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Door to green economy open to Caricom member states – Granger P12

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3044

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Jagdeo highlights two-faced stance by coalition Govt

…questions Green’s PM pension, benefits

Bandits rob Fires gut businessman Berbice at traffic light homes

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Page 2

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE: P2 Prime suspect in Albouystown shooting nabbed

Electricity fluctuation a hindrance to Suddie P8 Hospital – Administrator

Pages 5&13

NAPS to target youths in HIV/ AIDS testing drive

Page 10

Dead sheep thief ID’d as Essequibo Coast P11 resident

Jagdeo scolds Dharamlall over “unacceptable” comments about P7 President Junior Public Health Minister, Dr Karen Cummings being tested at the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) Head Office as NAPS reintroduces its national days of testing for HIV/AIDS, ahead of World AIDS Day, which will be observed on December 1

BaiShanLin sells off Cacique Palace Page 13

Pension package

Hamilton Green to reap $20M annually from taxpayers Page 9

…to also get free maids, bodyguards, drivers, duty-free concessions

RUSAL disrespects Govt, bauxite union – Labour Minister P5

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thursDAY, november 17, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

Bandits rob businessman at traffic light A

n East Coast Demerara businessman was left traumatised after bandits on a motorcycle robbed him at a Main Street, Georgetown traffic light.

The incident occurred just after midday on Wednesday, in front of the Finance Ministry.

Guyana Times understands that the businessman had just left a Water Street, Georgetown bank and was on his way home when he was attacked. It is believed that he was tailed

by the bandits from the bank.

According to reports reaching this newspaper, the businessman was in his Toyota Hilux pickup along with another person at the traffic light, at Main and Lamaha Streets, Georgetown when two men rode up alongside them on a CG motorcycle.

This newspaper was told that the pillion rider jumped off the bike and tried to open the door of the pickup; however, it was locked. This prompted the

bandit to whip out a firearm and discharged a single gunshot into the window.

The gunman then grabbed a bag, containing an undisclosed sum of cash, from the

men in the pickup, before joining his accomplice on the motorcycle and speeding away.

Eyewitnesses related their shock at the speed at which the perpetrators operated.

“All this happened in less than 20 seconds. What was chilling is how easily these guys operate… That was criminally motivated; that’s our reality. I’m still in awe at what I just witnessed,” one eyewitness, who was also in his vehicle at the traffic light, wrote in a social media post.

Luckily, no one was injured in the incident. The Police are investigating the matter and are reviewing CCTV footage obtained from the area.

Of recent, there have been many robberies committed by thieves on motorcycles across the country.

However, some good investigative work by Police detectives recently saw the arrest of a 26-year-old serial robber of Lot 86 Nelson Street, Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara, who is believed to have used a motorcycle with his accomplice to commit a spate of robberies on gas stations and supermarkets along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

Uriel Mentore was charged and placed before the courts on six counts of armed robbery and attempted robbery between October 19 and November 11, 2016, during which he stole in excess of $3.3 million in cash and valuables.

The first charge states that on October 19, he robbed Shivo’s Supermarket at Nonpareil, ECD; then on November 3, he robbed Wisdom Supermarket at Vryheid’s Lust, ECD; and the following day, he attempted to rob Daily’s Supermarket located at Park Street, Enterprise, ECD. The accused was also charged for robbing R Prashad’s Service Station located on the Mon Repos Railway Embankment, ECD on November 5, attempting to rob the Shell Gas Station at Ogle, ECD on November 9, and robbing Viscom Electronics at Mon Repos Public Road, ECD on November 11, during which he was nabbed.

The Police had confiscated the motorcycle and two full-faced protective helmets that are believed to have been used during the commission of the crimes.

Mentore was remanded to prison until December 15.

Prime suspect in Albouystown shooting nabbed

A

fter almost five days on the run, the prime suspect in the murder of Michael Payne, who was gunned down in Albouystown, Georgetown was apprehended on Tuesday evening. He is expected to be arraigned with murder shortly.

Sherlock McKenzie, also called “Beggar”, was arrested about 20:30h in Meadow Brook Gardens, Georgetown. The suspect fled the murder scene, hours after he shot and killed the 27-year-old of Lot 6 Ketley and Drysdale Streets, Charlestown, Georgetown.

It was reported that on the evening before the shooting, Payne attempted to pacify a heated argument between the suspect and some other men, but his bicycle was left behind.

According to preliminary investigations, about 06:30h on Friday, Payne and his uncle went to the suspect’s house to retrieve the bicycle, but after repeatedly calling and banging on his door and getting no answer, they allegedly kicked down the door.

After doing so, they confronted the suspect and a scuffle ensued during which

Dead: Michael Junior Payne

several loud explosions were heard. Payne was shot three times – once to his head, chest and upper left arm.

A tenant of the apartment building explained that he was asleep and was awakened by someone calling for “Beggar”. He noted that soon after he heard footsteps followed by an argument and then a commotion. The man recalled that he subsequently heard gunshots.

Meanwhile, relatives of the dead man claim it was cold-blooded murder, reiterating that after the shooting incident, Payne was relieved of a quantity of gold jewellery he was wearing and about $400,000 in cash that he had in his possession.

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thursDAY, november 17, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, November 17 – 05:00h-06:30h and Friday, November 18 – 08:30h-10:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, November 17 – 06:20h-07:50h and Friday, November 18 – 07:10h-08:40h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Heavy to light rain showers can be expected throughout the day, with clear to partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East South-easterly and North easterly between 2.68 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 06:12h and 18:25h reaching maximum heights of 2.70 metres and 2.78 metres respectively.

Jagdeo highlights two-faced stance by coalition Govt … questions Green’s PM pension, benefits

F

ormer President and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo was flabbergasted that the very politicians who previously cried about the “raping of the Treasury” to fund pensions, salaries and benefits of past government officials are now moving to the Parliament to grant former Mayor Hamilton Green a Prime Minister’s pension package.

“Suddenly, from not being able to afford for Jagdeo, they cut our ben-

Low Tide: 11:59h reaching minimum heights of 0.57 metre.

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Former Mayor and Prime Minister Hamilton Green

efits and increase benefits for 27 Ministers, three Vice Presidents, a Prime Minister and a President when they got into Office,” he expressing during a news conference on Thursday at Freedom House, in Robb Street, Georgetown.

Jagdeo charged that Government must demonstrate what contributions Green has made to Guyana to deserve the pension and other benefits of a former Prime Minister.

“I don’t understand, so the City Hall has been given all these benefits and they don’t see anything wrong with this at the time when the City is looking for money from the Government, Hamilton

Green enjoys all these benefits that are way above what I will probably get and now the Government has taken this over. Is this not duplicitous,” he outlined.

Jagdeo pointed out that he has no problem with persons who have served the country enjoying certain benefits post-retirement, but he opined that the duplicity of the government is what bothers him.

He reminded that during the campaign trails, the A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change both made noise about the pension he was earning, which was seven-eighths of his salary.

He noted too that the then Opposition decried the Ministers’ salaries, complaining that it was too exorbitant.

In fact, it was Moses Nagamootoo who coined the term “fat cat salaries” and accused the then Government members of living a “Cadillac lifestyle in a donkey cart economy”.

But upon assumption to Office, Nagamootoo who is now Prime Minister, admitted to pushing for Government Ministers to earn a 50 per cent increase in salary.

This was subsequent to the Government moving to the National Assembly to slash the benefits enjoyed by past Presidents of Guyana.

Jagdeo pointed out that now Nagamootoo rakes up about $11.2 million from the coffers monthly and for someone who once frowned upon Government Ministers travelling first-class, has been doing an awful lot of first-rate travels.

“It’s just duplicitous,” the former President expressed.

Asked whether he will support the Bill for Green to be granted the PM benefits, Jagdeo said he will first

Former President and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

have to discuss the matter with his MPs. However, he did promise an interesting debate when

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

the Bill is presented at the next sitting on November 21.

The Finance Ministry is preparing to approve a legislative package to give to Hamilton Green the pen-

sion, benefits and other amenities afforded to a former Prime Minister.

Green already enjoys the luxury of a service security paid for by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council.

Green served as Guyana’s Prime Minister under the People’s National Congress (PNC) Desmond Hoyte’s Administration, from August 6, 1985, to October 9, 1992.

However in March 1993, Green sued the PNC for violation of his constitutional rights when that party at its Congress voted to expel him from the party.

Green was successfully re-admitted to the PNC during the mid-2000s after a successful petition by the party’s New York Branch.

He now serves at the helm of the Central Housing and Planning Authority – a position he was appointed to following the May 2015 Elections.

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, november 17, 2016

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

Editorial

Fighting climate change

G

uyana stands on the precipice of becoming an oil-producing economy and while the knowledge that oil-producing countries are at an advantage economically is comforting, there is an oxymoronic dynamic that is involved with this particular situation.

On one hand, there is Guyana’s push for a “green economy”, which is premised on the reduction of our carbon footprint, while on the other hand, Guyana is advancing the proliferation of oil for economic gains.

The end result of which will invariably add to the already colossal greenhouse gas emissions that come with the extraction, production and consequent burning of oil.

Oil production, it seems, is inevitable based on the information being disseminated from ExxonMobil that Guyana has a recoverable resource of between 800 million and 1.4 billion oil-equivalent barrels. With that inevitability comes the oxymoronic dilemma mentioned above.

We do believe that if Guyana becomes an economy which is based on oil, it will be at a crossroad, ie from its local push for a green economy/ fighting climate change, and from its international obligations and treaties (COP 21) seeking tangible compliance in the reduction of the world’s carbon footprint from developing countries.

Research has shown the deleterious effects associated with climate change. One of the largest contributors to climate change is greenhouse gases and primary among those gases is Carbon Dioxide (CO2), which is produced naturally, but is excessively exacerbated through human activity such as the burning of fossil fuels (oil).

Ironically, the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases are the developed countries, such as the United States, the European Union members, China and Canada among others. However, the countries that are required to do the most in terms of avoiding further climate change damage are the poor and developing countries.

They are being cajoled by developed countries through international organisations to implement changes counterproductive to their projected growth by not utilising the route already advanced and taken by the said developed countries years before.

It is for this reason, former President Bharrat Jagdeo articulated for and succeeded in getting funding from Norway (a developed country) to simply put, pay for Guyana to keep its forest intact. This move ensured that Guyana was compensated for not going down the traditional route of exploiting its natural resource via rapid deforestation for economic gains.

Clearly, Guyana will come under some form of scrutiny and criticism if it digresses from its much-touted going green and combating climate change disposition towards one where the end result would lead to the proliferation of greenhouse gases by contributing to the oil industry and its consequent ills.

To stay clear from such murky waters maybe Guyana should go the route that it did with its forests.

A feasibility study should be done to determine the net positive and negative impacts that would be derived if Guyana chose not to mine its oil reserves. Guyana could then be compensated for not going down the path of extracting its reserves.

It might be a farfetched idea taking into consideration the legal ramifications and the amount of resources already invested by ExxonMobil to find and extract oil off of Guyana’s shores and to drill two wells already. However, in the final analysis, even the most entrenched agreements can be restructured and compromised.

It all depends on how serious we are in fighting climate change and protecting the world for the future generations to come.

Echillibar River - the calm of the river just before it plunges as a waterfall at Monkey Mountain in the Pakaraima Mountain Range (MIchael Lam Collection)

Green’s pension pure disrespect to taxpayers Dear Editor, The deterioration of the public treasury is fast in action as the APNU/AFC Government races to reward friends and family in a piling list already too long to handle.

The intended legislation, as reported by a local online news agency to utilise annually over $16 million of our taxpayers’ dollars to reward Hamilton Green with a pension, other than what he already receives from Parliament, is pure disrespect to public servants and Guyanese at large.

The David Granger-led Administration is in the habit of taking us for granted with its growing and continuous scandals, shifting promises, lack of transparency and accountability, among the many other indictments since coming to office in May 2015.

It is obvious that his government cares little or less about public perception, our concerns and opinions as it seeks to add to its already discredited record, a Bill that contradicts its position of having the right priorities, worse yet, in a slumber-

ing economic environment where people are increasingly affected by hardships.

One would have thought that after receiving such stinging criticisms over the huge increases in the salaries, benefits and allowances of the President, Vice Presidents, Prime Minister and Ministers, the government would have avoided the missteps of this distasteful choreography to enrich its friends and family.

Perhaps it comes as no surprise to many that the government has chosen this path despite its pre-election

promise to be lean, clean and mean.

It should not hurt to have this Bill reversed and save the government from the embarrassment that stares it ahead, especially since its impending enactment of this Bill is of absolutely no necessity. The Minister of Finance, like so many of us, experiencing the daily cries of a limping economy, should be extremely careful about contributing to an already volatile situation.

Yours truly, Dave Martindale

Questions for Govt on crime Dear Editor, The crime situation in Guyana is out of control, everyone is aware of this except the Government of this country. They do not, and from all appearances, will not accept their failure to deal with it. For a small country like ours - population wise - the activities of criminals to have reached this high is reason to be alarmed, if not worried sick. To top it off, the Government is blaming the Opposition for the crime spree. With guns blazing, they have come out castigating the Opposition for the root cause for the escalation in crime. They keep going back into the past digging up questionable episodes of criminal activity that they claim were deliberate acts of the PPP/C Government while they were in power. But if I were the Government I would not be so quick to point an accusing figure, I would be very, if not, extra careful to make certain statements. If we should

take their word for it that the PPP/C Government were the culprits then, a couple of questions for the Grangerled Coalition.

Which party, when in power, draped the coffin of a "known criminal"? Could I get a sensible answer to that question?

The crime spree the Government is talking about, who are the initiators and masterminds behind all of it? Let us go into the historical facts, not fiction. In the first place, how did maximum security criminals get out of prison? Who let the "Freedom Fighters" loose?

Yes, that was one of the terms of endearment given to them when on the rampage.

Further, whose supporters were chanting "we get another one" when a Policeman was killed? Whose supporters openly said "they can't ketch Fineman"? And when he was finally killed for his crimes, that Commissioner of Police was the most hated, hounded for all he was

worth and harassed unto his death. In fact, all the Police Commissioners who were tough on crime and who they claimed were closely aligned to the PPP/C Government were negatively spoken of.

This emboldened the criminals of the day giving crime that catalyst power it needed.

Police Commissioners Laurie Lewis, Floyd McDonald and Henry Greene, all were placed in their black books.

So, even selectively quoting history as they would have it, the Granger Government falls woefully short of being credible.

What is even more glaringly obvious is the fact that guns from the weaponry were stolen twice and most of which cannot be accounted for. A place that should be considered the safest place in Guyana was supposedly broken into not once, but twice. Even before that, in the Ministry of National Mobilization Era, a lot of weaponry was known to have mysteriously disap-

peared. Where did all that weaponry go?

Let us race ahead to 2015 and the high profile "political murder" of Crum Ewing, whom did the present government blamed for his death? Why is that matter so cold? What happened to that case, can anyone tell us? The murder of such a high profile personality should have necessitated an immediate response from the party that was so aggrieved, or were they?

Crime is a bugbear, and it is everybody's problem, so then let's deal with it. Stop blaming the Opposition for your problem. Persons are terrified with what's going on and are worried sick as to the Government's plans to control it. The People of this country want to know what are your plans, the Granger Government's plans - your plans, to deal with the situation?

Sincerely, Neil Adams

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thursday, november 17, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

6 homeless after RUSAL disrespects Govt, bauxite union – Labour Minister fire razes West S Berbice home ocial Protection Ministers Volda Lawrence and Keith Scott are of the view that the Russian Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI/RUSAL) has disrespected the Government of Guyana through its failure to attend a meeting to address pressing issues.

The Ministers on Wednesday held a meeting to address various issues, including workers’ matters with the company, some of which have been in the public domain since 2009. The meeting was scheduled for the Ministry’s Department of Labour on Brickdam,

Five of the family members with Regional Chairman Ramphal and Vice Chairman Rian Pieters

A

fire suspected to be arson has left six persons homeless at D’Edward, West Coast Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The fire is said to have started after 22:00h at Lot 4 Section A, D’ Edward Village.

The two-storey house was flattened within minutes, leaving Takurpersaud Sirjoo, 54; his wife, Pulmattie Hunt; their daughter, Renita Devi Sookdeo and her three children homeless. Their losses have been estimated at $5 million plus $1 million in jewellery.

According to Hunt, the family was asleep when the fire started. Speaking with this newspaper on Wednesday, Hunt related that the family retired to bed about 21:20h, but she was awakened by heat coming from a lower flat of the house.

“It look like someone set the fire on the wall and when we get up we smelling gasoline. Like they spray the whole house with the gasoline, because the house catch afire quick,” she said.

Vickchand

This newspaper was told that the Guyana Fire Service’s response was quick, but despite the firemen’s assiduous efforts, they were unable to save the building.

According to Hunt, a relative had threatened to burn the house following a family dispute, and they have since related that information to the Police. She said up to Tuesday evening, the relative was at the house threatening the family. According to her, she recorded the threats on her phone.

Meanwhile, hours after the fire, Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal and Vice Chairman Rian Pieters visited the family and extended their support.

According to the Chairman, immediate attention will be placed on ensuring that the two who are of school age will be able to attend school without much delay.

Ramphal also called for corporate support for the family. The Guyana Fire Service is investigating the fire. (Andrew Carmichael)

Georgetown. The Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) and RUSAL have had issues pending following the dismissal and suspension of 57 workers several years back.

Minister with responsibility for Labour, Keith Scott, told media operatives that RUSAL’s failure to attend the meeting, shows a lack of respect for Guyana’s laws and for the Government. This is the first attempt to have both parties present at a meeting. Minister Scott said that the Labour Department has encouraged RUSAL to come

to the table. The Minister further expressed that the Ministry’s main aim was to ensure that Guyana is given the respect due as a sovereign state and there should be no compromise whatsoever. Minister Scott reiterated that the Social Protection Ministry would see that workers’ interests come first.

GB&GWU’s representative, Lincoln Lewis noted that the Union was not surprised by RUSAL’s refusal to attend the meeting.

Lewis said, “It is a matter challenging the sovereignty of this country.”

The Union’s repre-

sentative noted one instance whereby workers had to burn down buildings and break equipment before their concerns were heard. The Union is prepared to collaborate with the Government and any other agency to ensure that RUSAL respects the laws of this land or an alternative has to be found, Lewis pointed out.

Minister Scott stated that the nation came first and RUSAL would have to give answers.

Additionally, the Labour Department has already sent letters about the local labour laws to RUSAL.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

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guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

reasons the

Reasons why reading fiction is crucial for children’s development

BY PAM MYERS

O

bviously, the ability to read is vital for children’s academic progress since without it, they would not be able to understand their textbooks.

Schools aim to have children master reading by about the age of seven albeit with a simple vocabulary. To aid that process, creators of schoolbooks match the vocabulary and language to the child’s age group. Yet many children see reading books as a chore because the only books most of them read are schoolbooks, and schoolbooks are rarely exciting, especially when reading them is compulsory. Seeing reading only as a chore turns many children off books for life unless a teacher or parent introduces them early on to exciting, nonacademic reading material and encourages them to read it.

Parents help preschool children by reading simple stories to them, and later, with them.

That’s a valuable way both to bond emotionally and to instil in the child an interest in books.

Unfortunately, that parent/child reading partnership usually ends at the very time it is needed most – when the child starts school. The commitment needed to encourage non-academic reading in the child once they’ve started school is quite demanding for the parent, but it’s well worthwhile considering the rich rewards the love of reading delivers.

Here are six reasons to encourage a child to read: * Reading to and with a young child builds a strong parent/child emotional bond. * Reading helps develop a child’s

language skills and vocabulary. * Reading stories to young children broadens their horizons by introducing them to characters, concepts, and rela-

tionships beyond their everyday experiences. That broader worldview, encourages curiosity, and fosters communications skills and an inquiring mind. * Children introduced to reading books at a young age usually continue doing so as they get older. As a result, they are less likely to be obsessed with the Internet, video games, and television. Too much time spent with these

devices is proven to be detrimental to a child’s development. * Children who read books regularly are known to have better concentration, memory retention, and analytical skills. * Reading fiction helps ease the anxieties children commonly experience facing important events in their lives, whether it’s starting school, going on a first date, or approaching school tests. Though they may not show it, young people often feel alienated and different from their peers.

Good fiction helps overcome those worries by introducing them to situations and characters they can relate to, who have similar anxieties and who find ways to deal with them.

Parents and teachers have always had difficulties convincing some children to read books. Before the Internet, the biggest competitor to reading was television. Now, as well as television, books must compete with a plethora of electronic devices like computers, tablets, smartphones, and game consoles.

The Internet is indispensable especially for fact finding, fact checking, and keeping in touch. It can also, however, be a time-wasting addiction, especially for a young person.

Books, especially novels, provide a beneficial distraction from the stresses of daily life by transporting readers to wholly different worlds – that is, perhaps, their greatest value. Whether children read printed books or electronic versions on devices like a tablet, computer, or smartphone, books rarely fail to deliver their value. (childdevelopmentinfo.com)

mother-son

relationship is so important

BY KATE STONE LOMBARDI

F

or generations, mothers have gotten the same old message when it comes to raising sons: beware of keeping him “too close.” A mom who nurtures a deep emotional bond with her boy will prevent him from growing up to be a strong, independent man. By refusing to cut those apron strings, she is on track to create a wimpy, dependent, maladjusted “mama’s boy.”

There’s just one problem with this theory: it’s not true.

In fact, pushing boys to separate prematurely from their mothers and encouraging them to “man up” can be damaging to boys. What’s more, there are enormous benefits to a close mother-son bond, starting from the earliest days and continuing into a man’s adult years.

1)Baby boys who do not have secure attachments with their mothers go on to have behavioral problems later in life.

Studies reveal that boys who do not bond securely with their mothers in the infant years act much more hostile, destructive and aggressive later in life. A close bond with their moms when boys were young helped prevent delinquency when they were older.

2) Boys who are close to their mothers perform better in school.

Mothers often nurture emotional intelligence in their sons, teaching them to recognise and express their own feelings and to be more attuned to the feelings of others. These boys not only become more articulate – which helps them with reading and writing skills, but also have better self-control in the classroom.

3)A close mother-son relationship is good for a boy’s mental health.

A study presented at the American Psychological Association showed that boys who are close to their mothers tend not to buy into hyper-masculine stereotypes. They don’t believe, for instance, that you have to always act tough, go it alone or

fight to prove your manhood every time you are challenged. These boys remained more emotionally open. Not only did they have better friendships, but also less anxiety and depression than their more macho peers.

4) Teenage boys who are close to their moms engage in less risky behaviour.

It has long been known that good parent-teen communication can help lessen the influence of negative peer pressure. But new research shows that it is a boy’s mother who is the most influential when it comes to her son’s decision making about alcohol, drugs and sex. Some researchers speculate that the nature of mother-son communication accounts for the difference: mothers usually don’t have one big “drug talk” or “sex talk” but instead tend to weave the topic into other conversations or family activities.

5) Moms who keep their sons close are setting them up for success later in life, both in personal relationships and at work.

Because mothers work to teach their sons emotional intelligence (starting from when the days they urge their screaming toddler to “use your words” to when they won’t accept their teenage son’s grunts as a reasonable response) their sons grow up with the communication skills that they need to navigate adulthood.

Few women still admire “the strong silent type,” let alone a man who expresses his anger by punching a wall.

Men who can both listen and articulate their emotions are far more attractive. And of course, sons who grow up respecting and loving their mothers tend to respect and love other women.

These same skills will also help them in the work place. In today’s economy, brute physical strength and a dominating style is no longer a ticket for success.

Rather, men need the ability to work in teams and to have the very communication skills and social intelligence that their mothers have been teaching them all along. (telegram. com)

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thursday, november 17, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

Jagdeo scolds Dharamlall over “unacceptable” Juice vendor, accomplice remanded on robbery comments about President …urges supporters to desist from hateful attacks against Govt charge

O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo reprimanded People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) Nigel Dharamlall over his derisive attacks on President David Granger and issued a call to all Party supporters to desist from making hateful comments about the Government.

Dharamlall has developed a track record of making social media posts known for generating a lot of controversy, some of which have caught the attention of the Police.

His most recent attack

MP Nigel Dharamlall

against the Guyanese Head of State received a backlash from Government, his own Party and members of the public.

The parliamentarian posted: “Even though I didn’t support your party you have still been LUCKY to be installed as President of Guyana by GECOM. Since then though, your Brainlessness has been in Overdrive. Everything that comes out of your Mouth makes you sound foolish…

I’m worried that people

are thinking that you are a Dud…” He was at the time ranting about the crime wave in the country.

“You are our President… get rid of Ramjattan…get rid of the criminals…get rid of the thieves…in and out of Government…Mr President I edited the original post…because some of my friends advised me to… but I’m pissed off nonetheless…even though I’m in the Opposition I was hopeful that your platoon of military advisors and yourself would have been able to quell the crime situation…but unfortunately it has gone beyond control…I may not be politically correct sometimes but people are losing their monies, limbs and lives daily…and yet you seem flippant about the demise of our citizens…

Give orders to the police to kill these mofos/thieves…

Stop pardoning them…

Your oblivion to our suffering is giving strength to the criminals…ONE LOVE!!!”

But during a news conference on Wednesday, Jagdeo said the Party would not tolerate such behaviour, noting that persons could be critical of the Government without using hateful language.

“I’ve looked at the comments and I find them unacceptable. In fact, reprehensible. I believe that I’ve been critical of the President and his policies; the Opposition has been in the past. We have criticised each other, but it should never get personal. It should never get personal,” he charged.

Jagdeo, also a former President, added that “we can deal with the venality that is happening now, the proneness of this gov-

Colwyn Harding and Tyrone Escort Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

ernment to be corrupt, the duplicity and incompetence using language that is not hateful and personal”.

In this regard, the Opposition Leader urged supporters to conduct themselves in a respectful manner and advised if they must be critical of the Government, to do so responsibly.

“I want to ask all of those who say they are supportive of the PPP, online and anywhere else; I want to say to them that we can intelligently address every single issue, every single accusation of corruption, mismanagement and discrimination we can deal with in an intelligent manner,” he stressed.

Jagdeo said he already has spoken to the junior parliamentarian on the matter and he has since apologised for his behaviour.

In a subsequent post on Facebook, Dharamlall said: “Dear President #Granger

I’m sure you are a thickskinned leader…as all politicians ought to be…however, some of your supporters feel that I have been too harsh in my criticisms of you…

Let us bury the hatchet…you lead the country without racial and political discrimination; without fear of the criminals; without dubious and partisan policies; without corruption; without disrespect to the Amerindians, vulnerable, elderly, youth and disadvantaged AND I shall steer clear of you…

To you and your supporters #MyApology for the unwarranted things I earlier posted that may have caused you harm…ONE LOVE!!!”

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, commenting on Dharamlall’s behaviour, had expressed that it was disgusting and highly unbecoming of a sitting MP. (Devina Samaroo)

A

juice vendor and his accomplice, a fish cleaner, were both remanded to prison

by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer a charge of robbery with violence.

Twenty-three-year-old Tyrone Escort, of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown and 26-year-old Colwyn Harding, of 1A Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt, without hesitation pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on November 14, 2016 at Barr Street, Kitty, they robbed Jamell Williams of a Samsung cellphone, one pocket knife and $15,000 in cash. The court was told that during the robbery, the defendants used violence.

Even before the prosecution’s case was presented, Harding, who first came to the public’s attention when he accused

Police at Timehri Station of rape, began to tell his side of the story to Magistrate McLennan.

The prosecution did not reveal its facts, but quickly objected to bail being granted to the defendants.

Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers raised his objections on the grounds that this specific crime was prevalent, adding that violence was used in the process.

Prosecutor Jeffers revealed to the court that the defendants, under caution, admitted to being involved in the crime.

The Prosecutor also told the court that Harding currently has another case at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for which he has not been appearing. Harding, in response, could not provide a valid excuse for his absence.

As such, both men were remanded to prison until November 24.

8

News

thursday, november 17, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Electricity fluctuation Bartica Massacre trial a hindrance to Officer in Charge hid in a “safe place” Suddie Hospital – Administrator as gunmen attacked Police Station

BY SHEMUEL FANFAIR

R

etired Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and former Officer in Charge at the Bartica Police Station, Luis Goulding, took to the witness stand at the Demerara High Court on Wednesday where he testified to hiding at in a “safe place” where he retreated after gunshots rang out at the station on the evening of the February 17, 2008.

Goulding told the 12-member jury that on that dreadful night, he was walking towards his workplace at about 21:00h when a woman of Amerindian decent made remarks to him and soon after he scurried into the “safe place” not far from the station which he identified to be a house near the Modern Hotel.

He told the jury that the gunshots he heard coming from the direction of the station lasted for about 20 minutes.

Golding said he contacted two senior ranks via mobile phone and occasionally continued peeping from the house as the events unfolded.

“After the gunshots, I decided to remove from the safe place,” the retired senior officer explained.

The jury then heard that just as Goulding was about to go back onto the road, he saw a vehicle, identified as the Land Rover – with registration plates PKK 162 – belonging to the Police. He testified that there were eight men in the vehicle; two in the front seat, two in

Mark Williams, Dennis “Anaconda” Williams and Roger Simon are accused of carrying out the Bartica Massacre

the back seat, two were in the tray and the other two were at the bonnet of the vehicle.

He pointed out that as the vehicle approached where he was standing, he retreated to the “safe place” where he could hear the said vehicle turning in the direction of the stelling. The then Officer in Charge said he subsequently came out of hiding some five minutes after the vehicle passed and heard the sound of a speed boat engine. Later on, he heard the boat move off from the Bartica Ferry Stelling.

With the coast clear, Goulding said he went over to the Police Station where he met with second in command, ASP Michael Sutton – who testified at the trial on Tuesday – and other ranks. Goulding told the court that he informed his subordinate ranks that they should stay as they are. The retired ASP also noted that in the up-

per flat of the Police station, he saw two injured Police ranks; Constables Benjamin and Campbell, who bore marks of what appeared to be blood and gunshot wounds. He further testified that he saw the dead bodies of two Policemen in the kitchen and that of Constable Ron Osborne in the compound downstairs, still with one hand holding on to the gate.

After receiving some information, Goulding explained that he went to the Stelling where five men had been shot dead.

He further testified that after Police went to the scene, the bodies were removed and subsequently transported to the Bartica Public Hospital where they were examined by a doctor and medex.

Under cross-examination by Defence Attorneys Roger Yearwood and Shapheir Hussien, Goulding stated that

whatever he would have observed on that fateful night, would have been affected as he was traumatised over the events.

After concluding his testimony, presiding Judge Roxanne George announced a two-week court break and adjourned the matter to December 6.

Additionally, Denzil Spencer who had taken the stand earlier in the trial testified that he identified the body of his uncle, Edwin Gilkes, who was employed as a security guard at Banks DIH at the time of his demise. Gilkes was buried on February 27, 2008, at Bartica.

Mark Williams, Dennis “Anaconda” Williams and Roger Simon are the three accused standing trial for the brutal attack, while Celbert Reece and Michael Caesar both pled guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. They will know their fate on December 16.

The five, allegedly being a part of the Rondell “Fine Man” Rawlins gang attacked the town and fatally shot 12 persons, namely Police Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir and Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne.

Additionally, Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian, Irving Ferreira, Deonarine Singh, Ronald Gomes, Ashraf Khan, Abdool Yasseen, Errol Thomas and Baldeo Singh were the civilians killed.

The Bartica attack occurred weeks after another attack at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, where 11 persons were killed.

Suddie Public Hospital

T

he fluctuation of the electricity supply in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) is causing severe problems for the Suddie Public Hospital.

Guyana Times was told that because of the constant fluctuation, it is difficult for the Hospital to restore power via its stabiliser and generator system.

At a recent visit by Regional Democratic Councillors (RDC), acting hospital administrator Omkar Persaud related that electricity woes were causing severe damage to the equipment at the Hospital.

Persaud made this report during a team visit on Tuesday. The team included Regional Vice Chairperson Nandranie Coonjah; Chairman of the Health and Sanitation Committee, Arnold Adams; PPP/C Councillors Showkat Ali and Brian Basil, along with Coalition Councillors Julian Cummings, Naitram and Hardat Narine.

During the team's visit, the acting administrator said that the fluctuation of power if not addressed urgently

would cost the Region a substantive sum, in fixing equipment at the health facility.

Currently, the standby generator at the facility is also malfunctioning and often needs to be "jump started" in an effort to maintain a steady flow of power during emergencies.

Persaud related that more worrying was the fact that this posed a problem when surgeries were being performed. The matter was reported to the Regional Executive Officer (REO) Rupert Hopkinson, but to date no meaningful follow-up was done to address the issue, the touring group was told.

On that note, Regional Vice Chairperson Coonjah asked how often the generators were being serviced and recommended a private electrical company be contracted to attend to the issue.

Coonjah, thereafter, assured the hospital Administrator that the RDC would be writing to Guyana Power and Light (GPL) officials on the issue, as well as making necessary recommendations to the Region's REO on the way forward.

(Indrawattie Natram)

news

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thursday, november 17, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

Pension package

Hamilton Green to reap $20M annually from taxpayers

… to also get free maids, bodyguards, drivers, duty-free concessions

P

eople’s National Congress (PNC) stalwart Hamilton Green will next month begin receiving a multimillion-dollar pension packaged being calculated at almost $20 million annually, in a move that is being described as a “vulgar” rape of the Treasury.

The move comes in the form of a legislative package being piloted by the Finance Ministry under the hand of substantive Minister Winston Jordan who is scheduled to lay a Bill in the National Assembly next week that will give Hamilton Green a pension that is pegged to the current salary of the sitting Prime Minister.

Former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall has since calculated that this will result in Hamilton Green getting approximately $1.4 million as pension per month.

Additionally, Green will also get the facilities to which a former President is entitled; that is, free electricity, water, telephone, Internet, drivers, bodyguards, maids and office staff, as well we duty-free concessions.

This means that Green’s pension package amounts to in excess of $20 million annually.

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

News of the legislative package to benefit Green surfaced earlier this week when the National Assembly released its Order of Business for its next sitting on Monday.

According to the parliamentary Order of Business, Jordan will present to the House, on behalf of Government the “Prime Minister Hamilton Green Pension Bill”.

That Bill, according to the description in the Order Paper, will pave the way for an Act “to provide a pension, benefits and other facilities to Hamilton Green, Prime Minister from 1985 to 1992, to enable him to live in keeping with the high office he occupied”.

Guyana Times has since

seen a copy of the proposed legislation which outlines that the Prime Minister Hamilton Green Pension Act 2016 and shall come into operation on December 1, 2016.

The Bill inherently and explicitly states that the pension that Green is receiving since retirement shall be discontinued with effect November 30, 2016, in order to facilitate the larger package being catered for in the Bill.

According to the proposed provisions in the Bill, “Notwithstanding anything in the Pensions (President, Parliamentary and Special Offices) Act, Prime Minster Hamilton Green shall be paid a pension in accordance with Section 4 of the said Act based on the salary paid to the Prime Minister, as though he actually earned the said salary, taking into consideration his record of service as a legislator.”

Another of the provisions in the Bill, is that the former President (Benefits and Other Facilities) Act 2015 shall, subject to such modifications as may be necessary, apply to Prime Minster Hamilton Green and for that purpose wherever the word “President” occurs it shall be substituted by the words “Prime Minister.”

Providence collision leaves 1 injured

A

n accident on the Providence Public Road, on the East Bank of Demerara has resulted in one man being rushed to hospital. The collision occurred between the motorcar driven by the injured man – bearing registration plates PMM5815 – and a truck, bearing registration plates GNN 3531, on Wednesday in the vicinity of the GuyOil Gas Station.

Reports are that the motorcar was en route to Georgetown and the truck was heading in the opposite direction. According to

information received, the motorcar was damaged to the rightrear-end and the front bumper was completed ripped off the car.

Investigations into this latest accident have been

launched.

In early September, 51-year-old Dhanraj Datturam lost his life as a result of a two-lorry smashup, also on the Providence Public Road.

our children and the elderly, that are competing for scarce financial resources which we are told cannot get done, yet this Government decides to use these scarce finances to give Green such a huge pension… Imagine, with all the problems facing the people of this country that is this Government’s priority.”

Condemnation

PNC stalwart and former Prime Minister Hamilton Green

According to the proposed legislative package, “Prime Minister Hamilton Green shall continue to receive any other benefits and facilities provided for in any other law.”

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall in lambasting the move by the coalition Government recalled that Green served as Prime Minister from 2005 to 1992, “that is, an entire generation ago and before every person who is 25 years and younger were born…This is nothing but a vulgar rape of the Treasury.”

Nandlall is adamant there are many important issues affecting the welfare of “our people, especially

The former Attorney General in his condemnation of Green’s package recalled too that Green was getting a pension all along and that only recently, the City Council handed him a package which included guards, maids, etc.

“Worse yet, this plunder of the Treasury is being done by those who promised lean and clean government and who cuss out President (Bharrat) Jagdeo for years about his pension at every street corner and in every media house in this country… The hypocrisy is sickening.”

Nandlall said he maintains that never before in the history of the Caribbean were an electorate so comprehensively fooled and conned by a group of politician as this “[A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance

For Change] APNU/AFC did to the Guyanese electorate during the 2015 election's campaign… I also maintain that not more than five thousand persons are benefiting from this Government.”

These, he said, includes the Cabinet, their family, relatives and friends and a few party hacks. “The working people of every race, including the public servants, teachers, Police, soldiers, farmers, tradesman, fishermen, bauxite workers, miners, loggers, rice farmers, sugar workers, vendors, businessmen, and the professionals continue to suffer in a stagnant economy presided over by an utterly incompetent Government.”

Green served as Guyana’s Prime Minister under the PNC Desmond Hoyte Administration, up until October 1992. In March 1993, Green sued the PNC for violation of his constitutional rights when that party at its Congress voted to expel him from the party.

The former Prime Minister and Mayor currently serves at the helm of the Central Planning and Housing Authority – a position he was appointed to following the May 2015 electoral victory by the PNC-led APNU/AFC coalition.

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

News

AG ordered to hasten defence of Felix, Scott seats in Parliament

O

pposition Member of Parliament and former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, is wary that the substantive Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams, will seek to delay and protract a political case being heard in the courts, namely the challenge to seats in Parliament occupied by Government technocrats Winston Felix and Keith Scott.

The seats occupied by the two Government Ministers were challenged by Desmond Morian.

The matter came up for hearing on November 4 last, at which point in time Chancellor of the Judiciary, Carl Singh ordered that “immediate steps be taken towards the settling and preparation of the record of appeal.”

The obligation to settle and prepare the record of appeal is on the Appellant, who is the Attorney General Basil Williams.

Nandlall has since signalled his wariness, saying “I am aware that his ‘modus operandi’ is to delay and protract all these political cases from being heard, I will have to be very vigilant, as usual.”

Chief Justice Ian Chang in the High Court proceedings ruled that those two MPs were unlawfully and unconstitutionally occupying seats in the National Assembly.

Minister Keith Scott

Minister Winston Felix

Commenting on the developments surrounding the Appeal, Nandlall recalled that the issue that was then engaging the attention of the Court of Appeal, was whether the interim Stay of Execution of Chief Justice Ian Chang’s Judgment, granted by the Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Singh, should continue until the hearing and determination of the Appeal.

According to Nandlall, “In order to expedite the hearing and determination of the Appeal, I consented to the interim Stay of Execution to continue until the hearing and determination of the Appeal.”

Nandlall has since disclosed too that he implored the Court to fix an early date for the hearing of the Appeal since it concerns a matter of national importance.

PPP member Desmond Morian had moved to the court seeking to bar the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) members from sitting in the National Assembly unless their names are extracted from their coalition’s list.

Felix, the Citizenship Minister and Scott, Minister with responsibility for labour, are sitting in the National Assembly as technocratic members of the Assembly.

Chief Justice (Ag) Chang had handed down the decision during his pre-retirement and had declared that Felix and Scott, by virtue of their status as elected members of the National Assembly, cannot sit in Parliament as Technocrat TURN TO PAGE 12 Ministers.

NAPS to target youths in HIV/AIDS testing drive

Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton and Junior Public Health Minister, Dr Karen Cummings along with representatives of NAPS at the national days of testing launch on Wednesday

T

he National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) is re-introducing its national days of testing for HIV/ AIDS, ahead of World Aids Day, which will be observed on December 1.

This exercise commenced on Wednesday and will run until Sunday at all 62 fixed voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) sites, as well as the 17 temporary booths countrywide. The initiative, which is being held under the theme “Test and start a new life for HIV Prevention”, is to encourage the Guyanese population to go out and get tested.

However, National VCT Coordinator attached to the NAPS, Debra Success-Hall, outlined that while it is important for everyone to get tested and know their status, they will be targeting youths and young adults during this testing drive period, since the infected population has gotten younger.

She explained that the Secretariat’s programmatic data has revealed that persons between the ages of 15 to 19 and 20 to 25 are infected and are being diagnosed

on a daily basis with HIV. This, she noted, calls for urgent actions to be taken.

“We need to ensure that we do something urgently to ensure that we are able to decrease that. We have our in and out of school youths, and we have to probably go back to the drawing broad and develop a new strategy to deal with these (young) people,” she stated.

On this note, SuccessHall urged the Public Health Ministry to engage the Education Ministry so that there can be dialogue on how to go about getting senior students tested. “It is disturbing what is happening (with young people) and we need to take control,” she posited.

Meanwhile, re-launching this ‘week of testing’ initiative was the brainchild of Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton, who underscored the importance of persons being tested for HIV/ AIDS. “I am inviting the general public to know their status. It’s no doubt that many a times there are persons who don’t know whether or not they are HIV positive.

Gone are the days when that used to be a sort of death sentence, now it has become a chronic infection because of the possibilities (of treatments) that exist now,” he stated.

Moreover, the Minister noted that the theme of this testing drive can be aptly applied to either of two scenarios. The first being that a person tested negative will have the opportunity to adapt measures to ensure their status remains the same; while secondly, those who are tested positive will now be able to adapt a life-style that can prolong their health.

According to statistics from the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), some 40,331 persons were tested for HIV/ AIDS from January to the end of July. The statistics for the remainder of the year will be available at the end of December.

It was pointed out that given the high costs of conducting these tests, it has been found that it would be more cost effective to target groups that are in the higher risk categories such as youths.

thursDAY, november 17, 2016

guyanatimesgy.com

11

News

Jagdeo opposes $600M bailout for City Hall By: Lorraine Ince-Carvalhal

Human Trafficking: No one should be for sale

D

espite it being the 21st century, despite believing ourselves to be civilised people and despite supposed lessons learned of the abhorrent past where men, women and children were forced into ships and taken to foreign lands to live the nightmare of slavery, we are still living in a world where there is the reality of human trafficking; essentially modern-day slavery.

Almost every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims, and Guyana is no exception.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO), a United Nations agency responsible for addressing labour standards, employment, and social protection issues, estimates that 12.3 million people worldwide are subjected to forced labour, bonded labour, forced child labour, sexual servitude and involuntary servitude.

Just how serious a problem we are facing here is difficult to quantify without the means to attain accurate statistics, but it is clearly apparent that it is a significant one as Guyana remains on the watch list of the ILO. Our socio-economic situation regarding poverty and unstable economic structures, create situations where people are willing to be illegally trafficked because they are desperate for a better life, or more disturbingly, to offer up their children. The vulnerability that causes such actions may often be the direct result of desperation rather than greed.

The trafficking incidents that are occurring all around us range from those that are generally recognised as crimes, but shockingly, there are many incidents that are too readily accepted from a cultural perspective.

While it is understood that the majority of trafficking victims in Guyana are young girls, often from the interior or hinterlands, it is a much expansive issue involving people of both genders, all ages and from a broader demographic.

Indeed, many young girls with limited education and opportunities are lured into the system by the promise of better prospects, only to find themselves in forced servitude; either domestic or sexual. These girls could be subject to physical violence, torture, starvation, rape, other sexual or psychological abuse and blackmail. There are also men and women of all ages ensnared into the mines where they are exploited with forced labour and are powerless to escape, sometimes faced with debt bondage or physical threat. Additionally though, we are faced with a practice that seems to be acceptable on too many levels, where parents or family members allow young girls to be married off early for financial gain. These young girls are forced into a life over which they have no control and with the resources available to them almost non-existent, there is little escape.

Given that trafficking is built on the exploitation of individuals, victims are likely to suffer negatively; physically, psychologically and socially. Physical impacts due to excessive work or the use of force by traffickers, while life threatening, can include physical health risks, such as HIV/AIDS. Serious mental health difficulties include anxiety, insecurity, fear, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), cognitive impairment, depression and even suicide.

Human trafficking is a multi-faceted threat which not only denies people of their human rights and freedoms, but also poses great risk to our global health; promoting social breakdown.

In order to reduce the instances and support those who have already been victims, there is great need for the commitment of the government, better education, and a stronger economic and social security system. Fundamentally, opportunities must be made available for people to eradicate the desperation that allows them to willingly place themselves and family members in situations where they are vulnerable to trafficking.

With increased investigations and prosecutions of sex and labour trafficking cases, more convictions and longer prison sentences of traffickers would lower rates of trafficking. Providing funding for the Non-Government Organisations that are knowledgeable and closely involved in this issue would allow them to support in identifying and assisting victims. Additional efforts need to be made to ensure the safety of victims and enable them to testify in court and to offer long term support for their future. Empowering officials such as the Police, health, immigration, labour, mining, and forestry personnel with knowledge, clear procedure and support would allow those on the front line to make informed and suitable decisions and take appropriate action.

The business of human trafficking is most certainly an ugly one and it is affecting the most vulnerable of our society, the ones with little voices. It is imperative that we do not continue to turn a blind eye to what is happening within our communities and that we echo the human rights campaign that reiterates the sentiment that needs to be realised; no one should be for sale.

– Minister willing to listen to Councillors

O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo does not support Government approving City Hall’s request for a $600 million bailout.

“The City Hall needs to account for the millions it spent over the last year without any public tender before there is any public money,” he told media operatives during a press briefing on Wednesday.

The Auditor General, in his audit of City Hall’s last year operations, found no basis in the award of several contracts for the weeding of parapets, desilting of drains and cutting down trees in various areas around Georgetown since supporting documents were unavailable.

As a result, it could not be determined whether proper transparency and accountability were exercised in the awarding of the contracts. Additionally, there

was no evidence of receipt or payee acknowledgement for a payment of $750,000 to a contractor.

The AG Report also highlighted that several payment vouchers were examined – of which 167 had no evidence of vouchers being certified by the accountant or any other authorised officer; 140 vouchers totalling $143.683 million were not approved by the treasurer and 58 vouchers totalling $48.404 million had not been approved by the Finance Committee.

The Mayor and City Council of Georgetown voted to ask the Central Government for a $600 million “bailout” to pay creditors and meet expenses.

Two of City Hall’s creditors, Puran Brothers Disposal Inc and Cevons Waste Management, had threatened to suspend their services over millions owed to them by the municipali-

Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan

ty.

The decision was made in the wake of uncertainty regarding the success of the “amnesty on interest owed on property rates programme”.

A delegation was slated to make the proposal to

the Communities Ministry on Wednesday; however, subject Minister Ronald Bulkan told Guyana Times that he received no visit from any representative of the Council.

When prompted, Bulkan explained that he would listen to the concerns of the City Council regarding why it needed the money, but he could not confirm if he would support the approval of the bailout.

“I don’t want to preempt anything…I will receive them and listen to them and we will move forward step by step,” he stated.

Back in 2011, the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) created quite a ruckus when the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration gave City Hall $215 million to clear its debts and pay workers. (Devina Samaroo)

Dead sheep thief ID’d as Essequibo Coast resident

T

he armed bandit who was killed by Police ranks in Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) on Tuesday morning during an alleged confrontation at a farm in Mount Sinai, New

Dead bandit: Rondell Marks

Amsterdam, was identified as Rondell Marks.

Marks, also called “Romel Hoppie” or “Blackie”, 34, of Suddie Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, was shot and killed by Police ranks who responded to a report of larceny of sheep.

Based on reports, a livestock farmer of Betsy Ground, East Canje, Berbice, reported that a flock of 29 sheep was stolen from his ranch at Calabash Creek, East Canje on November 12.

Further, the victim and three Police ranks, one armed with a service weapon, proceeded on Tuesday morning to a location at Lochaber Village, West Canje, where the farmer

positively identified 12 of his sheep tied at the back of a farmhouse.

The ranks then proceeded towards the entrance of the farmhouse, and were immediately confronted by Marks who rushed into the house, armed himself with a handgun, and attempted to shoot the armed Policeman

who had followed him indoors.

During the confrontation, the rank discharged his firearm several times at the suspect, who collapsed.

The injured man was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

An unlicensed Taurus

pistol and six live matching rounds were retrieved.

Several articles were discovered during a search of the house, including a Plum cellular phone, two silver rings, one silver chain, a laptop computer, and other electronic gadgets. (Bhisham Mohamed)

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Resitting of nurses’ exam Door to green economy open to Caricom member states – Granger Norton not in favour, meets with students

President David Granger in discussion with Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque; Caricom Assistant Secretary General, Dr Douglas Slater and Caricom Assistant General Counsel, Dr Neville Bissember. Guyana’s Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, also accompanied the President at that meeting

T

he ‘green’ state development agenda presents opportunities for Caribbean Community (Caricom) member states to invest in ecotourism and climate-resilient agriculture and access opportunities for education and research in biodiversity.

This view was on Wednesday advanced by President David Granger during a meeting with

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque, on the sidelines of the 22nd Session of the Conference of Parties (COP22) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Morocco.

At the meeting, the Head of State described the progress Guyana has made with regard to defining its ‘green’ state policy,

and also discussed with the Secretary General the Region’s position on the critical need for improved financing for climate-related programmes.

The President, in an invited comment following the meeting, said that even as the international momentum towards urgently addressing climate change was propelling countries to make this a priority area, it

has created new opportunities regionally for collaboration and this has opened the door to Caricom investments in Guyana’s push towards a green economy.

“We emphasised Guyana’s role as the largest Caricom state, but being fully part of the Caribbean economy and we see that the other island states, which have got developed tourism industries would see it fit to invest more in Guyana’s unique ecotourism product… Things have changed… some of the possibilities, which are now apparent were not evident in 1973 when the Community was established, but I would say that particularly over the last year since COP21, the doors to the green economy have been opened and this is the door, which I expect more Caricom states to walk through,” he said.

Also attending the meeting were Finance Minister Winston Jordan; Dr Douglas Slater, Assistant Caricom Secretary General, Directorate for Human and Social Development; and Dr Neville Bissember, Assistant General Counsel at Caricom.

AG ordered to hasten defence...

FROM PAGE 10

The Opposition PPP had objected to the appointment of Scott and Felix as Technocrat Members of the

National Assembly following the May 2015 General and Regional Elections.

The party, had contend-

ed that “Articles 103 (3) and 105 of the Constitution and laws pronouncing on the eligibility of appointment of

Technocratic Ministers, do not confer Technocratic status on these persons already sworn in by President David Granger as Ministers.”

The matter was subsequently filed by PPP affiliate, Desmond Morian, who contended that the names of the two Ministers were not extracted from the coalition’s list of candidates; hence they did not fit the criteria for the positions.

Morian essentially sought a declaration from the court barring the two members of Government from sitting in the National Assembly as Technocrat Ministers.

The applicant was represented by Attorney Anil Nandlall. Attorney General Basil Williams and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, were named as respondents.

Chang had ruled that the court sees it fit to grant Morian the application on the basis that Felix and Scott are elected members of the National Assembly, but despite that status, they do not hold seats and cannot sit in Parliament as Technocrat Ministers, since their names were not extracted from the APNU/AFC list of successful candidates.

Chang had noted that despite their appointment by President David Granger to be executive members of the Government, such an executive appointment does not entitle Felix and Scott to hold seats or sit as Technocrat Ministers.

Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton meeting with students on Wednesday at the Public Health Ministry

I

n light of the recent revelation by the Guyana Nursing Council (GNC) that student nurses who recently sat their final exams may have to rewrite the test, Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton said that unless substantial evidence is provided to support the Council’s claims that the students were at fault, he would not support the resitting of the examination.

A number of nurses from the Georgetown Public Hospital, New Amsterdam Hospital, Linden Hospital Complex and even private institutions who recently sat the exams all met Norton at the Public Health Ministry on Wednesday, to have their pleas heard.

However, Dr Norton was unable to give a definitive answer to them regarding whether they would be resitting the exams or not.

He explained that an investigation must be carried out before a decision could be made.

“The nurses were saying that they do not know anything about the examination being compromised and as a result, they do not think that it is fair for them to have to rewrite an examination. We, unless provided with information, are of the similar opinion that a decision cannot be made for 250 students to rewrite an examination without informing them, apart from saying that it has been compromised, why they should rewrite it,” Norton told the media on Wednesday.

According to the Minister, this new development creates a situation where one is forced to think that everything is not as transparent as they are supposed to be, and the impression that information is being withheld will compromise the Council itself.

“Unless we are provided at the level of the Ministry with facts, with evidence that could show that the student nurses are responsible for that breach, then we will agree with them.”

Norton further questioned the competency of the Nursing Council, stating that he was even informed that this occurred before in previous years.

“One would question the competency of the Nursing Council because if this examination is compromised, then others can be compro-

mised as well. Nurses say that examinations in the past have been compromised and that is not something that we would want to continue to happen,” Norton stated.

During the meeting, the nurses also pointed out to the Minister that if indeed the examination papers were compromised, then the GNC must be held liable.

According to one nurse, Janelle Lewis, she would like for the person responsible for the breach to be held responsible instead of the entire batch of nurses that sat the examination.

“What I would like to see come out of this is that the Nursing Council deal with the person that they claim compromise, it internally because it’s at the Council that these papers are printed.”

Another nurse in tears explained that she made a sacrifice for three years and it would be unfair if she and the others would have to resit the exams.

“For me, I have been here for three years, leaving my two children and it is very hard if I would have to stay another six months. I would just like to say that whatever decision they come up to, that it be fair to us as the students.”

The aggrieved nurses further decried the harsh and insensitive treatment meted out to them following the decision by the body to have the students resit the exams.

According to them, after being emotional upon receipt of information that they would have to rewrite the examination, they were verbally abused by the members of the institution.

Addressing the issue, Norton said that as long as the students make an official complaint in writing, then measures would be taken to rectify the situation.

Norton added that the Ministry would not stop “short” from looking into the interest and the pleas of the nurses.

Investigations into the matter are still ongoing; however, the students are left uncertain as to their next move. On Tuesday, Norton announced that the Police are probing the possible leak of the examination papers by the GNC. (Kizzy Coleman)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BaiShanLin sells Fire guts Corentyne home off Cacique Palace …still awaiting word from GRA on way forward – source

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The Cacique Palace aback the Princess Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara

mbattled logging company BaiShanLin Forest Developers Inc has put on the chopping block the Cacique Palace aback the Princess Hotel, East Bank Demerara which it had purchased recently.

According to an advertisement published in the Wednesday edition of Guyana Times, the entity is advertising for buyers.

The Cacique Palace and Banquet Hall began construction in preparation for the 2007 Cricket World Cup; however, the US$3.5 million project was never completed and opened for business despite a G$30 million cash injection by the then Government.

To recover its monies, the previous Administration had established a team comprising the developers and other facilitators to negotiate a sale.

This obtained in 2009 when the then Government, as well as the owners of the Cacique Palace and Banquet Hall, entered into an agreement wherein the Government would have acquired and complete the construction of the edifice.

The property had stayed vacant on the market for a number of years before BaiShanLin snapped it up as accommodation for its employees as it expanded

its operations locally.

The controversial Chinese logging company has, in recent months, found itself in dire financial straits, causing the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to levy against company property and equipment lieu of in excess of $1.5 billion said to be owed to the tax authority.

The Guyana Government has since terminated the Investment Agreement with BaiShanLin and the entity was asked to repay the fiscal concessions it had been granted for the importation of machinery, equipment and vehicles to the tune of $1.5 billion.

The two entities have since entered into closed doors negotiations in order to sort out an amicable agreement.

Guyana Times was told by a source close to the negotiations that BaiShanLin had been asked to prepare a proposal for the GRA with regard to its initial commitments in Guyana.

This was done, but according to the source, the GRA is still to respond to BaiShanLin on the way forward.

The revenue collection agency had launched an investigation to determine if the terms and conditions under which the tax exemptions were granted had

been complied with.

BaiShanLin was found to have breached the terms and conditions outlined in the Investment Agreement.

According to the Revenue Authority, BaiShanLin failed to undertake the activities of the project specified in the Investment Agreement with regard to the setting up of a modernised wood processing facility in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

The tax collection body also found that the company failed to procure and provide all the investment and other financing required by the undertaking, in the estimated sum of US$150 million over a three-year period from the time of signing of the Investment Agreement.

The company had found itself in even more hot water when the Guyana Forestry Commission moved to seize all of the forestry concessions held by BaiShanLin, including those controlled through Joint Venture Arrangements with local companies that held Timber Sales Agreements.

The company had sought the assistance of the Chinese Development Bank along with the local embassy in its search to secure an investor to no avail.

The burnt house at Number 69 Village, Corentyne

A

fire believed to have been caused by a faulty utility wire has left a Corentyne man without a home.

The Tuesday evening fire completely destroyed the three-bedroom building situated at Lot 145 Second Street, Number 69 Village, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), leaving Baijnauth Baichan, 46, homeless.

At the time of the fire, Baichan was not at home.

He told Guyana Times that he was alerted by villagers that his home was on fire and rushed to the scene.

“Me bin at one of me friend and when me come, me see fire, ambulance,

to the blaze. Eyewitnesses related to this newspaper that two fire trucks responded to the fire, but the current dry weather made it difficult for them to source water in a timely manner to save the building.

Baichan related that he was staying with a friend in the village as he attempted to come to grips with what occurred. (Andrew Carmichael)

Baijnauth Baichan

Police, GPL,” the distressed man related.

According to the labourer, there was nothing in the house which could have led

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

Regional

Colombia’s President heads Panama Papers law firm fined US$440,000 by BVI regulator to US amid cancer fears, T delicate time for peace he British Virgin Islands independent regulator, the Financial Services Commission (FSC), has fined the local arm of the Panama Papers law firm, Mossack Fonseca, US$440,000 for its contravention of numerous sections of the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Code of Practice and BVI Regulatory Code.

The fine, which is the largest ever issued by the FSC, relates specifically to failures in record keeping, risk assessment and adequate updating of customer due diligence by Mossack Fonseca and Co

C

olombian President Juan Manuel Santos travelled to the United States on Wednesday for medical tests amid fears that his prostate cancer has returned. The trip comes at a sensitive time, as the Administration is trying to win approval for a modified peace deal with the country’s largest guerrilla group.

In a brief statement from Bogotá’s Santa Fe Hospital, Santos, 65, said the news that his cancer might have returned had caught him by “surprise.” He first underwent prostate surgery in October 2012, when he said a “small tumor” had been removed during surgery. At the time, he said there was a “97 per cent chance” that he was totally cured.

Adolfo Llinás, the head of the medical centre, said that Santos had come in for a routine checkup when doctors found elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, a protein used to track

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (centre) made the announcement of his medical trip on Tuesday

prostate cancer.

Llinás said Santos would travel to the Johns Hopkins cancer center in Baltimore for additional tests not available in this Andean nation.

“When we know the results of all the studies and define a course of treatment, the President has asked us to let the public know,” Llinás

said.

Santos said he will have the tests done today and return to the country Friday.

He said he hoped to take advantage of the trip to attend an event at the InterAmerican Dialogue in Washington and host a dinner for Vice President Joe Biden. (Excerpt from Miami Herald)

Solar panels to be installed at Jamaica House as Govt commits to renewable energy

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he Government of Jamaica has announced its participation in the Solar Head of State coalition by installing solar panels at Jamaica House – home to the Office of Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

“This project is symbolic of the renewable future we see for Jamaica and the Caribbean. Islands like Jamaica are becoming leaders for demonstrating the deployment of solar technology, and I aim to lead by example, by installing solar PV on the Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica House,” said Holness who is attend-

ing the COP22 Climate Conference here.

Solar Head of State partners with solar technology companies, local installers, major climate NGOs and foundations to offer well designed, professionally installed solar systems for the residences of heads of state or government around the world in order to showcase and promote the use of the technology.

With support from its partners, Solar Head of State will install a donated 15kW grid-connected solar photovoltaic system on Jamaica House, saving the government thousands of

dollars in energy expenditures over its lifetime.

The installation work at Jamaica House will be undertaken by US firm – Solar Island Energy, working with the National Energy Solutions Limited (NESol) an agency of the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology and Envisage Energy, a local Jamaican company focused on being part of the island’s sustainable future.

The project is supported by Elms Consulting, a London-based strategic consulting firm working to accelerate sustainable development on islands.(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Zika fight a marathon not a sprint, says PAHO boss

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he global fight against the Zika virus is far from over, Director of the Pan America Health Organisation (PAHO) Dr Carissa Etienne warned, as she urged the Caribbean and the rest of the world to redouble efforts to keep the disease at bay.

Declaring the fight against Zika a “marathon” and not a “hundred-metre race,” Etienne cautioned that too much was at stake for countries to let down their guard.

“There is still a long way to go on Zika,” she told the opening of the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Atlanta, Georgia

PAHO Director Carissa Etienne

on Sunday. “The development of affordable new tools by the scientific community, including diagnostic tests and a vaccine against Zika, as well as innovation in vec-

tor control, is an urgent priority. Our health systems will need to be prepared to ensure such new tools are introduced and that their benefits reach everyone, not merely a few.”

She stressed that the outbreaks underscored the importance of a strong partnership between medical and public health officials to detect and respond to emerging health threats.

Etienne urged countries to invest in the fight against Zika, praising the United States for its pledge to invest over US$1 billion in assisting countries to strengthen their capacity to tackle the disease. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

(BVI) Limited.Commenting, Premier Dr Orlando Smith, said, “Today’s enforcement action clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the territory’s independent regulator, the seriousness with which it tackles any breaches of its code and, through the adjustments made to its risk assessment framework, an ongoing commitment to strengthening its regime to ensure this remains fit for purpose.”He said, “The BVI remains an engaged participant in the international community and is fully involved in initiatives aimed at creating a global tax and regulatory framework that

can be implemented consistently to create a level playing field upon which all countries can fairly compete.”

Smith also noted that, in addition to the enforcement action taken against Mossack Fonseca, the FSC has also made adjustments to its risk assessment framework aimed at more consistently detecting potential concerns to reduce the risk of non-compliance whilst also devoting additional resources to assessing the full compliance of all BVI licensed corporate service providers.

(Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

From prison to pot: Bob Marley’s youngest son converts jail into cannabis farm

Damian Marley in a cannabis grow space in Denver, Colorado run in partnership with TruCannabis

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ob Marley’s youngest son has created a poetic metaphor and multimillion-dollar business model in one. Damian Marley, in partnership with Ocean Grown Extracts, is converting a former 77,000-square foot California State prison into a cannabis grow space that will cultivate medical marijuana for state dispensaries.

By that measure, the prison-to-pot farm initiative is already a triumph.

With their purchase of the Claremont Custody Centre in Coalinga, California for US$4.1 million, Marley and his partners instantly relieved the economicallychallenged Central Valley town of its roughly US$3.3 million debt. The venture will also generate 100 jobs –

in an economically stagnant region plagued by an ongoing, historic drought and descending oil prices, both of which have damaged the region’s traditional farming and oil industries – and will generate an estimated million dollars in annual tax revenues for Coalinga.

Marley’s Coalinga facility will begin producing oil extracts next month, and by this January will harvest its first crop. But Marley, like America, isn’t limiting himself to California.

In September, in partnership with Coloradobased TruCannabis, he also launched Stoney Hill, a 3000-square-foot dispensary in downtown Denver, just across from Mile High Stadium, along with a 30,000-square-foot grow space, complete with RFID tags for each plant. (Excerpt from

Caribbean360)

At least 3 dead in mall fire in Peru, days before global summit

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t least three people died in a fire at a popular seaside mall in Lima on Wednesday, fire officials said, ahead of a global summit bringing together presidents from the United States, Russia, China and other countries this week.

The cause was still unknown and firefighters were trying to rescue people from

the Larcomar commercial center, Miguel Eduardo Yi, a fire department chief in Lima, said.

The British embassy in Lima, less than a block from the mall, was closed, officials said.Images on local television showed smoke billowing from Larcomar, the mall in the upscale district of Miraflores that is popular

with tourists.

Peru is hosting the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this week, and world leaders are expected to arrive in the coming days.US President Barack Obama was scheduled to stay at a hotel in front of the mall, local media reported. The White House declined to comment. (Reuters)

Mexico steps up help for citizens in US after Trump win

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exico has published a list of measures aimed at helping Mexicans living in the United States from becoming the victims of what it called abuse and fraud.

Under the title “we are with you,” it issued a list of 11 immediate steps, including a hotline, and warns citizens “to avoid any conflict situation”.

The move comes a week after Donald Trump won the US presidential election.Trump’s

plan to deport millions of undocumented migrants is a cause of concern to many Mexicans in the US. While the Mexican foreign ministry’s statement (in Spanish) does not mention Trump or his election win directly, it comes just days after he said he would deport or jail up to three million undocumented migrants soon after taking office.Mexican citizens account for a large percentage of the estimated eleven million to-

tal undocumented migrants in the US. The Foreign Ministry said it would increase the number of appointments at its consulates to ensure that its citizens could get their documents, such as passports or birth certificates, in order. The Ministry also said it would introduce an app which contains information on migration issues and contact details for Mexican consulates in the US.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the World

2 white South Africans charged Philando Castile: after forcing black man into coffin Police Officer charged with manslaughter T over shooting death

wo white South African men appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of assault and kidnapping after a video showed them forcing a wailing black man into a coffin.

The 20-second video, which was widely circulated on social media, shows Victor Rethabile cowering inside a coffin as one man pushes a lid on his head and the other threatens to put petrol and a snake inside the casket.

Rethabile escaped, although it is not clear how.

He told reporters outside court he wanted justice.

“They were accusing me of trespassing. They beat me up and forced me into the coffin,” he said.

The case has caused outrage in a country where deep racial divides persist

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Theo Martins and Willem Oosthuizen (centre) appear in court after an online video emerged showing them pushing Victor Rethabile (right) into a coffin and threatening to burn him alive

22 years after the fall of apartheid. The two accused, Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson, appeared briefly in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court East of the capital Pretoria before the case was postponed until January 25. The men will

remain in custody until the case resumes.

The radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, which campaigns for a more even distribution of wealth between white and black South Africans, led a rally outside

the court.

Black people make up 80 per cent of South Africa’s 54 million population yet most of the economy remains in the hands of white people, who account for about eight per cent of the population.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Death toll at 32 in renewed air strikes on rebel-held east of Aleppo

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ir strikes pounded neighbourhoods around a children’s hospital and a blood bank in rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Wednesday in a second day of renewed bombing that has killed at least 32 people, a war monitor, medics and emergency workers said.

The air raids formed part of a wider military

escalation by the Syrian Government and allies including Russia, which fired coordinated volleys of missiles at rebels on Tuesday and for the first time used its only aircraft carrier.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the air strikes on eastern Aleppo on Wednesday alone killed at least 21 peo-

ple, including five children and an emergency worker.

They were carried out by either Russian or Syrian warplanes, it said.

The Observatory said districts struck included al-Shaar, al-Sukkari, alSakhour and Karam alBeik. Air raids also continued in the countryside west of Aleppo from which rebels have launched assaults

on Government-held areas.

An attack on the village of Batbo killed at least 19 people including three children, the Observatory said.

Moscow has denied reports that its jets have hit Aleppo in the renewed wave of bombardment, and said it was sticking to a moratorium on air strikes in the city. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Lavish wedding angers cash-strapped Indians

The bride’s wedding sari alone cost 170 million rupees (US$2.5 million) and she wore jewellery worth 900 million rupees (US$13 million), reports said.

T

he lavish wedding of the daughter of an Indian politician has sparked outrage as millions across the country are in the

midst of a cash flow crisis.

The five-day wedding of businessman and ex-state minister G Janardhana Reddy’s daughter,

Brahmani, is estimated to cost about five billion rupees (US$74 million).

But with gold-plated invitations and Bollywood stars expected to perform, the nuptials have proved controversial. Critics have described it as an “obscene display of wealth”.

The wedding kicked off just days after the Indian government announced it would scrap 500 and 1000 rupee notes in a crackdown on undeclared wealth, making redundant the vast majority of cash that Indians use on a daily basis. Millions of Indians have been standing in queues in an effort to deposit or exchange the old currency and frustration is widespread.

Weddings in India are no exception to India’s largely cash-based economy and many payments for wedding services are typically made in cash.

Reddy was quoted as saying that he had mortgaged properties in Bangalore and Singapore to raise money for the wedding and that all payments were made six months ago when the planning started.

A former member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka state, Mr Reddy recently spent three years in jail on corruption charges, which he denies, and was freed on bail last year. (Excerpt from BBC

News)

Emmanuel Macron launches outsider bid for French presidency

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mmanuel Macron, France’s rebellious former Economy Minister, has launched an outsider bid for the presidency, promising to lead a people’s “democratic revolution” against a “vacuous” political system.

The former investment banker, 38, was unknown to the French public until two

years ago, is not a member of a political party and has never run for elected office.

However, he has promised to blow apart the inadequacies of a governing system that he says has failed the people.

“I have seen from the inside the vacuity of the political system,” Macron thundered in a speech in Bobigny, North of Paris, on Wednesday,

referring to his two years as François Hollande’s economy minister during which he criticised complacent career politicians for letting ordinary people fall by the wayside. “Our political system is blocked,” he said.

The notion that a non-politician running independently – with no constituency or political party and no elec-

toral experience – could be a serious contender for the presidency would have been unthinkable only five years ago.Macron said in Bobigny he wanted to reconcile the people to a more “responsible” governing class and respond to what he called “the divorce between the people and those in charge”. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

Minnesota Police Officer has been charged with seconddegree manslaughter in the killing of Philando Castile, an African American who was fatally shot in a suburb of St Paul, Minnesota, in July.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced the manslaughter charge and two other felony charges on Wednesday, more than four months after Castile, 32, was killed. St Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez will have his first court appearance on Friday, Choi said. Yanez was also charged with two counts of felony discharge of a firearm. The maximum sentence for the second-degree manslaughter charge is 10 years and a US$20,000 fine.

Castile’s death was among a number of Police

killings of black Americans that spurred protests and led to calls for Police reforms across the country. The aftermath of the shooting was live-streamed on Facebook by his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds. The video, which did not capture the shooting itself, quickly went viral amid a contentious nationwide conversation about Police use of deadly force.

Choi described a compliant and law-abiding motorist who calmly informed Yanez that he was armed with a concealed weapon before Yanez pulled the trigger.

Yanez ran Castile’s licence plate and found that the car was not stolen and that Castile was not wanted on any warrants, but decided to pull over Castile because of a broken tail light, Choi said. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

China’s most-wanted economic fugitive Yang Xiuzhu surrenders

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woman who Beijing named as its mostwanted economic fugitive has returned to China after 13 years on the run.

Yang Xiuzhu is accused

in the American prison system.

In April 2015, China released the names of 100 suspects wanted for economic crimes and said to be living

Yang Xiuzhu arrived at Beijing airport on Wednesday

of embezzling more than US$40 million (£26 million) when working as a public official.

Yang, 70, was detained in the United States in 2014 after she tried to enter the country using a fake Dutch passport.

She is a high-profile target in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on corruption.

Yang handed herself over to Chinese authorities, according to China’s Government watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Chinese state media said Yang wanted to return to China for medical treatment, after feeling she had not received adequate care

abroad. Yang was top of that list, with her details published on Interpol’s website.

Yang amassed a fortune overseeing construction projects as deputy mayor of Wenzhou in eastern China in the 1990s, according to reports in state media. She left her homeland in 2003 and went into hiding.

The US immigration agency had confirmed that Ms Yang was being held in a detention facility in New Jersey. China has been pushing to establish an extradition treaty with the United States, but a US State Department spokesperson said, in October, that this was not under negotiation.(Excerpt from BBC News)

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Pawsome Pets: Guyana’s 1st professional pet grooming service

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awsome Pets is the name Luanna Pierre decided to use to represent her business because after a day of grooming “pets would look awesome”. In 2008, Pierre was working at an animal clinic and saw many animals being neglected in terms of grooming. This became an initiative she could develop and presented a business opportunity. She started grooming pets part time while she studied at the University of Guyana (20112015). Her greatest achievement was finishing her Bachelors of Science Degree in Agriculture with a major in animal science. With the additional knowledge, she opted to work at the Guyana Livestock Development Agency (GLDA), but reconsidered after the urge to become an entrepreneur became greater. Being an entrepreneur has always been a dream and she was exposed to this at an early age with her mother being a

seamstress. So, Pierre opted to start her own business.

Even though there are many pet shops and dog services available in Guyana, her business thrives on being the only grooming parlour and salon that takes care of your pets as though they are children. Grooming pets requires a lot of patience and for Pierre, service is very personalised with “your dogs are my children”, being her motto. She enjoys bathing, grooming and demonstrating her humorous side creating beautiful art, whereby animals can be coloured and dressed in quirky outfits as the owners desire. Every animal is different and as such, Pierre has the passion and love to see her business move to new heights.

With respect to potential health issues, Pierre noted that while owners see their pets every day they still miss potential signs of ill-health, and only take their pets to

the veterinarian when very visible symptoms are evident. Based on her experience, she commented that whenever she notices lumps or differences in mood or behaviour, she makes notes/referrals and gives them to pet owners to make necessary adjustments.

As regards how she came to be in her current location, Pierre said that she had previously groomed the dog of the owners of Giftland Mall and her level of care, professionalism and love for what she does gave her an advan-

tage when she was considering a full-time operation and location for same. In March 2016, she was able to acquire a space at the Giftland Mall after favourable negotiations. Pawsome Pets is located at A2 Giftland Mall, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown (opposite the Republic Bank ATM), and she uses social media to advertise her business. This venture was primarily funded by a loan facilitated by the Small Business Bureau (SBB) Credit Guarantee programme, with Republic

Bank Limited. With the support of the Small Business Bureau (225-3276/2271439), Pierre was also able to attend four days of technical training, Sept 20-24, 2016, at an International Pet Grooming Expo in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA. At this forum, she was able to interact with professional groomers and attend training sessions where she gained first-hand experience and knowledge of best practices in grooming and care for pets. Pierre has already implemented several changes as a consequence of this exposure. She noted that it was “really an eye opener” as some of the concepts shared were previously unknown to her.

With care and patience, she grooms four to five animals per day and now that she has a business location, her clientele has increased.

Pierre noted that dogs in particular sense your emotions and she tried to stay

away from them while at UG, thus keeping them from inherently feeling whatever anxiety and stress she felt while studying. She does not tranquilise dogs to groom them and this, she stated, sets her apart from her competitors. Her pet shop comprises a selection of dog treats, a sink and table area for bathing and drying pets, and even caters for bird enthusiasts with a variety of bird cages and bird seed. On average, five dogs are groomed daily. Pawsome Pets, which has created jobs for not only its owner but two other University of Guyana students and a high school graduate, opens from 10:00h-19:00h daily. Pierre indicated her desire to diversify the operation to include pet food packaging and distribution countrywide in the future, where nutritional value would be a top priority.

Contact: Pawsome Pets, A2 Giftland Mall; 222-7379

A revaluation of the Jamaican $ may Facebook reveals fresh be on the cards – BoJ Governor flaws with its data B Business News

F

acebook has acknowledged four new errors in the figures it shares with advertisers and publishers.

The “bugs” could cause companies to think users had spent longer reading news articles than they had done, and that more people had been exposed to non-paid posts than had been the case.

The alert comes two months after the firm revealed it had overestimated

the average time users had watched videos.

But Facebook says none of the cases would have affected its fees.

Neither would all of the examples have worked in its favour.

One of the newly revealed flaws meant it was underreporting the percentage of users who had watched videos on its platform to their end.

Facebook makes more than 200 metrics about its

site available to third parties.

The latest mistakes might appear relatively minor in nature, but one digital marketing expert said they undermined confidence in the social network.

Facebook said that it planned to create a measurement council to give businesses a say in the development of future metrics, and that it had also created a new internal review process. (BBC News)

Market statistics Cambio Rates

Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Bank of Guyana Cur

Buying

Calculated at 94% purity, November 16, 2016

Selling

USD

$1255.65

GBP

$255.85

$259.11

Gross

$242,648

CAN

$152.66

$154.43

$205.98

$208.44

Net

$225,663

USD

$ 220.07

$222.90

EURO

Indicators as on November 16, 2016 Indicators

US$ per barrel

Crude Oil

$46.95

Price

USD

Change %

+5.37 Change %

Rough Rice

$212.08/ton

+0.00

London Sugar

$575.00/ton

0.00

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1226.30

$1227.30

Low/High

$1221.10

$1232.60

Change

Business Concept – Collaboration

+1.30

+0.11%

1. General: Cooperative arrangement in which two or more parties (which may or may not have any previous relationship) work jointly towards a common goal.

2. Knowledge management (KM): Effective method of transferring ‘know how’ among individuals; therefore, critical to creating and sustaining a competitive advantage. Collaboration is a key tenet of KM. 3. Negotiations: Conflict resolution strategy that uses both assertiveness and cooperation to seek solutions advantageous to all parties. It succeeds usually where the participants’ goals are compatible, and the interaction among them is important in attaining those goals. (Business Dictionary)

ank of Jamaica (BoJ) Governor Brian Wynter said Monday that portfolio managers and others were being warned of the possibility of price appreciation of the Jamaican dollar against its United States counterpart.

Noting that the strengthening of the US dollar, especially in the first quarter of the fiscal year, was influenced by a one-off event, he said managers should note that such events and other conditions can influence price the other way.

“The implications of fairly valued currency… if you are a buyer or seller, consider both possibilities. I am not trying to warn of greater depreciation. I am trying to warn of its opposite,” he said while speaking at the quarterly briefing on monetary policy.

Wynter said the US dollar was now in abundant supply, noting also that the Jamaican dollar had gained a few cents against the greenback in the last three weeks. (Jamaica Observer)

Investors’ Guide

Financials drag on Dow, S&P 500; tech shines

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he S&P and the Dow fell on Wednesday as financial stocks ended a seven-day rally with a sharp drop, but gains in technology stocks helped as investors continued to work on preparing their portfolios for a Donald Trump presidency.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 54.23 points, or 0.29 per cent, to 18,868.83, the S&P 500 lost 3.43 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 2176.96 and the Nasdaq Composite added 18.96 points, or 0.36 per cent, to go to 5294.58.

Meanwhile, US manufacturing output increased for a second straight month in October amid gains in the production of motor vehicles and a range of other goods, suggesting that the battered factory sector was slowly recovering.

Other data on Wednesday showed a moderation in producer inflation last month.

Still, the disinflationary impulse is ebbing as oil prices rise and the dollar’s rally fades, which could see an in-

crease in price pressures in the coming months.

The Federal Reserve said factory production rose 0.2 per cent last month after a similar gain in September.

Output was supported by a 0.9 per cent rise in the production of motor vehicles and parts. There were also increases in the production of primary metals and computers and electronic products.

“With the global economic backdrop more stable and growth set to pick up in the United States, we expect to see activity in the manufacturing sector improve a bit in the coming months,” said Tim Quinlan, a senior economist at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Despite signs of improvement, gains in manufacturing output will likely remain modest against the backdrop of a still-strong dollar and sluggish global demand.

Heavy machinery maker Caterpillar last month lowered its full-year revenue outlook for the second time this

year. It said an “abundance” of used construction equipment, a “substantial” number of idle locomotives and a “significant” number of idle mining trucks had undercut demand.

Longer-dated US government bonds were trading higher, while the dollar was little changed against a basket of currencies.

There was good news on the mining front. Mining production jumped 2.1 per cent last month, the largest increase since March 2014, after slipping 0.4 per cent in September.

Oil and gas well drilling surged 9.0 per cent, building on September’s 5.1 per cent increase.

Despite the gains in manufacturing and mining output, overall industrial production was unchanged last month as utilities tumbled 2.6 per cent. Unseasonably warm temperatures last month reduced demand for heating. (Reuters)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Education CoI Centennial Arch in Linden taking shape Region 10 Councillors urge swift – foundation work completed, erection commences action on recommendations

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Councillor Charles Sampson addresses the Council

C

Workers erecting the Centennial Arch at the construction site on Tuesday

onstruction of the bauxite Centennial Arch in Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) continues to take shape with the foundation work already completed and the erection of the arch currently underway.

The management of privately-owned Linden-based bauxite company, Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Incorporated (BMGGI), is constructing the overhead arch at Casaurina Drive, Mackenzie, at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) junction.

The erection of the arch, which is being constructed at a cost of over $20 million, commenced on Tuesday following the completion of its foundation work.

BMGGI General

Manager (ag) Eric Yu, in his remarks at the launch of the centennial of bauxite mining observances in August, had outlined plans to commemorate the community’s significant milestone, with the setting up of the arch.

Chairman of the Bauxite Century Board, Horace James, recently noted that the Committee had made a decision to have the arch situated at the closest point where Mackenzie, Wismar and Watooka meet, since those areas have close ties with the history of bauxite in Linden. He added that it would not only be a structure for vehicles to drive under, but a symbol which depicts the history of Linden.

The arch is expected to be unveiled on November 21 at an opening ceremony.

James said it will consist of an emblem of all the bauxite companies in Guyana. Since the arch will be located at a strategic point on one of the main thoroughfares, traffic diversions continue to be carried out occasionally to facilitate the construction process until its completion.

Motorists are being urged to take caution at the location and to take heed of the notices for detour through the Watooka and Fair’s Rust bypass.

In keeping with the approved relevant traffic safety requirements, the company has posted signs to effectively guide the flow of traffic. A full road closure was put into effect on Tuesday, to facilitate the erection of the arch. (Utamu Belle)

ne month after wrapping up a consultation with Education Commission Chairman Ed Caesar, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Councillors are urging swift movement on the implementation of recommendations regarding issues which were discussed.

During a statutory meeting of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) last Thursday, Councillors were given the opportunity by the Regional Chairman, Renis Morian, to voice their expectations following the consultation.

Councillor Charles Sampson, in addressing the Council, made a call for recommendations to be put in place, as it relates to the issues which he noted extended as far as schools in Sub-Region 2 (Berbice River).

“As far as I know, whatever was discussed, in terms of recommendation, I haven’t seen anything positive on the ground since then...those recommendations need to be quickly put in place along with some other administrative issues,” he noted.

However, the Regional Chairman has asserted that what the consultation sought to do was not to “take the recommendations and run with it”, but rather to take (other) recommendations from the 10 Administrative Regions and subsequently fashion a programme for education”.

At the same time, Morian told the Council that he would write to Caesar regarding the release of the programme.

He said, “Because what they would have garnered from us, our complaints

and whatever – we want to know when the recommendations, or when a programme will come out to correct those anomalies and issues that we are faced with. So they will now have to come up with one document, how to address education in Guyana, in the Regions and that document is what we want to know: the way forward from the Ministry of Education in addressing the issues.”

During the consultation, teachers’ refusal to work in riverine areas, infrastructural and sanitary woes as well as understaffing and overstaffing were among the issues outlined by Councillors and Education Committee Chairman Denise Belgrave.

The Education Committee Chairman had also documented several recommendations coming out of it.

18

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Keep an open mind, but don’t give in to emotional (March 21- pressure someone is putting April 19) on you. Keep your personal plans a secret until they are ready for the world.

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Strive to feel at peace.

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Share your feelings with CAPRICORN someone you love or respect.

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Feb. 19) Don’t dispute something you know little about. Do your research and weigh the pros and cons.

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.

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PISCES Home and family should (Feb. 20- be your top priority. If you March 20) want to improve your surroundings or add to your comfort and convenience, start the ball rolling. Your accomplishments will please you.

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A

Lionel Messi masterclass, netting a brilliant free kick before laying on two more goals, put Argentina’s World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with a resounding 3-0 win over Colombia on Tuesday.

The win lifted Messi’s team, recovering from two successive defeats, into fifth place in the South American group with 19 points, one behind Ecuador and Chile, who beat Uruguay 3-1 with an Alexis Sanchez brace.

Brazil, away to Peru in Lima in a later match, top the table with 24 points while Uruguay are second with 23. Colombia dropped to sixth on 18 points.

The top four go through to the 2018 finals in Russia with the fifth, at present Argentina, qualifying for an intercontinental playoff for another berth.

“It’s hard to analyse (the match) when you concede those kinds of goals and the more so when one team

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

19

Messi magic puts Argentina back on World Cup track has a player like Messi,” said Colombia coach Jose Pekerman.

“With the second goal, the match became practically impossible (for us). You try to get goals back but we couldn’t and Messi made the difference.”

Argentina took a ninthminute lead when Messi curled his free kick over the wall and into the top left corner of David Ospina’s net off the underside of the bar for his 57th Argentina goal.

Falcao came close for Colombia at the other end when he headed James Rodriguez’s free kick just over Sergio Romero’s bar after 18 minutes.

Pratto header

Five minutes later Messi’s superb ball over the defence was met on the edge of the six-yard box with a firm header into the bottom far corner by Lucas Pratto, justifying his inclusion in place of the benched Gonzalo Higuain.

Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Colombia

Colombia pushed Argentina back in the second half though the home side threatened again when Messi fed Angel Di Maria but his shot from a tight angle hit the post.

Di Maria did, however, break a goal drought for his country stretching back eight matches, in the 83rd minute.

Messi cheekily stole the ball from a defender, raced

into the box and laid the ball square where Di Maria blasted his 18th Argentina goal into the roof of the net.

Rodriguez hit the post with a free kick in stoppage time with Colombia’s last

chance of the match.

In Santiago, Sanchez scored twice in the second half as Chile came from a goal down after Edinson Cavani had put the Uruguayans ahead and Claudio Bravo saved a late Luis Suarez penalty.

Striker Eduardo Vargas equalised in first half stoppage time and Sanchez put Chile ahead with a shot from the edge of the box then raced in close to tap in his second.

Ecuador scored three second half goals in Quito, a header from defender Arturo Mina and strikes from Miller Bolanos and Enner Valencia to beat Venezuela 3-0 and push them back to the bottom of the standings.

Bolivia, who had Gabriel Valverde sent off after an hour for a second booking, beat Paraguay 1-0 at home in La Paz thanks to an own goal by Gustavo Gomez.

A second successive defeat pinned Paraguay back in seventh with 15 points.

GCB/National Secondary Schools Cricket League 2016...

Stag Beer grass track Gootiprasad’s 98 propels finals set for November 27 Patentia to victory — West Demerara enjoys big win over L’Aventure

P

Come November 27, it will be a day of skills, thrills, spills and daredevilry at the Ogle Community Centre Ground

G

rass track racing fans will be in for a treat later this month, as Sheik Yassen Promotions have stolen the spotlight yet again with the Stag Beer Grass track finals which is scheduled for Sunday November 27 at the Ogle Community Centre ground, East Coast Demerara.

The event which was a huge crowd attraction in February at the same venue has ten races carded for the day across three categories (Professional, Novices and Chappy).

The professional riders will have five races at 12 laps while the Novices will have 10 laps and the Chappy will race five laps.

However, the organiser revealed that the feature race of the day will be the five-lap veterans’ race which will feature some of the stalwarts of grass track racing in Guyana.

More so, Yassen, who is also the Chairman of the Guyana Grass track Hall of Fame Committee, explained that the likes of Stanley Ming, Kevin Jeffrey, Avery Gomes, Keith Ramnarine, Mike Correia and Jerry “ Max” Govia will be honoured.

Currently Ravin Rajkumar leads the points standings with 65 points while defending champion Andy Wong is in second place on 60 points while Raj Rajkaran is tied in third

Rishie Ramdiaram hands over the champion rider trophy to organiser Sheik Yassen

place on 30 points with young Steven De Nobrega.

Yassen is extremely grateful for the support of

Rishie Ramdiaram who donated the champion rider trophy.

a r m a n a n d Gootiprasad fell short of a century by two but his knock brought good fortune as it propel Patentia Secondary to a crushing victory over Endeavor Secondary while West Demerara Secondary walloped I’fluenture Secondary as the 2016 edition of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) National Secondary School Cricket League (NSSCL) continued.

Played at the Belle Vue ground in a West Bank Demerara zone fixture, Patentia batted first and amassed an imposing 193/7 in just 20 overs. Parmanand Gootiprasad led the way with 98 for the winners while Hemraj Persaud (30) was the other main scorer. Bowling for Endeavor, Jairam Parasram took 2/33 and Alex Raul 1/26.

Endeavor Secondary could only muster 78 in their reply off 10 overs. Calvin Durgh top scored with 26.

Leading Patentia’s bowling was Wazim Rohaman claimed 3/21 and Satesh Basdeo 2/10.

In another match at Belle Vue, West Demerara Secondary walloped

Parmanand Gootiprasad

L’Aventure Secondary by 178 runs to book a place in the semi-final of the West Bank Demerara zone. Batting first, West Demerara amassed 223/7 in 30 overs with Mark Wong scoring 37 and Daneshwar Kowlessar chipping in with 33. Bowling for I’fluenture, Aron Singh and Rajkumar Ramroop had 2/6 and 2/45 respectively.

The West Demerara bowlers completed the one sided match by dismissing L’Aventure for 45 in 11.3 overs. Souran Moonsammy was the only batter to reach double figures with 11. Aftab Basir claimed 4/9 while Jason Comacho took 2/12

20

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

Messi leads media boycott over Lavezzi marijuana claims

Why was Bravo given a C contract?

I

n hindsight of the clash between West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) President Dave Cameron and top West Indies Test player Darren Bravo, it is clear that some boundaries have been broken and there is a cloud of unprofessionalism.

Indeed it was improper for Bravo to call the President an idiot but based on the unprofessional weather that surrounds cricket in the Region of late, anything is possible.

Although Bravo crossed the line, someone, especially the leader of an entity, organisation or institution, has to be an idiot to go public about something he or she is ignorant of.

On this note the fans of West Indies cricket should know the real reason(s) Bravo was given a C contract and why are the Trinidadian players Lionel Messi scored once and set up two goals in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Colombia on being victimized under this Tuesday incumbent administration. The ionel Messi has led squad walked out of the South America group move following table would outline the Argentina squad news conference following straight into the finals, that Cameron has no idea in a media boycott fol- the Colombia game. while fifth place qualifies for about the stats of the players, lowing “grave” press reports It was also announced an intercontinental play-off. and how could Bravo who is Elsewhere in the group, usually selected for all versions about the team and their re- that Lavezzi is taking the cent form. radio reporter to court over Arsenal forward Alexis but opts out of T20 regularly The 29-year-old an- the accusations.

Sanchez scored twice as to focus on Test, be offered a C nounced the ban after scor“We know there are lots Chile beat Uruguay 3-1 to contract-the lowest contract.

Players Statistics ing in the side’s 3-0 World of you who are not in the stay third.

In the frequent absence of Chile had been warned Cup qualifier victory over game of not showing us retraditional West Indies player, spect, but getting into one’s by Arsene Wenger that it Colombia.

Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo A radio report alleged personal life is very grave,” would be “suicidal” to play and Kraigg Braithwaite have that forward Ezequiel Messi added.

Sanchez unless he was fully led the way in Test and ODIs. Lavezzi smoked marijuaArgentina were criticised fit after he injured a muscle The table below shows their na after a training session, following their 3-0 defeat by in training. statistics for the 2015, 2015/16 However Sanchez played which he denies.

Brazil on Friday but their and 2016 seasons in Test.

“We’ve received many ac- win over Colombia moved 85 minutes and looks set to If the decision to drop

L

cusations, a lot of lack of respect and we never said anything,” Messi said.

Messi and the 25-man

them up to fifth place and back into qualifying contention.

The top four in the

be fit for Arsenal’s Premier League match against Manchester United on Saturday. (BBCSport)

Dave Cameron

Darren Bravo

Bravo’s contract to a C contract was not bias or a personal discrimination or a WICB’s victimization of Trinidad players then only the President of the WICB can explain the reason or reason(s) for such verdict.

In the table above Samuels had the poorest performance in Test cricket overall but was still offer a B contract. However, in ODIs (not shown) he performed better than Bravo while during that period in focus Braithwaite was yet to play ODIs. In the 2015 and 2015/2016 seasons combined Bravo led the batting average of the three players with an average of 36.02 in comparison to Braithwaite’s 29.2 and Samuels’ 22.7. While in the 2015/ 2016 and 2016 seasons combined Braithwaite led the average with 35.1 in comparison to Bravo’s 31.6 and Samuels’ 16.25.

Only in the 2016 season (one Test series consisting of four matches against India in the Caribbean) Braithwaite did

better than Bravo in a season between 2015 and 2016. Then how is it possible for the former to be offered an A contract and the latter a C contract?Unlike other players, who seek lucrative tournaments and neglect Test cricket, Bravo would have given up contracts and declined to play in the World T20 earlier this year to improve his Test performance.

Why would the WICB want to give someone like Bravo its lowest contract? On what basis did Braithwaite ascend to an A contract? On what basis was Samuels offered a B contract?

Maybe the WICB can answer this. Like the dismissal of Phil Simmons from the coaching position, the removal of Darren Sammy as T20 captain and the surprise ascendancy of Carlos Braithwaite as T20 captain, the irrational decision to offer Bravo a C contracts somewhat shows the Board has not been doing much critical thinking of late.

Floodlights take on 4R...

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

Brazil celebrate their 2-0 win over Peru in Lima

A

n outstanding performance from Gabriel Jesus helped Brazil to a 2-0 win over Peru on Tuesday and moved the five times World Cup winners four points clear at the top of the South American qualifying group for Russia 2018.

Two second half goals, Manchester City-bound Gabriel Jesus scoring the first and setting up the second for Renato Augusto, gave Brazil the points in Lima against a home team that played well for no reward.

“I am working hard, quietly, hoping to help my team mates on the pitch,” the 19-year old striker told TV Globo after the game.

“There are lot of players in Brazil who can wear the No. 9 but I am proud that I have this opportunity. I am proud to be honouring the shirt.”

Peru had never beaten Brazil in 10 previous World Cup qualifying matches but they took the game to their more illustrious visitors and were unlucky to come up against two clinical finishers.

The Palmeiras forward, who will join Manchester City in January, got the first 12 minutes into the second half when the ball fell kindly to him to hammer home from 13 yards.

He turned provider 21 minutes later, laying the

ball off to Renato Augusto in space and the Beijing Guoan midfielder made no mistake from 12 yards.

The result was a trifle harsh on Peru, who hit the post early on and were not overawed, particularly in an even first half.

The result marked the first time since 1969 that Brazil have won six consecutive qualifying matches for the same tournament.

Brazil now lead the table with 27 points from 12 games, four more than second-placed Uruguay.

The top four teams qualify automatically for Russia 2018 and the fifth-placed side goes into a play-off with a team from Oceania. (Reuters)

Floodlights Masters after winning Guyana Softball Cup 6.Richard Persaud is standing at the extreme right

I

ncluded in the 4R squad are locally based United States of America baseball player Eric Pluemer and his brother William Pluemer who are confident of converting their skills and compete in the softball cricket match against the softball champions of the Americas.

4R Squad: Richie

Deonarain (Captain), Romeo Deonarain, Eric Pluemer, William Pluemer, Kevin Narine, Rabindra Singh, Mark Harold, Arjune Badal, Anil Beharry, Khalid Baksh, Ricky Deonarain, Uniss Yusuf and Imtiaz Mohamed.

Floodlights Squad: Ramesh Sunich (Captain), Reyaz Hussein, Ramo

Malone, Lakeram ‘Mike’ Singh, Wayne Jones, Steve Naraine, Jailall Deodass, Pithamber Maharaj, Ramchand Ragbeer, Clyde Canterbury, Dharam Persaud, Surendra Nauth, Richard Persaud, Lalta Gainda, Patrick Khan and the birthday boy Richard Persaud.

21

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Sam Northeast will lead Kent in Antigua

Floodlights take on 4R in Richard’s birthday clash — US baseball players to have a go

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ent Cricket has accepted an invitation to play in the 2017 Regional Super50, the West Indies domestic one-day competition. The seven-times county champions are set to compete in a recognised overseas tournament for the first time.

Kent will face Under 19 world champions West Indies and teams from Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Islands and Leeward Islands in the group stages of the tournament which runs from January 24 to February 18 in Antigua and Barbados.

Kent Cricket CEO Jamie Clifford said: “It is a huge honour for Kent Cricket to be invited by West Indies Cricket Board to join their domestic 50-over competition in early 2017.

“It will be the perfect opportunity to play competitive off-season cricket and good overseas experience for the players. We look forward to helping make the competition a big success and introducing the Spitfires to cricket supporters in the Caribbean.”

West Indies Cricket Board Operations Manager Roland Holder said: “Regional players will have an opportunity to test their skills against their contemporaries from another region. We anticipate keen contests with our Franchise Teams. We are pleased to welcome them.” The fourth edition of the tournament will precede a three-match ODI series against England scheduled for March.

Super-50 groups: Group A: Kent Spitfires, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, West Indies U19s, Windward Islands Volcanoes.

Group B: Barbados Pride, Guyana Jaguars, CCC Marooners, Jamaica Scorpions, ICC Americas.

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January 22: Travel January 23-24 Practice January 25 Kent Spitfires v Leeward Islands Hurricanes; January 29 Kent Spitfires v T&T Red Force January 31 Kent Spitfires v Windward Volcanoes February 2 Kent Spitfires v WI U19s February 4 Kent Spitfires v Leeward Islands Hurricanes February 8 T&T Red Force February 10 Kent Spitfires v Windward Volcanoes February 12 Kent Spitfires v WI U19s (windiescricket)

Baseball players William (left) and Eric Pluemer will appear for 4R in the softball match

R

ecently crowned champions of Guyana Softball Cup 6, Floodlights have accepted a challenge from business entity 4R Bearings of Duncan Street Campbellville to a softball 20/20 match on Friday November 18 at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground. Floodlights who won the Master’s title will be fielding a full strength team in the night game which is being played in honour of opening batsman and longstanding wicketkeeper, Richard Persaud who will be celebrating his birthday. CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

22

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

Greenwood impressed with talent Holder, debutants help in Courts Pee-Wee football WI to thumping win T W Achilleion Tri-nation Series, Zimbabwe

est Indies’ bowlers, led by Jason Holder and Ashley Nurse, defended 227 on a deteriorating Harare pitch to register a bonus-point win, their first against Sri Lanka at a neutral venue since 1999. West Indies may not have had as much had it not been for enterprising cameos from Jonathan Carter and debutant Rovman Powell.

Holder set the tone with a sensational opening spell of swing bowling in which he picked up two wickets and conceded 12 in five overs. He had Dhananjaya de Silva caught behind off an inside edge and drew Kusal Mendis forward with a full delivery that swung away late and took the outside edge.

Nurse took a reverse-cupped catch in front of his face at second slip. In between, Johnson Charles effected an agile run-out of Kusal Perera, hitting the stumps directly from square leg.

The pitch seemed to slow down as the afternoon wore on with more than a few balls stopping in the surface. Nurse dismissed Sri Lanka captain Upul Tharanga with one such delivery. It pitched on leg, drawing Tharanga into a flick, but the ball spun and bounced extravagantly to take the leading edge and lobbed back to the bowler.

A few overs later, Nurse beat the defense of Asela Gunaratne and trapped him in front with what looked like an innocuous offbreak.

Suddenly, Sri Lanka had slumped to 79 for 6 on a surface that was getting increasingly harder to bat on, making West Indies’ score of 227 seem a lot more.

Sachith Pathirana and Shehan Jayasuriya kept Sri Lanka in the hunt with a 60-run seventh-wicket partnership, but too much damage had been done too early. Nurse finished with 3 for 46, while Shannon Gabriel claimed the last two

wickets to return 3 for 31.

West Indies’ first away ODI win since the 2015 World Cup was achieved after Jason Holder had lost his sixth straight toss and West Indies were put in. For most of their recent ODI series against Pakistan, their focus was on their biggest

he Courts Pee-wee championships which is organised by Petra Organisation is in its 5th year and opens the floodgates for talented under-11 players to showcase their potential.

It is this reason, newly installed Technical Director of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Ian Greenwood says that he is impressed at the level of the talent at the ongoing Courts Pee-wee Schools Football Champions and says the focus is on development

talent that we look to develop over the next five or six years and hopefully some day they end of being in the Golden Jaguars.”

Though the technical director is pleased with the current structure of the tournament, he is of the contention that an expansion as it regards the length of the tournament will auger well for all involved.

The Englishman who is also an UEFA-Qualified Professional Football coach says that the long term goal is to have nationwide youth

Guyana Football Federation Technical Director Ian Greenwood

Rovman Powell hit a late cameo of 44 off 29 balls on debut to lift West Indies

strength: power-hitting, as opposed to strike-rotation. It seemed like West Indies had intentionally swapped their strategy, with mixed results.

West Indies’ major concern would have been negotiating a testing opening spell in gloomy conditions. Their batsmen were adept at doing so, albeit on a morning with less swing available than in the tri-series opener two days ago.

Sri Lanka nipped out the openers in that period, including the run-out of Kraigg Brathwaite who plonked his bat on t h e crease while completing a run.

The bat jarred in the turf and bounced up as Nuwan Kulasekara’s direct hit from mid-on found him short.

Ashley Nurse had an impressive Debutant Shai Hope and debut with three wickets against Evin Lewis, a T20 specialist, Sri Lanka were then forced to stabilise a faltering innings. As the slower bowlers were introduced, the pair looked in so much discomfort in finding gaps that West Indies could only muster 51 runs between Gunaratne 10-1-40-1 West Indies innings (50 overs 11 and 25. The Harare overs maximum) pitch had begun to deterioJ Charles c Perera b Lakmal 2 Sri Lanka innings (target: rate and the Sri Lanka spin228 runs from 50 overs) KC Brathwaite run out ners strangled the batsmen.

(Kulasekara) 14 DM de Silva c †Hope b Holder 3 West Indies had cut out exE Lewis c †Dickwella b MDKJ Perera run out (Charles) 4 pansive shots on their own Pathirana 27 N Dickwella† cBenn b Gabriel 28 volition, and Sri Lanka closed SD Hope† b Gunaratne 47 BKG Mendis c Nurse b Holder 4 the gaps.

JL Carter c de Silva b Kulasekara 54 WU Tharanga* c & b Nurse 12 R Powell c †Dickwella b Carter, an ODI specialDAS Gunaratne lbw b Nurse 18 Pradeep 44 ist, found his rhythm from DSNFG Jayasuriya c Powell b CR Brathwaite c Lakmal b the outset, hitting gaps and CR Brathwaite 31 Pradeep 14 SS Pathirana c Lewis b Nurse 45 finding singles by looking JO Holder* run out (Kulasekara) 2 KMDN Kulasekara c Lewis b for them. He struck 54, and AR Nurse not out 5 picked off two fours and two Gabriel 16 7 RAS Lakmal b Gabriel SJ Benn lbw b Kulasekara sixes in a 62-ball knock filled 0 ST Gabriel lbw b Lakmal 0 N Pradeep not out 0 with intent.

Extras (lb-6, w-5) 11 Extras (w-4) 4 Powell displayed his ballTotal (all out; 49.2 overs) 227 Total (all out; 43.1 overs) 165 striking ability in his 29-ball Fall of wickets 1-7 (Charles, Fall of wickets 1-7 (de Silva, 44, an innings that featured 3.1 ov), 2-27 (KC Brathwaite, 3.2 ov), 2-8 (Perera, 4.3 two fours and three muscu9.5 ov), 3-76 (Lewis, 23.1 ov), ov), 3-16 (Mendis, 5.6 ov), lar sixes into the leg side, all 4-129 (Hope, 34.6 ov), 5-172 4-51 (Dickwella, 15.3 ov), (Carter, 41.5 ov), 6-209 (Powell, a result of a strong bottom 5-64 (Tharanga, 21.5 ov), 44.6 ov), 7-214 (CR Brathwaite, 6-79 (Gunaratne, 25.3 ov), hand.

46.1 ov), 8-215 (Holder, 46.3 7-139 (Pathirana, 37.6 ov), Just when West Indies ov), 9-226 (Benn, 48.5 ov), 8-151 (Jayasuriya, 40.6 ov), looked set for a score in ex10-227 (Gabriel, 49.2 ov) 9-160 (Lakmal, 41.5 ov), 10cess of 250, Sri Lanka’s seam165 (Kulasekara, 43.1 ov) Bowling: KMDN Kulasekara 10-1 37-2 (w-3), ers returned in the end overs Bowling: ST Gabriel 8.1-0-31-3 RAS Lakmal 9.2-1-45-2, N (w-2), JO Holder 8-0-16-2 (wto trigger a collapse. West Pradeep 10-1-55-2 (w-2), 1), CR Brathwaite 9-0-34-1 (wIndies lost their last five DSNFG Jayasuriya 4-0-19-0, 1), JL Carter 1-0-4-0, AR Nurse wickets for 18 runs. (ESPNcricinfo) SS Pathirana 6-0-25-1, DAS 10-1-46-3, SJ Benn 7-1-34-0

SCOREBOARD

With an abundance of raw talent on show, the TD is hoping to harness it, producing future national players

“In terms of the ability of players, there is lots of individual skill we will see but going forward we will look to deal with how teams are set up but as of now, we are relying a lot on individual skill, so work needs to be done with coaches and players to create a better structure,” Greenwood explained.

He added, “Lots of raw

leagues and improved the level of coaching in Guyana.

“In terms of youth tournaments the ultimate plan is to have national youth leagues to have players play football play all year around since the long term goal at the end of my contact is to have a youth league at all the appropriate ages both in school and at club level,” the

technical director explained.

The championships which saw 24 primary schools battling for supremacy will conclude this Sunday at the Banks DIH Thirst Park Ground where defending Champions St. Angela’s Primary will clash with neighbours St. Agnes Primary in what is expected to be riveting encounter from 15:00h.

Jaguars’ speedster aims to peak after West Indies A stint

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merging fast bowler Keon Joseph is banking on West Indies A team experience to be a consistent performer for Guyana Jaguars in the 2016/17 Digicel Regional Four Day Tournament.

Speaking to this publication recently, the 24 year said whilst playing for the West Indies A he learnt a lot and is willing to execute what he has learnt.

Joseph is one of the talented players in the Region who has played from the nursery of Regional cricket. He represented Guyana at all the junior levels, before earning a place in the West Indies Under 19 team. However, over the years he found it hard to break into his county side (Berbice) because of their taste for selecting slower bowlers or whenever he played he was not used often.

Fortunately for him that kind of approach change after a period and when he was given his opportunity about two years ago he returned to the national team after a long hiatus. Ever since he has been making strides. Earlier this year he was selected

for a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) President’s XI to face the touring Indians and subsequently he was selected for the West Indies A tour of Sri Lanka. He played in all the unofficial Tests. He claimed eight wickets in that three match series and due to that he is predicting a better Regional series for himself.

Like he was urged to do by his captain in Sri Lanka, Shamarh Brooks, Joseph intends to be accurate every time he gets to bowl. That coupled with pace and variation can help him in his role which is to give his team early breakthroughs.

Joseph, who was born in Linden but moved to West Berbice believes applying the basics along with an industrious efforts could see him reach the pinnacle of his career. He has already shown signs of maturity with great control and pace in the Jaguars opening match against Jamaica Scorpions at the Guyana National Stadium. On a pitch that is slow in nature and is encouraging for spinners, Joseph managed four victims,

Keon Joseph

three of which were bowled.

Subsequent to the match he was in for high praise from the skipper Leon Johnson and coach Esuan Crandon.

He is expected to be of more significance in his team next two matches that are on tracks that should be more helpful to fast bowlers in St. Kitts and St. Lucia respectively.

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

23

GFF/ NAMILCO Thunderbolt National U-17 League....

GFF Grassroots Festival aimed at finding new talent

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he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) on Wednesday launched their Grassroots Festival which is aimed at unearthing new talents in the country’s nine football associations.

Speaking at the launch which was held at the federation’s secretariat, Technical Director Ian Greenwood explained that “the idea of the festival is to design a brand new programme for kids 5 to 12 years old since what we want is to get new boys and girls players into federation’s system.”

The kids are expected to be thought the fundamentals of the game, dribbling techniques, passing techniques among other football concepts. The Englishman is hopeful that he can empower the various associations so that

they can take up the mantle and be in their respective programmes.

Greenwood explained that this is a long term goal

of the federation to get talents from young age and place them into academies with the aim of them donning national colours in the next five to ten years

and also being a part of the Elite League system.

The Technical Director also explained that though funding is an issue for the federation, they will be seeking to give the youth players more international experience at the various international age group tournaments.

Meanwhile, Technical Development Officer Lindon France explained that they are formulating plans to get players from interior locations but will need the support of government to help fund them to have them housed and schooled so that they can be linked with city clubs.

The long term of goal of the project is to create leagues at the under-13, under-15, under-19 level for boys and under-15 for girls to run nationwide.

West Indies Women whitewashed by India — automatic World Cup qualification in limbo

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eft-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s 4 for 34 helped India women defend 199, after Veda Krishnamurthy’s 71 had helped set it up, as West Indies women were whitewashed 3-0 in the ODI series. The duo had led India to win in a similar pattern in the first ODI as well Gayakwad had taken a four-

for and Krishnamurthy had scored a fifty.

This was both teams’ final ICC Women’s Championship game. West Indies, who needed just one win at the start of the series to seal automatic qualification to the World Cup next year, are remain in fourth place with 22 points. They now have an outside chance of missing out on automatic

SCOREBOARD India Women innings (50 overs maximum) DB Sharma c Fletcher b Mohammed 23 S Mandhana c Taylor b Dottin 5 M Raj* c Mohammed b Nation 15 H Kaur lbw b Taylor 19 V Krishnamurthy b Nation 71 DP Vaidya not out 32 J Goswami b Selman 18 S Verma† not out 4 Extras (b-5, w-6, nb-1) 12 Total (6 wickets; 50 overs) 199 Did not bat; SK Parida, E Bisht, RS Gayakwad Fall of wickets 1-5 (Mandhana, 1.6 ov), 2-36 (Raj, 13.2 ov), 3-52 (Sharma, 20.5 ov), 4-103 (Kaur, 33.5 ov), 5-160 (Krishnamurthy, 44.5 ov), 6-189 (Goswami, 48.5 ov) Bowling: SC Selman 10-239-1 (nb-1), DJS Dottin 9-0-43-1 (w-4), CN Nation 7-221-2 (w-1), A Mohammed 8-027-1, ASS Fletcher 4-0-18-0, HK Matthews 8-0-36-0 (w-1), SR Taylor 4-0-10-1 West Indies Women innings (target: 200

runs from 50 overs) HK Matthews lbw b Gayakwad 44 SL Quintyne lbw b Sharma 18 Kycia A Knight b Gayakwad 55 SR Taylor* c †Verma b Kaur 14 DJS Dottin c Goswami b Vaidya 14 MR Aguilleira† run out (Sharma) 22 B Cooper b Gayakwad 2 CN Nation run out (Kaur) 5 ASS Fletcher run out (Sharma) 2 A Mohammed b Gayakwad 3 SC Selman not out 0 Extras (b-1, w-4) 5 Total (all out; 49.1 overs) 184 Fall of wickets 1-49 (Quintyne, 13.5 ov), 2-69 (Matthews, 18.2 ov), 3-96 (Taylor, 26.6 ov), 4-120 (Dottin, 34.6 ov), 5-166 (Aguilleira, 44.4 ov), 6-173 (Kycia A Knight, 46.4 ov), 7-174 (Cooper, 46.6 ov), 8-179 (Fletcher, 48.1 ov), 9-183 (Mohammed, 48.6 ov), 10-184 (Nation, 49.1 ov) Bowling: J Goswami 7-1-380, SK Parida 5-1-14-0 (w-1), E Bisht 10-2-34-0, DB Sharma 9.1-0-27-1, RS Gayakwad 101-34-4 (w-1), H Kaur 4-0-16-1 (w-1), DP Vaidya 4-0-20-1 (w-1)

Deandra Dottin gave her best but it wasn’t good enough

qualification, should South Africa whitewash Australia in the three-match series beginning from November 18. India finished the campaign with 19 points, and will have to earn their qual-

Circuit Ville Jaguars, Soesdyke notch convincing wins

Soesdyke Falcons Captain Tyrone Khan (3rd right) in control against KK Warriors Wednesday at Grove Playfield

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ircuit Ville Jaguars of Yarrowkabra on the Linden Soesdyke Highway recoded an emphatic 3-1 win over Soesdyke Falcons while Soesdyke Falcons came from a goal down to edge Kuru Kururu Warriors 2-1 when play in the East Bank leg of the GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Intra Association Under-17 League continued at the Grove Playfield.

Circuit Ville, having been awarded their previous game which they lost heavily to Soesdyke Falcons 1-10 as a result of Soesdyke playing GFC registered player Kelsey Benjamin who scored hat-trick in that match, put together a solid performance in blanking Herstelling Raiders.

The Linden Highway boys dominated proceedings as they controlled play for almost the entire encounter.

They made their intentions from early in the match, netting when the game was a 19 minutes old.

Prince Forde it was who gave the Jaguars the initial advantage which they doubled on 39 minutes thanks to Isaiah Dodson’s effort.

The first half ended with the Jaguars well poised with a 2-0 advantage.

Circuit Ville further tightened their hold on the match when they increased the lead two minutes into the second half, this time

ification to the World Cup. Put in to bat, India suffered a top-order wobble as no batsman from the top four went past 25. India were crawling at 52 for 3 in the 21st over before Krishnamurthy salvaged the innings. She first took the score past 100 along with Harmanpreet Kaur in a stand of 51 for the fourth wicket, and then past 150 in the company of debutant Devika Vaidya with whom she put on 57 for the sixth wicket.

India managed 39 runs in the last 31 balls, after Krishnamurthy fell for 71 (79b, 10x4) in the 45th over. Vaidya finished unbeaten on 32 off 45, and Jhulan Goswami scored a useful 18 off 16. Chedean

Circuit Ville Jaguars scorers from right: Prince Forde, Isaiah Dodson and Desmond Chester

through a Desmond Chester goal. Despite Herstelling pulling one back in the 74th minute when Donnet Mc Lennon converted, the Jaguars were well on their way to wrapping up a welldeserved win.

Contesting the opening match of the double header and cognizant of the fact that they had to give up their last win to Circuit Ville Jaguars, Soesdyke were placed under immense pressure by the ever improving Kuru Kururu Warriors.

The Warriors took the lead in the 25th minute when Ricardo Grant rocked the nets as the Soesdyke side looed a far cry from their usual dominant self.

The Warriors were doing a fine job of defending their slim advantage but as the

match matured, it was always going to be a tough ask to keep the Soesdyke boys at bay.

Captain Tyrone Khan it was who once again led from the front as he buried a penalty in the 73rd minute to help the Falcons draw level with the Warriors.

Thereafter, it was all the Falcons who ran riot.

Three minutes after neutralizing the Warriors’ lead, the Falcons took the lead for the first time thanks to a Junior Williams goal. They had the opportunity of further increasing the lead but Tyrel Khan’s penalty was saved away by the Warriors goalkeeper. The first round of this two round league is expected to conclude on Saturday at the same venue with a double header.

Nation, returning to international cricket after sev-

and 20 for the second with Kycia Knight (55), before Gayakwad trapped her in front. West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor and experienced batsman Deandra Dottin scored 14 each, but there were no significant partnerships till Merissa Aguilleira (22) put on 46 with Knight for the sixth wicket.

They kept the chase alive, before Aguilleira was run out with West Indies still needing 34 off 32.

Gayakwad then removed Knight, followed by Britney Cooper, in the 47th over.

She also removed Anisa Mohammed in the 49th in between two run-outs, that saw West Indies lose their last five wickets for just 18 runs. (ESPNcricinfo)

en years, took 2 for 21 from her seven overs.

West Indies’ top order gave them a steady start in their chase. Hayley Matthews (44) put on 49 for the opening stand with Shaquana Quintyne (18)

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

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

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Achilleion Tri-nation Series, Zimbabwe

Holder, debutants help WI to thumping win Pg 22

The West Indies team after a day of success against their Sri Lankan counterparts

GFF Grassroots Festival aimed at finding new talent Pg 23

From left: GFF Technical Development Officer Lindon France, Technical Director Ian Greenwood and PRO Debra Francis

West Indies Captain Jason Holder rose to the occasion to lead his team to a convincing opening victory over Sri Lanka

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