Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday November 21, 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

A toxic record of recklessness (Republished from The Washington Post) A common theme has emerged in the Trump administration’s rhetoric about Saudi Arabia’s murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The president and his top aides keep saying that they intend to get to the bottom of the case and to hold all those responsible accountable. But there is always one caveat: Any action must be consistent with “maintaining the important strategic relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” as the State Department put it on Saturday. The implication is clear: Nothing can disrupt the White House’s bond with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s most powerful figure. That imperative apparently has prompted President Trump to resist the CIA’s firm finding that the crown prince was responsible for ordering Mr. Khashoggi’s murder. And it has so far prevented the State Department from publicly stating what conclusions the United States has reached about the case — though Mr. Trump vaguely spoke of a report this week. The administration is right that the relationship with Saudi Arabia, which dates to President Franklin D. Rooosevelt’s administration, is worth preserving. But it is exaggerating the importance of a country that gets far more from the United States than it delivers. It is also mistakenly conflating the Saudi regime with one 33-year-old prince — a man who in a handful of years has run up a toxic record of recklessness. As we have previously written, Mr. Trump appears to greatly overvalue Saudi Arabia as a weapons purchaser, an oil producer and an “ally” against Iran. In fact, the regime is not delivering on any of those fronts. It has completed only a small fraction of the $110 billion in arms purchases Mr. Trump touts. It is reportedly considering a cut in oil production, despite Mr. Trump’s entreaties to step up pumping. As a military partner in pushing back against Iranian aggression, Saudi Arabia has been worse than useless. It has no significant presence in Syria, where Tehran is making its strongest military push. The intervention in Yemen launched by Mohammed bin Salman produced a humanitarian catastrophe while strengthening Iran’s position. Tehran smiled when the prince rashly launched a blockade against neighboring Qatar, site of the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East; it cheered when he abducted the proAmerican prime minister of Lebanon. Mohammed bin Salman has been good at charming Westerners with talk of religious reform and economic modernization, but in practice he has done enormous damage to those causes. He has imprisoned scores of liberal Saudis who support reform, including the women who pushed for the right to drive. In overseeing the murder of Mr. Khashoggi, he silenced an influential journalist who endorsed his goals while criticizing his methods. He has backed away from several major economic reforms. The United States cannot force Mohammed bin Salman’s removal from power, and the fact that he may remain is another rationale for the administration’s response. But it is entirely possible to sanction and shun the Saudi leader while still doing business with his regime. The Saudi royal family cannot afford and will not allow a rupture with the United States. The weakening of the crown prince would likely increase stability in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East. In contrast, a failure to check Mohammed bin Salman will invite even more destructive behavior.

Declare assets to the Integrity Commission Dear Editor, Stabroek News of Sunday 11th November, 2018 reported that the Integrity Commission named 87 public officials who failed to submit the declaration of their assets to the Integrity Commission in keeping with the law. The Commission listed Ministers, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Opposition Parliamentarians, and other public officials. The Chairman, Mr. Kumar Doraisami, and Members of the Integrity Commission must be commended for calling on these high public officials to obey the law, which they themselves made. President David Granger and the Opposition Leader, Bharat Jagdeo, must demand public accountability from the Speaker, Ministers and the Parliamentarians. The public is

pleased with this approach by the Integrity Commission. Please keep the general public and the citizen voters informed regularly of non-compliance and take promptly the required legal recourse in keeping with the law. It may also be appropriate for the Commissioner General of GRA to intervene as may be appropriate without fear or favour. What of SOCU and SARA? Off you go. What an example and message being sent to the national community from Ministers, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and Members of the National Assembly. What a shame! The people must be informed of compliance by these public officials. Yours faithfully, Joshua Singh

Rejection by the people of Sophia Dear Editor, In the recent thank you address to the Sophia district, Minister of State Joseph Harmon is said to have issued terse words, which in effect is a call to violence against The Opposition. Harmon’s alleged call to violence is a direct response to the naked results of the last Local Government Elections (LGE), which saw his party receiving a whipping at the hands of The PPP/C’s Candidate. In an area that is considered a PNC stronghold, Harmon’s party saw sure defeat, something they cannot come to grips with. Those results incensed him, hence his resort to an age old PNC tactic of castigating your opponent in the vilest way possible, spewing enough hate which would have the desired effect to whip up violence. But in speaking vile things about The PPP/C Minister, Harmon has put his foot squarely in his mouth, because Sophia of all places

would have remembered that it was The PPP/C who gave them Sophia and a place called home when his, Harmon’s Party, through its leader Desmond Hoyte, raced them off the land. They would have remembered that it was The PPP/C who picked them up and made them into a thriving township. They would have remembered, also, that it was The PPP/C who gave them a cash grant of $10,000 for every school-aged child. In a community that is overwhelmingly made up of single parent Black Mothers ( I would like the editors to publish this sentence exactly the way I’ve penned it), those single parent mothers would have remembered who cared for them and came to their rescue when she and her family needed it most. Those mothers know fully well that it was not, I repeat, was not The PNC who did that. Rather, it was the PPP/C. So, as a show of gratitude, those people voted for the party who cared.

They would have also come to the realization that the party in times past to whom they gave their votes, is all about using them for vile causes like the last visit made by Harmon. So, The Sophia Residents are tired of this nonsense and showed their displeasure in a decisive way the last LGE. No amount of rants and threats from him can erase that fact. The same could be said of another Afro-dominated neighbourhood of Foulis – Buxton; here again, The PNC saw massive defeat which is a direct result to the question who care and who are really interested in our w ellbeing? Ins tead of developing the people there, Buxton was used by The PNC as a place for nefarious activities when again violence was the main purpose for that party. During the crime spree years, some gullible ones in Buxton aided and abetted criminal elements there quite to the gleeful cheerleading PNC. They even made a song out of it “Bad man a Bad man,

Bad man shoot man Bad man, a Buxton man.” This was all done in their subversive and terror campaign against The PPP/C. Well, I can tell Harmon that Buxtonians have gotten tired of their village being used by The PNC and their thugs, hence a staunch rejection in their voting style last LGE. The Buxton - Foulis NDC Neighbourhood has spoken outright. Enough is enough, we want a party and councillors who speak peace and progress not war and deceit. So, Harmon has to go someplace else with that racist political bile, there is a New Guyana rising and this can only be achieved with PPP/C’s Guidance and leadership. Respectfully submitted Neil Adams Editor’s note: FoulisBuxton is not an Afrodominated council. It accommodates Strathspey, Enterprise, and other Indocentric communities. For its part, Buxton did not give a single vote to the PPP.

There has been no corruption Dear Editor, It was reassuring to hear Dr. Bynoe emphasize that there has been no corruption in relation to contractors and deals. Going forward, we of course, have much work to do to ensure that it remains this way, but it is nice to know that preventing corruption is a priority. Given the interest in our v a s t r e s o u r c e s , i t ’s understandable to suspect some mischief – so, Dr. Bynoe’s repudiation was absolutely necessary. But it will take more than just good intentions to prevent greed when oil revenues start flowing. To reduce opportunities for corruption, the Department of Energy (DoE) is drafting up a model contract for future PSAs.

This could take up to a whole year to complete but is absolutely critical. Dr. Bynoe said that only AFTER the model contract is completed, will we start leasing to new or more contractors. Hopefully the DoE can move this model contract forward quickly, but it is certainly wise to hold on new contracts until we have a template in place for future business deals. With this predesigned contract, the standards and expectations will be clearly set, and contractors will not be able to insert any contractual details that are unfavorable to us or reduce our windfall. In the spirit of setting those clear standards, Dr. Bynoe stressed the necessity for updated legislation in the

petroleum sector. Legislation should not just bring order to the sector, it should also smoothen relations between contractors, the government and the public. These laws will be public knowledge and contractors must respect them. This will give us, hopefully, a glimpse of what was required from the contractors and since the contract is a template, we will also know the ins and outs of that. Of all the legislative frameworks, the model contract is most important because it can be applied to all business arrangements and will be key in preventing any corrupt behaviour when dealing with new contractors and protecting the integrity of our petroleum sector.

O b v i o u s l y, t h i s a l l sounds very ambitious for our government. Dr. Bynoe indicated that the DoE will also be hiring legal assistance to ensure that the new legislation and model contract work in our favour. Whoever is chosen should be adept in dealing with frontier countries without an established infrastructure for the oil and gas industry. Since Guyana is not the first to be in this position, I’m sure that there are plenty of international experts to choose from those who have experience counselling governments on similar matters. Hopefully, the DoE will inform us of their choice soon. Sincerely, Clement Smith

Wednesday November 21, 2018

The 2018 LGE provided a litmus test DEAR EDITOR, With Local Government Elections (LGE) behind us, one battle in the people’s struggle to regain power at the central government level has been fought and won. The euphoria that erupted at ground zero appeared as though the victories scored at the local government and municipal levels was just as big as a victory fought and won at regional and general elections To many, the elections were not only a referendum on the APNU+AFC Coalition administration, it was also viewed as a dress rehearsal for what is to come in 2020. The impact of the LGE results was much bigger than it was within the ambit of the PPP/C’s support base. As a matter of fact, its reverberation was felt throughout the wider society like 6.8 on the Richter scale. The sweet taste of victory by Opposition foot soldiers was a microcosm of what was tasted by thousands who, as if with dry throats, waited anxiously to quench their thirst since May 2015. Small wonder the preliminary results were welcomed with such exuberance by a populace who knew the result could not be otherwise. With impressive brownie points under their belts, Opposition foot soldiers know that they must gird their loins for fresh battles that lie ahead on the road to the mother of all elections in 2020. On the evening of November 12, prior to the announcement of the LGE preliminary results, certain APNU big wigs were already crowing on TV about ‘making inroads in Opposition strongholds.’ They claimed that they

were ‘satisfied’ with what they had seen in their respective constituencies during the course of the day. But they all seemed to be sucking cane and whistling at the same time since, while voicing optimism about results favoring them, they were bemoaning the low voter turnout in their strong holds. Ironically, one leader boasted that ‘a low voter turnout is positive for their party.’ It is to be recalled that for the first LGE held under the PPP/C in 1994, there were 348,195 voters on the list. The voter turnout was 47.91%. In 2016, for the first LGE held under the APNU+AFC there were 507,584 voters on the list. The voter turnout was 47.10 %. And in 2018 for the just concluded LGE, with 573, 923 voters on the list, the voter turnout was 36%, the lowest ever. Incidentally, it is apposite to note that over a period of 23 years, the number of voters in Guyana jumped from 348,195 to 573,923, an increase of 225,728 or just over 60.6% . Earlier, this astronomical increase had raised eyebrows but the concern somehow fell off the radar. As regards the pattern of voter turnout at LGE versus voter turnout at General and Regional Elections, there has always been a yawning chasm. In the General and Regional Elections held in 1992, the voter turnout was 88.7%. In 1997, it was 88.4% . For 2001, it was 91.7%, while in 2006 it was 68.8%. In 2011, it was 72.91%.And in 2015 the turn out stood at 71.2 %. What is remarkable however is that while it took 23 years for the PPP/C to lose a

An unhealthy situation DEAR EDITOR, I would like to bring to your attention some concerns that are really upsetting to me and others who use the 42 Diamond/Grove bus park. It is very uncomfortable for us as working class citizens of this country. This is what we face every day at the park. There is a portable toilet, faeces all over creating conditions unhealthy for all of us. We have to sit and smile at that every day; however, it is very disgusting. Before this bus park, did they have any toilet? I would like the Mayor and Town Clerk to visit the park and sit in a bus and see

if they can take the smell. It is very unhealthy. I would like you to visit and resolve this problem. Thank you, Vibert Roderigues.

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mere sliver of votes, with just over three years in government, the APNU+AFC lost to the PPP/C a huge chunk of the votes they won in 2015. The APNU/AFC’s rap sheet was so horrendous that long before the November LGE, dissatisfaction and disillusionment had become so widespread that all that was needed was an election to illustrate the extent of complacency and voter apathy that had penetrated their camp. The promise of a good life, which never gained traction anyway, had gone up in smoke leaving ‘Les Miserables’ at their wits end to scrounge around for bread and butter. In contrast, so voracious was the appetite of the APNU+AFC eager beavers who had assumed office, that the billions safely stored by the PPP/C just in case of an unexpected ‘hard guava season,’ were quickly gobbled up in a manner totally oblivious to the basic needs of the populace. In effect, were we to take the results of the just concluded LGE as a means of measuring the shelf life of the APNU+ AFC it would not be unreasonable to conclude that the coalition’s expiry date would be mid-2020. The weeping and gnashing of teeth, not to mention the shedding of crocodile tears and outpourings of confessions expressed at the November 17 rally at Sophia, was an attempt to come to grips with the brutal reality of losing votes big time and the untidy complexity of political experience which political parties must face from time to time. The PPP/C had to face the complexities of similar political challenges before and after the 2011 and 2015 elections. At that time, the APNU+ AFC formed the political opposition. (Continued on page 6)

Time to expose these saboteurs DEAR EDITOR, Referring to Demerarawaves November 18, 2018 headlined report, “No more Mr Nice Time: APNU Targets PPP supporters , NDCs that sabotage government – Harmon”, let me be among the first to fully support this measure that the coalition government, of which Minister Harmon is a member, intends to take against the stated category. Of course, one should expect the howling and accusations “of threats against our members” and even that good ole, but worn out cry of “witch hunting” coming from the usual voices at Freedom House. And of course, they will deny the fact of the Minister’s statement . Nothing new for we have heard them all before. What Minister Harmon has revealed about the stymieing of projects orchestrated to make the government look bad, as well the continuing discriminatory practices in NDCs where there are especially Afro Guyanese, are well known. In fact, well known political commentators have been repeating these warnings in their weekly columns, as well

as contributors to the letter pages. But these saboteurs do not only exist in NDCs – they are ensconced in senior positions in many public service departments, where many junior staff have been discussing their wicked and evil acts with relatives and friends, which are designed to embarrass the David Granger administration. Simply put, such actions have been the major staple served up by PPP/C-aligned personnel within the public service, and in PPP/C-controlled NDCs providing social amenities for African communities. As an aside, it is no secret that Afro-Guyanese communities, such as Sophia suffered decades of neglect during the tenure of the last administration. But within the last three years, this community has been given asphalted roads, street electrification, and potable water in many of its areas. It is a work in continuity, because of its vastness. There is no doubt, that the government would have been receiving complaints from its constituents in these PPP/C controlled NDCs; and even now, with the APNU

fanning out into its constituencies, the supporters are complaining. There is absolutely no doubt, that this would have been one of the reasons for low voter turnout in the many constituencies. I have always questioned the government’s decision to end its removal of dubious individuals from their posts within the many state departments. This came about, I believe, because the President wanted to be guided by the concept of a professional public service, whereby government had been prepared to have any public servant, regardless of political affiliation, continue in its employ, provided that he/she performs in the best interests of the public. Such an understanding would be a departure from a politically controlled public employment system, which would only be prejudicial in its service to sections of the general public, while being injurious to the public’s good. Many of these persons, despite being retained, have been central to the efforts to bring the government’s many socio-economic programmes (Continued on page 6)

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A situation with a nephrologist DEAR EDITOR, I read with interest Dr. Ramsammy’s letter on the subject of Hospital licensing in Guyana. When we received our licence for 2018, we were made aware of several caveats, one of those being that we must not offer Dialysis unless we have a nephrologist that provides direct supervision. The Medical Council refused to renew Registration for our Nephrologist who was supervising our patients online from India for many years. The Council never re-

sponded to our letters on the matter and never disclosed if they have any Nephrologists on the Register. However, it appears that they have registered a Nephrologist from one of the Caribbean countries who visits infrequently. One may ask, is this considered direct supervision? We acquired the services of a full-time Nephrologist at a cost. We are now asking for a level playing field. No other private Dialysis centre provides direct supervision, and the Nephrologist at GPHC has institutional reg-

istration and therefore it would be illegal for him to visit the private centres. As an extension of the restrictions imposed on us, all centres not offering direct supervision by a Nephrologist should not be allowed to function, should be deemed unsafe for patients, and should not be able to access NIS and government funding for their patients. I am requesting the Minister of Health to apply the law uniformly. Yours sincerely, Dr. Madhu P. Singh, M.D. (Obs & Gynae)

TO HANG OR NOT TO HANG DEAR EDITOR, To hang or not to hang has been a burning topic for decades in Guyana, the Caribbean and the wider world. On Friday November 30, Catholics throughout the world will have prayers, lighting of the church and ringing of bells...to attract attention in the move by the Church to take steps to abolish the death penalty. That day is the World Day for the abolishment of the death penalty. While there is debate to abolish the death penalty, it is not an easy decision to make because there are strong arguments for and against. “Thou shall not kill” is the sixth commandment. “An eye for an eye” is in Genesis in the Old Testament, but Jesus said, according to Matthew 5.37, “turn the other cheek”, in other words, no retaliation. When I was the Chief Prosecutor in St Vincent and the Grenadines, three per-

sons were sentenced to death. I later supported the move to commute the death sentences to life imprisonment. The death penalty does not exist in the dependent states of British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Turks and Caicos, Montserrat, Cayman Islands and Bermuda. Statistics shows that 105 countries, which are members of the United Nations have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, and six abolished but retain for exceptional or special circumstances. Perhaps I should state that 47 countries, including Guyana, which retained capital punishment, have not used it for at least 12 years. China also imposes the death penalty as several states in the US. Muslim countries, which abide by Sharia law prescribe various form, of capital punishment for certain offences. The punishment includes decapitating

stoning and execution by firing squad...not to mention the ruthless killing of journalist Khashoggi, in Turkey. It was a horrible murder and the body was dismembered. In the light of the gruesome and senseless murders in Guyana, it is felt by many that the death penalty should remain in the statute books, but should only be implemented in extreme cases. The recent visit by officials of the European Union (EU) and the British High Commission to the Georgetown Prisons and the statement by National Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, that he is not thinking of rebuilding the gallows seem to be an indication that Guyana is thinking of totally abolishing the death penalty. I should point out that although 17 persons are in death row for years there has not been an execution for the past 20 years in Guyana. By Oscar Ramjeet

Wednesday November 21, 2018

The 2018 LGE provided a litmus test From page 5 Now, with the PPP/C in opposition and the APNU+AFC in government, those who strut the corridors of power must now, following the LGE, face what could be described as ‘the weapon of dialectic destruction.’ The APNU+AFC should by now recognize the political parody that in politics, the truth is rented for five years then it is thrown out and replaced by another set of truths in the course of political struggle and more so, when governments change. All the APNU’s chatter about ‘losing contact with our supporters,’ that ‘we didn’t lose, it was racism that won’ and that ‘there was a low voter turnout of our supporters because LGE was not held for such a long time’ are but lame excuses in lieu of their fecklessness and cynical neglect of those to whom the ‘good life’ was promised. In this respect, the APNU+ AFC found themselves caught in the existential governmental trap characterized by neglect and complacency. It is a trap in which most ruling parties find themselves having taken too much for granted. The palliative offered by an APNU minister of government to construct a new hospital and to provide lessons in English, Maths and Science free of cost was done to appear benevolent and charitable and to improve the electoral fortunes of coalition. David Hinds, a consummate critic of the APNU+AFC, writing in his ‘Hind’ Sight’ of November 11,2018 was at pains to point out that holding LGE should ‘not be viewed as a major accomplish-

ment of the coalition administration’. Hinds prophesied that ‘the PNC would have a hard time getting its base to the polls and that the PPP would win the popular vote.’ So said, so done! Following the APNU’s humiliating defeat, and the holding of its ‘Thank You’ rally at ‘C’ Field Sophia, many bore witness to the knee jerk, foul ‘mouthery’ and vitriol emanating from the podium at the rally where one of the prominent leaders of the APNU said, ‘No more nice time business’ and that ‘We’ve got to fix these things’ meaning, flushing out ‘PPP supporters and NDC’s that sabotage the government.’ The originator of this objectionable narrative must know that language in which a political debate is conducted, very often determines its outcome. Small wonder why the offensive vitriol set off an inferno of political criticism from opposition circles. On his return, it behoves the political leader of the APNU to reign in the prima donnaish antics of his coalition partners as well as the bad content in the political language espoused by his followers before it bubbles over at the top. These developments, notwithstanding, what must not be overlooked is the fact that the just concluded LGE was held in a peaceful and calm atmosphere throughout the country. The voters list was scrutinized thoroughly by PPP activists and there were no allegations of evidential value with respect to ballot box or vote tampering. With the holding of LGE,

two factors standout, democracy at the grassroots level, though still weak, has been further strengthened and concomitantly, the prospects for free and fair elections at the national level beckons. Care must be taken however not to be carried away by the successes scored in the general conduct of the just concluded LGE. Local power must not be confused with state power, while the two are mutually reinforcing and therefore critical for nation building, the latter is precisely where real power resides. In the struggle to achieve state power come elections 2020, the major political parties or blocks will pull out all the stops to ensure that one or the other either stays in office or win back office. Sometime in mid-2020, the bell will toll for one or the other. However, if the results of the local government elections are to be used as a barometer for measuring the prospects for a change of government, it is reasonable to presume that with free and fair elections, as it was with the LGE, the populace knows it cannot be otherwise. As elections go, the way to bring about a people’s victory is to situate Napoleon’s military maxim in a political context and to replace the word ‘army’ with ‘political party.’ ‘An army should be ready every day and at all hours to fight...an army ought always to be ready by day, by night, at all hours, to make all the resistance it is capable of making.” Yours faithfully, Clement J. Rohee

Time to expose these saboteurs From page 5 to a halt. One only has to recall the slow-paced execution of Public Sector Investment Programmes (PSIPs), and the government’s monitoring mechanism, which resulted in an exponential implementation rate. Though not related, one can also point to the now infamous shortage of foreign currency plot, no doubt politically inspired, by sections of the business community.

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This current administration is faced by a concerted effort of forces, inclusive of NDCs inherently racist and with extreme vested interests that are primarily influenced by the impending flow of oil as from 2020. They are all hell bent on making it difficult for the current administration to govern this country. This began from the onset of this government’s tenure in office, led by an Opposition who re-

fused to accept the 2015 elections. It is time that government publicly exposes these particular persons and their antinational programmes whose continuous mission of denying supporters of the government amenities, constitutes a denial of their human rights, in addition to creating the grounds for disenchantment with the government. Regards Dillon Goring

Wednesday November 21, 2018

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Gold company eyeing Guyana had 3 cyanide spills within 18 months

Gold Company, Barrick Incorporated, has made itself a reputation as the largest oil company in the world. However, the company has been centered in multiple instances of controversy over the years. Pending its investment in gold exploration throughout the Guiana Shield, Guyana should be aware that Barrick has had three cyanide spills in Argentina, all occurring within 18 months. MINING.com, which is the leading digital publication covering the global mining sector, reported that an Argentine court confirmed criminal charges, last year, against eight of nine Barrick Gold employees related to their involvement in a cyanide spill in 2015 at the company’s Veladero mine; the first of three spills originating from the mine. Nine managers were charged by the San Juan court, where the mine is located. The company appealed, seeking the dismissal of the charges. The court rejected the appeals for eight of the nine individuals, on charges of “pollution, negligence and malpractice”. The

only manager absolved was let off because the court said he “lacked merit” for the charges. The ruling, the publication stated, is not the only sanction Barrick has faced. In January 2016, Barrick was made to pay 145.7M Pesos (about US$9.8M) in fines over the incident. Though the company said it had taken measures to strengthen safeguards against these incidents at the mine, a second spill occurred a few months later, caused by falling ice damaging a pipe. This had hampered normal operations on the mine for 2016, which only resumed last year. Additionally, the company is being investigated for possible negligence in relation to another spill on the same mine, in March last year. A separate claim, following this spill, states that the company failed to complete improvements to the Veladero mine. However, Barrick’s unflattering record doesn’t end with Argentina. In September last, Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID), wrote letters to top executives of

Barrick’s Veladero mine in San Juan, Argentina (Photo Credit: MINING.com) both companies requesting that they take action against human rights abuses at North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania, a mine controlled by Acacia Gold Mining. The letters by the human rights watchdog to John Thornton, Barrick’s Executive Chairman, and Mark Bristow, Rangold’s Chief Executive Officer, describe a disturbing pattern of abuses by security personnel and Tanzanian police operating jointly at the mine. Barrick holds a 63.9 percent stake in Acacia mining, which is listed in London. A (Continued on page 30)

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Birth asphyxia among causes of neonatal deaths in public health sector Between June 2017 and July this year, there were 12 neonatal deaths recorded by neonatal intensive care units [NICU] within the public health sector. At least this is based on information provided to the National Assembly by Senior Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, in response to questions posed by parliamentary opposition member, Dr. Vindhya Persaud. Based on Lawrence’s recent presentation to the House, in June 2017, one neonatal death was recorded at the New Amsterdam Hospital, which was a result of severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy [HIE]. HIE is characterised by clinical and laboratory evidence of acute or sub-acute brain injury due to asphyxia. The primary causes of this condition are systemic hypoxemia and/or reduced cerebral blood flow. According to reports, birth asphyxia causes some 840,000 or 23 percent of all neonatal deaths worldwide. Another two deaths at the same institution were due to pulmonary haemorrhaging

[bleeding into the lungs] and congenital malformation [structural or functional anomalies]. They were recorded in July 2017. In October of last year, two neonatal deaths recorded were as a result of pulmonary haemorrhaging and congenital malformation, and another two were the result of intraventricular haemorrhage and prematurity. November 2017 saw four deaths being recorded; including pulmonary haemorrhage and congenital cardiomyopathy at the Berbice health facility, while in July 2018, another death due to Hyaline Membrane (immature lung) was recorded too. At the Suddie Hospital, between the period May 2017 through April 2018, seven deaths were recorded due to complications resulting from Meconium aspiration syndrome, acute respiratory failure, hyaline membrane disease, cardio-respiratory failure, bronchopneumonia, bronchoaspiration, preterm maturity, cardiorespiratory failure, congential malfunction, severe asphyxia

Ms. Volda Lawrence, Senior Minister of Public Health by nuchal cord and prematurity. In Linden, the causes of the four neonatal deaths there were due to cardiac arrest, congential cardiomyopathy, neonatal sepsis and asphyxia. Among the institutions that were examined to determine public health’s NICU situation were the Georgetown Public Hospital

Corporation [GPHC], New Amsterdam Hospital, Linden Hospital Complex, Suddie Public Hospital, Bartica Hospital and the West Demerara Regional Hospital. As part of her presentation, the Minister shared the number of admissions from each government-run NICU during the period June 2017 to June 2018. According to her, during the course of 2016 a total of 325 admissions were recorded which translated to 113 at the GPHC, 119 at the New Amsterdam Hospital, 79 at the Linden Hospital and 14 at the Suddie Public Hospital. There were, however, no admissions recorded for 2016 at the Bartica and West Demerara Regional Hospitals. In 2017, there were 379, with 189 admissions at the GPHC, 83 at the New

Amsterdam Hospital, 74 at the Linden Hospital, 18 at the Suddie Public Hospital, four at the Bartica Hospital and 11 at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. Also in June 2018, a total of 151 admissions were recorded at the institutions. This amounted to 37 at the GPHC, 49 at the New Amsterdam Hospital, 43 at the Linden Hospital, 16 at the Suddie Public Hospital and three each at the Bartica and West Demerara Hospitals. According to the Public Health Minister’s report, of the 473 admissions at the GPHC’s NICU, 69 were referred from other institutions for the period under review. The Minister disclosed too that the referral situation often results in the NICU being overcrowded. “The NICU is often overcrowded because the

GPHC cannot refuse to admit sick babies from the regions and private hospitals,” the Minister disclosed. Between January and June of this year, the Minister reported that there were a total of 11 incubators in the GPHC’s NICU, of which five were in use and the additional six were being kept for spare use. The Minister however noted that while as of May 11, 2015, a total of 10 incubators and six ventilators were added to the NICU, by July 1, 2018, eight ventilators and five incubators were in use. Recognising the importance of maintenance, the hospital currently has on board four qualified staff available for the maintenance of incubators and ventilators of which two are biomedical technicians and two are biomedical engineers.

Venezuelans are here to stay – IOM report The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has released results from their Displacement Tracking Matrix, finding that persons traveling from Venezuela are in Guyana to settle down. The study was conducted from August to September of 2018, and focused on the areas where there are highest concentrations of refugees from Venezuela, in Georgetown and 11 villages in Region One, namely Whitewater, Kamawatta, Mabaruma, Khan’s Hill, Imbotero, Smith’s Creek, Hosororo, Kumakam, Bumbury,

Port Kaituma and Matthew’s Ridge. The report included 444 persons. 338 were from Barima-Waini, while the remaining 106 were from Georgetown. Of the total, 354 are Venezuelans, and 89 are returning. The migrants came from Delta Amacuro (49 percent), Bolivar (37 percent), Monagas (six percent), and Anzoategui (four percent). 59 percent of the surveyed migrants were women. As for age distribution, most of the persons are between 18 and 30 years old (52 (Continued on page 30)

$5B budget for GECOM approved The Committee of Supply of the National Assembly on Monday evening approved the lump sum of $5,371,061,000 for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the period ending December 31, 2019. Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, said the sum rec-

ommended represents a substantial amount of the $6,368,100,000 requested by the Commission. In response to the opposition’s concern, Minister Jordan expressed that this amount will adequately meet GECOM’s financial needs for the period. He noted that the commis-

sion had indicated that there were sums left over from the previous year’s allocation. The sum was approved by majority vote. The Finance Minister also commended GECOM for its efficient execution of the recently hosted Local Government Elections.

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Kaieteur News

Excuses and blame Casting blame on others is not going to excuse the performance of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) at the November 12, 2018 local government elections. APNU has to stop blaming others for its uninspiring performance and look very closely at its campaign management and strategy, because this is where the answers to its poor showing lie. The PPPC did not perform exceptionally. The PPPC garnered slightly more votes than the votes it did in the 2016 elections. So it was not as if the

PPPC was so rampant in elections. The PPPC did not over perform. It was APNU that underperformed. APNU therefore should cease with its sham, which it presented to the people of Sophia about racism being employed in the elections. It should cease this charade about the government being sabotaged by PPP sympathizers within the government and local authorities, resulting in the neglect of APNU bases. APNU must equally stop crediting the low voter turnout to apathy caused by poor voter education.

GECOM found itself mimicking APNU and casting blame on the Ministry of Communities. The voter turnout in the 2016 elections was 47%. The voter turnout in 2018 was far lower. The majority of the population would have therefore already been familiar with the LGE system, and voter education was not necessarily the cause of voter apathy. Local government elections do suffer from low voter turnout because the political stakes are lower. Political parties know this, and that is why they make a

Dem boys seh ...

Jagdeo and Soulja Bai is like Trump and Obama Everybody created different. Not dem boys seh suh but dem read how everybody is special and unique in dem own way. Donald Trump unique. He attacking everybody who don’t agree wid him. He attack reporters; he attack he own people. Every day is something; is anodda surprise from Trump. He stirring up racial hatred across America and around de world. He leading fuh one set of people. Unlike Obama, when he was president, he try to represent de whole country and all its people. He visit troops in de war zones; he spend Christmas wid he soldiers. He was different from Trump who never spend Christmas away from his home. In Guyana, dem boys seh Jagdeo like Trump in more ways than one. When he

was president, he create strife and division and even diversion. He get into big money issues, just like Trump. He build mansion like Trump; he have investment in hotels just like Trump. Trump hotels name after him; Jagdeo hotel name Marriott. He also have many odda investments, like Donald Trump. De Berbice Bridge is only one. When dem sick or if dem ketch a cold or get diarrhoea, dem does tek private jet to get to a hospital. Dem boys never forget Jagdeo get belly wuk. Right away he padna, Dacta Babbie, get a medivac to come fuh Jagdeo. Dem end up in Miami. Up to now, Guyana don’t know de cost of dat trip and hospital bill. Soulja Bai on de odda hand, get sick fuh real. He

coulda do wha Jagdeo did and hire a private jet to seek medical attention. Instead, de poor man use a passenger plane to go to Cuba to seek medical help. Dem boys hear he coulda come home days before now. But because de plane does fly to Guyana once a week, he wait fuh dat passenger plane. He did dat just to save de taxpayers a few millions, something dat Jagdeo never think about when he charter a jet fuh he diarrhoea. He charge plenty people; he shake up de police force and dem boys believe he gon shake up he Ministahs before he resign. On to now, dem boys ain’t hear he give away state assets or thief anything, unlike you know who. Talk half and smell de difference between men.

concerted effort to ensure higher turnouts in their strongholds. APNU, however, was still unable to have more than a 28% turnout in Georgetown, its electoral fortress. APNU must look within its campaign management to see what went wrong. APNU’s campaign failed to get out the voters on November 12, 2018. The PPPC was able to make inroads into some of APNU’s former impenetrable strongholds such as Linden and Georgetown. It was not the lack of development or anyone frustrating its support bases that caused APNU to lose both Lethem and Mabaruma. It had to do with the inability of its campaign to galvanize these bases into which the government had pumped significant development resources. APNU had no clear strategy and plan as to how to rally its supporters for local government elections. On the other hand, the PPPC, led by Jagdeo, had a clearcut strategy and knew what it wanted to achieve and how it was going to achieve this. Jagdeo, since assuming the General Secretary of the PPPC, has been deliberate and

purposeful in his approach. Following his party’s razor-thin loss in the general and regional elections of May 2015, Jagdeo set as his first task to consolidate his party’s traditional support base for the 2016 local government elections. For the 2018 LGE, Jagdeo set about to seize control of some of the smaller towns such as Lethem and Mabaruma, and to create small cracks into the traditional APNU bases. The PPPC also began to diversify their representation. The PPPC’s slate in Georgetown was the most ethnically diverse. The PPPC succeeded in penetrating into APNU strongholds because it ran a smart campaign with high visibility of its activists and leaders in communities across Guyana. What was APNU’s campaign strategy? It did not seem to have any. It even dumped the AFC, thereby giving itself a challenger within its main support bases. It ran a poor, ineffectual campaign, which lacked direction and drive. APNU has reaped the rewards of an incompetent campaign. It has suffered the

consequences. The blame game will not work. This is what leaders do to protect themselves from the wrath of their supporters. The PPPC did it after its slim defeat in the general and regional elections of 2015. It said that the elections were rigged. The PNCR, which is really APNU, is now becoming comical. It is holding postelection rallies. It will not learn. You do not mobilize for LGEs by holding rallies. You have to do the legwork before, not after the elections. Running a campaign is not planning a military exercise. It requires different skills. If APNU is serious about ascertaining why it underperformed, it should undertake a forensic audit of its campaign and hold those responsible for the party’s poor showing accountable. But guess what, all we will have instead is excuses and blame.

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Wednesday November 21, 2018

Kaieteur News

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The Cummingsburg Accord will become the Hummingbird’s accordion In late 2019, if you are Guyanese and you are looking for a place to sit down and look at how humans negotiate the important deals of life, then you need to talk to the security at Congress Place, the head office of the PNC. Of course, the leadership of the PNC and AFC will have to sanction your entry into the war room. There you will see how humans negotiate, and the strengths, weaknesses, fragilities of human character will be on display. That is the time when the PNC and AFC will meet to decide the shape of the government after the 2020 election results. The parties will run as a coalition. But the colossal question is how they will divide the victory, assuming that the PPP does not romp back into power. As they sit down to

decide on ministries, PNC leaders will look at the 2018 election definitiveness. Here are some statistics from GECOM that will definitely blow your mind. If you are of the faint-hearted type, then do not read the next few lines of this column. In the recently concluded LGE, there were 596 seats of proportional representation (PR) and 596 seats of the constituency system, giving a total of 1,192. The AFC won 17 seats with one tie. Do the calculations. This is 1.4 percent (one point four). In Whim, the hometown of the Prime Minister, the AFC contested all the constituencies (seven). Each candidate has to get 20 signatures for both PR and constituency seats. Now a person can put his/her signature to both the PR and the constituency papers. But it is unlikely that in Whim, the

PR candidates of the AFC got the identical 20 signatures that put their name in support of the AFC’s constituency candidates. Let’s us arrive at a guesstimate. Since PR requires 20 endorsements and the same signatories can endorse the AFC’s constituency candidates, we will guess the number of 200 signatories for the AFC in Whim. Remember, if the PR endorsers were different from the constituency endorsers, the total would be 280. The votes that the AFC received in Whim were 136. It simply means one of two things: the people who signed the forms for the AFC candidates did not vote for them or did not vote at all. Given these harrowing statistics, together with the graphic fact that out of 88 mini-governments (local authorities and

municipalities), the AFC did not win even one, it is clear to even a school boy that in 2019, the Cummingsburg Accord will die a natural death. The PNC will not allow the AFC to get forty percent of Cabinet positions and 12 MPs. Even if among the PNC leaders, there is one solitary figure arguing for the same configurations in the Accord as occurred with the 2015 poll, that person has to be careful someone doesn’t throw him/ her out of the window. The LGE results for the AFC have been not a partial but a complete collapse. The Prime Minister was not partially but completely rejected by his birth villagers. It is doubtful that he will be the PM candidate in 2020. Will the PNC offer that slot to Khemraj Ramjattan? Again, there will be tumultuous

arguments in the war room. Ramjattan has not won his home village of Number 78 since the AFC started contesting elections in 2006. In the just concluded LGE, Number 78 and all (not some, but all) the adjoining villages rejected AFC candidates. What is the AFC going to ask for and what will the PNC give to them when they meet in late 2019 to decide the shape of things? There is every indication that the AFC’s share of power will be prodigiously reduced from its 2015 quantity. Since 2015, five (please note 5) important persons in the PNC have expressed disappointment to this columnist that the AFC did not bring the 10 percent of the votes that it was expected to in 2015. All five of them have told

Frederick Kissoon me that the AFC has received too much from the PNC and it will not happen again. I have shared this information with David Hinds on several occasions without naming the high-ranking PNC officials. If you know who those names are, then you will know that the AFC will get a really hard time in the war room in 2019. However, they got a hard time a few months ago, when, for the 2018 LGE, the AFC asked for the same 4060 arrangement. Angry PNC leaders were adamant in their rejection. Sadly, in 2020, the AFC will become an appendage to the PNC.

Charity miner nabbed with unlawful gun, ammo gets two years A miner who was recently charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition, was on Monday fined and sentenced to two years imprisonment for the offence. Reinaldo Wells, 23, of the Charity Extension Scheme, Essequibo Coast, made an appearance before Magistrate Esther Sam in the Charity Magistrate Court.

The first charge read to Wells stated that on the 16th November, he unlawfully had in his possession a 9mm pistol. The second charge read that on the same day in question, the accused also unlawfully possessed ammunition. Wells pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to two years each. The sentences will run concurrently. The accused was also fined $50,000.

Wednesday November 21, 2018

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday November 21, 2018

Murder accused had “Importance of apiculture in our inquired of company’s sales economy should be appreciated” – Agri Minister says at Beekeepers’ Congress

- before attack on truck driver Murder accused Mahendra Bishundial had inquired from his friend Mervin Marcus about information relating to sales made by Edun’s Poultry Farms. This is according to Marcus, who testified on Monday, when the retrial of Bishundial continued before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court in Georgetown. Bishundial is on trial before a 12-member mixed jury for the murder of Aga Khan, a truck driver, who was attached to Edun’s Poultry Farms. A police release had stated that Khan was attacked by four men, one of whom was armed with a handgun and others with knives. Khan was driving motor lorry GJJ 2806, owned by Edun’s Poultry Farms, east along Busby Dam, Craig, East Bank Demerara, when the men walked into the path of the vehicle causing the driver to stop. One of the men then approached Khan and demanded cash. He was shot to his neck in the process. Investigations were carried out and Bishundial was arrested and charged. Bishundial is being represented by Attorneyat-law Nigel Hughes.

Leading the State’s case are prosecutors Lisa Cave and Orinthia Schmidt, who called Marcus to the witness box. According to Marcus, he and Bishundial had been friends, since they both attended the Friendship Secondary School. He added that they graduated around the same time. Marcus disclosed that he and Khan were two of the company’s salesmen who worked on the truck. When probed by the prosecutor, Marcus said that he recalled Bishundial had inquired from him about the company’s sales and he told him that “dem people (the company) does mek de load (a lot of money), but it does be in cheques.” The witness told the court that Bishundial was in the habit of asking him to send credit to his mobile phone, to which he would do. Also testifying was Saeed Edun, who told the court that Khan was one of his employees. According to Edun, a poultry farmer, on that tragic day, Khan collected the keys to Canter truck GJJ 2806, while another employee uplifted the bill books and a cellular phone. Edun said that around

MURDERED: Aga Khan 17:00hrs that said day, he received a phone call from his wife, which caused him to leave their home at Busby Dam, Craig, East Bank Demerara. The witness said that the Canter truck was parked along the dam and he saw Aga Khan and another employee lying in a crouching position. The poultry farmer recalled that he transported the injured men to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, after which, he left for the Grove Police Station to inquire about what had transpired. He disclosed that a total of $48,000 was missing from the Canter truck. This is Bishundial’s second trial for the offence. His first trial in May before Justice James Bovell-Drakes ended in a hung jury. Consequently, Bishundial was ordered to face a new trial at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara assizes.

“The importance of apiculture in the economy should be appreciated, as bees are one of the main sources of pollination,” was one of the sentiments shared by Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder at Monday’s opening ceremony of the 9th Beekeepers’ Congress, held at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA). Minister Holder in his feature address at the biannual congress, which is being held under the theme ‘Beekeeping for a Green Caribbean,’ did not stop at highlighting the importance of bees to our economy, but continued by saying that “our beekeepers play a pivotal role in the sector.” He further acknowledged that the work of the Guyana Apiculture Society (GAS) “is an important element in reshaping and repositioning the Caribbean honey industry by exposing new persons to beekeeping, introducing international best practices to existing beekeepers, developing export potential in the apiculture trade in the Caribbean and boosting local beekeeping businesses via the promotion of local apiculture products to Caribbean visitors.” Also speaking at the opening was Chairman of the Guyana Apiculture Society Neil Grant, who posited that participants can expect to benefit from a lot over the course of the congress. “GAS fashioned this

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder year’s congress to expose a number of new persons to beekeeping, familiarize local beekeepers with international best practices, discuss regional challenges to Api trade in the Caribbean, to develop export potential and promote local Api products to Caribbean visitors to boost local beekeeping businesses,” Grant said. Also delivering remarks was Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)’s Country Representative, Wilmot Garnett. Garnett stated that climate change negatively affects beekeeping, but added that IICA remains committed to supporting the Guyana Apiculture Society, as the sector continues to demonstrate its resilience. Minister Holder also agreed that support within

this sector is crucial for it to become competitive against foreign imports and the promotion of exports. “The GLDA and IICA have been working assiduously to support the industry. Support has and will continue to be focused on helping beekeepers improve supply and yields while maintaining the quality of honey. The quality of our honey is an important factor in maintaining a comparative advantage over foreign honey imports, while at the same time sustaining our competitiveness,” Holder said. This year’s programme will also include participants discussing research papers from Caribbean islands and countries, introductory programmes for new beekeepers, advanced sessions on honey standards, trade and fake honey risks for professional beekeepers and the use of social media marketing to build new brands and communication with customers. The Agriculture Ministry, through the apiculture unit of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), has been focused on training of potential beekeepers, promoting beekeeping in schools, with focus on the hinterland regions and providing technical support through improved extension services to beekeepers. Additionally, GLDA assists with providing necessary inputs in the production process, which will soon be amplified through the establishment of a facility at the authority’s main office at Mon Repos. Once operational, this facility will assist in the production and processing of wax for box foundation moulds and a honey extraction room for beekeepers.

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The Natural Resource Fund…

PARLIAMENT’S CURRENT CONFIGURATION WILL INHIBIT OVERSIGHT - Goolsarran By Kiana Wilburg When the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) is established, the nation’s Parliament will be seen as an important check and balance. But Chartered Accountant and former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran is contending that the current configuration of the Parliament will limit the oversight needed for the Fund. In his recent writings, Goolsarran reminded that the current configuration allows the Government to have a majority in the House. Therefore, the Government’s decisions on the Fund, especially those which have to do with withdrawals, can be passed in spite of any expressed reservations the parliamentary opposition may raise about abuse or corruption. Taking this into account, Goolsarran asserted, “Given the present configuration of the National Assembly and to enable the political Opposition to have a say as to the quantum of withdrawal from the NRF, it may be appropriate for the approval (of withdrawals from the Fund by the Government) to be based on a super majority of the Assembly of, say 60-70 percent of the votes.” Alternatively, Goolsarran recommended that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) could examine any proposal for withdrawal from the NRF and make a recommendation to the Assembly. POLITICAL GAIN In spite of the potential economic benefits that would flow from the introduction of the NRF, there remains the substantial risk that future Guyanese governments could use the fund for shortterm, political gain. This is according to NRF Analysts, Asim Ali and Patrick J. Schena. In its special report titled, “Harnessing Oil Wealth in Guyana via a Sovereign Wealth Fund: Look Before You Leap,” the duo notes that while a NRF would provide a useful framework for capture and management of resource wealth, its impact is fully dependent on the commitment of future governments to elevate the fund and its mission above short-term political expediencies. It stressed that too, that the quiescent, but longstanding territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela certainly increases the challenges of introducing

Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran a NRF to Guyana. They contended that while flare-ups may have as much to do with Venezuelan domestic politics as with the oil exploration issue, a political-cum-economic framework between Guyana and Venezuela is necessary – perhaps with the support of regional partners - for longterm realization of oil windfalls. TRIPLE CHALLENGE Also endorsing the views expressed by the analysts is the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The financial institution recently noted that Guyana faces a triple challenge in attempting to establish its Natural Resource Fund. It said that the Government has to decipher how to rapidly build stronger institutions; how to save for future generations and smooth consumption; and how to assure that the oil revenue spent in the short term, is planned and spent well to boost productivity and improve living standards. Given the nation’s weak institutions and poor capacity to execute projects well, the IDB said it would be recommended that Guyana saves as much as possible until the quality and capacity of institutions improve. Further to this, the IDB sought to highlight that simply establishing a Natural Resource Fund is not a guarantee for fiscal stability. The Bank said, “In the first instance, the appropriate mechanisms to manage the Fund, clear and simple rules for withdrawals and deposits, and issues related to governance and transparency, will be

important to ensure that the Fund achieves its objectives.” In this regard, the IDB said that the Santiago Principles, a list of 24 generally accepted principles and practices voluntarily endorsed by the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds provides some general guidance for countries. More substantially, the Fund needs to be supported by a strong fiscal framework. SET STRICT STANDARDS The IDB is not the only international body which has cautioned Guyana’s authorities on the importance of having a robust Natural Resource Fund. The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), for example, believes that there are several key factors emerging oil producers like Guyana must consider as they move to establish a Natural Resource Fund. According to the Fund, the Government of Guyana must set clear fund objective(s) (e.g., saving for future generations; stabilizing the budget; earmarking natural resource revenue for development priorities). It said that the government must establish fiscal rules— for deposit and withdrawal— that align with the objective(s); establish investment rules (e.g., a maximum of 20 percent can be invested in equities) that align with the objective(s); clarify a division of responsibilities between the ultimate authority over the fund, the fund manager, the day-to-day operational manager, and the different offices within the operational manager, and set and enforce strict ethical and Continued on page 29

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Wednesday November 21, 2018

Kaieteur News

Guyana welcomes UN Civil Aviation New JSC board should be President for Global Summit given active consideration

– retired judge

GCAA’s Director General greets ICAO’s Council President at CJIA. A local delegation welcomed Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, Council President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport yesterday. The country will be hosting the three-day Air Transport Meeting at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre starting today. Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field was on hand to receive the ICAO

Council President. He said that he is happy to have him here for the meeting, as it demonstrates the significant importance of this meeting for Guyana and the Region. Accompanying Dr. Aliu is the Director for North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACC) Regional Office of ICAO, Mr. Melvin Cintron. The theme of this meeting is “Promoting Connectivity for Sustainable Air Transport Development”. President Granger will be giving the

keynote address at the summit. The International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) is a United Nations Specialised Agency of 192 member states. This year’s air transport meeting is purposed to maximize the economic benefits of aviation across the regions of CARICOM and Africa, as well as the world. The summit will explore how sectors of economies are influenced by, and benefit from air transport.

It‘s been over a year since the life of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) - the body responsible for making appointments removing and exercising disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in judicial offices has expired. The JSC is the only body which is mandated by the constitution to make recommendations to fill vacancies within the Judiciary. As such, social and political commentators have lamented that the absence of the board is creating a constitutional vacuum. Retired Judge Oslen Small is among those who highlighted the implications of not having the JSC board in place. “That is something that should receive active consideration, “Justice Small told Kaieteur News during a recent interview. “I really don’t know what the holdup is, but the JSC should be given priority, given its role in the constitution.” Justice Small noted however that the JSC is made up of ex-officio members and had included the acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, the Chief Justice, Chairman of the Guyana Public Service Union, (GPSU), a member appointed by Parliament, and one by the President. “These persons must be selected before the JSC is in place. I should hope that the

Government is working on ensuring those persons are in place so that the new JSC board can be selected.” The life of the membership of the last JSC expired since 30th September 2017. O p p o s i t i o n parliamentarian and former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall has been among those calling for public condemnation of the government’s stance on the issue. Nandlall has been criticizing the government over the failure to appoint a new JSC Board. Outlining the authority of the government under the current structure, the former Attorney General noted that the executive branch of Government enjoys a significant advantage over the two legislative and judicial arms of governance, because it controls the financial machinery of the State, and therefore the other two organs depend upon it for their funding. “In recognition of being in this peculiarly advantageous position, it is incumbent upon the Executive branch of Government, in Guyana’s constitutional structure, to ensure that it does not abuse this advantage, and that at all times, it magnanimously ensures that these constitutional institutions are adequately resourced and appointments to offices within them are timely made,”

Nandlall said On the contrary, the former Attorney General believes that the current Administration has been exploiting that advantage. He noted that several articles have been written detailing with the Attorney General’s public refusal to recognise the JSC’s constitutional power to appoint certain officers within the Deeds and Commercial Registry Authority and his refusal to allow those officers to discharge their functional responsibilities. “I also wrote several articles highlighting the President’s failure to act, for nearly a year, upon recommendations made by the then JSC to elevate certain puisne Judges to the Court of Appeal, and to elevate and to appoint persons as High Court Judges and Commissioners of Title. “The shocking response of the Government to my criticisms was that the Constitution does not stipulate any time period for the President to act upon these recommendations. “ However, Nandlall says, “those who truly understand the language and spirit of the Constitution and the law, would tell you that the President is expected to act in those circumstances with every convenient speed”.

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Clash with cop, Diamond Club owner...

Investigators will go ‘wherever evidence leads,’ says Crime Chief Crime Chief Lyndon Alves says police will go wherever the investigation leads regarding the November 3 confrontation between Diamond Club owner Freeman Fordyce and Major Crimes Unit rank Inspector Prem Narine. He confirmed that the investigation was launched after Fordyce filed a complaint, which stated that Narine had threatened him with a firearm. He said that investigators are trying to ascertain exactly what happened. “The man (Fordyce) made a report and he said that he will cooperate,” he told Kaieteur News on Sunday. “We will go wherever it (the investigation) leads.” Video footage posted online shows Fordyce resisting being searched and then punching Inspector Narine in the face. It is then that the rank draws his weapon. The incident occurred outside of the Diamond Hotel and Bar, located in George Street, Werk-en-Rust. Police subsequently removed a number of women, including Venezuelan nationals, from the premises. Kaieteur News understands that Fordyce

was taken into custody but was released without charges. A vehicle allegedly owned by Fordyce was also impounded but then handed back to the owner. Police reportedly searched Fordyce’s club while conducting a Trafficking in Persons investigation. This happened after police on the East Coast of Demerara intercepted a businessman who was transporting four Venezuelan women in his vehicle. The women were suspected to have been trafficked. In January, police had removed 41 foreign nationals from the same adult entertainment bar. Eight employees were also detained. Fiona Hopkinson and Rodwell Dempster were subsequently charged for Trafficking in Person (TIP). It was alleged that they recruited, transported and harboured five Venezuelans at Diamond Hotel and Bar for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan had said that the raid on the Diamond Bar and Hotel in Georgetown was part of a crackdown on suspected strip clubs and their associated illegal activities of

Police during last January’s raid at the club

human trafficking and prostitution. He stated that attempts would be made to have the Guyana Revenue Authority revoke the liquor licences for establishments found to be involved in the illegal activities.

“We intend to go after those who we suspect to be trafficking in humans for sexual and labour exploitation. We have been getting information that individuals, like the owner of Diamond, have been involved, and of course this information has

come from the Police Force,” Minister Ramjattan said. He also noted that the crackdown was in keeping with the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) action plan, which is to conduct various interdiction exercises.

“We are not going to allow it. We have zero tolerance for trafficking in persons, sexual and labour exploitation of young girls from across our South American and Caribbean territories,” Minister Ramjattan had stated.

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Wednesday November 21, 2018

Battle over reduced $1.27B budget for Parliament Office Some $1,270,271,000 was approved on Monday for the Parliament Office’s operations, some 13 per cent more than that approved by the House for 2018. The lump sum is 92 per

cent of what was requested, Finance Minister Winston Jordan explained. He said that the GDP is projected to be positive for 2019, in response to a question posed by the Opposition.

The money will be allocated within one month as specified by law, the minister further clarified. Despite several questions from the Opposition, the minister remained steadfast in responding that

the sums allocated will be spent by the Parliament as it sees fit. The Opposition then moved to introduce a motion to grant the full sum, initially requested by the parliamentary office, some $1.845Billion.

This saw the Speaker deferring to the Parliament’s Clerk, Sherlock Isaacs, to deal with what he termed, “the amendments to the amendments to the amendments”. He then informed that the House of a motion to approve the initial sum requested versus the sum allocated by the Finance Minister, which was put to the House by the Opposition’s Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira. The Speaker subsequently put the motion to a vote, which saw Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge rising in support of the Finance Minister. He explained that only a minister can do so, in keeping with the Parliament’s Standing Orders. He was supported by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo who noted that it was “an invitation to lawlessness”. The leader of the government business explained that the amendment to Act Number 4 of 2015 states that the

Finance Minister shall submit to the Assembly, the minister’s comments on the allocations/recommendations limited to the overall requests made. He added that extensive, repeated explanations were given hence the motion should be accepted since it amounted to filibustering. “It cannot be an admissible motion since it has to come by way of a motion tabled one day previously and from the Minister of Finance.” Prime Minister Nagamootoo also recalled a precedent set and reminded that the same should obtain. He further argued that the recommendation as put forward by the Finance Minister be followed. Following much deliberation, the Speaker decided to put the recommended sum to a vote, which resulted in the government prevailing, and approval given, for the $1.271Billion.

Venezuelan among three nabbed with 9mm pistols, ammo

The guns and ammunition that were found under the driver’s seat of the car A Venezuelan national is among three persons, who were on Monday nabbed by police with two handguns in Charity on the Essequibo Coast. Based on reports reaching this publication, sometime about 14:30 hrs, ranks on an Anti-Crime Mobil Patrol intercepted motor car HC 9487 at Charity Essequibo Coast. There were three occupants, one being a Venezuelan residing in Guyana. Two 9 mm pistols with three magazines and 58 live rounds of ammunition were found. The three persons are presently in police custody as investigations continue.

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Kaieteur News

Stigma, discrimination, major barriers in the eradication of HIV/AIDS - NAPS programme manager In just 2016, it was reported that between 7,900 and 9,500 persons in Guyana were living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), among whom 58 percent were accessing antiretroviral therapy. However, in these staggering statistics, it was found that adolescents stand at a very

high risk for contracting the disease, a demographic that is crucial for the furtherance of the country’s economy. In the launching of World AIDS Day by the Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), the “Know Your Status” campaign was set in

motion. Stigmatization and discrimination were identified as major barriers to NAPS’ strategic action plan to eradicate HIV by 2030. This was conveyed by Dr. Rhonda Moore, Programme Manager of NAPS/ Ministry of Public Health. She asserted that there is

Charlestown resident voices safety concerns about leaning utility pole A resident of Charlestown, Georgetown has come forth to raise concerns about two utility poles viewed as a potential threat to inhabitants of the area. The posts are located alongside each other and strapped to the fence of Charlestown Secondary School. According to reports received, one of the posts fell some years ago, but was repositioned and strapped. A new post was later planted, but the old post continued to be of service. Kaieteur News understands that the matter was allegedly reported to Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) who told the person reporting that the wires on the utility pole belonged to Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GTT). It was also reported that the complainant attempted several times to have the issue dealt with, and was told that someone would look into the matter, but to date no one has done anything about the situation. The complainant emphasized that the wires attached to the utility poles would often spark, along with

The leaning pole near to the school fence.

the fact that wires running from the poles to houses are very tightly drawn. It was further highlighted that residents of the area suffered losses of their household appliances, which were damaged as a result of

surges. The concerned citizen stated that he is not only concerned about himself and his safety, but that of everyone around, especially the children who would traverse the area.

Bartica cart vendors allege unfair treatment in movement Cart vendors in Bartica are alleging unfair treatment by the Town Council, in terms of where they are allowed to ply their trade and the cost they are subjected to pay to do such. Talking to Kaieteur News, the vendors alleged that they are paying $4,000 per week to the town council while stall owners pay a total of $6,000 per month and yet they are not allowed to ply their trade freely, but are being moved from place to place. The vendors voiced complaints about the council wanting them to move from their current selling areas (3rd – 7th Avenue) and go to 4th Avenue alongside the abattoir area - an area the vendors claim “people do not really go to buy greens or so.” The vendors went on to say that they have no problem in the fact that they are prohibited from selling in 1st Avenue, as they might pose competition to the stallholders at Bartica Market, but they need to make a living too. One vendor went further to allege that when the previously mentioned issue

was highlighted, a senior council official reportedly contended that the vendors should “take their carts and go sell in front of Platinum Night Club and the girls in the short skirts will come over and buy from them.” Claims that council posed threats of seizing their carts if they do not abide by the new boundaries were also raised by the vendors. Another vendor expounded that he has been selling from a cart for 10 years, however for the past three years he has been experiencing several difficulties. He further highlighted that a lot of his goods are perishable and the constant movement to desolate areas would put him along with other vendors at a disadvantage. “Every time is ‘you can’t sell here, you can’t sell there, go sell there’, and at the end of the day our fruits and vegetable spoiling and we ain’t making any profit, I got children to send to school, rent to pay, a house to maintain.”

a cyclical relationship between stigma and HIV; persons who experience stigma and discrimination are marginalized and made more vulnerable to HIV, while those living with HIV are more vulnerable to experiencing stigma and discrimination. The “Know Your Status” campaign is seeking to change that. Moore identified stigma and discrimination as key factors in the mortality rate of HIV. She went on to add that marginalization could sometimes deter patients from seeking treatment for the disease. Those most at risk to HIV in many parts of Guyana are constantly faced with discrimination based on their perceived health status, race, socioeconomic status, age, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Moore explained that familial support systems are crucial for persons with the ailment; however, it is not often that persons see this type of support. People, who

have tested positive for HIVwhile it may be quite surprising in such an era - are being ostracized by their families as well as the wider community. These persons are also currently experiencing infringement of their rights in both the work and school environments. Further, persons are facing modernized discrimination that perpetuates exclusion and rejection to people with HIV. This in turn encourages isolation of persons with the disease. With all this being said, NAPS’ “Know Your Status” campaign is advocating for an informed, educated and receptive society, one that will, in essence, collectively work towards achieving the target of an HIV-free Guyana by 2030. Moore also attributed poverty as a major factor in the number of persons living with HIV in Guyana. In reports from the World Health Organization (WHO), high poverty levels were closely

linked to HIV cases in some regions. In fact, in Guyana, there was a significant number of cases of HIV among sex workers, a profession that places persons at a greater risk for the disease. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)’s 2017 Adolescent Health report, HIV accounted for 30 percent of deaths for persons between the ages 20 to 24. Young women currently account for a vast majority of HIV cases in Guyana and are more prone to being subjected to the stigmatization that often accompanies the disease. NAPS’ “Know your Status” campaign is advocating for all Guyanese to know their condition. “Society’s atmosphere in all of its complexities, values and ever-evolving aspects, also holds HIV, a disease that crosses all social, cultural and ethnic barriers; exclusion and isolation will do more harm than good in the long-run,” it was stressed.

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Wednesday November 21, 2018

Kaieteur News

Waste disposal contractors threaten to strike over outstanding payments FOR RENT

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisement, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6006887: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Eagle’s re-gas AC, Fridge, Washing machine & computer repairs, Gas stove, Plasma flatscreen, Electrical installation & more. Call: 6972969/646-0966 Installations, Repairs and parts for AC, Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etc call Nick 627-3206, 630-1600 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158

FOR SALE Generac Pressure Wash for sale 3100 PSI. Tel#654-5267/ 652-2244/220-4203 Combines 7300 John Deere (2000 hrs) Fiatagri L413 (2500hs), Laverda 132 & Massey 399 & 290, Fiat 110/ 90, Ford 6610. Call: 695-2220/ 338-4354 Solar lights, save electricity and security surveillance cameras. Call or Whatspp: 687-4970 One Ford explore sportage jeep, fully loaded $3.7M. Call# 684-4636/676-4810 One Caterpillar 312 Excavator in good working condition in the Corentyne, Berbice area. Contact #657-0992

Unregistered Axio 2010 model, Camera, Fog lamps $2.5 neg. Nissan Tida registered PVV series $2M neg #611-7106 Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, RZ,Pit-bull, Allex, 192 & Canter – Call: 650-7501 1 long base canter $750,000 Excellent condition, 1 sunny car fuel injector $350,000. Call: 628-4436 One Hiab Canter truck for sale $1.9M Call: Ravi #6221782/ 687-7553 Nissan Laurel Executive car, Nissan Pathfinder Jeep, Well kept. Hot Bargains now Call: 660-3415/609-7766 14x4 Toyota Tacoma 2008$3.2M Neg 1 Toyota Rush 2006- $2.4M Neg. Tel#6298280

Office Space to rent, Lot 1 Princess St G/town Obliquely opposite L.R.O, Starting at $45,000. Call: 658-2677/6483067 Fully furnished luxury 2&3 Bedroom apartments to rent, long & short term. Tel#6667028/691-1432 1 Two bedroom bottom flat, space to rent. Hadfield Lodge. Tel#608-0430 2 bedroom apartment in Providence, 2 bedroom apartment in Diamond. Contact #682-6238/660-7716/ 672-1906.

Imported furniture. Owner leaving. Sofa sets, side & centre tables, rugs, lamps, TVstands, Ceiling fans. Earl #6553070

TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS) PROPERTY FOR SALE Property for sale (1) 3 story building at 97 Sugarcane street S/Rvldt Gardens. Price US 1.5M neg. Tel: 695-1356 & 687-8445

PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS FROM $4000 & UP, SUV’S PER DAY- CALL:643-5122/6560087, ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL:225-7126/ 2263 6 9 3 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL @YAHOO.COM/ WWW.D OLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM

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HEALTH HERBAL REMEDIES: Diabetes, Hypertension, Infertility, Menstrual disorders, Enlarged prostate, Kidney,Gall stones & Arthritis etc. Call Sparman #676-5924 LEARN TO DRIVE N. Outar Driving School, Learn to Drive the right way. Affordable package. Call: 6445166/691-2561

Manager to work at Charity Xenon Hotel. Contact #2235273/74 Salesgirl, porters and housemaid. Apply with written application at 1E Dennis & Middleton Sts, Campbellville Manager to work at 704 Sport bar, must have experience. Contact #223-5273 /2235274 One (1) Welder to work in Georgetown. Tel#227-1717 1 new model Allion or Premio motorcar urgently to work and keep. Contact #681-3418 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665/6493750

City garbage contractors are once again threatening to withhold their services over non-payment of monies owed to them by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC). Last week, the contractors, Puran Brothers Disposal Services and Cevons Waste Management Inc., wrote to the M&CC threatening to pull their services, for not being adequately remunerated for their work. The companies disclosed that they have not been paid since June, despite promises by the Council to fulfill its financial obligations. Both companies said their current financial positions do not permit them to continue working without pay.

One (1) Male ablebodied clerk. Tel#219-4533/616-5954 One maid, apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street, Bourda

House & Land, Sixth St Cummings Lodge ECD. #6864994/225-3070

CAR RENTAL VEHICLE FOR SALE

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

— offer Council new ultimatum WANTED

EDUCATION Study in Canada/US 100% acceptance MicroGraphics #264-3057 2019 Processing now. Pre X-mas computer classes packages, 9 course diploma $40,000 4 course accounting $40,000. MicroGraphics, Vreed-en-hoop #264-3057

One Domestic, must know to cook indian dishes, 1 experienced waitress (both live-in) #610-3974, Salary $20-30,000 weekly. One experienced cook. MonSat. Tel#225-6927. Ask for Tonya, serious enquiries only.

VACANCY For Porters, Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb St Bourda For persons to assemble Bicycle, Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb St Bourda.

Skidders operator to work in interior location. Contact #218-3399

Pump attendant (Shift 6am3pm & 3pm-11pm) Submit Application: Shell Service Station Providence EBD. E m a i l : Shellramsburg@gmail.com

One Office Cleaner, Please make contact with Paul at Tel#227-8682/227-3681/2253682 Mon-Fri 9am-4pm

Experienced Housekeeper for Cleaning, Cooking, Laundry etc. Police clearance & references required. Call: 6422053 between 8:30 am - 3 pm

LAND FOR SALE Parfaite Harmonie $1.5M. Tel#642-1252 Parfaite Harmonie $1.4M Business spot $2.4M Ten year up $2.5M Providence $4M Farm front $2.5M Diamond. Call: 666-2326

Driver, must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles. #2332745 Looking for a job & educational services? Contact The Job Centre 43 Croal & Alexander Street or call 6008457/683-8765

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Salesgirl.Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street, Bourda

General Domestic, must know to cook. Apply KeyFood McDoom EBD.

Female Cleaner office & home, age 25 to 50 #233-2745

Scooter Driver (Business). Call: 223-5282/223-6006. Georgetown applicants preferred. Must have recent Police clearance.

Vacancy exists for one male and (1) female worker at Crystal Ice House, Blairmont Berbice. Tel#231-1408/6183800 Male worker to work and live on farm @ Yarrowkabra 30 yrs & over. Tel#231-1408/6429191

Cashiers - CXC required, porters, sales attendants. Survival Supermarket 16 Vlissengen Rd, Newtown Office Clerk for office in Eccles. English -1, Mathematics-2, Computer Literate. #233-2745

Alluding to the letter sent to the office of the Council, Manager of Puran Brothers Waste Disposal, Kalesh Puran, noted that the company has been working with the Council for the last six months without pay. The Manager said that the municipality was given an ultimatum to pay or the company will be pulling its services by November 26. “It’s not that we want to, but the company is constrained financially,” he added. Similar correspondence was sent to the Council by Director at Cevons, Morse Archer. In his letter, Archer called on the administration of the Council to make substantial payment by November 26, before the company can consider continuing its work. The M&CC owes the companies a collective $148M for waste disposal services. For Puran Brothers Inc., City Hall owes $73M in arrears for services rendered from June 2018 to date. On the other hand, the city owes Cevon‘s Waste Management $75M for services rendered from May 2018 to date. The operational cost for both companies is about $15M per month. Representatives of both companies have also indicated that rising fuel prices make it increasingly difficult to maintain the level of service needed to care for the city without the requisite compensation. The two companies have been considering strike action since last month. The strike is expected to take effect if measures are not taken to have the payments completed. The companies have since written to Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, requesting a meeting to seek swift resolution on the issue. Last year, the two Waste Management companies discontinued their services to Georgetown after the Mayor and City Council racked up a total of $300M in outstanding payments to them. At the time, M&CC had released a statement that the work of these waste disposal companies accounts for almost 10% of the Council’s budget. Together, the two companies provide a plethora of services to Georgetown, including drainage, enforcement of compliance with the city’s public health by-laws, maintenance of cemeteries, markets, roads, pumps and allied facilities.

Wednesday November 21, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Higher Education Consortium formed by UG, other educational agencies The University of Guyana (UG) along with twelve other educational agencies came together on Monday to sign an agreement on the Higher Education Consortium on Engineering and Mining (HECEM), an initiative that is expected to expand training and education in reference to oil and gas. Vice-chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, conveyed that the consortium is a key factor in preparing the country for its first oil. “It is important that as we pursue those journeys and prepare for first oil and beyond, we build a partnership with government, we build a partnership with international entities and we build a partnership with industry,” the VC said. Guyana, with its newly found oil and gas resources, has now been tasked with the duty of managing them. However, in order to ensure sustainable management, educational avenues on these very resources for the younger demographic would need to be created. Therefore, the

Representatives of the various member institutions after the signing of the consortium at the Education Lecture Theatre, UG. consortium is seeking to provide these very avenues, with its main objective aimed at fostering and promoting academic cooperation, which in turn will support the pursuit of the strategic national agenda. HECEM, aiming at

developing new curricula and joint programmes, seeks to address the nation’s growing needs as related to engineering, oil and gas. The implementation will also explore the concept of new matriculation criteria for programmes while serving as

Suspected act of arson threatens Stabroek Market

The scene at the Stabroek Market wharf on Monday night. A domestic dispute between a female stall holder and her partner is said to be the likely reason that the Stabroek Market wharf was almost completely destroyed by fire, late Monday night. Initial investigations by the Guyana Fire Service suggested that the blaze was started by a female stall holder after she had an altercation with her partner, which led to the woman dousing her stall with a flammable substance and then igniting same. This eventually saw a great portion of the Stabroek Market wharf being engulfed in flames. This publication received

reports of a fire at Stabroek Market just before midnight on Monday, and when a reporter arrived on the scene, the Guyana Fire Service had three fire tenders and a number of personnel in place battling the blaze that had engulfed the northwestern side of the wharf that sits over the Demerara River. The Fire Service managed to contain the blaze in less than 45 minutes, but only after almost 25% of the wharf and a number of stalls would have been destroyed and a large area was already scorched by fire. A number of concerned stall holders were on the

scene after hearing of the fire. When one man was asked about his immediate concerns, the stall holder said, “is bare thief man does be around here, if you don’t watch them, they would thief faster than the fire could bun.” The area that suffered severe damage is actually the same area that the City Hall is in the process of relocating the stall holders from, to the front of the Fire Station, in an attempt to build a new wharf there, since the existing structure is more of a danger to stall holders and customers traversing that area.

a centre for shared resources among member institutions. Professor Griffith explained that the university, in preparation for the Petroleum Engineering Degrees, has already begun the hiring process for lecturers for course two. The university’s petroleum degree programme is slated to begin in January of 2019. The Vice-chancellor reiterated the university’s

commitment to ensuring that consistent training and development of students be meted out to the newly emerging sector. Member institutions for HECEM include the Council for Technical and Vocational Education, Critchlow Labour College, Technical Institutes in Berbice, Essequibo, Georgetown and Linden, the Guyana Industrial Training Centre and the Ministry of

Education. HECEM was formed in consideration of the developing needs of Guyana’s natural resource industry and to provide high quality education in higher institutions. In addition to this, the initiative is expected to further develop training for the expanding oil and gas and mining and extractive industries in the country.

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Wednesday November 21, 2018

Trump says no penalty for Saudi prince for Khashoggi murder WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Tuesday he would not further punish Saudi Arabia for the murder of U.S.-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi — making clear in an exclamation-filled statement that the benefits of good relations with the kingdom outweigh the possibility its crown prince ordered the killing. The president condemned the brutal slaying of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul as a “horrible crime ... that our country does not condone.” But he rejected calls by many in Congress, including members of his own party, for a tougher response, and also dismissed reports from U.S. intelligence agencies that

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must have at least known about such an audacious and intricate plot. “It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event,” the president said. “Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” In many ways, the statement captured Trump’s view of the world and foreign policy, grounded in economic necessity. It began with the words “America First!” followed by “The world is a very dangerous place!” It came after weeks of debate over whether the president would or should come down hard on the Saudis and the crown prince in response to the killing of the Saudi columnist for The Washington

Post who had criticized the royal family. The U.S. earlier sanctioned 17 Saudi officials suspected of being responsible for or complicit in the Oct. 2 killing, but members of Congress have called for harsher actions, including canceling arms sales. Trump said “foolishly canceling these contracts” worth billions of dollars would only benefit Russia and China, which would be next in line to supply the weapons. Critics denounced Trump’s statement saying he ignored human rights and granted Saudi Arabia a pass for economic reasons. Asked by a reporter if he was saying that human rights are too expensive to fight for, he responded, “No, I’m not

Jamal Khashoggi’s final moments caught on leaked tape recording (Yahoo) A transcript of a tape recording of murdered Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s final minutes has been leaked, in which one of the alleged killers is heard calling him a “traitor”. The 11-minute audio, the contents of which are revealed for the first time, was released on Monday evening by Turkish news website Haberturk. “Let my hand go. Who do you think you are? Why are you doing this?” the report quotes Khashoggi as saying, as several members of an alleged 15-man “hit squad” accost him as soon as he enters the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct 2.

“You traitor! Your day of judgment has come!” a man alleged to be Maher Mutreb, the suspected coordinator of the mission who worked for some time in the kingdom’s embassy in London, is quoted as replying to the Washington Post columnist. Khashoggi and four members of the squad are heard quarrelling for at least seven minutes before the audio goes quiet.The report adds that a later recording captures another “hitman”, Mustafa alMadani, who was used as a body double to Khashoggi, saying: “It’s really creepy that I am wearing the clothes of someone who was killed minutes ago.”

He is also reportedly heard saying that Khashoggi’s shoes are too tight for his feet. In CCTV video footage taken from the back entrance of the consulate Madani is seen several hours after the murder wearing Khashoggi’s clothes but with his own trainers. The tapes have been leaked by the Turkish government to a number of local media outlets, however none have published the reportedly gruesome audio. Devlet Bahceli, a politician in Turkey’s main nationalist party, warned on Tuesday that “the circle is tightening” around Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Suriname and Barbados sign cooperation agreement BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC – Prime Minister Mia Mottley says Barbados and Suriname have signed an economic technical cooperation agreement and that the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country is prepared to give Barbadians significant tracts of land to farm. Mottley, who paid an official three-day visit to the country last week, said there would be advertisements for expressions of interest soon. She said during her visit, she had visited farms where many acres of pineapple and other fruits were being grown. “The truth is that the Caribbean shall and should never starve and should

Prime Minister Mia Mottley never be wanting for resources and commodities with Suriname and Guyana as part of the Caribbean Community. “Our problem is that we need to make it happen,” Mottley said, adding that there were other opportunities available in Suriname and stressed that Barbadians must be exposed to all of them. “Suriname exports over

38,000 tons of fish to the European Union but yet Barbados cannot get a single ton exported because we do not have the sanitary and phytosanitary measures and labs in place to allow our markets to be certified to be able to export to the European Union. “It is nonsense because we have one of the most mature fishing industries in the southern Caribbean. And rather than seek to create from scratch, I have agreed that we will simply speak to CARICOM to certify the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency [based in Suriname] as our national agency. “Once we do that with the appropriate labs, it will save us significant sums of money,” she said.

saying that at all.” But then he switched the subject to the “terrorist nation” of Iran rather than any actions by Saudi Arabia. The U.S. needs a “counterbalance” to Iran, “and Israel needs help, too,” he said. “If we abandon Saudi Arabia, it would be a terrible mistake.” The mistake was Trump’s, said Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, contending the administration has “blinders on” in comparing Iran and Saudi Arabia. “It’s a sign of weakness not to stand up to Saudi Arabia,” Paul said in an interview. “Sometimes when you have two evils, maybe you don’t support either side.” Republican Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator who is close to Trump,

also disagreed with the president’s statement, saying America must not lose its “moral voice” on the international stage. “It is not in our national security interests to look the other way when it comes to the brutal murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Graham said. Likewise, Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said that to suggest that U.S. silence can be bought with arms sales “undermines respect for the office of the presidency, the credibility of our intelligence community and America’s standing as a champion of human rights.” Trump’s statement, issued just before he pardoned the

Thanksgiving turkey at the White House and left for the long holiday weekend in Florida, underscored his world view of putting U.S. interests — both financial and geopolitical — above all else. He told reporters on the South Lawn that oil prices would “skyrocket” if the U.S. broke with the Saudis, and he was not going to “destroy” the world’s economy by being “foolish with Saudi Arabia.” Democrats harshly criticized Trump’s decision Tuesday and called on Congress to cut off arm sales to Saudi Arabia and end support for Saudi Arabia’s war against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen, which is facing a humanitarian crisis.

A Facebook selfie saved this man from spending 99 years in prison A man facing 99 years in prison for a violent crime he didn’t commit was cleared of any wrongdoing, thanks to a Facebook selfie taken by his mom. On Sept. 22, 2017, Cedar Park, Texas, resident Christopher “CJ” Precopia, 21, was working at a lumberyard when the Temple County Police Department came to arrest him. CJ’s crime: Breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home two days prior and attacking her with a box cutter, carving an “X” onto her chest, according to Austin television station KVUE. CJ was confused — he hadn’t spoken to his exgirlfriend in two years, having only dated her for six weeks in high school when he was 17 and she was 15, mom Erin Precopia told ABC News. Their breakup was admittedly unfriendly, but the pair remained apart, and CJ didn’t know where she lived. I had no idea who accused me of this, I had no idea why everything’s happening, and I was lost,” CJ told KVUE. Attorney Rick Flores, who represents CJ, told ABC News that when his client asked why he was being arrested, officers said, “something along the lines of, ‘Don’t act like you don’t know what we’re talking about.’” Flores did not respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment. Per ABC News, CJ’s exgirlfriend told police that after CJ broke into her home, he “came towards her in an aggressive manner and pushed her to the ground, punched her in the face and cut her with a box

cutter.” “I could hear the slices being made,” the woman told police, according to KVUE. CJ’s parents paid his $150,000 jail bond and over the next nine months, they waited to hear whether CJ would be found guilty of first-degree felony burglary of a habitation with intent to commit additional felonies, which carried a 99-year prison sentence if convicted. “That’s what I’m scared of most,” CJ told KVUE. “Going to prison for no reason.” However, Erin insisted that her son couldn’t have committed this crime — because they were together on Sept. 20th, 2017, at 7:20 p.m., the time of the alleged attack. Erin had taken CJ to the Renaissance Austin Hotel for an event by the skincare line Rodan & Fields called “Men Tell All.” “Thankfully, I do log on Facebook all the time, and I check in when I go places,” Erin, who did not return Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment, told KVUE. That evening, Erin had posted a selfie of her and CJ at 7:02 p.m. at the event located an hour away from the accuser’s home. Additionally, per ABC News, text messages between the mother and son showed plans to carpool to the event, cell tower data proved they were inside the hotel, and witnesses verified they had interacted with CJ. Henry Garza, Bell County district attorney tells Yahoo Lifestyle in an email: “The information that was presented was not known to investigating of-

ficers at the time the case was filed. It was in the possession of Mr. Precopia and his attorneys. It was not until counsel for Precopia presented the information to the assistant district attorney handling the case that we became aware of the information. This was some time after the charges were initially filed.” “Upon learning of the information we moved quickly and were able to independently confirm the date and location of where the photo was taken,” wrote Garza. “The photo was posted to Facebook but what we examined was the actual photo that was taken and the data that was created when the photo was taken. When this was confirmed, we acted in dismissing the charges. I have said …. we are always willing to listen and examine new information, and that’s exactly what we did in this case. Currently, charges are under review by law enforcement concerning the individual who reported the allegations, that matter will be reviewed by the Bell County Attorney office.” However, the damages are immeasurable. CJ’s parents have paid about $250,000 in legal fees and CJ’s application to the U.S. Army was denied due to the charges. “I think there should have been way more investigation into that because it was basically word of mouth,” CJ told KVEU. “…I just hope something like this doesn’t happen to anyone else.” CJ did not respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.

Wednesday November 21, 2018

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Kaieteur News

AFC misled nation, only secured 3.8% of overall votes in LGE - Jagdeo The Alliance For Change (AFC) did not secure 10 percent of the votes cast at the recently concluded Local Government Election (LGE) as propagated by the party’s leaders. In fact, the AFC only secured just 3.8 percent of the votes. Leader of the People’s Progressive Party Civic, Bharrat Jagdeo was keen to point this out at a press conference on Monday morning at his Church Street Office. There, Jagdeo referred to a press statement that the AFC had issued focusing on the results of LGE. Jagdeo recalled that AFC acknowledged that there was a low percentage of voter turnouts at polls across the country. “They said that the initial results were not as projected and it fell below the party’s expectation,” said Jagdeo. He then quoted, verbatim, a line from the statement, which read, “The AFC however, based on our preliminary analysis, has in fact moderately increased its support among Guyanese from the 10.32 percent, which it registered in 2011.” Jagdeo said, “So, this looks good. They have increased their percentages from 2011, the last time it contested. But what is the fact? Just 208,000 Guyanese voted in the 2018 LGE. AFC got 8,000 votes. Eight thousand votes as a percentage of 208,000 would be just under four percent. They have a huge problem

Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo with mathematics in the AFC, the problem is massive.” The Opposition Leader continued, “And the one (Prime Minister, Moses) Nagamootoo said that if you can call it (AFC) the 10 percent party, it is still a credible force. What 10 percent party? You are a four percent, actually 3.8 percent party that is what you are. And they put this out as a press statement misleading the entire Guyana. Basic mathematics they cannot do in that party. In fact, let me say, the AFC has become the most dishonest political party in this country.” At a recent forum at Congress Place, Sophia, AFC leaders told the press that the party maintains its support base of 10 percent of the votes cast. They said this as leader of both the AFC and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said that there are

currently no efforts afoot to review the Cummingsburg Accord. The Cummingsburg Accord is the agreement that governs APNU and AFC existence at the helm of Guyana. The AFC entered the recently concluded Local Government Elections (LGE) independently. Now that the polls are over, the AFC sought to affirm on Friday last that it is still unwaveringly committed to the coalition and will be contesting the General and Regional Elections just as it did in 2015. Minister of Public Security, AFC’s Khemraj Ramjattan, told the media that the results of LGE show that that party he co-founded maintains its status as a force to be reckoned with. Prime Minister, AFC’s Moses Nagamootoo, echoed the sentiments of his colleague. Nagamootoo said,

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo “You cannot mess with figures”. He said that the figures show that the AFC has maintained 10 percent of the votes. He said that even if it went down to as low as one

percent of the votes, it would still be needed, as that one percent, along with APNU, is enough to keep the PPP/C out of power. Greenidge said, “This

was an approach to governance in its entirety that was crafted with all of the relevant parties of the coalition. As far as I can recall, it is a formula with the longest longevity of any formula that has been crafted. “That means that the parties organized to fashion the formula. At this point in time, that formula has worked. There is no signal at this point in time, from the parties, that there is an intention to change.” Nevertheless, Greenidge said that there is the capacity, “once the parties believe that the formula can be improved, they can always call on each other to sit and look at it again. It is not something cast in stone, recognizing that circumstances change”.

Parliament’s current configuration... From page 13 conflict of interest standards. Further to this, it said that the oversight bodies for the Fund must require regular and extensive disclosures of key information (e.g., a list of specific investments; names of fund managers) and audits. It said, too, that oversight bodies must be allowed to do their work without a shred of political interference. The Fund said, “We wish to stress that the government should establish these and other rules and institutions governing natural resource funds through a process that generates broad political consensus. Governments may not comply with even the best rules unless key stakeholders and the broader citizenry have bought into the need for government savings and constantly apply pressure to follow the rules.” It continued, “This has become apparent not just in natural resource-rich economies, but also in places like Europe where, from time

to time, most member states breached the fiscal rules outlined in the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact even prior to the 2007-08 global financial crisis. We would also call on international institutions and advisers to carefully consider the implications of recommending the establishment of funds where public financial management systems are opaque and poorly functioning.” In this regard, NRGI said that international advisors should recognize that the establishment of a Fund by itself will not improve resource governance. The Governance Institute stressed that Natural Resource Funds ought to be products of fiscal rules or macroeconomic frameworks that call for savings of oil, gas or mineral revenues. It said that the minimum conditions, such as clear objectives, operational rules, investment risk limitations, effective oversight, and transparency, must be present in order to improve natural resource governance.

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Wednesday November 21, 2018

Venezuelans are here to stay – IOM report From page 8 percent), while 41 percent are between 31 and 60 years old. In region one, approximately 60 percent of the interviewed persons are married, cohabitating or are in a free union relationship. In Georgetown, the majority are single. Of those interviewed, 22 percent possess primary education, 31 percent secondary education, and 31 percent no formal education. The biggest difficulties encountered by the group include lack of means of transportation, economic insecurity, lack of shelter, lack of food/water, and documentation issues.

In Georgetown, 53 percent of the migrants are employed, while 12 percent are ‘independent’ or freelancing. In region one, only 14 percent are employed, while 19 percent are freelancing. The migrants are generally working in areas of commerce, construction, agriculture and mining. The report found that 92 percent of individuals mentioned feeling safe in Guyana, and has concluded that “Guyana is not a transit country. The majority of persons entering Guyana have intentions to remain.” Though the information indicates the intentions and data for a significant

portion of the migrants, IOM stated that the sample was constructed for convenience. Hence, the results are not necessarily characteristic of the entire migrant population, so it is not possible to establish a probabilistic generalization for all Venezuelan citizens in the country. The displacement tracking matrix (DTM) is a system to track and monitor displacement and population mobility. It is designed to regularly and systematically capture, process and disseminate information to provide a better understanding of the movements and evolving needs of displaced populations.

Gold company eyeing Guyana had...

More haste, less speed: Police had their hands busy yesterday at the Diamond bridge, East Bank Demerara, near DDL, where a minibus and car went into opposite drains.

From page 7 Tanzanian parliamentary inquiry set up to look into the problem in 2016, received 65 reports of killings and 270 people injured by police responsible for mine security. Tanzanian opposition and human rights monitors believe the number is higher, estimating 300 mine-related deaths since 1999. This is not the only such case concerning Barrick. In 2011, Human Rights Watch reported on their investigation of six alleged incidents of gang rape by company security personnel [at Barrick’s Porgera Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea]. In each case, women were allegedly raped after being captured by company security

personnel on the waste dumps. The women interviewed by Human Rights Watch described scenes of extreme violence. Human Rights Watch also documented cases of people who alleged that they were beaten or otherwise mistreated by guards who apprehended them on the waste dumps. In a public statement, Barrick had called the results of its internal investigation into the matter “disturbing” and announced the termination of several security personnel for involvement in, or failure to report, alleged incidents of sexual violence. Police had arrested three current and former Porgera Joint Venture employees in January 2011. Two were charged with

rape and the third with inflicting grievous bodily harm. Barrick had withdrawn its involvement in an exploration project in Guyana, earlier this year. The company had pursued a joint venture with junior mining company, Alicanto Minerals. Its current interest in the Guyana Shield is likely to play out through investments in gold mining company, Reunion Gold, which operates in the Guyana Shield. Reunion’s current portfolio includes three gold projects in French Guiana: Dorlin, Boulanger and Haute Mana, and three gold projects in Guyana: Waiamu, Arawini and Aremu. Barrick currently has a 15% stake in Reunion’s assets.

Wednesday November 21, 2018

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Bahamas closes embassy in Haiti as unrest continues in French speaking country NASSAU, Bahamas CMC – The Bahamas government yesterday said that its embassy in Haiti would remain closed “until further notice” as it joined other countries in shutting down their diplomatic buildings as unrest continues in the Frenchspeaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the decision to close down the embassy followed consultations with the country’s ambassador to security personnel in Haiti. “Due to continuing unrest in Haiti, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to advise members of the public that the Embassy of The Bahamas in Port au Prince will be closed until further notice,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that “security directives have been issued by the United Nations (UN) Mission in Haiti – MINUJUSTH, implementing a curfew from 2200 hours to 0500 hours until further notice. “It is the policy of The Bahamas in situations such as this to act in conjunction with the Diplomatic Community, and the UN if present in the jurisdiction,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that the national airline, Bahamasair has also sus-

pended its flights into Haiti until further notice. It urged the public to consult Bahamasair as to when flights are likely to resume. “All staff of The Bahamas Embassy are safe. The Ministry continues to monitor the situation and will provide updates on new developments as they arise.” The United States Embassy yesterday lifted its security measures so that US employees can get to work. But it said that the Consular Section is open only for emergency services for US citizens. Canada has also closed its embassy as a result of the situation. At least six people have been killed and several others injured as opposition demonstrators have taken to the streets in Haiti demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moise and a full investigation into the use of the funds under the PetroCaribe, the Venezuela oil initiative to assist countries in the region. Police have confirmed that the deaths occurred across the Frenchspeaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country and that several arrests had been made. The spokesman for the

Continuing unrest in Haiti

National Police of Haiti (PNH), Michel-Ange Louis Jeune, said that six people were killed, five others injured and 20 arrests were made, but the opposition organisers speaking at a news conference late Sunday said that 11 people had been killed, 47 wounded and 75 others arrested. The opposition parties have said they will continue

their protest action this week. Meanwhile, former Haitian foreign affairs minister Edwin Paraison, says he believes the government has failed in managing the crisis affecting the economic life in the country. Paraison said he regrets that that in his message to the nation last weekend, President Moïse did not address the main issues that have

been part of the political agenda of the opposition, adding “the Head of State brings little in his words for most people…” Paraison said a year ago, Haiti had begun a process of consultations with a view to undertaking a major constitutional reform to change the political system. “One of the recommenda-

tions in the presentation of this Commission’s preliminary report was to change the political system. The Chairman of the Commission stated that in all the consultations, there was a consensus on the fact that that we would begin this constitutional reform,” said Paraison, acknowledging t there are still several legal problems to be solved.

Public servants vow to continue industrial action ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada CMC – Public servants yesterday vowed to remain off their jobs despite the decision of the Keith Mitchell government to withdraw an application for an injunction preventing them from embarking on industrial action in the ongoing dispute over the payment of pension and gratuity. Their decision came even after Labour Minister Peter David met with the unions representing the workers for three hours on Monday night. “Members we are staying home tomorrow,” said Rachel Roberts, president of the Public Workers Union (PWU) during a march and rally. President of the Grenada Union of Teacher (GUT), Lydon Lewis, echoed similar sentiments, saying “members we cannot return to classroom unless we get equal rights and justice”. He said that the struggle is about justice that will ensure that public servants don’t retire to a life of pov-

erty. “Pension and gratuities are a right, what we are fighting for should have been a given,” he added. Workers have been staging work stoppages since November 5, when the government said it could only offer a gratuity of two per cent. But the unions say they will only accept a 25 per cent offer in keeping with the provisions of the Constitution. Section 92 o f t h e Grenada Constitution states” with respect to any pension benefits that were granted to any person before this section comes into operation, this shall be the law that was in force at the date on which those benefits were granted or any law in force at a later date that is not less favourable to that person.” Prior to that provision, the 1958 Pension Act provided for public officers to receive a gratuity of 25 per cent after working in the public service for 33.3 years. However, in 1983 the then

Public sector workers and teachers demonstrate in the capital yesterday (CMC Photo) People Revolutionary Government (PRG), which suspended the Constitution, approved the Pension Disqualification Law which came into effect in 1985 following the

1984 general election. Negotiations were also held to reduce the number of years from 33.3 to 26.6 years a public service can serve before retirement.

Last weekend, the government said it would file an injunction to prevent essential services workers from taking protest action. The matter was originally scheduled to be

heard on Sunday but was pushed back to Wednesday. “The government of Grenada has notified the Registrar of the Supreme Court that it is withdrawing its application for an injunction filed against the trade unions. The move is intended to facilitate the recommencement of the negotiations between Government and the unions,” a government statement noted. It said that David and Labour Commissioner, Cyrus Griffith worked late into the night on Monday meeting with the trade union leaders in an attempt to get them to return to the negotiating table with Government’s Pension Engagement Committee (PEC). “Examination of the MOU did not reveal any agreement on the payment of 25 per cent gratuity at the point of retirement from the service and when the PEC placed a two per cent gratuity with a 98 per cent pension on the table, the unions walked away in protest,” the statement added.

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Poonai Pharmacy renews sponsorship of RHTYSC Under-13 Team

Poonai Pharmacy CEO Poonai Bhirooj hands over sponsorship to RHTYSC Under-13 Captain Matthew Pottaya.

Wednesday November 21, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today you might feel especially idealistic regarding your relationships, Aries. You're likely to see those closest to you in their best light. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Today you might feel the need to be of service to others. Your humanitarian instincts are high, Taurus, though you might tend to over-idealize the concept a little.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You usually tend toward rational and scientific ways of thinking, Libra, but today you might be so intuitive that you're more likely to use your psychic abilities. This can be a mixed blessing. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You're normally intuitive, Scorpio, but today you might feel more psychic than you ever dreamed you could.

GEMINI(May 21–June 20) The arts might seem especially appealing today, Gemini. Also, you could fall in love. If you're currently involved, expect circumstances to develop

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today you could feel especially intuitive and more sensitive than usual to unacceptable social and political conditions, Sagittarius.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) A number of powerful events could increase the level of love and positive energy in your home, Cancer.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Today you might toy with the idea of making either the arts and humanitarianism or the spread of higher consciousness your life's work.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Some new people who appear interesting could move into your neighborhood and excite your curiosity, Leo. Spiritual or metaphysical conversations could take place today VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Experiences you never expected could come your way today, Virgo. A talent that you didn't know you had could come to light. This might involve a combination of arts and technology

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Your mind could be focused on exalted spiritual concepts today, Aquarius. You might decide to make an effort to study spiritual or metaphysical materials, or attend a lecture, workshop PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Though you naturally tend to be sensitive to the feelings of others, Pisces, today you might be so in touch with the needs and desires of those around

Popular Rose Hall Town Businessman Poonai Bhirooj has renewed his cricket sponsorship of the Under-13 Cricket team of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS. Bhirooj under one of his registered business, Poonai Pharmacy, had come on board in 2017 as the official sponsor of that year when he handed over a Cheque to the Club’s Patron, His Excellency President David Granger on the 14th September, 2017. Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club was delighted that the sponsorship was renewed for another year as the Berbice Cricket Board has been organising cricket tournaments for players at the Under-13 level. Foster, who is also the President of the vibrant Berbice Cricket Board, hailed the contribution of Poonai Bhirooj who he described as a role model and friend to every Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Member. Since the formation of the Under-13 Team, players like Jonathan Rampersaud, Mahendra Gopilall, Jeremy Sandia, Matthew Pottaya

Venture ton... From page 38 50, while Ajay Ghansham made 35 as Tavin Budram picked up 2-8 and Kamal Khan 2-18. In the second fixture, which was reduced to 15 overs due to rain, Sans Souci Jaguars, led by a fine all-round performance from Zameer Zaman beat Zeelandia SC by nine wickets. Zeelandia SC took first strike and managed 114 all out in 14 overs. Ryan Adams made 22; Zaman grabbed 315 and Derwin Daniels 3-22. Sans Souci Jaguars reached 115 for 1 in seven overs in response. Zaman belted six fours and eight sixes in a swashbuckling 76 not out while Safraz Mohamed made 31 not out; Mohindra Jadokool had 1- 12. At the Wakenaam Community Centre ground in Good Success, Noitgedacht Sports Club failed to show up for their fixture against defending champions Maria’s Pleasure SC. The competition continues on Sunday. At Wakenaam Community Centre ground, Good Success SC will tackle Marias Pleasure at 09:00hrs and Sans Souci SC will face arch-rivals Sans Souci Jaguars at 13:00hrs.

have gone on to play for either Berbice or Guyana. Additionally, the team has been actively involved in over 60 self developmental programmes under the name of sponsorship. These include monthly Pensioners Project, Feeding of the Poor, Cricket Academy and Hampers for Senior Citizens among others. The Poonai Under-13 Team serves as a nursery for the Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes Under-15 Team and Asst Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu noted that the Team has already gone through the semifinals of the Berbice Cricket Board Da Silva Under-13 Tournament. The Matthew Pottaya led team defeated Albion Community Centre outright, obtained first innings points from Kendall’s Union and held Port Mourant to a draw after losing first innings points. As Runner-up in Zone B, they would play Blairmont Community Centre, winner of Zone A in the Semifinals at the D’Edward Ground. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, Naidu

proudly stated has been the dominant Club in Berbice during 2018 having won eight major titles and being the runner-up in two others at the Under-15 and Under-21 levels. The Poonai’s Under-13 Team is under the Management of veteran RHTYSC Executive Members Keith Hicks, Ravindra Nauth Kissoonlall and Tyrone Pottaya. Naidu is the Team Coordinator while National Under15 players Jonathan Rampersaud, Mahendra Gopilall and Jeremy Sandia serve as Mentors. Matthew Pottaya is the Captain while Nelroy Hicks serves as his Deputy. Poonai Bhirooj in a brief response stated that he enjoyed a close relationship with the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS and has always admired its outstanding work. He urged the team to develop a culture of discipline and hard work, while praising them for being good ambassadors of his Company’s brand. The sponsorship is worth $150,000.

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British sprinter Levine gets Anderson brilliant century powers Rose four-year doping ban BCB/Pepsi 50-Overs First Division Cricket Tournament

Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets to final - Young Warriors Cricket Club defeat Port Mourant Cricket Club to also reach final

Kevlon Anderson lived up to his reputation as Guyana’s best youth batsman, when he stroked a majestic 128 not out to lead his team, Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets into the final of the Berbice Cricket Board Pepsi 50-Overs First Division Tournament. Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets defeated Blairmont Community Centre by 112 runs at the Area ‘H’ Ground in the first semifinal, while Young Warriors Cricket Club defeated Port Mourant Cricket Club by 35 runs to join Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets in the Final. Young Warriors Cricket Club was only recently reformed under the leadership of former BCB President Anil Beharry and this victory would serve as a major morale boost to the Club. At the Area ‘H’ Ground, Anderson batting at the important No. 3 position, batted with class and poise to pull his team from 56 for 4 in the 15th Over to 232 for 6 at the end of the 50-Overs. Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets lost Kevin Sinclair 06, Clinton Pestano 02, Junior Sinclair 29 and Vidal Crandon 00 but Anderson and former National Player Eon Hooper added a crucial 96 runs for the 5th wicket, with Hooper contributing a vital 32. After the dismissal of Keith Simpson for 4 at 173 for 6, Anderson joined by another promising youth player, fifteen years Jonathan Rampersaud. The

talented duo added an unbroken 59 runs for the 7th wicket. Rampersaud was unbeaten on 20, while Anderson struck twelve delighted boundaries and three sixes in his innings. National Under-17 left arm spinner Nigel Deodat took three for 39 from 10-Overs, while left arm and National Under-19 medium pacer Javed Karim took 2 for 21 from seven overs. Needing to score 233 from 50-Overs to reach the Final, Blairmont lost the exciting Seon Glasgow for 10 when he was bounced out by national pacer Clinton Pestano at 13 for 1 in the 3rd Over. Blairmont never looked like chasing down the target and were eventually bowled out for 121 in 28.3 overs despite a solid 45 from Javed Karim, which included seven sweetly timed boundaries. Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets skipper Shawn Pereira continued his impressive 2018 season by claiming 4 for 32 from ten overs, while offspinner Kevin Sinclair claimed 4 for 17 from seven overs. Over at the Cumberland Ground, the match was reduced to 45-Overs due to overnight rain. Port Mourant Cricket Club won the toss and inserted Young Warriors Cricket Club on a pitch with some moisture. They reached a respectable 192 all out in 44Overs. Berbice Under-19 all rounder Trevon Stanislaus

batted solidly for his 61 not out (3x4, 1x6) to rescue his team from 80 for 5. He received support from Vishal Mohabir 22 and his captain Seon Hetmyer 33. Medium pacer Kellon Carmichael took 4 for 44 (8-Overs), Dimitri Cameron 2 for 29 and Shemroy Barrington 2 for 25. Port Mourant Cricket Club in reply were coasting at 120 for 3 when they suddenly collapsed to be dismissed for 158 in 35.3 Overs. Loyydel Lewis topscored with a doggly 38, before he was ninth out in the 34th over, hit wicket off the bowling of Legspinner Ricardo Ramdihal. Barrington returned with the bat to contribute 29, while T. Ramsarran made 35. Left arm pacer Devendra Ramoutar 2 for 40, Kassim Khan 2 for 26, Seon Hetmyer 3 for 23 and Ricardo Ramdihal 3 for 13 were the wicket takers for the comeback kids, who just two months ago had no Club. BCB President Hilbert Foster expressed delight at the rapid turnaround of the Young Warriors Cricket Club and noted that it was healthy for Berbice Cricket. He noted that other dormant Clubs like Kildonan, Mount Sinai, Guymine and Mental Hospital have been playing the game with great measure of success. The Final of the Pepsi 50-Overs Tournament would be played on Saturday at the Port Mourant Ground from 09.30 hours.

(Reuters) - Britain’s Olympic sprinter Nigel Levine has been banned from the sport for four years after failing a drugs test. Levine was provisionally suspended in February and yesterday UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) confirmed the 29year-old’s ban. UKAD said Levine “tested positive for the presence of the prohibited substance clenbuterol, an Anabolic Agent, following an Outof-Competition test on 24 November 2017.” Levine, who specializes in the 400 meters, competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and was part of the British squad that won 400m relay gold at the 2014 European Championships in Zurich. UKAD Chief Executive Nicole Sapstead said: “All athletes must adhere to the principle of strict liability, and are solely responsible for any substances found in their system. “Mr Levine is an elite athlete, who has competed at the Olympic Games, European and World Championships, and has received significant anti-doping education throughout his career.

Britain’s Nigel Levine competes at Olympic Stadium - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 19/08/2016. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez) “It is up to role models such as Mr Levine to uphold the highest standards when it comes to anti-doping, ensuring they check all supplements thoroughly and are 100 percent certain they know that what they are consuming is not prohibited.” UKAD said in their reasoning for the decision that Levine has “accepted that clenbuterol was present in his sample but suggested that its

presence was due to his use of supplements that must have been contaminated with clenbuterol.”The sprinter was not able to demonstrate that his supplement had been contaminated with the drug however, UKAD said. Levine has not competed since breaking his pelvis in a motorbike crash in January last year that also involved fellow sprinter James Ellington.

Curacao, Martinique Roll To Victories In CNLQ

Turbo football tournament

Second round of quarterfinals on tonight Four teams will battle tonight at the Ministry of Education Ground for the remaining two semifinal spots in the ongoing second annual Turbo knockout football tournament which is being organised by the Petra Organisation. Tonight’s matches in the tournament, which is sponsored solely by Guyana Beverage Inc. that saw it fit to double the prize money in this year’s edition, is scheduled to kick off at 18:30hrs sharp with West Demerara’s Pouderoyen FC matching skills with East Coast Demerara’s Mahaica Determinators. The feature match will see Georgetown Football Club (GFC) against defending champions Camptown at

20:30hrs. In their lead up to tonight’s quarterfinals, Pouderoyen defeated Buxton 3-0, while Mahaica needled Fruta Conquerors. Meanwhile, GCC got past Den Amstel 3-0 in their round-of16 encounter and Camptown had scraped past the stiff Grove Hi-tech 1-0 to keep their hope of a successful title defence alive.Already making it to the semifinals are Northern Rangers that edged Riddim Squad 3-2 in a thrilling quarterfinal clash last week Friday while the decision regarding the abandoned Police FC versus Santos last-eight match is yet to be announced. During their feature quarterfinal on Friday, a late goal by Manasseh Primo had equalised the match 2-2 in the

90th minute but a gunshot was discharged into the air, prompting the match officials to abandon the game. Sources close to the coordinators of the tournament, Petra Organisation, had hinted that a Santos victory was on the cards since the source of the incident was alleged to be a Police supporter. A release from Petra noted that they will be consulting with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) on a way forward but pledged that they hope football emerges as the winner at the end of the day. The tournament will see a total of $1.5 million in cash prizes up for grabs with the winners walking away with $800,000, the runners up will pocket $400,000, third $200,000 and fourth $100,000.

Curaçao players celebrate after scoring against Guadeloupe. Miami, Florida – Curacao and Martinique kept their perfect records intact with victories on Monday in week three of 2019/20 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying. Curacao (3W-0D-0L, 9 points) now sit atop the 34-team table after posting a 6-0 win over Guadeloupe (1W-1D-1L, 4 points) at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad. The Curacao attack would not kick into gear until the 39’ when Gevaro Nepomuceno

broke the deadlock. That then set the table for a second half explosion of five goals courtesy of Elson Hooi (58’, 79’), Nepomuceno (61’) and Rangelo Janga (77’, 90’). Martinique (3W-0D-0L, 9 points) enjoyed another fruitful outing CNLQ with a 4-2 victory against Antigua and Barbuda (1W-0D-2L, 3 points) at the Stade Pierre-Aliker in Fort-de-France. Stephane Abaul struck early to hand Martinique a 1-0 lead in the 12’, but Antigua and Barbuda

responded swiftly in the 17’ through Myles Weston. Martinique would then take control and scored three unanswered goals, starting with Sebastien Cretinoir in the 23’, followed by Christof Jougon in the 25’ and Kevin Parsemain just two minutes before halftime. The Benna Boyz never threw in the towel though and they found a stoppage time goal from Quinton Griffith to complete the 4-2 scoreline.

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PCB’s case against BCCI dismissed by ICC dispute panel ESPNcricinfo - The PCB’s attempts to claim damages worth USD 63 million from the BCCI have met with what is now a final failure: the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) rejected the PCB’s claim that the BCCI’s failure to honour an agreement to play bilateral series in 2014 and 2015 was a legal breach. The three-person DRC said the claim “must fail” because the agreement signed between the boards carried a “moral obligation” but not a legal one. That will not be the PCB’s only defeat. As is the norm in arbitration cases such as this, the party that loses the case usually ends up paying the costs for the proceedings, and the BCCI confirmed that it would seek legal costs from the PCB. “After hearing the evidence and arguments of the parties over three days in Dubai, the Dispute Panel by its award published today has rejected all of the PCB’s contentions and accepted the BCCI’s case inter alia on the ground that the BCCI Letter was non-binding and merely expressed an intention to play,” the BCCI said in a statement. “The BCCI wholeheartedly welcomes the decision of the Dispute Panel. The BCCI will now move the Dispute Panel to recover its legal cost from the PCB.” In a brief initial response, the PCB said it noted the DRC decision with “regret” and “disappointment.” The PCB also said it would “determine its future course of action” after consultations with its members, but the ICC made it clear that the DRC’s judgement was “binding and nonappealable”. The panel, comprising

India and Pakistan fans revel before the first ball. (Associated Press) Michael Beloff, Jan Paulsson and Dr Annabelle Bennett, conducted hearings between October 1-3 with several officials from both boards as well as senior ICC officials attending. The central question the DRC had to consider was whether the BCCI had indeed breached the agreement to play seven bilateral series between 2014 and 2023. Two of those “designated” tours were to be home series hosted by Pakistan scheduled for November 2014 and December 2015, both of which did not take place, and for which the PCB claimed damages. Ultimately, the case hinged on how the DRC viewed the agreement the two boards signed on April 9, 2014 - an agreement, incidentally, signed in the chaotic days of the Big Three governance reforms. The PCB’s contention was that it was legally binding, an argument which, at

various points in its 26-page judgment, the DRC appeared to think was sustainable; the BCCI argued that it was not and that it was only one step in a process that would lead to bilateral tours. That letter was signed by Sanjay Patel, then BCCI secretary, and Najam Sethi, who was the PCB chairman in 2014. That draft agreement was a result of PCB’s conditional support of Big Three governance changes (the Big-Three model was eventually reversed by the ICC). The DRC quickly concluded that both boards were at “cross purposes”. The BCCI said the agreement was the first step which involved boards proposing dates, followed by a second step where member boards agreed to an FTP schedule for the commercial cycle 2015-23, and a final step involving member boards entering into bilateral

FTP agreements in accordance with that schedule. The PCB, however, considered the April letter to be, “in itself”, legally binding, and “any subsequent FTP Agreement to be no more than a formality, ‘a routine matter’, as Mr Sethi for the PCB put it in his oral evidence.” However, it would not have helped the PCB’s case that they sent the BCCI a draft long-form FTP agreement in June 2014, which was never signed, but which could imply that the PCB itself recognised the need for further steps after the April letter. And in an internal PCB board meeting, members were told that an MoU had been agreed but that a “legally binding agreement will subsequently be signed” - the implication again that the April agreement was not so.

The DRC rejected the PCB’s claim that the April letter was a “quid pro quo” for its support to the Big Three’s attempts to overhaul the ICC’s governance and financial structures. The DRC pointed out that it was not the BCCI, but in fact, Cricket Australia and the ECB that had told the PCB they would not sign FTP agreements if the PCB did not agree to the Big Three model. But the complexities of the matter were apparent in the judgment, with the DRC rejecting the BCCI argument that the April letter was “uncertain and incomplete” and “therefore could not be contractually binding.” It was “a difficult argument to sustain (and one which the Panel rejects) for various reasons including BCCI approving bilateral tours without FTP agreements.” Their conclusion, eventually, fell against the PCB’s

claims on a line of argument raised by the current ICC chairman, Shashank Manohar. The April 9 agreement, according to the DRC, was at most a “letter of intent”. If seen through a “microscope” the DRC said the PCB argument that the letter was a binding agreement “burns bright.” But if a “telescope is deployed”, and a broader take is considered, the argument is “extinguished.” “In the Panel’s view, the reasonable observer apprised of all the facts would conclude that the April Letter was no more than a declaration of intent, albeit an intent sincerely held by the BCCI (and of course by the PCB) at most, as Mr [Shashank] Manohar (President of the BCCI from October 2015 to May 2016) put it, creating a “moral obligation” but not a legal one. Context trumps text.”

El Salvador coach confident of beating Jamaica in final qualifier HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – Despite a shock defeat to Bermuda last weekend, El Salvador coach Carlos de los Cobos remains optimistic about his side’s chances of clinching a place in next year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, and is now plotting a takedown of Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz in their final Nations League qualifier at home in March next year. The coach was left ruing missed chances against the gutsy Bermudians in the 1-0 defeat in Hamilton but said he was now focussed on getting his side ready to take on regional powerhouses Jamaica who are two-time Gold Cup finalists. “We need to win at home against Jamaica,” De los Cobos said. “It’s a very diffi-

Reggae Boyz … will take on El Salvador next March in the Nations League qualifiers.

cult game, but I have confidence in my team.” Friday’s defeat – following a 2-1 victory away to Montserrat and a 3-0 home win against Barbados – has left El Salvador level on six points with Bermuda, who started with a 3-1 defeat away to Aruba before thrashing Sint Maarten 12-0 here. The top 10 sides in the Nation League Qualifiers will advance to the expanded 2019 Gold Cup. At 70th, El Salvador were ranked 110 places ahead of Bermuda going into Friday night’s game at the National Stadium, but were sunk by a second-half goal by UKbased striker Nahki Wells, who ended his three-year exile from international duty to seal all three points.

Jamaica are ranked 53rd by FIFA and currently lie fifth in the Nations League standings after winning all three of their matches so far. De los Cobos said he prepared for Friday’s qualifier by analysing Bermuda’s previous outings against Aruba and Sint Maarten, and said he knew they carried an attacking threat. He was, however, surprised by Bermuda’s fighting spirit and defensive resilience during their 1-0 win. ”I have to congratulate Bermuda because they played well and fought all of the time,” De los Cobos said after the game. ”They have some very good players. I saw Bermuda in their last two matches and they looked very different tonight.”

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Smith, Warner, Bancroft bans to stand as CA rejects submission ESPNcricinfo - Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft will serve the full term of the bans imposed upon them by Cricket Australia for their roles in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal after the board considered their sanctions in the wake of the release of the independent cultural review of the governing body. Meeting via video link for an extraordinary board meeting on Monday, the board resolved to uphold the sanctions imposed via the CA code of conduct in March, suspending Smith and Warner for 12 months each and Bancroft for nine. This means Smith and Warner will remain ineligible for international or domestic cricket until the end of March 2019, and Bancroft until the end of December. Earl Eddings, the interim chairman of CA, stated that the Board felt that continued efforts to alter or reduce the bans, whether from the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) or elsewhere, was placing “undue pressure” on both the banned players and the Australian team as a whole. Since Justin Langer was appointed coach following the resignation of Darren Lehmann, Australia have won only five of 21 international matches across three formats - three of these against Zimbabwe and the UAE. “We believe the ongoing conversation about reducing the sanctions puts undue pressure on the three players

Steven Smith and David Warner shake hands at the end of a club match. (Getty Images) - all of whom accepted the sanctions earlier this year and the Australian men’s cricket team,” Eddings said. “As such, the Cricket Australia Board doesn’t intend to consider further calls for amendments to the sanctions. “Though we recognise that this decision will be disappointing for the ACA, we thank them for their submission. Our commitment to continue building a strong relationship between CA and the ACA in the interests of cricket in Australia remains and we look forward to meeting

with them shortly to that end.” CA’s decision means that Bancroft’s likely first opportunity to play for Australia again will be in the Test series against Sri Lanka at the end of January, while Smith and Warner must wait until April, ahead o f t h e Wo r l d C u p a n d Ashes in England later next y e a r. ESPNcricinfo revealedthat the Pakistan Cricket Board would be happy to move a schedule March ODI series into April, allowing the former captain and vice-captain to

be eligible. “It would’ve been great to see the guys play some domestic cricket in the back half of the season but we’ve got to respect CA’s decision on that and for the original ban to stand,” Aaron Finch, Australia’s white-ball captain, said. “It would’ve been great for Steve and Davey also, with Cam coming back shortly, but respect the decision and just got to move on now.” The ACA’s attempt to have the bans overturned, announced publicly the day after the release of the inde-

pendent cultural review, was looked upon critically by CA amid attempts to improve relationships between the governing body and the players’ union. It also did not meet with uniform support from all past or current players, amid debate about whether they should be allowed back to Sheffield Shield competition earlier than originally stipulated. “The Cricket Australia Board has carefully considered all elements of the ACA submission and has determined that it is not appropriate to make any changes to the sanctions handed down to the three players,” Eddings said. “Despite the absence of any recommendation regarding the sanctions in the recently released Ethics Centre Review, the Board has deliberated on the ACA’s submission at length. “We have reconsidered the sanctions as they apply to each of Steve, David and Cameron in light of the ACA’s submission and the Ethics Centre Review and Recommendations. The original decision of the Board to sanction the players was determined after rigorous discussion and consideration. “CA maintains that both the length and nature of the sanctions remain an appropriate response in light of the considerable impact on the reputation of Australian cricket, here and abroad. Steve, David and Cameron are working hard to demonstrate

their commitment to cricket and have our continued support to ensure their pathway to return is as smooth as possible.” In announcing his intent to challenge the bans, the ACA president Greg Dyer had said the union would be “relentless” and did not rule out legal action. However, on Tuesday the ACA accepted the decision, while stating that the board’s call was “disappointing”. “While the ACA respectfully disagrees with CA’s decision, it is accepted,” the ACA said in a statement. “The ACA regards CA’s decision as disappointing. It remains the ACA’s view that a recalibration of these sanctions would have been a just outcome. The ACA has done all it could in support of our submission, and now considers the matter closed. “The ACA’s submission was made because: CA’s sanctions were issued without consideration of the findings of the Longstaff review; CA said that it accepted Dr Longstaff ’s findings that concluded CA needed to take responsibility for its ‘winning without counting the costs’ culture that contributed to the events in Cape Town; CA’s sanctions on the players were excessive. “The ACA’s submission provided an opportunity for CA to recalibrate its player sanctions by permitting a return via domestic and/or international cricket.”

Concacaf U-20 championship USA 2018

U.S. slips past Honduras to reach final against Mexico today Bradenton, Florida – The United States will have the chance to defend its Concacaf Under-20 Championship title in the Final after narrowly defeating Honduras 1-0 in the final match of Group G of the 2018 CU20 Qualification Stage. The U.S. will square off against rivals Mexico today in the Final to decide who takes home the CU20 trophy. It was a tight, tense affair between the U.S. and the Hondurans, as a stout Catracho defense kept the highflying U.S. attack in check during the first 45 minutes. However, the start of the second half was a different story and a U.S. side playing with more energy and urgency was able to break the scoreless deadlock. A deflected long ball fell right to Ayo Akinola, whose right-footed shot beat Honduras GK Oscar Reyes to make it 1-0 to the U.S. in the 51’. From there the U.S. defence took over and saw things out to win Group G with a spotless record of 2W-0D-0L, 6 points,

5GF, 0GC. By virtue of the result, Honduras has qualified for the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Poland. Mexico comeback leads to CU20 Final appearance Mexico advanced to the Final thanks to a second-half comeback that saw El Tricolor rally for a 2-2 draw versus Panama on Monday. The two teams completed Group H of the CU20 Qualification Stage with identical points, goal difference and goals scored, meaning the tiebreaker came down to Fair Play points. By virtue of having fewer yellow cards during the Qualification Stage, Mexico will play in the CU20 Final today. There were chances for both teams in the first half-hour but it would be Panama that would open the scoring in the 34’ when the Mexican defence failed to clear its lines and Saed Diaz fed a pass to Ernesto Walker, who fired in a strong finish to make it 1-0 to Panama. The Canaleros were not about to sit back and they would double their lead to 2-0 just seconds before halftime when

Elison Rivas of Honduras (#2) battles for possession against Ayo Akinola of the United States.

Walker scored his second of the night with a thumping header off a corner kick. But Mexico was undaunted and mounted a furious comeback effort in the second half, beginning with

Daniel Lopez’s penalty conversion in the 53’ after a Panama handball in the area to cut the lead to 2-1. Momentum was on El Tricolor’s side and they pulled level 2-2 in the 61’ courtesy of a curling right-footed

strike from Diego Hernandez. Both teams would trade chances in the f i n a l h a l f - h o u r, i n c l u d i n g a Panama shot that hit the post, but it would finish with a sharing of the points.

Wednesday November 21, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Praise for organizers as preliminaries wind up GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – Tournament director Jennifer Nero has hailed the organizing committees of the ongoing ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup in St. Lucia and Guyana, following the completion of group stages in those two territories. Nero, who is also a dir e c t o r o f C r i c k e t We s t Indies, said the tournament has attracted record numbers of spectators and the hard work done in the preparation stage had paid huge dividends. ”We launched the amazing ‘Watch This’ campaign back in June and it has caught the imagination of the cricket world,” said Nero. ”We are delighted with the number of fans coming to the matches and we want to applaud everyone who came out – men, women and c h i l d r e n . We h a d h u g e turn-outs in both venues – the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground and the Guyana National Stadium – which

West Indies players celebrate one of their four victories during the preliminary round. provided an electrifying atmosphere.” Nero added: “We want to say a special ‘thank you’ to the governments and people of St Lucia and Guyana for their support and help in putting on a wonderful show in the opening rounds.”

The tournament is a historic one as the first ICC stand-alone Twenty20 tournament. In the past, both the men’s and women’s events have been run alongside each other. Eight years ago, the Caribbean also hosted the T20 World Cup, with much

success. ”I must commend the officials and staff who worked on this event – everything was well-organized and went according to plan. We h a v e a c a d r e o f competent, skilled and highly-motivated profes-

sionals who executed a seamless operation,” Nero continued. “Of note, if the work of the ground-staff in both venues, who did yeoman service to get the pitches and out fields in top condition. ”No stone was left unturned and we have seen a new level of excitement and organization in the women’s game. We e n d e d t h e f i r s t round with an amazing crowd of close to 10,000 in St. Lucia and it was a great occasion. We have seen t h e r i s e o f w o m e n ’s cricket.” Tickets sale have surpassed previous expectations, with an average of close to 4,000 fans per match day. With the momentum, organisers are expecting capacity crowds for the final phase in Antigua. With hosts WINDIES Women storming into the semi-finals alongside England, Australia and India,

Nero urged the fans in Antigua to come out and be part of history. The semi-finals of the global event will be contested tomorrow at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, where the final takes place two days later. We s t I n d i e s t a k e o n three-time champions Australia while England face India in the other semi-final. ”We are now into the last lap with the top four teams sharing the limelight. The spotlight will now switch to Antigua and we expect the same levels of operations and delivery,” said Nero. ”This tournament has opened the eyes of the world and demonstrated that the women’s game can stand alone – the ladies are standing proudly with athletic and dynamic displays on the field backed by superb organization and leadership off the field. This is a boundary-breaking, history-making event.”

WEIGHT OF HISTORY BEHIND ICC WOMEN’S WORLD T20 SEMI-FINALS With the ICC Women’s World T20 in just its sixth edition and with this being the first stand-alone tournament, the legacy of this tournament can be said to still be in its beginning. And yet the last three matches arrive with the weight of history behind them, thanks to the way the draws have fallen. The semifinals will be re-enactments of two of the most famous finals in the history of women’s cricket, both of which have come in the last two years. In the first game tomorrow, 22 November, the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium will host the home team as they face pre-tournament favourites Australia. The Windies claimed their title by beating the same team in the final of the ICC Women’s World T20 2016. That game could lay claim to the most groundbreaking victory ever, as it was the first time that a team outside of the axis of Australia-England-New Zealand won a global title since 1973. In the later game, tabletoppers India will take on England, a re-match of the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017: On that occasion the home team crowned a year of upheaval with a title in front of their fans, while India fell short of a first ICC Women’s World Cup title by an agonizing 10 runs. The match

was the pinnacle of a record-breaking tournament, one that could be said to have forever changed how the world viewed women’s cricket. In this tournament, the home side have looked mercurial yet steely; there are questions about the consistency of their batting, having posted low scores in three of their four games. But when they beat England, it was runs from lesser known players that saw them home, proof that the side is more than its top-three. Their bowling line-up has shown the ability to defend low scores, but most electric has been their fielding. “If you score a low total and you have the best

fielding, then you have a chance at defending that total”, said Deandra Dottin ahead of the semi-finals. “We’ve been working very hard on our fielding, our basic stuff, and it certainly helps. I think it’s pretty strong at the moment.” With the wind in the Caribbean offering some unique challenges to fielders, the home side look distinctly advantaged. Australia come in with some questions: after having been anointed far-andaway favourites before the tournament, the loss against India in their final group game has left many pondering their vulnerability. But they still sport formidable depth, and captain Meg Lanning believes her

bowling attack has developed a resilience that wasn’t there before. “We were staying relatively calm out there knowing that India would come hard at us and they would have the momentum at some point. I thought we were able to hold them back pretty well,” she said after that loss. The three-time champions have the best support system, the best domestic structure, and some world-class players, but have not won a world title since 2014, and will be keen to correct that. India seem to have shed their skin in the last six months. Doubts about their chances in this competition arose when they lost twice to Bangladesh in the Asia

Golden Jaguars go down to French... From back page teams continue their quest to qualify for the Concacaf Gold Cup next year.The Golden Jaguars have dropped to 15th in the 34 nation league while French Guiana has moved to 11th overall. Haiti is at the top followed by Canada, Cuba, Jamaica and Martinique in that order with 9 points apiece. Bermuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, French Guiana, Belize, El Salvador and Montserrat are next in this order on 6 points apiece separated by goals.

Followed by Guyana, Suriname, St Lucia, Barbados, Aruba, Guadeloupe and Dominica all on 4 points separated on goal difference. Antigua and Barbuda at 22nd along with St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada and Turks & Caicos Islands are all on 3 points followed by Cayman Islands, Bahamas and Anguilla on a point apiece. Yet to get off the mark are Puerto Rick, British Virgin Islands, Bonaire, Saint Martin, US Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten.

Guyana will play their final match of this stage on March 23rd at the Leonora Track and Field Stadium where a win will be a must. French Guiana on the other hand would be playing away to Canada on March 26th. The starting X1: 1 Kai McKenzie-Lyle, 14Terence Vancooten, 21Colin Nelson, 3Kevin Layne, 5Walter Moore, 11Kadell Daniel, 12Daniel Wilson, 16Neil Danns (Captain), 23Elliot Bonds, 20Trayon Bobb, 9Sheldon Holder.

Cup, but since then they have found a winning h a bit and formula, one with a heavy dose of spin. Under a new coach, they have now won eight T20Is in a row - their best ever run - and carry critical momentum into the game, having just beaten Australia. “I think it’s important not just because it’s Australia, but for ourselves and our team,” said Jemimah Rodrigues, one of the young players who has been key to India’s resurgence. “I think it plays a huge impact on our team and I think we look forward to it, but are not carried away by it, and we will try to do even better in the semifinals.” England were unchallenged and their middle-order undercooked going into their last group match, but that changed as they were beaten in a thriller by the Windies. “To have a tight game like

that and to see how we fought, how we stayed in the game, how we scrapped, that’s what the team is about,” said Knight. “And that’s all I can ask for the girls. It’s really pleasing obviously, going into the semi-final.” They have bet heavily on their spinners in this tournament, but it has been their pace bowlers who have won them critical moments in the group games, in conducive conditions in Saint Lucia. The challenge now for Heather Knight’s side will be to replicate that at a different venue, against opposition who play spin well. Antigua’s coast might boast white sand beaches and azure blue sea, but come tomorrow, the interior will be the place to be. The best cricketing talent will converge on the green grass of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, as this tournament takes its last few steps towards legacy.

Crawford Memorial Turf Club horserace meet set for Sunday... From page 38 $170,000 and trophy. There are two events for three year old horses. One is for animals classified L and 3 years and up for fillies and mares over 1400M for a winner’s take of $100,000 and trophy.The other is for animals classified L and 3 years and up for colts and geldings also over 1400M for

a first prize of $100,000 and trophy.The other event is for L class animals that have not earned any money since racing over a distance of 1000M the winner will get $50,000 and trophy. There will be trophies and other incentives for outstanding individual performers. Race time is 12:00hrs.

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Wednesday November 21, 2018

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NBA roundup: Davis’ 29, Randle’s triple-double lead Pelicans Anthony Davis scored 29 points and Julius Randle came off the bench to add a tripledouble as the New Orleans Pelicans routed the San Antonio Spurs 140-126 on Monday night. Davis, who scored a combined 83 points in his previous two games, finished the Monday game six points shy of 10,000 points for his sevenyear career. The Pelicans, who improved to 8-1 at home, swept a three-game homestand in which they averaged 131 points. They have won six of their last seven games. Randle finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. E’Twaun Moore scored 24 points, and Jrue Holiday scored 21 for New Orleans. DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points to lead San Antonio. Bryn Forbes had 20 and former Pelican Dante Cunningham scored 19 for the Spurs, who lost for the sixth time in eight games. Kings 117, Thunder 113 Buddy Hield scored 25 points, hitting 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions late in the fourth quarter, to help lift Sacra-

New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) celebrates a basket as San Antonio Spurs guard Marco Belinelli (18) looks on during the second half at the Smoothie King Center. (Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports) mento past visiting Oklahoma City. Hield’s late treys helped the Kings overcome a strong finish from the T h u n d e r ’s Russell Westbrook, who scored 13 of his game-high 29 points in

the fourth quarter. Westbrook, who missed six consecutive games because of a sprained ankle and the birth of twin daughters over the weekend, also had 13 rebounds and seven assists. Iman Shumpert scored 23

points for the Kings, all in the first half. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points, and Marvin Bagley III had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Sacramento. Paul George added 27 points for Oklahoma City.

Bucks 104, Nuggets 98 Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to lead host Milwaukee past Denver. Eric Bledsoe added 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton added 13 points apiece for the Bucks, who have won consecutive games for the first time since a 7-0 start. Nikola Jokic scored 20 points and Jamal Murray had 17 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets. Hornets 117, Celtics 112 Kemba Walker scored 43 points, and host Charlotte rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Boston. Walker scored 21 of his points in the fourth quarter, singlehandedly leading the comeback until Tony Parker hit two clutch baskets in the final two minutes. Walker ’s 3-pointer with 33.3 seconds left gave the Hornets a six-point lead and all but settled the outcome. In the process, Walker reclaimed his spot as the league’s leading scorer. He came into the night averag-

ing 28.7 points per game, behind LeBron James’ 28.8, but now holds a slight edge over James. Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 27 points and 11 assists. 76ers 119, Suns 114 Joel Embiid scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead host Philadelphia past Phoenix. It was Embiid’s 11th game this season with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. The Sixers improved to 90 at home and secured their 19th straight home win dating to last season. This is their longest home winning streak since tallying 24 straight from Nov. 27, 1982, to March 23, 1983. Ben Simmons added 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Sixers, who have won three in a row. Devin Booker led the Suns with 37 points, while TJ Warren added 21 and rookie DeAndre Ayton chipped in with 17. In other results: Pacers 121, Jazz 94 Grizzlies 98, Mavericks 88 Clippers 127, Hawks 119 Pistons 113, Cavaliers 102 (Field Level Media)

Venture ton, Osborne fifty UCCA secures sponsorship from Trophy Stall Port Mourant propel Sans Souci; Zaman Branch for U-19 tournament heroics hands SS Jaguars win The Upper Corentyne printing and many other Sunich and his company, TroCricket Association (UCCA) continues to create history after securing another sponsorship for cricket in the area. This is for a new Under-19 Tournament and is sponsored by Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Market Street, Port Mourant Branch. The newest of branches which will be opened in January, 2019 and will serve the Berbice community with quality tokens for sports such as uniforms, trophies, medals, plaques,

related services, something that is seriously lacking in the Ancient County. The tournament will be round robin, consisting of 6 teams and will commence on Saturday November 24, 2018. At a simple but significant presentation ceremony held recently at the new Port Mourant Office, which is in its final stage of preparation for opening, Mr. Vicky Bharosay, former Treasurer of the UCCA and Berbice Cricket Board thanked Mr.

Crawford Memorial Turf Club horserace meet set for Sunday 25 November at Alness The Ryan Crawford Memorial Turf Club will go racing this Sunday, 25th November at the club’s track at Alness, Corentyne, Berbice. Seven races are listed for the day and an exciting day of racing is anticipated. The feature event will be the Alness Classic over 1400M for a winning purse of $500,000 and trophy. The other event listed

on the days cards are the event for I and lower horses over a distance of 1200M with a first prize of $240,000 and trophy. The event for 2 Years Old animals carries a winning prize of $200,000 and trophy over 1200M. There is an event for horses classified J3 and lower over 1000M for the take home package of (Continued on page 35)

phy Stall for firstly opening a branch at Port Mourant, a village that arguably produced the most test cricketers in the world and for coming on board with the Association. He promised that the tournament will be of high standard with intention to ‘blood’ players for the first division team, Berbice, Guyana and Windies. Ramesh Sunich in response, said that he follows the work of the Association and is impressed with the standard of cricket administration. He also mentioned that he is pleased to be associated with the UCCA and is happy to be on board. He further said that he feels privileged to be the sponsor of this tournament and to give opportunities to our young cricketers. He added that he is happy to provide a service to the Berbice communities. The first round fixture is as follows: No. 73 Warriors vs No. 72 Cut and Load No. 48 Cricket Club vs No. 66 Cricket Club Scottsburg vs No. 73 Mandir (Teams named first are the host)

Seon Venture

Zameer Zaman

Wayne Osborne

An attacking unbeaten century from Seon Venture and a fine half century from Wayne Osborne handed Sans Souci Sports Club a 118-run victory over Zeelandia Sports Club when the Badri Prasad Memorial T20 competition

continued on Sunday last in Wakenaam. Venture clobbered 13 sixes in scoring 100 off just 22 balls, while Osborne thumped eight sixes in a robust 65 and Kamal Khan chipped in with 48 as Sans Souci SC rattled up 281-

6, batting first at Zeelandia. Mohindra Jadukool captured 2-40 and Ryan Atkinson 2-57. Zeelandia SC were bowled out for 163 in 18 overs in reply. Ryan Adams slammed six sixes in scoring (Continued on page 33)

Ryan Adams

Kamal Khan

Derwin Daniels

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 21, 2018

PAGE 39

Ramnaresh Sarwan/UCCA 40-Overs Second Division Tournament

No. 72 All Stars clinch Title in a thriller as BCB completes 16th Tournament for 2018 T

he sun was out in all of its glory, spectators came out in large numbers while the cricket on the field was of the highest standard as the Berbice Cricket Board hosted the Final of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association/Ramnaresh Sarwan 40-Overs Second Division Tournament. When the curtain was drawn on the well kept No. 72 Cut and Load Ground, No. 72 All Stars held their nerves to defeat the home team by ten runs in a thrilling match, which kept the huge crowd on its feet during the final ten overs. No. 72 All Stars won the toss and batted first in glorious weather. They were able to reach 156 all out in 35 of their allotted 40-Overs. Kameshwar Chatterpaul topscored with 36 and received support from Anand Singh 25, Mohindra B h o j 2 0 a n d Tr i s h a n Ramdass 20. Ikhram Khan 3 for 15, Abdullah Ajib 2 for 21, Rishi Persaud 2 for 16 and Devanand Chatterpaul 2 for 14 were the wicket takers for the No. 72 Cut and Load Team. Needing to score 157 in 40-Overs to claim their first BCB Title, Cut and Load was given a perfect start of 70 runs by openers Ramesh Joseph and Kadil Ajib before Joseph threw his wicket away in the 18th Over to be caught on the long on boundary for 22. Ajib continued to play a responsible innings even as wickets fell around due to a brilliant spell of hostile fast

The winning team posed with UCCA President Dennis De Andrade and Secretary Sydney Jackman.

bowling by Taleshwar Baichan who took four quick wickets. The dismissal of the talented Rishi Persaud, caught at mid wicket off a miscued pull was the crucial turning point for the match as No. 72 All Stars never gave up hope. Devanand Chatterpaul 15 and Ajib tried to hold the innings together but when Baichan trapped Ajib LBW for a top score of 50, the match was virtually over for No. 72 Cut and Load. Taleshwar Baichan

took 4 for 23 and Wayne Garnett 3 for 31 for the Champions. BCB President Hilbert Foster was loud in praise for the friendly atmosphere that the Final was played in, noting that both teams hailed from the same Village. Foster who has visited the Upper Corentyne area, twenty four times since his election in February, stated that there can be no doubt that cricket in the area was on the move again. He praised

the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association for the outstanding work it was doing to promote the game. Special mention was made of former West Indies Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan for his sponsorship of the Tournament which was contested by 24 teams. The To u r n a m e n t w a s t h e sixteenth completed by the Berbice Cricket Board in the last four months, while eight others are in process. With several others expected to

start shortly, the Berbice Cricket Board would create a record by hosting close to thirty tournaments at different levels for Clubs across the county. Upper Corentyne Cricket Association Secretary Sydney Jackman was loud in praise of the outstanding work of the Berbice Cricket Board and the role it was playing in the promotion of the game in Upper Corentyne. He also disclosed that the Berbice

Cricket Board and Upper Corentyne Cricket Association would be hosting an Under-19 Tournament for six clubs in the area, while the New Building Society Second Division Tournament would restart after a short break to accommodate the Sarwan Final. The Berbice Cricket Board handed over trophies and financial incentives to the Champion, Runner-up and Man of the Final Taleshwar Baichan.

Narayan Ramdhani continues winning streak in Canada at ACAC Tourney Narayan Ramdhani

Narayan Ramdhani last weekend won the Men Singles and got 4th Place in Men Doubles at the 2018-19 ACAC (Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference) Inter College/University Tournament #1 last weekend in Edmonton Alberta Canada making him the No.1 Player. The Four Teams that took p a r t a r e : T h e K i n g ’s University-EAGLES, Olds College-BRONCOS, Concordia University of Edmonton-THUNDER and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) -OOKS SINGLES RESULTS: Narayan Ramdhani

seeded No 3 and representing The King’s Eagles defeated in the: Quarter Finals: Tyler Walsh (No. 1 Seed) - Nait: 21-17, 21-13 Semi-Finals: Ronuelle Mendina - Nait: 21-17, 21-14 Finals: Braxton Wong (No. 2 Seed) - Concordia: 21-16, 21-7 DOUBLES RESULTS: Narayan Ramdhani & Joel Simrose (The King’s Eagles) Quarter Finals: defeated Colton Grier & Rylan Head Olds: 21-12, 21-14 Semi Finals: lost to No. 1 Seeds Desmond Wang & Braxton Wong - Concordia:

21-7, 21-9 Narayan has also achieved the Kings’ University Athlete Award. The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is the governing body for collegiate sports in Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1964, as the Western InterCollege Conference, the ACAC is represented by seventeen schools, including

one in Saskatchewan that competes in ten sports. The ACAC is a member of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association, and provincial champions compete for national collegiate titles. Narayan was also interviewed by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips for an interview for ACAC website feature.

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Wednesday November 21, 2018

Defending champions Police advance in Gt Beer Tourney

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e f e n d i n g champions P o l i c e (Georgetown) advanced to the next round after a tough first round encounter against Wolves in the latest matches of the GT Beer/BFA/Candy Boss/Antics Promotions 8a-side Invitational knockout football played Sunday evening last at the All Saints Presbyterian Church ground in New Amsterdam, Berbice. The Cops edged out Wolves United in a sudden death penalty shootout after the two teams were locked 11 after regulation time. Deon Rodney sent Police into the lead in the 14th minute but Kwesi Blue scored the equalizer for Wolves in the 28th minute. C o u g a r s Tw e n t i e s brushed aside Edinburgh 2-0 with Dwayne Alleyne and Shaqualle George netting on the 23rd and 39th minutes of play. The tournament continues this weekend with four more matches at the

Cougars goal scorers Dwayne Alleyne and Shaqualle George. same venue. On Friday evening, Orealla Falcons will square off with Monedderlust FC in the first match at 19:00 hours, while Hopetown will

Defending champions Police.

clash with Siparuta FC at 20:30 hours. On Sunday, Mahaicony FC will face off with Golden Stars at 19:00 hours, while Cougars ‘B’ will oppose

Soccer City in the feature clash. Wolves United and Edinburgh have now joined Fyrish Sharks and Corentyne All Stars as eliminated

teams. Teams from Berbice, Georgetown, East Coast D e m e r a r a a n d We s t Demerara are battling for supremacy and a chance to

win cash prizes and trophies in excess of $1.2 million. Matches will be every Friday and Sunday until the grand final on January 5th, 2019 at the same venue.

Ariel Masters capture Mike’s Pharmacy softball title

Mohamed Rafeek anchored his team innings in the semi final.

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riel Masters were crowned champions of the Mike’s Pharmacy 15over softball competition which was contested on Sunday last at Malteenoes Sports Club. Having won their semi final encounter against Success Masters, Ariel Masters defeated Fishermen Masters by five wickets in the final. Fishermen Masters batted first and posted 127-7. Suresh Ramdin made 39, Pooran Singh 36 and Sachin Singh 20. Robert Comacho claimed 3-18, Hanoman Singh 2-18 and Manoj Arjune 2-21. Ariel Masters responded with 129-5 in

14.2 overs. Richard Persaud struck three fours and a similar number of sixes in a top score of 46, while Troy Lewis made 30 and Comacho 25. In their semi final game, Ariel Masters took first strike and managed 186-5. Opener Mohamed Rafeek anchored the innings as he slammed seven fours and eight sixes in an unbeaten 110, while Manoj Arjune contributed 22. Success Masters threatened but were restricted to 172-7 in reply. Vijay Baljit made 38 and Sachin Singh 33. Arjune captured 2-15 and Comacho 2-20. Fishermen Masters overcame Wellman Masters

Captain of the victorious Ariel Masters team Hanoman Singh (left) accepts the trophy from organiser Wayne Jones in the presence of his team mates. by 10 runs in their semi final game. Batting first, Fishermen Masters scored 146-8. Z. Asad led with 44, while Suresh Ramdin and D. Thomas made 30 and 17 respectively as Wayne Jones grabbed 4-28. Jones then struck an unbeaten 68, but it was not enough to take his team over the line as Wellman Masters finished on 136-6. Patrice Stewart made 29 as D. Thomas claimed 3-10.Orgainser Wayne Jones congratulated the winning team and thanked the sponsors. (Zaheer Mohamed)

Richard Persaud played a crucial knock in the final.

Wednesday November 21, 2018

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Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee

Race of Champions 2018 set for P/M turf club Dec 2 The inaugural Race of Champions Horse Racing meet organised by the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee is set for Sunday December 2 at the Port Mourant Turf Club in Corentyne, Berbice from 12 noon. The programme features several exciting races with the main event featuring a rematch between Vera’s Finally and Just call me boss at the only track Vera’s Finally has lost a race in Guyana. The programme will see: Race 1: 1300M- The first Annual Race of Champions. Purse: $1,937,500 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares three Years and older. This race is open to all imported and locally bred horses C2 & Lower Colts and Geldings weighting a maximum of 126 lbs and a minimum of 108lbs while Fillies and Mares must weight a maximum of 123lbs of minimum of 105lbs. Official We i g h t d e p e n d s o n Class/Age/Sex. Race 2: 1500M- FClass Purse: $ 775,000 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares three Years and older and is open to all West Indian and Guyana bred horses F & Lower. Colts and Gelding must weight a Maximum of 126lbs and a Minimum of 108lbs while Fillies and Mares must weight a Maximum of 123lbs and a

Minimum of 105lbs. Official weight depends on Class/Age/Sex. Race 3: 1300M-H-Class Purse $ 446,500 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares three Years and older and is open to all West Indian bred horses H& Lower and Guyana bred horses H1 & Lower. Also Open to West Indian bred horses classed G1 and lower and nonwinners in Guyana. Colts & Gelding weight Maximum 126lb and Minimum 108lbs. Fillies & Mares weight Maximum 123lb Minimum 105lb. Official weight depends on Class/Age/Sex. Race 4: 1300M-2yrs Old Purse: $533,000 for Colts, Gelding & Fillies 2 Years Old. Horses Bred in Guyana Only. Colts & Gelding weight 112lbs. Fillies 109lbs. Race 5: 1500M-I Class Purse: $484,000 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares 3 years and older, Guyana bred horses classified 1& Lower. Also open to H-Class no earner in Guyana. Colts & Gelding weight Maximum 126lbs, Minimum108lbs. Fillies & Mares weight Maximum 123lb Minimum 105lb. Official weight depends on Class/Age/Sex. Race 6: 1300M-J Class Purse: $465,000 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares 3 years and older, Guyana bred horses classified J3 & lower. Colts & Gelding weight

Maximum 126lbs, Minimum108lbs. Fillies & Mares weight Maximum 123lbs and Minimum 105lb. Official weight depends on Class/Age/Sex. Race 7: 1300M-K-Class Purse: $445,500 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares 3 years and older, Guyana bred horses classified K- class & lower. Colts & Gelding weight Maximum 126lbs and Minimum108lbs. Fillies & Mares weight Maximum 123lbs and Minimum 105lbs. Official weight depends on Class/Age/Sex. Race 8: 1500M-L class Purse $387,500 for Colts, Gelding Only. Horses of all ages, Guyana bred horses classified L Class. Open to J3 first time starter and K class horses who have not earned in their first start/last start. Colts & Gelding weight maximum 126lbs, minimum 116lbs. Race 9: 1300M-L class Purse $387,500 for Fillies & Mares Only. Horses of all ages, Guyana bred horses classified L Class. Open to J3 first time starter and K class horses who have not earned in their first start/last start. Fillies & Mares weight maximum 126lbs and minimum 116lbs Race 10: 1500M-L class. Purse$ 299,000 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies and Mares. Horses of all ages, Guyana bred horses classified L Class. Open to J3 first time starter and K class horses

Just Call me Boss

Vera’s Finally who have not earned in their first start/last start. Colts & Gelding weight maximum 126lbs and minimum 116lbs. Fillies & Mares weight maximum 123lbs and minimum 113lbs. The Jumbo-Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee reserves the right to cancel /reframe any race in the event that there are less than five (5) horses entered for any event, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to cancel or reframe the said event or reduce the prize money on race day after notifying the horse owner. Five horses must start or

no third prize will be paid, seven horses to start or no fourth prize will be paid and 12 horses to start or no fifth prize will be paid. All races are run under the Guyana Horse Racing Rules, but also must meet all requirements of the JumboJet thoroughbred racing committee while horses are subject to reclassification pending to the results of any race meeting prior to this one. In the event an animal has being scratched from the event, a medical has to accompany any request of refund, if not, a fee of $5,000

GYD will be charged. All races will start on time and entries are to be paid and jockeys are to be weighed 15 minutes before post time and if not the said race will be cancelled. Entries will only be accepted by entry forms provided by the Jumbo-Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee. For more information contact can be made with Chandu Ramkisoon on 6249063, 608-9063, 232-0633, Alan Padmore: 232-9115, 232-0811, 232-0657, Nikita Ross: 662-4668 or Ramnauth 697-1979.

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Golden Jaguars go down to French Guiana

Neil Danns – Guyana Captain and Goal Scorer Despite being the dominant team in the second half, Guyana’s Golden Jaguars’ quest to maintain their unbeaten run in the Concacaf Nations League was jerked by home team French Guiana which defeated the former 2-1 last night at the Dr Edmard Lama Stadium in the French Nation. The Guyanese, coming off a big 8-0 win over host Turks & Caicos

Islands following a draw in their opening clash against Barbados here 2-2 had fancied their chances of maintaining that form but it did not turn out the way they hoped. Conceding early goals in either half put paid to their chances of silencing the home team and even though the Jaguars were much more dominant in the final 45 minutes, conceding goals early

Kai Mackenzie-Lyle made the difference. French Guiana‘s Jules Haabo turned out to be their hero as he netted in the 18th and 46th minutes to seal full points for them after suffering a 0-1 loss to St. Vincent & The Grenadines in the second match of the historic Concacaf Nations League. The second goal came 45 seconds in the second half as the

Guyanese defence were caught napping, Haabo tucking his shot past goalkeeper Kai McKenzieLyle who brought off some fantastic saves during the match. The French team repeatedly put the ball over the Guyanese defence and ran on to it as they secured full points from the match. Captain Neil Danns pulled his country back in the 59th minute from a corner,

second half substitute Emery Welshman who replaced Sheldon Holder initially getting a touch of the ball before his Captain, who was unmarked tapped the ball into the back of the nets, unchallenged. Guyana remain on 4 points from their three matches, while French Guiana which had defeated Anguilla 5-0 moves to 6 points as (Continued on page 37)

WEIGHT OF HISTORY BEHIND ICC UCCA secures sponsorship from Trophy Stall Port Mourant WOMEN’S WORLD T20 SEMI-FINALS Branch for U-19 tournament

Deandra Dottin and teammates will hope to bring out the celebrations as they seek to defeat Australia tomorrow. ©WICB Media/Athelstan Bellamy Mr. Ramesh Sunich, left, proprietor of Trophy Stall and Mr. Vicky Bharosay, former treasurer of the UCCA and BCB at a simple launching of the tournament last Saturday at Trophy Stall new Branch at Port Mourant, Berbice. Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.