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

ANOTHER MASSACRE IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS In the United States, mass killings in schools and other public places have become a common phenomenon, and while Americans mourn, many have come to grips with the reality that mass shootings have become a routine matter. The deadly gun rampage in Parkland, Florida, about 50 miles north of Miami, which claimed the lives of 14 students and three adults is the worst mass high school shooting so far in 2018 and the deadliest in recent US history. Several of the deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history have taken place in schools. The Parkland High School mass shooting on Valentine’s Day is the 18th of the year which is more than twice the seven school shootings for the same period in 2017 and the authorities seem powerless to prevent them. In eight of the 18 school shooting incidents this year, no one was injured. The stunning number underscores how common gun violence and mass shootings have become in American schools. Since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, students in most elementary and secondary schools have regularly been performing drills on how to react in an active shooter situation. Since January 2013, there have been at least 291 school shootings that claimed more than 500 lives. The worst elementary school massacre in the history of the United States occurred on December 14, 2012, when Adam Lanza killed 20 schoolchildren, all toddlers between the ages of six and 10 years old and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The nation was stunned and even though there have been calls for stricter laws on gun sales and ownership after this tragedy, gun rights advocates including the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA), have succeeded in stifling those calls. Indeed, laws on carrying guns in public places are less strict today. Americans have become weary of living with the reality of mass school shootings for the past 25 years. During that time, educators across the country have hardened schools’ defences with bullet-proof entrances, active shooter training and a host of desperate and creative safety measures from door jamming devices to scanners for children’s school bags. Still the shootings continue with no real solutions in sight. The shootings at Parkland, Florida, came three weeks after a 15-year-old boy shot and killed two students and wounded several others at a Kentucky high school on January 23, 2018. The day before, a teenager shot and wounded a student in a school cafeteria in Texas. The same day, a bullet grazed a 14-year-old boy in the parking lot of a New Orleans high school. Shootings at schools have also taken place in California, Iowa and Washington State, among others. The frequency of school shootings has once again raised the issue among politicians of stricter laws to control the sales of guns in the United States. Although President Trump has sent condolences to the families in Florida, and has ordered all American flags on public buildings to be flown at half-staff, his remarks that no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school is hypocritical. His administration and party have and continue to resist calls for stricter gun control laws. It seems that the US Congress which is controlled by the Republicans is fundamentally broken when it comes to amend the Second Amendment which protects gun ownership. Congress has not acted even after 20 toddlers and six educators were massacred in 2012 in Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut. In fact, Congress has blocked several measures to have background checks required for gun purchases, which means that the chances of a child being the victim of a school shooting is extremely high. Today, children are less safe in schools than in their communities.

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Guyana has to learn to play by the rules of international business

DEAR EDITOR, While I too share the same anxieties as many compatriots over whether government’s share of the revenues from the 2016 petroleum agreement will be the bonanza to finally launch the country into the economic stratosphere, the fact of the matter is we live in a world with established rules and expectations on how international business is conducted and how investment decisions are made by big corporations. If Guyana would like to persistently attract large investors and to be seen as having comparative advantages over other investment destinations, we need to stop the current fretting and groveling over the 2016 agreement. Instead, we need to understand the rules of the game, unpalatable as some of them are, and adjust our mindset to the hard realities. There is little to gain in following the footsteps of the

late Dr Cheddi Jagan in campaigning in the wilderness for a new Global Human Order. Not much in the 2016 oil agreement should surprise. Firstly, the financial regime (profit oil, cost oil, cost recovery, tax waivers, and royalty) is what our consecutive governments have long advertised in their hunt for oil investors. As long as memory serves, these terms have been written on the GGMC website and in promotional brochures, and touted at conferences for decades. Secondly, many of the terms in the agreement are standard features worldwide for our circumstances. For example, the much-criticized stability clause (Article 32) is, according to one World Bank study, included in over 100 oil contracts worldwide. As I explained in a previous letter, no company would make large longterm investments in the socalled Third World without a

stability clause. Insurers, for one, would not touch such a project without it. That is a rule of the game. Some have argued that because the 2016 agreement was negotiated after oil had been found (unlike the 1999 agreement), then Guyana should have used this fact to extract a better deal. But again, this is not how the game is played. Investments in the Stabroek Block were made under set upfront conditions. Had the company found nothing, it would have had to shoulder all the loss, with no cost to us. That’s one rule I am sure we like. But now that the company’s risk-taking has paid off with several oil finds, we cannot now demand that the conditions that lured the company in the first place be altered to our advantage. Any company could reasonably point out that had it known upfront that Guyana

would seek to change the terms of doing business, this circumstance may have changed the investment calculus and caused it to seek fortune elsewhere. It’s akin to a landlord asking for more rent after a tenant has used his own money to upgrade the house. Is that a good image for Guyana to be projecting to foreign investors? One is reminded of the level-headed advice by Sir Shridath Ramphal and other thinkers in their 1978 report “South-South Dialogue” that the worst thing for a developing country than being exploited is not being exploited. The 2016 deal is sealed. It is time for us to begin, in a more structured and sustained manner, to discuss how we can wisely use our Godgiven blessings to transform the lives of our citizens within the next five years. Yours faithfully, Sherwood Lowe

DEAR EDITOR, The vexed question is how does one evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the police? Many persons including the police themselves tend to use crime rates, number of arrests and case clearance to measure how the police are doing. This may appear to be a good performance appraisal process. However, according to Wayne Bennett and Karen Hess (2004) such measures have several problems. They posit that: Low crime rates do not necessarily mean a police agency is efficient and effective. A high arrest rate does not necessarily show that the police are doing a good job. A high ratio of police officers to citizens does not necessarily mean high quality police services. Responding quickly to calls for service does not necessarily indicate police agency is efficient. In many instances, clearance rates are notoriously unreliable and arrest data are suspect. The possibility of ghosting should not be overlooked. Ghosting is the falsifying of patrols logs “to make the numbers come out right “or to use a local and common

police term “cock the stats so that we can look good.” In addition, there are the dark figures of crime - crimes that were not reported for diverse reasons. Kramer and Fiedler (2002) summarizes the problem well: “Traditional measures such as the Uniform Crime Reports...arrest and tickets tabulate only events. They do not measure whether the activities were completed efficiently and effectively, and they don’t describe what impact the activities had on the community. “ They argued that rather than looking at crime rates, number of arrests and response time, evaluation should assess whether the agency is effective in fulfilling its responsibility to the communities. They further stress that when evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity of the entire department, managers must focus on their mission statement. They must also consider what citizens want and expect from their protectors. Most citizens want to live in safe orderly neighbourhoods. Reduction of fear is a very important measure. It sends a very clear message to the public that the

police are addressing their fear of crime and neighbourhood disorder. What are some indicators to look for to conclude whether or not the police are doing a good job? Citizens’ approval or disapproval of police performance is generally reflected in support for police programmes, letters of criticism, commendation, cooperation with crimes and incidents being investigated, letters to the editor or public response to a single police/ citizen incident. The police are considered effective when they produced the perception that crime is under control. One way to assess citizens’ approval or disapproval is through citizens’ surveys. They are win-win situations. Citizens are better served and the police receive positive feedback. It is a key in establishing communication. I clearly remembered some time during the mid 1990’s, Commissioner of Police Laurie Lewis detailed Superintendent Michael Wilson to conduct a Quality of Service probe at the East La Penitence Police Station. The officer had recently returned to Guyana from a Command Course for Caribbean Police Officers conducted by the British at the Jamaica Constabulary Staff

College. Wilson’s findings were very instructive. This led to a paradigm shift in the strategic, tactical and operational posture of ranks at that station in an effort to make them more efficient and effective. Perhaps, the police can conduct some Citizens’ Surveys to find out whether or not they are efficiently and effectively utilising their human and other resources in the fight against crime, the fear of crime and traffic lawlessness on our roads. The police have many university graduates among their ranks. Over the past few years two officers won the Prime Minister’s Medal for being the best graduating students at the University of Guyana. Some are not only high ranking officers, but are decorated with post graduate and Master’s degrees. They are fit and proper persons to conduct the citizens’ surveys with the objective to enable their members to efficiently and effectively deliver the highest quality of service to the citizens of the country they swore to serve and protect. Yours faithfully Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retired)

The police should undertake citizens’ surveys

A country without unity will not see prosperity DEAR EDITOR, In all my observations in politics around the world, I have never seen another country where the people have entrenched themselves into party politics as in Guyana. And I remind you, a country divided is a country destroyed. Now is the time for our politicians to put their differences aside to solve our true and real problems that face us today in order to protect our future. Our crime situation is out of control and murders are rising at an alarming rate, while there seems to be no real solution on the table. I find it

troubling to know that we are in the middle of the world’s largest oil find and our politicians are unable to work together on a solution. I wonder if they don’t understand that a destabilized Guyana will cause us to lose our share of this oil wealth. We are already getting a meagre piece of the pie and we are making it worse by not bringing crime under control. We are in very turbulent waters with Venezuela, a country that is determined on claiming most of Guyana, which is now at its highest point because of our oil find. Guyana can quickly deterio-

rate into a battleground, hosting a proxy war between the U.S and Venezuela, while we would suffer the fallout of that war. Again here, there seems to be no unity on this matter. It is clear from the Exxon contract that our elected officials are unable to swim with the sharks of Exxon, and therefore we are already seeing signs of the resource curse on the horizon. This is so because our leaders have come to the battleground with sticks in a gunfight. I said it last year, that our leaders underestimated the board room power of Exxon and that (Continued on page 6)

Mr. President, swear in the ERC commissioners DEAR EDITOR, It seems that for anything to happen in this country there must be a struggle, an outcry, and then lo and behold like the hero, the Government intervenes and then it looks good. In the past it appeared that they created the problem (recall VAT on Education, reversal of Skeldon Estate closure, Parking Meter Fiasco etc.), anticipated an outcry, then appeared like the problem-solver.

Enough of the PR stunts, let’s get on with this nationbuilding process. In relation to the Ethnic Relations Commission, after lingering in the Parliament for almost a whole year, then prior one-year consultation, finally Guyana saw some agreement from both sides of the house as 10 names were approved. Getting such an agreement should be seen as blessings, since there are many disagreements in Parliament. Mr Norton did his part; the MPs

did their part, now it is up to the President to do his part. It appears that there needs to be an outcry for the swearing in of these commissioners, like there was for their approval. This nation needs healing. Politics aside, Mr President, walk the walk. Your speeches are inundated with a vision for unity, social cohesion and cooperation, so when are you going to get the ball rolling? A. Sinclair

The system of Old Age Pension payments need to be addressed DEAR EDITOR, During last week, the Stabroek News reported that the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) and the Ministry of Public Telecommunications are currently researching the introduction of a “debit card-like system” for pensioners to receive their monthly payments. In effect, this research is focused on linking the GPOC with the banking system. I have no problem with this research, however it is my view that the pension payments at the post offices need to be thoroughly reviewed. I say this based on my experiences and observations of the operations of GPOC. As a pensioner, I would normally go the post office after the second working day in the month to encash my pension voucher. I have experienced, at three post offices (refrained from naming them), “sorry sir we have no cash, please return tomor-

row” over the past two years for approximately 50 percent of my visits. On Saturday 3 February, payment ceased at that post office at 7:30am, since it was out of cash and was awaiting reimbursement. I left that post office, frustrated as usual and went to the main branch post office where I received my pension. Could you imagine the number of pensioners who would also have been told to return for their pensions? Whenever I ask to see the Officer in Charge (the Postmaster), the usual response is he/she is unavailable. It is obvious to me that there is a critical management problem existing at GPOC when it comes to pension payments. If there is proper financial planning, a post office should not be out of cash for pension payments. Each post office should be preparing a monthly cash budget for pension payments.

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Tuesday February 20, 2018

As an example, this monthly budgeted amount should be the average actual payments over the last 3 months, as well as another 10 to 15 percent on that average monthly amount, for unforeseen circumstances. Hopefully with proper financial planning, a post office should possess adequate cash to meet the monthly pension payments. On day 1 at the post office there is only one wicket open, invariably not promptly at 07:00 hours. There should be at least two wickets open on day 1 and 2 respectively, in order to process these payments, and if there is an unusual large number of pensioners (Continued on page 6)

What did these eminent jurists do to curb the excesses of the Govt. they served? DEAR EDITOR, In a letter which appeared in the news media yesterday, Sir Shridath Ramphal, a former Attorney-General (AG)/Solicitor-General (SG) to the late Prime Minister Burnham of Guyana eulogized the late Dr. Shahabuddeen, also a former AG/SG of Guyana who died in Canada on Feb. 17. He elucidated Dr. Shahabuddeen’s impressive academic legal achievements and described him as a son of Guyana with unmatched legal brilliance. What was missing however from Mr. Ramphal’s praises was what Dr. Shahabuddeen and himself had done as the peoples’ Attorneys in Guyana to prevent the excesses of the Burnham Administration, such as rigging of elections and other human rights abuses, includ-

ing changes to the Constitution which gave the Prime Minister of the Republic dictatorial powers in some critical areas of governance. After all, they were the peoples’ lawyers and their clients’ interests were paramount, but it didn’t seem so. Mr. Ramphal and to a lesser extent Dr. Shahabuddeen did not use their legal positions during their tenure with the Burnham Govt. to clean-up many of the injustices which were incorporated in the original Constitution or introduce laws to improve the lives of Guyanese. Instead, they sought avenues to advance their own agendas and careers as Mr. Ramphal got Prime Minister Burnham to recommend (also canvass for him) for the post of Secretary-General of the Commonwealth and a knight-

hood from the Queen while Dr. Shahabuddeen got the PNC Govt. to nominate him as a judge to the International Court of Justice at the Hague, which he got. There were many other goodies they received concomitant with their spheres of influence. In hindsight, Guyanese would like to be apprised by Mr. Ramphal as to the contributions (apart from the Venezuela issue which is still pending) which Dr. Shahabuddeen and himself as two eminent jurists have done worthy of emulation to have curbed the excesses of the Government they served, as well as to have improved the fate of Guyanese through their legal efforts, who were suffering from a dictatorial administration under Prime Minister Burnham. Yours faithfully, Charles Sohan

DEAR EDITOR, Fellow members and I would like to express sincere congratulations to the new administrators of the Berbice Cricket Board on their welldeserved victory in elections held on February 18, 2018. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Honorable Justice Navendra Singh for his patience and dedication to the rule of law and tireless search for the truth. The ‘Hostile Take Over’ of the Berbice Cricket Board and Berbice cricket by a few individuals in March 2017 has left an indelible scar on the reputation of our organisation. In 2017, we thought we were living in an autocracy. In 2018, we now know that we are living in a democracy, thanks to our valiant members who stood tall and said no, and our brilliant young Attorney at Law, Mr. Arudranauth Gossai. Under this new administration, we see great potential for the future of Berbice and Guyana cricket, but success

will depend upon cautions recognition of circumstances that have hindered our progress so far. It should be clear that our task is enormous, but we have risen from the ashes before. We must be honest, fair, dedicated, loyal and productive. We must have a sound knowledge of the game, its laws and rules, our constitution and the Cricket Administration Act of 2014. We must communicate, be Available, Accessible and Accountable. Some have passed on at a time when, for practical reasons, they were in service of Berbice cricket. We speak of thirty-six year old umpire Pyandi Rengasammy, who in 1981 voluntarily stood in on a semi-final match at Port Mourant and passed on at the Port Mourant Hospital within

half an hour of him exiting the field. He left to mourn his young wife Yvonne and six young children. Assistant Secretary Detective Inspector Norville Simpson, who died by accident on the # 19 Public Road in 1985, and was described by his President as a dedicated, motivated and outstanding member of the Board. Our first Special Member -1973- Attorney at Law J. Maurice Haniff, was a stalwart who served as Legal Advisor, Vice President and Representative on the Guyana Cricket Board. He also served as Chairman of Region #6 and Mayor of New Amsterdam. He passed on in 1986. The Great Leslie Lennox Amsterdam AA, who died (Continued on page 6)

Congratulations to the new administrators of the Berbice Cricket Board

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Acknowledging my debt to an extraordinary man DEAR EDITOR, I would like to acknowledge my debt to an extraordinary man. His name is Dr. Mohammed Shahabuddeen – former Attorney General and World Court Judge. Uncle Shahab, a man of par excellence. He was the spark of my intellect, the fire of my soul. He humbled me with his intelligence and his passion for knowledge and growth. He made us all Essequibians proud. He was an eminent world court jurist. His passing brought us sadness and irrevocable memories.Uncle Shahab and his two brothers Moeen and Zahir frequented us at a little Mosque at Johanna Cecilia, Essequibo Coast. A humble man, he would pray with us on that hard floor covered by a discoloured carpet. He would exchange pleasantries with the old folks and encourage us the young ones to work hard at school. I can never forget him and his brother’s generosity. We ate from their hands during the rough days of poverty. My mom looked forward for their charity and Zakat, and Uncle Shahab never failed us - for that I am eternally grateful. Recently, my daughter and her new family paid us a visit. I took them to Essequibo

coast so that they could connect to the place of my birth. I stopped at a small house at Adventure. When I told her this was where one of the world’s most brilliant legal minds came from, she was shocked and puzzled. She put her hand on her mouth and said ‘you are lying’. Uncle Shahab has impacted my life tremendously, words fail me and adjectives are limited to aptly describe this gem – Dr. Mohammed Shahabuddeen, but I will still try.He was full of grace. Grace is the life of talents. Grace is the breath of speech. Grace is the soul of action, and Grace is the ornament of ornaments. Perfection is the adornment of our nature. But grace is the adornment of perfection itself. Without grace, beauty is lifeless. It surpasses valour, discretion, prudence, even majesty itself. That was Dr. Mohammed Shahabuddeen – pure and amazing grace. It’s a pity that a fantastic, astonishing man like Dr. Shahabuddeen is only born once in a generation. He consumed my entire being through his extraordinary brilliance. His stunning words were the most dazzling pearl necklace around the neck of humanity.Millions will stand in front of God-Almighty

wearing his necklace and be granted salvation through the fact that his astonishing words brought them into contact with the divine author.Additionally, when our contemporary historians write the annals of our history, Dr. Mohammed Shahabuddeen will be on top of the list of the most influential men of our times. He stood tall like a palm tree and was never swayed by the wind.The joy of having known him trumps all the other temporary pleasures I ever had. I cannot bear the thought that if I were to subtract him out of my history, what my life would be like. Throughout our sojourn on earth, one person can touch our lives and we become better, much better. Peace to the greatest jurist of the 21st century, as he has returned to the divine author, peace to a stern advisor, peace to a generous giver and peace to a friend. May Allah – the Almighty, bless him with the highest station in paradise. May Allah – the Almighty, give his loved ones patience and perseverance in this time of grief. Yours truly, Mr. Nazar Mohamed Businessman

From page 5 on hand, then open a third wicket temporarily. If there are pensioners to be paid at closing time - 15:00 hours - then the post office should be open beyond the closure time so as to make those payments. Further, the Postmaster should be visible in managing the execution of this system.Adequate security arrangements are necessary. There should be one guard inside the post office and another outside of the post office on the peak pension days. At the post office I had visited on February 3, I saw no security guard. It is evident that the executive management and the Board of the GPOC are not fully addressing the system of paying pensions. On the research of payment of pensions through the bank, if GPOC wants to interface with the banking system, today’s pensioners may hardly want to be using a debit card. Those pensioners who are presently using debit cards would be inclined to use a card for pension. They may be less than 20 percent, however it can be adopted. An alternate system should be established with the banks for them to pay old age pensions similar to the bank system for National In-

surance Scheme (NIS) pensioners. On the presentation of the NIS voucher, the bank pays accordingly. It will require that the Ministry of Social Protection promptly reimburse the respective banks each month on receipt of the bank’s invoices for old age pensions. Involving the banks will result in fewer pensioners going to the various post offices, and this will apply to geographical areas where commercial banks are established.In closing, it is imperative that I state my ex-

perience and observations on the payment of pensions in order to justify a review of the present system. The decision makers of the GPOC need to address the weaknesses of this system and then to strengthen it in keeping with best practices. Now is the time for less talk and more positive action to be taken by the respective authorities. Our pensioners, who have served this country well, need a revised and efficient system of pension payments. John Seeram

DEAR EDITOR, I use this opportunity to share my thoughts and impressions to the people of this great country Guyana my home. Nestled between Brazil and Venezuela, Guyana can easily go unnoticed. It has about 750,000 inhabitants and per capita income of $4,300, half the regional average - qualifying it as the hemisphere’s third poorest nation. However at the moment Guyana also might be the luckiest, having struck huge oil offshore - discovered

since 2015. We are the talk of the region. Added to that, according to industry experts, Guyana’s approximate total reserves are at around 2 billion barrels. With that said, that could make Guyana one of richest Latin American producers in less than a decade. Are we ready and prepared to manage this great precious resource? That could bring the blessings and change for the better. I challenge us all to band together - Government and Opposition - to purposely, skillfully and honestly

The system of Old Age ...

Tuesday February 20, 2018

The Ministry Of Social Protection is a Social Failure DEAR EDITOR, It appears that Guyana is better off without a Social Protection Ministry. My statement may not sit well with some persons, but let me show where our social services lack civility. On Friday 9th February, 2018, the young mother of the two kids that were left home alone in the house that caught fire, and were forced to rescue themselves, was charged and placed on $50,000 bail for child neglect. While neglecting a child or children is a charge, we must take into consideration people’s social position. I am not familiar with the young mother neither her circumstances, but the response to her by the authorities is draconian. This woman is a 24-year-

old single-parent; she left her children at home, something that a lot of persons do, even some persons in high offices. She didn’t leave them on the street. She probably went out for a brief moment and the unfortunate incident happened. Yes, she ran away when she returned and saw the police, probably out of fear, and was later found at a drugs yard, but prosecuting her would not solve the problem. Can this woman afford to post the bail? Can she afford to pay for the service of an attorney? Can she stand in the court room to face the embarrassment? Those are some questions that should be considered before prosecuting her. This woman needs counselling; she needs social help.

Prosecuting her or taking away her kids may push her to the suicide stage. Do we really have Social Protection? Let us not forget the two young boys that were taken away from their home at Norton Street in 2016 by the authorities and later perished in a fire at the Social Protection drop in centre on Hadfield Street. And for that, no one was prosecuted for child neglect - after those boys were in the state’s care in a building with grilled doors and windows (Prison like). Now we want to prosecute a victim of circumstances for her situation. Somebody needs to invoke social protection in Guyana, because it’s dead. Yours Truly Terrence Sealey

From page 5 by drowning in the Berbice River in 1999, at a time when he was serving as Vice President of the GCB and President of the BCB. Amsterdam also served as Vice President of the BCB, Berbice and Guyana Chairman of the Selection Committee, Berbice County team captain and national cricketer. In 1983 he managed the West Indies senior team in the Caribbean during the Indian tour. He is the only individual to have been honoured – posthumously - with induc-

tions into both the Cricketers’ Hall of Fame and the Administrators’ Hall of Fame. In 1991 he was honoured by the government of Guyana with the Golden Arrowhead of Achievement. We all felt as though we too had been honoured. As we move forward, we must remember that we stand on the shoulders of these great ambassadors of our beloved sport. We stand up today because they stood up yesterday, and we are thankful for their service of an exception-

ally high quality. We wish to emulate them, our great cricketers, and many others who have and continue to serve our organisation and the game we love with pride and passion. In expressing these sentiments, I am joined by my fellow Life Members and Hall of Fame Administrators Lennox Phillips and Ancel Hazel, both of who have served as Vice President of the GCB and President of the BCB. Yours faithfully, Mortimer George Former Secretary BCB

Congratulations to the...

A country without unity... From page 5 they would not be seen as equals in the negotiations. Guyana now more than ever, needs to stand together to ensure our leaders do not sell our future for a “bag of Yankee dollars”. The economic crisis has been hitting every one hard, as the sugar industry be-

Guyana is now about to open up her wings

put Guyana first and its people. In closing as I quote these words of Nelson Mandela, “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom. I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison”.Let us unite and build Guyana. One People, One Nation with One Destiny. Ivan Bentham Regional Councillor, APNU+AFC Regional Democratic Council Region #4

comes obsolete, with no solid transition plan for the people who depend on this sector for their bread and butter. This will drive Guyana deeper into a position of weakness and therefore we will be forced to seek handouts from our investors. Of course, this will come at a cost tenfold more than what is given. Guyana has and is continuing on a trend that affects all countries that suffer from the resource curse, and that is intense division and tribalstyle infighting. Multinational corporations have a long track record of benefiting from a broken system and, as a matter of fact, it has been their only proven way of making a windfall profit while the owners of the resources suffer from fighting each other. So for those who are hoping that the multinational corporations will be your saviour, you have another thing coming. These corporations are completely okay with us living in poverty while they take

our resources. They will have no sympathy for the suffering masses, since their interest rests with the shareholders. Our only hope forward is coming together to solve the most critical problems that threaten to destroy our future - for us and our children to come. We have destroyed ourselves too many times in the past. First, our founding leaders got split apart, then we fuelled a racial divide, Rodney was assassinated and to add to it all, we are crippled with corruption. I would like to see the leaders of the opposition and Government publicly announce unified strategies to solve the problems mentioned above and outline a roadmap with clear results for Guyana. Can we actually start seeing some action that benefits the people? We have seen enough manipulation and schemes that benefit self and party interests only. Malcolm Watkins

Tuesday February 20, 2018

15 Guyanese trained to work on Exxon’s drillship

The participants of the course. Last Tuesday, 15 Guyanese from JSL International completed the Basic Safety Training (BST) and Ship Security Awareness (SSA) courses at the MATPAL Marine Institute. The courses are part of the requisite training and certification needed to qualify them to be employed on the Noble Bob Douglas Drillship. According to the MATPAL yesterday, BST is a one-week modular course,

which is done in accordance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978 as amended. It comprises Basic Firefighting, Basic First Aid, Personal Survival Techniques, Personal Safety and Social Responsibility and Ship Security Awareness. According to JSL International, these candidates were chosen from a list of appli-

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cants who responded to an advertisement published by JSL International on their Facebook Page and in local newspapers. The JSL International Group of Companies has been given the job to provide the labour force for the drill. The drillship has been contracted to provide drilling services for ExxonMobil offshore in Guyana for a threeyear period. Their first (Continued on page 10)

‘Cobra’ appeal severity of sentence Some five years after he was sentenced to serve 78 years in prison for murder, Tyrone Rowe against the State is set to be heard at the Court of Appeal in Kingston, next month . In 2013 Rowe, called ‘Cobra’, was sentenced to 78 years imprisonment by Justice Navindra Singh following a guilty verdict returned after four hours deliberation by a 12-member mixed jury. Back then, Rowe through his attorney Hookumchand appealed the severity of the sentence. Unfortunately Rowe‘s attorney died a few years after the matter. Yesterday, when the matter came up before the Appeal Court, no attorney was present on behalf of the appellant (Rowe). The matter was therefore adjourned matter until March 14 allowing the appellant time to retain counsel. In the event that Rowe cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided by the State. In 2010, Rowe, 17 years old at the time, found himself on a list of Guyana’s most wanted. He was on the run. A $1M reward was offered for information leading to Rowe’s arrest. He was later charged for Troy Collymore’s murder and

Tyrone Rowe called ‘Cobra’ was accused of robbing Mark Hunte on May 16, 2010, of articles valued $160,000. A third charge stated that Rowe, armed with a gun, robbed Troy Collins, of gold and diamond jewellery valued $1.4M. Rowe whose address was given as Lot 268 Independence Boulevard, La Penitence, was further accused of

damaging one mirror at the Brickdam Police Station on September 4, 2010. During his trial in the High Court, nine witnesses testified on behalf of the prosecution. This included the mother of the deceased and a police eyewitness who placed the accused at the scene of the crime. At the time of sentencing, the Judge had explained that based on the use of a firearm during the robbery he would get five years, for the death of the victim, Troy Collymore called ‘Collie’ and ‘Nelly’ during the course of a dangerous felony, he received 10 years. For previous criminal matters, Rowe got three years, while the remainder of the sentence was attributed to Collymore’s murder. Rowe was one of the first persons found guilty of murder given an alternative sentencing since legislation against the death penalty was changed. Two years earlier, the accused would have been sentenced to death.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Govt. considers names for new GuySuCo board - former Enmore workers blocked from conducting maintenance for factory restart Government is set to make an announcement shortly on a new Board of Directors for the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). The decision would be key as GuySuCo is not only facing cash problems and some pending major decisions at its three estates, but there is friction, it appears, between the corporation and the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) which has been established to oversee the privatisation and divestment of four others. The four, Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales, are now under the control of the SPU, which has been established under the state’s National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). Officials disclosed that a list for new directors has been submitted to Government for a diverse, 12-member board to be constituted as quickly as possible. Government has expressed dissatisfaction with the old board headed by Professor Clive Thomas which oversaw the closure of the four estates in the last 14 months. The Ministry of the Presidency, which said it was obviously aware of the plans of GuySuCo to take cost-cutting measures, made it clear that the decision of the corporation to send home more than 4,000 workers from Skeldon, Rose Hall and Enmore was not

vetted by Cabinet. Since last December, the four estates have been placed in the hands of the SPU which is now seeking investors. Already, international c o n s u l t a n t , PricewaterhouseCoopers, has been hired to value the assets of the four estates, before the vetting of proposals of potential investors start. The entire process should be over by September. GuySuCo is broke, receiving over $32B since 2015. It is producing sugar at three times the price on the world market. The number of estates has been reduced by the administration from seven to now three. Rum giant, ‘Demerara Distillers Limited, has made a proposal for the running of Enmore Estate because its supply of molasses, a byproduct from sugar production, is under threat. Molasses is a key ingredient in DDL’s rum making process. SPU wants the deal to be tied up soonest with canes in the ground and workers standing by to return to work. The issues from fallouts would be compounded by recent events which indicated that GuySuCo is not too happy with the situation. Over the weekend, SPU getting ready to reopen the Enmore estate, East Coast Demerara, was met with resistance. While there are indications that management

Former Enmore workers sent by SPU to conduct boiler work for the reopening of the Enmore Estate were turned away two days in a row, signalling possible friction between GuySuCo and the SPU. was alerted, the security at the gates insisted that they had no authority to allow persons in. This happened two days in a row- Friday and Saturday, Kaieteur News was told. However, officials said that SPU explained to Government that it sent notices to GuySuCo’s senior officials last week.

SPU’s head, Colvin Heath-London was not immediately available for a comment. However, officials explained that the personnel dispatched by SPU were former Enmore technicians who have been instructed to conduct work on the boiler system at the factory, among other things. A number of former Enmore employees

were hired to help in the restart of the factory. GuySuCo reportedly has no cash; Government and SPU are looking at a number of financing options for the four closed estates, as well as the three that have remained open-- Albion, Rose Hall and Blairmont. Government has been insisting the sugar industry,

which has been falling to new lows in recent years, have been dragging depleting the little cash reserves of the country. The industry boasted of almost 17,000 workers post 2016 but this has been reduced to over 10,000 now. There are over 70 proposals for the four estates- including from local and international companies.

Tuesday February 20, 2018

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

The 1999 PPP/C contract with EXXON does not bind the Coalition Government The Coalition Government has resorted to the oldest trick in the book. It is diverting attention from its own shortcomings by casting blame for its failings on the Opposition. The government is resorting to political propaganda in order to justify its actions in signing a lopsided agreement with ExxonMobil. This is as low as any government can get. The government has released the contract which was signed by the PPP/C Administration with CGX in 2013. It has sought to do this so as to show that what the PPPC agreed to in that contract which is almost similar to that which the APNU+AFC signed with ExxonMobil. In of other words, it is saying that

if the PPP/C can do that, then what is wrong with us doing it. This old three-card trick may convince dunderheads but not persons with discriminating minds. The government is only fooling itself into believing that this worn-out trick will bring acceptability to the fouldeal which it signed as ExxonMobil. The APNU+AFC Government signed a Petroleum Agreement with Exxon. It was signed after oil was discovered. It is essentially a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). On the other hand, the PPPC signed a Petroleum Agreement when no oil had been discovered in

Guyana. The agreement was essentially (and this will be further explained) was a Petroleum Prospecting Agreement (PPA). The PPP/C has explained that it signed the agreements with both ExxonMobil and CGX based on a template which was being used at the time when the country was seeking investment in the petroleum. No oil had yet been found. In the past and now with this disclosure of the CGX contract, the APNU+AFC Government had sought to suggest that it was not lawfully obligated to re-negotiate the 1999 Agreement which was signed by the PPP/C. This is not so. I will show how the

Dem boys seh ...

Soulja Bai gun be de worse president Guyana ever see Soulja Bai got to fix dat one-sided oil contract. De people of Ghana vex although dem get 10% royalty. Dem suh vex dat dem planning a massive protest to get more than dat 10%. Dem also describe dat contract as de worse oil contract sign anywhere in de world. Guyana get 2% and de people of dis country look like if dem fall in a coma. Dem ain’t seh word; not a word from anybody except Chris Ram, Rambo Gaskin, Nigel Hinds and of course, de Waterfalls paper. If de people of dat Afri-

can country seh dem contract is de worse in de world, how you describe Guyana own? Soulja Bai got fuh answer dat question and he got to do so fast. Dem boys seh if he don’t deal wid it quickly, he will go down as de worse president Guyana ever produce. He gun get cuss from his own children and grandchildren. Dem people children gun cuss him and dem boys children and grandchildren gun go to he grave and cuss him right deh. Everybody know when a nation suffer from a bad deal. Nobody does forget de

people who put dem in de dilemma. Dem boys she, he don’t have to worry dat dem gun plug de well and go away. Dis is not about tomato, mango, orange or bygan wha does rotten. De oil been deh from de beginning of mankind and Guyanese ain’t dat hungry. All dem begging you for, is to mek sure Guyana get a fair share of its wealth suh dem don’t have to live 40 years from now, de same way dem living today. Talk half and tek note of Ghana.

deal that the APNU+AFC Government signed with ExxonMobil had to be re-negotiated because the 1999 agreement had lapsed. The APNU+AFC have long asserted that it was limited in what it could have done during its negotiations with ExxonMobil because it inherited the 1999 deal. The 1999 deal, as I will show had expired, and therefore did not bind the APNU+AFC. When it comes to petroleum prospecting and production, the law of our land is the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act, not any agreement, whether it was signed in 1999 or 2016. No agreement can make a fool of the law. The Petroleum Act is what matters and which effectively had invalidated any prospecting licence issued under the 1999 Contract. Section 24(1) of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act states: “Subject to this Act, a person who holds a petroleum prospecting licence may apply for the renewal of the licence, but not more than

twice, in accordance with the Regulations.” Section 25(1) limits the term of each renewal to a period not exceeding three years. The accumulative effect of these two sections of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production Act) in respect to the petroleum prospecting is that any prospecting license issued under the 1999 contract under the PPP/C would not have been valid under the law six years after the effective day of that licence. The PPPC contract with Exxon was signed in 1999 and therefore, assuming that the prospecting licence was effective from 2001 (the Contractor has to be given time to mobilise capital), no prospecting licence could have been lawfully issued after 2007. Therefore, the APNU+AFC cannot now contend that it inherited the Exxon contract from the PPPC. It inherited a contract which could not have issued a lawful prospecting licence and there-

fore the 1999 contract could not bind the APNU+AFC. But assuming, for argument sake, that somehow there was a valid prospecting licence issued to Exxon, there is nothing in the law which would have bound the government to issue a production licence on the same terms as the 1999 contract. The law clearly makes provision for what happens when oil is found under a prospecting licence and what happens afterwards in terms of the application for a production licence. The government bungled the negotiations. As a result, it is now resorting to blaming the PPP/C. Of all the parties in the country, look whose standards, the APNU+AFC are judging its own track record against!

PAGE 10

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Australian horror: Thank God it wasn’t a Black family In my column on shithole/shithouse countries of January 27, 2018, I wrote the following; “Personally speaking, I have no admiration for Australia and block that country from my mind. If I have to put it bluntly, I would say I do not like Australia.” If I were to write my memoirs, my days as a little boy at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) would obviously be mentioned. My father was the chief groundsman. It was there, I first saw the iconic Garry Sobers. If ever I saw a person that was charismatic, it was Garry Sobers. I remember him giving me a 25 cent coin. I saw many cricketers passing through the ground in my days back then but the Australians stood out for their loutish behaviour. You know what they say about first impressions. We in Guyana in those days were accustomed to seeing the English, Americans, Indians, West Indians, but not Australians. We only saw Australians in the form of the touring Australian cricketers. When I look back to that era in cricket, I would say from my experience that the West Indian, English, Pakistanis, and Indian cricketers were

angels compared to the Australians. In my formative years of growing up, the impression I had of Australian cricketers had lodged deep inside the walls of my Freudian mind. It gave rise to an interpretation of the country of Australia that has not changed since then. I grew up, became an educated person and learnt more about Australia. My first impressions were deepened. I believe that Australia is a racist country. I believe in a comparative context they are more ill-mannered than the rest of the world’s nationalities. I am not racist in even an infinitesimal way and never will be but every human on Planet Earth has a right to his opinion and there is nothing wrong if a person holds an opinion of a country he/she is not fond of. Most frankly, I do not care for Australia. That is my opinion. It is totally unrelated to any racist sentiment. But this I do know from my readings; it has the worst refugee policy in the entire world. I come now to the headline above. There are things that do not happen in real life; they only happen in the movies, in novels, comic books and in one’s runaway imagination. What I am about to

describe for you is surreal and does not happen in real life. Unfortunately, this one did occur. Go to YouTube and then read up through a Google search on what happened last week on an Australian passenger cruise ship. YouTube will only show you part of the incident. The newspapers around the world will offer additional details. This is not just some obscure, small cruise ship. This was from the top named company, Carnival Cruise Line. Now brace yourself for what has become and it is a frightening world getting scarier every passing moment. An extended Italian-Australian family of twenty-six as normal passengers on the liner terrorised the rest of the passengers for three consecutive days. Now please read carefully when you check up on the news items. This extended family of men, women and younger family members did not physically harass a few passengers. They went around the ship just picking people at random and hitting them. On day three, what you see in the movies and the novels was nothing compared to what

happened. Passengers were running for safety in all corners of the ship. Innocent passengers were being beaten up in front of children. People locked themselves in their cabins. Security and staff had enough and began to intervene but they too were attacked with the women folks of the extended family jumping into the fracas. In one frame, a female member of the clan can be seen lying on the ground, no doubt the job of security ranks. The ship made an emer-

gency landing at a port where Australian police intervened and escorted the family off into a small, waiting boat. They were not handcuffed. One of the philistines could be seen showing his middle finger to the cruise passengers. What those people did was uncivilised by any standard. Yet they were nicely removed from the line. Do you know what would have happened if that were a Black family or a non-white group? They would have been in foot chains and handcuffs and manhandled off the ship.

Frederick Kissoon Do you know what the Australian and white press would have carried if it were a Black family or non-white group?

Canje taxi driver recovers vehicle after early morning hijacking When one would think that the carjacking saga is over, there is still much more work to be done. Well known taxi driver, Dianarine, called “Mello”, was gun butted and robbed of the Premio motorcar HC 480 in the vicinity of Paradise, East Coast Demerara. The bandits fled with the motorcar, $58,000 in cash, his cell phone and other valuables. Mello, who hails from the East Canje area, has been operating as a taxi driver for close to 40 years. The man stated that it was the first time that something like that has happened to him. Mello, who is known for making very early morning trips, stated that he was on his way to Georgetown. He left New Amsterdam about 04:00 hrs on Sunday with two passengers and picked up two

more at No 5 Village, West Coast Berbice. He said that in the vicinity of Paradise, the men asked to be let off. One paid with a $1,000 bill. The other came out and went by the driver side and was pushing his hand in his pocket as if to take out money. Instead, he pulled out a hand gun and dealt the man a lash to his right side face whilst trying to collect the car keys. A scuffle ensued between him and the bandit. According to Mello, at the same time a vehicle was coming and the bandit stood up next to the car as though nothing had happened. He used the opportunity to hit the man with his car door before throwing away the key and exiting the car and running away. The other passengers also exited the vehicle, and were shouting for help.

Fought with hijackers: Dianarine called “Mello” Mello stated that he ran from there straight to the Enmore Police Station on the Railway Embankment, all the time calling for help and trying to flag down passing vehicles. No one stopped or assisted. At the station, he was given quick assistance and taken to the Cove and John Police Station where he made (Continued on page 12)

15 Guyanese trained to... From page 7 drilling is expected to commence in the first half of 2018 with the Liza Phase 1 development wells. “The MATPAL Marine Institute has been providing the nation with training and certification for over 18 years in both locally and internationally recognized courses in the maritime field. Even as Guyana is on the verge of launching into the Oil and Gas Industry, the Institute will continue to stand as the provider of these services to ensure that Guyanese are able to access the necessary training to start their careers at sea.” MATPAL is operating from Critchlow Labour College.

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Kaieteur News

Couple arrested after female neighbourhood cop dies mysteriously

The home where the couple and Higgins lived. A 68-year-old woman of Adelphi Village, East Canje, Berbice who was hospitalised at the New Amsterdam Hospital after falling ill, has succumbed. However, her death seems far from normal. She fell ill in her home. She lived with a couple, who stayed in the upper flat of her house. Zainatoon Nissa Higgins, a Neighbourhood Police Officer in East Canje, succumbed to her illness while the couple was placed under arrest. It was revealed that the woman gave a statement to authorities alleging that she was poisoned by the couple who lived with her but was not her relatives. As the details of the strange death began to unravel, it was disclosed that the woman was hospitalised for several days prior. Higgins three weeks ago reportedly revealed to authorities that she had asked the female living with her to make her a cup of tea. That tea, she said, made her feel sick.

In her statement, she alleges that there was a green substance left at the bottom of the cup after drinking it. It was not long after that she reportedly began to vomit. She claimed she felt so sick that she paid a visit to the New Amsterdam Hospital where she was treated and sent away. The Neighbourhood Policewoman reportedly made a second visit two Monday’s ago to the hospital shortly after and was subsequently admitted. It was also divulged while she was admitted at the health institution; Higgins gave investigators a container containing a ‘green substance’. A bottle containing a green fluid was also given to investigators. Meanwhile, a relative told this publication that Higgins had travelled with a male driver en route to Georgetown and she disclosed to him that she lived alone. He allegedly capitalised on what she said and told

her that he and his wife were looking for a place to lodge. It was then that she told him that he could move in with his wife. They moved into the upper flat since November 2017. Additionally, it was revealed that Higgins had complained to them that sometime in January she visited one of the local banks in Berbice and discovered that money was withdrawn from her account without her knowledge. She reportedly returned home and questioned the wife who allegedly confessed to stealing her bank card and made purchases through her account. Divisional Commander, Lyndon Alves, confirmed that the couple was arrested a few days ago and remains in custody. Advice will be sought on the way forward. According to Alves, a post mortem was done on the dead woman yesterday but it was inconclusive. A second autopsy is said to take place today for a second opinion.

Canje taxi driver recovers vehicle... From page 10 a report. He said that the police led by Detective Sergeant Fordyce responded promptly and a number of vehicles were dispatched. B e t w een 07:30 and 08:00 hrs, they received an anonymous call that a vehicle was left abandoned at Section ‘C’ Enterprise. They immediately headed to the location where the vehicle was found. The inside was ransacked and his music system and other valuables were missing. He had to seek medical attention and is very thankful that he is alive and his vehicle has been found.

The hijacked car.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Ghana signed a bad deal with ExxonMobil By Adnan Adams Mohammed 0 (Modern Ghana) Energy experts, after analyzing the petroleum agreement recently signed by government of Ghana and ExxonMobil, have expressed deep disappointment over the concessions – many of them apparently outrightly illegal – given the American oil industry leader. They express shock; some saying it is the worst deal ever to have been signed among all the oil blocks awarded for exploration, development and production. The entire fiscal regime of the agreement is less beneficial t o Ghana than any of the previous agreements and there are dire clauses in the legal and reg ulatory regime of the agreement which should not have been allowed in the a g r e ement.Dr. Steve Manteaw, a member of Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), GHEITI and a Policy Analyst at ISODEC, after analyzing the agreement concluded that, the country did not get the best of deals as claimed by the Energy Minister during the signing ceremony in Accra some weeks ago. He said this is because

-

Expert says limit Minister’s discretionary powers and ensure decisions are fixed in the law

there was no effort to conduct a bidding round and for that matter government simply accepted whatever ExxonMobil offered it. “ C ompetitive tendering yields the best results in block allocation in the upstream petroleum sector.” Effectively this makes the agreement the biggest sole sourcing agreement entered into by the Government of Ghana to date. “The ENI agreement which was signed ahead of ExxonMobil has Carried and Participating Interest totaling 20% while ExxonMobil which is said to be the best, has 18% Carried and Participating Interest,” he noted. Springfield Ghana, which is a sole Ghanaian company, offered Ghana a better deal than that of ExxonMobil with regards to the fiscal regime. In terms of royalty, Springfield offered Ghana 12.5 percent as against 10 percent by ExxonMobil.ExxonMobil is allowed capital allowance of 10 years as against 5 years allowed for all the previous agreements signed. “We can excuse the Jubilee partners and TEN partners for the terms they insisted Ghana had to accept from

since they were the first groups to take the high risk of uncertainty of whether there is oil in commercial quantities or not” says Dr Manteaw. “Their deal were negotiated with not much confidence and for that matter, Ghana needed to be flexible in order to attract them to help Ghana prove that we have oil in commercial quantities offshore and onshore Ghana, although seismic data was available showing likelihood of Ghana having oil in commercial quantities, but there were still doubt. ”In the case of ExxonMobil, it was rejected by the previous NDC government for the reason that their deal was not good for the country, but to the surprise of many energy experts the current deal signed by the government is worse than the deal NDC rejected. “The block awarded to ExxonMobil is a low risk one due to the fact that, several companies had done preliminary tests on it and had proof of the existence of oil in commercial quantities. Most of those companies were ready to put in offers for

the block, but it is amazing the government could disregard the Petroleum Exploration & Production law on competitive bidding process for award of oil blocks and rather allow the Minister of Energy to use his ‘discretionary’ powers to hand pick the company he likes” laments Dr Manteaw Prof. John Gatsi of the University of Cape Coast had earlier called on PIAC members to give the details of the ExxonMobil agreement signed with Ghana, emphasizing that, there cannot be effective petroleum management if citizens are not active in demanding accountability. To him, the deal was not the best as purported by the Energy Minister.At a training workshop in Akosombo organized by GIZ and the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists (IFEJ) for it members to critically assess the strength and weaknesses of the ExxonMobil Petroleum agreement, Dr Manteaw, admitted “No doubt ExxonMobil is a big company with the financial muscle and technical superiority, but we did not get the best deal in the transaction.“Competitive tendering yields the best re-

Linden treasurer refuses to sign cheques for unapproved projects Treasurer of the Linden Town Council, Audrey Nelson, was yesterday commended for standing up to councillors by refusing to authorize spending of government funds without following the correct legal procedures. During the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting, Nelson declared that the municipality has issues following procedures. By the end of 2016, the council held roughly $12.8M in ‘a special account’ set up to receive funding from central government. Some $3 million of the full amount allocated had been spent. Nelson stated that that councillors wanted to spend the money on programmes without the approval of central government. The monies were kept in the account because the Ministry of Communities and the Ministry of Finance are exploring whether the unspent monies in the municipalities needed to be returned to central government or the council members can approve the monies be spent on other projects. “Under the subvention programme that is being given, we had to stay within

Treasurer of the Linden Town Council, Audrey Nelson (left) with PAC member, Juan Edghill the ambits of the programme and spend the money within the ambits of the programme. They wanted us to go outside of the programme,” Nelson explained. The treasurer told the PAC that she resisted the attempts and informed the councillors that in order to release the funds, approval needed to be sought from central government. Nelson stated that the

councillors have not pursued approval for redirecting the funds although they have often spoken about it. “We try to tell them that this is the process; they still want to go outside of it,” Nelson noted. She told the PAC that the councillors are from other organisations and so they believe that they can approach public finances the same way that they approach

business privately. Nelson and the Linden Town Clerk are authorised to sign cheques on behalf of the council. PAC Chairman, Irfaan Ali commended Nelson for standing her ground on public monies. Nelson also told the PAC that she is pursuing the finalisation of the accounts report by putting in place an assets register.

sult, that’s why the framers of the law ACT 919 made competitive tendering the default position for block allocation in the upstream petroleum sector” he said Dr Manteaw is of the view that, Ghana can get the best out of companies like ExxonMobil by pitching them against their rivals like British Petroleum and Chevron. Also, in his personal view, the energy expert believes that the discretionary powers given to the Minister for Energy not to enter into a Petroleum Agreement after a bidding round, exposes the minister to corruption. He observed such allocated powers to the minister place him as a target for investors seeking undue advantage in the upstream petroleum sector.“So much power has been allocated to the Minister and this makes it easy for him to be influenced by investors seeking opportunity in the upstream petroleum. They will head straight to the minister’s house and try to compromise him to exercise that power”. Section 10 (3) of the Petroleum Exploration and Pro-

duction Law states that Petroleum Agreement shall only be entered into, after an open, transparent, and competitive public tender process.However, the Minister has discretion, on grounds of stated reasons, not to enter into a Petroleum Agreement after a bidding round. Again, section 10 (9) grants discretion to the Minister, in consultation with Petroleum Commission, to enter into Direct Negotiations without public tender where such approach represents the most efficient manner to achieve optimum returns or outcome. Dr Manteaw, therefore, stressed on the need to limit the grant of discretionary powers to the minister and ensure most of the petroleum agreement decisions that have to be made are fixed in the law. “If we can take a bit of the power away from the minister and put that power into the law it even helps in the negotiation process. “Let’s fix more of the fiscal regime in the law rather than assigning it to the discretion of the minister” he advised.

Investigators track...

From page 11 arrangements. Among other things, SOCU took on the Guyana Bank For Trade and Industry (GBTI), after claiming it was finding difficulties in accessing bank records relating to the deal. Several bank directors were charged. SOCU wanted to know where monies were paid to and via which bank and who authorised those payments. SOCU is also reportedly investigating another aspect. It appeared that investigators can find little records of where or to whom demurrage fees were paid to. Demurrage is issued when cargo exceeds time allotted sitting at the terminal, and detention/per diem is the fee associated with keeping the equipment past the contractual time frame. It also comes into play when truckers are made to wait extra time when loading/unloading containers. In this case, Venezuela had reportedly acknowledged that there could be delays at its ports. That country as part of the PetroCaribe arrangement agreed that Guyana through GRDB would not have to pay demurrage fees because of ongoing congestion at the ports in Venezuela. However, SOCU’s investigations reportedly found some strange demurrage charges. Those charges should never have been paid.It amounts to more than US$5M or more than $1B. SOCU is reportedly checking bank records to see where the monies went. There are other instances. Already, charges in other matters have been laid against several officials and former board members of GRDB, including former General Manager, Jagnarine Singh, and his deputy, Ricky Ramraj. Also charged was former board member, Member of Parliament, Dharamkumar Seeraj. Investigators have detained several persons including prominent Essequibo rice miller, Wazeer Hussein. They are probing millions of dollars that passed from GRDB to different accounts, including relatives of GRDB officials. The deal was considered one of the biggest, as it allowed Guyana to delay its payments for oil and instead use it to develop the country. However, an upset Venezuela halted the deal in 2015 shortly after the Coalition Government came to office and there was an announcement by US-owned ExxonMobil that it had discovered oil in Guyana’s waters. Venezuela immediately laid claim to the waters.

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Tuesday February 20, 2018

Kaieteur News

Police announce major changes as senior cops proceed on leave

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Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 (1) Manager to work @ Hotel/ Club on Essequibo coast, previous hotel management an asset. Contact: 500-5923, 676-8764/646-3675 Experienced dump truck drivers to work in the interior. Kindly contact: 223-7165 for futher details. Experience curry cooks, counter servers, drivers, roti/ puri cooks. Apply Hack’s Halaal. 5 Commerce St. Experienced Sand Truck Driver. Apply to Christine’s Variety Store, Lombard Street or Call 227-8529, 626-8003. 1 live in couple Duties wifelight domestic, husbanddriving, Georgetown area. Tel# 227-1830

House and land available @ La Parfaite Harmonie, Providence, Etc. Financing assistance available. Contact Pacific Development: 223-6035/ 604-4909

Property for sale (1) 3 story building at 97 Sugarcane street S/Rvldt Gardens. Price US 1.5M neg. Tel: 695-1356 & 687-8445 Lot 15 Public road #2 Village. West Coast Berbice. 49ft by 10,314ft. $20M. Contact:6487109/686-4818 166 4th street, Alexander Village. Tel#691-6201 CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR R E N TA L : S U V F O R RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL:6435122/656-0087, ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL @YAHOO.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807 WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIALOFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494 Reliable rentals. Cars, SUV at low rate and security deposit special rates for long term. #227-2322/601-2622

VACANCY Hair station & Barber station rental, New market street #6381106. Experienced persons preferable. Kitchen assistant for interior location. Job entails assisting cooks and generally cleaning. Call: 618-2020.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Riumveldt Public Rd (opp Massey) (6) bedroomed house on double lot. (2) apartments with all utilitiesparking, fenced. Call: 2258427/609-7766

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has announced that a number of senior officers have gone on leave with a number of changes made as a result. Performing the duties as Commander of ‘A’ Division will be Assistant Commissioner, Leslie James. Senior Superintendent Edmond Cooper will be at ‘C’ Division while Senior Superintendent Fizal Karimbaksh is to be located

Room attendant, age 25-45 Tel#225-0198 or visit 233 South road, Lacytown. VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pit-bull – Call: 650-7501 2006 Audi A4 PRR Series. $2.5M. 623-3839 19 seater pitbull, never worked passenger, 2 fielder wagons. Nissan Bluebird. Excellent condition. #664-0802

One hardworking, willing and literate personnel for Plant shop in Georgetown. Age 25 yrs & over. Tel#652-6837. Chef, Assistant chef, Cashier - Waiter call: 611-5615, 2257933 or visit us at 173 Sheriff street. MASSAGE & HEALTH Hazel’s Herbal Store for Iridology services 26th February at 244 D’Andrade St, Newtown. Tele: 226-9136

Nissan Pathfinder Jeep 4WD excellent condition $1.4M negotiable. Call: 609-7766/2258427 1 Nissan Datsun pick-up, $500,000 (neg) contact #6611121,614-6511 Bluebird 2012- 2.6M Axio2.5M Tida-2.2M All vehicles unregistered and have reverse camera. #655-3400 EDUCATION Mash 2018 Computer package 9 course diploma $40,000 4 course computerized accounting. Micrographics Technology, Vreed-en-hoop #264-3057 Studying in Canada/USA 100% acceptance. Micrographics, Vreed-enhoop #264-3057 Lessons: Phonics, reading & writing for kindergarten, Grades 1-5/ CXC English, Mathematics/Forms 1-5 lessons #690-9378/677-0296

EDUCATION CXC adults classes (Business & Science subjects) Form 1-5 lessons, Grade 2-6 lessons (slow learners, personal tutor) #690-5008,618-0649 Jean offers courses in Dressmaking, Curtains, Floral, Cake decorations. Barr St, Kitty. Tel#670-2653, 638-8449. Electronic classes beginning March 6th. Enroll early, limited spaces. Abdul Electronics. Tel: 226-6551/225-0391. F.WManagement Consultancy is conducting special education needs workshops for parents and teachers. Interested persons call 683-3887/696-3056

at ‘D’. Senior Superintendent Kevin Adonis will be at ‘F’ Division while Superintendent Anthony Vanderhyden has been posted to ‘E’. The police force also disclosed that Superintendent Ramesh Ashram is the Traffic Chief while Deputy Superintendent Dennis Stephen is the Traffic Officer of ‘A’ Division. At the ‘B’ Division, Assistant Superintendent Timothy Williams is there while Assistant Superintendent Morris Fraser will be performing similar duties at ‘C’ Division. Deputy Superintendent, Lonsdale Withrite is now the Officer-in-Charge at the Tactical Services Unit.

Tuesday February 20, 2018

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Kaieteur News

FINAL RESULTS FOR CHILDREN’S MASHRAMANI COMPETITIONS COSTUME PARADE, 2018 NURSERY BANDS

Juvenile to stand trial for killing Top Cop’s brother A 15-year-old Sophia resident was yesterday committed to stand trial in the High Court, for the murder of Haymant Persaud, the brother of Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud. The Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the matter concluded yesterday, before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The Magistrate told the teen that the prosecution team was successfully able to establish a prima facie case against him and he will have to stand trial before a judge and jury at the next practi-

cable sitting of the Demerara Assizes. The juvenile was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on February 19, 2017 at Stabroek Market Square, he killed 51-year-old Haymant Persaud. According to information, Persaud was with another man in the market area, when he was attacked and robbed by the teen. According to reports, Persaud of Affiance, Essequibo Coast, was stabbed to death by the 15year-old who relieved him of his gold chain before making good his escape in a bus.

The lad was then arrested a few days after at his home. He is reported to have confessed to killing the top cop’s brother. Haymant Persaud’s body was left lying at the Georgetown Hospital Mortuary for close to two weeks before it was identified. Police had also sought help from the public to identify the dead man. Based on reports, the teen, who was charged before with attempted murder and inflicting grievous bodily harm, was positively identified as the perpetrator during an identification parade.

Insufficient evidence frees man who robbed BK supervisor of $3M

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION FINAL RESULTS FOR CHILDREN’S MASHRAMANI COMPETITIONS COSTUME PARADE, 2018 OTHER CHILDREN’S ORGANISATIONS

FREED: Samuel Adams and his Attorney-at-law Dexter Todd A taxi driver who was charged with felonious wounding and robbery under arms got both matters against him dismissed yesterday in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Samuel Adams, 30, of Lot 9 Dennis Street, Sophia, was on trial before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman. It is alleged that on December 5, 2016 at Urquhart Street, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded John Brian, with intent to maim, disfigured, disable or cause grievous bodily harm. It was also alleged that on the same day in question and at the same location, Adams while being in the company of others and armed with a gun, robbed John Brian. The Magistrate told the court that while Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves was able to prove certain aspects of the case, some essential parts were lacking. She added that the video tape which was shown to the court did not show the defendant’s face;

hence she found that there was insufficient evidence against him and dismissed the matter. According to reports, Brian was walking on Urquhart Street, heading in a westerly direction when two bandits, one of whom was armed with a handgun, exited a white car and approached him. Brian became afraid and ran to the Ministry of Finance gate, where he threw a haversack, which was reported to

40

contain $3M, into the compound. According to information the suspects went into the compound and collected the bag with the money. The victim then attempted to retrieve the bag and the armed suspect discharged his firearm in his direction, hitting him to his right thigh. Adams was represented by Attorney-at-law Dexter Todd throughout the trial.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 20, 2018

GFC confirms illegal logging in Berbice River

Authorities are confirming that they are investigating a case of illegal logging but denied that BaiShanLin, as a company, is conducting any forestry activities. During a press conference by the Board of Directors of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) yesterday, officials also said it was too early to confirm that trucks of the Chinese investor were found with illegal logs a few weeks ago. The disclosures were made during a review of the board’s work last year. On Sunday, Kaieteur News published a story on the disgraced Chinese company, BaiShanLin, being busted with logs that were illegally harvested from a concession called “Waico”, Upper Berbice River. The tags were linked to a forest group called Kwakwani Natural Resource Organisation, a community organisation. B a i S h a n L i n ’s concessions were seized more than a year ago after the company failed to live up to its commitments, including building a value-adding processing plant on the Linden highway. The company, half owned by the Chinese government,

-says too early to confirm “BaiShanLin” trucks detained had spread itself thin, borrowing heavily to also invest in several failed ventures including housing, shipbuilding, a showroom at Providence and river barges. It even took over an unfinished hotel at Providence, East Bank Demerara. It still owes the Government on that building. The scandal had placed the previous administration on the back foot, with the Coalition Government moving in and announcing that the forest concessions, the third largest in the country at the time, were being seized.GFC’s Chairperson, Jocelyn Dow, disclosed that over 500 logs were cut illegally from the area that was once in control of BaiShanLin. With Dow at the press conference were Commissioner James Singh and other board members. Asked pointedly if BaiShanLin is still involved in forestry activities, the Chairperson noted that all the concessions in the name of BaiShanLin or related to them have been taken back. This included the Berbice location, in the “Waico” area.

GFC’s Board at yesterday’s press conference. According to Commissioner Singh, as far as the GFC is aware, BaiShanLin is not engaged in any forestry activities. He admitted that GFC has been investigating some illegal logging but made it clear it is not associated to the company, BaiShanLin. Asked if trucks or equipment associated with what used to be BaiShanLin were the ones that were detained, the officials said that investigations were still ongoing and the details will be made known.

It was disclosed that GFC is aware of who the persons involved were as there was “chain of custody” evidence. Dow said that the matter was being investigated even before the matter was reported by Kaieteur News. The officials disclosed also that while it could have been that the trucks were BaiShanLin’s at one time, technically it could not belong as that company is not operating currently. GFC officials explained that whenever caught, the products are confiscated and

No need for water rate increases if outstanding sums collected Jaigopaul Ram, Director of Finance of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), yesterday, admitted that collecting outstanding revenue would eliminate the need for tariff increases. GWI is currently before the regulator, Public Utility Commission (PUC), seeking rate increases. Ram was grilled by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Irfaan Ali, when he was questioned about the company’s finances. He explained that GWI collects rates from some 49% of base. Ali noted that with approximately $1.8M subsidy from central government to cover electricity charges, some 10% of GWI financial operations are not being financed. “If you were to collect all the rates from all your revenue at the existing rate which means that there is no need for tariff increase. So your first objective would be that

all your customers in the database are paying,” Ali stated. Ram agreed with Ali’s assertion that once the delinquent customers pay into GWI there will be no need to increase tariffs. PAC Member and Coalition MP, Jermaine Figuera, questioned Ram’s reasoning since GWI has never collected all outstanding rates from customers. On February 12, last, GWI’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Richard Van West Charles, led a team of officials, into an hour-long case for the increases at Cara Lodge, on Quamina Street, South C u m m i n g s b u r g . At the end, consumer representatives Ramon Gaskin, Pat Dial and others insisted, in some tense moments with raised voices, that they first wanted to examine the financials of GWI before making pronouncements. In essence, GWI is arguing that it has 14 domestic bands and no clear-cut pa-

– Senior GWI official rameters for applying with customers – there are 180,000 of them complaining of discrimination. GWI is proposing that a fixed charge of $500 be applied to all customers except pensioners. The fixed charges for pensioners will be waived, GWI said. According to the CEO, the water company has some serious challenges to bringing potable water to customers. With 180,800 customers, GWI is charged with overseeing 137 well stations and 24 treatment plants, with three more to be constructed. There are more than 900 staffers with 60-plus contractors and 220,000 Km of transmission and distribution mains. However, despite investments, GWI is facing major problems with its energy efficiency, with stability and re-

liability being major problems.For domestic customers with meters, GWI is proposing the monthly fix charges of $500 and with standard rates of $112 per m3. For pensioners, GWI wants to waive those fixed charges, but the pensioners have to pay $74 per m3.For residential unmetered, there is a $500 fixed monthly with a $1,500 monthly charge. GWI wants unmetered pensioners to pay no monthly fixed charges, but for $740 m3 for fixed charges. Significantly, GWI is proposing to get tough with tampering with a $50,000 fine for domestic customers and $100,000 for commercial ones. GWI said that it will need a minimum of three months from time of approval, as it has to make software changes, including automatic billing for VAT and creation of new tariffs for billing.

sold at market prices. When equipment is seized, there is a penalty. When forest companies are found guilty, there are various stages from warning, penalties and fines. The 2009 Forest Act has fines ranging from $250,000 to $1M and up to one year jail. In the cases of forestry companies, the value is multiplied by 10 and this levied on that company. On the issue of tags belonging to one group being used on another concession, GFC officials

made it clear that it is tantamount to trespassing. The focus on illegal logging would be serious for this Government as Guyana has a standing agreement with Norway to maintain its forests in exchange for a US$250M fee. Illegal logging and the maintenance of the forest cover as well as systems to trace logs to the origin tree stumps are big issues. Already, Guyana is fighting a major issue with the United Kingdom. It has lost its greenheart market.

Bar Association warns against ...

From page 3 reach agreement under Article 127(1). An acting appointment is made by the President after “meaningful consultation” with the Leader of the Opposition. This has been done and therefore Article 127(2) has been fulfilled and exhausted, the GBA said in reference to the current acting appointees Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards as Chancellor and Justice Roxane George as Chief Justice. “It is only if any of the provisos in the said Article 127(2) occur can it be invoked once again, failing which, the acting appointments continue until a substantive appointment can be made under Article 127(1). Any action outside of the said Article 127 is unconstitutional, void, of no legal effect and would have embarrassing consequences,” the group cautioned. The GBA also warned that the current climate surrounding the offices of the Chancellor and Chief Justice is repugnant and shakes the public confidence in the legal system. It further unfairly undermines the dignity of the offices and office holders.“In the circumstances, we urge the Parties to work to break the impasse and arrive at a consensual resolution, discharging their duties to the nation and in keeping with the spirit and intent of Article 127 of the Constitution which was amended from its original form to foster collaboration.” Last month following the rejection of the two names for the top judicial positions in the country by the opposition, State Minister, Joseph Harmon noted that President David Granger is preparing for the next steps that could see appointments being made.Harmon said that President Granger will be writing Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, informing him that another level of consultations will be held before the appointment of a substantive Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice.Minister Harmon made it clear that “the work of the judiciary will not be held in abeyance or will not be stymied by any interventions whatsoever.”He noted that the Opposition Leader's rejection of the nominees is constitutional as are the powers of the President.“Where agreement cannot be met, there is a second level which now requires meaningful consultations, so I believe that is the next step we will have to go to,” Minister Harmon said.The 63-year-old Guyana-born Justice Benjamin is currently serving as Chief Justice of Belize, has been identified as the President's choice for Chancellor while Justice Cummings-Edwards is tipped for the substantive post of Chief Justice.

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Kaieteur News

US$500M PetroCaribe fraud at GRDB‌

Investigators focus on bogus US$ 5million demurrage fees

It started off in 2015 with the new Coalition Government wanting to know what happened at the various state agencies over the previous five or six years of the stewardship of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic. This led to several forensic audits being commissioned. The findings were alarming enough for the administration to hand the reports to the police for further investigations.

The police gave the matters to its Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), which specialises in going after money crimes. One of the big cases was the one involving the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB). About seven years before 2015, GRDB was tasked with managing a major rice deal with neighbouring Venezuela. That Spanish-speaking country wanted rice and Guyana was glad for the fuel

which was being given on concessional rate. GRDB was tasked with making the payments to farmers and millers who were lucky to be selected to participate in the deal. Several farmers and millers complained of being sidelined. Today, SOCU, according to reports, is looking into several parts of that oil-for-rice deal, which became known as the PetroCaribe (Continued on page 21)

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Venezuela’s Opposition Coalition likely to boycott presidential vote CARACAS (Reuters) Leaders of Venezuela’s opposition coalition appeared likely yesterday to decide on a boycott of the April presidential election, believing authorities have rigged it for President Nicolas Maduro and his ruling socialists. Maduro, the 55-year-old successor of Hugo Chavez, is seeking re-election in the April 22 vote despite his unpopularity and a crushing economic crisis. But critics say the election is a farce, with Maduro’s main rivals barred from standing and a compliant election body bound to favour the socialists. Leaders of the main parties in the Democratic Unity coalition have for days been considering whether to participate or not in the vote. Some believe a boycott is a self-destructive free pass for Maduro, while others say participation would be doomed to failure and merely legitimate his “dictatorship.” The coalition was due to meet yesterday, politicians said. One senior member of the Justice First party told Reuters it would formalize there a decision to boycott the vote in protest at unfair conditions.“We’re not going

President Nicolas Maduro to the election,” added another source in the Democratic Action party. “They’ll explain why at the end of today or tomorrow. It’s a big mistake in my view, but that’s the decision.” Another major opposition party, Popular Will, led by protest leader Leopoldo Lopez, who is under house arrest, has already unilaterally announced it will not take part in the election. The opposition’s two most popular figures - Lopez and former governor Henrique Capriles - are both prohibited from standing. Lopez is detained on charges of stirring violence during anti-Maduro protests in 2014,

while Capriles has been accused of “administrative irregularities” while governor of Miranda state. The national election board, which is widely perceived by Venezuelans as pro-government, has also banned Democratic Unity and several of the major opposition parties from formally participating in the vote. The board says the parties did not comply with election rules including a signature drive to re-legalize their status. Government officials say some opposition parties are fronts for violent coup-plotters, and accuse anti-Maduro leaders of being in league with a U.S.-led, right-wing conspiracy to topple socialism in the South American OPEC nation.Maduro has repeatedly denied any flaws in Venezuela’s election system and reacted angrily to international censure of the calling of a snap election in April. Some anti-Maduro figures, however, are set to stand, with opposition leader and former Lara state governor Henri Falcon having announced his intention to run, and a little-known evangelical pastor entering the race on Sunday.

U.N. Chief warns of nightmare scenario if Israel, Hezbollah clash LISBON (Reuters) United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was worried about the possibility of a direct confrontation between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. Guterres said the latest signals from Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah showed the will to not let this happen but “sometimes a spark is enough to unleash this kind of a conflict”. Hezbollah said last week it could act against Israeli oil facilities if necessary in an Lebanon-Israel offshore en-

ergy dispute. U.S. diplomats have been mediating between the two countries after a rise in tensions also involving a dispute over a border wall and Hezbollah’s growing arsenal. “I am deeply worried about hard-to-foresee escalations in the whole region,” Guterres told reporters in his native Lisbon, also referring to Israel’s concerns about various militia groups in Syria approaching its borders. “The worst nightmare would be if there is a direct confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah...the level of destruction in Lebanon

would be absolutely devastating, so there are major points of concern around this situation.” The powerful Shi‘ite movement is part of Lebanon’s coalition government. Israel sees Hezbollah as the biggest security threat on its borders. Hezbollah was formed in the 1980s as a resistance movement against Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon. The two remain bitter enemies but there has been no major conflict between them since a month-long war in 2006.

Nigeria to sell assets seized in anti-graft probes to boost treasury, President says ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria will sell all assets seized by the government in anti-graft probes and use the funds to bolster the treasury, President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday. Nigerian state coffers have in past years been ransacked by government officials and their associates, and corruption is prevalent throughout society. Buhari was elected in 2015 in part on a promise to rid the country of graft. “All mismanaged and misappropriated national assets recovered will be sold off and proceeds paid to the treasury for the benefit

of the country,” he said, according to a statement from his spokesman. The presidency statement did not say when the sales would happen, nor provide further details. Very few officials from Buhari’s administration have so far been prosecuted despite frequent allegations against them. Notable exceptions were his sacking last October of Nigeria’s most senior civil servant, Babachir Lawal, and the former head of the National Intelligence Agency for alleged involvement in corruption.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Kremlin says charges over U.S. election tampering prove nothing MOSCOW (Reuters) The Kremlin said yesterday that U.S. charges against 13 Russians and several Russian companies accused of meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign The comments were the Kremlin’s first reaction to charges drawn up by the office of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller which centered on a Russian businessman nicknamed ‘Putin’s cook’ by the Russian media who U.S. officials say has extensive ties to the country’s military and political establishment. The full indictment, released on Friday, said that a Russian propaganda arm funded by the businessman, Evgeny Prigozhin, oversaw a criminal and espionage conspiracy to tamper in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign to support Donald Trump and disparage Hillary Clinton. The charges are awkward for the Kremlin which is keen to try to build a relationship with Trump in the hope that could eventually lead to U.S. sanctions imposed over its role in Ukraine being lifted. The election-meddling allegations have soured U.S.Russia ties further however, triggering new sanctions as well as pressure for more restrictions. Friday’s indictment and news that Mueller’s investigation is not yet finished mean the issue is likely to dog the troubled relationship for

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov a long time. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that the U.S. indictment centered purely on individuals and presented no tangible proof that the Kremlin itself or Russian government agencies were involved. “They (the Americans) are talking about Russian citizens, but we have heard in announcements from Washington accusations about the involvement of the Russian state, the Kremlin and the Russian government,” Peskov told reporters on a conference call. “There are no indications that the Russian state could have been involved in this and nor can there be any. Russia did not meddle, does not have the habit of meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, and is not doing so now.” ‘PUTIN‘S COOK’

The U.S. indictment of Prigozhin, nicknamed ‘Putin’s cook’ because of his catering business that has organized banquets for the Russian leader and other senior political figures, is uncomfortable for the Kremlin. Prigozhin, 56, has boasted of meeting Putin and of the Russian leader being impressed with his business acumen. The Kremlin did not refer to Prigozhin by name in its Monday comments. The U.S. Treasury had sanctioned Prigozhin previously, in 2016, for providing material support to senior Russian government officials, saying he has extensive business dealings with the Russian Defence Ministry. Friday’s indictment accused him of funding the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, known for its trolling on social media. Companies which he directly or indirectly owns or controls are listed in an official corporate database as having won lucrative state contracts for the Russian presidential administration, parliament, and the defense ministry. His biggest business appears to be supplying food to state-run schools and universities. One of the firms he owns and manages won contracts in that sector worth 459,467,464,056 rubles ($8.15 billion) between 2011 and 2017, the same database shows.

Pardoned Fujimori could face another human rights trial - Peru court LIMA (Reuters) - Peru’s former leader Alberto Fujimori, who was pardoned for corruption and human rights abuse and freed from jail by the current president, could face another trial, a court said yesterday. President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski granted Fujimori a pardon in late December, less than halfway through a 25year sentence, in a decision that was criticized by human rights groups and many Peruvians. However, the National Criminal Court’s Court B ruled that the pardon would not excuse Fujimori from future trials involving the death of six people killed by a paramilitary group in the town of Pativilca in 1992, during Fujimori’s 10year rule. Fujimori, 79, can appeal the ruling, a spokeswoman for the government’s judicial authority said. His lawyer told local radio an appeal to the Supreme Court was being

Peru’s former President Alberto Fujimori (Reuters/File photo) analyzed.Kuczynski’s approval rating dipped to 19 percent in February, according to pollster Ipsos, and

many Peruvians believe the pardon was politically motivated. Kuczynski says it was strictly humanitarian.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Brazil acknowledges Pension Bill going nowhere

Armed Forces members patrol in Jacarezinho slum during an operation against drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Reuters/File Photo) BRASILIA (Reuters) Brazil’s political affairs minister Carlos Marun said yesterday that passage of a bill to overhaul the c o u n t r y ’s c o s t l y s o c i a l security system has effectively ground to a halt i n C o n g r e s s and would become a campaign issue in this year’s election. Marun spoke to reporters after the head of the Senate, Eunicio Oliveira, said the federal government’s military intervention in Rio de Janeiro would, by the rules of the country’s constitution, block any vote on pension reform or any other measure requiring a constitutional amendment.But Marun acknowledged what President Michel Temer’s critics believe is the real reason for holding

up a pension vote: the unpopular bill never gained enough support and the government faced certain defeat. “We don’t have the votes. I couldn’t guarantee we would have the votes by the end of February,” he said. That was the government’s deadline for passing the bill before lawmakers turned their attention to securing their seats in the October general election.Pension reform is the cornerstone policy in Temer’s efforts to bring a bulging budget deficit under control. Generous pension benefits and early retirement have turned social security into the main driver of a deficit that cost Brazil its investment grade.Marun, the cabinet minister charged with

mobilizing coalition support in Congress, said pension reform would become a key issue in the election campaign if Congress did not take it up again. The legislation to streamline social security, which required amending the constitution, was lined up for a first vote in the lower house of Congress this week. But on Friday the government ordered the army to take over command of police forces in Rio de Janeiro state in a bid to curb violence driven by drug gangs, an intervention that blocks any constitutional changes during its duration. Temer decreed the Rio intervention through Dec. 31, his last day in office.

UK could opt to apply same trade tariffs as EU after Brexit: EU lawmaker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A post-Brexit customs arrangement with the European Union could start with Britain sticking to the same external trade tariffs as the bloc, a senior European lawmaker said yesterday. The EU is waiting for London to outline what sort of future relationship it wants with the other 27 nations, with one of the most politically sensitive issues being how to avoid erecting a border across the island of Ireland. Prime Minister Theresa May, who is expected to present her recipe for that in the coming weeks, wants to leave the EU’s single market and its customs union. But the bloc says that this would lead to border checks between the Republic of Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland. “A solution must be found,” said Danuta Hubner, a Polish member of the European Parliament who deals with Brexit. “If you have full regulatory alignment, that would al-

low a border to be avoided. But how to do it for this one region - no one has come up with the solution yet.” While being inside the EU’s customs union means trading freely and without tariffs between members, a customs union with an outside country allows non-tariff trade barriers - such as quotas or regulatory standards and therefore still requires border checks. The EU already has such a customs union with Turkey, albeit excluding agriculture. “If there were a customs union with the EU, or a customs arrangement, there would be border checks. For food safety in Europe, our biggest obsession, there is no way to avoid checks if you are not inside. It’s completely ruled out.” SAME TARIFFS Hubner said Britain could make a start on tackling the conundrum by maintaining the same external trade tariffs on goods as the bloc. “Any country can announce that it has the same

external customs tariffs as the EU,” she told Reuters. “There may be a way out in not calling it the customs union but in fact upholding conditions that would allow for full regulatory alignment. The starting point would be maintaining the same external tariffs.” She said any such agreement would need to include guarantees that Britain would not deviate from the EU’s tariffs, and a mechanism that monitored compliance and allowed the block to react swiftly to protect its market in case of a dispute. “They (Britain) are looking for a solution but they still have clarity mostly on what they don’t want. But it’s still uncertainty about what they want,” Hubner said. “When one looks for their positive agenda, it all leads to full membership in the end. They told me today they don’t want to be in the customs union, but they want some sort of customs arrangement that would give the same outcome.”

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Russian curler formally charged with doping after testing positive for meldonium Yahoo Sports - Russian c u rler Alexander Krushelnitckii has been formally charged with doping after testing positive for meldonium. His first sample had tested positive for the substance, which was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2016. His Bsample, which is used to confirm positive tests, was tested yesterday in Korea. Krushelnitckii won bronze in the mixed doubles curling event with his wife Anastasia Bryzgalova earlier in the Games. He has already left PyeongChang under suspicions of testing positive. The Court of Arbitration for Sport released a statement announcing the charges.

Krushelnitckii was one of 168 Olympic Athletes of Russia allowed to participate in PyeongChang despite the International Olympic Committee’s banning of Russia for a statesponsored doping program at the Sochi Games in 2014. All athletes were cleared by the IOC and were supposedly clean. This isn’t the first time Russians have run into meldonium. It was the substance that got Maria Sharapova banned from tennis for 15 months and also the substance that speed skater Semen Elistratov tested positive for 2016. Elistratov won a bronze medal in the 1,500m event at PyeongChang and is being investigated by the

Olympic Athlete from Russia Aleksandr Krushelnitckii practices ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo) IOC for his comments critizing the Russia ban.

Tuesday February 20, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Sex and romance are very much on your mind today, Aries. You’re feeling especially passionate, and your emotions are rich and deep.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Friction or other trouble on the job could cause you to want to quit, Libra, but worries about money might keep you from doing it.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) A family member could be feeling a little down, Taurus, and you may be tempted to give him or her a pep talk to get them going again. .

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your self-confidence could well be in the pits today, Scorpio. Mistakes from the past could come back to haunt you, and you may be momentarily overcome by the fear that you'll make similar errors again.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Too much exposure to books, newspapers, and computers today could produce eyestrain headaches, Gemini, so try to exercise a little caution when working with small print or computer CANCER (June 21–July 22) By nature you’re a master psychologist, Cancer and you don't need to know someone well to accurately assess his or her thoughts and motives. Today this ability goes far beyond psychology and borders on the psychic. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) An emotional issue with a family member could have you wanting to run away and hide, Leo. Don't fight the urge. This may be just what you need VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Emotional issues rooted in the past could leave you feeling inhibited today, Virgo. You might also be a bit more touchy than usual and see insult where none is intended.

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SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Generally, you tend to be a very physically oriented person, Sagittarius, but today you’re more likely to want to look within, perhaps to experiment with your own psychic abilities CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Financial considerations could delay the start of a new project that you’ve wanted to begin for a long time, Capricorn. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) The day may be temporarily plagued by scandal of some sort, Aquarius. Some of your entourage, particularly women, may gather in conspiratorial gossip. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You’re intuitive by nature, Pisces, but today you’re likely to have a rush of psychic premonitions. Insights into your own character could bring old traumas to the surface so you can release them.

Bobsleigh: We tied? Chaos after Canada-Germany dead-heat

Germany and Canada could not be separated after hurtling down nearly four miles of ice.(AP) PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - It was one of the closest sliding races in Olympic history, but when Canada’s Justin Kripps and Alexander Kopacz rocketed over the finish line in the twoman bobsleigh final yesterday, they knew they had secured gold. Trouble was, Germany’s Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis had also won the race.Kripps had put together three good runs, consistently placing first or second, and he needed to pull out another one to secure his first Olympic gold medal. Friedrich set the fastest time but Kripps, in the final run of the competition, exactly matched his mark of three minutes 16.86 seconds. “It took me a couple of minutes. We were in the changing room and I asked Thorsten and I said I‘m not sure I understood what just happened, did we tie?,” Canadian brakeman Kopacz said. Knowing that it had been a tie - the first in the two-man bobsleigh event since Nagano in 1998 - an overjoyed Friedrich and Margis had rushed over to Kripps and Kopacz to celebrate as they finished their final run. “At first I thought we had

Speed skating... From page 30 Pyeongchang Games, was the highest-placed of the three Dutch skaters in seventh. At the Sochi Games, the Netherlands dominated the speed skating events, winning 23 of 36 medals, including eight golds. The have won six speed skating golds in Korea so far, and 11 of the 27 medals on offer. “It’s not good when one nation dominates (speed skating) too much. Today and yesterday there were no Dutch on the podium,” Lorentzen said. “It’s good for the sport.”

won outright but then these guys jumped over and were super excited and I thought ‘Wow these guys are really happy for us!’,” said Kripps, who thought the Germans had been ecstatic about winning silver.

“Thorsten was giving me a hug and he said it was like three hundredths, two hundredths... and then a tie.” “It’s crazy,” Kripps said. Amid the ensuing chaos, it had taken Kripps a while to find his brakeman to tell him.

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Tuesday February 20, 2018

Magnum ‘Mash Cup’ Competition

Rashid Khan, top order give Bent Street outlasts Sparta Boss in classic final Afghanistan 4-1 series win -Leopold Street finishes third It was a pity that there could be only one winner, but both Bent Street, who became the first team to ink its name as champions and Sparta Boss beaten finalist, produced a sensational final as the inaugural Magnum ‘Mash Cup’ Competition ended in breathtaking fashion on Sunday at the National Gymnasium. Played before a packed house, the two teams did not disappoint and treated the fans to a thrilling brand of futsal that will undoubtedly be etched in the memories of those who were present for a long time. In the end, Bent Street kept their recent good run against Sparta Boss by edging them 3-2 in a penalty shootout after regulation and extra times failed to break a dramatic 2-2 deadlock. Not to be outdone, Leopold Street were pushed to the brink in their clash against Linden’s Silver Bullets, before prevailing 7-6 in another gripping encounter to take the third place playoff in an affair that set the night on fire. In the feature game, both teams showed their intent very early with the respective goalkeepers being brought into action almost immediately, having to produce spectacular saves to keep the score sheet untroubled. First Daniel Wilson’s thunderbolt from about 20 yards out was denied by an alert Akel Clarke between the uprights, while newly-recruited Jermin Junor responded with a rasping rightfooter that required a stunning save from the

opposition’s shot stopper. However, the introduction of substitute Ryan Hackett for Bent Street paid immediate dividend as he took full advantage of being left unmarked and hammered a fierce shot past the stranded goalkeeper in the 12th minute. It came courtesy of a pass delivered from the left flank across the goal by Solomon Austin. Undaunted by the setback, Sparta Boss continued to push forward in numbers and three minutes later got their reward when the speedy and skilful Junor was setup by Gregory Richardson and he finished with sheer power on the near post. The half came with the scores remaining deadlock at 1-1 and all to play for in the final period. After another exciting period where both teams kept their supporters on the edge of their seats, Sparta Boss edged ahead when Junor completed a brace by firing one past the opposing goalkeeper in the 42nd minute to send their devotees into wild celebrations. Once again the game would invoke more drama when Kelsey Benjamin netted the equalizer to ignite euphoria among their fans.In the end, no team managed to score another goal and penalty kicks was the next course of action.That too had its fair share of excitement, before Bent Street prevailed to capture $400,000 and the championship trophy, while Sparta Boss waltzed away with $200,000 and a trophy. The third place playoff was a duplication of the

grand final as both Leopold Street and the young exciting unit named Silver Bullets stood toe to toe and traded goal after goal, before superior experience paid off for the former. They were led to victory though a hat-trick from Okanie Fraser, who is clearly the most lethal striker in the futsal format right now. Fraser fired in goals in the 7th, 11th and 23rd minutes to lead the way to victory and the $100,000 prize, while Silver Bullets returned to the bauxite community with $50,000. In the night’s full results: Final Sparta Boss-2 vs Bent Street2 Bent Street won 3-2 on penalty kicks Bent Scorers Ryan Hackett-12th Kelsey Benjamin-45th Sparta Scorer Jermin Junior-15th and 42nd 3rd Place Leopold Street-7 vs Silver Bullets-6 Leopold Scorers Okanie Fraser-7th, 11th and 23rd Tyrese Forde-18th Darren Benjamin-23rd Omallo Williams-25th Orandel Williams-33rd Silver Scorers Jermaine Samuels-21st and 29th Keiron Cameron-15th and 32nd Damion Williams-16th Deshawn Freeman-34th Apart from Magnum among the other sponsors of board were Trophy Stall, STP Investment, Oasis Water, Oasis Café and National Sports Commission.

Close to 60 entries for Guyana Association of Women Police horserace meet Turfites and horseracing fans in Berbice are anticipating the Port Mourant Turf Club in collaboration with the Guyana Association of Women Police, grand oneday horserace meet this Sunday. The meet will have a total of seven races with total a cash prize purse of almost $2million. The G class and lower will be the feature race of the day, being competed over a distance of eight furlongs with 1st place cash prize of $350,000. There will be 3-year-old Guyana bred race over a dis-

tance of 1200m that will feature a 1st place cash prize of $240,000. The J class and lower which will be sprinted over a distance of seven furlongs will attract a 1st place cash prize of $200,000, while the K class and lower and the L class Open that will both be raced over a distance of six furlongs have been set 1st place cash prizes of $160,000 and $140,000 respectively. Meanwhile, the L class division 2 and the unclassified will both be battled over a distance of five furlongs with their respective 1st place cash prizes being $100,000 and

$90,000. So far the meet has attracted a total surmounting to 60 entries and among those horses are Perfect Return, Red Jet, Ready, Plain Land, Release The Heat, Touch Gold, Puppy Tail, Red Regent, Secret Escape, Big Man In Town, Not This Time, Cresending Cat, The Final Line, Princess Shoma, Irish Boy and Ready To Romance. The rules of the Port Mourant Turf Club will be in effect at the meet. For more information, coordinator Campton Sancho can be contacted on telephone number 691-1174.

ESPNcricinfo - Fifties from Javed Ahmadi and Rahmat Shah, and the allround brilliance of Rashid Khan, powered Afghanistan to a 4-1 series win in Sharjah. Their margin of victory - 146 runs - was their second highest in ODI cricket. Their biggest had come in this series as well, in the first game. After opting to bat, Afghanistan had a steady start with Ahmadi and Rahmat putting on 129 for the second wicket following the early dismissal of Mohammad Shahzad. Their partnership contributed 54% of Afghanistan’s total. Ahmadi was particularly fluent against spin, scoring 55 runs off 53 balls. Rahmat hit Chisoro for 30 runs off 23 balls but Sikandar Raza had him slicing a catch to long-

off for 59. Rahmat ended the series as the top-scorer with 272 runs in four innings at an average of 68. Three overs later, Ahmadi was run out for 76 off 87 balls. From 142 for 1, Afghanistan slumped to 177 for 7. Rashid’s 29-ball 43, though, hauled the team to 241 for 9. In reply, Zimbabwe collapsed to 95 all out in 32.1 overs with only two of their batsmen passing 20. Rashid took 3 for 13 to finish as the leading wicket-taker in the series with 16 wickets, at an outstanding average of 7.93. Brendan Taylor (27) and Craig Ervine (34) rebuilt the chase briefly with a 46-run stand, before Zimbabwe imploded. They lost their last eight wickets for 23 runs with 16-year old Mujeeb Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Sharafuddin

Rashid Khan slaps a six over long-off. (AFP) Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi, and Rashid sharing the spoils. Rashid took three wickets in six balls to wrap up the tail. Scores: Afghanistan 241 for 9 (Ahmadi 76, Rahmat 59, Raza 2-41) beat Zimbabwe95 (Ervine 34, Rashid 313, Ashraf 2-15) by 146 runs

Speed skating: Norway’s Lorentzen edges Korean in photo finish GANGNEUNG, South Korea (Reuters) - Norwegian Havard Lorentzen struck gold in the men’s 500 meters speed skating at the Gangneung Oval yesterday after edging out South Korea’s Cha Min-kyu in a dramatic photo finish. After Cha had broken the Olympic record in a blistering lap, the ice-cool Lorentzen went 0.01 seconds faster, zooming around the track in a time of 34.41. Chinese Gao Tingyu took the bronze medal. “I was tying my skates when Cha did his race and the atmosphere was amazing. Then he sets the Olympic record,” Lorentzen told reporters. “I wasn’t sure I could beat that but I knew I could at least do a medal. And when I did the last 50 meters I said to myself this has to be a medal.... And then to cross the finish line and the entire stadium just goes to silence it’s quite cool.” Lorentzen was the first Norwegian to win the Olympic 500m title since Finn Helgesen 70 years ago and he became his country’s first medalist in the event since Magne Thomassen won silver in 1968. Norway, once a powerhouse in the sport alongside the Netherlands, has struggled in recent decades and until yesterday had not won a gold medal in speed skating at the Olympics since Adne Sondral’s victory in the 1,500m in Nagano in 1998. WILD CROWD Racing in the 14th pair,

Gold medalist Havard Lorentzen of Norway celebrates setting a new Olympic record during the men’s 500 meters speedskating race at the Gangneung Oval at the 2018 Winter Olympics yesterday. (Petr David Josek AP Photo) Cha stormed out of the gates to send the crowd wild and the Korean brought the house down when he crossed in record time with eight racers to come. “It has more meaning that it (happened) in my own country,” the Korean said of his silver medal, speaking through and interpreter. “There might not be another time when the Winter Olympics might be happening in Korea, so I‘m so happy to get this medal.” Lorentzen, who was in the third-last pair alongside Sochi bronze medalist Ronald Mulder of the Netherlands, was behind Cha after the first 100 meters, but edged in front over the race. He ended with a flurry of effort, his arms and legs pumping like pistons, before waiting nervously until the

timekeepers put his name up on the big screen. “It’s the best race I’ve ever done,” said the 25-yearold, who is coached by Canadian Jeremy Wotherspoon, a former 500m world record holder. “It’s been 20 years since the last gold (for) Norway in speed skating, so it’s been a while. It was time for Norway to step up on the top of the podium again. It feels so good to do that.” The Dutch, who swept the podium in Sochi, finished outside the medal places for the second race in succession after their failure to medal in the women’s 500m on Sunday. Mulder, whose twin brother Michel won gold at the last Olympics but failed to qualify for the (Continued on page 29)

Tuesday February 20, 2018

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Exhilarating performances displayed at ASK-G National Karate Championships There were some surprising and stunning performances recorded by Karatekas on Sunday last at the YMCA, Thomas Lands when the Association do Shotokan Karate – Guyana (ASK-G) held its 2018 National championships. A release form the organization stated that Joel Kellman’s Empi Kata was excellent for a Brown Belt level despite not winning a medal. However, Two superb Kata performances by Roger Peroune stole the show. Speed, timing and sharpness of technique mesmerised the judges and spectators earning him first place. Kellman, one of the future stars of the sport once again performed creditably in the Kumite, placing 3rd place amongst the Black belts. However, Peroune eliminated his first opponent in very short time and the final match against seasoned veteran Keith Beaton saw him being victorious acquiring the coveted Kumite first place.There were 40 categories, 20 in Kata and 20 in Kumite contested which showcased athletes in the 56, 7-8, 9-11,12-14 and 15-17 years old categories battling each other for supremacy. The Female Katas were as strong as their Male counterparts earning Rebecca

Wesley first place, while the Kumite saw two disqualifications due to excessive contact; Kristine Ramkissoon emerged victorious. In the 15-17 males, strong performances from Trevon Miller and Charles Benjamin earned them first and second place respectively in the Kata division. The Kumite saw just as fiery combat as the adults resulting in Trevon Miller and Shemar Parkinson placing first and second. Over 80 competitors drawn from the East Bank, East Coast, West Bank, West Coast and Georgetown, participated. The officiating judges were Clinton Moriah, Bhagwandin Persaud, Roger Peroune, Keith Beaton, Mahadeo Ramotar, Malcolm Francis, Laurence Lowe, Patrick Gurahoo, Leonard Leuwassie and Rebecca Wesley. Following are the full results of the day: Category Kata Kumite 5-6 year old 1st Reya Sookwah 1st Reya Sookwah Females White-Purple 2nd Jaiya Harricharan 2nd Samiyah Duncan belts 3rd Samiyah Duncan 3rd Jaiya Harricharan 7-8 year old

1st Piya Parasram 1st Piya Parasram Females Green-Purple 2nd Amara Nandan 2nd Amara Nandan Belts 3rd Jazara Hewitt 3rd Jazara Hewitt 3rd Tharisha Montesdeoca 3rd Vannesa Persaud 7-8 year old 1st Anya Insanally 1st Sienna Sookram Females Brown-Black 2nd Sienna Sookram 2nd Anya Insanally Belts 3rd Emily Santana-Leon 3rd Emily Santana-Leon 9-11 year old 1st Chelsea Benjamin 1st Rayniah Bridgewater Females Brown-Black 2nd Raynise Bridgewater 2nd Raynise Bridgewater Belts 3rd Rayniah Bridgewater 3rd Chelsea Benjamin 12-17 year old 1st Cindy Sookwah 1st Cindy Sookwah Females White-Purple 2nd Jasmine West 2nd Jasmine West Belts 18+ Females 1st Rebecca Wesley 1st Kristine Ramkissoon Brown-Black Belts 2nd Kristine Ramkissoon 2nd Aolione Griffith 3rd Tulsidai Ramotar

3rd Rebecca Wesley 5-6 year old 1st Zareezyah Levans 1st Zareezyah Levans Males White-Orange 2nd Javy Archibald 2nd Daniel Cox Belts 3rd Daniel Cox 3rd Javy Archibald 5-6 year old 1st Mark McCalman 1st Obinna Utoh Males Green-Purple 2nd Obinna Utoh 2nd Mark McCalman Belts 7-8 year old 1st Nathan Narine 1st Adrian Bhawanidin Males White-Orange 2nd Adrian Bhawanidin 2nd Jelani Jones Belts 3rd Jelani Jones 3rd Nathan Narine 3rd Nicolai Adolph 3rd Isaiyah Proctor 7-8 year old 1st Bohan Cao 1st Murduoq Boyce Males Green-Purple 2nd Yijun Huang 2nd Amrit Singh Belts 3rd Amrit Singh 3rd Yijun Huang 3rd Nick Sookdeo 3rd Nick Sookdeo 7-8 year old 1st Pierre Grant 1st Pierre Grant Males Brown+Black

Hamilton, Reifer give Windies A big lead over Lions – 2nd day, 2nd “Test” KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jahmar Hamilton slammed his sixth first-class hundred, but Raymon Reifer fell agonisingly short of his second, as West Indies A moved into a superior position against England Lions in the second “Test” yesterday. The diminutive Hamilton struck an even 100 to anchor the middle of the innings before Reifer was the glue that held the bottom half together with a fluent 95, as Windies A were bowled out for 422 about an hour and 10 minutes before the scheduled close on the second day of the match at Sabina Park to gain a 277-run first-innings lead. They however, had to share the spotlight with leftarm spinner Jack Leach, whose 6-138 from 41.4 overs made him the pick of the English bowlers.The home team however, failed to make any headway in an hour in the field before stumps were drawn, as the Lions reached 34 without loss in their second innings with their captain Keaton Jennings not out on 11 and fellow opener Haseeb Hameed not out on 18.

Starting the day on 159 for four, the overnight pair of Hamilton and Dowrich batted resolutely through almost the first hour to consolidate the position of West Indies A. Dowrich, not out on 20 overnight, looked set to follow up his first “Test” hundred with another significant innings before he was caught close to the wicket off Leach with the lead 55. It was extended however, when Reifer came to the crease and further frustrated the Lions in a stand of 102 with Hamilton either side of lunch.Hamilton, not out on 17 overnight, reached his hundred from 182 balls with the last of his 17 boundaries in the first hour after lunch, but faced just four more deliveries before he became the only wicket for Toby Roland-Jones after spending 3 ¾ hours in the middle. Further resistance came when the burly Rahkeem Cornwall came to the wicket and shared 49 for the seven wicket with Reifer, who duly passed his 50. Cornwall was bowled by Leach for 25 to leave West

West Indies A all-rounder Raymon Reifer hits down the ground during his 95 on the second day of the second “Test” at Sabina Park yesterday. (CWI Media/Athelstan Bellamy) Indies A 351 for seven, and Jomel Warrican proved not to be the immovable force he was in the first “Test” and was stumped off Leach for seven before tea. After tea, Reifer continued to keep the score moving with a view to another first-class hundred, but Louis was

caught at slip to become the only wicket for Paul Coughlin. This left Reifer with batting bunny Keon Joseph to partner him in the search for the milestone, but trying to push on, Leach bowled him after a near four-hour stay that included eight fours and two sixes from 179 balls.

2nd Kishan Ragubeer 2nd Harikirtan Singh Belts 3rd Harikirtan Singh 3rd Kishan Ragubeer 3rd Abhigyan Chatterdeo 3rd Abhigyan Chatterdeo 9-11 year old 1st Leandre Holder 1st Brandon Foo Males White-Orange 2nd Brandon Foo 2nd Leandre Holder Belts 3rd Mark Phillips 3rd Mark Phillips 9-11 year old 1st Jeremy Hargobin 1st Jeremy Hargobin Males Green-Purple 2nd Aldo Melendez 2nd Aldo Melendez Belts 3rd Farhan Jahan 3rd Farhan Jahan 9-11 year old 1st Alex Benjamin 1st Alex Benjamin Males Brown-Black 2nd Pratush Deokinandan 2nd Pratush Deokinandan Belts 3rd Reuel Austin 3rd Reuel Austin 12-14 year old 1st Navindra Deonarine 1st Navindra Deonarine Males Green-Purple 2nd Remario Waithe 2nd Remario Waithe Belts 12-14 year old 1st Matthew Gurahoo 1st Matthew Gurahoo

Males Brown-Black 2nd Sruti Jairam 2nd Sruti Jairam Belts 3rd Aaron Persaud 3rd Aaron Persaud 3rd Aubrey Bridgewater 3rd Hitesh Deonarine 12-17 year old 1st Christopher James 1st Kevin Fraser Males White-Orange 2nd Kevin Fraser 2nd Christopher James Belts 18+ Males 1st Malcolm Francis Jnr. 1st Malcolm Francis Jnr. Green-Purple 2nd Andre Sookram 2nd Andre Sookram Belts 15-17 year old 1st Trevon Miller 1st Trevon Miller Males Brown-Black 2nd Charles Benjamin 2nd Shemar Parkinson Belts 3rd Shakeem Walcott 3rd Andes Roberts 3rd Andes Roberts 3rd Shakeem Walcott 18+ Males 1st Roger Peroune 1st Roger Peroune Brown+Black 2nd Mahadeo Ramotar 2nd Keith Beaton Belts 3rd Keith Beaton 3rd Joel Kellman 3rd Malcolm Francis Snr. 3rd Mahadeo Ramotar

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Kent clinch semi-final spot after rain-affected win – Group B COOLIDGE, Antigua, CMC – In a match marked by several notable individual performances, including careerbest spells from Orlando Peters and Adam Riley, and a series of stoppages for rain, Kent Spitfires claimed a 23-run victory under the Duckworth/ Lewis/Stern Method over Leeward Islands Hurricanes to clinch the last semi-final spot in the Regional Super50 on Sunday. The Spitfires side defied a career-best spell of 5-49 in 10 overs from Orlando Peters to post 266 for nine from their allocation of 50 overs, after they chose to bat in the final match in Group B at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. Sean Dickson hit the top score of 72, Daniel BellDrummond supported with 66, Zak Crawley made 43, Alex Blake got 31 and skipper Will Gidman was not out on 27, as consistent batting right down the order helped the visitors mount a competitive challenge. In reply, Keacy Carty led the way with 69 and Montcin Hodge cracked 62 to give the Hurricanes a great launching pad of 122 for the first wicket. But off-spinner Alex Riley with a career-best 4-40 in his 10-over spell removed them both in quick succession and helped to apply the brakes to the Hurricanes’ chase before rain towards the end of the innings left them needing 40 from the last seven balls which

effectively ended their resistance. The result earned Kent four points which placed them second in the group – one behind group winners Guyana Jaguars and one ahead of last year’s beaten finalists Jamaica Scorpions – to complete the line-up of teams for the Final Four. In the semi-finals, reigning champions Barbados Pride will face the Spitfires on Wednesday at this same venue, where Jaguars meet Windward Islands Volcanoes the following day to determine the two teams which advance to the Final on Saturday, also at the CCG. Kent’s top order – led by Dickson and Bell-Drummond – made sure they left nothing to chance in the race for the last semi-final spot. Bell-Drummond, whose 87-ball knock included six fours, shared 96 at just over four runs an over for the first wicket with fellow opener Crawley before left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein made the breakthrough in the 23rd over. Hosein held a return catch to dismiss Crawley, but BellDrummond continued to push things along with Dickson before he fell to spinner Terance Warde in the 32nd over, and three overs later, Adam Rouse was stumped off Hosein for six to leave the English county side 153 for three. Blake came to the crease

and put on 72 for the fourth wicket with Dickson, whose 62-ball innings contained three fours and four sixes, before their dismissals – both to Peters – within three balls of each other in the 45th over left the innings needing oxygen in the final stages. Gidman provided the impetus with a four and a six from 18 balls, as the Spitfires lost their last six wickets for 41 in the closing overs. As Carty and Hodge diligently went about their business, scoring at close to five runs an over, to give the Hurricanes a strong start to their chase, it looked like the hosts would canter to their target. But Hodge fell to Riley in the 26th over, and four overs later, Carty was lbw to the same bowler to leave Hurricanes 142 for two. But the weather, which played a major part in the match, falling in several short periods, broke the momentum of the Hurricanes batsmen and the last to affect the contest left them with a highly improbable, if not impossible task. Scores: KENT 266 for nine off 50 overs (Sean Dickson 72, Daniel BellDrummond 66, Zak Crawley 43, Alex Blake 31; Orlando Peters 5-49, Akeal Hosein 241). HURRICANES 196 for six off 42 overs (Keacy Carty 69, Montcin Hodge 62, Devon Thomas 28 not out; Adam Riley 4-40).

Former football coach jailed for 30 years for child sex abuse LONDON (Reuters) - Ex-football coach Barry Bennell was jailed for 30 years on 50 counts of child sexual abuse by a judge yesterday who called him the “devil incarnate.” The 64-year-old Bennell, once a scout for Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra, abused 11 boys aged eight to 15 between 1979 and 1990 on an “industrial scale”, Liverpool Crown Court had heard. “To those boys you appeared as a god... in reality you were the devil incarnate,” Judge Clement Goldstone said. “You stole their childhoods and their innocence.” He added: “Your behaviour towards these boys in grooming and seducing them before subjecting them to, in some cases, the most serious, degrading and humiliating abuse, was sheer evil.” Half of the jail term will be served in custody with the rest on licence, plus another one year licence period. Bennell was charged in November 2016 after prosecutors received a file of evidence from Cheshire Police. In testimony, several victims estimated Bennell had sexually abused them on more than 100 occasions. Bennell had been previously convicted three times of child abuse. He received jail sentences in the UK and in the US in 1995, 1998

Barry Bennell was convicted of 50 child sex offences. and 2015. Allegations of child sex abuse in English soccer from the 1970s through to the 1990s have shocked Britain and led to deep soulsearching in the game amid fears hundreds of young boys might have been involved.

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Alpine skiing Vonn joins other top names in shunning team event PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - The Alpine skiing team event looks like lacking in star quality when it makes its Olympic debut in Pyeongchang this week after Lindsey Vonn became the latest high-profile athlete to say she probably won’t be taking part. The inaugural team event is scheduled for Saturday as the climax to the program and will bring mixed sex competition, knockout racing and parallel skiing to the Olympic Alpine slopes for the first time. Marcel Hirscher, who has claimed two gold medals in Pyeongchang, ruled out competing for Austria before the start of the Olympics because he felt it would compromise his bid to win a seventh successive World Cup overall title. Norwegian speed racers Aksel Lund Svindal, the men’s downhill champion, and Kjetil Jansrud have headed back to Europe after the completion of their individual events. American Teg Ligety said he would race in the event if overall World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin did, but on Sunday he confirmed his run in the men’s giant slalom had brought an end to his Pyeongchang Olympics. “I was an absolute no before but I was thinking about it,” Vonn said on Monday. “But now Ted’s gone and

Lindsey Vonn (Reuters) Mikaela is not doing it and so I don’t really think we have a strong chance of getting a medal since none of our top athletes are doing it so I probably won‘t.” Hirscher, favorite to win a third gold in the men’s slalom on Thursday, had said competing in the team event would allow him insufficient time to get to Slovenia for the resumption of the World Cup next week. “It would be a big honor to start for Austria but... it is not possible,” the 28-year-old said.

“If you do the team event, four days later you are back in Europe at Kranjska Gora in the giant slalom, no time for preparation, no time for recovery, no time for getting used to European time. “So, it would be great to be there but if I‘m professional, it is not possible.” The team event, an attempt by the governing International Ski Federation to refresh the Alpine program, will be contested by 16 teams on a knockout basis with the winners of the final round taking gold.

Minister Norton among those honoured by Best of the Best Martial Arts School Guyana Hon Dr. George Norton, MP, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport has been honoured by the Founder President and Director of The Best of the Best Martial Arts School Guyana (BBMASG), Quacy Baveghems a Soke 9th Degree Black Belt Professor. A release from the school stated that Dr. Norton was presented with a medal of Honour and an Honorary Diploma in the fighting style of Mixed Martial Arts 2nd Degree Black Belt. Also being honored were Assistant Director of Sport Melissa DowRichardson (Honorary Diploma in the fighting style of Mixed Martial Arts 1st Degree Black Belt) and Managing Director of the Red Cherry Mr. Pierre Mathoo along with his wife, Mrs. Connie Mathoo who were both presented with a Medal of Honour.

Mrs. Connie Mathoo of Red Cherry receives the Medal of Honour from Quacy Baveghems. The honourees were recognized for their contributions towards the aiding and

up-lifting of the students of the Best of the Best Martial Arts School Guyana.

Tuesday February 20, 2018

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Kaieteur News

GSSF’s 2018 Annual General Meeting elects new Board of Directors The 4th Annual General Meeting of the Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation was held at the Grand Costal Inn on Friday last. Members were given the opportunity to discuss the activities and plans at the AGM which was hosted and chaired by Vice-President Mr. Mohamed Khan. Outgoing President of the G.S.S.F., Mrs. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon reflected on her Presidency and stated in her address to the Membership “In 2014 I stood here amongst you to thank you for entrusting me to assume the Presidency of what promised to be a ground-breaking progressive sporting entity: the Guyana Sport Shooting Federation. And here I am now expressing my gratitude to all of you for making the past 4 years absolutely phenomenal. Since 2014, we’ve faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger and even more ground-breaking for Guyana. That is because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding — our conviction that, together, we can change sport shooting and the concept of sport shooting in this country and take it to a whole new higher level.” The President went on to deliver a comprehensive Report on the 2017 activities of the GSSF including affiliation to local and international bodies. She also touched on key topics such as general firearm safety, increased membership growth, continuous monthly training courses, the various sport shooting disciplines currently encompassed, increased nominations at the national sports awards, donations made, general outreach to supporting agencies, shooting range access, support programmes and the ongoing development of the sport of shooting in Guyana. A short presentation was then made by Director of Sport, Mr. Christopher Jones on behalf of the GSSF to several junior and adult members. This presentation was to distribute several free membership cards to the Amateur Trapshooting Association, an international affiliate of the GSSF. The activities of a local GSSF affiliate, Archery Guyana, was also reported on. It was reported that Guyana’s Archery Developmental plan which was completed in 2017 was shared with the World Archery Federation, and this enabled Guyana to be shortlisted as eligible to receive “Level 1” equipment donations from the world governing body for the sport of Archery. Archery Guyana is in the process of finalising the

equipment selection and it is hoped that the processing for the kit to be sent to Guyana will occur in early 2018. Archery Guyana’s activities continue to be published in the World Archery Americas’ monthly bulletins which are shared internationally. It was noted that it continues to be extremely disappointing that a request for affiliation made to the Guyana Olympic Association since 2014 for the Olympic sport of Archery is still pending. Despite numerous reminders and attempts over the past years to engage the GOA, together with facilitating the provision of documentation directly from the sport’s Swiss based governing body the World Archery Federation reconfirming Guyana’s position as a legitimate affiliate there has been no positive response to the affiliation request. Mrs. Persaud-McKinnon went on to say that information received from several key and supportive personalities in the national sports administrative circle pointed out that there were many concerns raised about the name of the GSSF and this was the hinderance to the affiliation to the local National Olympic Committee which is the GOA. As such the local archers nevertheless took steps to once again start over the process for affiliation to the NOC, to move the sport forward in Guyana. This effort saw the establishment of an independent entity, duly registered as “Archery Guyana” which then made a fresh application/ request for membership and affiliation to the GOA, but alas the silence continues to be deafening from the decision makers at the GOA….. A silence which continues to stifle further development in Guyana, as it relates to one of the first Olympic sports (Archery) for which Guyana is known to be teeming with talent. The positive support from the National Sports Commission has been extraordinary in so many ways just to highlight a single strikingly important aspect is the ability to be able to access the various sporting facilities. In this regard thanks are expressed to the NSC and to the Director of Sport, Christopher Jones. Friday evening, also featured the presentation of an Appreciation Award which was bestowed upon one of the members whose selfless energy and dedication towards GSSF is unmatched. This person has been dedicated towards firearms safety, training and range discipline. Mr. Ryan McKinnon received the GSSF’s Annual Appreciation Award from Director of Sport,

The newly elected Board of Directors pose with the Director of Sport, Mr. Christopher Jones. From left: Mr. Aleemul Ali, Mr. Nicholas Hing, Mr. Mohamed Khan, Director Christopher Jones, Mr. Ryan McKinnon, Mrs. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon, Mr. Andrew Phang, Mr. David Dharry and Dr. Pravesh Harry. Mr. Christopher Jones. The Report of the External Auditors along with the Financial Statement of the GSSF was presented by the Federation’s internal auditor, Mr. Jagmohan Bassoo to the membership and this was duly adopted at the AGM. The External Audit of the Financial Statement was duly conducted and issued by Auditor, Mr. Harryram Parmesar from the Parmesar Audit Firm. Another significant aspect of the AGM was the motions which totaled six which were unanimously carried. One of which generated a lot of discussion related to the GSSF’s Name change. The motion was duly passed to effect a change in the name, from Guyana Sport Shooting Federation Inc., to Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation Inc. The Returning Officer appointed, Mr. Christopher Jones, Director of Sport duly declared the board and positions there in vacant and commenced elections for a new Board of Directors of the GSSF. Following the transparent electoral process, the members listed below were duly elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation for the term 2018 to 2020 as announced and ratified by the Returning Officer, Mr. Christopher Jones. Members of the Board of Directors for the period 20182020 are: President Mr. Ryan McKinnon Vice-President Mr. Mohamed Khan Secretary Mrs. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon Treasurer Mr. Ray Beharry Assistant Secretary and Treasurer Mr. Andrew Phang Chairman (Steel Challenge) Dr. Pravesh Harry

Chairman (Practical Shooting) Mr. David Dharry Chairman (Archery) Mr. Nicholas Hing Chairman (Trapshooting) Mr. Aleemul Ali Internal Auditor Mr. Steve Ninvalle Thanks were expressed to the following persons who assisted in one way or the other for 2017: The Honourable Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Security, Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe, Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, Minister George Norton, Minister of Social Cohesion, Minister

Nicolette Henry, Minister of Education, Director of Sport, Mr. Christopher Jones, National Sports Commission, Chief of Staff, Brig. Patrick West, Guyana Defence Force, Lt. Col. Doodnauth, GDF, Mr. Ryan McKinnon, Infotrans Guyana Inc, Neutrino Inc., Mr. Julius Simon, Commissioner General Mr. Godfrey Statia, the Guyana Revenue Authority, Mr. Hakeem Mohamed, Mr. Mohamed Qualander, Queensway, Asst. Commissioner Mr. David Ramnarine, Mr. Gerard Mekdeci, JT Mekdeci & Co., Dr. Bhiro

Harry, GPF Commander Marlon Chapman, GPF OC TSU Superintendent Denhert, GPF Senior Superintendent Guy Nurse, Woodpecker Products, Queensway Security Service Inc., Mr. Tamesh Jagmohan, El Dorado Trading, Mr. Bish Panday and Mr. Vikash Panday, Directors of P&P Insurance and Consultants Ltd., Publik Burger House, Mr. Harryram Parmesar, Parmesar Accounting Firm, Mr. Mokesh Daby, management and staff of Grand Coastal Inn Inc., The Media, The G.S.S.F. Members and the Board of the G.S.S.F.

Canada crush OAR to set up U.S. showdown GANGNEUNG, South Korea (Reuters) - Canada thumped the Olympic Athletes from Russia 5-0 yesterday to book their spot in the Olympic women’s ice hockey final and renew one of the Winter Games’s greatest rivalries. Canada have played for gold at every Winter Games since women’s hockey became part of the Olympic programme in 1998 and for the fifth time in six Winter Games will face off against the United States.“We have something special here and we’re ready our coaching staff has prepared us as best they can and we just need to go out and just play,” Canada forward Meghan Agosta told reporters.“This is something we have worked hard for all year and it comes down to one game and it is going to be the better team that comes out on top and there is no doubt in my mind that we are going to be ready for whatever it takes.”The U.S. set the stage for a rematch when they shut-

out Finland 5-0 to reach the final for the third consecutive Olympics. Although the U.S. and Canada have met on every final expect at the 2006 Turin Olympics, the Americans have not had gold hung around their necks since the Nagano Games with the Canadians occupying top spot on the podium ever since. On a day when International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel announced the Olympic tournament at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games would expand from eight to 10 teams, Canada and U.S. continued to show they remain a class apart. Canada wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as they connected on their first shot, Natalie Spooner digging the puck out of the corner and feeding an unmarked Jennifer Wakefield, who slammed it past Valeria Tarakanova 1:50 into the opening period. The defending champions dominated large stretches of play put could not put another

puck by Tarakanova until Marie-Philip Poulin beat the OAR netminder with a neat backhand five minutes into the second. After two gritty periods the OAR finally succumbed to Canadian pressure in the third when Wakefield collected her second of night and Emily Clark added another 31 seconds later, chasing Tarakanova from the game in favor of Nadezhda Alexandrova.“I‘m just excited to kind of get the monkey off my back a little bit,” Wakefield said. “We’re just excited to play them (U.S.).“We have the rivalry, it’s well-documented and we’re just looking forward to the opportunity to bring home another gold.” Rebecca Johnston closed out the scoring by banging home a loose puck from a scramble in front of the Russian net. Shannon Szabados was not overworked but turned in a rock- solid effort in the Canadian net, making 14 saves for the shutout.

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Ice Hockey: U.S. women ease past Finland into final

Dani Camarensi scored twice for the USA against Finland. (Getty Images) GANGNEUNG, South Korea (Reuters) - The U.S. cruised into their third straight women’s Olympic ice hockey final yesterday, shutting down Finland 5-0 in the semis with two goals by Dani Cameranesi and a shutout from goaltender Maddie Rooney. In the kind of offensive burst U.S. coach Robb Stauber has been waiting for, the Americans, silver medalists in Sochi and Vancouver, converted on three of six powerplays. Heading into the game the U.S. had been onefor-11 on the powerplay during the tournament. “I look at the shots on goal and we maybe had 39 tonight,” Stauber said. “The other nights we had 44, 50 etc and we didn’t score as much. Our plan coming in was to repeat the good habits that we talked about earlier in the tournament. You’re going to get rewarded.” The Americans, showing little resemblance to the team that had to come from behind against Finland in their first meeting, went out front early in the first period. Captain Meghan Duggan fed line mate Gigi Marvin in the slot and she one-timed it past goaltender Noora Raty.

Cameranesi intercepted an attempted clearing pass and skated uncontested in on Raty before going top shelf with a wrist shot. The U.S. broke it open in the second period on two powerplay goals 34 seconds apart. Jocelyn LamoureuxDavidson blasted a slap shot past Raty with two seconds remaining on a two-player advantage and Hilary Knight made it 4-0, redirecting a shot from the point by Sidney Morin.Cameranesi’s second came inside the first minute of the third period, again on the powerplay. Amanda Kessel, sister of Pittsburg Penguins forward Phil, took a cross ice pass and fed the puck low to Hannah Brandt. She quickly got it to Cameranesi who beat Raty high on the glove side. PHYSICAL CONTEST For a game meant to be free of body- checking, it was a very physical contest, with the biggest hit delivered on Finland defenseman Ronja Savolainen by Duggan. As Savolainen was clearing her zone, Duggan rammed into her and sent her sprawling. She hit the sidewall face first and rolled on to her back

before being helped to the dressing-room by team mates and coaches. No penalty was assessed and Savolainen returned for limited action in the second and third periods. “It was an open-ice hit and you can’t body-check in women’s hockey so that should have been a penalty,” Raty said. “Obviously, the ref decided it wasn‘t.” The U.S. must await the outcome of yesterday’s late game between four-times gold medalists Canada and the Olympic Athletes from Russia to see who they play in Thursday’s final. “Tonight we beat a very good goaltender and a very good hockey team,” Stauber said. “This was really a gold medal preparation for us because they’re a darn good team.” It is the fifth gold medal game appearance in six Olympic tournaments for the American women who won the first women’s ice hockey tournament in 1998. Canada have won all four since. Finland proceed to the bronze medal game tomorrow against the loser of the Canada-Russia game. The Finns have won bronze twice, in 1998 and 2010.

GABA to host knockout B’Ball tourney at CASH next month Basketball will return t o t h e C l i ff A n d e r s o n Sports Hall (CASH) early next month as the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) under the stewardship of President Adrian Hooper, is preparing to host an all-division knockout tournament. The competition, which bounces off on March 3rd,

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Kaieteur News

will feature nine teams in the Open division while the 2nd and Junior (Under-23) divisions will feature six teams each going head to head in riveting knockout play. Matches will be played from Monday to Thursday for three consecutive weeks and are expecting to be action packed following the successful hosting of the GABA’s last tournament, the

Banks DIH sponsored Open, 1st and Under-23 leagues. I n addition, the last basketball tournament held at the CASH, the National Club Championship, left fans highly entertained, head of GABA, Hooper, noted to Kaieteur Sport that keen contests can be expected next month when play commences. (Calvin Chapman)

Coleman can go faster, former world record holder Greene says (Reuters) - Newly crowned 60 meters world record holder Christian Coleman can run even faster in both the indoor race and the outdoor 100 meters, former holder Maurice Greene believes. The 2000 Olympic champion made the prediction after world 100 meters silver medalist Coleman ran the 60 in a sizzling 6.34 seconds at the U.S. indoor championships in high altitude Albuquerque, New Mexico on Sunday. The time sliced 0.05 seconds off Greene’s 20-year-old world record and came a month after Coleman had run 6.37 in a South Carolina meeting that was not ratified because of the absence of electronic starting blocks. “He might be able to knock off a couple (of hundredths), maybe (run) 6.32, 31,” Greene told Reuters in a telephone interview. “I was very impressed how he picked it up after the start,” said Greene, who set world records in both the 60 and 100 meters during his career. “He didn’t get that good of a start, but he really accelerated and went for it.” Coleman, Greene and

Maurice Greene four-time Olympic sprint medalist Ato Boldon all indicated there could be another fast time coming at the March 1-4 world indoor championships in Birmingham, England, with U.S. team mate Ronnie Baker there to push Coleman. Baker became the third fastest 60 meters runner of alltime with his 6.40 seconds runner-up finish at Albuquerque. “He really pushed me,” Coleman told reporters. “Ronnie damn near ran the world record. “Now we have another big moment coming up in two weeks (in Birmingham). I think it will be another special race.” Boldon, now a television

Christian Coleman poses with his national flag after the men’s 100m final during the World Athletics Championships in London. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

analyst, would not be surprised at another record if all goes well. “(He) can go faster at worlds because that was a poor start by his standards,” the former Trinidad and Tobago star said on Twitter. NEW TARGETS Catching Usain Bolt for the fastest 60 meters ever recorded might be a challenge, though. The Jamaican was timed unofficially at 6.31 seconds outdoors during his 100 meters world record run of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 Berlin world championships. But Coleman, who finished ahead of the now retired Bolt but behind countryman Justin Gatlin at the 2017 world championships in London could become the man to beat in the 100 this year. Collegiate sprint champion indoors and out last year, he took down the college 100 meters record with a blazing 9.82 seconds for the fastest time of 2017. And he is ready to run faster, Greene said. “You know he is in the low 9.7 (seconds) range now,” Greene said of a time only seven sprinters have run. But the three-time world 100 meters champion would like to see Coleman run a few races before making any predictions. “I want to see if he has fixed that last 20,” Greene said of Coleman’s tendency to lose top speed faster than others at the end of a race. “If he fixes that last 20, it is going to be hurtful for a lot of people.”Boldon is already convinced.“Some may deny his ability to now dominate the 100, but the combo of that start, that acceleration and sub 19.7 200m ability = very few legit threats to him out there,” the analyst and coach said.

Darts Association to begin preparation for Caribbean Cup with trials next week The Guyana Darts Association (GDA) has put all players on notice as the trials for the Caribbean Cup will be contested next week, the 26th and 28 th of February at the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) from 19:00hrs on both nights. The team to represent Guyana at this year’s Caribbean Championships, which is scheduled to be contested in the twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago this July, will be selected from next week’s trials and non-members of the GDA will not be

able to take part in the event, according to head of the GDA, Sheik Yassin. However, persons desirous can sign up to be part of the GDA and pay the yearly fee which is a $5,000.Expected to compete at the trials is the current holder of the Caribbean Men’s single title, Sudesh Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald also makes up half of the Caribbean Doubles champions while also being the reigning South American Champion. Additionally, last week, Fitzgerald became the first non-national to win the Brazilian Men’s Darts Cham-

Sudesh Fitzgerald pionship. (Calvin Chapman)