Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Saturday February 24,2018

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

An Outstanding Preacher Rev. William Franklin Graham Jr, known as Billy Graham, renowned Christian evangelical pastor, died Wednesday at age 99, at his home in Montreat, North Carolina. Born in 1918, to parents William and Morrow Graham, and the eldest of four children, Graham had been slowed by Parkinson’s disease since 1992 and other medical problems until his death. He staged worldwide crusades and played a role as spiritual advisor to a number of U.S. presidents, Shortly after his graduation with a Degree in Liberal Arts from Wheaton College in 1943, Graham became an evangelist pastor, preaching in small churches and tents on roadsides. His preaching style and his timbre voice eventually outgrew the churches and tents. He began preaching at rallies. His breakthrough came at a 1949 Los Angeles crusade that was scheduled for three weeks but had to be extended to eight weeks due to the large crowds he attracted. His charismatic and heartfelt gospel sermons propelled him into an evangelical superstar. The success of the Los Angeles crusade made Graham famous. He rose to national prominence by preaching in some of the most famous venues in the world, such as Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden in New York, London’s Wembley Stadium and around the globe. He preached in Africa, China, North Korea, the Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. The iconic evangelist preached to more people in live audiences around the world than anyone else in history, reaching hundreds of millions either in person or through television and satellite links. In the end Graham became the richest evangelist to ever live. Graham’s devotion to Christianity began at age 15 at a revival crusade in North Carolina when he claimed to have made a commitment to Christ. With his steely features and piercing blue eyes, Graham was a powerful figure whose preaching style included roaming the stage and hoisting a Bible as he declared Jesus Christ to be the only solution to humanity’s problems. In the 1960s, Graham was an ardent supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. He had strongly opposed segregation and had refused to speak to segregated audiences. Graham believed that the Bible is the infallible word of God and that that there is no spiritual or Christian basis for segregation, for we are all God’s children. In his prime, Rev. Billy Graham thunderous, quick-burst speaking style along with his sincerity and devotion to Christianity sowed the seeds for his success. Not only did he preached and converted millions to Christianity around the world, he was also the spiritual advisor and counselor to twelve presidents, from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. His ties to the White House and his mentoring of presidents were mutually beneficial. His reputation was enhanced as preacher to the most powerful men in the world, while his spiritual counseling helped to boost the president’s popularity with religious inclined voters. He was considered the de facto White House chaplain to several U.S. presidents, most famously Richard Nixon. He also met with scores of world leaders and was the first noted evangelist to preach in the former Soviet Union dubbed the Iron Curtain during the height of the Cold War. However, six years after Graham and his wife Ruth were honored by Congress with the award of the Congressional Gold Medal in 1966, the evangelist pastor found himself the target of criticism in 2002 and following the release of tapes of 1973 conversations he had with Richard Nixon that were critical of Jews. He was also criticized for opposing same sex marriage which he called an abomination. Billy Graham who had one of the largest ministries in history had managed to avoid the sex and financial scandals of other evangelical pastors including Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart. He died with a pristine reputation.

Finance Minister’s utterances seem to indicate that govt. is in a state of confusion on sugar DEAR EDITOR, The GAWU, through reports that appeared in several sections of the press, was, to say the least, surprised to learn that the state-owned NICIL Special Purpose Unit (SPU), according to Finance Minister Winston Jordan, was seeking financing in the region of $10B to $15B in order to resume operations at East Demerara and Skeldon Estates. By any yardstick, this is a huge sum and we initially thought that the Minister maybe was misquoted. This, however, turned out not to be the case. Minister Jordan said that the SPU was close to finalizing the financing through an arrangement with a consortium of local banks. Our Union, on this score, cannot help but wonder about the collateral that would have to be put up or the interest rates that would be demanded, among the other conditions that the banks would impose. Just some food for thought!

SUM OF INVESTMENT Aside from those important considerations we are perplexed by the need for such a large sum. We recall that GuySuCo, with seven factories under its fold, had required lesser financing from the Treasury and, therefore, we are at a loss to figure out why the need for the significant sum. Moreover, if the Minister’s comments are anything to go by, it seems that hardly any of the monies being sought would be going to the workers. The Minister, according to an online media outlet report, was quoted to have said “…it would have been more expensive to keep them [the estates] open, especially in the areas of staffing and costs”. Therefore, it seems that workers remuneration would be kept to the barest which in itself will present its own problems. Minister Jordan, who is described in the report as a career economist, ought to be

very au fait with the theory of labour supply and thus he would well know there is a point (wage rate) that workers would rather stay at home and starve than to work and starve. It seems that the sums being sought would be utilized towards meeting capital expenditure. If this is factual, then the figures, from our point of view, seem high. We recall that the Sugar CoI has estimated that capital expenditure for the period 2016 to 2020 for East Demerara and Skeldon would be $2.57B and $1.151B respectively. With those investments, the CoI concluded that the two estates would have produced 39,615 and 61,744 tonnes sugar respectively by 2020. Should the additional sums be used to fund the diversification projects recommended by the Sugar CoI and endorsed by our Union, then, we believe, it would be shortsighted to sell rehabilitated and improved estates to allow the private owners to cream

off the massive profits that could be realized from the implementation of these initiatives. Whatever is the case, we believe it would be difficult for NICIL to fully recover its entire investment. Therefore, in other words, the unrecovered portion of the investments being contemplated would amount to a State subsidy to the new owners, apart from the other fiscal concessions that the private owners would obviously demand. It appears that the best approach would be for the State to retain ownership. MOLASSES PRODUCTIONAT ENMORE The Finance Minister, according to another online media report, reportedly said in reference to resumption at East Demerara Estate, that it would operate “…for producing molasses…”. We do not think that this is the best approach, especially given the possibilities of utilizing the estate’s packaging plant. (Continued ona page 6)

Muzzled by the oppressive terms of a contract which are inimical to Guyanese DEAR EDITOR, I have observed from the various articles and publications in the press that the Executive Branch of the Government solely participated in the fashioning of a contract which was duly executed by the Executive Branch of Government with the world’s giant oil company Exxon. One of the terms of the contract as I understand it is that the Parliament of Guyana, the highest law-making body of the Land cannot alter the terms of the contract. Parliament, whose members were duly elected by the people

and represent the entire population of Guyana, had no say or contribution to the terms and conditions of the document that was arbitrarily and unilaterally signed by the Executive Branch of the Government. The Guyana Parliament was never a party to the contract nor was it consulted on the terms of the contract. My question is; how can any institution or legal persona that is not a party to a contract be fettered by the terms of such a contract? It appears the other branch of Government, The Judiciary, is also muzzled by

the oppressive terms of this contract which are inimical to the people of Guyana, whose resources are now contracted to be plundered by Exxon. What is the remedy? In a country of peasants and hard-working marginalized people of which over 33% are unemployed, it appears to me - if the contract cannot be renegotiated by the parties thereto, the very Executive Branch of Government that agreed to the terms and Exxon, to give equitable terms to the people of Guyana - the only remedy that will be left is that a new generation of

incensed and deprived Guyanese, like the people of Ghana, will have no alternative but to agitate, oppose and demand that the Plunderer be Nationalized. The patriot, Burnham, whose policy the President and Government espoused to embrace, always proclaimed to foreign investors, if the terms are not favourable to the Government and people of Guyana, then its resources shall remain intact for another generation of Guyanese. Yours respectfully Jailall Kissoon Attorney at Law

This is my final letter on this matter DEAR EDITOR, City Councillor Sherod Avery Duncan has arrogated to himself the right of the Town Clerk to interpret for himself (subject of course to any contrary authoritative ruling by a court of Law) the Municipal and District Councils Act Chapter 28:01 by which the Town Clerk has been vested with the general administration of the Georgetown City Council. Nothing can be more commonsensical, and established in jurisprudence, than the proposition that: he who has the statutory duty of administration, has by necessary implication the right and duty to firstly interpret the relevant enabling statutes as to the scope, nature or limits

of the rights, duties, powers vested in him for the purposes of such administration. It is no right or business of any Councillor to undertake such interpretation; and I certainly have never requested of Sherod Avery Duncan, nor do I desire his assistance or advice, in the discharge of my duty to interpret and apply the statute. So Mr. Sherod Avery Duncan can put whatever interpretation he perceives to be convenient in his sinister scheme to undermine my administration of the Georgetown City Council; it is simply not binding on me. And in any event, I dispute, entirely, the correctness and credibility of his misguided and incompetent misinterpre-

tation (“Ignorance of the Law excuses no one” ¾ Guyana Chronicle, Tuesday, February 20, 2018, in response to my letter under caption “Royston King responds to Sherod Duncan” ¾ Guyana Chronicle Saturday, February, 17, 2018). Editor, I have been advised by a very knowledgeable Attorney-at-law that Sherod Avery Duncan’s interpretation as to my standing (locus standi) as Town Clerk in court matters or litigation under section 6 of Chapter 28:01, has absolutely no credence in either statute law or case law. It is palpably misconceived and wrong. If the right, and or duty, to sue (as the case may be), is exclusively that of the Town

Clerk, then inherent in such exclusivity, is that the decision whether to sue in any particular matter (subject of course to the availability of finances to retain Counsel to undertake such suit) must be that of the Town Clerk, that is the statutory intendment. As Town Clerk I have been entrusted by parliament, and am expected to make decisions and act only in the Georgetown City Council’s best interest. That statutory trust cannot be a matter of mere representative capacity only. (In passing, section 315 which is differently worded than section 6, and under which prosecutors engage in litigation in the Magistrate’s Court to enforce the By-laws, (Cotninued on page 5)

Saturday February 24,2018

Mr Nadir is welcome to visit Ogle Airport and see and learn for himself DEAR EDITOR, As a former Minister of government, we would have thought that Mr. Manzoor Nadir would have first endeavoured to properly inform himself of the facts before essaying to comment, in his letter to Kaieteur News of 16th February, 2018, headlined “The Ogle Airport Inc. saga”, on the development of the Eugene F. Correia International Airport (EFCIA) by Ogle Airport Inc.

(OAI). Mr. Nadir begins his letter by making the unfounded accusation that a “monopoly position…is occupied by one family” at the EFCIA. What is the truth? In March 2000, OAI was, in fact, incorporated with equal shareholders held by five operators. Trans Guyana Airways, Air Services Limited, Roraima Airways Limited, Kayman Sankar Aviation and Hinter-

land Tours Inc. On the 5th November, 2001, the government entered into a Lease Agreement with OAI conditioned by mandatory obligations under a two-phased project requiring the construction of an 800-metre runway to meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) specifications, associated taxiways, aprons and ramps and terminal facilities, (Continued on page 6)

This is my final letter on this ... From page 4 has absolutely no relevance in this context, but the difference in wording is instructive). I am no mere “… object of legal proceedings…” (Whatever Sherod Avery Duncan means by that phrase) as he writes in his letter. If the Town Clerk is not the party sued, or suing (as the case may be) the lawyer has advised me that the action would be improperly constituted and the Judge would strike it out on that preliminary point. I was informed of an important 1961 reported appellate Court case precedent (Insanally v Georgetown Town Clerk) which demonstrates how technical and fatal this locus standi issue can be, that Sherod Avery Duncan is seeking to trivialize. Turning to the matter of my not calling a meeting to elect a councillor to perform the duties of Mayor, in her and the Deputy Mayor’s coincidental absence; and Sherod Avery Duncan’s criticism when he writes I “deliberately waited for the regular statutory meeting to occur..” to have that election happen, I do not dispute or challenge at all Minister Bulkan’s resort to “common sense” in these type of matters. I say resort, because I note, and pay particular attention to the fact that the Act (i.e. Chapter 28:01) does not prescribe any time limit for an election (contrast section 12). This absence of a time limit I interpret to mean that the Act has left this matter to the judgment call of the Town Clerk based on the particular facts and circumstances of each absence (which would be known to the Town Clerk) and the application of common sense. It is for this reason that based on the facts and circumstances (including but not limited to the relatively short duration of Her Worship the Mayor’s absence) of which, obviously, Sherod

Avery D u n c a n w a s n o t privy, that I adjudged that common sense would be better served by me leaving that particular election to the then impending regular statutory meeting. After all, for reasons that seem beyond the apprehension of Mr. Sherod Avery Duncan, the case is arguable that since Councillors are not full-time employees of the Council, readily available to meet all exigencies, and there was no situation of exceptional circumstances requiring a special meeting as Mr. Sherod Avery Duncan is suggesting, an election prior to that regular statutory meeting was not of the essence. And more relevantly, because such a meeting would in all probability have been most inconvenient and inexpedient to all other councillors except, perhaps Mr. Sherod Avery Duncan, there was no obligation to call a meeting prior to the regular statutory meeting. That was my discretionary judgment call - “shall” can mean may; and “may” can mean shall. I ask this question. What if the Mayor’s absence is projected to last one or two days? Is a meeting to have an election in those circumstances obligatory? Plainly not. What dysfunctionality in the operations of the City Council would be occasioned by such non election? That is the test of the imperativeness, or not, of a meeting. It is Mr. Sherod Avery

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Duncan’s constitutional right to express his opinion (however, misconceived) as to my capacity and qualification for and performance in, the office of Town Clerk. But he is mischievously seeking, by innuendo and insinuation; creating a most false impression that the Honourable subject Minister (with all good intentions towards the Georgetown City Council) shares his views. And as to Mr. Sherod Avery Duncan’s closing reference to Keith Burrowes’ COI recommen d a t i o n I would only say this: if it was the intent of Parliament that a Town Clerk must be a qualified lawyer, nothing would have been easier than for parliament in Chapter 28:01 to have so expressly provided. Parliament did not. And by the way, a legal matter is not even the predominant feature of a Town Clerk’s statutory duties and responsibilities; administration is. And for such administration, even Mr. Sherod Avery Duncan would have to admit that I am sufficiently qualified, both experientially and technically. I have a Masters from a recognized University in the United Kingdom, PostGraduate and other Degrees from the University of Guyana. As to his other arguments, they have no merit; they do not warrant any rebuttal from me. This is my final letter on this matter. Yours faithfully Royston King Town Clerk City of Georgetown

Finally, the Sleeping Giant has been awakened…and it is angry DEAR EDITOR, Well finally the Sleeping Giant has been awakened…and it is angry. By this, I refer to the very shocking, scandalous and unethical goings-on that are being revealed at City Hall in Georgetown. For two and a half years, the administration at City Hall, led by the Town Clerk, have managed the capital city much worse than someone would run a cake shop, and have refused to even take the outstanding vacation leave that is due to them, and yet the Council just sat and condoned this unpleasant situation, much to the suffering of the citizenry of Georgetown. In circumstances that are coming to light at the moment, one can only wonder why these officers are not being sent immediately on their leave to facilitate thorough investigations and a forensic audit. How is it that if junior officers do not take their leave each year, it is forfeited, while senior officers are allowed to

sit at their desks for years without budging, and in many instances, are paid in lieu of leave? This is just wrong and facilitates corruption, misconduct and maladministration. Clearly, recent discoveries such as the works that are currently being executed by City Hall at Le Repentir Cemetery under a contract valued at over $100 million without any evidence of public tendering, and the missing financial statements for millions of dollars in funds provided by Central Government since 2015 being probed by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) at Parliament Buildings, are but the tip of the iceberg. A forensic audit by the Audit Office of Guyana on the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown will more likely than not lead to earthshattering revelations. This will include an audit of Council’s revenue streams including revenue of markets; property rates, including all the illegal waivers of interest

that were granted by persons in the administration and the sale of expensive equipment at rock bottom prices, as well as its expenditure channels which has seen countless contracts being given to friends without any tender or bidding processes; purchases of equipment, supplies, services and other items through methods that could not pass scrutiny. It is my hope that there will be a human resource audit there also, to clear up the considerable nepotism, cronyism, favouritism and overstaffing; that the Parking Meter Scandal would be thoroughly investigated; that the land grab attempts in Bel Air Park, Subryanville and elsewhere would be investigated; that the misuse of Council resources, equipment and supplies would be investigated. We await a thorough investigation into Council’s finances for the last twentyfour years. Sincerely, Amber Valentine

Local artistes were well received in Region Two DEAR EDITOR, On Tuesday evening, the Regional Administration Region 2 hosted a Calypso and Chutney competition as part of its many activities in commemorating the country’s 48th Republic Anniversary. This genre of music had seemingly lost its connection with Essequibians, and in particular, the Calypso genre. It was the genuine intention by the Administration, therefore, to revive and sustain such cultures, beginning with the presentation of local artistes. As I stood that evening and witnessed the musical rendition, six from each genre, it dawned on me that both were alive and well in the Region. The appreciable crowd, too, was impressed with the display, given that a Calypso competition was not held in the Region for almost eight years. All the artistes were impressive, including a student from the Abram Zuil Second-

ary School, who competed against much older performers. The representation for the Calypso competition was also diverse, as I was thrilled by the performing artistes emanating from the Amerindian communities. It was indeed quite an absorbing evening, with the artistes captivating the hearts of the audience - in particular, the winners of both categories. The Mighty Voltage, who won the calypso crown, hadn’t sung competitively for almost thirteen years, yet he didn’t lose any power in delivering quite a witty and stirring rendition that illuminated the cool evening skies. His lyrics were relevant to current affairs as he appealed

for racial equality, political unity and a quest for social and economic security. The Chutney Queen’s spicy rendition also had the crowd absorbing every moment. They all sang in Hindi. This was especially a proud moment for the Administration, given that it is a diverse community. The audience appreciated and applauded every lyric that pierced the air, including the Deputy Regional Executive Officer Roopkumar Persaud and the Mash Committee, who tirelessly and instrumentally were responsible for creating the huge success that was achieved that evening. The concept of social (Continued on page 6)

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Finance Minister’s utterances... From page 4 The direct consumption sugar which is produced fetches a high premium. In fact, the Sugar CoI report had disclosed that this was GuySuCo’s highest priced sugar and had recommended that the plant be maximally utilized. Also, it should not be forgotten that molasses is a remnant of sugar production. However, if it is that no sugar would be produced, as can be gleaned from the Finance Minister ’s comments, it would mean that the molasses of East Demerara would be of a very high quality. This, we understand, would lend to more alcohol being produced. Disturbingly, in spite of this very positive characteristic, it would not yield any higher prices, as molasses is sold by the tonne, irrespective of its quality. Again this amounts to a State subsidy to the buyer of the molasses. TIMELINE FOR SALE We also learnt that Minister Jordan expects that sale of the estates identified for privatisation would be completed, according to a NCN report, “…in another six to nine months”. The Minister’s statement is in vast contrast to SPU privatization specialist Mr Shawn Persaud. We recall Mr Persaud, is quoted in a January 26, 2018 online media outlet report titled “Enmore estate likely to remain opened”, to have said that the “…authorities could not wait two years for the estates to be sold…”. Is it nine months or two years? But the Minister added to the confusion when he said, according to NCN, that the loan the SPU is hoping to secure would be repaid in three to five years. In effect, the Finance Minister is saying that the SPU would have long disposed of the assets that it

would have derived the revenue to repay the loan it is now seeking. No prudent banker, in their rightful sense, would approve such a loan unless it is guaranteed by the Government. If this is so, then this amounts to a further subsidy by the State down the road. Or, maybe it is that the Minister misspoke or is in a state of obvious confusion. WHAT ABOUT ROSE HALL? At this time too, we recognise there is a deafening silence regarding Rose Hall Estate where the people are very hard pressed and are contending with several challenges and difficulties. The GAWU noted that SPU spokesperson, Mr Alex Graham is reported in a February 19, 2018 article in another section of the media as saying that if certain conditions are present at Rose Hall, the estate would also operate. Mr Graham, it was reported, said that the availability of canes was one of those conditions. We are aware that Rose Hall has canes available for harvest. A booklet prepared by the SPU and which was shared with our Union during our January 19, 2018 engagement with the Government advised that Rose Hall has the possibility of producing 5,740 tonnes of sugar in the first crop and a further 8,545 tonnes during the second crop. We would be eager to know of the other conditions, using Mr Graham’s term, that East Demerara and Skeldon

have satisfied and Rose Hall has not. CONCLUSION From the developments that are taking place, it seems to us, there is no clear, coherent plan to deal with the terrible situation brought about by the closure of sugar estates. The GAWU wishes to reiterate that the Government has not truly and fully considered all the ramification of its decisions to close estates and put thousands on the breadline. This, as we see, is clearly illustrated by the confusion that we are now seeing. While Government has belaboured the support the State provided to the sugar industry, we see, in effect, possibly billions of State subsidies being provided to the potential owners and the industry’s customers. The best approach it seems was to keep the estates opened and invest the billions being paid as severance to improve production and productivity, as the GAWU suggested and reiterated time and time again. This would be the least costly option before the Administration, rather than the foolhardy approach to close the estates and then, like Rip Van Winkle, wake up to the realization that the estates should have remained operable. Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine General Secretary GAWU

Local artistes were ... From page 5 cohesion manifested itself and the pleasing sight at that occasion will linger on for a long time to come. It is my fervent hope that this will be the beginning of a much grander cultural explosion that will consistently reign in Region 2. I also commend the audience for grasping the opportunity to witness a rich evening of local talent and lasting memories. Yours Faithfully, Elroy Stephney

Saturday February 24,2018

Mr Nadir is welcome to visit Ogle... From page 5 including a state-of-the-art control tower demanding an initial investment of approximately US$3M in order to qualify the Airport as an international port of entry. On 17th July, 2003, the Lands & Surveys department, concomitant with the conditions set out in the Lease Agreement, granted a 441acre lease of land (Master Lease) for 25 years, extendable for two further periods of 25 years. Phase I of the development under the Lease Agreement was successfully completed in 2009, when scheduled passenger operations commenced. Not a penny of state money was invested. In his letter, Mr. Nadir describes the rates which his former Government leased the land to OAI as “peppercorn lease rates” and accuses the Airport of sub-leasing land at “astronomical rents to others” but he conveniently ignores three (3) essential facts: 1. OAI’s rates for land sub-leased to all Operators are founded on the substantial development of this land with roads, taxiways and other infrastructure supporting the sub-leased lands. 2. The sub-lease rates are tied to a fixed percentage of the Airport lease costs and, therefore, increase as the Airport lease costs increase. 3. These rates were approved at Board level by the same people who are now complaining to Mr. Nadir for their own selfish interest. Mr. Nadir asserts in his letter that “one family has dominated the business activities of the airport and grown to have virtually total control of the Ogle Airport”. This is patent nonsense and unsupported by the facts. As cash flow was required from the private investors to meet the mandatory capital investment under the Lease Agreement, calls on funds was equally made from each shareholder when the Airport’s income was insufficient to meet the demand. However, a number of the shareholders reneged on their commitments to the project’s development, choosing, at the time, to invest in the development of their own airline operations

and business interest. Unless, therefore, OAI could meet its obligations to develop the Airport, mandated under the Lease Agreement, the project would have collapsed, the Airport closed and the Operators required to move their operations to Timehri Airport or close down. In order to save the project to build and develop the Airport, the Correia Group of Companies, along with Air Services Ltd, to a lesser extent, responded to the demand for funds. This decision was made with the unanimous agreement of the shareholders and in accord with an agreement between the shareholders established in 1999 that should any investor be unable to invest, the remaining shareholders would have the first right to refusal. Mr. Nadir inexplicably comes to the conclusion that the other investors were “all out-manoeuvered”. Yes, a single group of investors saved the Airport project by investing the majority of the funds for its development and now hold some sixty percent (60%) of the shares, but, that group does not and cannot exercise control of the Airport. There are, at present, nine domestic independent operators that use EF Correia International Airport and three foreign operators. There are four approved maintenance organizations, two commercial fuel supply operations. There are five approved domestic cargo terminals, one main airport terminal for international and domestic operations and five companies capable of providing ground handling services, all in open competition providing the main essential services of the Airport. The Airport functions as a public aviation facility subject to the Civil Aviation laws of Guyana and civil aviation international agreements. The obligations of the Airport operators are comprehensively defined in the Lease Agreement. The Airport is regulated and licenced by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and governed through its Airport Operations Manual approved by

the GCAA. The Airport’s licence is exercised under OAI’s current Aerodrome Certificate issued by the GCAA. The fact is, therefore, that the Airport is jointly managed between government-controlled agencies on a day to day basis such as Customs, Immigration, CANU, Port Health, Air Traffic Control and the Private Sector Company, OAI. There is no room, and never was, for the owners of OAI to do as they please in the management of the Airport. Mr. Nadir writes that “the state invested millions of dollars in equipment necessary for the proper operation of the airport” and “the state also on-lent a two million Euro EU facility to the OAI, interestfree”. Mr. Nadir is either misinformed or is deliberately misleading. In fact, in 2007, a CARICOM initiated and led European Union funded Grant of 1.5M Euro was offered to the government for the Phase II development of the Airport for the extension of the runway to 4,000 x 100 feet, qualifying the Airport as an ICAO Code 2C operation to accommodate carriers such as LIAT and CAL complete with night lighting. The PPP/C government, however, improperly converted the Grant to a repayable loan by the OAI. To complete the Phase II development, OAI shareholders invested a further US$1M on the terminal, taxiways and aprons. Again, not a penny of taxpayers’ money has been invested in the EF Correia International Airport. Today, OAI has over 500 employees, provides a 24/7 international air service, is poised for future expansion to meet the advent of our oil and gas industry and has delivered to the government and people of Guyana an international regional airport, second to none in the Caribbean and beyond. Mr Nadir is welcome, at any time that he wishes, to visit and be our guest at the Airport and see and learn for himself. Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento Public Communications Consultant Ogle Airport Inc.

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Saturday February 24,2018

Harmon declines to give “personal opinion” he was not retained on lopsided ExxonMobil deal …Says as Counsel on the matter

The revelations about the flaws of the ExxonMobilGuyana oil deal have been many. Several persons from civil society have been part of the daily commentary in this regard. But many remained concerned about the silence of some of the top lawyers of Cabinet. They include Minister of State Joseph Harmon; Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo; Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan; and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams. At his most recent press conference, Kaieteur News sought Harmon’s legal opinion on the contract, in light of all that has been revealed by concerned citizens. The seasoned lawyer said, “Well I noticed that there are some commentators

GMC Fraud… Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan was once again forced to grant yet another adjournment into the fraud matter against Phillip Madramootoo and his friend, Nizam Ramkissoon, Directors of Constantine Engineering and Construction Services Limited, Trinidad and Tobago. This is 14 months after the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) filed fraud- related charges against them. Yesterday, when the matter was called before the Chief Magistrate, Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers, told the court that a SOCU Superintendent indicated to him that the defendants have still not being contacted to attend court. The prosecutor added that he was advised by the Head of SOCU, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sydney James, that they are trying to make contact with the Trinidadian counterparts for them to arrest the defendants so that they can be

or experts who are now writing everyday in the Kaieteur News about oil and they are seeking to pull out some of the ministers who are lawyers. But the President has said it.” He added, “We have dealt with the ExxonMobil contract and that we are not going back at it. It has been dealt with at Cabinet and the President has pronounced on the matter and that is the final pronouncement as far as we are concerned… “And I would not want to offer my personal advice as a lawyer because I am not retained as a Counsel in this matter; I am the Minister of State.” DEAFENING SILENCE Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram, was the first person who recently called out the earlier mentioned ministers for their silence on the

Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon

lopsided contract. The columnist in his recent writings said, “It is still hard to accept that serious, responsible and educated national leaders— including five attorneys-at-

law (Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman

and Attorney General Basil Williams)—can sit in Cabinet more than fifty years after Independence, and one year AFTER the Contractor had made the world’s largest oil find, and agree to trade the future of an entire country and generations to come.” Ram said that the prevention of some of the most appalling provisions in the contract only required that a single adult in Cabinet read the contract, understand the language and after being conscious of its implications, warn her/his colleagues of its grave and practically lasting consequences for the country.Ram said that there were certainly Articles in the Contract which required the contribution of the learned Attorney General, “the Government’s chief legal of-

ficer, who has so far stayed out of, or been excluded from, the discussion and debate on the Agreement”. The Chartered Accountant said it would be particularly interesting to benefit from information on his involvement, learning and contribution, and that of the remaining four attorneys, to the discussion on several articles in the contract which raise serious constitutional issues about the extent to which one government can bind successor governments. Ram told Kaieteur News that he still finds it unbelievable that the Government which includes five learned lawyers, could sign onto a contract with leaves ExxonMobil exempt from any future changes in law, tax or otherwise.

SOCU case in limbo over arrest of Directors placed before the court. The matter was adjourned to April 5 for report. The men were jointly charged on November 7, 2016 with former General Manager of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) Nizam Hassan, Hanniel Madramootoo, a former engineer at the Ministry of Agriculture, and his wife Felecia De Souza-Madramootoo for conspiring with each other for approving payments for lowgraded rehabilitation works done on the GMC building at Robb Street, Georgetown. Particulars of the charge stated that between October 28, 2010 and April 25, 2012 they conspired with each other to commit the offence by continuously approving payments which were made to contractor of the engineering firm for works that were incompetently and incorrectly done with inferior materials to rehabilitate the GMC building at Robb and Alexander Streets, Bourda,

Georgetown; knowing that such works should not have been approved. However, Hanniel Madramootoo, Phillip Madramootoo, two brothers, and Ramkissoon are still at large. After a trial before, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Hassan, 50, of Good Hope, East Coast Demerara, and De Souza-Madramootoo, 34, of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, were found not guilty of the offence. The charge against Hanniel Madramootoo, Phillip Madramootoo and Ramkissoon are still pending before the Chief Magistrate. In fact, the matter was called yesterday. The court orderly summoned the men’s name

thrice, and no one answered or appeared to the names. Charges were recommended against Hassan and several other persons after SOCU completed its report into the investigations of the multi-million dollar construction of the GMC office building. A forensic audit report submitted in 2015 by auditor, Saykar Boodhoo, flagged the construction, citing several worrying things at GMC, an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture. The forensic audit report was sent to Cabinet where it was decided that the findings of the report were serious enough to warrant a deeper investigation into not only the construction of the building but also into the handling

of hundreds of millions of dollars of fertilisers. According to Government sources, investigations found the principals of the contracting company are close relatives of the engineer. Investigators reportedly also found that Hanniel Madramootoo, who was assigned to oversee the project, allegedly used a family member to conduct transactions at the Tender Board relating to the project. The forensic audit which triggered the recommendations for the charges would tell a

worrying tale of how things were at GMC between January 1, 2012 and May 31, 2015, the time under review. With regards to the construction of the building, in 2011 a contract was awarded to Constantine Engineering and Construction Services to build a new head office for GMC and the Guyana Shop, which it runs. A contract in the amount of $23.96M was awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). The auditor could not review the bidding.

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Financing is for GuySuCo, not the four closed estates The Enmore factory is expected to restart operations in as little as three weeks with molasses production expected to be the main production activity. It will not be on par with the level of operations before, officials of the Ministry of Finance confirmed yesterday. The officials also clarified recent reports in the press where according to Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, moves are underway to source financing for the closed Skeldon and Enmore estates. “I can confirm to you that the minister was misunderstood. The financing being sourced is for the operations of GuySuCo and its three estates- Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt- it has nothing to do with the four closed estates. That is being handled separately,” an

official close to the process said. With regards to Enmore, under the temporary arrangements with the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), there over 30,000 tonnes of canes in the ground at that estate. It will be used to produce mainly molasses for DDL. Molasses is a key ingredient in the rum-making process.DDL is the producer of the award-winning El Dorado rums.Last week, there was a misunderstanding after former staffers hired to conduct maintenance works at Enmore were turned away. They were reportedly sent by the Special Purpose Unit (SPU), an arm of the statecontrolled National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). The SPU has been handed the task of finding investors for the closed

- Enmore’s reopening in three weeks

Enmore Estate is set for reopening in three weeks, with the focus on molasses production. estates- Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales. Meanwhile, Kaieteur News has learnt that Government has started making some structural changes at GuySuCo. Now under the control of

NICIL, GuySuCo’s Board is about to be changed also. The previous board has overseen the closure of the four estates with Government expressing unhappiness over the manner that GuySuCo sent home the 4,000 workers

who lost their jobs as a result. SPU has hired international consultants, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to value the four closed estates in anticipation for privatisation and divestment. The process is being

closely watched.GuySuCo has been racking years of losses with workers turnout about 60 percent. In addition, consecutive Governments have been doling out billions of dollars annually to bailout GuySuCo.

Outgoing Argentine Ambassador tags National Gallery collaborations President David Granger was paid a farewell courtesy call on Thursday, by outgoing Argentine Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. Luis Alberto Martino. Ambassador Martino will be replaced by Dr. Felipe Alejandro Gardella, whose appointment was approved by Cabinet last month. During the brief meeting, which was held at State House, President Granger told the Ambassador, “Your tenure has immeasurably improved relations between our two states.” Meanwhile, Ambassador Martino, who spent the last six years in Guyana, said that of all his postings in his long career as a diplomat, he has developed a close connection to Guyana, so much so, that he is sad to be leaving. He also said that he is pleased with the level of cooperation that the two countries have shared over the years, particularly as it relates to the Argentine Embassy’s work with the National Gallery and its involve-

President David Granger and outgoing Argentine Ambassador, Mr. Luis Alberto Martino at State House. ment with the restoration and conservation of artwork. Ambassador Martino also assured that he will, upon his return to Argentina, suggest a State visit to his Gov-

ernment, in an effort to intensify exchanges between the two countries. Guyana and Argentina established diplomatic relations in October, 1972.

European Union funds for Montserrat BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC – The European Union is providing Euros18.4 million (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) to Montserrat aimed at transitioning the British Overseas Territory towards sustainable economic development. A statement issued by the Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS, and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, noted that the objective of the Budget Support Programme is to assist the government with the implementation of the updated Medium Term Economic Policy (MTEP) 2017-20121. It said the MTEP is pivotal to the development and the implementation of a new Eco-

nomic Growth Strategy (EGS) currently being drafted, which will define in greater detail a more multi-sector approach in addressing Montserrat’s economic development challenges for the next ten or more years. “The contribution from the European Union is expected to include support to key sectors identified in the MTEP, which are renewable energy and infrastructure development which are crucial to addressing accessibility constraints on the island. “Moreover, the programme is expected to support the enhancement of Montserrat’s tourism, improve the business environment and encourage more inclusive private-sector development,” the statement added.

Saturday February 24,2018

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Kaieteur News

LEGAL NOTICE

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK;Guyanapassport application. G r a p h i c s design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6004212: We create A/works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Budhram’s Landscaping & Tree cutting service. Free advice, Free design, Free after care follow up. Tel#626-1044 Learn to swim, classes for adults & children. Contact: 666-3882/ 223-2421/678-7067 Austin Powers Repairs & Services: Regas Fridges, Freezers, AC, Washer, Dryer & Wiring. Lot 114 Brushe Dam Friendship. E.C.D Tel#685-2588/613-1711 Drawing of house plan, or if you need estimates, call: 2160671/622-0267/692-8464

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Unregistered DAF trucks: Dump trucks, Flat bed, Flat bed with crane & Hauler. Call: 659-3100. Plant-closing down sale: potting soil, plant pot, flower plant at Garden Centre, Plantation Schoonard WBD #615-2346/627-3443/15001600 Supari palm, Lipstick, Royal, Foxtail. Exora 4 for $1000 Ficus 4 for $1000. Organic potting soil. Tel: 626-1044 Lenovo desktop with 17" Acer monitor, keyboard and mouse -$35,000. Call: 624-7155 One champion generator 4500 KVA one portable air condition unit $120,000 (neg) #655-3400 1- Caterpillar skid steer 3.2M 1-Leyland daf cement mixer 2.2M 1-canter 3.6M Land at Blankenburg 2.9M Contact #650-0402/603-1402 6000 pound ice box (1) 48 Yamaha engine 13.4 length fishing vessel. Four hundred pound sein. Tel#690-8089 One Mitsubishi 4D32 engine complete with gearbox. Tel: 616-2175 / 659-2524

LAND FOR SALE Front lot Golden Grove. Tel# 671-2025 80 x 100 ft. Call: 692-3904 Eccles (concrete fence) $7M Farm (East Bank) $3.5M Parafaite Harmonie $1.5M Schnoord $3M Uivlugt $3.5M. Tel# 656-0701/6511969 100 acres agricultural land, right bank, Barima river, NWD, Essequibo. #668-7687/ 677-9638

20 used panel steel doors 30"36" in good condition. Contact: 661-2998 One miller welding generator, one diesel generator, 10 KVA one mig weld 240 V. Contact: 699-4300, 228-2734 Air conditioning unit, complete rattan set & prime East Bank residential houselot $4M Tel#611-7223/656-0701 TOLET Bachelor Apt (30,000) One bedroom (50,000) 3 month advance. Haley and Durban St. #622-0036/223-1273 Two Bedroom ($50,000) 3 bedroom ($75,000) 3 month advance ‘B’ Field, Sophia. #622-0036 / 675-8238

SALON Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $90,000 - Nail Technician Course: $35,000. Call: 6471773/688-0009

FOR RENT

WANTED

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620

1 maid for East Bank area. Call: 614-4358

Complete Building for business. Prime location in Lethem. #692-3573 Space for rent at Ashmin’s Building- suitable for salon or office- Call today! 683-7954 Vreed-en-hoop junction. Lessons place, church, storage bond, office, other. Call: 603-6400. Petboy shop at Howes & Ketley streets, Charlestown. Call: 231-1851 Residential & spacious two bedrooms lower apartment in Farm E.B.D. Three bedroom house in Eccles. Call: 616-7635 3 bedroom upstairs for rent. Call: 666-6503, 684-7599 3 bedroom apartment top flat, Lusignan ECD. contact: 629-8240 Business place/Store for rent, located at Grove EBD.Contact 684-6331

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. Live in waitress to work in bar. Call: 604-6606/ 692-4649 Seeking a live in caregiver preferably from the East Coast area. For more information call: 592-690-0122 One accounts clerk, must have knowledge of QuickBooks. All applications must be sent to info@cevons.com Two Spanish speaking cooks to work. Contact Steve OLA Hotel. #690-6015 Need a good driver, very responsible and reliable, has an excellent driving record. Call:650-5913 Experienced General Manager to operate stringer (string gold) in the interior. Contact number: 223-7165

VEHICLE FOR SALE Bluebird 2012- 2.6M Axio2.5M Tida-2.2M All vehicles VEHICLE FOR SALE unregistered and have reverse camera. #655-3400 Fielder wagon PTT 6514. Price $1.8 negotiable. Call: 227-3701, 644-9973 Premio car- PNN series, leather seats, dvd front and rear. Asking 1.8M neg. #6850504 Super Custom bus- BVV series, dvd front and rear. Asking 2.5M neg. #685-0504 1-Yamaha Virago 750ec motorcycle. $800,000. Contact: 661-2998 MASSAGE & HEALTH Hazel’s Herbal Store for Iridology services 26th February at 244 D’Andrade St, Newtown. Tele: 226-9136 Angels Massaging Spa. Come relax and be pampered. Call: 694-9775. New attendants available.

Spacious 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms top and bottom flats at Mon Repos ECD. Call: 645-2395/668-7986/629-5300. Lodge apartments (Vlissengen/Durban): unfurnished $40,000-$60,000 p/m, furnished US$600-1000 p/ m 668-7687/677-9638/697-6421

Experienced articulated dump truck drivers to work in the interior. Kindly contact: 223-7165 for futher details.

TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS)

1 live in couple Duties wifelight domestic, husbanddriving, Georgetown area. Tel# 227-1830 Talk to Ron, your number one delaer in lands, if buying or selling. Receive $US. Tel#611-7223/656-0701

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. W M a n a g e m e n t Consultancy is conducting special education needs workshops for parents and teachers. Interested persons call 683-3887/696-3056

IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE SUPREME OF JUDICATURE OF GUYANA CIVIL JURISDICTION 2017- HC- DEM- CIV- SOC437 BETWEEN:- In the matter of the Estate of IGNATIUS VACANCY LEBRUN, deceased, testate. Hair station & Barber station -and-In the matter of an rental, New market street application by ERROL #638-1106. Experienced LEBRUN in his capacity as persons preferable. the executor named in the Room attendant, age 25-45 true last Will and Testament Tel#225-0198 or visit 233 of IGNATIUS LEBRUN dated 14th February, 1990,Applicant. South road, Lacytown. -and MOHANEE BISSOON Chef, Assistant chef, Cashier PERSAUD Respondent . - Waiter call: 611-5615, 2257933 or visit us at 173 Sheriff NOTICE TO: MOHANEE BISSOON street. PERSAUD KITCHEN ASSISTANT 324 Cummings Street, South (HOUSEKEEPING Cummingburg, Georgetown. DAYSHIFT) REQUIRED AT TAKE NOTICE that a AAGMAN RESTAURANT. Statement of Claim was filed CONTACT: 219-0158 against you ( the within named BETWEEN 9AM - 5 PM Respondent) on the 27th (WEEKDAYS) December, ‘2017 in the High Experienced salespersons 25- Court of the Supreme Court 45 yrs needed for store on the of Judicature of Guyana at East Coast Demerara. Call Georgetown, Demerara by #642-1141 ERROL LEBRUN in which Accounts clerk- knowledge of Claim the applicant claims: A declaration that NIS,PAYE,VAT and (1) the Will dated the 14th QuickBooks. Call: 614-4358 February , 1990 of IGNATIUS Female cleaner for office in LEBRUN, deceased, in which Eccles. Call: 233-2745 the applicant, the said ERROL LEBRUN is the named executor ,is the true la ‘st will and Testament of the said IGNATIUS LEBRUN. (2) A declaration that the pretended Last Will and Testament dated the 5th October, 2010 CAR RENTAL of IGNATIUS LEBRUN, DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: deceased be revoked and 225-7126/226-3693 made null and void and of no DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ effect. YA H O O . C O M / W W W. A declaration that DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM (3) the Plainitff/ Applicant PROGRESSIVE CAR ERROL LEBRUN named in the R E N TA L : S U V F O R last will and Testament dated RENTAL- $4,000 & UP the 14th February, 1990 as the PER DAY- CALL:643- named executor be entitled to 5 1 2 2 / 6 5 6 - 0 0 8 7 , apply for the grant of probate. ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO (4) Damages in excess RENTAL@YAHOO.COM of $50,000.00 for wrongful intermeddling of the estate of Reliable rentals. Cars, SUV at ERROL LEBRUN. low rate and security deposit (5) Costs special rates for long term. UPON APPLICATION in #227-2322/601-2622 person or by letter to Gem Sanford-Johnson and PROPERTY FOR SALE Anastasia Sanford Lot 15 Public road #2 Village. Attorneys-at-Law for the West Coast Berbice. 49ft by applicant whose address for 10,314ft. $20M. Contact:648- service and place of business 7109/686-4818 is at Sanford Chambers 166 4th street, Alexander Sharons Bldg. Inc 3rd Flr, Suites 309 and 311 lot 154 Village. Tel#691-6201 Charlotte and King Street House and land available @ Georgetown, Demerara, La Parfaite Harmonie, copies of the Statement of Providence, Etc. Financing Claim, will be delivered or sent a s s i s t a n c e a v a i l a b l e . to you. ContactPacific Development: AND TAKE NOTICE if you 223-6035/ 604-4909 desire to defend this action Yorrowkabra, Linden you must within 28 days of Highway, House, Chicken the final publication of this pen, New foundation, Land notice prepare an Affidavit in 200' x 100' Fenced, water & Defence in Form 10C light. 6.5M neg. Contact: 686prescribed in the Civil 7180 Procedure Rules 2016, serve 2 story transported house for it on Gem Sanford-Johnson sale, located in a residential and Anastasia Sanford the area, Atlantic Gardens ECD. (continued on page 23) Contact: 684-4936

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Deported to Guyana, man came back En vir onmental Health Envir vironmental to Canada and returned to life of crime De par tment seiz ed Depar partment seized Justice John Lynch said K I T C H E N E R sell drugs. (www.therecord.com)- A man Drugs seized from his car he found Heighton’s reasonthousands in e xpir ed items from Guyana deported from and his house on the two ing “compelling.” The judge expir xpired The Region Four Environmental Health Department, yesterday, seized thousands of dollars in items from A Wen Supermarket, located at Vigilance, East Coast Demerara, in the Buxton Foulis District. Sodas, dairy products, and Ovaltine were just some of the items seized for being expired. The items were taken from the shelves where they were displayed for sale during an inspection that was done by the District’s EHAs and EHO. According to the Buxton/ Foulis district Environmental Health Officer, an exercise regarding proper food safety practices has been ongoing since October 2017 and items, when found unsafe for human consumption, are being taken off the shelves and destroyed. “There is an ongoing exercise to educate supermarket and shop owners as regards stock rotation: first in, first out,” the officer said. “Owners are advised to keep checking their products’ expiry dates and to pack shelves accordingly,” she added.

From page 22 LEGAL NOTICE applicant’s attorneys-at-law, whose address for service and place of business is at Sanford Chambers Sharons Bldg. Inc3rd Flr, Suites 309 and 311 lot 154 Charlotte and King Street Georgetown, Demerara and file it with proof of service at the Registry at Georgetown, Demerara, not later than 4 days before the date fixed for hearing of the application, and you or your attorney-at-law must appear at the hearing. AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you fail to file such affidavit and or if you fail to appear at the hearing, final judgment may be given against you notwithstanding your absence.

Dated this 21St day of February 2018

Some of the items seized from A Wen Supermarket. She said that products with shorter expiry dates should be placed in front and sold first to avoid having many expired products. The Environmental Health Department, she said, goes around and inspects all shops, supermarkets and other entities that require sanitary certificates for licenses purposes. During inspections, if damage, spoilt and/or expired

goods are found, they are seized and destroyed. “A condemnation order is made then the items will be destroyed and disposed of by the Buxton/Foulis N.D.C,” the officer said. She explained that only last week the department seized a number of items from other supermarkets and shops in the district. She said that officers from other dis

Canada 21 years ago after racking up several criminal convictions — including one for robbery — sneaked back into this country and returned to crime. Sheikh Ally, 47, was sentenced on Thursday to a little more than six years in prison, minus enhanced pretrial custody, after pleading guilty to a slew of charges, including identity theft and possession of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and meth for the purpose of trafficking.After serving the sentence, the Kitchener man will again be deported to his native Guyana. Federal prosecutor Kathleen Nolan said it’s “egregious” that Ally’s crimes could affect Canadians’ perception of immigrants. “Mr. Ally obviously is an exception,” she said. “Most immigrants are not committing the offences Mr. Ally does.” Ally came to Canada in 1988, met a woman in Kitchener, got married and became a permanent resident. After convictions for robbery, possession of stolen property and breaching court orders, he was deported in 1997. Using his brother’s passport, Ally illegally returned to Canada in 2008 and has been here ever since. Inexplicably, he got a work permit in 2012 and was employed at the Howard Johnson Hotel on Weber Street East in Kitchener. But he had a job on the side; selling deadly drugs. Police operating a RIDE programme in Whitby last June 15 pulled over his BMW and found a cache of drugs, $2,600 in cash, a scale and dozens of plastic baggies. Five days later, while Ally was out on bail, Waterloo Regional Police saw him drive to the Howard Johnson and

separate days included 25 grams of fentanyl, 55 grams of meth, 140 grams of cocaine, eight grams of heroin, 30 grams of ecstasy, 25 oxycodone pills, 600 grams of marijuana and two grams of shatter, a potent pot extract. “This matter involves several different kinds of essentially the worst-of-the-worst deadly drugs,” Nolan said, asking for a sentence of eight to nine years, minus presentence custody. Ally also had 73 pieces of government identification that didn’t belong to him. Ally’s pending deportation is a “unique circumstance” that should cut his sentence, said defence lawyer Ryan Heighton, who sought five to six years, minus presentence custody. “The expense to Canadian taxpayers certainly is something that has to be considered,” he said. “We know he’s going back to Guyana so why should Canadian taxpayers have to pay exorbitant amounts of money for him to be housed inside a penitentiary?”It costs more than $100,000 a year to hold an inmate in federal prison.

said the sentence of six years and seven days, minus one year and seven days of enhanced pretrial custody, is “tempered somewhat” by Ally’s inevitable deportation. But Lynch added that if deportation as a mitigating factor was taken to the extreme, courts could impose small fines and no jail. “This would result in a huge saving for the Canadian public,” the judge said. “It would also potentially invite persons from other countries to come here solely to commit crime, knowing that if apprehended they would face a nominal penalty and removal to their country of origin. This would be an unreasonable situation.” Ally apologised in court and said he took responsibility for his actions, but claimed he was not a drug dealer. “I find this particularly aggravating as it indicates a lack of remorse and really an untenable position,” Lynch said of Ally’s comment. “There is little sense in posturing at this point. Neither this court or, I suspect, his family members can accept his denial.”

Kaieteur News

Saturday February 24,2018

Wheatley to Hold Talks with Venezuela On Petrojam Shares Buy-Back The Gleaner - Energy Minister Dr Andrew Wheatley says he will hold talks with his Venezuelan counterpart in the first week of March regarding proposals by the Jamaican Government to repurchase the 49 per cent shares in Petrojam, owned by the Venezuelan stateowned oil refinery — PDVSA. He says the government has completed a valuation and is looking at the agreement that would need to be in place to acquire those shares Contingencies amounting to $35.3 billion have been allocated in the 2018-2019 Estimates of Expenditure to repurchase Petrojam shares. The money will also be used for liquidation of arrears in National Housing Trust employers’ contribution and recapitalisation of the Bank of Jamaica. The island’s oil refinery encountered financial challenges arising from an executive order by US President Donald Trump on the South American country. The Order essentially prevents US entities from engaging in transactions involving the Venezuelan government and companies

Dr Andrew Wheatley owned by the state. As a result, foreign banks have expressed concerns about conducting financial transactions for Petrojam.

Electricity Company says it made significant investments last year KINGSTON, Jamaica - CMC – The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) says it has invested J$12.8 billion (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) last year on capital projects aimed at improving electricity service to consumers across the island. It said that the investment was a record for capital expenditure and that it had also invested an estimated J$1.5 billion in the installation of 36,400 LED street lights across the country, significantly improving lighting on public thoroughfares. “Additionally, another $1.5 billion was spent on upgrading works at the Duncans Substation in Trelawny; voltage upgrades in sections of the island, including St Andrew and St Ann; and the installation of more distribution automation switches on the national grid, among other projects to enhance service reliability,” the JPS said in a statement. “In 2017, JPS went over and above anything that has been done before, in terms of capital investment by this company, and this was very intentional,” said JPS President and chief executive officer, Emanuel DaRosa. “We assessed our service levels and planned for where we wanted to take the company and Jamaica, and decided that it was necessary to make a very significant investment of capital to achieve these goals.” The company said that the investments also covered major customer service improvement initiatives, such as the roll-out of 22,000 smart meters, increasing the number of such devices in two years to over 40,000. “This is an important component in the creation of a smarter grid, and an improved customer experience, as these meters allow for remote connections, and are also capable of informing the company of outages that occur,” JPS said. The company also invested in the replacement and rehabilitation of 5,927 transmission and distribution poles across the country, explaining that the initiative was important from both a safety and customer service standpoint.“Eight hundred and fifty distribution transformers were also replaced, as the company pushed for higher service standards,” the JPS said, adding that it also kept

Emanuel DaRosa its promise to reach out to customers to “provide an energy solution for every Jamaican. “This included the increased installation of Pay As You Go (prepaid) service, which has now passed the 3,500 customer mark,” the company said, adding that it also added 1,500 customers through its community renewal work, which seeks to empower vulnerable residents to get access to legal electricity.“Some of this work included assistance with house wiring, public education on energy management, and the installation of ready boards to facilitate power supply in homes that cannot accommodate regular electrical wiring,” JPS said.

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UK’s May to set out Brexit wishes; EU says ideas so far are ‘pure illusion’ LONDON (Reuters) Prime Minister Theresa May will outline her wishes for Britain’s post-Brexit ties with the European Union next week after winning support from key ministers, although European Council President Donald Tusk yesterday called the ideas floated so far “pure illusion”. EU leaders have repeatedly pressed May to detail her vision for future relations, but she has been hampered by divisions within her Conservative Party, with some backing continued close ties and others seeking a “clean break”. In an attempt to forge a common position, May hosted an eight-hour meeting of her so-called Brexit war committee on Thursday at her 16th-century country residence outside London. Few details of the discussions were released, but one source said May had accepted the argument of those ministers who wanted to diverge more quickly from EU rules and regulations. “It was a very positive meeting and a step forward, agreeing the basis of the prime minister’s speech on

Britain’s PM Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls Reuters our future relationship,” May’s spokesman told reporters, adding that she would deliver her speech on March 2. “The prime minister has set out her plans clearly; we are working towards getting a deal that we believe will work for all parts of the UK and deliver as frictionless a border as possible and tarifffree trade.”

Britain has little time to negotiate the terms of the divorce and the outlines of the future relationship before it leaves the EU on March 29 next year. “NO CHERRY-PICKING” The other 27 members of the EU, who together have about five times Britain’s economic might, have a strong incentive to deny the UK a deal so attractive that it might encourage others to follow the British example. The EU will not agree to the kind of “managed divergence” Britain is believed to favor in its future relationship, sources in Brussels said on Thursday. That plan would have Britain sticking to EU rules in some areas, diverging moderately in others and opting for very different solutions for the rest. The EU says this smacks of “cherry-picking”, or of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s view that Britain can “have its cake and eat it”. “I am afraid that the UK position today is based on pure illusion,” Tusk told journalists after 27 EU leaders all apart from May - met in Brussels.

Police halt Upper Corentyne ... From page 20 police, the fire service, the constab all march together and we assemble here. We have a cultural presentation and we are merry afterwards. Today, we have been denied this democracy". Divisional Commander, Lyndon Alves told media operatives via telephone that Minister Ally did not contact him in relation to the programme. He stated that no instructions were taken from any Minister. He explained that he was not informed by anyone at the council that a flag raising event will take place at Republic Square. Alves also said that no instructions were given by him to any police officer to execute anything and that "they were just doing their job". The people who surrounded the executives and MP's together with their children

were enraged over the events that unfolded over the hour. They expressed shock and disappointment in the actions taken by the police. At that point, they all collectively decided not to host the Golden Arrowhead. They were of the opinion that events such as the flagraising ceremonies are expected to take place without political interferences. The flag was eventually not hoisted and the flagpole was also dismantled and taken away by the council members. The annual flag raising ceremony held at State House, New Amsterdam kicked off smoothly with the regular marches led by the armed forces and cultural presentation. There were speeches from the Regional Chairman, David Armogan, Mayor of the township and Minister of Education Nicolette Henry.

Kaieteur News

Saturday February 24,2018

U.S. imposes more North Korea sanctions, Trump warns of ‘phase two’ WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States said yesterday it was imposing its largest package of sanctions to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear missile program, and President Donald Trump warned of a “phase two” that could be

“very, very unfortunate for the world” if the steps did not work.In addressing the Trump administration’s biggest national security challenge, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned one person, 27 companies and 28 ships, according to a statement on the U.S.

Treasury Department’s website.North Korea has been developing nucleartipped missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland and Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged taunts that have raised fears of war.

Several carjackers for court From page 14 attacker.According to sources, some of the female accomplices assisted in the stealing of rental cars. The women would reportedly rent the vehicles and then acquire duplicate keys. After returning the cars, they would give

the gang members the keys and the licence numbers and description of the vehicles. But investigators believe that the gang had assistance from individuals who helped them to procure documents such as bogus certificates of registration.

Ministry to expend millionson ... From page 13 all our people have the good life through education and this is the track we are aiming for. As Minister of Education, I am expecting great things. A quality education will allow all of us to take our rightful place as part of the Education and unification process of Guyana. We believe in the development of our people," said Minister Henry. Reflecting on the improvements already made through the various interventions in the education sector, Minister Henry noted that she looks forward to sustained improvements and even greater results. “Education is the bedrock for develop-

ment. People come from unexpected places and very humble beginnings and achieve great things and I believe that we may even have future Ministers among us.” Minister Henry further stressed the need for dedication towards the realisation of value for money via successful completion of the training of all of the trainee teachers. Trainee teachers for the upgrading programme are drawn from 18 villages in Region Eight, sub-Region One. These include Paramakatoi, Chiung Mouth, Bamboo Creek, Chenapou, Itabac, Kaibarupai, Kurukubaru, Kanapang, Kopinang, Kamana, Monkey Mountain, Waipa, Tuseneng, Kato and Karisparu, Maikwak, Taruka.

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PM: ‘I have proof UNC ministers took bribes’ Trinidad Express - Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said he has evidence that former United National Congress (UNC) Ministers received bribes when in office. “You know what ten per cent of $4.68 billion is? It is $460 million, that is if the bribe is at ten per cent, I can tell you tonight that this Government has evidence of ten per cent bribe being taken by UNC Ministers and it’s on its way to where it belongs,” said Rowley.He was speaking at the People’s National Movement (PNM) public meeting at the La Horquetta regional complex hall on Thursday. “There is no right to thief public money in Trinidad and Tobago!” he said. He said the ten per cent bribe was on the “low side”. The Prime Minister also shared an incident which occulted when he was in the Opposition. “I was home in my house, we were in the Opposition as Opposition leader when he (Rohan Sinanan) called me to tell me that a contractor who was supplying a service, not a building contractor, a contractor supplying a service, was on his way to a Minister’s office with millions of dollars

Dr Keith Rowley

Kamla Persad-Bissessar

in cash to the Minister,” He said he asked where was the money going and was told to the Minister’s office.“I said and has he (contractor) arranged for the police to join them there?” he said.Rowley said the contractor’s position was to complain to the Opposition about the fact that the Ministers were “shaking them down”.He said when he insisted that the police should get involved, the contractor’s position was “no, I wouldn’t get any more wuk,’. “That was what was going on under the Kamla

Persad-Bissessar Government and today they in the Parliament and want to give us advice and scolding us, we who running this country on a shoe string,” he said adding that his Government has worked to stabilise the economy and preserve jobs of those who depend on the State.“We know that some persons are finding it very hard, it could have been easier had we not wasted and stolen the amount of money that was wasted and stolen in the last five years but we have to make do with what was available today,” he said.

Caribbean American Congresswoman hails outpouring of anti-gun violence activism NEW YORK - CMC – Caribbean American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke has hailed the outpouring of antigun violence activism from high school students across the United States. Hundreds of students led walk-outs and marched following last week’s tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. “The outpouring of activism we are seeing from high school students across the country is truly heartening,” said Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York. “It’s inspiring to see the next generation join us in the fight to end gun violence. “I believe that we are at a critical moment in our nation’s history,” Clarke added. “From walk-outs to marches across the country, students are making their voices heard. This movement is real. This movement is significant.”As with other pivotal moments in America’s history, Clarke noted that young people are “leading the way.“From Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Free-

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke dom Riders to Students For a Democratic Society, students have been forming and leading movements for decades,” she said. “We must listen to these brave young people. The time for thoughts, prayers and moments of silence have long passed. It is time for real gun reforms.“For far too long, Congress has been controlled by a very powerful gun lobby,” she added. “Today, these students have taken back their power.” The congresswoman said she was “proud of these young people and stand with

them as we pursue safer schools, churches, movie theaters and communities.” On Thursday, President Donald Trump enthusiastically embraced a National Rifle Association position to arm highly-trained teachers to fortify schools against mass shootings like the one last week Stoneman Douglas High School. Trump, who said the armed teachers should receive extra pay as an incentive, promoted his idea as demands for stronger gun control intensified across the US. “You give them a little bit of a bonus, so practically for free, you have now made the school into a hardened target,” Trump said. The president estimated that 10 percent to 40 percent of school employees would be qualified to handle a weapon, while offering no data for the claim.He, however, said he would devote US federal money to training armed teachers. Trump, has cycled through a number of proposals in the days since the rampage killed 14 students and three adults last week at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

Saturday February 24,2018

Governor General intervenes in controversy surrounding acting Chief Justice KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – A tripartite meeting has been held with representatives of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government in the wake of the controversy surrounding the appointment of an acting Chief Justice. In a statement on Thursday, King’s House – home to Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, said the meeting was held last Friday to address recent developments and allay anxieties concerning the appointment of Justice Bryan Sykes as acting chief justice. The meeting was held following a written request from Prime Minister Andrew Holness. The Prime Minister was criticised for a comment made when Sykes was sworn into office. Holness said “actions that bring results will determine the assumption of the role of chief justice.” This did not go down well with members of the judiciary, who last Monday called a meeting, forcing courts across the island to be on lockdown – the described the Prime Minister’s comment as

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen “unfortunate” and sought a retraction and a public acknowledgement from Holness that the chief justice does not report to, nor is answerable to him. In Thursday’s statement, Sir Patrick said the meeting was intended to explore ways in which each of the branches of government can collaborate and support the smooth operation of the governance structure and provide the best service to

the people of Jamaica. Sir Patrick reiterated that the Executive had no intention of undermining or diminishing the role of the Judiciary, emphasized the high esteem in which the judicial branch was held and assured the meeting that “I do not take lightly the exercise of any authority vested in the Office of Prime Minister to ensure the effective and dignified running of the Jamaican State. He added that his primary interest is to “ensure that all of government works in the best interest of the people and that public resources are efficiently used and properly accounted for by those who use them.” The Executive was represented by the Prime Minister; the Ministers of Finance & the Public Service, National Security, Justice and the Attorney General. The Legislature was represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate. The Judiciary was represented by the Chief Justice (Acting), the President of the Court of Appeal, the Senior and other Puisne Judges.

BLP walk out of House of Assembly

Opposition Leader Mia Mottley surrounded by other Opposition Members of Parliament. (Picture by Reco Moore.) Daily Nation - Members of the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) got to stepping earlier yesterday, walking out of the House of Assembly in protest to what they have deemed unfair treatment.The BLP MPs left their seats just after 11 a.m., after attempts by Opposition Leader, Mia Mottley to give the House notice of a draft report produced by the Public Accounts Committee were stymied by Deputy Speaker of the House, Mara Thompson.About 90 minutes later, Mottley, surrounded by supporting members at the Opposition Office in the Parliament complex, said the Op-

position would not return to the Lower House or the Senate before the dissolution of Parliament to prepare for the next general election. “Our involvement in the Parliament of 2013 to 2018 is now over. We will not be returning to this Parliament because of the conduct of the deputy speaker and members on the Government side,” she asserted during a quickly called press conference. Mottley said yesterday’s action to prevent her from giving notice of the PAC’s draft report was a sad day in the history of Barbados’ proud Parliamentary record, since it went contrary to the

usual order of business.The BLP boss also accused the incumbent DLP administration of batting in the dark at the end of their political innings, and trying to make runs between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. right before umpires call close of play, metaphorically referring to constitutionally due general elections this year. “We felt we had a duty to complete the process,” Mottley said about the decision to give notice of the report.She said members of the Government side need not be reminded they all received a draft copy of the report prior to February 9 from the deputy clerk of Parliament.

Saturday February 24, 2018

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Bouchard reaches settlement Decision to field was based... in lawsuit against USTA (Reuters) - Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard reached a settlement in her lawsuit with the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) yesterday after a fall at the 2015 U.S. Open resulted in her withdrawal and a concussion. The terms of the settlement were confidential. “It’s been two-and-a-half years, so I’m happy it’s over,” Bouchard told reporters outside a New York courtroom, the New York Times reported. “I feel vindicated that I got the (jury) verdict yesterday. Just relief and happiness right now,” added the former world number five and Wimbledon finalist. Bouchard had sued U.S. tennis’s governing body after she slipped and fell in a training room.

She was seeking damages for her physical and emotional suffering as well as lost earnings both on and off the court after not playing a complete match for the remainder of 2015. A New York jury decided on Thursday that USTA should pay 75 percent of the damages owed to Bouchard but also found the tennis player bore contributory negligence of 25 percent. “My client Genie and I are very pleased with the settlement,” Bouchard’s lawyer, Benedict Morelli, said in an email to Reuters. “Genie was vindicated yesterday with the verdict and now can put the case behind her. She can just focus on her game.” USTA and Alan Kaminsky,

a lawyer for the tennis association, said they also were pleased a settlement could be reached. “(We) are glad that this matter has reached an amicable conclusion for both parties,” USTA said in a statement. “We would like to thank the court and jurors for their service. We also wish Ms. Bouchard the best of luck moving forward.” Kaminsky added in an email: “I am very pleased that the USTA and Ms. Bouchard have resolved their differences.” Bouchard has struggled to find her best form in recent years and is currently ranked 116 in the world, having not gone past the third round at a grand slam in her last nine attempts.

Saturday February 24, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A social event or group rally could put you in touch with some new and exciting people in interesting fields, Aries. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Today you could be hit with some exciting news, Taurus. It could involve new people and new equipment coming onto the scene. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Information that you receive from others and from within your own heart could compel you to participate in some ambitious projects, Gemini. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Some exciting visitors could come to your door today, Cancer, perhaps bringing Earthshaking information that could impact your life in a great way. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Group activities or social events in your neighborhood could put you in touch with new and exciting people who eventually become friends, Leo. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Have you been looking to branch out in a new direction, Virgo? If so, this could be the day you get the lead of a lifetime. Or you might receive some unexpected information indicating possible new sources of income that you could pursue on your own.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Unusual circumstances could arise that change the course of your creative orientation, Libra. This could involve modern technology in some way, and it’s highly likely that it concerns the gathering, sharing, and use of information. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You could explore ways to harness your natural healing ability, perhaps through Reiki, massage, or other hands-on disciplines. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Insights and revelations could come to you that blend well with what you're learning from outside sources. Write down your thoughts. You'll want to put them to work for you later. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Surprising news about your own finances and the world economy in general could cause you to feel confident and secure about your financial future, Capricorn. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Some fascinating new information, possibly about spiritual or metaphysical matters, could come your way today via books, magazines, TV, or the Internet, Aquarius. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Dreams and meditation could lead to insights regarding how best to handle your finances and make your money grow

From page 36 or Football in Antigua they are considered the home team since the second largest population here is Guyanese and urged on by a partisan crowd of flag waving fans, a day before their Country celebrated Mashramani the Jaguars could not have wanted better support. But their first mistake was made even before a ball was bowled when they won the toss with rain forecast for later in the evening, and invited Volcanoes to bat on a good track in ideal batting conditions. “The decision to field first was based on our previous exposure to the surface, which tended to favour the bowlers, with its varied pace, and generally became better for batting during the second innings, owing to a more predictable pace and bounce,” said Manager/Assistant Coach Colin Stuart who had replaced Rayon Griffith in that role. Griffith left to do similar duties with the Windies ‘A’ team. That was just the first of several lapses; Romario Shepherd dropped a regulation catch to let off the out of form Tyrone Teophile on 10 and he made the Jaguars pay by getting his maiden century, their bowling was inconsistent and they saved their worst fielding dis-

Former FIFA... From page 35 receiving a letter of recommendation from Charlie Sheen — probably does more harm than good. The trio bid is still the heavy favorite to win the rights to host the World Cup, but it seems as if Blatter is doing what he can to try and get the cup back to Africa.

RHT Gizmos.. From page 34 to ‘B’ Division of the Guyana Police Force, while they assisted in hosting the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Annual Children Mash Parade, yesterday. The members of both teams include Clinton Pestano, Shawn Pereira, Eon Hooper, Shemaine Campbelle, Kevlon Anderson, Jason Sinclair, Junior Sinclair, Kelvin Sinclair, Jonathan Rampersaud, Chanderpaul Govindan, Sylus Tyndall, Royston Crandon, Assad Fudadin, Keon Sinclair and Nicholas Lawson among others.

play in the tournament for when it most mattered. “Tonight (Thursday night) we appeared short of our A game. We bowled below par, and at times our fielding did not to live up to expectations,” lamented Stuart, a former Guyana and West Indies pacer. Once again some of the batsmen displayed less than smart batting. When in the middle of ‘operation rebuild’ with the inform Chris Barnwell and Man-of-Match Kaveem Hodge in his last over, Anthony Bramble, not for the first time in the tournament, threw his wicket away when he tried to go over the top and was taken at long-off. Barnwell, when well on 25, drove left-arm spinner Larry Edward’s first ball and was caught, while Shepherd departed for a first ball duck off the next ball. “Though a few batsmen got starts none in the top order were able to bat long enough to produce a match winning innings. We did not play smart cricket,” added Stuart, who is a level 3 Coach’ However, Stuart found some ‘positives’ in the loss and said he felt the team demonstrated commitment and

fight to the end moving from 108-7 to their eventual score of 231. Looking at the overall performance during the tournament Stuart said that Shimron Hetmyer, Devendra Bishoo and Kemo Paul played significant roles before departing for Windies duty, while Barnwell batted well after he joined the team as Reifer’s replacement. He added the Johnson’s Captaincy continues to be good but feels he needs be more consistent with the bat. “Guyana Jaguars gave a good account of themselves by convincingly winning the first three matches. Though we thereafter lost two consecutive matches, we were able to play the three remaining preliminary matches under some degree of intensity. This success enabled the Jaguars to gain a place in the semi- finals as well as finishing first in Group B,” Stuart said. “For the most part of the tournament, our players demonstrated good character, professionalism, passion, resilience and a strong desire to excel,” concluded the Jaguars’ new Manager. The team arrived home yesterday.

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Saturday February 24, 2018

Kaieteur News

Good times are coming, says No fear for P ride, Pride, Volcanoes in title pursuit Alonso after driving new McLaren ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – A confident Barbados Pride will be eyeing a successful defense of their Regional Super50 title while Windward Islands Volcanoes will be targeting their first success in five years, when they meet in the final at Coolidge Cricket Ground here today. While Pride have been steady throughout the tournament, Volcanoes have struck form at the back end and will be extremely dangerous opponents in the day/ night affair which bowls off at 2 pm. Both teams are familiar with each other, having emerged from Group A staged in Bridgetown, with Pride topping the standings and Volcanoes finishing second. Pride head coach Emmerston Trotman told CMC Sports though his side were confident, they were also very wary of the threat posed by their opponents. “The guys are confident, they’re having fun and they’re looking forward to tomorrow’s game. They’re prepared and have been having some good fun planning and the mood is good,” he said.“We always plan for players. We have discussion about players. You’ve got the [likes of] Devon Smith, he’s always a dangerous player. We’ve got to work on him, plan well, bowl to him tight and allow him to make some errors so we’re working on him. “They’re other players in the team like the youngster (Tyrone Theophile) who got

a hundred [in the semi-final], he’s quite an attacking player. We just have to be sure we don’t [allow them to free] their arms to hit many sixes and fours so we’re monitoring them quite closely.” Pride secured their berth in the final when they despatched of Kent Spitfires by 13 runs under Duckworth/ Lewis in Wednesday’s first semi-final. Despite having lost as many as seven key players because of senior team duties with West Indies in Zimbabwe and Windies A in the England Lions series, Pride have remained a formidable unit with the likes of captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Roston Chase showcasing their quality with a hundred and a half-century respectively in the semi-final. Volcanoes’ run, meanwhile, has been somewhat of a fairytale. They lost their first three matches of the preliminaries before bouncing back to to win their last five and reach the final four. They were at their most aggressive in Thursday’s semi-final when they clinically dismantled Guyana Jaguars by 52 runs, and head coach Andre Coley said his side were prepared for the challenge of the title-holders. “Last year’s competition has no bearing on this year’s competition and we decided early up we wanted to play our brand of cricket,” he told CMC Sports. “Yes, we were off to a slow start but in the main we have actually played the way we

wanted to play, and we are looking forward to another good contest. “Barbados … have lost a few players to international tours but they’re still a good side and any team can win on the day especially in limited overs cricket. “The main thing for us is that we’ve played as a unit and we’ve communicated well on and off the field. We’ve had some trying times but we’ve pulled through [them] because we’ve played for each other.” Much of the batting responsibility will rest on veteran opener Devon Smith, Theophile, Kavem Hodge and Kyle Mayers, all of whom have been among the runs at some stage. Captain Shane Shillingford, the former West Indies off-spinner, leads the attack, with Hodge expected to play a key role with his leftarm spin. SQUADS: BARBADOS – Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Joshua Bishop, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Dominic Drakes, Keon Harding, Chemar Holder, Aaron Jones, Omar Phillips, Shamar Springer, Kevin Stoute, Tevyn Walcott, Hayden Walsh Jr, Kenroy Williams. VOLCANOES – Shane Shillingford (captain), Roland Cato, Johnson Charles, Kirk Edwards, Larry Edward, Kavem Hodge, Ryan John, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Devon Smith, Tyrone Theophile, Josh Thomas, Alick Athanaze.

Batting all-rounder Kavem Hodge … will be key for Volcanoes while the West Indies pair of Roston Chase and Kraigg Brathwaite (inset) will lead Pride.

McLaren say the car has returned to the “papaya orange” after listening to fans. (McLaren) (Reuters) - Double world champion Fernando Alonso sounded an optimistic note after driving the first Renaultpowered McLaren Formula One car in Spain yesterday. The Spaniard, who has endured three hard years with unreliable and under-performing Honda engines, drove the MCL33 as part of a limited mileage pre-season filming day at the Navarra circuit in northern Spain. “It felt great. It’s always a special moment when you drive the car for the first time. Everything felt good,” he told Sky Sports television. “The car is running, we’re all happy. “I think good times are coming,” he added when asked whether he had a message for the long-suffering fans.

“We kept the motivation very high, I think the team is stronger now than three years ago. What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” McLaren have not won a grand prix since 2012 and finished last season ninth of the 10 teams.The new orange and blue car was unveiled online earlier on Friday and will test properly for the first time on Monday in Barcelona. “It’s an important moment for McLaren. After a couple of years of not fighting for the championship, it’s time to come back to that position,” said Alonso. “Now in winter testing we need to make sure that we optimise this package but so far I‘m very happy and very optimistic, I think the team did an amazing job in the last couple of months,” added the

former Renault and Ferrari driver. Alonso, who will also be racing at Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) this season, said fighting for podiums and race victories could again be the aim. McLaren racing director Eric Boullier said everything had gone well. “The drivers looked happy. Fernando was smiling this morning, which is a good sign,” said the Frenchman. “We want to be competitive, we have to be competitive and I hope we are back to at least fight with the top boys. It’s going to take time. We don’t need to build now wrong expectations, we have to be humble as well.” The season starts in Australia on March 25.

Manchester City manager charged for wearing political ribbon BBC Sport - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been charged by the Football Association for “wearing a political message, specifically a yellow ribbon”. He breached the FA’s kit and advertising regulations, the governing body said. Guardiola said in November he wears the ribbon to support imprisoned politicians in his native Catalonia. The ex-Barcelona and Spain midfielder has until 18:00 GMT on Monday, 5 March to respond to the charge. The FA had spoken to Guardiola about the issue in mid-December and two formal warnings have been given which were ignored. The charge was then triggered when he again wore it pitchside - he is free to wear it elsewhere - during City’s

shock FA Cup loss against Wigan on Monday. Two key members of the Catalan independence movement were held without bail after an independence vote in October, which the Madrid government deemed illegal. Guardiola had said in November: “If one day in prison was already too much, look how many days they’ve been there now.“Like everybody knows, hopefully sooner or later I can stop wearing it. “All the politicians that are in prison, I hope they can leave and go back home soon with their families and continue living the lives they deserve.” Analysis - BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent Richard Conway I understand the FA started speaking to Guardiola in December about the ribbon.

The issue is wearing it pitchside, which they say is a breach of regulations. Two formal warnings have been issued which he has essentially ignored. The charge was triggered when he wore it during the game against Wigan in the FA Cup. I may be wrong... but I sense a major row is brewing over this.Given the strength of Guardiola’s convictions and the importance of the Catalan movement to him I don’t sense he’ll easily back down to “FA kit and advertising regulation A 4.” He is free to wear the yellow ribbon in the Uefa Champions League. Its rules say political symbols must be deemed offensive to trigger a breach of rules, which means he can wear ribbon on Tuesdays/Wednesdays but not Saturday.

Saturday February 24, 2018

Ice hockey: Steely Russians top Czechs to reach final GANGNEUNG, South Korea (Reuters) - Vasili Koshechkin recorded a shutout to lift the Russian men past the Czech Republic 3-0 yesterday, giving them a chance at their first Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey for more than a quarter of a century. In a rematch of sorts from their last shot at gold in Nagano in 1998, the Russians turned the tables on the Czechs, who then foiled their hopes by beating them 1-0 on a brilliant goaltending performance by Dominik Hasek. It was Russia’s netminder who dominated yesterday with Koshechkin turning aside 31 Czech shots in his second shutout of the Games. “He’s been our best player this tournament,” Russian forward Mikhail Grigorenko said of Koshechkin. “He’s just been making a lot of saves. He made some huge saves tonight, and he was good.” Koshechkin has the tournament’s lowest goals against average at 1.08 and has stopped more than 95 percent of shots put on the Russian goal. The Russians, playing as the Olympic Athletes from Russia because of a doping ban, won thanks to secondperiod goals by Nikita Gusev and Vladislav Gavrikov less than a minute apart and a smothering defence. It was a cautious, tight-

checking game before a crowd dominated by jubilant, flag-waving Russian fans, many of whom had come directly from seeing teenage figure skater Alina Zagitova deliver the country’s first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Games. After a scoreless first period, the Russians broke the deadlock midway through the second period. Pavel Datsyuk, the Russian captain and two-times Stanley Cup winner with the Detroit Red Wings, came in on the right wing and fed the puck across the goal mouth to Gusev, who fired a wrist shot behind Pavel Francouz. Ivan Telegin then swept into the Czech zone and backhanded it in front of the goal to Gavrikov and he redirected it mid-air past Francouz. EMPTY-NET GOAL Ilya Kovalchuk rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal late in the third period, padding his status as the highest-scoring Russian in Olympic ice hockey. A 12-season veteran of the NHL who now plays for the St. Petersburg team in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, Kovalchuk has 14 career Olympic goals. Coming into the first Olympic tournament without NHL players in more than two decades, Russia’s Big Red Machine were the team to beat, stocked with former

NHL talent and players from the KHL, seen as the world’s second-best pro league. They had a hiccup in their first game, blowing a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Slovakia, but they have been on a roll since, winning four straight and outscoring opponents 21-3. They appear determined to overcome their embarrassing showing in Sochi when, as Olympic hosts, they did not make the medal round. “We’ve been striving for this for years,” Russian coach Oleg Znarok said The Russians last won a gold medal in hockey in 1992 in Albertville, France, in the first Winter Olympics of the post-Soviet Union era. As the Soviets, they won seven gold medals in nine Games from 1956 to 1988. The arena was rife with Russian fans displaying tricolor flags from many corners of the country, from Kursk to Kazan and Siberia, and drowning out the smaller number of Czech fans with chants of “Russia” and “Shaibu!”, which roughly translates to “Score a goal!”. The Russians are guaranteed an Olympic medal in men’s ice hockey for the first time since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games where they won bronze. They will play Germany in the final tomorrow.

Kasatkina upsets Muguruza to set up Dubai final with Svitolina (Reuters) - Russia’s Daria Kasatkina stunned second seed Garbine Muguruza to reach the final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships yesterday, while defending champion Elina Svitolina cruised past former world number one Angelique Kerber.Kasatkina, ranked 24 in the world, survived three match points and produced a high-intensity display to battle past world number three Muguruza 3-6 7-6(11) 6-1. Muguruza started stronger and needed just one break point to claim the first set in clinical fashion but her opponent showed incredible resolve to push the second set to a tiebreak. It proved to be a rollercoaster deciding game and on one occasion, Kasatkina was forced to challenge a call in order to stay alive in the encounter with Hawkeye revealing her shot had clipped the line.“I thought it was long, I was lucky,” Kasatkina said in

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Russell Westbrook nails buzzer-beating, game-winning 3 to knock off Kings Yahoo Sports - The Oklahoma City Thunder made their return from the All-Star break interesting, as is their wont. The Western Conference’s No. 5 seed built a 23-point lead over the lowly Sacramento Kings after one quarter on Thursday, only to squander it all and trail by three in the final five minutes, thanks in part to the pummeling of Zach Randolph (29 points, 12 rebounds) and the perimeter play of Buddy Hield (19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists). OKC had to make a closing push to get back on the right side of the ledger, with Russell Westbrook getting himself to the line for some big free throws and Steven Adams scoring on the inside to help the Thunder get back on top 107-105 entering the final 10 seconds. From there, Vince Carter — who’d experienced some wardrobe malfunctioning earlier in the contest — decided he wanted to try to end things in frankly ludicrous fashion. Vince pulled up from about 40 feet out with seven seconds still left on the clock and launched a prayer. It went unanswered. But! Teammate Garrett Temple was right there to grab it off the deck, fade along the baseline and loft up a potential game-tying shot … that caught the front of the rim. But! Rookie Justin Jackson was right there, too, and he grabbed the carom off and laid it off the backboard to knot the game at 107 with just one second left. Surely, we were headed for an extra five minutes of basketball. On the inbounds play,

Russell Westbrook hit his second career gamewinning buzzer-beater against the Kings. (ESPN) Westbrook lined up on the left block, then raced around a pair of pin down screens from Jerami Grant and Adams to slow down Temple, the man tasked with checking him. Carmelo Anthony passed the ball to the top of the key, where Westbrook caught it as he stepped behind the line, then quickly leapt and fired, getting the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible to ensure the shot attempt came before the final buzzer. It did. And he nailed it. Westbrook drained a 3pointer with no time left on the clock, erasing Jackson’s heroics and sealing a 110-107 win that allowed the Thunder to avoid the indignity having blown a 23-point lead to one of the worst teams in the NBA. Westbrook bounced back from a cold-shooting snap to finish with 17 points, 15 re-

bounds and 12 assists in the win, marking his league-leading 18th triple-double of the season. Paul George added 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points for the Thunder, who improved to 33-26, two games back of the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves in the race for a top-four seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. Next up for OKC: a tonight date with old pals Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors, whom the Thunder recently handled pretty convincingly, but against whom you’d suspect Oklahoma City would prefer turning in a performance good enough that they don’t need to rely on another bit of last-second magic from Russ.

Second Russian athlete fails doping test at Winter Games Daria Kasatkina is unseeded at the tournament. (Getty Images) her post-match interview. She picked up the second set and went on to break Muguruza three times to claim victory in just over two and a half hours. It was the 20-year-old Russian’s first victory over the Spaniard as she continued her fine run of form against top-five ranked players, winning five of her eight meetings. “I was just trying to fight for every ball because Garbine, she’s playing unbe-

lievable,” Kasatkina added. “She’s hitting so hard, playing so fast. I was just trying to do whatever I could. “(Tomorrow) is a final already, so I have to put everything that’s left in my body into this match. I hope I will.” She will next face world number four Svitolina, who made quick work of Kerber in a 6-3 6-3 semi-final victory. The 23-year-old Ukrainian has now won her last five encounters against the twice grand slam champion.

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - A second Russian athlete has tested positive for a performanceenhancing drug at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, a major blow for the nation’s hopes of regaining its Olympic status and drawing a line under years of doping scandals. Bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva tested positive for a heart drug on Feb. 18, five days after a previous doping test returned a negative result for her, the Russian bobsleigh federation said in a statement yesterday. “On Feb. 13, her sample was clean. The team’s medical staff did not prescribe the drug to the athlete,” the federation said in a post on its

official Facebook page. “The Bobsleigh Federation of Russia and the athlete herself understand the extent of their responsibility and understand how what has happened can have an impact on the fate of the whole team.” Earlier this week, Russian curling medalist Alexander Krushelnitsky agreed to hand back his mixed-team bronze medal after testing positive for meldonium, which can aid in endurance. Krushelnitsky’s case shocked the Russian athletes, who are competing at the Games as neutral athletes as punishment over allegations that the sporting powerhouse ran a systematic, state-backed doping program. Moscow denies this.

But his case also raised doubts about whether the violation was intentional because meldonium would offer few benefits in curling, which does not involve intense physical exertion. At that point, there were still Russian hopes that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would go ahead and lift its suspension of Russia’s Olympic committee and allow them to march with the Russian flag at Sunday’s closing ceremony. That prospect is now severely complicated by the second positive test of a Russian athlete. Russia now accounts for two out of four positive tests during the Games.

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Saturday February 24, 2018

Kaieteur News

Windies Youth World Cup snub behind Archer England quest LONDON, CMC – Fast bowling star Jofra Archer says his snub by West Indies selectors for the 2014 Under19 World Cup fueled his desire to represent England, and has once again shot down any suggestion of representing the Caribbean side. The 22-year-old Barbadian featured in three matches for the Young Windies on Bangladesh Under-19’s tour of the Caribbean in 2013, but failed to make the final cut for the World Cup staged in the United Arab Emirates the following year. “It wasn’t really anything to do with injuries,” Archer told the Times about his being overlooked. “I wasn’t selected, so I had to think about what to do next. Once I knew it was an option, it was an easy deci-

sion to move to England.” He added: “I was angry with the West Indies, so that helped me with my decision to come and try to play for England.” Though born in Barbados, Archer has a British father and after overcoming a back injury, he moved to England where he landed a deal with Sussex, emerging as their leading bowler last season. He struck 638 runs and took 61 wickets in the County Championship while scoring 764 runs and grabbing 84 wickets across all three formats, to be adjudged the club’s Player-of-the-Year and Young Player-of-the-Year. Archer was an instant hit for Hobart Hurricanes in the recent Australia Big Bash and promptly re-signed for two years, and Indian Premier

League franchise Rajasthan Royals last month paid US$1.13 million for his services in a surprise acquisition. With the meteoric rise in his career, West Indies have also taken note, with Cricket West Indies chief executive Johnny Grave saying they were hoping to lure the allrounder, especially ahead of next year’s ICC World Cup in England. “He could play for the West Indies tomorrow and my personal view is that from a career point of view, he would have a better career playing for the West Indies,” Grave was quoted as saying last month, while pointing out that Archer would not qualify to represent England until 2022 under England and Wales Cricket Board regulations.

“In sporting terms, 2022 is a lifetime away and he knows that the only way he can play at the 2019 World Cup and the 2020 T20 World Cup is for the

halfcourt to end the first quarter, both his furthest 3 of the season and first as time expired. Those have been his signature shots in recent seasons, so the sellout crowd went crazy. The two-time NBA MVP made another 3 just before halftime, then Los Angeles’ Danilo Gallinari drained a 47footer at the buzzer to get the Clippers within 70-58 at the break. ‘’Steph was incredible as he always is,’’ Clippers guard Austin Rivers said. Tobias Harris scored 22 points, Gallinari wound up with 15 and DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 14 rebounds for Los Angeles, which had won five of six. McGee earned his fifth start of the season and had six points and four rebounds in nearly 14 minutes. The Warriors are now 7-1 this season in the next game against an opponent after losing the first meeting. The Clippers beat Golden State 126106 on Jan. 10 at Oracle Arena. Thompson made two quick 3s to become the 10th Warriors player to reach 10,000 career points in the regular season, and his first 3 moved him past Joe Barry Carroll (9,996 points) for 10th place on the franchise’s career scoring list. Golden State lost at Portland before the break but improved to 13-1 following a loss this season. Clippers were down to visit Phoenix yesterday. Warriors will host Oklahoma City today after the Thunder won at Golden State 125-105 on Feb. 6.

GANGNEUNG, South Korea (Reuters) - Germany shocked defending men’s ice hockey champions Canada 43 yesterday, beating them on Olympic ice for the first time to reach their first gold medal game. The Germans, who knocked out Sweden in the quarters, relied on a scrappy defence and opportunistic offence to squeeze past a Canadian team who had looked on course for a third straight Olympic final appearance even without their NHL players. The win set up a gold medal game against the mighty Russians, who beat Czech Republic 3-0 in Yesterday’s first semi-final. It also guarantees Germany an Olympic medal for the first time since the Innsbruck games in 1976, when they won bronze. “It’s unreal to get to play for gold,” German defenceman Frank Hordler said. “It gives me goosebumps,” said forward Patrick Hager, who scored what proved to be the winner and had an assist. It was a day of sporting ignominy for hockey-mad Canada, winners of the last two Olympic gold medals in men’s ice hockey. The Canadian men’s curling team were earlier shut out of the Olympic medals for the first time. “A lot of guys have scars today,” Canadian forward Maxim Noreau said. GERMAN FAMILY To add insult to injury, one of the Germany’s

Barbadian fast-bowling star Jofra Archer. West Indies.” However, Archer said he was well aware of the wait involved but said the volume of cricket to be played in the

interim would help to properly equip him for the demands of international cricket. “I can play in the T20 competitions and in county cricket until the time comes,” he pointed out. “The T20 leagues are giving me good experience. If I can keep doing this for another five years, it should stand me well if I get the opportunity to play for England. “It’s teaching me about pressure and hopefully means I won’t be nervous if I play international cricket and I will know my game inside and out and can make an impact immediately.” As for Grave’s suggestion of changing his mind on representing West Indies? “No, I’m fine thanks,” Archer said.

Curry scores 44, Warriors Germany stun Canada to make first final hold off late rally by Clippers OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Draymond Green wants the Golden State Warriors to be rolling into the playoffs again this spring. Steve Kerr is looking for ways to spark the defending NBA champions to make sure that happens, to bring the high-flying Warriors back to playing superb basketball on both ends. He returned from a Hawaiian family getaway over the All-Star break and changed starting centers. It worked well enough for him to stick with JaVale McGee over Zaza Pachulia for another night. Stephen Curry swished a beautiful buzzer-beater from way back early and hit another timely 3-pointer late on the way to scoring 44 points, and the Warriors held off the Los Angeles Clippers 134-127 on Thursday night. ‘’We’re a championship team. We’re not about to sit here and act like we’re this battered team that had a horrible season and we’re looking for any glimmer of hope,’’ Green said. ‘’I understand we haven’t been as great as most people expect. We’re still a damn good basketball team so we don’t need no ‘but it’s a step in the right direction.’ You may get that out of someone but I don’t really roll like that.’’ Kevin Durant had 21 points and eight assists, Klay Thompson added 19 points, and Green contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. ‘’It takes a full effort. It’s not easy to win an NBA game, it’s really not,’’ Kerr said. ‘’It takes the full 48. We’re not

Stephen Curry there yet.’’ Curry shot 14 for 19, including 8 of 11 from deep, and made all eight of his free throws in his third 40-point game of the season. Curry also had 10 assists, six rebounds and two steals. The buzzer-beater was sweet, giving Golden State ‘’a good vibe.’’ ‘’Obviously I feel everyone I take has a chance to go in,’’ he said. ‘’Not really worrying about shooting percentages, just chuck it and see what happens.’’ Kerr challenged his superstar roster to begin games better on the defensive end, which the Warriors did. Then the Clippers nearly came back with a surge down the stretch in what became an entertaining back-and-forth in the closing minutes. Golden State led 104-93 on David West’s two free throws with 11:31 to play before a 9-0 Clippers run cut it to two. Curry let it fly from nearly

goalscorers, Brooks Macek, grew up in Winnipeg, Canada but now also holds German citizenship. “The guys here on Team Germany, they’re my brothers now,” Macek said. “It’s like a family in there and it means a lot to be heading into the gold medal game with these guys.” Making the most of several Canadian missteps and penalties, Germany built a 4-1 lead through the first two periods only to face a withering comeback in the third as Canada scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of the period. But the Canadians fell one goal short despite peppering German goaltender Danny Aus den Birken with a barrage of shots. They outshot the Germans 15-1 in the final frame.Costly penalties were a factor in Canada’s defeat and Germany took advantage, scoring twice on the power play, including their first goal from Macek with a two-man advantage in the first period. In the second period, the Canadians’ first goalscorer, Gilbert Brule, was ejected for a hit to the head on Germany’s David Wolf.“We took penalties in the second, we just took ourselves out in the second,” Team Canada coach Willie Desjardins said. “It was tough. They scored their chances. They didn’t have a lot of chances, but when they had they scored. “They scored four goals maybe with nine shots, and it wasn’t that we were giving up a lot, they were just going in. There’s nights that happens.” LIMITED CHANCES In all, the Germans were

outshot 31-15, but four different players managed to connect on their limited chances - Macek, Matthias Plachta, Frank Mauer and Hager. Emblematic of the puck bouncing their way all night, Hager was credited with the game-winning goal on the powerplay off a shot from Plachta that struck his knee and was redirected past Canadian goaltender Kevin Poulin. Now with the gold medal on the line Germany face a date with the Olympic Athletes from Russia, who have emerged as the clear favorites in an Olympic tournament being played without NHL players for the first time since 1994. The two countries have faced each other only once before in Olympic play since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the reunification of Germany, and the Germans won that game 4-2 in 1994 at Lillehammer, Norway. Before that, the Soviet Union team had been 4-0 against West Germany on Olympic ice. The Russians will be all the more favored now that Sweden and Canada, the teams coming into the tournament seen as holding the best hope of beating them, have been eliminated. “We have nothing to lose,” Germany captain Marcel Goc said. “It’s Russia. We play against the top guys from the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) and they have lots of NHL experience too.” “We’ve got to change I think nothing and rest up tomorrow for Sunday.”

Saturday February 24, 2018

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Kaieteur News

BCCI power struggle puts day-night Test plans on hold ESPNcricinfo - The BCCI’s plans to stage India’s first-ever day-night Test in October is mired in a power struggle between the two power centres that currently run the board. A sharply worded mail from Vinod Rai, chief of the Committee of Administrators, to Amitabh Choudhury, the board’s acting secretary, placed the proposal on hold and criticised what Rai called the “cavalier way of taking policy decisions”. In his mail, Rai said that discussions on the issue needed to go beyond India coach Ravi Shastri, who had been consulted, and should include the players, the administration and the fans, “your greatest stakeholder”. It laid down several conditions that needed to be met before the plan could be discussed again. India is the only major cricket-playing country to have not hosted or played a day-night Test. This, despite apparent openness to the idea from India captain Virat Kohli, who had called the inaugural day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand in 2015 a “landmark” moment. The game’s administrators, including the ICC, have urged member countries to support daynight cricket as a means of boosting audience figures

across the Test world. The issue had its origins last week, when Choudhury emailed Shastri, asking for his help in “finding remedies to the ever diminishing” interest of fans in Test cricket. In his email, dated February 17, Choudhury said that even popular venues like Kolkata could not reverse the “alarmingly poor figures of attendance”. He said that to counter such a challenge, the BCCI needed to apply “innovative” thinking, and the day-night Test - provided the dew factor was managed - was a “natural” option. In his response, Shastri said that another option to attract a big audience was to play Test matches against “tier 2” opponents “like West Indies” in tier-two cities. “As far as day-night cricket goes, it can be tried out as an experiment with a game starting at 12 and where the last session is played under lights. It will be interesting to see how much part dew will play. “Against a team like West Indies, it has to be played in a tier 2 city without a doubt. To get in the crowds it doesn’t matter if it’s a day game or day-night game. What’s important is a tier 2 city.” Choudhury then placed Shastri’s suggestions at a discussion table at the BCCI

The Wankhede Stadium under lights. (AFP) headquarters in Mumbai, in a meeting with the board’s management team led by Rahul Johri (the BCCI’s chief executive officer) and Saba Karim (general manager, operations), and the national selectors. The following day, February 21, Choudhury emailed details of that meeting, along with the discussions he had with Shastri, to the BCCI’s two other office bearers - CK Khanna (acting president) and Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer). “Under the circumstances, we will go ahead with

Russell hails KKR’s commitment during ban DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Allrounder Andre Russell has praised Indian Premier League franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, for providing the assurances which kept him focussed during his one-year ban from the sport. The Jamaican returned to competitive cricket earlier this month after serving an anti-doping whereabouts ban, and said KKR had indicated early in his suspension that they were interested in re-signing him. “After I got banned last year, maybe a week after, KKR reached out and we negotiated that I would be signed this year on return,” Russell told the India-based Firstpost. “It was basically them doing their part to help ease my mind during the ban, saying that you are out of cricket, but don’t worry about it, we have got your back.” He continued: “Dhaka Dynamites (Bangladesh

Premier League franchise) and a few other teams reached out and gave confirmation I would be signed this year; so this all kept me focused.” At the IPL auction last month, Russell was retained by KKR in a US$1.07 million deal. Russell has emerged in recent years as one of the most sought-after players on the international Twenty20 circuit. However, the 29-yearold was was banned in January last year after being found guilty of failing to notify anti-doping authorities of his whereabouts on three occasions in 2015 – a breach that is the equivalent of a failed d r u g s t e s t u n d e r Wo r l d Anti-Doping Agency regulations. Though sidelined from competition, Russell said he remained during throughout the year off, and stressed this was as a result of his mental strength. “Overall it was a mental

thing. I’ve always been a mentally strong person. Once I put my mind to something I’m going to get it done,” he explained. “So, I guess it was easier for me that way – not to sulk, lose shape, but keep myself in good condition and get out of bed sometimes to put in the work – despite knowing I’m just practising but can’t play cricket. “With six months to go, I started counting down and viewed it as a long preseason, because when the time was up, I wanted to be in the best shape and fully cricket-ready.” Russell returned to action earlier this month in the Regional Super50 – the West Indies domestic 50overs competition – and immediately stamped his class with a whirlwind hundred and two half-centuries for Jamaica Scorpions. He will turn out for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League which bowled off here Thursday.

the proposal [of] choosing one of the two Windies Test matches for the first ever daynight game on Indian soil,” Choudhury said. The email was forwarded to Rai, whose reply leaves the plan in limbo. Rai told Choudhury that if he felt taking the views of “four persons sitting in cricket centre [the BCCI headquarters]” constituted “all stakeholders”, then it was a “very misplaced viewpoint”. According to Rai, the “greatest stakeholder” was

the public, and they needed to be factored in too. “This issue is placed on hold,” Rai told Choudhury in an email, copying in the rest of the board’s office bearers along with Johri and Karim. He said the idea could not be taken forward till the specifics of the proposed daynight Test were worked out, including the venue, timings, security arrangements and costs to the BCCI. He also said the visiting team would have to be consulted to “factor in their viewpoints”.

“Ravi may have been consulted, but I would like to consult the players whose body clock over five consecutive days [and] will have to get accustomed to a new timing,” Rai said. Once all these things were looked into, Rai said the BCCI would put forth the view in the media for a “consultative process”. Choudhury responded to Rai on February 23, saying “the effort was only to impede the fast disappearing spectator support for Test cricket.”

Kenya captain, coach and board president resign ESPNcricinfo - Kenya’s captain Rakep Patel has resigned after the team returned home winless from the WCL Division Two tournament in Namibia. The coach Thomas Odoyo has also stepped down, and so has the board president Jackie Janmohammed. By finishing last out of the six teams that participated, Kenya were demoted to Division Three. Their performance included a 218-run defeat, to UAE, which was the tournament’s worst in terms of margin of runs. Odoyo, who was part of the Kenyan team when they played World Cup cricket, found this turn of fortunes quite tough to take. “The one week we spent in Namibia was a week of mental anguish. It was stressful and I would not wish anyone to go through what I went through,” he was quoted as saying by the Daily Nation. “We broke record of poor performance. For Kenya to improve we must set up a high performance centre.” Janmohammed, the first

Rakep Patel plays a sweep shot during his innings of 52. (ICC) woman to head a cricket board, made her call based on the team’s dismal performance as well. “One of the consideration that I took to account was the performance of the national team and somebody had to take responsibility for it,” she told BBC Focus. Janmohammed said Cricket Kenya would be conducting fresh elections to re-

place her in a month. “Whenever there a vacancy of an elected member, there must be an election in 30 days. The office will continue until the elections are conducted.”

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Saturday February 24, 2018

Kaieteur News

LGC hosts successful Petra’s third annual Greensome and Family Fun Day futsal tourney kicks off…

More than 300 persons visited the Lusignan Golf Club and close to 50 persons were involved in the Greensome golfing competition. The visitors thoroughly enjoyed themselves on the Course, most of them actively participating in either viewing or playing, especially putting. The two persons (one golfer and one newbie) best ball Greensome was a thrilling affair with family involvement, as could be seen with father

and son and father and daughter combinations being the first two of the four prize winning teams. All four teams tied for the low net of 27 and it required a count-back to determine the placements. Hilbert [father] and Danny [son] Shields took first place, Lakeram Ramsundar and his daughter (playing for the first time) took second place, Aasrodeen Shaw and his caddy Chandra took third,

while Aleem Hussain and his caddy Dezo took fourth place as well as the Nearest to The Pin prize. Donating the prizes were Tons of Fun, Patrick Prasad, Ganesh Parts, Assuria, Caricom Insurance, Guyana Beverages, Party Castle and Kissoon’s Furniture. The public is being encouraged to visit the LGC to witness tournaments free of cost, starting time is from 12:30hrs on Saturdays.

Sparta Boss versus Tiger Bay to highlight opening night The third annual Petra Futsal tournament, which is being sponsored by Corona Beer, Namilco and Hero motorcycles, will commence tonight at the National Gymnasium from 19:00hrs with six very much anticipated matchups. The feature match is a mouthwatering encounter between Sparta Boss and Tiger Bay. The tournament will dole out in excess of two million dollars in cash and prizes. The winners receive $600,000, runners-up $300,000 and third place $150,000. 2/24/2018 19:00 hrs 19:50 hrs 20:40 hrs 21:30 hrs 22:20 hrs 23:15 hrs

Round Robin Day 1 Plaisance Future Stars YMCA Leopold Street Back Circle Sparta Boss

The top two teams in each group along with the best four third place finishers will advance to the knockout round. Meanwhile, as an incentive for teams in the group stage, the top finishers will get an additional $40,000, second place $30,000, third place $20,000 and fourth place $10,000. In addition, the tournament is giving away one motorbike each to the MVP of the tournament and a lucky patron. The fixtures for tonight v/s v/s v/s v/s v/s v/s

Gymnasium Match # Mocha 1 Xtreme Campbellville 2 Albouystown 3 Alexander Village 4 Broad Street 5 Tiger Bay 6

RHT Gizmos & Gadgets Cricket Teams continue to make positive differences The pictures show the involvement of non-golfers as they tried putting the balll into the hole.

FIFA sure of World Cup security despite fresh Russian fan violence B A R C E L O N A (Reuters) - FIFA said yesterday it had every confidence in its security measures at the World Cup in Russia after hooliganism in the host nation came under fresh scrutiny following violent incidents involving Spartak Moscow supporters on Thursday in which a policeman died of a heart attack. The officer died in hospital in the northern Spanish city of Bilbao. He had been taken there when the regional police force was trying to stop street battles between supporters of Spartak and Athletic before their Europa League last 32, second leg at the San Mames stadium. Nine people were arrested following the clashes. Spanish newspaper El Mundo said two Russian ultras were taken to hospital with injuries, one with stab wounds.

The World Cup begins on June 14 in Russia and local authorities are putting strict security procedures in place to control hooligans, including Russian fans who caused trouble at the 2016 European Championship in France and other soccer events. “As far as security for the 2018 FIFA World Cup is concerned, FIFA has complete trust in the security arrangements and comprehensive security concept developed by the Russian authorities and the Local Organising Committee,” a FIFA spokesperson told Reuters via email. “As demonstrated during the FIFA Confederat i o n s C u p l a s t y e a r, Russia’s already high security standards have been adapted to meet the specific needs of such major sporting events. “Naturally, FIFA is also in constant contact with all stakeholders regarding the ongoing risk assessment, which enables the implementation of overall preventive measures in cooperation with national and international enforcement authorities.” Spartak won the match

2-1 but were knocked out of Europe’s second-tier club competition 4-3 on aggregate after losing the first leg 3-1 in Moscow. Russian supporters will return to Spain next month, however, after Lokomotiv Moscow were paired with Atletico Madrid in Friday’s last-16 draw. They visit the Spanish capital in the first leg on March 8. Tw o o t h e r R u s s i a n sides remain in the tournament: CSKA Moscow, who were paired with French side Olympique Lyonnais and Zenit St Petersburg, who face German team RB Leipzig. Josu Zubiaga, vicechairman of security for the Basque government told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser that the policeman, named as Inocencio Alonso, 51, had not died as a result of violent contact. Roberto Seijo, general secretary for trade union ErNE of the Basque police force, however, described the death as a direct result of the violence. “The death of our colleague did not take place while sitting in an armchair but as the consequence of these incidents,” he said, quoted in El Mundo.

As part of their Community Outreach Programme, the cricketers and Management of the Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets Under-21 and First Division Teams over the past week have assisted several organisations and individuals. The two teams, part of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club have been mandated by the club to successfully complete 50 activities this year under the sub-headings of Sports, Education, Community Development, Religion, Anti-Drugs, AntiCrime, Anti-Suicide and Coaching, among others. The teams donated two trophies to the Port Mourant Secondary School for their annual fundraising cricket tournament while the organisers of the Ministry of Education Mash Sub-Committee also received a trophy. The teams also made a financial contribution to the Organisers of a Religious Re-

vival Outreach Programme. The Belvedere based New Start Play School received a donation of Guyana Flags and other materials to enable them to organise their Annual Mash Parade, while the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association benefitted from a donation of Exercise Books, Pens, Pencils and Reading materials. The Upper Corentyne Cricket Association will use the donated items to reward outstanding players in a Primary School Cricket competition. Twelve year-old Rohan Sundar of Belvedere also received a financial contribution towards purchase of a bicycle which would enable him to ride to school. Seven less fortunate families on request to the club also received groceries, while three senior citizens received assistance for medical care and medication. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that with cricket not

being played in Berbice currently, the club is placing emphasis on completing its targeted off the field activities. The club and its teams strongly believe in assisting others, “as the more you give, the more you would receive in blessings.” Special emphasis, Foster stated would be placed on assisting Senior Citizens and less fortunate families while the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association would continue to benefit from the assistance of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club because they are known to be hard workers. The Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets Under-21 team is led by Kelvin Sinclair, while the First Division team is led by former National Under-19 Captain Shawn Pereira with National Player Clinton Pestano as his deputy. The two teams would next week hand over a donation of anti-crime bumper stickers (Continued on page 29)

Representatives of Port Mourant Secondary School pose with donated trophy.