Guyana Times Daily

Teixeira, Trotman to observe UK elections P13

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3219

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Purchase of PM luxury ride broke all financial laws

Page 3

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Hutson confirmed as Chief Education Officer

P7

…Govt also pays $20M to bankrupt US company for CCTV cameras

Enmore Estate closure

200 female workers to – massive protest, one-day be affected strike for this morning Page 2

Guyana Govt condemns horrifying UK terrorist attack

Case of alleged sexual abuse of boys by Muslim scholar reopens

At least 19 people are dead and about 50 injured in a possible terrorist incident Monday night at Manchester Arena in England, where pop singer Ariana Grande was performing. Photo shows armed Police at Manchester Arena after reports of an explosion at the venue © PA

Page 12

P5

Stolen boat engine found, 1 in custody

Father of P8 30 children charged for attempting to evade course of justice

Page 17

Venezuela wants Guyana’s support in bid to end unrest

Deadly Corentyne piracy attack

$550M cocaine bust

CANU releases ace rider, Page 10 arrest warrant discharged

– report sent to Social Protection Minister P9

2 news

tuesDAY, may 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Enmore Estate closure

200 female workers to be affected – massive protest, one-day strike for this morning

T

wo weeks after the announced closure of the East Demerara (Enmore) Estate, more far-reaching consequences are being exposed. Ahead of a “massive” protest planned for the Estate’s factory this morning, Guyana Times was on Monday informed that some 200 female workers attached to the entity stood to be directly affected.

This publication understands that at the Estate, some 40 women engage in weeding tasks while another 40 are part of the “creole gang”. It was disclosed that several women work as cleaners in the factory’s offices, while 17 are attached to the packaging plant. More alarming, it was further related that the majority of these women are married to cane cutters, which means that both parents of many households stand to be unemployed.

These issues will be highlighted in this morning’s protest that workers have planned. It is expected that the wives and other family members of sugar workers

The East Demerara Estate (Enmore Estate)

will come out in their numbers to voice collective condemnation of the decision to close the Estate which was confirmed by Agriculture Minister Noel Holder when he presented Government’s white paper on the industry’s future on May 8.

This publication has been told that workers and families in the East Coast Demerara communities of Buxton, Annandale, Cane

Grove, Enmore, Success, Ogle, Lusignan, Enterprise, Foulis, Bare Root, Mahaica and Lusignan all stand to suffer from the imminent shutdown.

An official attached to the East Demerara Estate disclosed that workers intend to engage in the massive one-day strike action.

This may significantly alter the Estate’s optimum output, as it was also revealed

that production for the current crop would miss the projected target. Uitvlugt Estate also missed its target earlier this year.

When this newspaper had visited a group of community members at a small market at Enterprise, East Coast Demerara earlier this month, they highlighted their worry over the entity’s closure. In fact, a few sellers in the area had noted that

community members had already began to reduce their spending, which mirrored the situation at Wales, West Bank Demerara last year when residents there had also reduced buying goods upon the announcement that the Wales Sugar Factory would be shut down.

Mayaram Sundar, a harvester and father of two, had noted the hardships his family would face, saying that his son’s education may be held up if he could not find the means to support him.

He had also suggested that severance pay was a temporary benefit.

“If you say you will pay severance, how long will the severance last?” Sundar had questioned.

“Tolly” (only name given), a greens and provisions vendor and mother of six, had stressed that she was already facing challenges.

“I have six children to maintain and [buying and selling greens] is the only thing I does do here. I got children going to school; books very expensive and passage for them to go to

school so I would like if the Estate could not close down,” she appealed.

When the Agriculture Minister had presented the white paper on the future of the industry in Parliament, he had told the House by the end of 2017, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) will have three estates: Blairmont on the West Bank of Berbice, Albion-Rose Hall in East Berbice and the UitvlugtWales Estate in West Demerara. “…the Enmore Factory will be closed at the end of 2017 when all cane would be harvested. The East Coast Estates would be earmarked for diversification,” the Minister had stated.

Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) President Komal Chand had long contended that Government had not conducted any social impact studies before it had opted to close estates. The GAWU President reiterated this position on Monday. In December 2016, sugar operations ended at the Wales Estate.

news

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Tuesday, May 23 – a night retraction at 02:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h- 16:00h and Wednesday, May 24 – a night retraction at 03:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h- 16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Tuesday, May 23 – 14:40h-16:10h Wednesday, May 24 – 15:35h- 17:05h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY

Weather: Thundery and heavy rain showers can be expected throughout the day. Partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening. Temperatures should range between 24 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East South-easterly to East North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 14:50h reaching a maximum height of 2.65 metres.

Low Tide: 08:22h and 20:42h reaching minimum heights of 0.52 metre and 0.54 metre respectively.

LOTTERY NUMBERS N

08

10 15

16

20

28

06 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017

DAILY MILLIONS 02 11 17 19

21

LUCKY 3 6 3 6

5

Afternoon Draw

2

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

01 03

08 09

Purchase of PM luxury ride broke all financial laws …Govt also pays $20M to bankrupt US company for CCTV cameras

A

bena Moore, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP), was yesterday hauled over the proverbial coals when she appeared before the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to answer queries raised by the Auditor General’s Office.

The resultant interrogation revealed that tens of millions of dollars had been spent by the MoTP in breach of procurement rules and in audaciously flagrant violation of the nation’s financial laws.

A frazzled Moore was at pains to provide answers for the several breaches that were highlighted; and, before wrapping up her testimony, told the Committee that the expenditures for which she is unable to provide satisfactory answers were all overseen by embattled former Permanent Secretary Omar Shariff – who was fired as Permanent Secretary and arrested after the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) had alleged theft of billions of dollars at the MoTP following investigations.

PM’s luxury ride

SATURDAY, May 20, 2017

11 12 17

DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

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tuesDAY, may 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Acting Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, former Junior Finance Minister Bishop Juan Edghill, was forced to upbraid Moore during the interrogation by saying accounting officers and professional staffers at government ministries must not buckle to the pressure of policy makers “and politicians that cause us to bend the rules.”

Moore has been grilled over the bizarre circumstances surrounding the purchase of a multi-million-dollar luxury vehicle for Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. The Public Accounts Committee heard that not only was the vehicle delivered almost one year late, but the entire cost for the vehicle – $13M – had actually been paid up front

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

by means of two cheques, using sums of money that had been allocated for the previous year’s expenditure.

This explanation caused Edghill to declare: “Everything is wrong about this transaction, and it falls on the lap of the accounting officer (Permanent Secretary Moore)!” His position was that while the vehicle had been purchased for the Prime Minister, the rules of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA) had been flouted, and this should never have been allowed to happen.

Permanent Secretary Moore indicated that the money had been allocated in 2015 to purchase the vehicle, and the cheques covering its full cost had been cut and paid to Beharry Automotive Sales Limited with expectation that the vehicle would be delivered in a timely manner; but this did not obtain, as the vehicle was not delivered until September of 2016.

Among the excuses offered for the late delivery was a fire at the Toyota Factory in Japan, and the installation of a cooler and other accessories for the vehicle.

One of the MoTP’s technical officers had attempted to gloss over the fact that it was an error to cut the two cheques up front and pay them simultaneously to the Beharry Automotive Sales

Limited; but Bishop Edghill quickly objected to his attempts, and outlined to him the process that obtains and why his answer “did not make sense”.

It was also revealed that the MoTP had not requested the Finance Secretary’s permission to have the money held over from one year to another.

Under the line item “vehicles for the Prime Minister”, a total of three purchases, totalling $22 million, was made from Beharry Automotive Sales Limited; and all payments were made 100 per cent up front.

According to Bishop Edghill, paying 100 per cent upfront for vehicles to be delivered months later is tantamount to giving an involuntary loan.

Moon Blink

Moreover, it was found that in 2015, under the pretext of unavoidable, urgent and unforeseen circumstances, the MoTP had procured some $20 million in closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. To date, this equipment has not been delivered; and according to Permanent Secretary Moore, the US-based (California) company has since gone bankrupt.

She told the Committee, “I engaged the Minister of State (Joseph Harmon) on this matter. He is speaking with the Minister of Legal Affairs (Basil Williams).”

She added that the MoTP

has been engaging other US-based stakeholders in the contract – Shawn Birkett and Shawn Nolan – to no avail.

According to Moore, the MoTP has also been looking to engage the American Embassy, “to try to see what help we can get (in recovering the sum paid up front).”

Police Action

The Committee heard that the transaction had not been secured by a bond, and the vendor – now a bankrupt company – had in fact been paid in full upfront, as was the case with the vehicles for the Prime Minister. this time, the By Committee’s substantive chairman, Irfaan Ali, had returned to take charge of the proceedings, and had learnt that the MoTP is currently unable to recover overpayments it had made to a contractor for works undertaken at Castellani House.

Moore said that when the contractor was hauled in, he related that he was not in a position to make repayments, since he has not been getting work. According to the Permanent Secretary, “I have written to him recently, (demanding he should) start paying or I (would) hand the matter over to the Guyana Police Force.”

Other government agencies engaging the attention of the Public Accounts Committee at yesterday’s meeting included the Public Service Management, the Ministry of Business, and the Public Telecommunications Ministry.

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tuesDAY, may 23, 2017

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707

Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Ringling Bros Circus says goodbye after 146 years

Counting Votes II I

n Sunday’s editorial, “Counting Votes”, in light of the Carter Centre’s Report on our 2015 elections, we reviewed our history on the impact of voting systems on the political behaviour of voters in our ethnically divided society. Their assessment was, “Overall, while these elections represent a step forward in Guyana’s democratic development, there is much work to be done to ensure governance is inclusive and elections become more routine and less traumatic to the nation.”

The Report made several recommendations to address the still persistent problem of Governments being formed by majorities located in one or the other major ethnic groups – Indian and African Guyanese – and not securing the widespread legitimacy (to be more “inclusive”) to distribute Guyana’s national patrimony more equitably. Yesterday, we dealt with the recommendation that suggested the electoral rules should, “Ensure geographic seats are more equitably distributed among electors.”

There were two other recommendations that stood out and they bear repetition in full: “Allow Individual Candidates to Stand for President.

International obligations on the right of people to stand for election allow for independent candidates. The constitutional rules in Guyana limit all candidature for the office of the presidency and for membership of the National Assembly to those who join party lists. This is an unreasonable limitation on the freedom of association and on the right to run for election. An amendment to the Constitution is necessary to effect this change, and this should be considered as a matter of some urgency in order to allow independent candidates to participate in elections.”

If candidates were to run for the presidency separately from their parties, this could possibly represent a seismic change in the politics of Guyana. We would, in effect, be moving towards the system that exists in France and Sri Lanka. There it becomes possible for the President to originate from outside the party that may capture the majority of seats at the subsequent parliamentary elections and which would then proffer the Prime Minister. The virtue of this system is to open up the choice of possible candidates away from the formal party structures that may tend to select individuals who are caught within procrustean structures that exclude outsiders.

In France, for instance, Emmanuel Macron does not belong to either of the two major entrenched parties and there is great hope that he will be thinking outside of the box to deal with the challenges that confront his nation.

In Guyana, the Carter Centre would be hoping, as so many others have done in the past, for some “unifying” leader to rise up, who would transcend our ethnic cleavages. In our estimation, however, the suggestion is utopian, since it rests on premises that are not realistic in our milieu.

The Carter Centre had a second suggestion that also seeks to have elections produce individuals who have acceptability across the ethnic fences: “In addition, in light of the history of ethnic polarisation, Guyana might want to consider preferred, or ranked, voting for president in which voters award votes ranked on an ordinal scale to all candidates in the race, and the winner is the candidate who wins the most total votes. This places an incentive on candidates to appeal to voters across party and communal lines.”

In Preferential or ranked Choice Voting, the voter is allowed to rate his choices from the available names, with “1” being his first choice and so on. There are many variants, and the one used in Australia, the “Instant Runoff Voting”, is typical. As described by Wiki, “If no candidate is the first choice of more than half of the voters, then all votes cast for the candidate with the lowest number of first choices are redistributed to the remaining candidates based on who is ranked next on each ballot. If this does not result in any candidate receiving a majority, further rounds of redistribution occur.”

This allows persons who are acceptable to voters from outside their base to win.

Acrobats perform during the last show of the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey circus at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York (Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

Preaching does not belong in public buildings Dear Editor, There is a misapplication, if not a misunderstanding, of American philosopher John Rawls’ theory to justify preacher Steven Anderson’s freedom to attack Hindus, Indians and others in Guyana. Contrary to what Professor Henry Jeffrey may feel, Rawls’ theory does not lend support to the right of Anderson to attack people.

The rights that Rawls felt citizens have do not extend to religious preaching in public buildings.

As Political Science Professor Baytoram Ramharack would attest, Rawls’ writings were compulsory readings for those of us who did degrees in Political Science in CUNY and NYU. For simplicity, in short, Rawls wrote on rights and advocates for maximum liberty. Some analysts have extended Rawls’ writings to the field of religion (a Rawlsian theory of faith). They argue that Rawls supported a diversity of views, and as such, people’s views on religion should not be censored.

Through a third-source interpretation of Rawls, Jeffrey feels Anderson should be allowed the freedom to preach in public schools, giving his opinion of other faiths irrespective of how caustic they

are.

That very broad generalised interpretation of Rawls is not supported in his extensive writings. Rawls’ Theory of Rights is not unlimited or infinite. For example, Rawls did not support the right of the dreaded Klu Klux Klan to attack Blacks in the United States. And Rawls did not endorse Jim Crow laws that segregated people on account of race or religion. For Rawls, a religious zealot or fanatic does not have freedom to attack people, because he disagrees with their religious practice.

The preacher is not God to determine which is the best religious practice or whether his branch of Christianity is better than other Christian denominations. Regardless of the amount of freedom one should have, in the Rawlsian mould, one’s action is constrained and bound by laws as well as by morality, a sense of decency of what is right and wrong, and by not engaging in speeches that would create social disorder.

Contrary to what Prof Jeffrey penned, Swami Aksharnanda’s interpretation of Rawls is not too narrow. Swami-ji’s writings do not object to the study of religion in the curriculum. Swami, like me, is op-

posed to an attack on people based on their religious belief or an attack on any faith.

For Rawls, all speeches, including preaching, must advance knowledge and be in the public good. Nowhere in Rawls’ writings is there the freedom to derogate other people’s beliefs. The gist of Rawls’ theory behind unlimited rights of the individual is to create a peaceful and tolerant society. Attacking other people’s faiths would in no way promote peace and stability. So Prof Jeffrey errs in his invoking of religious freedom to Anderson. The issue isn’t one of freedom of speech or right to practice religion or to educate others about religious faiths. It is one of whether a pastor or anyone can go into a public building and attack people by race or religion. In the US, such attacks fall under free speech that are protected but not in a public building. And furthermore, they are repudiated by the media, the Government and politicians as hate speech and do not belong in a multi-ethnic, multireligious society.

Swami-ji is right – the State must not take sides on religion as Rawls was of the view that the State should be secular or neutral in the sphere of religion. I don’t

think Prof Jeffrey himself would support proselytisation in public (State) structures, but that is exactly what the pastor was doing in “his sermons” at the public schools. Religious proselytisation is different from religious discourse at educational institutions. Comparative religions can and should be taught at public schools and students should have an understanding of the basic concepts of the world’s major religions – after all religion does shape our (most of us anyway) lifestyle. Teaching and preaching are completely different activities; they are dialectically distinct, and they should not be mistaken for one another.

In sum, in reading Rawls and interpretations of him by many eminent scholars, freedom of speech and academic freedom do not extend to freedom to proselytise in public institutions. The pastor cannot claim and Prof Jeffrey cannot grant him such a Rawlsian right as it does not directly exist. The pastor’s right to free speech in a public building, proselytising, and worse using hate speech against others, are indefensible.

Yours truly, Dr Vishnu Bisram

Disturbed by Seetaram’s attack on people who are simply defending their livelihoods Dear Editor, Our Union was very disturbed to read Mr Abel Seetaram’s letter appearing on May 20, 2017 in the media entitled “GAWU, PPP using schoolchildren during protest”. We see Mr Seetaram’s letter as an attack on peo-

ple who are simply standing up and defending their livelihoods.

While Mr Seetaram chooses, seemingly, to castigate the young man for taking part in the protest on May 16, 2017, he fails to mention, conveniently or otherwise, that

the protest was spurred as a result of the harsh policies embraced by a government of which he is a foremost cheerleader. The participation of young students, joining their parents, teachers and others, serve to dramatise policies by this Government which will

certainly affect their future.

Their participation hopefully can bring about more effectiveness to the resistance of the continuing heartless approach by this Government which is affecting the poor and working people of this country. continues on page 5

tuesDAY, May 23, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

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News

Deadly Corentyne piracy attack

Stolen boat engine found, 1 in custody P

olice in Berbice have recovered the stolen boat engine from last week’s deadly piracy attack on the Corentyne River.

Following the piracy attack, which resulted in the Captain of the boat drowning and the boat engine being stolen, Police had arrested one person.

Divisional Commander Ian Amsterdam told the media that the outboard engine was recovered on Saturday in a warehouse at Albion.

“At this moment, we have one person in custody who we are interviewing in detail and we are looking for two other persons. You would know by now that the engine was recovered and based on that , we are interviewing the suspect in custody. We would have

Dead: Mahadeo Ramdial

Parmanand Nandan

Arjune Permaul

received information that they are suspects in the piracy attack and, therefore, he [man in custody] was arrested and after a detailed interview, we were able to recover the engine and now we are looking for two other persons.”

According to the Assistant Police Commissioner, the person in custody and the two being sought are all involved in the fishing trade.

Amsterdam said the investigation was going well.

“There were some

names called, but we have to look into it; we are not sure where they are at this moment,” the Police Commander stated.

He said the suspect had been providing information in bits and pieces to the Police.

Disturbed by Seetaram’s attack...

With respect to the sugar industry, we cannot ignore the fact that it is the Government, which has taken on board and is promoting plans to miniaturise the industry. Certainly, they cannot escape blame for the difficulties which have emerged and are ahead for sugar workers and their families and the sugar-linked communities.

Wales presently is a painful and glaring example.

We wish to advise Mr Seetaram, for his records, that prior to the closure of Wales in 2016, the last estate

that was closed was Diamond in the mid-1980s. Between then and 2016, cane cultivation, on a smaller scale, continued to 2009 and many of the workers who were severed took up employment at Wales. Regarding LBI, when the factory was closed, many workers were either transferred to the Enmore factory or took up employment in the LBI field workshop, which remained operable until it was closed in 2016, despite undertakings by GuySuCo that this was not in their projections.

GAWU is also charged

by Mr Seetaram as only now raising its voice for the sugar workers. This is a most ridiculous statement. Our Union has always stood in the defence of workers and has been a strong advocate of workers’ improvement generally.

In passing, we merely wish to reflect on the article in GuySuCo’s name alluding to the militancy of the workers which appeared on May 21, 2017 in another section of the media.

For obvious and understandable reasons, Mr Seetaram seems very much

from page 4

bothered by the workers and their families’ resistance in the sugar communities at this time. We urge him to lobby his contacts, who traverse the corridors of power in our country, to listen to the people’s cries and to have them abandon their callous plans, which will wreck the lives of too many of our working people and their families.

Sincerely, The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)

Last Tuesday, three fishermen were attacked by two pirates along the Corentyne River.

The Captain of the fishing boat, 46-year-old Mahadeo Ramdial, also called “Chico”, of Lot 146 Kilcoy Squatting Area, Corentyne, drowned.

The two survivors, Parmanand Nandan, 21, of Tain, Corentyne and Arjune Permaul, 45, of Kilcoy Squatting Area, reported that they were all told to jump overboard.

Following the discovery of the body, the dead Captain’s father had ac-

cused the two survivors of being involved. According to 65-year-old Bhudram Mahadeo, he cannot believe that two pirates could have successfully carried out an attack on a fishing boat. Based on experience, he noted one person has to control the boat leaving, one to execute the attack.

Police subsequently arrested the dead man’s colleagues as they launched a probe into the incident.

Amsterdam said Nandan and Permaul are not currently considered suspects. (Andrew Carmichael)

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tuesDAY, may 23, 2017

Page continued from monday

By Bernard J Luskin, EdD

Learning to learn requires motivation, identification and conscious effort. Habit observation and management may be used to help you to: Notice early signs that a habit is starting. Be self-aware and practise self-awareness Change circumstances when you identify that a habit is beginning to form Intentionally do things to replace the habit. You can’t just eliminate a habit. It is best to literally and psychologically replace it with a positive habit Learn relaxation techniques to manage stress that, if not managed, may make a habit worse After you understand what to do, you can practise the techniques and responses repeatedly wherever you are, including writing reinforcement notes to yourself about your progress. Notes help to create and reinforce memory. Also, you can set up a time and place to practise habit substitution leading to replacement. Reward yourself often by reminding yourself about what you are doing. Psycho-visualisation is a technique that works.

Creating visualised scenarios that are memorably vivid and unique reinforces your memory.

Do it with a buddy.

If you are helping someone working on a habit replacement situation you should

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation regularly praise him or her.

Replacing a habit can take months and reinforcement is important. The greatest change in using habit replacement procedures occurs during the second and third month of repetition. It is key that we don’t give up after only a couple of days or weeks because habits quickly regress. Bad habits return unless you sustain the change long enough for the

took to reach automaticity.

In other words, after a little more than two months, an action can become automatic. The University College London study also suggested that occasionally missing a day in repetition did not diminish the formation of a habit. The supposition is that a habit can be formed with irregular but consistent conscious repetition.

Practice does not make

components: (1) a cue (or a trigger for an automatic behaviour to start); (2) a routine (the behaviour itself) and (3) a reward (that is how our brain learns to remember this pattern for the future.)

In The Golden Rule of Habit Change, Charles Duhigg says that the most effective way to replace a habit is to find a way to retain the old cue that triggered a behaviour and identify and automate a new routine that leads to a new outcome.

Use a “memorable trigger” whenever you are tempted to engage in the new and positive habit.

Think of something that you can remember, such as rubbing your arm, wrapping your knuckle on a table or desk, or anything that you can use to produce a memorable physical response.

Pick your friends.

Surround yourself with people who behave the way you want to behave and use the power of the group effect.

Visualise. See yourself succeeding with the new habit.

Be persistent. Practise your new routine, even if you miss a repetition opportunity, keep on repeating the behaviour and it will eventually stick.

Habits are learning fundamentals. Understanding habit development and habit replacement are important research subjects for the continuing evolution of the study and application of learning psychology to student success. Consciously developing thoughtful habits offers you a stairway to learning and succeeding in whatever you do.

The New Normal.

Using habit replacement

looping as a learning tool involves a process by which new behaviours become automatic and automatic means that you have advanced to a new normal.

Congratulations are in order since old habits are hard to break and new habits are hard to form. The good news is that, through repetition, it is possible to eliminate bad habits and substitute and maintain positive new habits. Creating positive learning habits is fundamental to establishing proper learning patterns. Learning is foundational to personal development and learning how to learn is a key to sustained vitality, personal development, self-actualisation and success. You can improve your learning skills if you understand and engage in effectively using, the habit replacement loop. (Excerpt from

psychologytoday.com)

Seven steps in HRL training

positive replacement to become automatic. Habits are replaced through repetition, ie, looping, which is the fundamental ingredient in sustained change. Habits are literally, visibly imprinted in our neural pathways so imprinting is an objective.

The more you repeat a habit, the more permanent it becomes. The process of habit formation can be slow but research shows that it works.

A study done by Phillippa Lally and colleagues at University College London identified 66 days as the average amount of time that it

perfect. A bad habit is an undesirable behaviour pattern. Procrastination, fidgeting, lack of focus can develop from habituation. The sooner one recognises repetitive behaviours as habits; the easier it is to change them.

Practice and repetition are important, but the old saying that “practice makes perfect” is not necessarily true. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Therefore, in establishing the habit of responsiveness and focus, it is important to establish a correct pattern.

Every habit has three

Awareness. It seems ridiculously simple, but once you’re consciously aware of how habit replacement works, once you consciously recognise the cues and rewards… you are on your way to positive change.

Intentionally replace a negative habit by choosing and substituting a positive routine and applying CBT tactics.

Eliminate negative triggers. Identify and substitute positive triggers.

Buddy up. Join forces with somebody, get a buddy if that’s possible and makes sense to you.

T

he accidental discovery of the effects of a compound found in breast milk could mean a more effective and targeted way of killing cancerous cells, Swedish researchers say.

Scientists from the University of Lund have had promising results from trials of the compound, nicknamed “Hamlet,” on bladder cancer patients.

The patients injected with the compound began to shed dead tumour cells through their urine within days in early trials.

As an added bonus, the breast milk compound targets cancer cells alone, offering an alternative to chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments that damage healthy, as well as cancerous, cells in the body.

Professor Catharina Svanborg discovered the substance by chance while researching antibiotics.

“To our amazement, when we added this compound of milk, the tumour cells died. It was a totally serendipitous discovery,” the immunologist told The Daily Mail.

Svanborg said she was

looking for novel antimicrobial agents, of which new breast milk is a rich source.

In one of the research team’s experiments, human cells and bacteria were required, leading to the practical choice to use human tumour cells, she added.

Svanborg went on to explain that breast milk contains the alpha-lactalbumin protein that becomes a cancer-fighting agent inside the stomach, leaving healthy cells unharmed. The compound avoids the cancerous cells outer defences and then targets the mitochondria and the cell nucleus.

By depriving the cell of energy from the source, the process reprograms the cell so that it weakens and dies.

Professor Svanborg said that there was “something magical about Hamlet’s ability to target tumour cells and kill them”.

The researchers believe that the breast milk compound could also help bowel and cervical cancer patients.

Further trials are scheduled to test the promising benefits of the compound.

(Caribbean360)

news

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tuesDAY, may 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Hutson confirmed as Chief Education Officer

GINA Director throws staff under the bus F …requests auditors scrutinise the books again G

o v e r n m e n t Information Agency (GINA) Director Beverly Alert on Monday called for auditors to again take a look at the entity’s finances, since the data she was furnished with contained glaring inaccuracies, which she was unable to explain to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament.

The GINA Director, during an intense series of questions from Committee Chairman (ag) Juan Edghill, essentially threw in the towel and said “the auditors probably have to come in back… maybe we have to scrutinise the books again. I can only go to what was provided to me by the staff of GINA.” The GINA Director was at the time being questioned over the use of a Contingency Fund advance to meet payment for staff bonuses at the end of 2015.

The cheques issued under the advance from the Contingency Fund were made in January of 2016, but the bonus payments were made in December, which led to the back-and-forth exchange, eventually leading to a call for the auditors to take a fresh look at the books.

It was pointed out that for the Contingency Fund to be used in such a manner was “going further into a cesspool”.

Permanent Secretary in

GINA Director Beverly Alert

Bishop Juan Edgehill

the Ministry of the Presidency, Abena Moore, sought to explain that the money was requested from the Finance Ministry on behalf of GINA – which falls under the Office of the Prime Minister in the Ministry – in order to make payments to the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL), publisher of the Guyana Chronicle.

The debt, according to Alert, was incurred by GINA in the period leading up to May 2015.

It was explained that the GNNL was paid $9.4 million and the remainder of the money that had been requested was used to reimburse GINA for the bonus payments made.

The Contingency Fund advance totalled $11 million.

Following the request by Alert to have the auditors re-audit GINA’s financials,

Moore committed to not have a reoccurrence.

PAC member, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) parliamentarian and former Permanent Secretary, Nigel Dharamlall took umbrage to this state of affairs.

“I don’t think expending public resources can be treated with a slap on the wrist,” Dharamlall said.

He added that it was unacceptable that Moore could just say the abuse of the Contingency Fund would not happen again.

Dharamlall called on the Auditor General to launch another investigation into the matter. According to the PPP/C member, “I think whatever measures need to be put in place, including disciplinary measures, should be put whether within GINA or the Office of the PS.”

ormer substantive Deputy Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, has recently been confirmed as the Chief Education Officer (CEO) at the Ministry of Education after nearly nine months of acting in that capacity.

Hutson’s acting appointment began in August 2016 following the removal of then CEO, Olato Sam, whose contract was not renewed by the APNU/AFC Administration. Sam had been sent on annual leave before his contract ended.

Speaking with the Government Information Agency (GINA) on Monday, Hutson revealed that he assumed duties as confirmed CEO since May 10.

“I received a letter from the Public Service Commission giving approval for my appointment as Chief Education Officer,” Hutson told the agency.

He described his confirmation as bringing legitimacy to his undertaking.

“What I like about that is that whatever I am doing now as a CEO, the confirmation brings legitimacy to the office,” Hutson said.

“Sometimes, when you have an office but you are not confirmed, sometimes

Chief Education Officer, Ministry of Education, Marcel Hutson

you tend to be wavering because you do not want to pretend to be what you are not. And so the fact of the matter is (that) confirmation brings legitimacy to the office; and therefore I (can) be more confident and certain with what I am doing as Chief Education Officer,” he explained.

Hutson said that at the end of his tenure he hopes to leave a legacy that would see students being proficient in literacy and numeracy. “I wish that my legacy can be that our children can read at grade level and our children are able to matriculate;

that is, pass English and Mathematics and go on to higher levels of (study).

“Without a literate and numerate society, we cannot be productive and prosperous; and so I will be moving in that direction, and I hope that many of my colleagues and stakeholders would come alongside me and the Ministry as we move education forward,” he declared.

Hutson has a Trained Class 1 Grade 1 Teacher’s Certificate; a Bachelor of Social Science Degree in Sociology, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology; a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education Administration, and a Master’s in Education Management, Planning and Supervision. Additionally, he holds a certificate in the Management and Delivery of Education in Guyana via the Ministry of Education’s first Teacher Cadet Scheme; a Certificate in Reforming School Supervision for Quality Improvement (IIEP) through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); and a Certificate of Training in Project Management through the Government of Guyana and Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

8 news

tuesDAY, may 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Minibus driver charged for Rising Sun accident, licence suspended A minibus driver who was involved in an accident at Rising Sun Public Road, Berbice, three weeks ago was on Monday charged for dangerous driving and had his driver’s licence suspended pending the outcome of the matter.

According to a statement issued by the Police, Alpha Felix, of Lot 22 Weldaad Village, West Coast Berbice, was placed on bail after the charge was read to him. It is alleged that on May 4, he drove his motor vehicle in a dangerous manner thus

Minibus driver Alpha Felix

causing injuries to several children.

The suspension of his

licence came in light of a recent recommendation by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack. This was disclosed by Traffic Chief Dion Moore, who told Guyana Times that the accident involved three dozen persons, including schoolchildren, who were left nursing injuries. Eight children were hospitalised with broken bones and lacerations to their bodies.

“We have since investigated the matter and five children are still hospitalised. The action was taken

based on the recommendation from the DPP office,” Traffic Chief Moore told this publication a week ago.

Moore also stated that the Traffic Department would take this new approach for any serious accident. He explained that not only in cases where persons would have caused the death of someone, but as long as a driver is involved in an accident and the Police find that they were driving in a careless manner, their licences will be suspended pending the outcome of the matter.

Father of 30 children charged for attempting to evade course of justice

M

artin Atwell of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown was placed on $200,000 bail when on Monday he appeared before City Magistrate Judy Latchman charged with unlawfully attempting to evade the course of justice by persuading Murray Simmons to withhold information from the Police.

The 45-year-old father of 30 children pleaded not guilty to the offence, which was alleged to have been

committed on May 15th last at Georgetown; and his legal counsel, Attorney Dexter Todd, told the court that his client’s son -- who speaks little English, as he is a Venezuelan national -- was charged with possession of a firearm, and Police Officers had demanded that the defendant give them money if he wanted his son released from custody.

The defendant, however, made contact with the virtual complainant (VC) in his

son’s case in an effort to find out why his son was arrested. The VC reportedly made contact with the Police and informed them that the defendant had contacted him, and thus his client was arrested and charged with the present offence.

Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves did not object to the defendant being placed on bail, but informed the court that, on the day in question, the defendant had made contact with the

VC and had told him, “Let’s meet and have a talk”, which was why the police had arrested him.

He added that the defendant’s son was arrested after the taxi driver -- the VC in the matter -- had found a firearm in his vehicle after he had dropped the man’s son off. The VC made a report to the Police and thus the man’s son was arrested.

The defendant is scheduled to return to court on June 5, 2017.

Teen charged for stealing sneakers – granted $25,000 bail

S

eventeen-year-old Samuel Forde of Albouystown, Georgetown was on Monday arraigned before City Magistrate Judy Latchman on a

charge alleging that he had stolen a pair of Puma brand sneakers valued at $25,000 from Kevin Copeland.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge,

and the prosecutor did not object to his being placed on bail, which was set at $25,000. Forde will reappear in court on May 24th for the fixture of his case.

17-year-old accused of stealing video game placed on $60,000 bail

S

eventeen-year-old Stephen Howard of East La Penitence, Georgetown was on Monday arraigned before City Magistrate Judy Latchman on a charge alleging that

on December 22, 2016, at Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, he stole one PlayStation 2 video game valued at $60,000, property of Derick Kraven.

The teen pleaded not guilty to the

charge, and Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves did not object to bail, thus he was placed on $70,000 bail.

He is scheduled to return to court on June 12th for statements.

Lawlessness…

H

…in Legal Affairs

ere we go again. Just last week, we had Basil Williams’s “contempt of court” – occasioned by his “despicable conduct” according to Justice Holder – being swept under the rug. Only a short while before, we had his feral blast at his Solicitor General also swept under the rug. In the “contempt of court” matter, however, we never had a chance to test his seminal contribution to the field of human psychology – a theory of “transferred frustration” – in the field, so to speak.

It was a sad day for the disciplines of justice as well as psychology!!

Then, over the weekend, we discovered the charge he trumped up against his “bête noir” Anil Nandlall, for “stolen law books”, was based more on HIS frustration – which he didn’t “transfer!” – than on the facts. The contract for the law books, as Nandlall had always maintained was between he (Nandlall) and the law books publisher. As Nandlall, (rightfully, if a tad gratuitously!!) smirked, “You can’t steal something from yourself!”

Nandlall always acknowledged the Government had paid for two years’ of subscriptions – and as to whether that destroyed “privity” – that’s a case of a different colour!!

So, we guess, since Williams is untouchable (not AN untouchable!!) because of the other hat he wears – Chairman of PNC which was on display over the weekend also – this too will be swept under the rug. But even before we could worry if the rug had space for new burials, the announcement burst on the Guyanese public that Williams had ILLEGALLY interfered with the Operations of the Registrar’s Office! Oi vey!! Isn’t it time for Prezzie to cry, “Will no one rid me of this pestilential AG!?”

Don’t hold your breath. As Chairman of the PNC, in an era of creeping party paramountcy, Williams has more pips than the Brigadier. Remember the Field Marshall outfit Burnham used to prance around in?? But really, folks!! Your Eyewitness hopes SOMEONE’s putting some thought as to what’s going on with Basil Williams. Your Eyewitness believes the answer was provided by David Owen, the once powerful Minister in Tony Blair’s Cabinet.

In his recent book, “The Hubris Syndrome: Bush, Blair And The Intoxication Of Power”, Owen opines: For many politicians, power seems to go to their head, and becomes a heady drug affecting every action they take.

The Greeks called it “hubris”, where the hero seeks glory, acclaim and success – to quell his severe doubts about his adequacy!

But, Owen concluded, hubris is almost always followed by nemesis. The end is almost nigh for Williams.

Nandlall’s his nemesis!!

…in GRA

Can you believe what’s going on inside the GRA??

For the last two years, the outfit in the old, collapsing Clico Building was being presented as fighting for “truth, justice and the Guyanese way!!” Well, we now discover they certainly were! The only problem lies with what’s now “the Guyanese way”. Unfortunately, it’s “grab what you can, whenever you can, for Numero Uno!!”

For years, we were hearing about scams involving that Holy Grail for all Guyanese – permission for a “dutyfree car”!! It was repeated time and again that only the Ministry of Public Service could bequeath this perk – under strict regulations for remigrants and headmasters and other specified persons. Now mouth open and story jump out that the Customs Head determined on his own volition, he could write his own ticket for his duty-free vehicle!

And this is now being investigated. But your Eyewitness has some news for the watchdogs – if they have any teeth for the incumbents.

The GRA gives duty-free car allowances even to some (favoured) clerks!! C’mon, SOCU!!

…returning

It’s time the populace wakes up and smell the coffee that’s brewing. The PNC General Secretary just spelled out in excruciating detail, how all the ideas of Burnham will now be implemented once again.

But not bothering to explain why the results will be different!!

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

news

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tuesDAY, may 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Pork-knocker arraigned Case of alleged sexual abuse of boys by Muslim scholar reopens for wife’s murder – report sent to Social Protection Minister T T

hirty-five-year-old Michael London was on Monday arraigned for the murder of his wife, Shanika Elliott, when he appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Wales Magistrate’s Court.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charge, and was remanded to prison until June 27 when he would make his next court appearance at the Linden Magistrate’s Court.

The 37-year-old Elliott, a clothes vendor of Lot 1206 Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden, was chopped several times about her body by the suspect, who had turned up at the house unexpectedly, thus precipitating an argument.

After committing the act, the man reportedly fled the scene, leaving the bloodstained murder weapon behind. The injured woman reportedly made attempts to walk over to her neighbour’s house, but she collapsed.

Upon seeing the woman drenched in blood, the neighbours picked her up and took her to the Linden Hospital Complex, where the mother of five was pro-

Michael London making his way out of the Wales Magistrate’s Court on Monday

nounced dead on arrival.

Hours after allegedly committing the act, London was apprehended by Police at Moblissa, LindenSoesdyke Highway. He was shot to his left leg by Police ranks after he attacked them.

London was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex,

where he was treated before being taken into Police custody.

Meanwhile, a post-mortem conducted on the remains of Elliott has given her cause of death as multiple incised wounds. The post-mortem also revealed that the woman was stabbed 15 times.

he Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) have ordered the reopening of the case involving Muslim scholar Nezaam Ali, who has been accused of sexually abusing nine minor boys.

According to the DPP Office, the case has been forwarded to Magistrate Alex Moore for hearing at a later date.

“In a letter dated February 13, 2017, Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack remitted the matter to the Magistrate to re-open the paper committals,” a statement from the DPP office said.

On that same date, the DPP issued a directive to the Guyana Police Force to obtain certified copies of the original documents before the re-opening of the paper committals.

The DPP Office has said that, subsequent to the first preliminary inquiry held before Magistrate Moore, it was discovered that original documents which were tendered during the preliminary inquiry (PI) had gone missing from the depositions.

Nezaam Ali

The DPP has since forwarded a position report on the matter to Social Protection Minister Amna Ali. The mother of three of the alleged rape victims recently told sections of the media that persons have been taking photographs of her sons, and she regards this act as bullying. She said the matter had been reported to the police a few weeks ago.

Earlier this year, documents were discovered missing in the rape case, but Crime Chief Wendell

Blanhum told the press in March this year that the police will reinstitute the nine charges.

The parents and relatives of some of the alleged victims have publicly expressed their frustration at the situation. One parent has even claimed that there has been a deliberate attempt to drag out the matter. Ali was charged in 2012 with raping nine boys, and was committed to stand trial the following year. Shortly after the committal, his lawyer, Nigel Hughes, had filed in the High Court an action to have the committal overturned. This was rejected by the court, and it was ruled that the committal would remain.

The mother of three of the boys and an official from the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) discovered -- in January this year -- that the birth certificates and medicals for the boys had gone missing from each of the nine files.

A group of child rights advocates have since called for an investigation into the disappearance of the documents from the case files.

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guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, may 23, 2017

News

$550M cocaine bust

Man allegedly CANU releases ace rider, caught in sex act arrest warrant discharged with 2-day-old calf

A

ce rider Steven Vieira, whom the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) had wanted for questioning in connection with the $550 million cocaine bust at Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, has been released on his own recognisance.

Vieira appeared before the Chief Magistrate on Monday, represented by Attorney-atlaw Latchmie Rahamat, who successfully applied for the CANU arrest warrant, issued on May 16th following the discovery of the cocaine, to be discharged.

Speaking later with Guyana Times, the attorney explained that her client had, on Thursday evening, been arrested by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit; but the 72-hour detention period has elapsed, hence her client has been released without any charges being laid against him.

She, however, noted that the CANU investigations are continuing, and her client intends to co-operate because he intends to clear his name and establish his innocence of any implication in drug-traf-

Stephen Vieira

ficking.

The attorney contends that while her client’s name indeed appears on documents that relate to the shipping of the lumber, none of the lumber was found in his possession.

Vieira had been arrested on Thursday evening moments after disembarking a Fly Jamaica flight at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. He was reportedly in Jamaica for the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship, but when the ongoing nar-

cotics investigation became known, the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club suspended his racing licence, making him ineligible to participate in the action.

However, following his arrest, he gave a detailed statement to the investigating officers through his attorney.

Two Fridays ago, members of the Customs AntiUnit swooped Narcotics down on a lumber yard at Lot 227 Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, where they conducted a search on a truck that was laden with several pallets of 1x6 dressed lumber that was being prepared for export to the United States.

During the search, several boards were reportedly drilled randomly, and a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine was detected. The truck was escorted to CANU Headquarters, where the lumber was further examined, and it was discovered that each of the compromised boards had a dugout cavity with vacuum sealed plastic packets containing cocaine pasted therein.

A total of 84.986 kilo-

grams of cocaine, with a street value of $550 million, was unearthed. At the time, four workers at the lumber yard were taken into police custody, but were released on Monday last after it was established that they were only contracted to transport the lumber.

Meanwhile, further investigations by the CANU ranks have led to the arrest of popular race car driver Nazim Gafoor and Haleem Mohamed. Gafoor’s father, as well as Stephen Vieira, was listed by CANU as a person of interest.

Vieira has been listed on the shipping documents as the representative of Naraine Lall, who is the shipper of the consignment of lumber. With the help of the law enforcement officers, Tazim Gafoor was arrested and handed over to CANU. The Gafoors and Mohamed were subsequently released, but are expected to report to the CANU Headquarters on a daily basis. Narine Lall, the owner of the sawmill, is still out of the jurisdiction.

M&CC, vendors finding common ground

T

he Mayor and City Council (M&CC) expressed appreciation to vendors who honoured their end of the agreement despite Sunday’s inclement weather, to clean up around the Stabroek Market and the minibus park area in Georgetown primarily utilised for vending purposes.

Speaking with Guyana Times, Town Clerk Royston King stated that the initial agreement was to have vendors, in collaborative efforts with the Council on the first and last Sunday of the month, clean the premises where they sell.

It all started with a decision to abruptly remove scores of vendors from the Stabroek Square in the name of a clean-up campaign for Guyana’s Golden Jubilee cel-

Town Clerk Royston King

ebrations back in May last year, with no alternative vending area.

That action attracted much criticism from the parliamentary Opposition People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and wide-

spread protests from vendors who had been operating in the area for decades. The municipality finally managed to temporarily secure a piece of land, later known as “Parliament View Mall”, south of Parliament Building on Hadfield Street and at the time of relocation, the Town Clerk had promised the vendors that City Hall would find a more permanent, suitable location to properly house them.

Three months then elapsed and the City Council in July sought to extend the lease period until December 2016. Subsequently, the businessman and owner of the land which houses the “Parliament View Mall” indicated that he wanted his premises vacated, contending that the verbal agree-

ment to extend the vendors’ stay up to December 31, 2016, had expired.

The vendors who had been plying their trade on the vacant lot then returned to their former spots near the Stabroek Market in early January upon the expiration of the lease and after being granted permission by the M&CC. Vendors had initially complained bitterly upon their relocation to the “Parliament View Mall” contending that they were unable to garner sales, and subsequently expressed their satisfaction upon returning to the Market area in early 2017. According to media reports, vendors must ensure their environs are kept clean or they would not be permitted to sell.

…file with DPP

A

twenty-seven-yearold man is reported to have entered the cow pen of Rural Constable Ramzan Shaw of Good Hope, Canal Number 1, West Bank Demerara at approximately 22:00hrs on Wednesday last, and proceeded to sexually assault a two-day-old calf.

He, however, was allegedly caught in the act, and now risks a two-year jail term and fines of up to $1million.

“I hear the cow and calf making plenty noise, so I take my torchlight and a piece of wood and went to investigate. When I reach the pen, I see this man on his knee having sex with my two-day-old calf,” Shaw related.

Having made the “sickening” discovery, Shaw said, he raised an alarm and subsequently arrested the man.

“I had to tackle he, because he try to run away; and after I catch he and put on the handcuff, he start to beg me not to take he to the station,” Shaw said.

The suspect was escorted to the La Grange Police Station, where he is currently detained. A search on his person revealed that he had in his possession approximately 3 grammes of marijuana.

“When the Police discovered he had the marijuana, they lock him up, and Friday they take him to the Wales Magistrate’s Court and charge him for the marijuana. He plead guilty and them give he community service, and he still at the Wales Police Station,” Shaw said.

Shaw said the suspect has been living in the area for about ten years, and is

unmarried and has no children. He is yet to be charged with beastiality since, according to the Police, the file is engaging the attention of the Director of Public Prosecution.

Article 31 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act states that “a person commits the offence of intercourse with an animal if he, with his penis, penetrates the vagina or anus of a living animal, and he knows that, or is reckless as to whether, it is the vagina or anus of a living animal that is penetrated.”

Further Article 31 (3) states that “a person who commits an offence under this section is liable – (a) on summary conviction, to a fine of one million dollars and to imprisonment for two years; (b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for five years.”

“I really want this thing highlighted, because is not the first time this happening in the area; and them does thief the cows too. So we need people to know what is going on in this place,” Shaw explained.

There have, over the years, been several reported cases of beastiality, with no outcomes reported. The act is scorned upon by both society and animal activists, and there have been worldwide calls for harsher penalties to be applied.

Beastiality, or zoophilia, is legal in some countries, like Hungary, Finland and Romania. After cases of bestiality had been increased in Denmark, once touted as a tourist destination for zoophilics, that country had to amend its laws in 2015.

tuesDAY, may 23, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

11

News

Dr Norton Melanie residents at wits’ end released from hospital over scrap-metal dumping S E Not only an eyesore

nough is enough!

After six years of passive outcry, concerned citizens of the community of Melanie Damishana on the East Coast of Demerara recently took to social media to vent their frustration.

The environs of the former cinema on Cinema Road have become a dumpsite for scrap metal and other hazardous materials which continue to accumulate over time, making the roadway unsafe to traverse.

Based on reports reaching this publication, the problem started with the es-

One of the areas in Melanie where scrap metal would be gathered

ly oblivious to the plight of the citizens. One resident who wished to remain anonymous revealed that the site

A pile of scrap metal in the community

tablishment of a scrap metal shop some six years ago and the manager seeming-

creates an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes and several rodent species.

Moreover, the constant burning of metal at this site disrupts the peace and comfort of persons in the residential area, making the polluted air hazardous for consumption.

Cinema Road is precarious for the average person, more specifically females, to traverse during the evening or night. Destitute persons and vagrants find their haven there as the sun goes down and persons heading home from work at those hours are constantly looking over their shoulders, as the ever-present possibility of being robbed or raped, lurk at the back of their minds.

According to sources, the operator of the scrap metal business blatantly has no regard for the personal safety of citizens, casting a deaf ear to the cries of the residents over time.

“Myself, along with other villagers, spoke to him and all he did was curse us and told us to go and make a report…,” one resident stated.

The businessman reportedly dumps his property alongside the road and even digs up the premises of frustrated neighbours in the execution of his operations.

Despite numerous reports made by citizens over the years (the most recent being just a week ago) for the intervention of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) of Buxton/ Foulis, these attempts have proved futile.

The residents of Cinema Road are at their wits’ end and are pleading with the relevant authorities to investigate and rectify the problem, primarily for the sake of the young and the elderly.

ocial Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton was recently discharged from the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital, and is recovering and resting comfortably at home.

In a brief statement issued by the Ministry of the Presidency on Monday, the Minister’s prognosis was said to be good and he was expected to return to work in the next two weeks.

The Ministry of the Presidency added that it would provide additional updates as the need arose.

It was on Thursday that the Social Cohesion Minister was admitted to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit for observation, after complaining of feeling unwell.

It was reported that Norton had suffered “a heart attack”. The Minister went to the Hospital with a headache,

In recovery: Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton

high blood pressure and slightly slurred speech.

Norton, a noted ophthalmologist, attracted much controversy during his tenure as Public Health Minister. He was subsequently transferred to the Social Cohesion Ministry, which functions within the Ministry of the Presidency.

12 news

tuesDAY, may 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Venezuela wants Guyana’s support in bid to end unrest

T

he Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is calling on the Government and people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to support its efforts to end the ongoing unrest with which it has been plagued over the past months.

Speaking on Monday at a press conference at the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown, Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Her Excellency Ambassador Reina Diaz, pointed out that President Nicholas Maduro has made clear his intention to rid his country of the ongoing protest in a peaceful and democratic manner.

The Ambassador declared that this unrest has been caused by “radical sectors of the political opposition” who have a clear objective to “overthrow the legitimate and constitutional” Government of Venezuela and reverse the social achievements of the Venezuelan people.

She noted that at the international level, Guyana can support the actions taken by the Venezuelan Government to resolve the situation in that country; and in this regard, Venezuela has already seen support from the region, including CARICOM governments and CILAC. President Maduro had earlier this month signed a decree to convene a new Constituent Assembly which would comprise of some 500 constituents -- mainly working class members who will be tasked with developing a new constitution; that is, reshaping the current legislative body as well as redefining the President’s executive powers.

Venezuela Ambassador to Guyana Reina Diaz along with embassy official Luis Dias at Monday’s press conference

The Maduro Administration claims this move is aimed at restoring in the country the peace which was disrupted by the Opposition’s “so-called peaceful” protests, occasioned by the deadlock between the President and the opposition-controlled Parliament.

The Venezuelan Government, which has of recent come under pressure to address the growing unrest in the country, has cited Articles 347, 348 and 349 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in support of its move. The country’s constitution, reformed in 1999, includes provisions for the Executive to convoke a Constituent Assembly.

According to Article 347, the original constituent power rests with the Venezuelan people, and this power can be exercised by calling a National Constituent Assembly for the purpose of transforming the State, creating a new judicial order, and drawing up a new Constitution.

The subsequent Article provide various options to in-

voke the National Constituent Assembly; that is, by the President, with the Council of Ministers; by a decision of two-thirds of the Members of the National Assembly; the Municipal Council members by vote of two-thirds of its members; and by 15 per cent of the voters registered in the civil and electoral register.

According to Ambassador

Diaz, the move to convene a Constituent Assembly allows for the people of the country to sit and debate on the country’s situation with intention to establish formulas to encourage national dialogue.

“I think that the call that President Maduro has done through the Constituent Assembly shows how democratic President Maduro is; because the call to the National Assembly is a mechanism that allows the dialogue between the parties (to be) a dialogue in peace, a dialogue in democracy, and a dialogue where the people have the last word,” the Venezuelan Diplomat stated.

While President Maduro is now ready to transfer power into the hands of the Venezuelan citizenry, the move has been rejected by the Opposition. But the Ambassador noted that while the Opposition had stated that such a move is not necessary, its members had pushed

for a Constituent Assembly back in 2014 and 2015.

The Venezuelan Diplomat has also taken a swing at media corporations, accusing them of portraying a false picture of what the reality is in that country. She claimed that these corporations have failed to report on attacks carried out on citizens and law enforcement by the Opposition parties’ supporters.

“The Opposition, funded by foreign aid and with media support, have created a matrix of hatred, persecution and aggression towards Government officials and to all those who sympathise with the Bolivarian thinking… Large media corporations tried to make people believe that there are violent protests all over the country, when in fact most of the manifestations have mainly occurred in three states,” Ambassador Diaz explained, adding that there are 24

states in the country.

Venezuela has been embroiled in deep economic and political turmoil since last year; and over the past four weeks, there have been almost daily protests by those who blame President Maduro for the dire state of the country’s economy. Protesters are calling on him to resign.

It has been reported that nearly 30 persons have been killed in protest-related violence since the beginning of April.

The requests made of the Guyana Government by the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela come in spite of its border controversy with Guyana; in which, back in 2015, it has claimed more than half of Guyana’s territorial waters off the Essequibo Coast, and has steadfastly maintained that it does not recognise the 1899 Tribunal Award that settled its border dispute with Guyana.

Harmon defends CDC’s late response to Region 8 floods

…says it was State resources that had to bring relief

M

inister of State, Joseph Harmon, yesterday defended criticisms against the Civil Defence Commission’s (CDC’s) response to the flood-hit communities of Region 8 by saying that it was the resources of the State which had allowed for the supplies to reach the affected communities.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of a Diaspora Conference held at the Guyana Pegasus on Monday, Harmon was asked to respond to criticisms of the CDC’s response in face of efforts by organisations such as the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), which claimed to have provided assistance to the beleaguered communities at least 24 hours before the Government-backed CDC. APA representatives had complained that, 48 hours after the initial floods had started this week, the CDC was yet to arrive on the ground to provide any support to communities; but the APA had been able to dispatch a planeload of supplies, which landed it in the affected region ahead of the CDC’s efforts.

According to the Government’s chief spokesperson, “It is not true to say they (APA) getting into communities.” Harmon declared that communities such as “Itabac and Kanapang were cut off by road, and therefore our visit there was the first visit that had gone in there.”

This statement was made in reference to a Government led delegation headed by Junior Indigenous Peoples Affairs Minister Valerie GarridoLowe that had gone into the

Minister Harmon examines an area in Itabac, where two houses were washed away

flood affected areas.

He told reporters that the APA and other organisations “would have been able to get support from what we call the forward logistic bases at Orinduik and another base which had already been set up.” From there, according to the Minister of State, the supplies are then ferried into the affected communities using the resource of the state; namely, helicopters and boats.

“So they (were) able to get (their supplies) to those bases; but to actually get (their supplies) to the communities, to the villages that were affected, required something else. And what we did yesterday (was that) we were able to fly in supplies to Orinduik, and from there utilise a helicopter…

It was really the resource of the State that had to bring that relief,” Harmon explained.

In regard to the CDC asking for public donations to take into flood-hit

communities, the Minister told media operatives that the entity does not stockpile perishables. “…so that when these activities come up, they, of their own accord and resources, can actually purchase some of these items; but they are never enough… So we always have to ask; will (always) have to resort to the good nature – the community spirit – of companies in Guyana, so that they can help in this effort,” Harmon explained.

Rebuilt

The Minister announced that those whose homes had been completely washed away would be provided with Government assistance to rebuild. “I had the opportunity to see some people’s homes that were actually completely moved away; washed away by the flood waters… On those occasion, I said to the resident, ‘We will cooperate with (the) community and

the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs to ensure that those houses are rebuilt in a short space of time’.” Minister Harmon said, “I believe our engagement yesterday was very productive, and the residents were able to see that – irrespective of where they are, where they live – this Government will find them and ensure that the resources of the state are placed at their disposal.”

Hundreds of persons were forced to seek refuge this past week when the banks of the Potaro River overtopped, inundating homes in as much as 15 feet of water.

The CDC, as late as last Friday, was unable to access the villages; and CDC Director, Colonel (rtd) Chabilall Ramsarup, had explained, “We couldn’t touch down on any strip because of the water, and the skyvan could not have touched down on the airstrip because of the size.”

news

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tuesDAY, may 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Regions 7 & 8 flood update

Interior farmlands remain under water F

armlands located in Regions Seven and Eight are currently inundated with several inches of floodwater, caused by excessive rainfall and consequent overtopping of some rivers.

Clyde Henry, Toshao of Waramadong village and Deputy Chair of the Upper Mazaruni District Council of Region Seven, has said that many residents who practise subsistence farming have reported that their farmlands have been submerged, thus the entire region is likely to be affected.

“The farms are under water. While some farms might be inland, the floods affect the soil and the roots of the cassava, so the situation right now is not good; people are struggling with their farms,” he explained.

Amerindian villages generally depend heavily on cassava cultivation, as this vegetable is the main staple in their diet. With several farms in these regions being destroyed by flooding, it will take another nine months

before another crop of cassava could be reaped – a situation which Toshao Clyde Henry greatly laments.

Head of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), Jean La Rose, has told Guyana Times that other communities affected by the flooding have also reported their cash crops under water. She said: “Communities are very much affected. We don’t have the numbers, and that is what we want to put together now. We want to know the number of farms affected, and how (badly).

We know farms have been affected and are devastated, and homes (have been) destroyed, but we need numbers.”

La Rose said an APA team which visited some of the flood-affected communities has reported that the homes of residents in the various villages are leaning, mainly because their respective foundations have been weakened; and, in most cases, residents’ utensils and clothing have also been destroyed.

An aerial view of one of the flood-affected communities – Chenapau. At a normal level the river is at least 20 feet lower than the current level

The APA head noted that a lot more work has to be done to reach those in both regions who have been affected by the flooding, and

the relief effort may have to continue for several weeks if the rainy season continues.

She also disclosed that the APA had on Monday

been informed that the water level in the Region Seven communities of Chenapau and Eteringbang has been rising, and there

are major issues in regard to communication between coordinating teams from the city and the affected communities.

“Not having any direct communication with the communities about what is needed has been a problem.

Relief has taken some time to go in as well,” she lamented.

The CDC and the Public Health Ministry, along with several local businesses and organisations, have assisted to alleviate the plight of affected residents by delivering food items and healthcare services. The Public Health Ministry has also dispatched several doctors, nurses, community health workers and environmental health officers to the affected communities.

Approximately 10 houses have been washed away, and more than 20 have been under water in Waipa, as flash-flooding hit Region 8.

However, the Civil Defence Commission has activated its emergency response team since Thursday.

Teixeira, Trotman to observe UK elections

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman

N

atural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira have been selected to be part of an elections observing mission for the upcoming General Election in the United Kingdom (UK).

A statement from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK (CPA UK) stated that the two local parliamentarians “will observe as part of an Election Assessment Mission (EAM) of the UK General Election in June 2017 and contribute to recommendations to improve future UK general elections”.

The Mission, which is being arranged by the CPA UK, as it did in the 2015 and 2010 general elections, will also observe elections in seven other UK constituencies to oversee polling, counting, and post-election complaints or appeals.

The Mission will comprise up to 34 Commonwealth parliamentarians and election officials from 23 countries

and territories. They will monitor Election Day procedures at polling stations, and meet with candidates, returning officers, local officials, community groups and other relevant stakeholders in order to assess the conduct of the election.

Head of Mission, Sebastian Pillay, MP, from Seychelles, said: “Exercising the right to vote is a fundamental part of democracy. CPA UK’s Election Assessment Mission will seek to ensure the UK election process is legitimate and representative of the electorate. On behalf of the team, we look forward to engaging with the democratic process in the UK.” Meanwhile, Chief Executive of CPA UK, Andrew Tuggey, CBE, noted, “This third UK Election Assessment Mission is a vital element of CPA UK’s commitment to enhance openness and transparency in parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth.

Assessing elections upholds the core values of the

Election Assessment Mission (EAM) as a very short mission comprising less than a week of deployment, covering Election Day and only one or two days before and after. An EAM will only examine the administration of Election Day as opposed to the entire election period.

CPA UK conducts EAMs as part of its parliamentary strengthening programmes, to enhance the skills and capacity of parliamentarians

Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

Commonwealth. I warmly welcome parliamentarians and election officials from across the Commonwealth and thank them for their commitment. Their assessments will add value to the UK’s electoral processes, and I know they will find the Mission extremely interesting and worthwhile.”

Election Assessment Missions CPA

UK

defines

an

as election observers. The Mission will observe the following UK constituencies: Gower (Wales); Manchester Central; Edinburgh West (Scotland); Birmingham Ladywood; North Norfolk; East Devon; Darlington; and Hendon (London).

The Mission will collate its observations and produce a preliminary report within a day of the General Election and a final report with recommendations within two months of the election.

Outcomes of previous Missions

Following a recommendation from the 2010 Mission, voters queuing when polling stations close at 22:00h can still cast their votes.

Previously, polling stations operated by different rules on the issue owing to a lack of clarity and consistency.

As part of the 2017 Mission, CPA UK will also consider the outcomes from the 2015 Mission.

14

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, may 23, 2017

Regional

Brazilian President Temer: “I won’t resign. Oust me if you want”

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razilian President Michel Temer, facing growing calls for his resignation amid a corruption scandal, said he would not step down even if he was formally indicted by the Supreme Court, in an interview in Folha de S Paulo, Brazil’s largest newspaper, on Monday.

Brazilians who have become inured to the massive, three-year corruption investigation were shocked last week by the disclosure of a recording that appeared to show Temer condoning the payment of hush money to a jailed lawmaker.

The Supreme Court has opened an investigation into the revelations that were part of plea bargain testimony by the billionaire owners of meatpacking giant JBS SA. The court is expected to decide on Wednesday whether to suspend the investigation at Temer’s request until it can be determined if the recording was manipulated

Brazilian President Michel Temer

to implicate him.

“I will not resign. Oust me if you want, but if I stepped down, I would be admitting guilt,” said Temer, who has said the recording of his meeting with JBS Chairman Joesley Batista was doctored.

The scandal has threatened to tear apart Temer’s coalition in Congress and leave Latin America’s largest economy adrift as the President fights for his political survival, just a year af-

ter the impeachment of his predecessor.

The Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Temer’s biggest ally in the governing coalition, put off a meeting on Sunday to decide whether to continue supporting the beleaguered President.

Party officials said on Monday the PSDB will wait until the Supreme Court rules this week on whether to continue an investigation of Temer. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Climate change, flooding threaten 4.2 million people on Caribbean, Pacific islands

A

new study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) estimates that 4.2 million people in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean and in the Pacific are living in areas that are prone to flooding due to rising sea levels.

In addition to coastal erosion, rising sea levels are expected to negatively impact economic output and employment and could aggravate inflation and cause an increase in Government debt, according to the study, “A Blue Urban Agenda: Adapting to Climate Change in the Coastal Cities of Caribbean and Pacific Small Island Developing States”.

“Caribbean and Pacific coastal cities are on the frontlines of climate change,” said Michael Donovan, Senior Urban Specialist at the IDB, co-author of the study.

“It is critical to adapt and improve the resilience of cities in coastal zones, especially those experiencing rapid urbanisation. Mayors in port cities across the globe could benefit from the policies that Small Island Developing States are developing as their governments respond to coastal transformation,” he added.

One out of five residents of Caribbean and Pacific SIDS lives in low-elevation coastal zones, which are defined as areas with eleva-

tions less than 10 metres above sea level. This is most extreme in The Bahamas and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, where over 80 per cent of the population lives at low elevations, the study said.

The good news is that the international community has begun responding to the challenge. The study reviews aid and Private Sector flows totalling US$55.6 billion provided to Caribbean and Pacific SIDS over a 20year period ending in 2015 and found that increasing emphasis has recently been placed on comprehensive programmes for strengthening coastal city resiliency.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Venezuelan State Prosecutor decries Maduro’s new congress plan, deepening rift

V

enezuela’s State Prosecutor has panned unpopular President Nicolás Maduro’s plan to create a grassroots congress, deepening a rare public split among the ruling Socialists as two months of massive protests show no sign of abating.

Chief State Prosecutor Luisa Ortega had stunned the crisis-hit nation in March when she lambasted the Supreme Court for annulling the powers of the Opposition-led National Assembly.

Since then, she has been a wild card within the publicly homogenous Venezuelan Government, the foes of which accuse it of seeking to dodge elections by creating a parallel assembly

T

The LIALPA says LIAT continues to act in bad faith

including the company filing legal action in both the High and Industrial Courts, the Association in the spirit of fostering and maintaining a good relationship with LIAT accepted the company’s salary package offer in January

2017.

“We accepted this deal on the premise that the pilots would make this a oneoff concession to ensure the survival of the company. To date, LIAT has not honoured this agreement

Jaua acknowledged receipt of Ortega’s letter, but quickly said she was merely expressing a “political opinion,” without any power to change the situation.

“We consider that the only organ the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’s Constitution empowers to interpret the Constitution is the Supreme Court’s constitutional chamber,” he said at a news conference, in reference to the pro-government top court.

Venezuelans are scrutinising Maduro’s government and the armed forces for any cracks as protestors take to the streets daily to demand early elections, humanitarian aid to alleviate food and medicine shortages, and freedom for jailed activists.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Bermuda Opposition to put Government to the test in no-confidence motion

A

no-confidence motion against Premier Michael Dunkley will be the first order of business for the Opposition Progressive Labour Party (PLP) when Parliament reopens in just over two weeks.

Opposition Leader David Burt has disclosed that the party is moving full steam ahead with its plan to debate its motion of no-confidence on June 9.

Fending off criticism that the debate is scheduled during the country’s hosting of the prestigious America’s Cup, Burt says his only intention is to highlight the Government’s incompetence and the plight facing Bermudians.

“The timing of this motion of no confidence has nothing to do with the America’s Cup. The timing is a direct result of the

LIAT not honouring salary agreement – pilots’ union

he Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) says the management of the regional carrier LIAT has failed to honour an agreement concerning a new salary structure, and as a result, the Association on Monday described its relations with the airline as “strained and deteriorated to an all-time low”. In a release LIALPA noted that since late 2012, LIAT has been engaged in negotiations for a new salary structure for its ATR-72 aircraft (not covered under the current agreement) and general salary increases.

The pilots contend that after years of stalling and legal manoeuvring by LIAT,

with powers to rewrite the Constitution.

Socialist Party official Elias Jaua, in charge of the “constituent assembly” project, confirmed on Monday that Ortega had written him to express her discontent in a letter that was previously leaked on social media.

“It is my imperative to explain the reasons for which I have decided not to participate in this activity,” Ortega’s two-page missive reads.

“Instead of bringing stability or generating a climate of peace, I think this will accelerate the crisis,” she said, mentioning it would heighten uncertainty and alter the “unbeatable” Constitution launched under late leader Hugo Chávez.

with LIALPA and has even gone so far as to reject our Attorney’s suggestion, that a Consent Order be obtained in the Industrial Court to formalise the salary agreement (which covers the years 2012-2017) thus paving the way for its implementation,” the statement noted. The LIALPA said that in light of this situation it is their view that LIAT continues to act in bad faith.

“This is also evident by the company’s insistence to unilaterally impose, yet another salary deferral programme on the pilots even though the Association has publicly objected and rejected this programme. (Excerpt from

CMC)

Opposition Leader David Burt (left) is ready to square off against the ruling One Bermuda Alliance led by Premier Michael Dunkley (right)

fact that the Government no longer controls Parliament, which became quite clear on Friday night when the Progressive Labour Party passed two pieces of legislation over the objections of the One Bermuda Alliance [OBA],” he said.

The OBA won 19 seats to the PLP’s 17 in the 2012

General Elections, but the two parties now have the same number of seats since two OBA MPs left the party and sit in Parliament as Independent MPs. However, one of the PLP’s sitting members, David Horton, is the Speaker of the House who cannot cast a vote unless there is a tie.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

58,000 Haitians facing deportation get US extension

M

ore than 58,000 Haitians who stayed in the United States with a special protected status since a catastrophic 2010 earthquake will be allowed to stay another six months, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday. The Haitians were facing orders to return home from July 23 if the Department did not renew their socalled Temporary Protected Status, granted after a magnitude 7 earthquake destroyed much of the capital Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010.

Activists had been hoping for a longer extension — as much as 18 months —

and warned that six months is not long enough for destitute Haiti to prepare for an influx of more than 50,000 people.

The quake killed tens of thousands and displaced more than one million people. Since then, the country has struggled against hurricane disasters, political turmoil and a sweeping cholera epidemic to rebuild and shore up its economy.

Having TPS allowed the Haitians to remain in the United States past the expiration of their visas and work legally. DHS officials said there are around 58,700 Haitians living in the US under Temporary Protected Status. (AFP)

tuesDAY, may 23, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the World

Trump says concerns about Iran Rattled UK PM May forced driving Israel, Arab States closer into ‘dementia tax’ U-turn

U

nited States President Donald Trump said on Monday that shared concern about Iran was driving Israel and many Arab States closer and demanded that Tehran immediately cease military and financial backing of “terrorists and militias”.

In stressing threats from Iran, Trump echoed a theme laid out during weekend meetings in Saudi Arabia with Muslim leaders from around the world, many wary of the Islamic Republic’s growing regional influence and financial muscle.

Trump, who spoke after arriving in Israel on what is thought to be the first direct flight there from Saudi Arabia, has also vowed to do whatever is necessary to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians. He has

US President Donald Trump

dubbed this “the ultimate deal”, but in the run-up to his Holy Land visit, he gave little indication of how he could revive negotiations that collapsed in 2014.

He focused firmly on

Iran in talks with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem on the first day of his two-day trip, pledging he would never let Tehran acquire nuclear arms and saying the deal struck with Tehran by the Obama

Administration needed fixing.

“What’s happened with Iran has brought many of the parts of the Middle East toward Israel,” Trump said in public remarks at a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

Trump received a warm welcome in Riyadh from Arab leaders, especially over his tough line on Tehran, which many Sunni Muslim Arab states regard as seeking regional control.

In his comments to both Rivlin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump appeared to dwell on forging a regional coalition to counter what he described as Shi’ite Muslim Iran’s involvement in conflicts in the region, rather than renewed efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. (Excerpt from Reuters)

after poll lead halves

B

ritish Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to backtrack on one of her most striking election pledges on Monday to force elderly people to pay more for their social care after her party’s opinion poll lead halved in just a few days.

In her biggest misstep of the campaign so far, May set out plans on Thursday to make some elderly people pay a greater share of their care costs, before hastily announcing on Monday there would be a limit. Questioned at an election event, she grew irritated at suggestions she was backing down.

Six opinion polls published in the past three days have all shown the Conservative Party’s lead over the opposition Labour Party narrow by between

two and per cent percentage points, though all project May will win the election.

May said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other opponents had tried to scare the elderly by spreading “fake claims” about her plan to transfer more of the cost from taxpayers to recipients who can afford to fund care themselves.

Dubbed the ‘dementia tax’ by opponents, the proposal had raised concerns that some seniors might see their houses sold off to pay for care, rather than passed on to their descendants.

“We will make sure nobody has to sell their family home to pay for care,” May said in the Welsh city of Wrexham. “We will make sure there’s an absolute limit on what people need to pay.” (Excerpt from Reuters)

South Africa’s Western Cape Indian woman ‘sets new Everest dual ascent record’ declares drought disaster

Anshu Jamsenpa also scaled Everest twice in 2011, but 10 days apart

A

n Indian woman has climbed Mount Everest twice in under a week in what may be a

new woman’s record for the fastest double ascent.

Anshu Jamsenpa, a 37-year-old mother-of-two,

reached the summit on May 16 and 21, tourism official Gyanendra Shrestha confirmed to BBC Nepali.

The current Guinness record for a woman’s double ascent is seven days.

News of Jamsenpa’s climbs came as at least three climbers were killed on the mountain over the weekend.

An Australian died on the Tibetan side, while a Slovak and an American died on the Nepalese side.

Rescuers have failed to locate a fourth climber, from India, who disappeared shortly after reaching the summit.

Hundreds of mountaineers are hoping to scale the world’s highest peak before the monsoon sweeps in next month. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Turkey puts 200 suspected military coup plotters on trial amid heavy security

T

urkey put on trial Monday 200 suspects, including senior military officers, accused of plotting and orchestrating last year’s failed coup, in a court case where Prosecutors are calling for life sentences.

The defendants, among them President Tayyip Erdogan’s aide-de-camp, the former head of Turkey’s air force, and dozens of Generals, Colonels and Majors, were paraded on their way to court past dozens of protestors who demanded the death penalty and threw nooses toward them.

Around 1500 security personnel were deployed at the trial, State-run Anadolu news agency reported, which was held in a purpose-built courthouse in Sincan on the outskirts of the Turkish capital.

S

outh Africa’s Western Cape Province has declared a drought disaster as it faces its worst water shortage in 113 years.

Provincial leader Helen Zille said water would be harvested by drilling boreholes to serve key points like hospitals in Cape Town.

The alert will last for three months but could be extended if the crisis persists, she said in a statement.

Southern African nations are reeling from a two-year drought.

The United Nations estimates that more than 40 million people have been affected by the drought that was caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon.

“The disaster declaration

More than 240 people, many of them civilians, were killed in the failed coup on July 15, 2016, when a group of rogue soldiers commandeered tanks, warplanes and helicopters, bombing the Parliament and attempting to overthrow the Government. (Excerpt from Reuters)

will accelerate... the province’s strategy to ensure that taps do not run dry,” Zille said.

She also announced

plans to use a mobile desalination plant and tap the natural aquifer under Cape Town’s Table Mountain.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Leaks ‘expose peculiar Facebook moderation policy’

H

ow Facebook censors what its users see has been revealed by internal documents, the Guardian newspaper says.

It said the manuals revealed the criteria used to judge if posts were too violent, sexual, racist, hateful or supported terrorism.

The Guardian said Facebook’s moderators One of the accused escorted by security personnel

The Western Cape is experiencing the worst drought in more than a century

were “overwhelmed” and had only seconds to decide if posts should stay.

The BBC understands the documents seen by the newspaper closely resemble those Facebook currently uses to guide staff.

The leak comes soon after British MPs said social media giants were “failing” to tackle toxic content.

The newspaper said it

had managed to get hold of more than 100 manuals used internally at Facebook to educate moderators about what could, and could not, be posted on the site.

The manuals cover a vast array of sensitive subjects, including hate speech, revenge porn, selfharm, suicide, cannibalism and threats of violence.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Flynn to invoke Fifth Amendment in Russia probe

M

ichael Flynn, former national Security Adviser to US President Donald Trump, will invoke the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination and decline to comply with a Senate Intelligence Committee subpoena, ac-

cording to several media reports.

AP cited a source close to the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private interactions between Flynn and the Committee. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Flynn would decline to co-

operate with a Senate subpoena, citing a source close to Flynn.

CNN’s congressional reporter spoke to a source close to Flynn who said it would be “highly imprudent” for Flynn not to invoke the Fifth Amendment since lawmakers had already called

publicly for his prosecution.

Another source told NPR “we expect to say the General will not be providing the requested documents. He is entitled to decline under the Fifth Amendment”. NPR’s source said the letter of response would be sent on Monday to congress. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

16 news

tuesdAY, may 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Diaspora Engagement Action Plan being finalised – Harmon – as Govt hosts Diaspora investment forum

ness… There are opportunities that have either been

Diaspora Representative Clifton McDonald; CEO of GO-Invest Owen Verwey; State Minister Joseph Harmon; IOM Chief of Mission, Robert Natiello;and Head of the Diaspora Unit at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Michael Brotherson, along with participants from the three countries

T

o help strengthen relations in this regard, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has partnered with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) to host 10 members from the diaspora in order to promote foreign-based investments in Guyana.

The participants were chosen from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

‘Go See Visit’ is a collaborative effort to bring selected entrepreneurs from the Guyanese diaspora back to their home country with the aim of exploring prospects for establishing small and medium-sized businesses here.

The one-week forum opened on Monday at the Pegasus Hotel under the theme “Engaging the diaspora for socio-economic development in Guyana”.

Addressing the opening ceremony, State Minister Joseph Harmon noted that

this project is demonstrative of Government’s commitment to further cultivate and strengthen relations with the diaspora.

Performing the duties of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Harmon disclosed that Government is in the final stages of concluding its new Diaspora Engagement Strategy action plan, which would formally guide its relationship with the diaspora.

The State Minister noted that this Action Plan is expected to address the concerns which members of the diaspora have and have had over the years.

“The new Diaspora Engagement Strategy and Action Plan will address the concerns which, you the members of the diaspora, have and have had over the years. This comprehensive policy document will not be a dormant white paper; instead, it will be a policy guide that will require

stakeholders to adhere to principles based on international and other proven best practices, and will be predicated on the unavoidable pervasive precepts of accountability and transparency.”

According the State Minister, this strategy document is currently before a cabinet sub-committee, and will be given urgent attention in order to have it materialise as soon as possible.

Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), Owen Verwey, told the participants that this is an opportune time to invest in Guyana. He added that this is not so just because of the emerging oil sector that the country is working on establishing, but because of the many investment opportunities that are potential with the largely unexplored and underexplored lands that are available here.

“Guyana is open for busi-

South Ruimveldt man charged with break and enter

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ravis Sobers of 3229 David’s Place, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown pleaded not guilty to a break-and-enter charge when he was arraigned on Monday before Georgetown Magistrate Judy Latchman.

Particulars of that charge allege that on May 19 at about 03:30h, the 32-year-old attempted to break and enter the Lamaha Place, Georgetown dwelling house of Dion Glasgow by going through a window.

However, the woman was awakened by a noise, and upon inspection saw the defendant at her window. He managed to escape,

but was later pointed out and apprehended by Police Officers.

The Prosecutor objected to bail being granted the defendant because he had given the Police a different address to the one he gave in

court, shows that he was a flight risk.

Magistrate Latchman nevertheless placed the defendant on $150,000 bail, and instructed that he return to court on June 12, 2017.

marks, Verwey encouraged the participants to make the best of this opportunity of exploring what Guyana has to offer by taking in and considering all the information being offered to them throughout the one-week forum.

Some of the areas that the participants have shown interest in are: agriculture, information and communication technology (ICT), renewable energy, and agro-processing among others.

IOM Chief of Mission in Guyana, Robert Natiello, thanked persons in the diaspora for having an interest in the development of the country.

“Your direct investments as entrepreneurs can strengthen prospects for economic growth in Guyana by

for creating opportunity for diaspora investments.

“IOM encourages the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to continue to develop and implement policies that can create the right atmosphere -- conducive to diaspora entrepreneurship and (collaborative) between the diaspora investors and the local business owners,” he noted.

The IOM representative declared this initiative a step in the right direction for the Guyana Government, and he opined that it would provide powerful stimulus to support Guyana’s continued development.

This initiative comes in light of the coalition Government being heavily criticised, particularly from the People’s

A section of those in attendance at the opening ceremony of the workshop, held at Pegasus Hotel on Monday

never explored, underexplored, (or) awaiting for those who’ve got the knowledge, experience, access to capital and the methods of bringing the know-hows to the market,” he stated.

In closing his brief re-

fostering the formation and growth of businesses, supporting innovation, and developing new sectors of the economy,” he stated.

Natiello, who is also IOM’s Regional Coordination Officer, lauded Government

Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Opposition, for failing to attract any major and significant investment from the diaspora, despite several engagements both here and abroad. (Vahnu Manikchand)

Man granted bail on ‘smoking weed’ charge

A

man who was intercepted by Police Officers for allegedly smoking weed (marijuana) was on Monday granted bail when he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman.

Gavin Hickson, 46, of 146 Alexander Street, Kitty, Georgetown, originally pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The charge stated that on May 19, 2017, at Kitty Public Road, Hickson smoked cannabis (marijuana).

However, the court was in for a morning of laughter as the defendant interrupted Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves as he was reading the facts to “clarify to you (Magistrate Latchman) what really happen”.

According to the defen-

dant, he was not intercepted at Kitty Public Road, but rather at Alexander Street, Kitty.

The man explained that he was in the company of other men who were smoki n g which is “not where

the thief men them and so does be”, when Police ranks came up to him and accused him of smoking ‘a joint of weed’, which was next to him on the ground.

According to Hickson, he was not smoking the weed, but as it was next to him, he admitted ownership and, as such, was arrested.

After his explanation, Magistrate Latchman entered a not guilty plea for

him.

She then placed him on $20,000 bail.

However, the defendant told the Magistrate that he entered a guilty plea because he has no family in the country to bail him.

As such, Magistrate Latchman reread the charge to which the defendant again pleaded guilty.

She explained to him that the penalty attached to his offence was one to three years’ imprisonment along with a fine of $6000 to $15,000.

Upon hearing this, the defendant told the Magistrate that he wished to again change his plea to a not guilty one as “I gone get one of me pardna to bail me out”.

Magistrate Latchman granted his request and again placed him on $20,000 bail. The defendant is scheduled to return to court on June 12, 2017.

news

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tuesDAY, may 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

At least 19 dead in blast at Ariana Grande concert in British arena A blast on Monday night at a concert in the English city of Manchester where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing left at least 19 people dead and about 50 injured in what British Police said was being treated as a terrorist incident.

Police said they were responding to reports of an explosion and that there were a number of confirmed fatalities and others injured at the arena, which has a capacity for 21,000 people.

A witness who attended the concert said she felt a huge blast as she was leaving the arena, followed by screaming and a rush as thousands of people tried to escape.

"We were making our way out and when we were

Two concert-goers wrapped in thermal blankets stand near the Manchester Arena, where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester, northern England, Britain, May 23, 2017

right by the door there was a massive explosion and everybody was screaming,"

concert-goer Catherine Macfarlane told Reuters.

"It was a huge explo-

sion – you could feel it in your chest. It was chaotic.

Everybody was running and screaming and just trying to get out."

Witnesses reported that many children were at the concert.

Manchester Arena, the largest indoor arena in Europe, opened in 1995 and is a popular concert and sporting venue.

A spokesman for Ariana Grande, 23, said the singer was "okay". A video posted on Twitter showed fans, many of them young, screaming and running from the venue.

Britain is on its second-highest alert level of "severe" meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely. (Reuters)

Guyana Govt condemns horrifying UK terrorist attack

Police Officers are seen outside the Manchester Arena, where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester, northern England, Britain, May 22, 2017(REUTERS/Jon Super)

MoE launches Youth Innovation Project T

he Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana said it was deeply saddened by the horrifying terrorist attack in Manchester, England.

“Our prayers and thoughts are with those who have been affected.

On behalf of the people of Guyana, the Government extends deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the Government

T

he Department of Culture, Youth and Sport (DCYS) -- a part of the Ministry of Education (MoE) -- launched its inaugural Youth Innovation Project on Monday, as the country celebrates Youth Week 2017.

This initiative, a flagship project of the DCYS that is being funded by the Government of Guyana in its 2017 budget, aims to provide opportunity for Guyanese youths to design, develop and produce innovative ideas to combat challenges plaguing their schools and communities, while at the same time foster a green economy.

This is with the incorporation of Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Anthropology, Architecture, Archeology, Arts, Mathematics and Spirituality; otherwise known as STEAMS. The launching event featured a number diverse cultural performances, as well as a series of remarks from those who were at the forefront in the preparation of this major youth opportunity.

In attendance at the Umana Yana on Monday were Acting President Khemraj Ramjattan and Minister in the Ministry of Education, Nicolette Henry, who both led the ribbon-cutting ceremony; as well as other government officials, members of the private and public sectors, and students representing schools from around Georgetown.

Speaking at the launch was a key player in the development of the Youth Innovation Project, Bridget Hinds, who expressed delight in the introduction of the Department’s initiative while highlighting its importance in the contemporary Guyanese society. Hinds also pointed out the objectives of the project, stating: “This project purports to engage all youths from the ten regions of this dear land in

Man found with cocaine utensil jailed

The managing team of the Youth Innovation Project 2017

a collaborative, concertive effort to produce out-of-thebox solutions to the physical, social, and psychological ills of our environment.”

Also speaking at the event was the project manager, Grace Roberts-Simon, who revisited the initial stages of the project and indicated the underlying goals of the Youth Innovation Project of Guyana (YIPOG), which were keenly addressed in the project’s outline.

“It all started with the vision of Minister Nicolette Henry when she envisioned tapping into the innovative minds and pioneering spirit of young Guyanese. YIPOG aims to unite, creative and innovate ideas that will lead young Guyanese between the ages of 16-35 from all administrative regions, including Georgetown, to aspire to produce solutions to issues and challenges in this beautiful green land of Guyana,” the project manager stated.

Roberts-Simon went on to say that the Youth Innovation Project will be supported by the Department’s existing partners, a list which includes the Youth Entrepreneurship and Skills Training Program (YEST), the Volunteerism Support Platform (VSP), and the President’s Youth Award, Republic of Guyana (PYARG).

Delivering the feature

address, Minister Nicolette Henry explained that youths are the backbone of the country, and must be given the necessary platform to thrive.

She said she believes this project is the perfect opportunity for young Guyanese to play their part in shaping the cohesive society, as well as a well-developed economy.

“It is our firm belief that the Youth Innovation Project will create an enabling environment, (wherein) our young people will be able to realise their true potential, thus playing their part in fostering social cohesion, helping us to protect our environment, forging economic prosperity, and applying best practices for a green economy,” Minister Henry posited.

The Minister said this investment in youths is particularly important for the country, and she indicated that the Ministry of Finance has pledged $50 million to this initiative.

Apart from Government’s input, the project would also be supported by business entities, both locally and foreign; and those would facilitate the implementation of over 20 projects that would be selected after the application process.

The Ministry is now open for application from groups consisting of no more than 10 persons (both in and out

and people of the United Kingdom,” the Guyana Government said in a statement Monday night.

“The Guyana Government condemns, in the strongest possible terms, this heinous attack and stand with the people of the United Kingdom at this difficult time,” the Government statement added.

of the school system) within the ages of 16 and 35, who wish to propose a solution with the integration of STEAMS in the execution of their action plan.

Applications were officially opened on Monday, and will last through to the end of June, after which a twomonth assessment process will follow.

The winning projects will be announced during the month of September, also Education Month, during which the grants will be presented to offset the overhead costs of the project.

The proposals will be assessed and awarded in five categories: Most relevant to sustainable communities; Most creative and innovative; Best plan and project design; Best use of STEAMS; and Best presentation.

The launch of the Youth Innovation Project of Guyana has been one in a list of activities tabled for the celebration of Youth Week, 2017. The official celebrations were kick-started with a youth rally on Sunday, and will conclude with a National Youth Symposium to be hosted on Thursday.

This year marks the reintroduction of the week of celebrations after a two-decade hiatus, and was observed under the theme ‘Inspiring our Youths, Celebrating their Achievements’.

A

Jailed: Alan Charles

Lodge, Georgetown man was on Monday morning jailed for being in possession of a utensil used for smoking cocaine when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Fifty-eight-year-old Alan Charles, of Lot 8 D’Urban Street, was sentenced to one year in prison and fined $6000.

The man pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him by Magistrate Judy Latchman.

The charge stated that on May 19, 2017 at Kitty, Georgetown, Charles had

the utensil in his possession.

The prosecution told the court that on the day in question, the man was intercepted by ranks carrying out a raid and admitted ownership of the item when it was found on his person.

Charles begged for leniency telling the court that he was never charged before and this was his first offence. He also explained that he was the father of two children whom he provided for.

Magistrate Latchman, however, sent the man straight to jail.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, may 23, 2017

ARCHIE

Take any opportunity you get to learn something new.

(March 21- Enlist the help of an expert April 19) to ensure that you get things done properly. Love and romance should be priorities.

ARIES

You’ll come up with a TAURUS great idea, but before you (April 20- share it with others, get the May 20) groundwork done. You’ll need help, but it’ll only come if you’ve prepared the way.

dilbert

Jump in and get things GEMINI (May 21- done. Your ability to adapt, June 20) take charge and make things happen will turn you into the go-to person. Your popularity is on the rise.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

A partnership will suffer if you don’t do your fair share. Consider the best way to keep each party’s responsibilities and chores equal if you want to avoid an unforeseen change of plans.

You’ll adapt easily to whatever comes your way.

Take action and get things done in order to avoid an emotional standoff with someone who tends to be stubborn and critical.

Share your thoughts and VIRGO (Aug. 23- feelings if you want to get Sept. 22) others to listen and contribute to what you are trying to accomplish. A business trip or discussion with an experienced person is encouraged.

Money matters will be LIBRA difficult to figure out. You’ll (Sept. 23Oct. 23) want to be prudent, but at the same time will be tempted by an offer that appeals to your sentimental side. Don’t go into debt.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Emotions will take control SCORPIO and should be channeled into (Oct. 24something that will make Nov. 22) your life and a relationship with someone special better.

Focus on love, romance and self-improvement.

Engage in things that SAGITTARIUS you can do with someone you (Nov. 23- find easy to collaborate with.

Dec. 21) Working as a team player will encourage you to promote your capabilities.

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Time spent at home workCAPRICORN ing or doing things that you (Dec. 22- have left unfinished will be Jan. 19) most satisfying. Don’t engage in other people’s projects. Do your own thing.

Share your feelings with AQUARIUS someone you can help or be (Jan. 20helped by in order to come Feb. 19) up with a dynamite plan.

Working together, you will be quite a team.

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” is not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. To contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe, write to Word Game, Kathleen Saxe, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Uncertainty will lead to PISCES mistakes.

Ask questions, (Feb. 20March 20) gather facts and make your move before time runs out and an opportunity is missed.

Know your limits and attributes.

tuesDAY, May 23, 2017

19

Durant vows to be back Smith thinks LeBron lacked with Warriors next season confidence in Cavs loss

N

BA All-Star Kevin Durant has no regrets about his decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors.

Regardless of whether the Golden State Warriors win the 2017 NBA title, Kevin Durant has no regrets about his decision to move to Oracle Arena.

Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Warriors in a blockbuster move before the start of the season.

And the eight-time All-Star plans to be back on the team in 2017-18 as the Warriors lead the San Antonio Spurs 3-0 in the Western Conference finals.

“I made the 100 per cent correct decision, win or lose,” Durant told the Undefeated.

“I feel like this is the place I was supposed to be. I appreciate everything I’ve done before this. But I’m here now, and I feel like it’s a great spot for me to be.”

One win away from his first NBA Finals appearance since 2012 — when his Thunder lost to the Miami Heat in five games — Durant added of Golden State: “This is where I am supposed to be at this point of my life. I’m taking it on and conquering every part of it. I’m enjoying every single step.”

“I love it here,” Durant, who plans to ex-

J

Kevin Durant

ercise his $27.7million option to remain with the Warriors. “I love my team-mates. I love the city [of Oakland], I love the organisation.

I love it here. I don’t plan on going anywhere else.” (Sportsmax)

Mata seeks ‘double bonus’ of silverware and Champions League place

A

Europa League final with Ajax offers Manchester United and Juan Mata the chance to re-join the Champions League.

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata is excited by the prospect of securing a “double bonus” against Ajax in Stockholm on Wednesday – a piece of silverware and a direct route back into the

fact not lost on Mata.

Mata said in quotes reported by the Telegraph: “The Champions League is the best competition and it’s one this club should be playing in every season.

“Now we are playing in the Europa League and if we win it as I did a few years ago [when Chelsea beat Benfica in 2013], it’s a double bonus, as it’s a trophy

Juan Mata

glamour of the Champions League.

The Dutch giants stand in the way of Jose Mourinho’s men and a place in club football’s elite competition, with the winners of the Europa League final guaranteed a spot in next season’s Champions League.

United fell short of qualifying via a top-four Premier League finish – a 69-point haul leaving them sixth – meaning the Ajax clash assumes extra significance, a

and a Champions League spot, so it’s very important for us.”

United are guaranteed European football next season regardless of how they fare in Sweden in midweek after finishing sixth, but Mata is under no illusions which competition the club should be aiming to be part of.

He said: “[Either way] we still want to play European football. Hopefully it is [in the Champions League on]

R Smith has challenged LeBron James’ confidence following Sunday’s loss at Quicken Loans Arena.

LeBron James needs to believe in himself a little more after he struggled in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ game-three loss to the Boston Celtics, according to team-mate JR Smith.

James had one of his worst games as defending champions the Cavs were stunned 111-108 by the Celtics in the NBA Eastern Conference finals on Sunday.

The four-time MVP’s run of games with at least 30 points was ended at eight as he had just 11 points, six rebounds and six assists at Quicken Loans Arena, with Cleveland’s series lead cut to 2-1.

When asked about James’ performance, Smith said after practice: “Play confident.

That’s my only thing.

“People of his stature, well, there’s only like three, but people like him, you gotta play confident the whole night and play aggressive.

LeBron James and JR Smith

I mean, it’s the Eastern Conference finals.

“It’s not enough, for him, for what he does, for what he brings. It’s not enough. He knows that. We know that.

Just expecting him to be better in game four.”

But as for how James can get to where he needs to be, Smith said he is going to do his best.

“I mean, I never have that problem. I’ve been confident every time I’ve stepped on

the court, whether I’m falling out of bounds or shooting a free throw, confidence is something I never lack,” Smith said.

“That’s my job as his teammate and as his friend is making sure he stays confident in what he does, and you know, just trying to get him out of it.”

James and the Cavs face the Celtics in game four today. (Sportsmax)

Russia doping…

Tuesday a n d Wednesdays, instead of Thursdays [in the Europa League], but if it’s Thursdays we will play Thursdays and it wouldn’t be an excuse not to try to win the title.

“Obviously you don’t have as much time for recovery as you should, and we have lived that this season.

But I think the club and the money [they have] will help us try to get a bigger squad and prepare for a different competition.”

Mourinho offloaded Mata to United when he was Chelsea boss, meaning it was inevitable that speculation of a possible repeat scenario would arise when the Portuguese arrived at Old Trafford.

But Mata has featured heavily under Mourinho and has reiterated he is settled at the club.

“Yes, I’m happy here,” he said. “I’ve always said that since I came here it has not been the greatest moment in the club’s history. It’s been a different approach and a new stage after Alex Ferguson. We’ve had a few managers, different players coming and going, but I feel really happy to be at this club.” (Sportsmax)

IPC issues final warning for Winter Paralympics

R

ussia has been given a final warning to address doping or face a total ban from the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang.

The country was blocked from the 2016 Rio Paralympics by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) after revelations of systematic doping.

The IPC said on Monday there was a “strong chance” the ban would remain if there was no improvement by September.

The Paralympics begin in South Korea

on 8 March, 2018.

“Russia has to restore confidence in the wider sporting world,” IPC president Sir Philip Craven said.

Craven added that the governing board were “pleased and encouraged” by Russia’s co-operation, and that the body would do all it could to ensure Russia’s suspension ended when the reinstatement criteria was met.

“Russia is a great sporting nation and the Paralympic Movement would like to see Russia back competing as soon as it can prove it has met the reinstatement criteria in full,” he said.

IPC President Sir Philip Craven says his organisation will do all it can to enable Russia to compete in South Korea

“Our mindset currently is on doing all we can to have the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) at Pyeongchang 2018.”

The IPC taskforce had previously unanimously recommended the suspension, imposed in August 2016, stays in place.

A taskforce report expressed its concern at Russia’s lack of action ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Russia was suspended after World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren detailed widespread drug use , and cover-ups allegedly involving government officials. However, officials have not “specifically addressed’’ McLaren’s findings, either by accepting them or “properly rebutting’’ them, according to the report from the IPC taskforce, which has been working with the RPC. Craven said on Monday that a number of key criteria still needed to be met.

“At the moment there are a lot of good plans with timelines on paper, but we now need to see plans in action and delivering concrete results,” he said. (BBC)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesDAY, may 23, 2017

Sangakkara Ex-MotoGP champion Griezmann dies after collision says his chances of a to retire from

United move are ‘6/10’

First-Class cricket

A

F

ormer Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara says he will retire from first-class cricket after this season.

The 39-year-old Surrey batsman, who quit Test cricket in 2015, is fifth in the list of all-time Test run scorers.

“You try to fight the inevitable but you need to get out while you’re ahead,” he told BBC Sport.

“It’s the last time I’ll play a four-day game here [at Lord’s]. I’ll be 40 in a few months, this is about the end of my time in county cricket.”

Sangakkara has contracts to honour in Twenty20 competitions taking him into 2018, but added: “My career might have a few more months [left] but that’s about it.”

Kumar Sangakkara is one of only two players to be named Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World on two occasions

He averaged more than 57 runs across 134 Tests, making 11 double centuries in that time, and joined Surrey for the 2015 season.

He scored more than 1,000 first-class runs last season but, despite hitting two centuries against Middlesex over the weekend, Sangakkara believes September is the right time to end his career in the longer format.

“The biggest mistake that sometimes you can make is that you think you’re better than you really are,” he said.

“Cricketers, or any sort of sportsperson, have an expiry date and you need to walk away.

“I have been very lucky to play for as long as I did so but there’s a lot more life to be lived away from the game.”

Sangakkara will head to the Caribbean Premier League at the end of June, with Aaron Finch signed by Surrey as his replacement during that period, and he says he will continue to play cricket past the end of the English domestic season.

But after more than 19 years of playing the professional game, the opportunity to watch the great batsman play his trademark cover drive is coming to an end.

Asked if he would play T20 cricket after his summer, he replied: “Yes, I think the mercenary in me is still alive.

“I’ve got a couple of contracts I have to honour this year and one at the start of the next year,” he said.

“No-one wants an old dog just playing for the sake of playing.

“I think it’s a good thing that all these [Twenty20] competitions push you to perform. That’s the incentive because otherwise, if you’re going to be a part of a side just to be the benchmark name, that’s a bit disappointing. “ (BBC)

Nicky Hayden won the 2006 Moto GP championship in Valencia

F

ormer MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden has died aged 35, five days after being involved in a crash while cycling.

The American suffered “serious cerebral damage” after colliding with a car on the Rimini coastline in Italy on Wednesday, 17 May. The 2006 MotoGP championship winner had been in the intensive care unit of Cesena’s Maurizio Bufalini Hospital.

“We would like everyone to remember Nicky at his happiest - riding a motorcycle,” his brother Tommy said.

A hospital statement issued on Thursday said Hayden had suffered “a serious polytrauma”, which is a medical term to describe the condition of a person who has multiple traumatic injuries.

Hayden, who was nicknamed the Kentucky Kid,

had competed for Red Bull Honda in the World Superbike Championship in Italy on 14 May. Older brother Tommy, who was also a motorcycle racer, said the family had many “great and happy memories” of Hayden.

“He dreamed as a kid of being a pro-rider and not only achieved that but also managed to reach the pinnacle of his chosen sport,” he said.

“We are all so proud of that. We will all miss him terribly.”

Red Bull Honda World Superbike said that the racing world had said goodbye to “one of its dearest sons.”

“The ‘Kentucky Kid’ will be sorely missed by all that ever had the pleasure of meeting him or the privilege to see him race a motorcycle around a track, be it dirt or asphalt,” a statement read.

(BBC)

t l e t i c o Madrid s t a r A n t o i n e Griezmann says a transfer to Manchester United is ‘possible’, adding there is a ‘six out of 10’ chance he will move to Old Trafford this summer.

The 26-yearold France forward was speaking on French TV show Quotidien.

“I think I will decide [on my future] in the next two weeks,” he said.

Asked if Antoine Griezmann has scored 111 goals United would be since joining Atletico Madrid in 2014 his new club he replied: “Possible, La Liga. possible.” Asked to give the He was named the third chances on a scale of one to best player in the world be10, Griezmann added “six”. hind Cristiano Ronaldo and The presenter replied: Lionel Messi in the Ballon “It’s the first time you’ve d’Or awards in January. said that.” And Griezmann There is a 100 million replied “it’s the first time.” euro (£86m) release clause Antoine Griezmann: in Griezmann’s contract.

Man Utd express ‘most conUnited have the opporcrete’ interest tunity to qualify for the Griezmann, who has won Champions League by win41 caps for France since ning the Europa League on making his debut in 2014, Wednesday against Ajax in scored 26 goals this season Stockholm. (BBC) as Atletico finished third in

Stokes wants more England team-mates in IPL A ll-rounder Ben Stokes would like to see more of his England teammates join him in the Indian Premier League.

Stokes became the IPL’s

duty, while Pune went on to lose the 2017 final by one run.

“Everyone who goes there becomes a better player,” said Stokes.

scored h i s maiden world at what they do - guys bowling at 150kph [93mph] and guys knocking it out of the park if you do not hit the areas you want to bowl.”

Pressure from the fee?

Ben Stokes was a hit in his maiden IPL stint © BCCI

most expensive foreigner when he was signed by Rising Pune Supergiant for £1.7m, and went on to win the most valuable player award.

He helped his side to second in the group stages before returning to England

The 25-year-old scored 316 runs at a strike rate of 142.98 and took 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.18 in the Twenty20 competition.

“It would be great in the future if maybe the whole England team could be out there,” said Stokes, who

Twenty20 century while in India.

“It’s not just the fact of playing in the tournament, it’s the exposure you get as a player.

“Playing in high pressure situations against all the best players in the

Stokes played in the same team as former India captain MS Dhoni and current Australia skipper Steve Smith, with the latter praising the all-rounder during the tournament.

“To be part of a competition like that was an amazing experience - the biggest Twenty20 competition in world cricket - [as was] being able to share a changing room with the greatest players in the world, the greats of the game of cricket,” said Stokes. “I didn’t go into the tournament worrying about [the fee]. The biggest thing for me was making sure I left a good impression with my performances on the field. “That’s what we pride ourselves on as cricketers.

All the pressure I put on myself wanted to perform on the pitch.” (BBC)

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The victorious Cibao FC celebrate their win

C

ibao FC, a two-yearold football club from the Dominican Republic, are the new Caribbean Club Champions following their 1-0 victory over 2003 champions San Juan Jabloteh in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday.

In the final played at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Richard Dabas scored in the only goal in the 30th minute, to make Cibao FC the first team ever from the Dominican Republic to win an international title and qualify for the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.

As runner-up, San

Juan Jabloteh will play in the 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League.

The history-making result was what the fledgling club had been aiming for.

“Cibao is a new club and it is a great achievement for us to come here and go all the way to the final,” said Charles Herold, a 26-yearold Haiti international, prior to Sunday’s final. “It will a major accomplishment for us to win the title and qualify for the Champions League. This will be a very big honor for football in the Dominican Republic if we can win the championship after just two years exist-

ing as a club and also moving into a big competition such as the CONCACAF Champions League.”

That wish has now become reality.

Meanwhile, former champions Central FC, who were going for a third straight hold on the title, had to be content with fourth place after they lost out in a penalty shootout to Portmore United of Jamaica.

Portmore United, the 2005 champions, outlasted Central FC 5-3 on penalty kicks, to capture the match for third place following a 2-2 draw after extra time.

Maalique Foster com-

pleted Portmore United’s run of five perfect penalty kicks to give his side third place. Sean de Silva’s miss on Central FC’s first attempt proved to be the difference.

Central FC scored the match’s first (Jason Marcano 5’) and last (Keston George 90’+2) goals, but it also conceded once in each half. Damion Binns (32’) and Cleon Pryce (77’) netted for Portmore United.

Both Central FC and Portmore United will play in the 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League. (Sportsmax)

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T

he Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club’s ambitious plans to host a record 500 programmes/activities for 2017 received a major boost when insurance giant Demerara Mutual Life Assurance Society (DMLAS) came on board as an official sponsor.

DMLAS would be supporting a trial six-month development cricket programme for junior and female cricketers of the RHTY&SC, MS. The insurance company would also be sponsoring an award scheme for outstanding teachers for Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) at the primary and secondary levels.

The Club’s eight cricket teams, along with its Cricket Developers Educational Committee, will be responsible for the successful hosting of both programmes.

Under the Cricket Development Programme, a total of 50 male youths and 25 female cricketers would be involved in a six-month developmental programme under the guidance of Coach Delbert Hicks. Apart from coaching on the cricket field, the players would also be involved in

RHTY&SC Assistant Organising Secretary Robbie Kissoonlall receives the sponsorship from DMLAS CEO Geoffrey Brewster and Marketing Manager Clarence Perry

classroom lectures on a wide range of topics, to be conducted by Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, and a series of practice matches.

DMLAS will support the programme by paying a weekly stipend to the Coach for the six- month period and providing cricket balls and equipment. The main objectives are to make sure that all club members are properly ready to represent the RHTY&SC, to educate them on topics of importance to them and to prepare them for role model status.

Among the players participating in the programme are Kevlon Anderson, Kevin Sinclair, Sylus Tyndall, Simon Naidu, Junior

Sinclair, Brandon Corlette, Keith Simpson, Chanderpaul Govindan, Mahendra Gopilall, Joshua Wilson, Marian Samaroo, Shenneta Grimmond, Vijay Gopilall, Christopher Deroop, Joshua Rampersaud, Justin Gobin, Lucas Arthur, Tyreese Sealey, Matthew Pottaya and Matthew Prass.

The RHTY&SC/ DMLAS Teacher of the Year Programme will be hosted in September for outstanding teachers at the primary and secondary level. Three teachers each from the two levels will be rewarded, with the two winners receiving $100,000 and a trophy respectively. The Teachers of the Year 2017 for the prima-

ry school level would be selected based on the results of the National Grade Six Examinations while the secondary level winner would be adjudged on CSEC results.

Club Secretary/CEO Foster explained that the main objectives were to inspire teachers to set a high standard, to improve the standard of teaching in Berbice and to inspire young teachers to follow in the footsteps of their role models.

The long-serving RHTY&SC Secretary expressed gratitude to the management and staff of DMLAS for their support.

Special mention was made of CEO Geoffrey Brewster and Marketing Manager Clarence Perry, who are both members of the RHTY&SC. The DMLAS Chief Executive Officer stated that his company was passionate about investing in sports and education, and praised the RHTY&SC for its visionary ideas that were presented to his company. He expressed confidence that the two programmes would be successful and the relationship between the DMLAS and RHTY&SC would be strengthened.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesdAY, may 23, 2017

Guyana ready to battle for 10 Referees Development consecutive squash title Officers appointed

13th

G

uyana will host the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championship from July 1-9 and the 12-time champions have all intentions to make it another year of being undefeated.

Guyana Squash Association (GSA) President Robin Lowe, in a recent interview with Guyana Times Sport, contended that although the team have been dominant for over a decade, the championships would be no walk-over on home turf.

GSA President Robin Lowe

“It is not going to be a walk-over; it is always going to be a fight. Guyana has dominated over the past

Shomari Wiltshire and Daniel Islam are just two of the talented players who will look to maintain their country’s dominance

12 years which in itself is a feat; we have the advantage this year playing home, but the other teams are playing hard as well,” Lowe expressed.

The locals will have the likes of Junior Champion Shomari Wiltshire; Taylor Fernandes (who is playing in her final season as a junior); Alex Cheeks; Makeda Harding and Abosaide Cadogan among other talented players to carry the fight to the opposing teams.

With respect to the facilities, the Georgetown Club Courts along with the National Racquet Centre will undergo rehabilitation works.

“Both venues are going to be upgraded; at the Racquet Centre… we are putting in new floors and that is possibly three-quarter way finished, there will also be seats for at least 70 people; both venues will be up to scratch ahead of the event.”

Last year in Cayman Islands, Guyana won the overall team title for the 12th consecutive time.

They defeated the Cayman Islands 3-2 in the boys’ final, but lost by a similar margin in the girls’ final to Barbados.

T

en persons have been appointed Referees Development Officers (RDOs) following a training session on Saturday at the boardroom of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Secretariat.

The RDOs will be based in the nine Regional Member Associations (RMAs) and will be primarily responsible for recruiting, training and retaining referees across the country. They include Heatcliff Peters (East Berbice); Ingram Johnson (West Berbice); Abdulla Hamid (Linden); Tyrone Tyrell (Georgetown); Joel Weeks (West Demerara); Vijai Simon (Lethem); Clifton Paul (Essequibo); Leon Stewart (Bartica); Winston Manjit (East Bank

Demerara) and Natasha Lewis (East Coast Demerara) .

Among the key areas covered in the session were report writing, the updated FIFA Laws of the Game, the relationship between the role of the Technical Development Officers (TDOs) and RDOs; respective Terms of Reference and the importance of fitness to the referees.

S t a n l e y Lancaster, Head of the Refereeing Department and Chief Facilitator, underscored t h e i m portance of the p r o -

gramme to the increased pool of referees and continuous capacity building of same. “The appointed

RDOs will play a critical role in actively identifying new referees – both males and females – in the v a r i ous geographi c a l areas; help in improving the quality of officiating, and education within the fraternity; establish transparency within the fraternity and enable the promotion of talented officials.”

Among the other presenters at the session were GFF President Wayne Forde, Second Vice President Rawlston Adams and Executive Committee Member Dion Inniss, who outlined the importance of the role to the achievement of the broader technical objectives of the Executive Committee and also offered words of support to the appointed officials.

This programme is in keeping with the new structure of the Technical Development Programme and the RDOs will work in tandem with the TDOs.

RHTY&SC to organise Rose Hall’s 175th anniversary celebrations GFF recognises Moore’s contribution to football T

he eight cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS, (RHTY&SC,MS), along with the Club’s Social Development Committee, would be hosting a series of activities to mark the 175th anniversary of the purchase of Rose Hall Village by 57 freed slaves.

The slaves bought the village of Rose Hall from European planter John Baird on August 20, 1842, and laid the foundation for the township of Rose Hall, which is now considered the commercial district of the Ancient Country of Berbice.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, who would be spearheading the planning of the

RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster

almost month-long celebrations from August 19 to September 15 stated that the main objectives would be to honour the 57 former slaves, to educate residents on the history over the years, to promote social cohesion among residents and to inspire residents to work harder for more developments.

Rose Hall Town is the smallest township in Guyana and is the home to numerous business entities; the RHTY&SC, MS; the Central Chambers of Commerce and

the international-award winning St Francis Community Developers.

The cricket teams of the RHTY&SC, MS, are very proud to be representatives of the township. Foster stated that the teams in 2016 spearheaded the 46th anniversary celebration of Rose Hall becoming a town.

The activities included a 40-page booklet on the town’s history, construction of a family recreational park, television documentary, tourist poster, youth career fair, medical outreach and military parade.

The RHTY&SC, Foster disclosed, would not be involved in this year’s 47th township anniversary, but instead would concentrate on the 175th anniversary of the purchase.

The celebration would start with a religious service on August 19 and would conclude with a military parade.

Among the activities planned for 2017 are a health fair/medical outreach, evening of music, youth career fair, community project, day of sports, tourist posters, public exhibition, Annual Yard Fowl Competition, feeding of the poor and decoration of the township.

The events would be held under the patronage of the Club’s Patron, President David Granger. The Club hereby invites all former and present residents of Rose Hall Town to join hands with it to make the historic anniversary a memorable one.

The Mayor and Town Council under the leadership of Mayor Vijai Ramoo at its General Meeting for May approved RHTY&SC to spearhead the anniversary celebration and Foster expressed gratitude to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Town Clerk for their cooperation.

The teams organising the 175th anniversary programme would be the Farfan and Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro Female and Gizmos & Gadgets Under-21 and First Division.

T

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has honoured Golden Jaguars defender Walter Moore, who recently wrapped up a talent identification initiative in Guyana from May 19-21.

This was done via a presentation of a plaque by GFF President Wayne Forde while on a visit to the National Under-17 camp in New Amsterdam, Berbice on Saturday.

Forde, in presenting the plaque, said: “It is indeed an honour and privilege for me to be able to give you this plaque today.

You have done a tremendous service to Guyana’s football over the years. I’m personally proud of you; I’m sure we all are.”

The plaque, which had the inscription “In recognition of your remarkable career and long service to Guyana’s football. We say thank you for being a shining example and inspiration on and off the field of play”, was received by Moore with much surprise and to the applause of the U-17 squad.

Moore and his club coach, Kristian Heames, conducted the talent identification programme in Guyana when they participated in the National U-17 camp along with Gregory “Jackie Chan” Richardson, another national player.

The initiative sought to identify potential players for trials and possible professional contracts in Europe.

It is part of the new philosophy of the technical programme of the GFF, which actively seeks to involve past and present national players.

Only recently, Moore reversed his de-

Golden Jaguars defender Walter Moore

cision to retire from football in an effort to nurture some of the nation’s younger players.

He had retired in October 2016 after an emotional 2-4 loss to Jamaica in the 2016-17 Scotiabank Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Men’s Cup. The left back, who has played for Guyana in 103 matches since starting his illustrious career in 2004, sees a bright future for the national senior team considering the talent pool in the country.

“I see a bright future for Guyana with the exposure, the coaching philosophy and the camps they are getting; I see Guyana becoming a threat in the Caribbean and even CONCACAF.”

23

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, may 23, 2017

Infrastructural developments boosting local basketball – Vryman’s Erven Court gets lights

Court is pivotal in bringing outdoor basketball tourna-

By Michelangelo Jacobus

T

he Berbice Basketball Association (BBA) on Saturday received a donation from the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) in the form of an outdoor courtside light, a generator and six basketballs. The light is for the Vryman’s Erven Basketball Court in New Amsterdam, while the generator is to be used as the power source for the score clock.

The courtside light is only one of six to be donated to the BBA as the GABF strives to develop basketball in Berbice. This is according to GABF President Nigel

From left: BBA President Vibert Garrett, BBA Treasurer-Assistant Secretary Jasola McDonald, and GABF President Nigel Hinds

Hinds, who told Guyana Times Sport that the aim is to make the Vryman’s Erven

Court like the Burnham Court.

The development of the

ments to Berbice, and ultimately encouraging more

players to come out and advance in the sport in the Berbice area.

It was pointed out to this publication that since the Burnham Court in Georgetown has been transformed, there has been an increase in amateur players turning out aside from the regular club players which bodes well for basketball in the capital city.

BBA President Vibert Garrett said that the donations were timely and would further boost basketball in Berbice. He also hinted that the BBA would be going to secondary schools across the county in an effort to promote female basketball.

Another project on the horizon for the GABF is the resurfacing of three major courts in the country,

name-

l

y t h e Burnham Mackenzie and the Amsterdam

Court, Court N e w Court.

The fourth Annual National Club Championship, which is set for June-July, promises to be the biggest one yet, as 16 teams will be participating. This year’s edition will see eight teams from Georgetown participating, six from Linden and one from Berbice, while the National Under-17 team will get some much-needed game time before they depart for Puerto Rico to participate in the Centrobasket U-17 Championship.

Young Achievers start DVA- Guyanese cyclists reap success in French Guiana Stag League on a high

A

ction began in the inaugural Demerara Volleyball Association (DVA) First Division League on Sunday and the Young Achievers quickly made their mark.

They defeated the U-19s in straight sets to claim three points plus a bonus point before they dispatched Bartica by three of five sets to take their points tally to seven.

The U-19s never recovered from their thrashing at the hands of the Young Achievers and their day only got worse as the Castrol Strikers also defeated them in straight sets to take four points.

Bartica rebounded well from their opening defeat to claim three points, as they sank Castrol Strikers by three of five sets.

Earlier, during the opening ceremony, DVA President Trevor Williams thanked the teams for not only showing up but being well-organised for the League.

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, who was also present at the opening

Thebyne Ludwig (second left) and Michael Anthony (second right)

DVA President Trevor Williams (left) and Guyana Volleyball Association (GVA) President John Flores

proceedings, underscored the efforts of the DVA to ensure League volleyball is played and offered the full support of the National Sports Commission (NSC) for future events of the DVA. Castrol Strikers, Bartica Warriors, Young Achievers, and Demerara Under-19 are the male teams competing, while the Castrol Strikers, Vanguards VC, Linden and Bartica Warriors females will compete.

The League is sponsored

by Stag Beer, the Office of the Prime Minister, NSC, Social Protection Ministry, Trophy Stall and Bakewell.

The Young Achievers sit in first place with seven points and are followed by Castrol with four, Bartica with three and the U-19s in the cellar with zero points.

Action in the female category will begin on Sunday starting at 09:00h.

T

he 12th edition of Du Grand Prix Boulangerie Albert held on Sunday was won by 20-year-old Thebyne Ludwig of French Guiana, while Patrice De Nays and Zephirin Jairus placed second and third respectively.

However, the Guyanese duo of Michael Anthony and Orville Hinds rode brilliantly on the toughest race to date in French Guiana. It was a gruelling 134-kilometre race into the mountains of Cacao with slopes of 10 to 14 per cent.

The race began with 75 starters, but only 30 riders completed the event. Anthony

and most persistent on the race between Cayenne and Cacao.

He won by keeping up in the last kilometres with veteran Patrice De Nays, who finished for the second time of the season on the second step of the podium. After 30 seconds, third place was decided in a sprint between Cliff Apinsa and Jaïr Léo Zéphyrin who jumped his opponent on the finish line.

Ludwig joins the club of recent winners with Ludovic Dantin, winner in 2016 for the Southern Cross, Marc Joseph of the Vélo Club Guynais in 2015, and Ludovic Exfort of the Vélo Club De Kourou in 2014.

Williams-Mills in emotional farewell win

N

Action in the DVA First Division League

placed fifth in the elite category and first in category three (3), while Hinds finished in the bunch. He was very aggressive from the get-go and midway into the race, Hinds and Teddy Ringuet had a lead of more than three minutes on the chasing peloton, but Hinds slowed down as he became dehydrated. The two breakaway riders were then caught by a charging peloton; after that, there were lots of overtaking as a winning break of nine riders was established and from this group, Ludwig emerged victorious.

Ludwig was the strongest

ovelene Williams-Mills brought the home crowd to its feet with an emotional victory in the women’s 400m, clocking 50.54.

The 35-year-old, who’ll be retiring after this season, had not won this event since 2012.

“It feels good to come home and run a fantastic race one last time. I think I’ve done enough for the past 10 years and it’s time to walk away,”

said Williams-Mills with a tinge of sadness and finality.

Rising quarter-miler Demish Gaye continues to impress with a composed victory that belied the fact that he started athletics four years ago at age 20. Biding his time until the final 100 metres, Gaye took a 45.08 win over Kevin Borlee and Tony McQuay, who clocked 45.52 and 45.73 respectively.

In the men’s pole vault, Rio bronze medallist Sam Kendricks took his fifth outdoor victory this season in as many starts with a 5.80m clearance, adding 20cm to the meet record on his first visit to the Caribbean.

And in the discus, world leader Frederick Dacres took the win with 66.36m, nearly two metres ahead of US thrower Andrew Evans who reached Novelene Williams-Mills 64.48m. (Sportsmax)

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Infrastructural developments boosting local basketball Pg 23

– Vryman’s Erven Court gets lights All the courts in Berbice could well be on their way to being upgraded, which would result in more players joining the sport

Pg 22

10 Referees Development Officers appointed GFF President Wayne Forde and other participants of the Referees Development Officers’ training session

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