happens or not,

South Africa may play a white-ball series in Australia before hosting Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

You’ve already said more one-day cricket would help, and that by the end of the Sri Lanka series you’d like a clear idea of your World Cup candidates. That’s only one more series to experiment with and one more series to see if you can start a second honeymoon, which South Africa are hoping will end with a World Cup trophy.

Regional Super50 Festival

Barnwell and Hetmyer lead Jaguars to victory over Hurricanes

By Sean Devers in Antigua In association with Vnet Communications, Bounty Farm, Noble House Seafoods & Playter’s Enterprise A 144 run fourth wicket stand between Chris Barnwell (89) and Shimron Hetmyer (60*) overshadowed an excellently constructed maiden century from 28-year-old Devon Thomas in last night’s Regional Super50 Festival game in which Guyana Jaguars beat Leewards Hurricanes by five wickets at Coolidge.

Thomas, playing in his 78th game at this level hit an unbeaten 103 from 118 balls decorated with 10 fours and shared in a 53-run stand with Terrence Ward (18) and 41 with Akeal Hosein (23) in an unfinished ninth wicket partnership with lifted Hurricanes from 131-7 to 216-8 when their 50 overs expired.

In his last game in the tournament before leaving with Shimron Hetmyer and Kemo Paul for a training camp ahead of World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo finished with 3-35, while Romario Shepherd was once again brilliant in the ‘death’ overs and had 3-40, while he took his wicket

tally in the tournament to 13; taking 1-37.

Jaguars made the chase more difficult than it should have been and took 47.1 overs to reach their target finishing on 217-5 as Ward took 4-38.

After Shiv Chanderpaul had laboured for 48 balls for 14 and Chanderpaul Hemraj made a 29-ball 30 with three fours, Barnwell reached the boundary eight times and cleared it twice in his entertaining 89 from 93 balls. This was Barnwell’s fourth fitty in this format from 40 games while Hetymer’s unbeaten 60 lasted 95 balls and included four fours.Chanderpaul, with 11 tons in ODIs and the most runs in Regional 50-over cricket, struggled to get the off the field, while Hemraj made use of the limited opportunities to hit three four and two sixes that kept the partnership going at a fair clip with little contribution from the 43-year-old Chanderpaul.

Hemraj hammered Sheno Berridge for consecutive boundaries but with the pressure mounting on him to keep the run rate going, he topedged a sweep in Ward’s first over and skied a catch to short fine-leg at 41-1.

Chanderpaul who led Guyana to its last two 50-over

titles (2003 & 2005) struggled to make 14 before he buckled under the pressure of dot balls and played an uncharacteristic pull off Ward to be taken at long-on with the score on 492.Hetmyer was joined by his Skipper Leon Johnson who has had an up down tournament so far and stroked Shane Burton for a couple of fours before sweeping Ward to short fine-leg after making 14 as the Jaguars slipped to 653.Barnwell, replacing Raymon Reifer in the side and mindful that the Jaguars needed to win with a bonus point since Kent had defeated Scorpions earlier in the day, joined Hetmyer.

Barnwell is one of the most explosive batsmen in local cricket, came out with all guns blazing and latched onto Burton.

The pugnacious DCC allrounder who turned 31 last month, tucked Burton off his pads, drove him past cover, hit him down the ground and stroked him magnificently to wide long-off for consecutive boundaries in and over which cost 17 runs.

He and Hetmyer batted positively after Chanderpaul had wasted eight overs for his 14 and scored at a rapid rate.

Hetmyer, who had 103 against USA, reached his

fourth half century, while Barnwell who batted superbly fell at 209-4, while Anthony Bramble (4) was removed by Sheno Berridge with two runs to win before Sherfane Rutherford (2*) hit the winning runs. Earlier, on a day blessed with glorious sunshine Jaguars won the toss on a dry track and invited the Hurricanes to bat and they lost new Captain Kofi James with score on 7-1.James, who turned 20 last December and only playing in his second match at this level, miscued a hook at a short ball from Shepherd and was caught at long-leg.

Keacy Carty, who played in 2016 U-19 World Cup, was joined by Akeem Charles, also from St. Martin, and Carty stroked Paul for a couple of delightful off-side boundaries before cover driving Shepherd gloriously to the boundary. But when on 15 Carty drove loosely at Shepherd and was caught behind by Anthony Bramble to leave the score on 24-2.

Without addition to the score, Charles (2) edged a drive at a wide ball from Paul to give Bramble his second catch before Thomas and Ward resurrected the innings.

The pair with positive batting brought up the 50 from

80 balls before Ward was run out for 18 at 77-4.

The 28-year-old Thomas looked better the longer he batted and played some lovely shots on both sides of the wicket before reaching his sixth fifty at this level.

Bajan Jevon Searles (9) edged Bishoo to Johnson at slip with the score 91-5 before Jaleel Clarke (9) was caught behind off Bishoo at 117-6.

The experienced Thomas, in his 78th match at this level, continued to play fluently but soon lost Shane Burton (6) who was removed by Bishoo at 131-7.

Thomas swept Bishoo for four to move into the 60s before Justin Athaneze got going with a brutal drive to longoff for four off Hemraj.

Thomas swept Hemraj for four and whipped Barnwell delightfully off his legs for four to bring up the 150.

Athaneze (15) was well taken at deep mid-wicket by Hemraj off Shepherd at 175-8 before Hosein and Thomas batted sensibly before Thomas reached his century from 115 balls with 10 fours.

Hosein played an excellent supporting role and featured in an unfinished ninth wicket stand of 41 to take Hurricanes over the 200-run mark.

Chris Barnwell, who looked back his best last, turns one for leg side runs.

Jaguars play their final preliminary round game against Jamaica Scorpions, who beat Kent yesterday, in another day-night game here tomorrow.

Scores: HURRICANES 216 for eight off 50 overs (Devon Thomas 103 not out, Akeal Hosein 23 not out; Devendra Bishoo 3-35, Romario Shepherd 3-40).

JAGUARS 217 for five off 47.1 overs (Chris Barnwell 89, Shimron Hetmyer 60 not out, Chandrapaul Hemraj 30; Terrance Warde 4-37).

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Windies A snatch victory, but barely FLORENCE HALL, Jamaica, CMC – West Indies A nearly squandered what should have been easy win, losing a hatful of wicket before limping over the line, to win the opening four-day “Test” here yesterday.

Resuming at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium on 31 for one with a mere 75 runs required for victory, the hosts made their way safely to 51 without further loss before suffering a sudden capitulation to lose seven wickets for 47 runs.

Suddenly tottering on 98 for eight and with defeat a real possibility, Windies A were rescued by all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall who held his nerve to end on 14 not out and see them to a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Captain Kieran Powell, unbeaten on 16 overnight,

top-scored with 30, and while Vishaul Singh (18) and Shamarh Brooks (16) got starts, they failed to carry on, leaving the innings compromised.

Brooks and Vishaul put on 23 for the fourth wicket which took Windies A to 80 for three but their dismissals triggered a slide that saw five wickets fall for 18 runs.

Left-arm spinner Jack Leach was the main destroyer, adding four wickets to his one from overnight to end with five for 26 while leg-spinner Liam Livingstone picked up two for 55.

Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican was named Man-ofthe-Match for his eight-wicket match haul and unbeaten 71, batting at number 10 in the first innings.

The second “Test” bowls off Sunday at Sabina Park.

Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap Squash Tournament underway The annual Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap Squash Tournament began yesterday at the Georgetown Club Camp Street. Fifty participants are down to take part in two categories; the Open for seniors and Cat A for juniors. The Open category includes wellknown, skilful players such as Nyron Joseph, Regan Pollard, Nicholas Narine, Ashley Kahlil, Taylor Fernandes and also junior climber Samuel Ince-Carvalhal.

Category A will no doubt see grand performances from

participants Michael Alphonso, Gianni Carpenter and Demetrius DeAbreu, along with the usual anticipated bouts between Kirsten Gomes, Abodsaide Cadogan and Madison Fernandes, as they battle it out for their place at the trophy table on finals day this Sunday.

Matches will run each evening during the rest of this week and throughout the day on Saturday before finishing on Sunday afternoon.

The usual BBQ fundraiser will be held on Sunday.

World Chess Federation says Swiss accounts frozen over Syria sanctions

Rahkeem Cornwall … saw Windies A to a narrow victory.

South Korea approves $2.6 million fund to pay North Korea’s Olympic expenses Yahoo Sports - South Korea approved a government plan yesterday that will cover North Korea’s expenses at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, per the Korea Herald.

The fund, approved by the South and North Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Council, costs roughly 2.86 billion won (roughly $2.65 million).

It will cover the expenses of hundreds of North Korean participants, which range from art performers to cheerleaders to the taekwondo demonstration team, all of whom are part of North Korea’s involvement in the PyeongChang games.

“The North Korean delegation’s participation in various forms is serving as a pretty good opportunity to (achieve) Seoul’s goal to hold an Olympics of peace and

Thursday February 15, 2018

ATHENS (Reuters) - The World Chess Federation (FIDE) says its Swiss bank accounts have been frozen because its president - with whom the FIDE secretariat is embroiled in a power struggle - is under U.S. sanctions for alleged dealings with the Syrian government.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, a Russian who has headed FIDE for over two decades, was placed under U.S. sanctions in November 2015, accused of aiding the Syrian government, including by helping it buy oil from Islamic State.

Ilyumzhinov, a millionaire businessman and ex-politician, has denied the accusations, and Interfax news agency on Wednesday quoted him as saying the bank accounts were not blocked.

“No one has blocked the UBS accounts, they are all active, I have checked recently. All events are taking place,” he was quoted as saying.UBS said it could not comment on whether individuals or organizations were clients of the bank.Last March, Ilyumzhinov accused FIDE of an attempted “revolution” to oust him by falsely announcing his resignation.

He said he intended to serve his full term and would decide this year whether to run for re-election in September.

FIDE, whose secretariat is based in Athens, says it transferred presidential powers to Ilyumzhinov’s deputy in December 2015 though its website still lists Ilyumzhinov as president.

“The Swiss Bank UBS has announced that they will immediately close our accounts,” FIDE’s treasurer, Adrian Siegel, said in a Feb. 12 letter posted on its website.“The white money strategy in Switzerland does not allow to do business with institutions or persons on the sanction list of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Thus, it was only a question of time until we face this serious problem.”Siegel said FIDE had so far been allowed to keep its accounts because Ilyumzhinov had informed FIDE on several occasions that he would soon be removed from the sanctions list.

“Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has unsuccessfully tried several times to be removed from this list and at the moment there is no hint at all that there will be a change,” Siegel said

Froome says will race South Korea will pay over $2.6 million to cover North Korea’s expenses at the PyeongChang games. (Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP) becoming an important chance for harmony that improves the inter-Korean relationship and opens up the door for peace on the Korean Peninsula,” said Unification Minister Cho

Myoung-gyon.

“This could further pave the way for (inter-Korean) discussion to build and sustain peace on the peninsula,” Cho added.

Whether or not South

Korea will fund North Korea’s participation in the Paralympics, which take place in PyeongChang in March, will be determined in a future council meeting according to the release.

From page 32 other riders continue to compete under similar circumstances.

“This is a process that a lot of other riders have gone through, I don’t see why I should have different treatment to all of them,” the 32-year-old said.

“They were all racing in the meantime until they got to the end of their processes. It’s not going to go any faster if I was sitting at home. We’re going as fast as we can on it and hopefully get it resolved as soon as possible.”

Froome risks missing the Tour de France and could lose his Vuelta crown unless he can provide a satisfactory explanation for the failed test during the Spanish race.

Thursday February 15, 2018

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Woods signals days of being White Ferns name two debutants to face Windies warm and cuddly Tiger are over CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, CMC – Uncapped Teenager Kate Heffernan and Lauren Down have been named in New Zealand squads to face West Indies Women in a limited overs series here next month.

The 18-year-old Heffernan, a left-arm pacer, has been included in the Twenty20 squad while Down, a 22-year-old batsman, is part of the One-Day International line-up.

Head coach Haidee Tiffen said both players had earned their places in the White Ferns squads.“Both Kate and Lauren are impressive athletes in their own right and will definitely bring that dynamic edge that we’re looking for,” she said.

“The fact that Kate is a left-armer was certainly a factor in her selection as she will bring that point of difference.

We see an immense amount of potential in Kate, particularly as we look ahead a bit further to a World Cup in New Zealand in 2021.

“Lauren’s been on our radar for a while in both formats and we also think she’s one for the future. She’s explosive with the bat and is a terrific fielder across the park.”

Meanwhile, selectors have recalled all-rounder Kate Ebrahim who will play in the ODI series, and the duo of batsman Natalie Dodd and seamer Hayley Jensen, in the

Suzie Bates (left) and Sophie Devine … both named in White Ferns squad to face Windies Women.

T20 unit.

Both the ODI and T20 sides will be led by the experienced Suzie Bates, with the likes of veterans Amy Satterthwaite and all-rounder Sophie Devine included in both line-ups.

“We’ve picked on form and all three players have stuck their hands up and put in some big performances at times under pressure – which is something we’ve placed real value on,” Tiffen said.

“It’s great to have Hayley back in the mix after her successful season with the Melbourne Renegades in the Australian Women’s Big Bash League.“She’s a quality

player and we’re delighted that she’s committed herself to returning to New Zealand to play her cricket.”

The White Ferns host West Indies Women in three ODIs and five T20 Internationals, from March 325.The Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln will be the venue for the first two one-dayers with the Hagley Oval here staging the third.McLean Park in Napier will be the venue for the first two T20Is with Pukekura Park in New Plymouth playing host to the next two.

Seddon Park in Hamilton will be the scene of the final match of the series.

Ice Hockey: Slovenia down U.S. 3-2 in overtime GANGNEUNG, South Korea (Reuters) - Slovenia came from two goals down in the third period to beat the United States 3-2 in overtime yesterday in the opening round of the men’s Olympic hockey tournament.

A team who have earned a reputation for punching above their weight, Slovenia captain Jan Mursak tied the game with under two minutes to go by tapping home a rebound and scored the winner less than a minute into suddendeath overtime.

“I‘m proud of my guys, I‘m proud of the team,” said Mursak, who played sporadically with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings between 2010 and 2012.

“Hopefully, we can start looking to the next game and surprise somebody else.”

The U.S. struck first late

in the opening period when Garrett Roe kept a loose puck in the Slovenian zone, carried it behind the net and fed Brian O‘Neill who was streaking into the slot.

O‘Neill fired a wrist shot that beat Slovenia goaltender Gasper Kroselj on his stick side.

In the second period Jordan Greenway, the first African American to play for the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, tapped in a puck that popped loose from a scrum in front of Kroselj.

“It was exciting to get my first, but it would have been much better to get a win tonight,” said G r e e n w a y, o n e o f f o u r American college players in the U.S. team.

Slovenia, ranked 15th by the International Ice Hockey Federation, got on the board in the third period when Blaz Gregorc

threaded a wrist shot through a crowd in front of U . S . g o a l k e e p e r Ry a n Zapolski.

A team who never quit, the Slovenians fought their way into the knockout round in Sochi four years ago and finished seventh.

The Olympic hockey tournament is being played without NHL players for the first time since the Lillehammer Games in 1994 after the league and International Olympic Committee failed to agree on players’ travel and insurance costs.That has left teams to build their rosters from emerging local talent or from players in other professional leagues, largely from Europe.

The Slovenians next face the Olympic Athletes from Russia, who lost to Slovakia 3-2 yest e r d a y. T h e A m e r i c a n s play the Slovaks.

(Reuters) - It will be no more mister nice guy when Tiger Woods tees up at the Genesis Open starting at Riviera today, the 14-times major champion said.

After spending the past couple of years more a calm and cuddly mentor than a ruthless competitor as he dealt with a potentially career-ending back injury, Woods is ready to assume his erstwhile role as a steely-eyed assassin.

He will play the first two rounds in Los Angeles this week with Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, the latter experiencing his first competitive round with Woods.

“I don’t care how they react,” Woods said when asked how he expected today’s young breed to deal with what he hopes is his re-emergence as a serious challenger.

“I’m trying to win a tournament (and) I’m sure they feel the same way but hey it’s winning time.

“I think now they’re starting to see me as a competitor because I’m starting to come back again.

“For a while that wasn’t the

case. I was just a person they could bounce ideas off. They would pick my brain, but now it’s more as a playing competitor. We still give the needle and have a whole bunch of fun but also they know I’m playing a tournament and so are they.”

Riviera, where Woods made his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year-old amateur in 1992, is the only course on the PGA Tour where he has played more than 10 tournaments without a victory.

He used to be a regular, competing in what formerly was his hometown event known as the Los Angeles Open 11 times without a victory, before scrubbing the tournament from his schedule after 2006.

Relatively short and tight by modern standards, Riviera did not suit a long-hitting young Woods but he might find it more to his liking now as a 42-year-old with a fused spine, still able to hit the ball a long way, but no further than many of his peers.

Woods is not quite ready to predict a timeline for where

Tiger Woods his results are headed, despite a respectable tie for 23rd at Torrey Pines three weeks ago in his first appearance of the year.

He will certainly have stiff competition this week from a field headed by world number one and defending champion Dustin Johnson.

“Eventually I’d like to win tournaments,” Woods said.

“I am trying to get through that process to get to that point.

“I’m making small, subtle changes in my posture and my swing because I’m starting to understand my body a little bit more because this back is just different than it used to be.”

Dominant Wozniacki, Halep cruise into Qatar Open third round (Reuters) - Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki swatted aside German Carina Witthoeft at the Qatar Open on Wednesday while an equally dominant Simona Halep joined the world number one in the third round making short work of Ekaterina Makarova.

Wozniacki, who won 6-2 60, struck 18 winners and claimed six out of 12 break points to progress and takes on 14th seed Magdalena Rybarikova or Monica Niculescu next.

Top seed Wozniacki, coming into the event on the back of a quarter-final finish at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy, was broken once early in the

opening set but recovered quickly to win the match in just under an hour.

Halep, playing in her first tournament since her defeat

by Wozniacki in the Australian Open final last month, eased past Russia’s Makarova 6-3 6-0 in an hour and 11 minutes.

The Romanian second seed cruised to a one-set lead and saved four breakpoints in the first game of the second set to halt a comeback attempt by her Russian opponent. She then reeled off the next five games in a row to prevail.

Halep faces Anastasija Sevastova in the next round after the Latvian beat Naomi Osaka 6-4 6-1. Johanna Konta

Caroline Wozniacki also progressed to the round of 16 with a 6-2 6-2 win over Carla Suarez Navarro.

Double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova came back from a set down to move past Agnieszka Radwanska 6-7(3) 6-3 6-4.

Froome says will race on despite ongoing investigation LONDON (Reuters) Chris Froome will ride in the Giro d‘Italia this year and try to defend his Tour de France title even if an investigation into his adverse doping test is ongoing, the Briton said as he prepared to launch his season yesterday.

Four-times Tour champion Froome is battling to clear his name after an increased dosage of asthma medication at

last year’s Vuelta a Espana resulted in an ‘adverse analytical finding” from a urine sample.

Team Sky rider Froome, whose sample showed double the permissible limit of Salbutamol, has denied any wrongdoing and is free to race as he is not suspended.

“I hope it doesn’t get that far but I‘m still allowed to race now and I don’t see why

not,” Froome, who competes in Spain’s Ruta del Sol this week in his first race since the findings became public in December, told BBC Sport.

International Cycling Union (UCI) president David Lappartient said last month that Team Sky should voluntarily suspend Froome until the investigation is complete.

Froome disagrees, saying (Continued on page 33)

PAGE 34

Kaieteur News

Thursday February 15, 2018

Rabada fined for Dhawan send-off Jamaica’s women’s bobsleigh ESPNcricinfo - South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has picked up a fine and a demerit point for giving India opener Shikhar Dhawan a send-off in Port Elizabeth. He lost 15% of his match fee over the incident, and gained one demerit point, taking his overall tally to five.

Each demerit point stays on a player’s record for a period of 24 months. Four demerit points warrant the first suspension, and eight lead to another longer suspension.

Rabada was already suspended for one Test against England in mid-2017, for having accumulated four demerit

Kagiso Rabada points. He picked up the first three of those on February 8, 2017, following an ODI against Sri Lanka.

If Rabada reaches eight points before the second week of February, 2019, he will re-

ceive a weightier penalty - a ban of two Tests, or one Test and two ODIs/T20Is, or four ODIs/T20Is - whichever comes first for the player.

Rabada had dismissed Dhawan in the eighth over the India innings, caught at deepsquare leg off a bouncer, then waved at the batsman, pointed him to the dressing room and, according to an ICC release, “made a comment which could have resulted in a reaction from the batsman”.

Rabada admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Andy Pycroft, so there was no formal hearing.

Snowboarding: White delivers again to win third halfpipe gold

White said he saw a film of Usain Bolt boasting of winning at three Olympics and said he wanted to win at a third Olympics too and yesterday completed his hat-trick having secured golds in 2006 and 2010. (Getty Images) PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - American Shaun White cemented his legacy as the most successful snowboarder of all time as he delivered a stunning routine under massive pressure on the final run of a gripping halfpipe final yesterday to win his third Winter Olympic gold and a landmark 100th for his country.

White needed a big performance to overhaul Japan’s Ayumu Hirano and duly delivered with a spectacular display to earn a score of 97.75. His victory means the United States have won all four snowboarding golds awarded at the Games.

White, 31, triumphed in 2006 and 2010 and after a long wait for his score on Wednesday he roared with emotion, punching the air as his superstar status briefly undermined when he failed in Sochi four years ago was set in stone.

“Man, that was awful and amazing at the same time,” White

said of the long wait for his score.

“I knew I did a great ride and I was proud of that and I could walk away with my head high, but when they announced my score and I’d won, it crippled me.”

Nineteen-year-old Hirano, who edged into first place after his second run and then posted 95.25 on his third, could not hide his disappointment as he trudged away from the finish area having matched his silver from Sochi 2014.

Australian Scotty James, the 23-year-old world champion, took bronze.It was an emotional day for White, who as the “old man of the sport” was being questioned, with some observers feeling his marks benefited from his reputation.

Nobody can question the American’s dedication, however, as he fought back from a crash in October that left him with 62 stitches in his face.

“I was so overwhelmed with happiness, I’ve been through so

much to get here. I had this crazy injury in New Zealand where I busted my face open,” he said.

“I actually did the same trick that injured me here in the halfpipe today. So there were a lot of obstacles to overcome and now it’s all worth it.”

“Honestly it’s one of the most challenging runs I’ve ever done. I didn’t even link the combination, the 14 to 14 (back-toback 1440s) until I got here, today, this morning. So, honestly, I‘m just so happy with my performance. I‘m proud of the other riders for pushing me this whole time.”

James, who fell on his final routine, said: “It could have gone either way between first and second. If you look back at some details, I mean it would be interesting to see.“He (White) just comes out and he knows these moments and he just delivers.

I know he’s been working hard, so credit to him for being able to put it together today.”

coach Sandra Kiriasis quits

BBC Sport - The Jamaican women’s historic Winter Olympics bobsleigh debut is under threat after their coach quit and threatened to take the team’s sled.

German Sandra Kiriasis, an ex-Olympic champion, claims she was forced out when her role was changed, and that she is legally responsible for the sled.

Kiriasis wants payment for it but the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation declined and is disputing she owns the sled.

“I’ve never known such disappointment in this sport, in my life,” she said.

Kiriasis said she had to quit after refusing to change roles from driving coach to track performance analyst, which would have given her no access to the athletes.

The sled situation remains unresolved, with the JBF denying their team will have to pull out of the event.

Kiriasis, who won Olympic gold in 2006, said it was her contacts which led to the team securing the sled.

Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell are hoping to become the first Jamaican women competitors - 30 years after the Jamaican men, who inspired the film Cool Runnings, made history in Calgary.

The team are due to start official training on Saturday before their heats on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Kiriasis said: “The athletes have told me they don’t understand why this has happened as they have no problem with me and we have a good relationship.”

Jamaica Bobsleigh said: “Sandra Kiriasis has elected not to continue her position.

We are deeply disappointed in her decision to leave the programme.

“We thank her for her invaluable contribution and contributing to the success of Jamaica’s first female bobsled

Sandra Kiriasis won bobsleigh gold at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. (Getty Images)

Jamaica’s Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell finished seventh in a World Cup race in December. (Getty Images) Olympic appearance.

“Ms Kiriasis’ departure will not impact JBSF or its athletes’ performance.”

Jamaica recorded their highest finish in a World Cup race in Winterberg in Germany in December, finishing seventh after switching from a Japanese sled to the one currently under dispute.

Analysis - ‘Internal bickering’ - John Jackson, former Great Britain bobsleigh pi-

lot The whole situation is a complete mess. This will have an effect on the Jamaican team, whether because they have lost their world-class coach or both coach and equipment.

The most important race in a lifetime could be jeopardised by the internal bickering within the Jamaican Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.

Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” East Bank/West Demerara zone

Marvin Josiah fires Showstoppers into anticipated final against ESPN Both the quarter-final and semi-final stages of the Guinness “greatest of the streets” East Bank/West Demerara leg were competed on Tuesday night at the Pouderoyen market tarmac and fans will be in for a treat when the tournament culminates tomorrow night as arguably the best two teams in the zone will contest the final.

More importantly, both ESPN and Showstoppers have booked their place in the Na-

tional Playoffs which will see the champion team representing Guyana at the Guinness regional street ball championships.

During ESPN’s road to the final, Trevon Lythcott scored the lone goal in his side’s quarter-final win against Ballers Empire on the night.

Meanwhile, Pernell Schultz netted a normal and a ‘Guinness Goal’ (any goal score in the final three minutes of a match is counted as two)

to see ESPN count a 3-0 victory over Dream Team in the semi-final.

In Showstoppers quarterfinal, they made light work Boom Bang with a banging 40 victory. Dextroy Adams and Stephon Jupiter both netted “Guinness Goals” for the Pouderoyen based team.

Marvin Josiah then stole the show in Showstoppers semi-final 6-0 win against West Side Ballers. Josiah (Continued on page 25)