Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Saturday March 10 ,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

CRIME, OIL AND TOURISM Unlike most of the Caribbean Islands which are known for their beautiful and clear water beaches that attract tourists, Guyana is relatively unknown to the outside world and because of this, it has rarely receive positive reviews from the foreign media such as the New York Times regarding its delicious food, its vibrant culture or its cheerful people. Over the years, it has received negative reviews in the form of travel advisories regarding crime from the United States, Canada and Great Britain. The most recent travel advisory came a few months ago from the United States Department of State and Canada’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. Both have issued grim travel warnings to American and Canadian citizens to exercise increased caution when they visit Guyana because of the violent crime such as armed robbery and murder and that the local police lack the necessary resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents. The reports also warned citizens that criminals may act brazenly, therefore they must be vigilant when visiting Banks or ATMs, be aware of their surroundings at all times, avoid walking or driving at nights, do not display signs of wealth, such as huge sums of money, the wearing of expensive watches or jewellery and they should not open their hotel room doors to strangers. Frustrated as the Minister of Tourism and the government may be, there is very little they can do to deny the crime wave or recoup the damage the warnings have done to the country’s struggling economy and tourist industry. It has become apparent that Guyanese visitors from the diaspora have become the lifeline for the tourist industry. The government’s claim that the discovery of oil will increase tourism is contrary to the beliefs of tourism experts who alleged that not much will change. They are of the firm opinion that tourist arrivals will increase only with a marketing strategy that showcase the country’s culture, food, its pristine forests and waterways and its amazing wild life of exotic birds and mammals. If the truth be told, oil has not yet begun to flow but the hotels are full already. Such is the promise that another hotel is expanding to the extent that the construction will cost more than the leading hotel in the city—Marriott. However, Governments past and present seem not to understand that there is an abundance of resources available to develop and diversify the economy and make Guyana the tourism mecca of the region. Their muddled tourism strategies have negatively impacted the tourist industry in that they have failed to capitalize on the country’s precious natural resources, its cultural vibrancy and its enriched Creole ethos with roots in Africa, India and China. The building of a viable tourism industry in Guyana requires strong partnerships with the private sector and the resolute support of the public. Tourism is a multibilliondollar industry and one that Guyana should really be taking advantage of. With its pristine forests, imposing rivers, majestic waterfalls, exotic birds and breathtaking animal life, Guyana could easily carve a significant niche and benefit immensely from the tourism industry. Its resources and products could have the added spinoff of ensuring that the country’s flora and fauna are wellprotected while adding jobs to a number of areas that have very high unemployment. The high crime rate will not imperil the tourist industry, despite warnings from the US and Canada. Guyana has a healthy market for tourism that if developed, could have tremendous potential to attract tourists. With the pumping of oil scheduled for 2020, an investment in the tourism industry makes good sense. It will be good for the country and would aid in buttressing the sliding prices of the country’s products and assume the mantle of a major foreign currency earner.

The most urgent task facing the Guyanese Leadership DEAR EDITOR Most of us may not be aware of the relationship that exists between States that maintain publicly-funded education systems and their citizens. Speaking generally, modern States invest in the education of their citizens with the hope that their education systems will feed back into their respective societies, influences that affect the rate of social and economic change, and the direction of their cultural evolution. This relationship could be termed a social contract. Doubtless the most important agents of these influences are the individuals which schools produce. The most cursory analysis of our local environment would reveal two paramount characteristics: a) technological backwardness; and, b) man’s inhumanity to man. Violent crimes of all kinds, gross disrespect for the law, and anti-social behaviours at

all levels of society abound. No Guyanese with any civic sense can have lived through the last fifty years without experiencing a profound sadness at the general decline and deterioration in our society. The accumulated evidence strongly suggests that the Guyanese school system is not feeding back into the Guyanese society a sufficient number of individuals who are capable of contributing positively to the rate of economic and social development, or to the direction of Guyana’s cultural evolution. Indeed it may not be surprising if research were to find that the system is actually producing a greater number of functional illiterates and miscreants devoid of self-esteem, than individuals who can make positive contributions to society. There are two major reasons for this situation. First is the poor economic and social conditions in Guyana and the consequent inability of the education

sector to attract (or, the lack of political will to allocate) a sufficient amount of needed resources (financial and otherwise). Second, despite political emancipation since 1966, Guyana has failed to exploit opportunities for the serious questioning of the fundamental assumptions and purposes that underlie and inform current education practice. The world, of which we are part, has changed drastically since 1966. Trade relations and patterns are no longer what they used to be. Multinationals, trans-nationals, oil, and illicit drug cartels all of which threaten and corrupt Governments have emerged. Advances in various technologies while shrinking the world into one global village, with all that this implies, have further marginalized countries like Guyana. In fact, both our internal and external environments have drastically changed. As a consequence, our current “obsolete vision” of

education which remained virtually unchanged since our colonial era is vastly inappropriate. Most of what has taken place in education in Guyana in recent years in the name of “education reform” can be termed expansion, that is, ‘more of the same’. To continue to educate our youth with the assumptions and methods that were deemed appropriate for a colonial and servile people at this crucial period of our history is a profoundly self-destructive mistake. As a result, we have been reeling from the consequences of our self-mutilation and self-destruction. What Guyanese need to do most urgently is pause, stand back and reflect upon the critically important issues and questions in the education of Guyanese today. For example: What does “to educate” really mean? What is educational freedom? What is it that we want our schools to do? (What are the purposes (Continued on page 5)

Dealing with juveniles who commit serious crimes DEAR EDITOR, Both the Kaieteur and the Chronicle Newspapers of 20th February 2018, informed us that a 15-year-old will “stand trial for killing top cop’s brother.” According to both media houses, the magistrate told the teen that the prosecution team was “successfully able to establish a prima facie case against him and he will have to stand trial before a judge and jury at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara assizes.” Indeed these reports did not say much and I am left will a number of questions. First, was the juvenile represented by counsel as part of his right to due process? Here in the USA, it is law that a juvenile has access to counsel as early as possible after arrest. So, who looked out for the interest of the young man at this pre-trial hearing? I am reminded of a Supreme Court judge in 1967 writing in reference to a case involving a juvenile “under our constitution the condition of being a boy does not justify a kangaroo court.” The court proceeded to rule against the contention that a probation officer or judge could adequately represent a minor. Second, as he awaits trial, where is he being held? I would hope he is not being kept with adults on remand. Even in Guyana where so much nonsense seems to occur in our justice system, this will be totally unacceptable.

Third, since this young man is to be tried in an adult court, are we suggesting that at 15 he is mentally mature? Modern neuroscience holds that teenagers are really different from adults. Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health have used brain imaging to show that certain parts of the brain are still underdeveloped in adolescents. Thus, the researchers concluded that until those parts of the brain are fully matured, they “can contribute to greater impulsiveness and wider and more frequent mood swings, in teenagers.” Further, a psychologist at Temple University observed that little difference has been found among persons 16 years old and over greatly distinguishable from adults, in the ability to think through future consequences. On the other hand, persons aged 13 years and under really do not have these abilities. The tricky ages, he contended, are 14 and 15. He concluded, “In that age range, some adolescents – especially those with emotional or learning difficulties, which would include many kids in the criminal justice system are child-like in important respects…” There is so much uncertainty on the matter of mental maturity that States have individually taken different positions. For example, some have had 10-year-olds face adult court, seeming to support the fairly popular theme ‘if you commit an adult crime,

you must do adult time.’ Others have used 14 as the appropriate age for one to be brought before the courts, while yet others have insisted you must be 16 and over. So, what learning guides Guyana’s decision on this matter - the crime, or our understanding of at what age a person should be considered fully mature? And what consideration guides our choice? Placing a youngster before the court is a serious matter, with serious consequences. Fourth, if this young man is found guilty, where will he serve his sentence? If at an adult facility will he be treated as an adult? Will he be protected from hardened criminals? The truth is that he will be released someday, and few of us would imagine him living among hardened criminals for several years will best prepare him for living a so-

cially acceptable life on release. Further, will he have the right to bring charges against the prison authorities for any act of child abuse during his imprisonment? Editor, a lot of the problems we are now confronted with in the juvenile justice system stem from the fact that the system originally was set up for dealing with juveniles who commit acts of vandalism and runaways. The fact that juveniles are today committing serious crimes in ever-increasing numbers has found the system wanting and trying desperately to play catch up. But this is no reason for us to stay silent if and when children are being treated unjustly. Indeed, today in some States, prison workers who must deal with juvenile criminals are being given training in adolescent psychology. Claudius Prince

I regret never having engaged in direct dialogue with Wilson Harris DEAR EDITOR, As has been obvious to many in literary circles, I’ve never been able to buy into the mythos surrounding Wilson Harris and I probably never will. That personal belief, or perhaps incapacity, has never been enough however, to diminish the core, the essential value of his oeuvre, not even in my own mind. I have few regrets. One great one is to have never engaged in some sort of direct dialogue with Harris, particularly about the nature and purpose of his work. His passing is a great loss, the consolation being that his passage left us with much that still abides. Regards, Ruel Johnson

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President Granger really needs to The Sea Wall - Our topmost critical infrastructure figure out what the role of a leader is DEAR EDITOR, Our dear land of Guyana is known as the Land of Many Waters. We enjoy the beautiful North Atlantic sea breeze on any hot sunny day. We carry on with our daily activities without ever thinking about critical infrastructure. Many of us who live on the East and West Banks complain about the closing of the Demerara Harbour Bridge that is renowned for being one of the longest floating bridges in the world. But the Sea Wall is by far the most critical infrastructure in our little nation state. We

tend to look at the frequent overflow of water on the adjacent areas to the sea wall as just a phenomenon. However, this is by far the most advanced, persistent threat to our country. In the physical world, threats are pretty clear to identify. In the digital world, we assume risks and provide appropriate defence to mitigate them. Looking at our current disposition in context of our sea defence, we are by far the most vulnerable country to natural flood disaster in the region. We have experienced flooding before and saw the loss and damage that it

caused. Have we identified our measures of performance and effectiveness after those instances? From a national perspective, we need to look at the full spectrum of adverse effects that will occur if the sea wall was to one day break and floods inundate the entire coastal region and rise as far as the land permits. What would become of our country and people? What would become of the other critical infrastructure like the roads, electric grid, and even the wharf? How will we receive (Continued ona page 6)

The most urgent task facing the... From page 4 of the nursery, primary and secondary schools respectively?). And there are many more! As we approach the end of the second decade (2020) of the twenty-first century, and the threat of increasing marginalisation looms large, should education in Guyana still mean imparting certain facts and skills to students smart enough and “disciplined” enough to learn them as it was in our colonial days? Should we continue with the “elitist” type of education in which twenty-nine (29) out of every thirty (30) students are sentenced to death (allocated to schools with less than adequate resources for a good secondary general education) at the tender age of eleven, because they were born to the wrong parents? Each year approximately 14,000 ten- and eleven-yearolds write the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). Approximately 500, or less than four percent, are awarded places in the top secondary schools in Guyana. Which small developing nation can continuously suffer this kind of severe bloodletting and haemorrhage and survive? How many young potential inventors and innovators, creators and producers of wealth have had their Godgiven talents and capacities abruptly aborted? Can we still simply assume, as stated in some very

important official documents, that the primary purpose of our school curriculum is to meet the needs of society and the demands of the labour market? What about the needs of the education systems’ most important clients – the young individuals? Ought their intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual needs not be considered? Are we dealing with young human beings in our schools, or are we dealing with objects and things? Is education in Guyana supposed to be a democratic process in which the rights of all children are to be given due cognizance and respected? Are we in the process of building a democratic nation? If the answers to these questions are in the affirmative then there can be no difference between processes and goals. We cannot plant limes and hope to reap oranges! Similarly, we cannot promote division, elitism and classism and hope to build a nation of one people with a common destiny. The relationship between school knowledge and the production of social inequality must now become a salient issue in Guyanese education. Social justice cannot be achieved by distributing the same amount of a standard good to children of all social classes. Education is a social process operating through relationships, which cannot be neutralised or obliterated

to allow equal distribution of the social good at their core. That “good” means different things to middle class and working class children, and will do different things for them or to them. The given economic, social and political context in Guyana demands that we (includes the universities whose entry requirements dictate secondary level curricula) rethink most urgently the issues of democracy, equity, social justice and quality and their implications for education for social cohesion and nation building in Guyana. Finally, given the added context of the recent revelations in Guyana’s oil and gas sector, and having due regard for the age-old caution that certain “types of people and their money will part”; I would suggest that the most urgent task facing the entire Guyanese “Leadership” at present in a modern world, with modern technology, modern opportunities and modern problems is the task of modernising and democratising education in Guyana. Such a process will not only ensure that our youth will be more capable of making positive contributions to the development of this nation in vastly superior numbers, but will also bring into being a greater measure of social justice than is presently the case. Yours faithfully Clarence O. Perry

DEAR EDITOR, Over the past few years, the Guyanese economy revealed an economic illness that is tied to the state of the six sisters (rice, sugar, bauxite, gold, seafood, and forestry). There are tremendous external headwinds as the rest of the world pull ahead leaving the Guyanese economy in a sort of no-man’s land. Real GDP growth continues to slow down and the evidence is there to prove this fact. It is the IMF who certified that in 2007 the GDP growth rate in Guyana was 7.1%. What is the growth rate in 2017, a decade after? I am advised from reputable sources in the Bureau of Statistics, it is 2.2% in 2017. Why is the media not pursuing this figure that is being deliberately hidden? This 2017 growth rate is a far cry from the state of the economy a decade ago and these realities cannot be wished away. Just ask the ordinary man in the street what the state of his or her pocket is today. The majority will respond with a comment such as “dwindling to the point of emptiness”. The economy’s resilience that President Granger promised the people as Candidate Granger in 2015 never materialised, because he

made one major policy mistake. As President, he dropped the ball and allowed his Ministers to abandon the productive sector (these six sisters) to the point that they are all malfunctioning today. Amidst global commodity price and financial market volatility, the Granger regime failed to upscale the productive sectors to reflect a more valued profile. Rather after three years, and a world of promises from Mr. Granger, we are still stuck with exporting raw gold, raw seafood, raw sugar, raw rice, raw timber, raw bauxite. Not even one inch was moved at climbing up the value chain in these industries in the last three years under Mr. Granger, with a focus on strengthening the export base. The end result is a weakening balance sheet position as the nation continues to rapidly lose its net asset value. To add to that distressing new development, the exchange rate is under pressure and the people face a reality of a rapidly increasing cost of living situation. It is time for a more responsive set of macroeconomic policies from the Granger regime. It is time for them to stop chattering about this carrot on a donkey’s head

called oil revenues and focus on the now. It is time for them to deliver on their manifesto promises. Yes, there will be much oil revenue, but for whom? Certainly not the ordinary man and woman of Guyana and the quicker the nation wakes up to this reality, the better for all. In the final analysis, it is imperative that Team Granger de-clutter their brains and redouble their efforts at calibrating this economy in the near-term to be more peoplecentric. The only way that can be achieved is by launching a menu of progressive macroeconomic policies that are designed to rebuild the productive sector and incentivize the required investments to drive a rapid expansion in aggregate demand. But if you are clueless at how to do this, then I suspect one cannot ask you to do the work of skilled technicians. This is ABC stuff to the thinking class, so it beats me, why is this so difficult for Team Granger? And the story continues as Guyana withers under President Granger who is more interested in parade and pageantry than the economic wellbeing of the people. He really needs to figure out what the role of a leader is. Sasenarine Singh

The destructive fires continue and there’s a dire lack of concern DEAR EDITOR, There seems to be a dire lack of concern for the safety of people and property in Guyana by the Housing Authorities. Just two weeks ago, I indicated that Guyana has poor building codes and nonexistent safety enforcement procedures. Another fire yesterday left more than 50 persons homeless. The destruction on the western half of Pike Street in Kitty is the type of tragedy I have constantly written about in this newspa-

per. In the aftermath of the fire, Minister Harmon told the affected residents that the government through the Ministry of Social Cohesion would be assessing the situation and the necessary assistance could be provided to families, including school

children who are among the victims. Meanwhile, Minister Broomes immediately met with the mostly the children and began comforting them. This is a great and comforting response and both ministers must be praised. Sad to say; this is tantamount (Continued on page 6)

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The destructive fires continue... From page 5 to closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Such fires can be prevented if simple building codes are in place. The fire at Plaisance two weeks ago and Ms. Jocelyn Dow’s Charlotte St. complex together with fires at Cummings Lodge and at the Medical Storage bond in Patentia (West Demerara) bear sad testimony to this. A mere six months ago Fazia’s Collection building on Avenue of the Republic fell victim to similar tragedy. The fire at Gafoor’s bond a year ago further supports this analysis. The Congenital Super Centre in Cane Grove was reduced literally to ashes in Nov. 2016 is also a case of non-existent fire safety. Guyana needs a complete overhaul of its archaic building codes and safety standards. Here are some solutions: 1. Buildings in Guyana have no classification. Singlefamily homes are converted into tenant-occupied portions so that homeowners can accommodate family members and get some income. The flaw in this is that there are the same original plumbing and electric systems that now have to support more lighting and appliances. As Guyana is entering the technology era, a host of appliances are utilised—almost always, invariably, from one outlet. A microwave oven, an air conditioner and an iron can total as much as 4,000 Watts—enough to induce overloading and precipitate (sparks) fire. Extension cords, most times hidden under carpet, with their multiple connections pose extreme fire hazard. Then there is the scenario where persons break off one of the prongs in three-way

plugs to accommodate plugins. The earth safety is thus discarded and overloading is facilitated. 2. Single Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings, prevalent in University and Hospital vicinities, need to be registered with the Building Department and given a Registration number. In this way inspection, say on a yearly basis, can be carried out, safety designs instituted, and complaints taken and investigated. A phone number must be established for this. 35 persons occupying an uninsured building borders on insanity. 3. A minimum space between buildings, say five feet, is a requirement that needs to be incorporated into building codes and zoning regulations. This facilitates evacuation as well as allows access by firefighters. 4. Commercial buildings need sprinkler systems: a series of road-side connections to connect fire hoses which will distribute water inside a building in event of fire. Automated oxygen-retardant systems need to be installed inside where an increase in temperature (say at 110 F) will trigger off the chemical spray. As this chemical sucks out the oxygen the fire will be greatly contained. Smoke alarms are cheap and should be installed along corridors which are the principal pathways for smoke. 5. Bonds, regardless of what is stored, need to be sectionalised, much like the compartments in ships such as oil tankers. Concrete-separating walls with steel (fireproof) connecting doors must be the code for storage warehouses. This, coupled with periodic safety inspections, must be the way forward. Storage of cooking gas containers

must never be inside a closed building. Propane is highly flammable (after all people cook with it) and needs to be stored outdoors: any leakage/ explosion will dissipate harmlessly into the atmosphere. 6. Perhaps the worst aspect of construction in Guyana is the electrical system, material and installation codes. This is in serious need of overhauling. Systems such as 100 Amperes distribution with Fly Back Breakers are the standard for commercial buildings such as warehouses, offices, shopping centres, and nightclubs and so on. This is virtually nonexistent. JFI outlets (with built in overload kick-out) rarely exist while electric wiring is predominantly vinyl coated (easily combustible) copper wire. Additionally, old wiring, coupled with corroded fuses, which do not trip or ‘blow’, poses severe risk of fire. As evidenced in the Cummings Lodge case. 7. Fire hydrants are taken for granted, instead as seen as a means of emergency water supply. It is comical that hydrants invariably have little water in the “land of many waters.’ 8. The Bureau of Standards, must arise from its slumber and monitor the very poor quality of electrical fittings and accessories (mostly from China) that flood the Guyanese market. And the Housing Authority must determine the safety features and occupancy of commercial buildings. The partitioning of buildings with the mere addition of a few walls to obtain an ‘apartment’ to get rental income has proven to have fatal consequences. Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine Real Estate Builder (New York)

Saturday March 10 ,2018

Is it worth to continue advertising at ‘Bus Stop’ sheds? DEAR EDITOR, At first, I thought it was a brilliant initiative by the government of the day with the erection of colourful ‘BUS STOP’ sheds in and around the city.Just recently I observed that quite a few were badly damaged/destroyed.

Sad. Guyana will never make it as an elite tourist destination. Take it or leave it. With some years of experience in marketing and advertising, I would strongly suggest to advertisers that it is a waste of time to use this route with any advertising promo cam-

paign. Your money will be best invested in occupying a spot on the walls of the Georgetown Football Club Ground opposite the zoo, and any other similar walls or billboards. Provided

is a photo image for your respective readership to understand what I am making reference towards. Yours Faithfully T.Pemberton

The Sea Wall - Our topmost... From page 5 help if we were to be covered by water and there is no place for us to go and resettle? What is Plan B? These are just a few questions that this letter to the public seeks to identify, our people are so susceptible to famine, starvation, illnesses and death. We are not just a weak nation state because of our nonstrategic development of our critical infrastructure, but

because there is literally no plan in place to reduce suffering to our people if this happened. While this might sound horrible, I could not find warmer words to describe our situation, we need to prepare! There is such a high potential level of risk to our sea defences that we do not only have to think about the natural threats, but the malicious and intentional ones. Looking at it in this context, we need to ensure that there is a well-defined risk management framework that will help us today and provide security for those of our future descendants. A proper risk management framework to mitigating the risks of the destruction of the sea defence and the subsequent flooding should be a top priority of our government. With all the current successes that our leaders are experiencing, and the expectations of new sources of income to our treasury, they need to put an extraordinary emphasis on elaborating plans to provide security to

our nation. There is the need for a well-defined disaster recovery plan for the current state of our country in context of the distribution of the coastal population, businesses and investment. The ability to use common sense and those scientific approaches to tailoring the mitigation of flooding is just as important to making top level contractual decisions. Our country recognised the occurrence of Global Warming many years ago. However, we fall short of recognising that as fast as this phenomenon occurs, the threat to our nation state increases. Measuring six feet below the sea level may need to be reevaluated just as the water rises. We already know what the threat is. We already know the risks. Therefore, there is the need for a very well-defined and mature risk management process that will provide an appropriate set of controls and provisions for the safety of our nation. Dustin Fraser

Oscar Clarke points finger at staff for City Hall’s financial mess Chairman of the Mayor and City Council’s Finance Committee (M&CC), Councillor Oscar Clarke, said that the concerns generated over the financial management of the city are mainly due to the staffing of the treasurer’s department. Speaking with Kaieteur News this week on the $3.1B budget proposed for 2018 amidst concerns from the Auditor General’s office about the lack of proper accountability of government funds, Clarke pointed to the lack of adequate human resources in the treasury department. “The systems down there need to be changed and I believe the Auditor General is discovering that in his examinations,” Clarke stated. City Treasurer, Ron McCalmont, has been overseeing the department. He was summoned before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee to answer for expenditure of Government funds, but he was absent due to illness. Clarke, a former General Secretary of the People’s National Congress (PNC), explained that McCalmont has been repeatedly ill. At the same time, the department is without a deputy and a budget manager. “That is the problem we have. I don’t think the leadership there has been sufficiently attuned to getting things done properly. This is

City Treasurer, Ron McCalmont not a matter for Oscar Clarke; this is a matter for the full council. It is a matter for us going forward whoever the council is. Everybody will have the same problem that the committee and I have. Until we make the desirable changes in the treasurer’s department giving them the kind of staff and accountability it deserves, we will continue to have problems,” Clarke stated. During the PAC meeting, it was revealed that state auditors have not received vouchers, statements of expenditure or any piece of document that can verify that City Hall spent $173.5M. This amount included, Kitty Market, $60M; constabulary training school, $23.9M; city engineer building, $13.5M;

constabulary headquarters, $12.9M; Albouystown clinic, $21.5M; and office equipment and furniture, $42.1M. State auditors have also been trying to verify the purchase of furniture. There are questions about the $300M allotted for Georgetown restoration programme in 2015. Some $6.2M was expended to purchase a double cab pick-up for the city police; $52.1M for debushing the Le Repentir Cemetery and $241.6M for the restoration of Georgetown. Hundreds of Payment vouchers were examined and several discrepancies observed. Auditors found 167 instances totalling $159.9 M where there was no evidence of the payment vouchers. There were instances where approval by the city treasurer was not seen on 140 payment vouchers totalling $143.7M; no evidence of the city’s financial committee approving 48 payments totalling $48.4M; no evidence of receipt or payee acknowledgement for a payment of $750,000 to a contractor and the basis of award of several contracts for the weeding or parapet, desilting of drains and cutting down of trees. Clarke stated that most of the documents requested by the Auditor General has been handed over within the past week.

Corentyne rice farmers frustrated over cattle in their crop Small-scale rice farmers cultivating the Number 52-65 area have suggested that two fences estimated to cost millions of dollars be erected along the Seaforth Dam and the Number 52-65 Facade Drainage Canal dam. The request is as a result of their rice crop being damaged and eaten by cattle within the said locat i o n . According to some of the rice farmers, hundreds of cattle farmers are directly affected since an estimated one hundred heads of cows have invaded their cultivation lands and are eating away at their crops, causing major losses. Amjad Ally, a 70-year-old farmer for over 30 years at Number Nought Village, Corentyne, Berbice, said the issue has been affecting him for five years but escalated over the months since the number of cattle has increased, causing more damage than expected. ”The cow dem going and eat the rice and when you surround the land the cow dem going and break the wire and go inside back,” this Ally said

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only occurs in the night and not in the day. Amarnauth Pitamber, who has 30 acres of rice land explained that the cattle farmers seldom take care of the cattle, leaving them to roam and graze freely. ”Dem na pen dem, dem na look after dem, dem just got dem and loose dem just like that. Dem cow did eating the rice in its bearing stage”, Pitamber stressed. Another farmer added that when the rice is eaten at its early stage of growth more fertiliser has to be added, this adversely causes a huge loss in profits. The rice farmers stated that they met with the cattle farmers to discuss the situation and with the hope that a resolution would be arrived at, however, they said they got no positive answers and the situation remains the same. Meanwhile, Ramgolam Singh, a former Rice Producers’ Association representative/rice farmer, in an invited comment stated that the only solution to the problem is for the government to intervene and erect two fences approximately

2,500 rods each. One fence he explained will be placed in the Savannah (Number 52-66) cattle pasture and one on the government reserve between (homestead farm and the rice l a n d s ) . Singh added, “If erected it will stop stray animals from going in the rice fields in the night. At present, farmers erected their own fence between the reserve and homestead rice area but it’s very weak. We need government to help affected farmers immediately”. He is also suggesting that a gate be placed at every access dam. Over 360 farmers are affected with the rice lands stretching over 9000 acres. The farmers subsequently met with the Prime Minister’s representative in Region Six, Gobin Harbhajan, who promised them that the matter will be raised with the Regional Administration, the agriculture committee and the relevant ministry’s. He also supported the idea to have the two fences erected.

Digicel, GTT phone continue to stall teacher Kescia Branche’s murder probe

Charged: Matthew Munroe, and Dead: Kescia Branche Four months after a taxi driver was charged and remanded to prison for the murder of 22-year-old teacher, Kescia Branche, the prosecution file is still incomplete. This is stalling the commencement of the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the matter. Forty-seven-year-old Matthew Munroe, of Diamond Housing Scheme, was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on November 7 last, at Georgetown, he murdered Kescia Branche. On Thursday when the matter was called in Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman’s courtroom, Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves told the court that the police investigation into the murder is still incomplete. He added that police ranks are still to get the telephone records

between the taxi driver and the now dead teacher from Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) and Digicel. Last December, when the matter was first called in Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan’s courtroom, the accused attorney, George Thomas, had told the court that his client was at no time physically present in Georgetown. His cell phone, which the police have, will show that he was communicating with Branche, but was nowhere near her, he said. Munroe was detained after returning from an overseas vacation. He reportedly travelled “on vacation” to the US, around the same time that Branch was found unconscious in Louisa Row. Police impounded his

vehicle, which had sustained damage, and had a missing bumper. Munroe reportedly told police that he had driven into a pothole on the East Coast of Demerara. He was reportedly unable to show police the location. The 22-year-old Branche was found badly battered on November 5, last. She succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) without regaining consciousness. According to reports, her injuries appeared to be consistent with those inflicted by the impact of a vehicle. A post mortem revealed that she succumbed to brain haemorrhage, caused by blunt trauma to the head. Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman instructed Munroe to make his next court appearance on March 27.

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Freddie Kissoon tells Lindo Creek COI… Columnist and political activist, Frederick Kissoon, yesterday recalled the night that miner Leonard Arokium told him he had proof that the Joint Services, and not the ‘Fine Man’ gang, had slaughtered his son and seven of his crew at Lindo Creek in June 2008. Kissoon also said that Arokium showed him maps of the area that made him conclude, like Arokium, that it was “logistically impossible” for Rondell ‘Fine Man’ Rawlins and his men to have crossed from Christmas Falls to Lindo Creek to kill and burn the miners, knowing that an elite Joint Services squad was hot on their trail. In riveting testimony yesterday, the Kaieteur News columnist also said that he had “direct information” that an individual who “had nurtured” the ‘Fine Man gang’ told then president, Bharrat Jagdeo, of the gang’s location, in exchange for “a very valuable favour.” Kissoon, who was also a University of Guyana lecturer, told the Commission that due

Kaieteur News

Arokium told me he has proof Joint Services killed Lindo Creek miners to his public profile, people would seek him out “with information that concerns them and the country’s national interest.” He said that in June 2008, he received a message, via Kaieteur News, that Leonard Arokium wanted to speak to him. “He subsequently called around seven p.m. and he wanted to speak to me right away. He sounded urgent and he wanted to meet me.” Kissoon said that he arranged to meet Mr. Arokium “in what I considered to be safe quarters,” which was the Catholic Standard headquarters. Mr. Arokium and two others eventually arrived, and they spoke in the presence of Catholic Standard Editor, Colin Smith. “He said his sons and his employers were killed, he believed, by the security forces, and that the security forces were covering up the matter, and that he would like my intervention as a media operative,” Kissoon added, under questioning by COI Chairman

- individual told Jagdeo of Fine Man gang’s location in exchange for “ very valuable favour”

Columnist Freddie Kissoon at the COI (Freddie at coi) Justice Donald Trotman and attorney, Patrice Henry. COI attorney, Patrice Henry: “And was he (Arokium) able to demonstrate to you how he arrived at that conclusion?” Kissoon: “Yes. He came

Department of Energy gives President ‘direct eye’ on petroleum sector Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, said yesterday that the soon to be established Department of Energy will provide President David Granger with a ‘direct eye’ on petroleum-related matters. The new department is being established under the Ministry of the Presidency, which means that Harmon will report to the National Assembly on developments in the sector. At post cabinet media briefing, yesterday, Harmon noted that the department basically gives more space, more authority, more resources and the direct eye of the president in dealing with these issues. “Once it is the Ministry of the Presidency, the Minister of State is the person who will answer in the National Assembly for any matter that relates to the Ministry of the Presidency,” Harmon stated. According to Harmon, the government could not set up a next Ministry because they are constrained by the number of ministers the government can have. Last month, Government announced plans to establish the new department, explaining that it was recommended by Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, who is currently Government’s lead person on petroleum matters. The People’s Progressive

Saturday March 10 ,2018

– Minister of State

President David Granger Party (PPP) had indicated that the decision to establish the department meant that Minister Trotman was being stripped of responsibilities for the petroleum sector, which has been buzzing with criticisms of the 2016 production sharing agreement which government signed with ExxonMobil and its partners. Following the PPP’s claims, the Government rushed to defend Trotman’s work in the petroleum sector, pointing out that he has provided sterling leadership. According to Government, it is under Trotman’s stewardship that significant

progress has been made in capacity building and preparations for ‘first oil’. Some notable achievements, according to the government, include the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Petroleum Institute of Mexico for training and capacity building, which has seen the commencement of training for Guyanese, the drafting of the Petroleum Commission Bill, Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill and Health, Safety and Environment Regulations and the revision of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act with the help of the Commonwealth Secretariat. Cabinet has mandated that Minister Trotman head a Task Force, which would comprise the Ministers of Finance, State, Public Infrastructure and Business. The Ministers of Public Security, Public Telecommunications, Ministers of Education and Social Protection are also expected to be included. The Task Force has been tasked with the formulation of a proposal for the development of the mandate of the Department of Energy, as well as how it will be structured and staffed.

armed with a series of maps, documents and a number of photographs of burnt bodies, and remnants of burnt foodstuff... Then he went on to explain, why he thought that the security forces did kill his camp employees and his two sons. He said: ‘I have proof that the security forces killed my camp employees and not the ‘Fine Man’ gang, and I need this to be publicised.’ “He laid out the maps on the table to show the demography and the geographical

terrain and he began to take us through the journey of if you are at ‘A’ point, how you would get to ‘B’ point. He continued that meticulously, juxtaposing his movements…with the police explanation as to how his employees and two sons met their death. “I would say that it was an extensive, meticulous explanation of cartography.” Kissoon identified Christmas Falls, the UNAMCO area and Lindo Creek among areas that Mr. Arokium pointed out on the maps. COI attorney, Patrice Henry: “Can you say if he mentioned to you how the terrain was made up? Kissoon: “I think the essential point he wanted to get over was that it was logistically impossible for the ‘Fine man’ gang to have crossed over from Christmas Falls to Lindo Creek to kill his camp employees and his two sons, based on the fact that they were being pursued by the security forces, and then he took us through the journey with explanations and questions being asked by me.” The Kaieteur News columnist also said that he knew how “the government of the day,” got to know that the

Rawlins gang was at Christmas Falls. “I had direct information that someone connected intricately and logistically to the gang had directly given that information to President Jagdeo. “The person was more than just close to the ‘Fine Man’ gang. He was one of the persons who nurtured the gang, provided logistic support to the gang. I don’t think he was a friend of the President (Jagdeo). “He wanted something from the state and the President that was vital to his life and he made his choice. He was facilitated by a close aide of the president, to meet with the president, and he gave the president that information . It was immediately after that the joint squad went to Christmas Falls,” Kissoon told the Commission. “That person (the informant) gave the President (Jagdeo) that information in order to receive a very valuable favour in return, which he got.” “I thought it strange and unnerving that the police explanation is that the ‘Fine Man’ gang crossed over to Christmas Falls, and killed the (Continued on page 23)

Sex worker allegedly robs Jamaican tourist charged

A sex worker who allegedly robbed an elderly Jamaican Tourist was yesterday charged for the offence and released on $75,000 bail. Twenty-two-year-old Stephon Blades also known as ‘Stephanie’ appeared before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The allegation against Blades is that on March 7, at King Street, Georgetown, he robbed Joseph Jewels of US$600 and $40,000 Guyana currency. The prosecutor had no objection to bail being granted to the defendant but asked that it be in a substantial amount. According to information, on the day in question, the victim and Blades had a business transaction during which Jewels was robbed. The defendant was released on $75,000 bail and he was instructed to make his next court appearance on March 28.

Charged: Stephon Blades

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Saturday March 10, 2018

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Confusion reigns at and rains down on the Guyana Chronicle

I

got up earlier than usual yesterday morning because I had to testify at the Lindo Creek massacre Commission of Inquiry, which meant I had to walk my dog earlier than usual. I went to my emails at 5:00 AM and there was a mail from Dr. David Hinds in which he reproduced a letter sent to him from the Editorin-Chief, Nigel Williams, that stated inter alia; “It is with deep regret, that I inform you that effective March 12, your Sunday column 'Hind's Sight' will be discontinued. This decision has been arrived at following discussions at the highest

level of the company in keeping with policy directions. The Guyana Chronicle as it continues with its rebranding would like to focus on new areas which require specialist interventions at this time.” Mr. Williams gave me a long interview, which had two strange contents. First, he does not want to me to write that it was a decision of the Editor-in-Chief but that of Editorial Management. Secondly, when asked if his words “at the highest level of the company” means the board, he asserted that it means editorial management. I would like to think the highest level of a company must denote the authority of the board. Mr. Williams indicated that the board was made aware of the new dispensation but it was not for the board to make the decision; that was the jurisdiction of Editorial

Management. Secondly, Williams told me that the Sunday edition is going in a new direction that would render the types of commentary that Dr. Hinds and Lincoln Lewis write irrelevant. Lincoln Lewis was also dropped from the Sunday edition. Asked why, he said the Sunday papers want to feature columnists who analyse technical/specialist areas. He gave oil/petroleum as an example. He conceded that Hinds and Lewis are specialists in their own respective rights but not in the departments, the Sunday issue is looking for. Williams is firm in the attitude that the changes to the Sunday edition do not fall within the jurisdiction of the board and therefore a decision was not asked for. Board Chairman, Geeta Chandan, has a different story to tell. Ms. Chandan told me that the dropping of

Hinds and Lewis was discussed at a subcommittee of the board. Four persons were present; the meeting was held in her absence but that management knew she was not in the country. She pointed out that Ruel Johnson of the subcommittee was not there too. She felt given those two absent members, maybe the meeting could have waited. Chandan explained that all sub-committee decisions must come to the full board for ratification and that was not the case with this subcommittee. Chandan is firm in her position that it is the board that should have made the decision on Hinds and Lewis and she most assertively disagreed with Williams that a change in direction of the Sunday Chronicle was not a matter for the board. She insists it is. Ms. Chandan admits that she is very displeased with

what has taken place. But it was board member Ruel Johnson who was inflexible in his attitude when contradicting his Editor-inChief. Johnson says any decision of Editorial Management that adversely affects the image, marketing and circulation of the Chronicle is the business of the board. He believes that the dropping of Hinds and Lewis has political fallout and that is a matter for the board to discuss. Johnson assured me that he is unmoved in his belief that the Guyana Chronicle should have writers who offer dissenting views and when he was on the previous board, he advocated for the PPP to submit columns but the offer was declined. G e n e r a l M a n a g e r, Moshamie Ramotar, said that though it is not policy for the GM to be notified which column is

Frederick Kissoon discontinued, there is a tradition of informing the GM. She said she knows nothing about the discontinuation of the commentaries of Hinds and Lewis because nothing was sent to her in writing. Mr. Williams admitted that he did not inform Hinds and Williams that he needed commentators on technical issues only for Sunday and he did not raise with them the transfer of their Sunday columns to midweek editions. Mr. Williams was explicit that he did not take a political direction. When asked if Joe Harmon would have instructed Mr. Williams, Ms. Chandan said, “No way.” The Prime Minister is out of the country recovering from heart surgery, so his reaction will have to wait. Guyana is indeed a funny place.

Saturday March 10 ,2018

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

Saturday March 10, 2018

Minister Broomes honoured at 'Women 4 Guyana' event

M

inister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, was among several women honoured Thursday evening at the ' Wo m e n 4 G u y a n a ' International Women's Day Celebration 2018. The event held at the Marian Academy Auditorium was organised by Author and Broadcaster, Selwyn Collins. Minister Broomes who founded the Guyana Women Miners Association in 2012, often frequented the hinterlands where she witnessed the discrimination and abuse of women and human trafficking of young girls. This made her more determined to expose these injustices in the hidden parts of Guyana. Minister Broomes in her address to the gathering spoke of her experiences as a female in a male-dominated

field and the experiences in fighting for women's rights. “I was incarcerated i n n o c e n t l y. . . T h e m o s t painful thing is to sit there fighting for others' lives...being assaulted by a male and a system...just to realise that I'm the person on the bench. Did I stop there? Or sit on that bench and cry? No, I did not, I pushed back, I yelled...'' Referring to the popular hashtag Press for Progress, there was a strong call to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive. Other women honoured at the night's event were award-winning journalist Sherry Ann Dixon, a transformational lecturer and keynote speaker who is passionate about women's empowerment; Attorney-atlaw Lady Joseph, founding partner of the law firm C h a p m a n & Tr o t m a n ;

England-based Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Samantha Tross, who was the first black British woman to become a consultant Orthopedic surgeon; Rosalind Kilkenny-McLymont, a journalist and executive editor; Dr. Asante Van WestCharles-Le Blanc, a clinical densitomerist and medical h e r b a l i s t a n d businesswoman Han Granger-Gaskin, owner of Topaz Jewelry. International Women's Day celebrates women's achievements worldwide and throughout history.

PAGE 15

Minister Broomes and a few of the other ladies who were honoured

PAGE 22

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TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS) MASSAGE Angels Massaging Spa. Come relax and be pampered. Call: 694-9775. New attendants available.

Kaieteur News

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Experienced Handyman, porter all below 40 years. Apply with written application. Keyfood McDoom Village.

Hair station & Barber station rental, New market street #638-1106. Experienced persons preferable.

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Experienced sales persons with CXC qualifications. Apply @ Christine’s Variety, Lombard Street. Contact: 2278529/626-8003 Experienced male sales attendant, stocktaking knowledge, computer literate, excellent service attitude, able bodied. Key Food McDoom Village.

Chainsaw operators to work in the interior. Contact: 2237165

Experience sales person to work in general store on the East Coast #642-1141

Kinsha-sha Restaurant and Guest house Lot 10 Golden Grove ECD Public road. Telephone: 229-2610, 627-6655

Security to work with mining firm, must have experience in said field Ages 38-45. Contact: 500-5923/676-8764

Kitchen Assistant for interior location. Job entails assisting cooks in the kitchen and cleaning. Call: 618-2020.

Space for rent at Ashmin’s Building- suitable for salon or office- Call today! 683-7954

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Fully furnished two bedrooms apartment in providence & three bedroom in Diamond. Tel: 672-1906, 216-2299 (1) downstairs for rent for supermarket including living quarters (preferable Chinese) @ Lot 171 Section B Non Pariel ECD. Tel#629-4764. (1) 3 bedroom apartment, back of UG Call: 680-5944, 656-4211

Brand new two bedroom flat for working couple, Middle road La Penitence. Tel: 6192800/225-6492

Unregistered DAF trucks: Dump trucks, Flat Bed, Flat bed with Crane & Hauler. Call: 659-3100

Business place/Store for rent, located at Grove EBD.Contact 684-6331

New Triangle truck tyres, front & all wheel drive, size: 295/ 80R22.5 Call: 647-2022

2 apartment for rent : 1 bedroom and 2 bedrooms ECD. Contact Mr Khan #6752550/656-9313

Large and small household items for sale! Double door wardrobe, 32" Panasonic flat screen, ornaments etc. Contact: 691-3726, 629-4637

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Video games and consoles at affordable price. Repairs to video game system .Call:6722566/265-3231 1996 Yamaha Virago Motorcycle 750cc Tel# 6612998 (1) new Mistubishi canter with excellent conditions with type of engine 4msl, long base, 2004 model, contact: 696-7664

Drivers & Contract cars. Tel: 231-0316. 231-0002 Servicemen and heavy duty diesel mechanics to work in the interior. Contact: 2237165 Driver for pitbull bus Route 44 Georgetown - Plaisance #694-0500, 665-9174 Experienced curry cooks, pastry maker,cake decorator, counter servers. Apply @ Hack’s Halaal with H/written application. 5 Commerce St.

Wanted land to buy. Tel# 6976311 VEHICLE FOR SALE 2011 Raptor fully loaded 4x4 Auto excellent condition blue 6.2 litre super charged. Tel# 610-5370 Long base canter GRR series 2 million hydraulic lift tray good condition Tel# 609-1040 Bluebird 2012- 2.6M Axio2.5M Tida-2.2M All vehicles unregistered and have reverse camera. #655-3400 1- TwinsteerDoubleaxle Leyland DAF 4- LeylandDAF Flatbed 10- Guysuco Lorries 1-620-240 DAF engine. #2285655, 649-8449 1 Bluebird, 1 Fielder wagon, 1 Raum excellent condition. Tel#664-0802

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Saturday March 10 ,2018

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PAGE 23

Kaieteur News

Saturday March 10 ,2018

Caribbean leaders’ high-level meeting to examine law to reduce NCDs Caribbean authorities are being urged to adopt effective laws and regulations that can contribute to reducing the burden of Non Communicable Diseases [NCDs] and their risk factors as well as their social and economic consequences. Calls, in this regard, are being made by the Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization [PAHO/WHO]. With this in mind, Government Ministers from different sectors will meet today with academicians, judges from the Caribbean Court of Justice [CCJ], Food and Agriculture Organisation [FAO], representatives of the CARICOM Secretariat, or-

gans and institutions and civil society. This is in order to discuss how the use of laws and regulations can help reduce NCDs. NCDs are said to account for three out of four deaths in Caribbean, Guyana being no exception. Moreover, Senior Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, will adequately represent Guyana. It has been deduced that NCDs including: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases, together with their four shared risk factors - tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity -

are the leading causes of death, illness and disability in the Caribbean. It has also been ascertained that high rates of NCDs are the reason that people in the Caribbean have a greater probability of dying prematurely [before age 70] than people from any other sub-region of the Americas. The meeting, which will take place in Port of Spain, will bring members of the CCJ Academy of Law together with representatives of relevant CARICOM organs and institutions, subregional partners, and international organisations to discuss policies and strategies for using the law as a powerful tool to address NCDs.

Footballer remanded on $3M robbery charge A footballer who allegedly stole $3M worth in gold from a Brazilian miner was yesterday remanded to prison on an armed robbery charge. Twenty-six- y e a r- o l d Joseph Osborne also known as ‘Kat’ of B a g o t v i l l e , We s t B a n k Demerara appeared before Principle Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. He denied the charge which alleged that on September 22, last at Water Front Port Kaituma, he robbed

Francisco DaSantos of a quantity of gold valued $3M, and at the time of or immediately after he used personal violence towards the victim. Police prosecutor Gordon Mansfield had no objection to bail being granted to the defendant but asked that it be in a substantial amount. However, the Magistrate remanded the defendant to prison. She instructed the defendant to make his next court appearance on March 14 for report and statements.

Remanded to prison, Joseph Osborne

Arokium told me he has proof... From page 8 miners, because they (the miners) had told the security Forces where the ‘Fine Man’ gang was located. “Almost a decade after, I don’t believe that; not based on the information I had first hand as to who was the person who gave the President (Jagdeo) that information of the whereabouts of the ‘Fine man’ gang.” The columnist also recalled working with the late Kaieteur News journalist, Dale Andrews, on a series of articles related to the Lindo Creek massacre. This work entailed speaking to members of the Guyana Police Force, “who were not part of the elite squad that pursued the ‘Fine Man’ gang. Speaking about other sources that he contacted during his investigations, Kissoon said that he also spoke to some army and police personnel. “Based on Arokium’s explanations, descriptions and analyses, I put that (information) together. I have done journalistic investigation for 30 years, and if there is any story that I have investigated and come to the conclusion as to what happened, I would say, definitively…that the ‘Fine man’ gang could not,

with the security forces pursuing them, have gone from Christmas Falls, through what was called ‘the gate’, which was a passage that leads to the Lindo Creek Mine. It was a geographical impossibility,” Kissoon said. “We (Kissoon) took the angle of the police statements on the Lindo Creek massacre but that just did not make sense to us. “There is a limitation to human endurance, and that was the factor in the mind of the journalist when he investigated Lindo Creek. Could humans achieve that kind of physical feat, going over mountainous terrain, crossing rivers and doing that with ease, when the police were after you, you kill people, burn their bodies burn their foodstuff, and you have an elite squad after you (that) killed one of your members?” In responding to a query by Justice Trotman, Kissoon said that because he had studied maps of the area, “and the logistics and the total example of events,” he did not think that it necessary to have visited the Lindo Creek site, as an important part of his investigation. “It would have been an advantage, but I don’t think it would have led me to any

other conclusion.” Asked why he had done no interviews with members of the Guyana Defence Force, Kissoon said that the army had “an elite contingent” that was attached to the squad that went to Christmas Falls. He said that from the “cursory examinations” that he made, most of the GDF personnel he spoke to knew nothing about the operations of this squad. “The conclusion that I came to was that the army contingent in the Joint Squad that was pursuing criminals in that period was a very secretive, closed door elite squad that you couldn’t get much information on. I had confidential sources in the police force; I didn’t have that in the army.” ‘I knew the individual who led the squad was an army officer, (but) I just knew his last name.” The Kaieteur News columnist said that Mr. Arokium contacted him several times after the first interview. Once, the miner said that someone was using his slain son’s phone.Kissoon said he had tried to get a response from Commissioner of Police Henry Greene, but got none. The public hearings into the Lindo Creek killings will continue next Tuesday.

It is expected that efforts will be made to focus particularly on tobacco control legislation and laws and regulations that can help prevent obesity. The meeting is being organised by PAHO/WHO, the Caribbean Court of Justice, Academy of Law and FAO. Although progress remains insufficient, there are examples of best practices in the Caribbean that could to be up-scaled, PAHO/WHO has observed. Those that have been highlighted include: taxes on sugarsweetened beverages, bans on the sale of sugary beverages in schools, and progress on tobacco control legislation in several countries. Moreover, Caribbean heads of government and other CARICOM leaders have repeatedly called for expanding such measures to help reduce NCDs. Representatives of Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago will present their countries’ experiences and lessons learned in using laws and regulations

to address NCDs. Other subjects will include the role of community law in addressing NCDs, how to mobilise political will to advance the use of legal measures, and how to harmonise policy approaches to face this challenge. Among the presenters at the high-level meeting, on the use of law to tackle NCDs as a “critical step to accelerate progress in the Caribbean” are: Sir George Alleyne, PAHO Director Emeritus; Sir Dennis Bryon, CCJ President; Dr. Te r r a n c e D e y a l s i n g h , Minister of Health of T r i n i d a d a n d To b a g o ; Mrs. Volda Lawrence, Minister of Health of Guyana; Mr. Patrick Pengel, Minister of Health of Suriname, Chair of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development [COHSOD]; Mrs. Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago, Chair of the Council of Trade and Economic Development [COTED]; Justice Winston Anderson, CCJ Judge; Dr. Douglas Slater, Assistant

Secretary-General, CARICOM Directorate for Human and Social Development; Mr. Joseph Cox, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Directorate for Trade and Economic Integration; Dr. Corlita BabbSchaefer, CARICOM General Counsel; Ambassador Courtenay Rattray, Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations; Sir Trevor Hassel, President, Healthy Caribbean Coalition; Dr. James Hospedales, Executive Director, Caribbean Public Health Agency [CARPHA]; Mr. Barton Clarke, Executive Director, Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute [CARDI]; Mr. Deryck Omar, Chief Executive Officer, CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality [CROSQ]; Dr. David Berry, Dean, Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados and Dr. Leighton Jackson, Dean, Faculty of Law, U n i v e r s i t y o f t h e We s t Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica.

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T&T Govt. moving to grant further autonomy to Tobago PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) –The Trinidad and Tobago government yesterday presented legislation to Parliament seeking to amend the constitution so as to grant further autonomy to the island of Tobago within the context of the sovereign democratic state of Trinidad and Tobago. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley told legislators that the Constitution (Amendment) (Tobago Self Government) Bill, 2018 would be sent to a Joint Select Committee (JSC), adding that he hopes “it will be received and advanced to the satisfaction of all the people of our beloved Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, particularly our brothers and sisters in Tobago”. Rowley said that the JSC should report to the Parliament by July 31 this year. He said the legislation had been developed “after a very long and transparent process of research, extensive public consultations and a genuine desire to advance and improve the process of granting further autonomy to the Island of Tobago within the context of the sovereign democratic state of Trinidad and Tobago”.Rowley, who gave a historic overview of the

relationship the two islands have shared over a number of years, said that 120 years after the union of Trinidad and Tobago “it is opportune that the basis for advancement of the sovereign democratic state is reformatted. “The amendment of the Republican Constitution which establishes the present foundation is necessary to provide the autonomy which Tobago requires. This will allow Tobago to play a meaningful role in the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals as well as to advance and align Tobago’s development towards the attainment of Vision 2030".Rowley said that the document had been developed as a “policy document for the enactment of legislation to advance the process of self-government and autonomy for Tobago”. In his statement to Parliament, Rowley said that in 1977, the late president, Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson, then political leader of the Democratic Action Congress (DAC) and a Member of Parliament for Tobago East, presented a motion in Parliament which called for internal self-government for Tobago. “This motion was endorsed by the other To-

T&T Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley bago Member of Parliament, Dr. Winston Murray, who emphasized that the motion called, not for secession, but for internal self-government. Mr. Robinson’s motion was eventually adopted, albeit with amendments.” Rowley said that in 1979, a draft bill examining internal self- government for the island was prepared but that it was rejected by the then Cabinet noting “the reason given for the rejection of the proposals was that they derogated from the concept of a unitary state.” He said following the veto of the bill, the then govern-

ment opted instead to pass the Tobago House of Assembly Act, 1980.“This Act made provision for the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) to formulate and implement policy on all matters referred to it by the Minister and to be responsible for implementing in Tobago, Government policy relating to certain matters of national importance, including: economic planning, programming and development of Tobago resources; the provision of adequate infrastructure; and finance, in particular the raising and collection of revenue.”Rowley said that the 1980 Act also enabled the

THA to make by-laws for the proper management of facilities operated by it and provided for a Finance and General Purposes Committee and other Committees of the THA.“A Tobago House of Assembly Fund was also established. Overall, the 1980 Act was at complete variance with the internal self-government anticipated by Mr. Robinson and Dr. Murray in the 1977 parliamentary motion.”Rowley said that in 1996, the THA and the Tobago House of Assembly Fund was enshrined in the Constitution and that the 1980 Act was repealed and replaced by the Tobago House of Assembly Act, 1996. “The constitutional arrangements and those of the 1996 Act, which are currently in formulation and implementation of policy in relation to matters assigned to the THA in the Fifth Schedule of the 1996 Act remain, however, subject to the general direction and control of Cabinet by virtue of section 75(1) of the Constitution.” He said that the THA is empowered to propose and adopt Bills which would then be transmitted to Cabinet with a request for them to be enacted by Parliament.

“The Bills must not be inconsistent with any written law of Trinidad and Tobago. When enacted the Bills would be known as “Assembly Laws”. However no such laws have ever been made. The current arrangements therefore fall short of internal self-government for Tobago, even as envisaged more than 30 years ago….” He said in 2005 the THA adopted a resolution calling on the government “to pursue as a matter of urgency legislative and/or constitution reform to accord to the people of Tobago democratic internal self-government inter alia”.The THA appointed a Select Committee to study the matter and in 2006, then Prime Minister Patrick Manning laid before Parliament the draft, prepared by the late Sir Ellis Clarke, of a new Constitution for Trinidad and Tobago. But Rowley said that with the inadequacies of the 1996 Act and the failure of the Clarke draft Constitution to effectively address Tobago matters, private citizens on the island and the THA, mobilised and sought to ascertain the view of Tobagonians on constitutional reform, governance and other issues.

IMF says Jamaica’s economic growth disappointing despite reform programme KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday said economic growth continues to disappoint, averaging only 0.9 per cent since Jamaica began its economic reform programme in 2013. In a statement issued at the end of a third review of the Stand-By Agreement (SBA) the island has with the Washington-based financial institution, noted that consideration by the IMF executive board is scheduled for April and that “upon approval, an additional US$233 million would be made available to Jamaica, bringing the total accessible credit to about US$1.033 billion. “All quantitative performance criteria and structural benchmarks for the review period ending December 2017 have been met. Non-borrowed international reserves well-exceeded the programme target and tax revenues for financial year 2017/18 were above the budget’s target, reflecting the payoffs from revenue administration reforms put in place by the government over the past few years.”The 36-month SBA

with a total access of US$1.68 billion was approved by the IMF on November 11, 2016. “The Jamaican authorities continue to view the SBA as precautionary, an insurance policy against unforeseen external economic shocks that are beyond Jamaica’s control,” the statement added. It said that entrenched structural obstacles, including crime, bureaucratic processes, insufficient labour force skills, and poor access to finance, continue to hinder productivity and growth. “Moreover, the agricultural sector’s vulnerability to weather shocks exacerbated rural poverty in 2015. Not addressing these bottlenecks could pose risks for continued public support for the government’s policy programme,” the IMF warned. It said that the economic reform programme that began in May 2013, has been a turning point for Jamaica with broad based social and political support over two administrations is intended to put the island on a path of fiscal discipline, monetary and financial sector reforms, and wide-ranging structural improvements to break a de-

cades-long cycle of high debt and low growth. The IMF said that considerable progress has been achieved on macroeconomic policies and outcomes with fiscal discipline, anchored by the Fiscal Responsibility Law, being essential to reduce public debt and secure macroeconomic stability. “Employment is at historic highs, inflation and the current account deficit are modest, international reserves are at a comfortable level, and external borrowing costs are at historical lows,” the IMF said noting that structurally reducing the wage bill is critical for the government to reprioritise spending towards growth enhanced projects.

“More expenditure is needed for infrastructure, citizen security, building agricultural resilience, health, education, and the social safety net. Creating the space for such spending will require going beyond temporary remedies like wage freezes and adjustments to nonwage benefits.”The IMF said this would require high-quality measures to overhaul the compensation structure to retain skills and reward performance, streamline the vast and inequitable allowances structure, prioritise key government functions and shed those activities that the government can no longer afford to undertake, and change the capital-labour mix through

technology upgrades, including a better monitoring of and accountability for government spending. “Inevitably, these reforms will also lead to a reduction in the size of the public workforce. Such a holistic approach will support a durable reduction in the wage bill, without frequent discordant wage negotiations, and enhance public service delivery with fewer but better paid public employees.” The IMF said that improving social outcomes and fostering inclusive growth will require addressing structural bottlenecks and creating an enabling environment for the private sector.It said countering both weak social outcomes and escalating crime will take time but will be essential for sustained growth. “In this regard, the evidence suggests that early childhood education, interventions to improve school attendance, and skills training for the youth would foster a virtuous cycle of lower crime, higher wages, stronger growth, and increased economic opportunity, particularly for the young. “Policies to support productive private investments, including improving lending to smaller businesses and re-

ducing lending-deposit interest spreads, will help fuel such an upswing. However, the government must resist the pressure to use scarce public resources to “pick winners” including through providing tax incentives”. The IMF said that instead, the goal should be a uniform, broad-based, and low rate tax system, a level playing field for business, and harmonized rules for all.It said that formalizing the current inflation targeting regime will help entrench macroeconomic stability and promote growth. “With inflation likely to remain in the lower part of the central bank’s target range, a looser monetary stance remains appropriate. Meanwhile, upcoming revisions to the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Act—including a clear mandate for price stability, a reformed governance structure, and a strong central bank balance sheet—will help institutionalize the inflation targeting framework,” the IMF said. It said also, continued development of the foreign exchange (FX) market, liquidity management and forecasting toolkit, along with upgrading the BOJ’s communication practices, will improve policy signaling and enhance credibility.

Kaieteur News

Saturday March 10 ,2018

FAO conference ends amid calls for greater cooperation MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CMC) – The 35th Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) regional conference for Latin America and the Caribbean has ended here with calls for greater unity and support as it relates to trade if the region is to effectively deal with ending hunger and malnutrition. Jamaica’s Minister for Trade Industry Agriculture and Fisheries, Karl Samuda, speaking at a news conference, said the only way that the region can overcome these difficulties would be through collaboration and corporation. “It is therefore critical that we corporate with each other in order to find common ground on issues that have caused problems in the past, with climate changed remaining as one of the biggest threats that we face in the region today.” Samuda said it was therefore critical that the region work more quickly to implement more climate smart agricultural practices in communities among the 33 member countries, adding “we must educate farmers on the need for protective agricultural practices so that we are not susceptible to changes in the weather”.

Samuda said that delegates also recognised the need for a concerted effort to attract and increase investment in climate smart agriculture, adding that countries in the region have called for greater access to grants for these initiatives, “and I believe this is absolutely critical.” He said that FAO has committed to working with the member states to guide them through the process of accessing much needed grant funding that will go a long way in building their capacities to fight climate change. He said Mexico had signed a letter of intent with the FAO to strengthen the capacities of small island developing states in the Caribbean for resilience to climate change, a measure he described as “a welcome initiative”.Samuda said that Mexico has demonstrated in a material way how “we can change the development of all our member states but in particular small and less developed countries through cooperation and collaboration”. FAO Director General Jose Graziano de Silva told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that delegates had called on the United Nations agency to support member

states in developing a programme that serves those territories that have greater concentrations of hunger, extreme poverty and vulnerability to climate change. He said they urged the FAO, in cooperation with other agencies within the United Nations system, to help countries streamline their policy instruments to achieve substantial changes in the conditions of food and nutrition security of disadvantaged communities including rural women, indigenous people and other vulnerable groups. Delegates also called on FAO in alliance with other institutions and actors to identify, develop and implement public policies that have an impact on transforming food systems with the aim of tackling the issue of overweight people and obesity in the region. They requested the FAO to prioritise capacity building for the mobilization and use of resources and the implementation of effective management of programmes in addition to the support it provides in strengthening institutional and regulatory frameworks and information systems related to food and nutrition security.

Ex-Rose Hall workers refuse ... From page 17 saving sugarcane, Rose Hall was one of the estates shuttered by GuySuCo Management at the end of 2017 and handed over to the SPU for privatisation and/or diversification. “Initial SPU surveys revealed that GuySuCo had left a sugarcane crop in the ground that was going to be ready for harvesting. The sugarcane in the ground at Rose Hall represents significant value that would be lost if not harvested. The sugarcane at

Rose Hall also represented an opportunity for the SPU to produce molasses to help meet local demand in 2018.” The cane harvesters, who were to commence work this week, are expected to harvest 2,300 hectares. The SPU will be paying the contracted harvesters and will recoup these funds from the molasses sales afterwards. The Rose Hall Estate also has 4,300 hectares of sugarcane in the field for the second crop in 2018.

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Britain sends specialist troops to city where Russian double agent poisoned SALISBURY, England (Reuters) - Britain deployed specialist troops yesterday to remove potentially contaminated objects from the English city where a Russian former double agent and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent. Sergei Skripal, 66, who passed Russian secrets to Britain, and his daughter Yulia, 33, have been in intensive care since they were found slumped unconscious on a bench on Sunday afternoon in the quiet cathedral city of Salisbury. Britain’s interior minister Amber Rudd, who visited Salisbury yesterday, said they were both still in a very serious condition, five days after collapsing. About 180 troops including some with chemical expertise have been sent to the city to remove ambulances and other vehicles involved in the incident and other objects, Britain’s ministry of defense and police said. “The public should not be alarmed,” counter-terrorism police, who are leading the investigation, said in a statement. “Military assistance will continue as necessary during this investigation.” The incident has been likened to the case of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, a critic of Russian

President Vladimir Putin, who died in London in 2006 after drinking green tea laced with radioactive polonium-210. Skripal betrayed dozens of Russian agents to British intelligence before his arrest in Moscow in 2004. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2006, and in 2010 was given refuge in Britain after being exchanged for Russian spies.Britain has said it will respond robustly if evidence shows Russia was behind the attempted murder. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the incident and says anti-Russian hysteria is being whipped up by the British media. LOW RISK Health chiefs have said there is a low risk to the wider public from the nerve agent used against the Skripals, who police said were deliberately targeted with the rare toxin. They said experts had identified the substance, which will help determine the source, but did not name it publicly. A British public inquiry found the killing of Litvinenko had probably been approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin and carried out by two Russians, Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoy. Lugovoy is a former KGB bodyguard who later became a member of the

Russian parliament. Both denied responsibility and Russia has refused to extradite them. Home Secretary Rudd said that Britain was trying to ascertain the source of the nerve agent used against Skripal“In terms of further options, that will have to wait until we’re absolutely clear what the consequences could be, and what the actual source of this nerve agent has been,” Rudd said after visiting Salisbury and seeing the area around the bench where Skripal was found, now covered by a police forensics tent. RUSSIAN RESPONSE Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed Britain’s warnings of retaliation were propaganda and not serious.Speaking to reporters during a visit to the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa yesterday, Lavrov said Russian officials had not received a single fact or piece of concrete evidence about what had happened to Skripal and his daughter.“What we see is only news reports ... saying that if it is Russia, then a response is going to be given that Russia is going to remember forever. That is not serious. This is propaganda fair and square and it is trying to raise tensions,” Lavrov said.

American customers stockpile Canada steel as tariffs loom: sources M O N T R E A L , HAMILTON (Reuters) American customers are stockpiling Canadian steel ahead of new import tariffs due to be imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump later this month, according to industry sources familiar with the matter. The resulting spike in demand for Canadian steel is creating some supply disruptions, they said.Canada, the biggest supplier of steel to the United States, escaped Trump’s steep import duties along with Mexico in his announcement on Thursday, but the two countries could still face steel import duties if they fail to negotiate a successful NAFTA trade deal. One steel trading source in Canada said American customers, both warehouses and steel users, had been buying up Canadian metal in the spot market, because of the threat of a tariff, but supply was limited. Trump on Thursday pressed ahead with slapping import tariffs of 25 percent on

steel and 10 percent for aluminum, effective later this month. Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association said on Friday that he had been informed about cases of steel stockpiling. Volpe said the stockpiling was raising fears of higher prices in a “sector that already runs on tight margins.” Trump’s Thursday announcement sent the S&P Global Platts daily price assessment for US-made hotrolled steel coil up to $844.50 per short ton, up more than 4.0 percent from Wednesday. One Detroit-area steel distributor said customers have been trying to stockpile steel, even at higher prices, for everything from auto parts to factory equipment. The distributor’s Canadian steel supplier is already rationing shipments for customers. Steel prices were already on the rise in the U.S. market, with hot-rolled coil up nearly

19 percent in February 2018, on an annual basis, buoyed by demand from the construction, automotive and energy sectors, said Joe Innace, Platts’s content director, metals/Americas. Trump ordered a probe into whether steel imports threaten U.S. national security last April. The Commerce Department released the delayed results of the “Section 232” investigation in January and steel prices had been steadily rising in advance. “We feel they (steel prices) will continue to go up,” said a third source. “Canada just dodged a bullet, but the battle isn’t over. The source who works at a service center that supplies the auto sector in the United States and Canada said he is purchasing more steel products from mills in both countries. All three sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they didn’t want to publicly discuss industry purchasing trends.

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Long sought by North Korea, summit holds risks for Trump administration SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For at least two decades, leaders in North Korea have been seeking a personal meeting with an American president. Now, as a summit unexpectedly appears possible, analysts fear U.S. President Donald Trump’s understaffed administration may lack the expertise to successfully turn a political spectacle long sought by Pyongyang into a meaningful opportunity to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. South Korean officials said yesterday Trump almost immediately agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, without preconditions, by the end of May. Even proponents of a diplomatic approach towards North Korea worry the administration could be rushing into a summit with little time to prepare. Such a summit - the first time sitting American and North Korean leaders have ever met - would typically happen after each side had made at least some concrete agreements, said Suzanne DiMaggio, a senior fellow at the New America think tank, who has engaged North Ko-

rean officials at unofficial discussions.“It will have to be managed carefully with a great deal of prep work,” she said on Twitter. “Otherwise, it runs the risk of being more spectacle than substance. Right now, Kim Jong Un is setting the agenda and the pace, and the Trump administration is reacting. The administration needs to move quickly to change this dynamic.”Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has often been publicly contradicted by the White House over North Korea, including on Thursday when just hours before the announcement of a summit he said “we are a long ways from negotiations”. Several experienced career diplomats occupy key positions in the Trump administration’s Korea and East Asia offices, but many of them are in an acting capacity while other positions are entirely empty. Joseph Yun, the U.S. envoy in charge of negotiating with North Korea, quit last week, and Trump has yet to nominate an ambassador to South Korea.“A Trump meeting with Kim presents both risks and opportunities,” said Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the Center

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un for Strategic and International Studies think tank.“The U.S. side needs to be very, very well prepared and know exactly what it wants to achieve, as well as what the U.S. is willing to provide in return.” “A REWARD TO NORTH KOREA” Analysts say North Korea has been seeking a summit with American leaders as a way to secure international legitimacy, something that has prevented past U.S. administration’s from taking Pyongyang up on its invitations. “A summit is a reward to North Korea,” said Robert Kelly, a professor at South Korea’s Pusan National Uni-

versity. “It extends the prestige of meeting the head of state of the world’s strongest power and leading democracy. That is why we should not do it unless we get a meaningful concession from North Korea. That is why other presidents have not done it.” If the summit fails, the cost could be higher than in the past, observers noted, with North Korea firmly in possession of a nuclear arsenal and Trump having said military strikes may be needed to remove those weapons. Kim Jong Un has “committed to denuclearization” and to suspending nuclear

and missile tests, South Korea’s National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong told reporters at the White House on Thursday after briefing Trump. North Korea, though, has yet to provide more details. “There hasn’t been any North Korea-U.S. summit meetings at all and having one after North Korea has already obtained nuclear weapons basically sends a signal that the U.S. is willing to deal with North Korea on that basis,” said Zhao Tong, a North Korea expert at the CarnegieTsinghua Center in Beijing. “So that achieves North Korea’s first objective, even if there’s no progress at all in terms of what they discuss at the summit,” Zhao said. A senior administration official said Trump was elected to take a different approach from previous presidents. That included avoiding low-level negotiations that have failed in the past in favor of talking directly to Kim as the “one person who can actually make decisions instead of repeating the... long slog of the past,” the official said.In 2000, Marshal Jo Myong Rok, a powerful fig-

ure in the North Korean armed forces, became the first and most senior North Korean official to visit the White House and meet a U.S. president, then Bill Clinton. Shortly after, then-U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright traveled to Pyongyang to meet Kim Jong Un’s father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, in a visit to lay the groundwork for a visit by Clinton that would only happen after he had left office. During President Barack Obama’s administration, North Korean officials were also seeking a breakthrough with the United States, and were disappointed when American officials offered no diplomatic concessions, former U.S. director of national intelligence, James Clapper, has said. Even observers who credit Trump’s hardline stance with setting the stage for talks said they are waiting to see if this time is different. “North Korea has said these things before - Kim Jong Il wanted to meet with President Clinton,” said Mark Dubowitz, CEO of Washington’s Foundation for Defense of Democracies think-tank.

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Indian Wells: Johanna Konta suffers shock defeat in BNP Paribas second round BBC Sport - British number one Johanna Konta suffered a shock straight-set defeat by 18-year-old Marketa Vondrousova in the second round at Indian Wells. World number 11 Konta had four set points in the first set and led 4-2 in the second but lost 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 to her 54th-ranked Czech opponent. “It was one of the tougher losses I’ve had in my career,” Konta, 26, said. Konta, who had a bye into the second round in California, has only made one quarter-final in 2018. She has won just eight matches since her 2017 Wimbledon semi-final. “Everybody has these sort of matches and it was my turn to have one of them,” Konta said.

“I didn’t start off very well and I found it quite difficult to really get any momentum going. It was one of those matches that I had to have, but I couldn’t fault my desire to compete out there. “I don’t think this overshadows at all the good work that I’m doing.” She was erratic on serve against Vondrousova, landing only 51% of her first serves, and was broken in her opening two service games to fall 3-0 behind. The Briton recovered to lead 6-5, but then failed to take four chances to win the set on the Czech’s serve and eventually lost it on a tiebreak. She broke serve in the fifth game of the second set for a 3-2 lead - but then lost

four games in a row from 4-2 up to concede the match. “I still think there’s a lot of good things to take from this match in how I competed,” Konta said. “Obviously there are things that I 100% want to be doing better, but I will try not to overanalyse a match like this either.” Konta’s only quarter-final this season came in Brisbane in the first tournament of 2018, and she also lost in the second round of the Australian Open in January. World number one Simona Halep safely progressed to the third round in California with a 6-4 6-4 win over Kristyna Pliskova. Ninth seed Petra Kvitova had to come from behind to earn a narrow 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-

Saturday March 10, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You're being called upon to take action in many areas today, Aries. People may be tugging at you to be with them and participate in their world of fun and excitement.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Action is the key word for you today, Libra, so put on some comfortable shoes and have a good time. Infuse a bit of non sequitur playfulness in your dealings with others.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Take action to create a fanciful dream world today, Taurus. Indeed, many of the activities of the day will be touched with an air of otherworldliness.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Live your creative fantasies today, Scorpio, but watch out for the reality police at the border. You may experience a bit of conflict with a stubborn person or in a situation that isn't very well planned.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) A strong desire to bring more of the fantasy realm into your own reality spurs your actions today, Gemini. You could discover that there is an intense desire to bring a sense of the obscure to the normal CANCER (June 21–July 22) This is an intense day for you during which the disharmony in different realms of your life crops up and spurs you on to action, Cancer. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may find it difficult to take action on any practical matter today, Leo. If you find this is the case, don't bother pressuring yourself into making it happen. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Take action on well-laid plans today, Virgo. Stay levelheaded, and seek pleasure by taking things steadily one step at a time. Watch out for a forceful, willful, fanciful mindset that will somehow cause conflict with your plans

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today is one of those days in which you might be kicking yourself for not telling the truth on an earlier occasion, Sagittarius. The words that seemed so harmless then may come back to haunt you now. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Today is a very high-energy day in which you have the physical stamina to accomplish quite a bit, Capricorn. Take care, however, that you have all the necessary facts before you venture out AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Plan your moves carefully today, Aquarius, and have patience with the people around you. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your actions may be touched by a very fanciful frame of mind today, Pisces. Be careful about indulging in recreational substances that take you out of reality for a while.

Johanna Konta also lost in the second round of the Australian Open in January. (Getty Images) 3) 6-4 win over Yulia Putintseva in three hours 18 minutes. Analysis BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller Konta had plenty of opportunities to win this match - but for all the progress she feels she is making off the court, she lacks conviction on it.After a ragged start, Konta fought back strongly and had four set points to win the first set before playing a scrappy tie-break with a couple of double faults. In the second set, she led 4-2 but lost momentum after Vondrousova’s medical time-

BCB to... From page 34 Berbice, New Amsterdam/ Canje, Lower Corentyne, Central/Upper Corentyne”. The Inter-zone matches would be played at the 20/20 and 40-Overs levels as part of an effort to renew interest at the grass root level. Foster also announced that all of the tournaments have been sponsored apart from the Intermediate and a few at the Interzone levels.

BCB launches... From page 34 with discipline and passion. Foster, who is also the Secretary/CEO of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, pledged that he and his entire executive body would work hard to make certain that 2018 would be an historic year in Berbice Cricket. He expressed gratitude to the sponsor of the tournament and announced that a 20/20 league would start immediately after the completion of the 40-Overs tournament.

out for a toe problem, and

lost the last four games.

Windies A beat Lions by 25 runs – 2nd one-dayer ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies A defeated England Lions by 25 runs in the second day/night onedayer of the three-match series at Coolidge Cricket Ground here yesterday. Scores: WINDIES A 256 for nine off 50 overs (Keemo Paul 55, Jermaine Blackwood 53, Raymon Reifer 45 not out, Jahmar Hamilton 35; Sam Curran 3-31, Richard Gleeson 352). LIONS 231 off 48.3 overs (Alex Davies 38, Sam Northeast 34, Keaton Jennings 33, Sam Curran 26; Jomel Warrican 3-41, Keemo Paul 3-55).

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Serena enjoys winning return at Indian Wells (Reuters) - Serena Williams conceded she had been rusty on her return to professional tennis after more than a year away from the game but still did enough to secure a 7-5 6-3 win over Zarina Diyas in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday. Williams, who had not played a singles match since winning the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant, chalked up 27 unforced errors with 34 winners to defeat her 53rdranked opponent in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd in California. “It was incredible. It’s been over a year and a kid later. I get to go home to her now and I’m excited about that,” Williams said. “It definitely wasn’t easy but it was good. I’m a little rusty but it doesn’t matter. I’m just out here on this journey doing the best I can.” Williams was only two points from dropping the opening set but showed the sort of poise that has earned her 23 grand slam singles titles.After taking a deep breath, she unleashed a second serve that kicked up viciously, forcing Kazakh Diyas to reach high for her return, unable to get it back into play. Holding serve to level at 5-5, Williams broke in the next game, letting out a scream and clenching her left fist as Diyas netted. The second set was a fairly even contest, with Williams again coming through

Rabada grabs five to leave Australia reeling

Serena Williams make a winning return to Tennis. (Getty Images) on most of the big points. The 36-year-old gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia on Sept. 1, but says postchildbirth health complications that included blood clots in her lungs were almost fatal. She is now healthy again, but skipped this year’s Australian Open because she did not consider herself tournament ready. Williams is unseeded at Indian Wells, which is why she had to play the first round while the seeds, including sister Venus, enjoyed a bye. The Williams sisters could meet in the third round. Serena plays Dutch 29th seed Kiki Bertens in the second round, while Venus takes on Romanian Sorana Cirstea. Former world number one Victoria Azarenka also made a winning comeback after eight months out of action, beating Britain’s Heather Watson 6-4 6-2. The two-time grand slam winner last played at Wimbledon in July before the

legal battle over the custody of her son kept Azarenka off the court for the rest of the season. She also withdrew from the Australian Open in January. A commanding display in the first set saw Azarenka race to a 5-1 lead but Watson fought back to make it 5-4 before the Belarusian regained control to clinch the set. The second set was more competitive with Azarenka taking a 4-2 lead before being pushed in a 12-deuce game between the duo but the 28year-old held on to make it 52 and charge to victory. “It was tough, especially in moments that I have been out of the game...,” the twotime champion said after the match. “It’s a pretty good start. I had my heart out playing here and that’s the most important.” Azarenka has now won all six of her matches against Watson and will play U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens in the next round.

Tiger in share of clubhouse lead at Valspar (Reuters) - Tiger Woods, in only his fourth start since returning from injury, was in a three-way share of the clubhouse lead in the Valspar Championship second round yesterday in Palm Harbor, Florida. Former world number one Woods, who had spinal-fusion surgery last April and only returned to the PGA Tour this year, made his only bogey of the day on his final hole for a three-under-par 68 at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course. That left the 14-times ma-

Saturday March 10, 2018

Kaieteur News

jor champion at four-under 138, level with fellow American Brandt Snedeker (68) and Englishman Paul Casey (68), who birdied his final hole. Sean O’Hair carded a 68 to lie a further stroke adrift at three-under while overnight leader Corey Conners, a rookie from Canada who set the pace with a 67 during a windy opening round, was scheduled to tee off at 1:30 p.m. ET. For Woods, who is playing in what is likely his penultimate event ahead of the April 5-8 U.S. Masters, the round marked yet another encouraging outing for a player who has seen abrupt injuries make prior comeback attempts shortlived. Woods, who started on the back nine, birdied his third and fourth holes before adding another pair on the back nine. He did well to keep his bogey-free streak alive at the par-four seventh

after sending his chip about 12 feet past the hole. But at his final hole, the par-four ninth, Woods’ par putt from about five feet lipped out, denying him a chance to hold the outright clubhouse lead. Woods, 42, returned to the PGA Tour in January and in his first event earned a share of 23rd at Torrey Pines. He missed the cut at Riviera but enjoyed his most promising result since 2015 when he finished 12th at the Honda Classic two weeks ago. Woods’ two playing competitors in a marquee group, three-times major champion Jordan Spieth (71) and Swedish world number 14 Henrik Stenson (74), were well outside the projected cutline of two over. Masters champion Sergio Garcia, who was level with Woods after the opening round, was among the late starters yesterday.

Kagiso Rabada celebrates a wicket with his team-mates. (Associated Press) PORT ELIZABETH (Reuters) - South Africa paceman Kagiso Rabada produced a sublime spell of bowling to take five wickets as Australia were dismissed for 243 in their first innings on the opening day of the second test yesterday. Rabada began expensively before lunch, conceding 47 runs, but then returned to claim five wickets for the loss of just 13 runs on either side of tea and effectively turn the game around. South Africa were 39 for one wicket in reply at the close, losing Aiden Markram for 11 runs. Rabada completed a fine day’s performance coming in as the nightwatchman and scoring an unbeaten 17 runs off 14 balls. He will resume with Dean Elgar, who is 11 not out, on Saturday. Rabada finished with bowling figures of 5-96 while the 21-year-old Lungi Ngidi,

who was a surprise pick ahead of Morne Morkel, took 3-51. His victims included the prize wicket of David Warner for 63. Warner, who was also slow to get going, found some flow late in the morning and reached 50 at lunch. The Australian opener had been the focus of much of the build-up to the second test after an ugly spat last Sunday with South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock in the first test in Durban, which the tourists won by 118 runs. Warner was eventually bowled for 63 yesterday as Australia reached 117-3 but it was only when Rabada trapped captain Steve Smith lbw for 25 that the wickets began to tumble. Five went down for just for 21 runs as Rabada also dismissed the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, and then Pat Cummins for a

golden duck after tea. Mitchell Starc (8) was Rabada’s fifth victim, clean bowled to leave Australia reeling on 182-8. “It was important to stay in the fight and it was just my day. I was just on a roll, things were all going my way,” Rabada told reporters. Tim Paine, however, frustrated the home side by scoring 36 runs as Australia added 61 runs for the last two wickets. Paine was the last wicket to fall when Ngidi bowled him. “Coming from 98 without loss at lunch to 243 all out was quite disappointing,” said Warner. “But if we get the ball in the right areas tomorrow, it is going to be hard to score on because the wicket is doing just a bit for the bowlers.” Scores: Stumps South Africa 39 for 1 (Rabada 17*, Elgar 11*) trail Australia 243 (Warner 63, Rabada 596, Ngidi 3-51) by 204 runs.

David Warner let his bat talk, hitting 63 ©AFP

Saturday March 10, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Petra 3rd Annual Corona Futsal tournament

Future Stars, Sparta Boss and Alpha Warriors win big on Thursday night

Tiger Bay’s goalie Rasad Robertson saves a shot from Ian Cameron. The Corona Futsal tournament which is being sponsored by Hero Motorcycles and NAMILCO continued on Thursday evening at the National Gymnasium with six more intense matches in the group, round robin stage at the Mandela Avenue location. Alpha Warriors returned to their winnings ways, after being held 3-3 by Showstoppers on Tuesday night, and demolished a poor Tucville unit 7-2 in the feature match of the night. Delroy

Fraser led the charge with a hat-trick, while Delwin Fraser assisted with two goals and Benjamin Opara along with Lennox Cort both netted one goal each in the win. During the night’s action, Plaisance could’ve only mustered one goal in response to Sparta Boss’ 7, as the East Coast team suffered a heavy defeat, mainly from the boot of Jermin Junior who netted a hat-trick. Quincy Adams did well to support with a brace of goals, while Cleyon Forrester and Dennis

Edwards scored a goal apiece. Keon Kyte was the lone scorer for Plaisance. Future stars also scored seven goals on Tuesday at the Gymnasium, bettering their opponents New Market Street’s three. Kareem Knights netted a hat-trick for the Stars, while William Europe bagged a couple, all of the losers’ goal came off the heels of Ryan October who scored a hattrick. In other games, Tiger Bay led by five goals from Deon

Cycling: Bad day for Sky in France as Poels crashes out PARIS (Reuters) - Team Sky suffered a bad day at the Paris-Nice race yesterday as Dutchman Wout Poels crashed out during the sixth stage won by France’s Rudy Molard. Poels, who was second overall with a decent chance to give Sky their sixth title in seven years, fell off his bike seven kilometers from the finish in the hilly 198-km ride from

Sisteron to Vence, and suffered a possible shoulder injury. From a reduced peloton, Groupama-FDJ rider Molard attacked 1.2 km from the line and with his rivals playing mind games behind, crossed the line first to claim his second professional victory. Overall leader Luis Leon Sachez of Spain had a quiet day in the saddle as his

Astana team controlled the race and he now leads Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe by 22 seconds and Spain’s Marc Soler by 26. Today’s seventh stage takes the peloton over 175km from Nice to Valdeblore La Colmiane and ends with a 16.3km ascent at an average gradient of 6.2 percent.The race finishes tomorrow.

Berbice Basketball tourney starts next Saturday The Berbice Amateur Basketball Association Knockout Tournament will bounce off next Saturday, March 17th and run up to the 31st. The event will see Berbice Champion, Rose Hall Town Jammers, playing Hopetown Stealers on the opening day at Vryman’s Erven Basketball Court in New Amsterdam from 6:00pm. The following day, Sunday March 18, Ithaca Hardliners come up against Fyrish Black Shark at the said court. New Amsterdam challenge Canje Knights on 24th in the next scheduled action. All games start at 6:00pm.

Carl Griffith (6) shot to goal is blocked by a swarm of Old School Ballers members. 3/10/2018 Round Robin Day 6 19:00 hrs Show Stoppers 19:50 hrs Channel 9 20:40 hrs Leopold Street 21:30 hrs Sophia 22:20 hrs Bent Street 23:15 hrs West Front Road Alfred, played to a dramatic 5-all draw against Mocha. Scoring for the East Bank Demerara team in the ten goal thriller were Amos Ramsay with a hat-trick, along with one goal each from Steffon Ramsay and Dellon John.

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Gymnasium Kingstown California Square Braod Street Albouystown North East YMCA

Meanwhile, Old Skool Ballers defeated Xtreme Campbelliville 6-3, led by Roy Caesar with five goals and Alexander Village suffered a 5-3 defeat at the feet of Back Circle. So far, Alpha Warriors,

Match # 31 32 33 34 35 36

Bent Street, Tiger Bay, Future Stars, Back Circle and West Front Road top their respective groups. The tournament continues tonight with six more matches, please see fixtures below.

Guardiola fined by FA over ‘political’ yellow ribbon (Reuters) - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been fined 20,000 pounds ($27,720) by the English Football Association (FA) yesterday for wearing a yellow ribbon in support of jailed proindependence politicians in his native Catalonia. Guardiola has continually sported the ribbon in City’s Premier League matches as well as games in domestic and European cup competitions. “Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been fined £20,000 and warned as to his future conduct after admitting an FA charge for wearing a political message, specifically a yellow ribbon, in breach of the FA’s kit and advertising regulations,” the FA said in a statement. Last Sunday, FA chief executive Martin Glenn spoke out strongly in defence of his organisation’s decision to charge Guardiola. Glenn later apologised over comments he made regarding political and religious symbols in which he included

The FA spoke to Pep Guardiola twice before charging him after Manchester City’s FA Cup defeat at Wigan. (Getty Images) the Star of David and the Nazi swastika among those that

should be kept out of the game.

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NBA Roundup: Irving Back, Celtics Prevail The Associated Press Minneapolis — Kyrie Irving returned from a onegame absence to help Boston fend off Minnesota, finishing with 23 points, seven rebounds and eight assists to pace the Celtics in a 117-109 victory over the Timberwolves on Thursday night. Al Horford added 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and tough defence on Karl-Anthony Towns for the Celtics, who stayed two games behind Toronto in the Eastern Conference race with their sixth win in seven games. They have three more losses than the Raptors.Nemanja Bjelica scored a career-high 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting, including 6-for-9 from 3-point range. His first 2010 game in the NBA was ultimately wasted in the third straight loss for the Timberwolves, who are still trying to find their way without injured All-Star Jimmy Butler. They trailed by as many as 18 points soon after halftime, too much to overcome some second-half surges behind Bjelica and 18 points from Taj Gibson on 8-for-10 shooting.The Wolves were within five at 88-83 in the fourth quarter, but every other time they were on the verge of cutting the margin to two possessions Irving and the Celtics had an answer on the other end. Marcus Morris added 17 points for the Celtics, whose victory was tempered a bit by the hard landing Jaylen Brown took on his back after a dunk late in the third quarter. He left with 14 points for evaluation of concus-

Boston Celtics’s Al Horford, left, of Dominican Republic, tries to control the ball as he drives into Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, right, Thursday. (AP Photo/Jim Mone) sion-like symptoms. Irving, the five-time AllStar whose first season with the Celtics has been stellar save for some minor injuries, was good to go after sitting out at Chicago on Monday to rest a sore left knee that was aggravated in the previous game. The Celtics are only 12-10 in their last 22 games, and Gordon Hayward won’t be walking through the door anytime soon, so Irving’s leadership and production down the stretch and into the playoffs will be critical. Towns finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Jamal Crawford pitched in 15 points off the bench. But Andrew Wiggins went 1 for 8 from 3-point range and 6 for 21 from the floor for a quiet 13 points. Thunder 115, Suns 87 Oklahoma City — Russell Westbrook had 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists to help Okla-

homa City rout Phoenix. Paul George added 21 points, Corey Brewer had 17, Steven Adams 16, and C a r m e l o A n t h o n y 11 . Brewer replaced Josh Huestis in the starting lineup and responded with a 6-for-11 performance from the floor. Heat 108, Sixers 99 Miami — Hassan Whiteside scored 26 p o i n t s , D w y a n e Wa d e added 16 and Miami beat Philadelphia to move a step closer to the playoffs.Josh Richardson scored 13 points, Tyler Johnson had 12 and Kelly Olynyk added 10 to help the Heat stay No. 7 in the Eastern Conference and move within a game of No. 6 Philadelphia. Nets 125, Hornets 111 Charlotte, n.c. — Allen Crabbe made his first six 3point attempts and finished with 29 points and eight rebounds, helping Brooklyn beat Charlotte to snap a four-game losing streak.

Keemo Paul replaces injured Cottrell in West Indies squad ESPNcricinfo - A hamstring injury has ruled West Indies fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell out of the remainder of the ongoing ICC World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Cottrell suffered the injury during West Indies’ first group game, against UAE, in which he bowled only 4.4 overs; he has been replaced by uncapped Guyana rightarm quick Keemo Paul. Paul, 20, shot into the l i m e l i g h t d u r i n g We s t Indies’ Under-19 World Cup victory in 2016, but their run to the title was controversial because of the fast bowler’s actions.

Saturday March 10, 2018

Kaieteur News

Kemo Paul (Craig Cozier) In their final group match against Zimbabwe - a game West Indies had to win to

make the quarter-finals – Paul effected a mankad to dismiss the last wicket. In the final, against India, Paul hit the winning runs. Paul has 82 wickets across first-class and List A cricket, with a bowling average of 17.35 and 21.32 in the two formats respectively. With two wins in two games - the second against Papua New Guinea - West Indies are currently second position in Group A, trailing Ireland by virtue of an inferior net run rate. The two sides will face each other today in Harare.

GCB U-17 Inter-County 50-over cricket

Demerara remain unbeaten, E’bo beat U-15s as bowlers dominate in low scoring games

Pint size Manoj Dasrath, who had 3-15, was E’bo’s best bowler yesterday at Lusignan. (Sean Devers photo) By Sean Devers The bowlers dominated in the low scoring matches in the second round of the GCB 50-over Inter-County U-17 cricket competition yesterday as hosts Demerara won the their second match with a 76run victory over defending Champs Berbice at Bourda and Essequibo won their first when they beat the National U-15 select by 18 runs at Lusignan.At Bourda, Demerara elected to bat in sweltering heat on a slow track and heavy outfield and led by 32 from Andre Seepersaud, 23 from Sachin Singh, 22 from Navindra Persaud and 18 from Yeudister Persaud reached 160 all out in 50 overs. Nigel Deodat followed up his 50 in the first round with 4-33, while Gurov Ramesh (235) and Marvan Prashad (226) supported for Berbice who were dismantled for 84 in 33.5 overs despite Seon Glasgow’s 21 and 10 each from Ricardo Ramdhol, Chanderpaul Govindan, Fawuz Gafoor and Skipper Gevon Shultz. Niron Bissu took 4-11 to take his second consecutive Man-of-the-Match Award and got support from Hrithit Singh who bagged 2-28. Berbice were set 161 to

win and Ramdhol added 22 for the first wicket but once they were separated wickets tumbled, including Deodat who fell for five as Berbice lost their way. And when Glasgow, who reached the boundary three times, departed at 47-7 after making the tournament’s only century in his last match, it was all over barring the shouting for Berbice. Earlier, Demerara’s Sachin Singh and Himnauth Dindyal (5) added 20 before pacer Saif Amoi removed Dindyal. Singh who dumped Deodat for a couple of scorching fours and a six into the Rohan Kanhai stand in the same over, got one that held up on him and spooned an easy catch to short mid-wicket as Deodat got the last laugh at 46-2.Dwayne Dick (6) was bowled by Deodat, Navindra Persaud was run out and Deodat got rid of Andrew Samaroo (4) and Seepersaud as the home team slipped to 118-6.Yeudister Persaud and Trevon Charles (12) carried the score to 149 before Prashad and Ramesh polished off the tail. At Lusignan, Essequibo were restricted to 138 off their 50 overs as Amir Singh with 41 from 87 balls and two fours and Saed Hakh who made 41

from 110 balls offered resistance with only Badesh Parsotan (13) of the other batsmen reaching double figures on a slow track and rough outfield. Jonathon Rampersaud had 2-25, while Jeremy Saudia captured 4-16 for the U-15s, who due to poor shot selection while needing to score at under 2.5 runs per over, fell for 120 in 49.4 overs after needing 34 to win off the last five overs with seven wickets down.Nicolas Rampat (16) and Mahendra Gopilall (14) provided the U15s who are using this tournament as preparation for next month’s Regional U-15 Tournament in Jamaica, with a solid 42-run opening stand before Rampat was removed by Manoj Dasrath.Only the left-handed Rampersaud who hit a six in his 26 before he was ninth out, bowled by Syivan Williams at 117-9 and Romel Datterdeen (12) got into double figures.Parsotan returned with the ball to take 4-11 and the Man-of-theMatch Award, while Dasrath backed him up with 3-15. Tomorrow is the final round and Demerara, the team with two wins will play Essequibo at Bourda, while Demerara will oppose the U15s at Everest.

Andre Seepersaud drives during his 32 for Demerara at Bourda yesterday.

Saturday March 10, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Windies eye revenge against unbeaten Irish HARARE, Zimbabwe, CMC – West Indies believe they have a score to settle when they clash with dangerous Ireland in their third match of the all-important ICC World Cup qualifiers here today. At the World Cup three years ago, the Irish stunned the Caribbean side by four wickets in Nelson, New Zealand after producing a remarkable run chase to overhaul a competitive 304. That preliminary round loss has remained with the Windies since then and captain Jason Holder said Saturday’s contest at the Harare Sports Club would be a good a time as any to erase those bitter memories. “It should be a really good clash. It will give us a gauge of where we are at and where we need to be going,” said Holder, who had been handed the captaincy just months ahead of the World Cup. “Obviously they beat us in 2015 in the World Cup and we haven’t played them since. [There was] a wash-out encounter last year in Belfast unfortunately so this is another opportunity for us to make wrong things right from the 2015 World Cup.

“It’s still in the back of our minds. Most of the players from 2015 may not be here but there are still a few faces around who had that experience in 2015 and I’m sure everyone will be pumped up and ready for this game.” Like West Indies, Ireland are unbeaten in Group A, and will present the first rest test of the tournament for their Caribbean opponents. The Windies topped United Arab Emirates by 60 runs in their opener last Tuesday and returned to trounce Papua New Guinea by six wickets two days later. Ireland, meanwhile, got the better of the Netherlands by 93 runs before beating PNG by four wickets.While the Windies batting flourished against UAE with Shimron Hetmyer and Chris Gayle getting hundreds, it stuttered against PNG and they needed Holder’s calm, unbeaten 99 to see them over the line. Up against a strong, experienced Irish side, Holder said it was important that his batsmen played sensibly and maximised the innings. “We’ve just got to give ourselves a chance. It’s important we soak up some pressure up front in our innings

Opener Shimron Hetmyer … struck a hundred against UAE. and try to bat as deep as possible,” he explained. “The nature of guys like Chris (Gayle) and Evin (Lewis) who really take control of the power-play and those are dominant figures, so if they can get off and take us deep into the innings that would be really good. The other guys can come in and support.

“We just want to keep playing the cricket we want to play. We always speak in the dressing room about the direction we want to go in and I think we’re hitting the nail on the head.” He continued: “We’re making improvements. I think this tournament is wonderful for us, it gives us a chance to

build momentum, get things going in the ODI format and hopefully we can continue winning in this tournament and win the overall tournament.” The top three teams from each group will progress to the Super Six stage, where they will play three matches against teams they did not meet in the preliminaries. The top two sides will meet in the final and book their spots at next year’s World Cup in England. But while the tournament has been branded as one of minnows, Holder warned that every team was a threat going forward in the competition. “I was really impressed with especially UAE. I thought those guys were very, very organised,” he pointed out. “I think on these surfaces it really levels things off because they are so good, batsmen can really cash in on the true nature of the surfaces. “And likewise with Papua New Guinea – what I like about them is that they never gave up. Even although we (himself and Shai Hope) built a pretty good partnership, they were still chirping and running

around and throwing themselves around in the field.” He added: “I don’t think any team in this competition would be pushovers. Obviously the higher-ranked sides have to fear these lowerranked sides because they’ve got nothing to lose so we’ve got to be very, very disciplined with all three disciplines in terms of batting, bowling and fielding, and look to win every single game.” The match bowls off at 9:30 am (3:30am Eastern Caribbean time). SQUADS: IRELAND – William Porterfield (captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson. WEST INDIES – Jason Holder (captain), Jason Mohammed, Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Nikita Miller, Ashley Nurse, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels and Kesrick Williams.

Ferrari fastest, Mercedes churns out miles as F1 tests end

Williams Sergey Sirotkin of Russia drives during F1 testing in Spain. (Photo: The Associated Press) MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Ferrari ended Formula One preseason testing with the fastest times, while Mercedes ran the most laps over the eight days at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Kimi Raikkonen’s lap of 1 minute, 17.221 seconds yesterday came within 0.039 seconds of the unofficial track record set by Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel the previous day. Both times were set on the fast “hypersoft” tires

introduced this season. The track was also resurfaced in January, hindering comparisons to previous times. Times set in testing are not considered official. Raikkonen said preseason was “pretty positive” for Ferrari, but downplayed his team’s lap times. “Obviously the circuit has changed, we have a new surface so it is difficult to compare,” Raikkonen said. “We can only be positive with what

we have done and then we will see in some weeks where we are starting off and if we have improved.” Defending champion Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas focused on running race simulations for a second straight day on Friday. Mercedes ended preseason testing with a total of 1037 laps, the most of any team. Ferrari also showed good reliability, running 925 laps in total.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany steers his car during a Formula One pre-season testing session. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) Hamilton was near the bottom of the time sheets on Friday, just ahead of last-place Lance Stroll of Williams. Fernando Alonso reeled off late laps to post the third-fastest time of preseason testing, finishing 0.563 seconds slower than R a i k k o n e n . A l o n s o ’s McLaren suffered an oil leak for a second time this week and the team again had to change its new Renault-made engine. Carlos Sainz only ran

the final 90 minutes on Friday because of a faulty gearbox in his Renault, but the Spaniard finished with the fifth-fastest time overall. R e d B u l l ’s D a n i e l Ricciardo used a late run to mark the fourth-fastest time, although he was still over a second slower than Raikkonen. Haas posted another promising result for a team that finished eighth in the 10-team standings last season. Romain Grosjean had

the fifth-best time a day after teammate Kevin Magnussen was second behind Vettel. Grosjean also put in 181 laps, the most for any driver on Friday. Charles Leclerc had a slight scare early when he lost control of his Sauber and ended knocking the protective barrier, which needed to be mended by the ground crew. The season starts with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 25.

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Saturday March 10, 2018

Kaieteur News

2018 Milo Schools’ under-18 football tournament

Knockout fixtures decided, begins this weekend with six round-of-16 matches The knockout, round-of16 stage for the Milo/Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) schools’ under-18 football tournament kicks off this weekend with action from today at the Ministry of Education (MOE) ground on CARIFESTA Avenue from

13:00hrs. Today’s play will feature three matches, in the first game, Annandale will battle Uitvlugt Secondary, while Friendship will match skills with Sir Leon Lessons in the second knockout at 14:50hrs followed by the final match at

16:30hrs between Masters Academy and The Bishops’ High School. The winning school team of this tournament which is being played under the theme “There is no excuse for violence” will take home $500,000, the runner up

$300,000, third place $200,000 and fourth place $100,000, which will all go towards a school project. See below the remaining fixtures of the tournament which has been won for the past three years by Chase’s Academic Foundation.

3/10/2018 Round of 16 Day 1 13:00 hrs Annandale Secondary 14:50 hrs Friendship Secondary 16:30 hrs Masters Academy

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Ministry of Education Ground Uitivulgt Secondary Sir Leon Lessons Bishop High School

Match # 37 38 39

3/11/2018 13:00 hrs 14:50 hrs 16:30 hrs

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Ministry of Education Ground Vergenogen Secondary Pure Masters St Roses High School

Match # 40 41 42

3/12/2018 Round of 16 Day 3 17:00 hrs Lodge Secondary School 18:50 hrs Chase Academy

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Ministry of Education Ground Business School Anns Grove Secondary

Match # 43 44

3/17/2018 Quarter Finals Day 1 14:00 hrs Winner of 40 16:00 hrs Winner of 44

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Ministry of Education Ground Winner of of 39 Winner of 38

Match # 45 46

3/18/2018 Quarter Finals Day 2 14:00 hrs Winner of 43 16:00 hrs Winner of 42

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Ministry of Education Ground Winner of 41 Winner of 37

Match # 47 48

3/25/2018 Semi Finals 14:00 hrs Winner of 45 16:00 hrs Winner of 46

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Ministry of Education Ground Winner of 48 Winner of 47

Match # 49 50

3/28/2018 Third Place Play Off and Finals 17:00 hrs Loser of 49

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Ministry of Education Ground Loser of 50

Match # 51

Finals 19:00 hrs

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Winner of 50

52

Round of 16 Day 2 Buxton Youth Development Christianburg Secondary Morgan Learning Center

Winner of 49

BCB to host Berbice wide U -15 U-15 ournaments and U -21 Inter -Club T U-21 InterTournaments - Teams urged to register The Berbice Cricket Board has now successfully completed negotiations concerning sponsorship for all its junior cricket tournaments for 2018. The Berbice Cricket Board has already launched Under-17 and Under-19 tournaments with sponsorship from former West Indies Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and the New York Business Group respectively. The Board during the course of this week completed discussions with two official sponsors and is pleased to announce that they would also be hosting Under15 and Under-21 Cricket Tournaments for Clubs across the Ancient County. President of the Berbice Cricket Board, Hilbert Foster, who is spearheading a massive Marketing Campaign together with Vice President Jevaughn Stephen, stated that the two tournaments would be launched in about

two weeks. The Under-15 Tournament would cater for players born on or after the 1st September, 2003 and would be played on a OneDay Two-innings basis, while the Semifinals and Finals would be played over Twodays. The first innings in the One-day matches shall be restricted to 40-Overs per side. Players like Jonathan Rampersaud, Mahendra Gopilall, Isia Thorne, Jeremy Sandia, Tomanni Ceasar, Zeynul Ramsammy and Antwone Alexander are expected to be part of the InterClub Tournament which would be making a welcome return to Berbice Cricket. The Under-21 Tournament, Foster said is to assist players to successfully move from the junior rank to the senior level. Most players he stated leave the game after the Under-19 level as they feel that is the end of their careers.

Berbice Cricket Board President Hilbert Foster The Under-21 Tournament would serve as encouragement to continue playing the game and eventually going on to play for Berbice, Guyana and the West Indies. The tournament would be played 50-Overs per side and among the teams expected to play are Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets, Albion Cricket Club, Port Mourant Cricket Club, Tucber Park Cricket Club, Blairmont Cricket Club, Young Achievers, Young Warriors, No.19

Village, Rose Hall Canje and Upper Corentyne. Among the players that would be on show are Kevlon Anderson, Kevin Sinclair, Junior Sinclair, Sylus Tyndall, Keith Simpson, Adrian Sukwah, Kelvin Unrow, Karran Arjpaul, Omar Weatherspoon, Raymond Rayman and Joel Seitaram. The Berbice Cricket Board at the end of the tournament would be selecting a Berbice Under-21 Team to play a series of matches across Guyana as part of its players’ developmental programme. Te a m s i n t e r e s t e d i n playing both tournaments are asked to register as early as possible. Clubs are also advised that tournaments would be held at the Under-17, Under-19, Second Division, Female, Intermediate and First Division levels. Additionally, tournaments would be played within each of the five zones in Berbice “Berbice River, West (Continued on page 29)

Large crowd expected at Budhan’s Turf Club for tomorrow’s horserace meet Tomorrow, the Budhan Memorial Turf Club at Number 66 Village, Corentyne Berbice, will come alive when they run off a seven-card horserace meet that will carry a total prize purse of over $2million. The meet will feature many of the best J and lower class horses in the country battling in a seven race programme for the attractive prizes on offer. Over 50 horses have entered and the action promises to be exciting. According to Compton Sancho, the track is in excellent shape and set for a grand day of horseracing. He noted that many of the horses have been turning in impressive times during practice and fans will be in of a treat. Among some of the horses on show are Uprising, Not this time, Irish Boy, Plane Land, Release the beast, She is Royal and Big man in town

Compton Sancho and others. The action starts at 1:00pm sharp and many side attractions will be at the venue to aid the day’s entertainment for the fans. A well stocked food and drink bar, music accompaniment by Uprising Sound System and entertainment for the children will all be part of the excitement.

BCB launches 40-Overs Cricket Tournament for teams in Berbice River The newly elected Berbice Cricket Board under the Presidency of Hilbert Foster continued to fulfill its commitment to make sure that Cricket is played in every area in the ancient county. The Board President was able to obtain a Sponsorship from a prominent West Coast Berbice Businessman to host a 40-Overs Knockout Cricket Tournament for Second Division teams based in the Berbice River area. The Businessman, who wished to remain unknown has business interest in the area and is well known to residents in the riverain district. The Berbice Cricket Board has agreed to name the five teams’ tournament “The Berbice River Say No to Drugs Cricket Tournament” as part of its social message programme. The five teams that would be involved in the tournament are Kimbia, Wiruni Volcano, Friendship, Ebini Ranch Raiders and Calcuni. After a draw conducted at the Berbice Cricket Board Office, the fixture was decided. In the first round Kimbia Cricket Club would play Wiruni Volcano at Wiruni, while Calcuni would travel to Ebini Ranch Raiders to play Ebini Ranch Raiders. Friendship Cricket Club drew the bye in the first round. The winner of the first match would play Friendship in the lone semifinals, while the win-

ner of Calcuni and Ebini match would advance to the finals. The date and venue for the Finals would be announced once the finalists are known. Foster, disclosed that the Berbice Cricket Board would be seeking to organise at least two other tournaments in the Berbice River Area, while great efforts would be made to conduct coaching clinics during the year and they would also benefit from cricket gears, educational cricket materials and scorebooks among others. Foster disclosed that each of the five sub-divisions in the county “Berbice River, West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Central/Upper Corentyne” would benefit equally from his administration’s efforts to restore Berbice Cricket to its rightful place. The Berbice River area over the years has suffered from a lack of attention from its parent body but this would be corrected in 2018. Great effort would also be made to get teams in the area to visit the mainland to play more experienced teams. He expressed full confidence that the Say No to Drugs 40-Overs Cricket Tournament would be a major success and urged the teams involved to play (Continued on page 29)