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Guyana Society for the Blind receives generous donation

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Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyana-times.com

Issue No. 2949

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Teen chopped to death during wedding house brawl Page 7

GuySuCo records Gunmen invade WCD $6B deficit in business 6 months Page 7

Page 9

President assures State will find employment for youths Page 11

PRICE

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE: P2 Region 2 current, capital budget moving at slow pace – RDC Councillors ...48% current, 29% capital projects completed

Cocaine in deodorant

Jamaican P17 jailed for 3 years, fined $1.4 million

Steel taxes

GRA looks P5 to charge ‘appropriate’ rates

Police hunt prime suspect in murder of 14-year-old P10

President David Granger chatting with a youth from the Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development Initiative (SLED) at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre on Monday (Dexter Ceres photo)

Revocation of gun licences

Ramjattan, Police have no authority to do so – Rohee …supports periodic review of licences

Page 3

“Banga” jailed for receivingP2 stolen goods

NDC overseer assaults reporter, fish vendor P15

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Region 2 current, capital budget moving at slow pace – RDC Councillors ... 48% current, 29% capital projects completed BY: Indrawattie Natram

C

ouncillors from both the Opposition and Government side of the Region Two Regional Democratic Council (RDC) have spoken out against the slow implementation of the Region’s capital and current budget for 2016.

The councillors have noted their concerns describing the pace of the projects as slow and most of them directly blamed the slowness on the incompetent Regional Accounting Officer Rupert Hopkinson.

According to Alliance For Change (AFC) councillor Naithram, last year over $79 million was returned to the National Treasury, although there are dilapidated kokers and emergency works to be done in the region. The councillor noted that it has been eight months and the implementation of the Capital works is moving at snail’s pace.

As such he called on the REO and engineers of the

AFC Councillor Naithram

Region Two Administration to fast-track the process; so that monies allocated to the Region can be spent rather than be returned. He noted that the region has many unfinished projects. He also commented that the slow pace of the implementation of projects is stagnating progress within the region.

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Councillor Humace Odit also lashed out at the REO

for not circulating the bills of quantities awarded for key projects, to councillors.

On that note, Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt, expressed dissatisfaction, outlining that the implementation is extremely slow of the 2016 capital and current budget.

According to Ramdatt, only 48 per cent of current, and 29 per cent of capital projects were finished for the region’s budget, which amounted to approximately $3.4 billion.

Regional reports have shown that only $1.8 billion was spent on current and $2.9 billion on capital works.

For the capital budget, $474 million was allocated and to date only $138 million were spent.

Ramdatt said under the maintenance of buildings “absolutely no money was used to date” although $216 million was allocated. Also, for the maintenance of roads only 33 per cent of the allocated sum has been utilised

Region Two Chairman Davanand Ramdatt

to date. $21 million was allocated for the maintenance of bridges and only 15 per cent was used. Under Drainage and Irrigation only 32 per cent was utilised. Under the maintenance of other infrastructure, out of $52 million allocated, only eight per cent have been used.

The chairman said that he fears that money will be returned to the treasury, as it did in 2015 and there is

still a lot of developmental works to be done.

Ramdatt said that many residents are disaffected due to poor drainage and irrigation and also that roads are not being repaired in a timely manner.

He also expressed concerns over the circulation of the bill of quantities to key stakeholders (councillors, beneficiaries, local authorities). Due to the lack of circulation of the bill of quantities he said there is less monitoring and less input from residents.

He also requested a committee consisting of engineers to be formed to monitor the budget and the progress of works.

During the RDC meeting, the the Heads of Departments/Programmes were given a chance to be part of the discussions. It was revealed that the REO has in excess of 230 vouchers awaiting his signatures.

In responding Hopkinson, REO, said that

REO Rupert Hopkinson

monies were returned in the past due to proroguing of Parliament. He however told the RDC that to date, all the main capital works were awarded.

He said that once he is aware of any faulty projects, he would write the contractors and the necessary sanctions would be done.

Also, he called on the public to “police” projects that are being executed within their areas.

“Banga” jailed for receiving stolen goods

Junior “Banga” Forrester being led away

by Police at Wales on Monday

A

suspected thief who has been before the court on numerous occasions was convicted on Monday for receiving stolen items when he appeared at the Wales Magistrate’s Court.

Junior Forrester, known as “Banga” of Lot 156 Patentia Housing Scheme, West Bank Demerara, will spend the next 18 months behind bars after he was found guilty of possession of stolen items.

The charge stated that on August 12, 2016, between 06:30h and 08:15h, he broke and entered the dwelling house of David Ambedkar at Lot 47 Area L, Patentia

Housing Scheme, WBD, and stole a quantity of jewellery, $80,000 in cash, two wrist watches and an iPhone, amounting to $500,000.

The defendant told the court that he never broke into Ambedkar’s house, but that he bought the watches from a man called “Todd” for $10,000 but he still entered a guilty plea on possession of stolen property.

The Prosecution’s case stated that Forrester was seen leaving Ambedcar’s home on the morning of the robbery.

Acting on this lead the Police carried out a search on his home where the two watches were discovered.

NEWS

3

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, August 16 – 14:30h-16:00h and Wednesday, August 17 – 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, August 16 – 15:05h-16:35h and Wednesday, August 17 – 15:50h-17:20h.

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, while partly cloudy conditions can be expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 28 degrees Celsius.

Revocation of gun licences

Ramjattan, Police have no authority to do so – Rohee … supports periodic review of licences

F

ormer Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee says while he supports periodic reviews of gun licences issued to civilians, neither the Public Security Minister nor the Guyana Police Force has any authority to revoke gun licences, since they are not the authority issuing the licences in the first place.

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

High Tide: 02:50h and 15:21 reaching a maximum height of 2.47 metres at each scheduled high tide.

Former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee

Low Tide: 08:52h and 21:11h reaching minimum heights of 0.69 metres and 0.73 metres respectively.

“We might have to do a kind of continuing assess-

You would know that the Firearms Act was amended to put in place a board (Firearm Licensing Board) and that board has the authority to recommend either repealing a licence or otherwise. The Court, however, can rule that a licence be granted to one person or another based on a petition made by a licence holder to the courts,” Rohee explained.

He recalled instances under his tenure where the court ruled that revoked gun licences be reinstated.

On the issue of conducting psychiatric evaluation of licence holders, Rohee said systems are already in place

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

cause we felt that a person with that kind of scientific knowledge would be useful

Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud

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Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on Sunday told an online news outfit that scores of gun licences will be revoked in the coming months, in keeping with a decision by the Government to weed out those that had been wrongfully issued, no long required or are in the hands of mentally unstable persons.

“It would be a massive, massive exercise, so that is the difficulty but for the sake of the security of this nation I, as Minister, will not make the massiveness of the exercise an obstacle towards achieving the purpose,” Ramjattan told the website He was further quoted as saying that Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud and Divisional Commanders will be conducting new background checks on licencees to ascertain whether they were eligible in the first place, if they are no longer in business and if they are mentally stable.

ment, so that notwithstanding you have been granted it, that necessarily means that when you come back for renewal you’ll get it again,” Ramjattan was quoted as saying.

However, his predecessor, Clement Rohee rubbished Ramjattan’s statements, noting that neither the Minister nor the Police have the legal authority to do so, since there is a Firearm Licensing Approval Board.

“The Minister is in no position to revoke anything.

The Minister in collaboration with the Police Force is not in authority to do so.

for that with renowned psychiatrist, Dr Biro Harry, being appointed a member of the Firearm Licensing Approval Board.

“We appointed him to the Board through Cabinet be-

in assessing applications for granting or denial of licences,” Rohee explained, adding that Dr Harry’s inclusion on the Board is in keeping with international best practices.

TURN TO PAGE 9

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guyana-times.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 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

Too big to fail T

he recent confirmation by the Bank of Guyana Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga, that Guyana policy holders, who invested their monies in the Colonial Life Insurance Company Limited (CLICO) Guyana – a conglomerate insurance company that collapsed in 2009 – have begun to receive their monies and that the process has been ongoing is surely a welcomed remark.

Even though he noted that payments will be made in a tiered system and some policy holders may have to wait, the fact that every effort is being made to ensure that policy holders are being paid, has brought a sliver of hope to those persons who thought that the monies they invested would be lost.

Governments throughout the entire Caribbean, in addition to countries further afield, suffered at some point or the other, either directly or from the “contagion” effect, with the collapse of the CLICO, which is the subsidiary of the CL Financial (CLF). CLF is a multibillion-dollar company established in over 30 countries, with over 60 subsidiaries spanning the Caribbean, Florida, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. While it’s primary focus is on insurance, CLF is also diversified in the areas of financial services, real estate development, manufacturing, agriculture and forestry, retail and distribution, energy, media and communications, among other areas.

Because of its sheer magnitude, many were of the belief that, CLICO being a subsidiary of CFL, it was ‘too big to fail.’

However, the global financial recession of 2008 exposed some serious deficiencies in the armor of CFL. Deficiencies such as the ‘overly aggressive’ and ‘risky business model’ used by the CFL that invariably led to the collapse of CLICO, which had been established in several Caribbean countries inclusive of Trinidad, The Bahamas and Guyana to name a few.

According to the American International Journal of Contemporary Research “CLICO was the primary source of deposits that were used to finance CLF’s expansion through investments and acquisitions held in the name of other entities in the group. Some of these enterprises were wholly owned and managed by CLF, others were simply investments in which CLF did not participate in management, and some were a mixture of both. In some cases CLF borrowed from financial institutions to invest, and in most cases, it used CLICO, CIB, BA, and CMMB as the conduit to purchase investments or borrowed from them to do so. In short, CLICO became the guarantor for many of CLF’s assets most of which were heavily pledged and, therefore, limited in terms of the potential proceeds from asset sales.”

With the collapse of CLICO in Trinidad, the Government had no choice but to offer a bailout package to CFL, since that company was contributing significantly towards the GDP of that country. CLF then agreed to take steps to correct the financial condition of CLICO and its other subsidiaries by selling its shareholdings and assets in multiple companies to satisfy the statutory fund requirements for CLICO. The American International Journal of Contemporary Research posits that “the corporate governance structure of the conglomerate CLF has to be factored into the analysis of CLICO’s collapse because although the business model was high risk and dangerously flawed, the regulators were not blameless. The evidence indicated that the ‘soft touch approach to regulation’ which was essentially based on moral suasion while aligned to the philosophy of the market mechanism had led to the excesses that caused the crisis.”

The corporate collapse of CLICO also highlighted the critical need for legislation and regulation to keep pace with the rapidly evolving operations of financial institutions.

It was against this backdrop that many of the Caribbean countries have instituted legislative amendments to inter alia, their Insurance Act, the supervising authorities within their financial systems, among many other amendments aimed primarily to strengthen the financial sector.

The business model used by CFL led economists, scholars and governments alike to question its validity and legitimacy within the financial sector and it has been an occasioning factor for much of the legislative and supervisory amendments mandated by governing and international (Caribbean Financial Action Task Force) bodies throughout the Caribbean to ensure that the debilitating repercussions that the collapse of such as large interwoven organisation had, would not happen in the future.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit" – Aristotle The management and staff of Guyana Times/TVG/Radio Guyana extend congratulations to our Employee of the Month, Accounts Clerk Gangadai Dabicharran (right) who is acknowledged for her hard work and dedicated service to the Group of Companies. Also in photo is Assistant Accountant Syad Abdool

A good life for all? Really!

Dear Editor, Over the last week, three things I had experienced left me wondering if there is good life for the ordinary and common citizens of this country. I am a normal citizen with a normal job who lives a normal life with a normal family.

When one notes the 50 per cent salary increases for the executives, the hiring of former army people to COI and to head state agencies, the sole sourcing, the dismissal of employees, the loss of jobs by GuySuCo workers, the everyday robberies (some which are not reported); I ask, is this the good life for me as a normal citizen? It is easy to talk but difficult to do the walk.

As normal citizen, I would expect to be treated normally when seeking services in both the public and private sectors. But unfortunately, being a common citizen, you are treated commonly.

My first experience of common treatment is when I visited a local bank to inquire about a loan regarding the purchasing of an automobile. I was elated when I was told that I have qualified and would be getting a loan at a rate of 9%. I quoted two amounts and was told, that based on the payback period, what my instalments would be. Subsequently, I checked the amounts that I

quoted using an excel loan sheet and with the 9% and payback period, I saw that the calculation of the instalments were lower. In noting this, I did some calculations and found out that the bank’s instalment includes a further 16.42%. This means that when you calculate your 9% with a specific payback period, the value you get must be added by a further 16.42% which is payable to the bank. At no time this information of the further addition of 16.42% was related to me. How fair is this to me?

My second experience is last December; I took advantage of their no down payment promotion and bought an item. I was told the payments for my instalments would commence in February 2016. I completed all the related transactions, received my item and have been paying my monthly instalments on time. Last week, I went to inform them that I wish to pay off for my item. To my dismay, the amount that I have to pay off includes the original price of my item and further $150,000.

Now I would understand that the payments should be less than the original price, as my instalments would have been reducing it and the interest would be up to the date of payment.

In fact, when I calculated,

including what I have been paying monthly for the last six months, I would end paying the original price for the item and approximately 75% in interest on this price in the less than nine months that i have been paying. I took a three year plan. It is like paying for interest not accumulated.

When I expressed my disappointment about this, I was told that I can look at it from any way I want. How fair is this to me?

My third experience is when the then Government announced the Mortgage Interest Relief (MIR) in 2013, it came indeed as relief to hundreds of first time homeowners. I started benefiting from it from 2014 and with the system then adopted, saw that every three months the amounts calculated as the relief was deposited in my savings account which was all administered by my bank. This present government has made an amendment to the Income Tax Act, which saw the taxpayer obtaining from the lending institution, the Form 4, which comprises the information regarding the interests paid for the year for 2015. Most persons would have received their MIR for the first half of 2015 under the previous system. With the new system in place, in completing your tax return for year of income 2015, you had to include the

information of the Form 4 (which was attached) and based on your computation, it would be calculated what will be the amount due to you. A cheque with your reimbursed amount would be subsequently issued to you.

I followed all the procedures and have submitted my tax return in April of 2016. To date, I have not heard, nor received any notifications on my MIR due to me.

So, I called the MIR department at the GRA and was told that everything is on hold, as the lending agencies have not submitted the relevant information to GRA. So I called my lending agency and was informed that the only obligation the agency had was to provide the taxpayer with the Form 4 which the taxpayer has to use to obtain their MIR. So why it is then, that if the agency is not obligated to do anything else, GRA cannot proceed to process taxpayers’ MIR? How fair is this to me?

The school holidays are coming to end. With no salary increase, no MIR, and mortgage and bills to be paid, my life as a normal citizen is really common, as all that have been done so far is only benefiting those at the top, surely not the common man down at the bottom.

Respectfully, Akanni Persaud

NEWS

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Guyana Society for the Blind Steel taxes receives generous donation GRA looks to charge ‘appropriate’ rates

T

he Guyana Society for the Blind accepted a generous donation of 10 state-of-the-art computers from a United States (US)-based volunteer organisation, Computers for the Blind (CFTB) on Monday.

According to the organisation, it is their “hope that each person who is visually impaired may experience the information age in a positive and productive manner.”

The computers were all equipped with Jobs Access With Speech (JAWS), a computer screen reader programme for Microsoft Windows that allows blind and visually impaired users to read the screen either with a text-to-speech output or by a refreshable Braille display, compliments of Freedom Scientific. Some of the computers were additionally loaded with Magic Eyes, a tool which enlarges text, so that those who are not fully blind may utilise the computers.

Organiser of the donation, Norma Bovell, expressed that she held an interest in starting a Guyana Society for the Blind branch in Berbice to facilitate the training of young blind people in the use of computers and realised that for this to materialise, there would be a need for computers to as-

T

The Guyana Society for the Blind was presented with a donation of 10 state-of-the-art computers from a US-based volunteer organisation, Computers for the Blind. Organiser of the donation, Norma Bovell makes the donation in the presence of Blind Society representative, Ganesh Singh

sist in the learning process of the blind. Acting on this premise, she reached out to the Executive Director of CFTB, David Jeppson, asking for his donation of one or two computers for the Guyanese society.

She relayed that Jeppson had exceeded her expectations when he responded, indicating that the organisation would provide 10 computers free of cost.

Bovell, an overseas-based Guyanese said she has reached out to other members of the Diaspora, including her own family, who she said indicated that they are

able and willing to organise future donations.

Ganesh Singh, of the Guyana Society for the Blind, who facilitates the preparation of blind and visually impaired youths for CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) examinations, expressed his gratitude for the computers, relating that they would be very helpful in training. He was glad that some of the systems were laptops, as they were mobile, thus the computers would not be solely confined to Berbice.

The overall aim of

the donation was to acquire equipment that will facilitate training of young blind people, so that they may be productive members of society.

According to Bovell, the New Amsterdam branch of the Guyana Society for the Blind also benefited from the receipt of several used canes, a Braille book and diagrams in Braille, compliments of the Carroll Centre for the Blind. The branch additionally received two packs of dominoes and cards, specifically designed for the use of the visually impaired.

Newly appointed LHC nurses allegedly still receiving stipend

C

ouncillor within the Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Gordon Callender, is urging that attention be paid to the plight of recently appointed nurses to the Linden Hospital Complex, whom, he noted, have recently complained of several issues affecting them. According to Callender, the nurses, who commenced work in January following extensive training, would have collected appointment letters as registered

nurses but have complained of still being paid monthly stipends, instead of salaries.

“This is August; eight months and they have not received one paycheque... and the ladies rowing, saying how they ain’t got nobody to represent them... so those are matters that we need to look into from the Ministry of Labour or whoever has the power maybe to find out...,” Callender stated. At the time he was addressing members of the RDC at a monthly statutory meeting.

According to Callender, further complaints by the affected nurses also indicate that deductions are also made

from their stipends. He is calling on members of the hospital board and relevant ministries to look into the issue.

he Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is denying that there have been any increases in the applicable taxes paid on steel imports into the country, but rather it is simply looking to charge the ‘appropriate’ rates.

The matter was first reported by Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Irfaan Ali, who was at the time addressing a public gathering at the Sleepin Hotel. Ali indicated that there had been an increase in the applicable rates to be charged. He told that gathering that this was circulated by Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

The Finance Minister subsequently denied that he had made any such order, since it was in fact an initiative of the GRA. The revenue collection agency has since attempted to explain its actions by saying it was looking to fix some anomalies that had been discovered.

According to a public missive issued by the tax body, “Recently some anomalies were identified in relation to

classification of some of the steel and steel products imported by several businesses in Guyana.”

The GRA’s statement said, “These anomalies led to the request for Mill Test Certificates from additional suppliers to confirm the chemical composition of the imported steel and steel products, and thereafter charge the appropriate rate of either five per cent or 10 per cent depending on that composition.”

According to the GRA, “This exercise is presently being done by the Harmonised System Classification Committee of the Guyana Revenue Authority in accordance with the provisions and established guidelines of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), after which the affected parties will be so notified.”

The tax collection agency has since sought to assure that, in the interim, all steel and steel products imported will be released to importers with the right retained by the GRA to collect duties at the correct rate for the said steel and steel products.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

Page

guyana-times.com

Foundation

Dealing with cyberbullying - tips for children and parents to prevent and stop cyberbullying (PART ONE)

T

echnology means that bullying is no longer limited to schoolyards or street corners.

Cyberbullying can occur anywhere, even at home, via email, texts, cell phones, and social media websites 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with potentially hundreds of people involved. For those who suffer cyberbullying, the effects can be devastating, leaving you feeling hurt, humiliated, angry, depressed, or even suicidal. But no type of bullying should ever be tolerated. These tips can help you protect yourself or your child online and deal with the growing problem of cyberbullying.

berbullying, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. As many of one third of teenagers have suffered from cyberbullying at some time in their lives.

How cyberbullying harms

The methods children and teens use to cyberbully

tim at one point to cyberbully the next, and then back again.

The effects of cyberbullying

Any type of bullying can make you feel hurt, angry, helpless, isolated, even suicidal, or lead to problems such as depression, anxiety,

Tips for children or teens dealing with cyberbullying

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying occurs when a child or teen uses the Internet, emails, text messages, instant messaging, social media websites, online forums, chat rooms, or other digital technology to harass, threaten, or humiliate another child or teen. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying doesn’t require physical strength or face-to-face contact and isn’t limited to just a handful of witnesses at a time. Cyberbullies come in all shapes and sizes – almost anyone with an Internet connection or mobile phone can cyberbully someone else, often without having to reveal their true identity. Cyberbullies can torment their victims 24 hours a day and the bullying can follow the victim anywhere so that no place, not even home, ever feels safe, and with a few clicks the humiliation can be witnessed by hundreds or even thousands of people online.

If you or a loved one is currently the victim of cy-

can make you feel even more threatened and can embolden bullies, as they believe online anonymity means they’re less likely to get caught. Since cyberbullies can’t see your reaction, they will often go much further in their harassment or ridicule than they would do face-toface with you.

Cyberbullying can be witnessed by potentially thousands of people.

Emails can be forwarded to hundreds of people while social media posts or website comments can often be seen by anyone. The more farreaching the bullying, the more humiliating it can become.

can be as varied and imaginative as the technology they have access to. It ranges from sending threatening or taunting messages via email, text, or IM to breaking into your email account or stealing your online identity to hurt and humiliate you.

Some cyberbullies may even create a website or social media page to target you.

As with traditional bullying, both boys and girls cyberbully, but tend to do so in different ways. Boys tend to bully by “sexting” (sending messages of a sexual nature) or with messages that threaten physical harm. Girls, on the other hand, more commonly cyberbully by spreading lies and rumours, exposing your secrets, or by excluding you from emails, buddy lists, or other electronic communication. Because cyberbullying is so easy to perpetrate, a child or teen can easily change roles, going from cyberbullying vic-

and low self-esteem. In many cases, cyberbullying can be even more painful than faceto-face bullying because: Cyberbullying can happen anywhere at any time, even in places where you normally feel safe, such as your home, and at times you’d least expect, such as at

the weekend in the company of your family. It can seem like there’s no escape from the taunting and humiliation.

A lot of cyberbullying can be done anonymously, so you may not be sure who is targeting you. This

If you are targeted by cyberbullies, it’s important not to respond to any messages or posts written about you, no matter how hurtful or untrue. Responding will only make the situation worse and provoking a reaction from you is exactly what the cyberbullies want, so don’t give them the satisfaction.

It’s also very important

that you don’t seek revenge on a cyberbully by becoming a cyberbully yourself. Again, it will only make the problem worse and could result in serious legal consequences for you. If you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t say it online. (helpguide.org)

Should your child have a social media account?

- Children are focused on photos, fans, and followers – like it or not.

BY MARISA COHEN

When Audrey Slater’s daughter (we’ll call her Katie) was in third grade, she picked up her mom’s phone one day and discovered Instagram. It was love at first sight. “She begged me to let her get her own account,” recalls Slater, of Brooklyn. She resisted at first but finally gave in, and last year at age nine, Katie began posting silly selfies, videos of herself doing cartwheels, and pictures of her dog. “It’s all very age-appropriate and sweet, but I do have to keep a constant eye on her,” says Slater.

At ever-younger ages, children are asking for their own YouTube channel, Instagram account, or even to use Snapchat.

Before you say yes, here are some issues to consider.

Decide whether she’s ready

Technically, we shouldn’t even be having this discussion. According to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, it’s illegal for commercial websites and apps to allow children under age 13 to open an online account without verifiable parental consent.

“The law was created to keep companies from collecting data about children and marketing to them,” says Stephen Balkam, the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Family Online Safety Institute. Still, most children are savvy enough to get around this rule by using a parent’s email and a fake birth date, often with permission.

Besides the legal issues, however, there are the concerns about maturity. “At ages seven to 11, children are still thinking very concretely, and they haven’t yet developed the ability to consider hypothetical situations,” explains Lisa Strohman, PhD, founder and Director of the Technology Wellness Centre and coauthor of Unplug: Raising Children in a Technology Addicted World. “So an eight-year-old girl posting a video about

how to do her hair is just thinking, ‘My friends will see this and it will be great!’

She can’t take that next step and think about who else might watch that video and write mean comments or even repost it and use it to sell hair products.”

Still, it’s hard to generalise about the best age to start. “Some children may be ready to handle social media under the legal age of 13, but most probably can’t,” adds Parents advisor Michael Rich, MD, Director of the Centre on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital. “You

are the best judge of your child. Ask: Can she use it in ways that are healthy and respectful of others?”

Set the ground rules

When you do decide to let your child make his first foray into social media, approach it as if you’re taking a new swimmer to the adult pool: Go in together at first, and keep a watchful eye on him as he finds his way.

Dr Rich recommends that you join the site yourself (if you’re not on it already) and become familiar with the safety issues and its potential uses before allowing your child to jump in.

Next, make sure you have full access to your child’s account by learning his username and password, and by following him with your own account. “Not only do I follow Katie on Instagram, but so do my husband and sister,” says Slater. “I also go through her list of followers every couple of weeks to make sure they are all people she knows in real life.”

(If they’re not, Slater logs in and blocks them.)

(Parents.com)

TO BE CONTINUED

NEWS

7

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

GuySuCo records $6B Teen chopped to death at wedding house brawl deficit in 6 months A T he Guyana Sugar C o r p o r a t i o n (GuySuco) has already recorded a whopping $6 billion deficit in its accounts for the first half of 2016, but this is being masked by a $9 billion subsidy that was handed to the beleaguered entity by Government.

In fact, while the $9 billion transferred was earmarked for the Corporation to be disbursed for the entire year, all of the money has already been transferred.

This information is contained in the recently released mid-year report on the nation’s accounts by Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

The Minister said the reason the entire $9 billion earmarked for GuySuCo for the whole year was disbursed in its entirety by the end of June 2016, is “because of a deterioration in the Corporation’s cash balances that was due to a severe shortfall in production.”

The subsidy that was transferred to GuySuCo has in fact allowed the company to record in its books an operating surplus of $2.9 billion, down from an operating surplus of $3 billion for the same period last year.

“This surplus is inflated by a $9 billion transfer from the Central Government to finance operations… without this transfer; GuySuco true position would be a deficit of $6 billion.”

The Finance Minister has since said that in the future, all central Government transfers will be shown as financing, instead of being included as part of revenues.

He noted too that the industry continues to be plagued by many problems.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

According to the Minister Jordan, GuySuCo has taken several steps to address some of its challenges, including negotiating with UK-based Tate and Lyle for better prices for sales to the European Union’s market; pursuing studies to inform diversification into areas such as other crops, fruits, aquaculture, rice, dairy and livestock to reduce dependence on sugar; and rationalising its operations for increased efficiency and productivity.

The dismal performance of the sugar industry has since flagged as a domestic risk to the real, external, and fiscal sector.

Minister Jordan notes that while Government’s involvement has kept the rice and sugar industries afloat, it has also shielded them from market conditions that would otherwise force the industries to reform or innovate. According to Jordan, the lack of alignment between production costs and prices typically results in the destabilisation of revenues and the eventual need for Government support packages.

“This is exemplified in the case of GuySuCo, where constant demands for transfers continue to crowd out other priority Public Sector expenditure.”

The inefficiencies, he said, compromises GuySuCo’s ability to compete globally, while at the same time continuing to face growing competition from alternative sweeteners and sugar substitutes.

It was noted that the rice and sugar industries make up a consequential portion of Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), “so their performance has important implications for growth.”

He said too that the two industries also make up a large share of exports, and reduced export earnings from these industries could negatively affect reserves and the balance of payments.

According to Jordan, “In the short run, GuySuCo in particular, poses a large risk to the Government’s fiscal position.”

He said if sugar production fails to improve in the second half of 2016, GuySuCo may face financial strain that will lead to requests to the Government for further transfers, on top of the $9 billion it has already received in the first half of the year.

The Minister did point out also that despite the risk posed by the rice and sugar industries, the agricultural sector still holds potential for development, and the Government is working to improve the robustness of the sector by improving the competitiveness of both crops and increasing diversity.

n argument over a girl resulted in the chopping to death of a boy at Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, last Sunday evening.

Dead is Devanand Sanichar, 13, of Lot 83-84 Plantain Walk West Half, Beterverwagting, ECD. Based on initial investigations, Sanichar, who would have celebrated his 14th birthday in a month’s time, was at a wedding house in the area when he got into a fight with a group of men over a young lady.

He subsequently left and returned with a cutlass.

The argument escalated and one of the men relieved him of the cutlass and dealt him a chop to his head.

Sanichar reportedly fell and was severely beaten with pieces of wood by the group.

When Guyana Times visited the home of the dead boy on Monday, his inconsolable mother Sukhdhai Sanichar was being comforted by relatives. She managed to tell this newspaper that the prime suspect was a friend of her deceased son.

“He come and call for meh son on Sunday…he did drunk …so I tell he that meh son wasn’t at home. We went at the wedding house and the same boy come to meh son and tell he to reach he outside,” the woman stated.

However, her son left the wedding house and after a short time, she recalled her brother-in-law waving to her from the gate and

Dead: Devanand Sanichar

she thought something was amidst.

As she reached the gate, she was told that her son was lying on the roadway in a pool of blood.

In tears, she related that she ran to the area and saw her son lying and attempted to hold him but was told that he was dead and she could not touch the body.

“He had a chop on he head and like a nail mark to he neck… blood went all ova,” she recalled.

However, the family later received information that another friend of the dead boy was among the group that beat and killed him.

That friend has since been taken into custody and has led the Police to the others who were involved in the incident.

At present, four teenagers are in custody, but the alleged prime suspect referred to as “James”, is still on the run. The aggrieved mother is calling for justice for her eldest son, who assisted the family financially.

Sanichar dropped out of school six months ago and sometimes worked with his father. She described her son as a quiet person and was not sure what transpired on the fateful night.

One woman told Guyana Times that she was at home when she heard the screams and as she looked out, she saw the young man’s body on the roadway.

At the scene, there were several pieces of wood, which might have been used to beat the teenager.

The Police have confirmed that persons are in custody assisting with investigations.

The dead boy leaves to mourn his parents and three siblings. (Bhisham Mohamed)

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

IN THE COURTS

Eyew tness Barber on bail for death threat A

barber and information technology technician, who was accused of subjecting one of his neighbours to regular verbal abuse and death threats, was Monday granted $15,000 bail when he appeared at the Wales Magistrate’s Court.

Dereck Hunte, 22, of Lot 441 Onderneeming, Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, denied the allegations which stated that on August 11, he threatened Petal Odie of Lot 385 Onderneeming, WBD. According to the Prosecution’s case, the barber constantly threatens to kill the Odie.

The court heard that on the day in question, Odie was at home when the defendant approached her,

Dereck Hunte (centre) was bailed for issuing death threats against his neighbour

which caused an argument between the two. He was said to have uttered a series of expletives, which preced-

ed his ghastly declaration: “I’m gonna kill her!”

The court also heard that Odie feared for her life,

which propelled her to report the matter at the La Grange Police Station.

When presiding Magistrate Clive Nurse asked the defendant if he agreed to the evidence as presented by the Prosecution, he appeared not to have comprehended the facts.

“I wasn’t listening,” expressed the defendant, who showed some seeming difficulty in answering the questions the Magistrate posited.

After reviewing the particulars of the case, Nurse placed the defendant on a bond to keep the peace for the duration of the court matter.

Hunte will make his next court appearance on August 29.

American woman jailed for 18 months

A

United States of America citizen on Monday was jailed for 18 months when she appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts slapped with one count of forgery and one of fraud.

Stacy Hamilton, 44, originally of Texas, USA, pleaded guilty to both offences when Magistrate Fabayo Azore read the charges to her.

The first charge stated that between January 1, 2015 and August 12, 2016 at Georgetown, she conspired with persons to forge one passport in favour of

Tara Ashley Vaughn, reporting that same was issued by an immigration officer.

The second charge read that on August 12, 2016 at Lethem, with intent to defraud, the defendant reported to Steven Williams that the passport was issued by the immigration office.

The Prosecution contended that on the day in questioned, Hamilton was intercepted at Lethem as she was attempting to travel to Brazil with the forged passport.

Her passport was checked and she was arrest-

A

to an assault charge.

It was alleged that on August 13, Hardatt (only name given), 42, of Lot

Stacy Hamilton

ed and told of the offence af-

ter which she was charged.

She told officers that she bought the passport from an unidentified person for a sum of US$1500.

Her attorney Paul Funga-Fat in a plea of mitigation begged the Magistrate that she not be given a custodial sentenced as she have been living in Guyana for the past year and a half.

However, the Magistrate said that a fine will not be given as the matter is a serious one, as such she handed down her sentence.

The defendant is to be deported after serving her time in prison.

WBD carpenter charged for assault

West Bank Demerara carpenter appeared at the Wales Magistrate’s Court on Monday to answer

3729 Westminster, Parfaite Harmonie, WBD, assaulted Ramnarine, at Westminster.

The father of three en-

tered a not guilty plea and was granted $10,000 bail.

The case will continue on August 29.

Where's the idealism...

Y

...after Indian Independence?

esterday was the 69th anniversary of Indian Independence...and that of Pakistan also. Nobody makes a big deal about it any longer...but it was a big deal at the time. The British boasted that the "sun never sets on the British Empire"...but India and Pakistan's independence unleashed a wave of nationalism in all the other colonies that ensured before two decades were passed, there would pretty be no more British Empire!

The sun had set!!

We can see India's influence on the names of so many political parties across the Empire - from South Africa to Guyana - that adopted "Congress" from the trailblazing Indian National Congress that led India to independence. If they could do it...each other colony was sure that it was only a matter of time before they too were "Independent".

The British had been caught in their own artifice as they tried to convince the world that while they'd enslaved millions to accumulate capital for "Mother England", and had freed them for "humans train" reasons, they were now going to deliver "independence" for the same reason. They were soooo kind!!

Point of the matter is as usual it all had to do with the accumulation of more wealth for the “Mother Land" from the natives. After slavery, the British had undermined the bargaining power of the slaves by bringing in indentured labourers - WHO WERE WILLING TO WORK FOR LESS MONEY THAT THE EX-SLAVES!! Sugar production increased with the indentureds and made "Emancipation" a cruel hoax.

And so would be independence. After all, even India the trail-blazer is finally pulling itself out of the rut they were left when the British departed. They had no industry to speak of for the simple reason that the manufacturing of their major export to the world in the seventeenth century - cotton fabrics - was transferred to England and India ended up importing cotton fabrics from England. And so on and so forth!

And so when it was time for us to be "granted" independence in 1966, nothing had changed here.

Don't even talk about manufacturing aluminium from all the bauxite we had. Even though we had more hydropower that Niagara Falls which the Canadians used in their transmutation of bauxite into aluminium.

We'd been shipping sugar for centuries to Holland and England where they were refined into which sugar that commanded a higher price. We still don't have a refinery!!

So while we have a fancy word for the condition, popularised by Walter Rodney - "underdevelopment", what have we done to get out of it? Imagine the Muckraker's upset we're now importing "tamarind balls" - they used to be called "Burnham Balls”, back in the day!!

...in staffing the state

While we may knock the British for a lot of things, we have to admit their Civil Servants, Administrators and Department Heads were professionals who worked according to strict bureaucratic standards. "I's" had to be dotted and "t's" had to be crossed.

In the estimation of your humble Eyewitness, this is one area in which we have failed abysmally and our continued occupation of the degraded position as just above Haiti in the Hemisphere for decades after "Independence", illustrates the point.

Thing is every leader, from Burnham to the present lot, wants to have their own sycophants to be at their beck and call, which means never having the testicular fortitude to tell the leaders what's really going down.

Even it could be the ship of state about to crash into an iceberg of irrelevant policies. Just look at all the military types flooding the government.

Are we expecting Venezuela to circle around our Maginot line?

...on the smell test

It used to be there was a "smell test" in governance.

If it smells rotten, looks rotten and tastes rotten, then it's goddamn well rotten!!

So could we apply the smell test for Norton AND the Cabinet reviewing its own decision??!

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

NEWS

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Walter Roth Museum

Decision to relocate not a whimsical move – President Granger

P

resident David Granger on Monday justified the Government’s decision for the removal of the Walter Roth Museum from its Main Street, Georgetown location to the Guyana National Museum. He insisted that the move was not “whimsical” but was made on the basis of organisational changes in the administration.

The museum – which is the oldest museum of anthropology in the Englishspeaking Caribbean – will be moved to the western wing of the National Museum.

President Granger stated that he does not view the removal of the museum from the heritage building as a “problem but as an improvement”. He assured that there will be no damage to the artefacts or documents that are housed in the building.

“It is an administrative decision which was made because of organisational changes in Government,” he said, adding that the establishment of the Ministry of Presidency Department of Environment has brought on the need for more space.

He stated that there is no need for worry since the new housing arrangement will

The Walter Roth Museum

be up to international standard.

“It is not tumbling out.

It is an improvement…if it could have been avoided we would have avoided it but we need to deploy staff from the Ministry of Presidency,” he noted, explaining that the merge of the two museums would improve access to the exhibits.

He also stated that it is quite likely that he will be working from one of those departments, hinting that the department of protocol might be one of those departments.

In an invited comment on the issue, Former Culture Youth and Sport

Minister Dr Frank Anthony had stated that the National Museum was already overcrowded with its own artefacts. He said that instead of dismantling the Walter Roth, its heritage should be preserved.

“We have to see what this is all about…it is an institution and instead of dismantling it, we have to be preserving it and growing it because it has a very important role to play in Guyana,” he said.

Dr Anthony said he does not think the President is aware of the space the National Museum has, since it has been overcrowded with its artefacts: “They

Ramjattan, Police...

When asked if he will support a review of firearm licences, Rohee answered in the affirmative, but cautioned that the review must be done by the legal authority, the Firearm Licensing Approval Board.

“I won’t be opposed to the review, once it is done by the right persons and that’s the responsibility of the board. It should never be a Minister cherry-picking who should get licences,” Rohee stressed.

He added that when li-

cences come up for renewal, there are possibilities for those to be reviewed.

The former Home Affairs Minister said a system has already been established at the Ministry through which licences could be reviewed.

The issue of reviews and possible revocation of some firearm licences has always been on the table, but gained momentum in November 2013 when a Middle Street, Georgetown miner, Deryk Kanhai, went on a murderous rampage, killing

FROM PAGE 3

four persons, including two Policemen with his licensed shotgun, before lawmen cut him down.

However, after a few months, the debate on gun control simmered and came to the fore again last week after an elderly North Road, Georgetown miner, 73-yearold Theodore Adams, called “Totie”, used his licensed shotgun to shoot his wife, Sarojini Warnauth, 42, in her mouth, before taking his own life with the weapon.

cannot display their current holdings because there is a lack of space and to move an entire museum and somehow cram it into the space of the National Museum, I don’t think that is possible.”

Dr Anthony added that if it is true that the President wanted all the muse-

ums in one place then the Government would have to build another building and he does not believe that they are rebuilding the current museum, and “if they are doing that, where are they getting the budget from because there was no budget voted in 2016 for it.”

The Walter Roth Museum was established in 1974 but did not open to the public until 1982. It is located on Main Street, Georgetown. It is famous for its journals in some of the leading universities of the world.

However, President Granger assured that there will be no damage to the pieces in the museum but it will be moved to the other building which will meet international standards.

Walter Roth museum was founded with the collections of Guyanese Archaeologist, Dr Denis

President David Granger

Williams and in 1980, the ethnographic collections of Dr Walter Roth, JJ Quelch and Sir Everardim Thurn were transferred to the museum from the National Museum. The museum’s collections also include subterranean artefacts from all 10 Administrative Regions.

Gunmen invade WCD business

T

wo armed men on Sunday evening attacked and robbed a West Coast Demerara businessman and his wife as they were about to close their business.

Investigations revealed that at about 20:00h, Lennox Albert,

59, and his wife Verna Albert, 68, of Nouvelle Flanders Village, WCD were about to close their business when they were attached by two men, one of whom was armed with a firearm.

The men relieved the couple of $500,000 in

cash, a quantity of colognes and a .32 pistol with five matching rounds of ammunition belonging to the businessman. The bandits then made good their escape on foot.

No one has as yet been arrested as Police continue their investigations.

10

guyana-times.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

News

Police hunt prime suspect in murder of 14-year-old

D

etectives in C Division (East Coast Demerara) are now hunting an East Coast Demerara man for questioning in connection with the murder of Malika Hamilton, whose body was fished out of a canal at Hope, ECD. This is according to acting Crime Chief Hugh Jessamy, who said that based on diligent work the detectives were able to narrow down a list of names to one suspect.

It is believe that the man might have fled the area since visits to his home to arrest him, proved futile.

The acting crime chief added that Police will soon issue a wanted bulletin for him.

On Friday the post-mortem proved that the teen

Murdered: Malika Hamilton

was strangled and sustained blunt force trauma to the head. It is believed that the teenager might have been strangled and struck to the head before she was

thrown into the canal.

Due to the fact that the post-mortem revealed that she drowned, it means she was alive when she was thrown into the canal.

Young Hamilton of Lot 11 Two Friends Village, ECD, was last seen in the company of two boys; however, the boys reportedly told her family that they dropped her off at a canal in the village, claiming that she wanted to visit her grandmother.

Hamilton never showed up and after several calls to family enquiring of her whereabouts, the matter was reported to the Police.

The family then launched a search on Monday evening but came up empty handed.

The search resumed on Tuesday and it was then the discovery was made and the body was immediately pulled from the canal.

Relatives had immediately suspected that foul play was involved.

Indian Identity

L

ast week, I addressed Indian identity formation in the Caribbean where Indians have been a minority population and argued that in these countries Indians have retained practically no cultural characteristics from their ancestor homeland. Instead, they have become creolised, displaying more commonalities with Caribbean Africans.

In this column, I will show that although some creolisation has occurred amongst the more urban-oriented Indians in Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname, the identity formation of Indians in these aforesaid countries has been different from indenture to independence.

The word independence here implies “freedom� from the yoke of indenture and colonialism, although technically Indians in the Caribbean have been dragging the chains of indenture and suffering from the impact and bouts of external and internal colonialism on their daily lives.

Some may ask why Indian indentured labourers were favoured more in Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname and not so much in St Lucia and St Vincent, for Dr Lomarsh Roopnarine example.

The answer is that the planters were more determined to carry on with plantation agriculture after slavery in the expansive land space in Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname than in the smaller islands.

There were also economic and ideological reasons such as to ensure planter safety and security through the policy of divide and rule.

Whatever might have been their reasons for Indians coming to these countries rather than to other countries, one event is certain.

That is, the continuous arrival of Indians led to them forming the majority population, which in turn, invariably produced some natural social dynamics, although some were consciously purposeful.

Indians formed what can be described sociologically as weness, meaning that they maintained, reconstructed and modified their ancestral culture while assimilated selectively to their new and semiwesternised environment.

This sort of a hybrid identity was possible because Indians were isolated from the wider society, because Indians began to acquire land and because Indian numbers grew steadily. These characteristics provided a deep anchorage for cultural persistence, selective cultural assimilation, and cultural resistance, hence identity formation amongst them along these social lines.

However, and like in the islands where Indians were a minority, the Indian caste system was transformed into a class system, although this process went through a stage when elements of both social structures were combined to form a unique Indian identity never seen before in Guyana.

This cultural process is not even mentioned in the tons of literature on Indians in Guyana and elsewhere. It is believed that Indians jumped from caste to class. What is also missing in the literature is that during indenture Indians developed an internal social structure and system that was analogous to the Euro-African plantation system in terms of social and economic divisions, which arguably, is still visibly present. Can one any seriously deny that there exists in Guyana a serious division between Indian elites and Indian masses?

The focus question and concern here is not whether Indian identity has experienced change during and after indenture but rather how much of it has changed, and to what degree and in what direction? The argument on the how Indian identity has evolved has unfortunately been flat for some time based on the over used binary opposite thought of cultural loss and cultural creativity in an ever conflict-habituated plantation domain.

Sociologists A Niehoff and M Klass argued over forty years ago that in spite of pressure to change, Indians were determined to maintain their identity in the Caribbean.

Displacement from India and isolation in the Caribbean provided opportunities, not obstacles, in the struggle for cultural retention and persistence. By contrast sociologist J Nevadomsky argued that the dire need to respond and react to local conditions in the Caribbean in order to survive caused much change in Indian social structure.

That Indian ancestral identity changed amidst some retention during and after indenture is hardly surprising. The Caribbean plantation was a fertile place where conditions and thought patterns were challenged, reconstructed, and re-evaluated—as evidenced during slavery.

Immigrant labouring groups, forced or free, had to conform or contribute to the regimen of plantation life, which produced patterns of cultural change and continuity. Moreover, it would be myopic to conclude that Indian culture and identity is a monolithic entity with firm boundaries.

While the above existing literature has contributed to the understanding of how Indian identity has evolved, there have not been many new convincing trends and thoughts on Indian identity formation.

What has happened because of this limitation is that there has been the repetition of the cultural loss/retention theories without new and meaningful analyses as well as misconceptions of Indians in Guyana, namely that Indians vote for the PPP, Indians are country people, and Indians are stoic to non-Indian customs.

Next week, I will address Indian ethno-local identity in Guyana. (lomarsh.roopnarine@jsums.edu)

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

guyana-times.com

11

News

Jordan challenges Jagdeo on long-term development plans

F

inance Minister Winston Jordan called on Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to tell the people where his long-term development plan for Guyana was, when the PPP/C served 23 years as the Government.

Jagdeo had stated that in light of the failing economy, the Government has not introduced any long- or shortterm plan.

He said the APNU/AFC Administration needs to address the waning situation where the economy is in a nose-dive for the worse, and to stop denying

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

the situation.

He explained that the coalition has been in govern-

ment for one year and three month but it has failed to both publicise and/or imple-

ment any short- or long-term plans which would build and strengthen Guyana’s economy.

Jordan told the media on Monday: “We don’t expect him to say the Government is doing anything perfect… his job is to oppose what we are doing.”

He challenged reporters to probe Jagdeo about whether billions pumped into the economy in the last 23 years was evident with the state of the country preelection 2015.

He argued that the previous Administration never

produced a long-term development plan in the country.

Jagdeo had stated that government should define its long-term goal for the country, and outline where it is going to be in five/ten years’ time, and the policy measures it will need to implement to get there.

“There’s no long-term plan, there’s no short-term plan, this government acts capriciously,” Jagdeo argued and said that there are no programmes or policies to define the administration’s strategy but stressed that with sound policies the chal-

lenges present in today’s economy could be overcome.

The Opposition Leader pointed out that the APNU/ AFC coalition should not depend mostly on the profits of oil in Guyana to help stabilise and boost the economy: “We are enjoying a period of relative calm and basically good prices but these are going to turn against us again…prices are going to climb back in the future for fossil fuel…We have no plan, and we are not even making short-term investment plans,” he also explained.

President assures State will find employment for youths P

resident David Granger on Monday shelved assertions made by critics that his Government has gone back on their promise to generate employment, especially for youths. He stated that the Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development Initiative (SLED) is proof that they are doing something good.

The President insisted that the Administration has re-embarked on a strategy to prepare youths for the world of work, highlighting the SLED initiative emphasises the Government’s policy by encouraging entrepreneurship, particularly for the youths.

“It contradicts the criticisms that this Administration has no plan

for the unemployed and the underemployed,” he said, while delivering his key note address at the award ceremony for trainees of the SLED initiative at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre. President Granger stated that the SLED initiative re-enforces the Administration’s efforts to harness economic development in communities.

Of recent, the Government, which was put into office via a pro-youth platform with promises of employment of thousands, has come under heavy criticism about its 180 degree turn from its 2015 election manifesto promise.

President Granger himself had announced that creating jobs for people was not the Government’s business,

a line which was echoed by Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

“Job seekers should go to the small business place and start a business instead of looking for a job,” Jordan was quoted as saying.

However, the Government took a sudden turn on Monday when Granger declared that if employment; the principal means for people to escape from poverty; is unavailable, then the youths will tumble.

“This Administration is committed to generating employment. The pre-independence Administration decried a legacy of youth unemployment,” he noted, stating that there were many attempts by that Government to train young people for the world of work.

TURN TO PAGE 13

President David Granger speaking with a Region Three entrepreneur about his products on display on Monday

12 NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

JSC appoints unqualified, inexperienced Deeds Registrar – AG … says move is to disrupt smooth flow of registries

A

ttorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams on Monday lashed back at People’s Progressive Party Member of Parliament, Anil Nandlall,

who accused him of usurping the work of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and its appointment of a Deeds Registrar, when the governing board already had someone to fill the po-

sition.

There is some controversy brewing over the appointment of the Registrar by Head of the Judicial Service Commission, Justice Carl Singh, and the stance taken

by the Attorney General’s office to disrupt that appointment.

The Attorney General has accused the JSC of moving up Attorney Zanna Frank from her position as Deputy Deeds Registrar, replacing the Registrar who proceeded on leave at the end of July. He also accused the JSC of going against its own requirement when it appointed Frank, although she did not meet the conditions.

“Ms Zanna Frank does not meet those qualifications and requirements.

She had not been in practice even for two years. And she does not therefore meet the requirement to satisfy the requirement of being appointed Deputy Registrar by the JSC. So that by appointing Ms Frank Deputy Registrar with only a year plus experience, means the JSC was acting excessively and without their jurisdiction,” Williams told journalists at his office on Monday.

According to him, the requirement set out by the JSC was that the applicant must have at least three years experience as a lawyer or service in the any of the registries. He said Frank had none and it was surprising that a person who was not even considered to become a State Prosecutor had moved through the lines to become Deeds Registrar.

“Ms Frank is being manipulated and being used as a pawn to streamline the registries of Guyana, in particular the Deeds and Commercial Registry that is an autonomous body headed by the Attorney General”.

Williams said he was not even aware of the appointment and that a letter sent to the Chief Justice

Attorney General Basil Williams

addressing the issue has not yet been responded to.

According to him, the Deeds and Commercial Registry Board had already identified Penny White, who has had almost 30 years of service, to be appointed Registrar.

He said it is clear that there is some concoction disrupting the smooth function of the registry office.

He said when he became Minister and Attorney General, the authority had agreed that it would look into the criteria for employment and that applicants must have some years of experience. He listed several persons who have been serving in the department for decades. According to Williams, staff members of the Deeds and Commercial Registry have made numerous complaints of having to teach and mould young lawyers who come into the system, and who knew nothing about the Deeds Registry, for them to head the department. That, he said, had to be addressed immediately.

According to Nandall, the Judicial Service Commission back in 2014, appointed Frank to the position of Deputy Registrar of Deeds in accordance

with Article 199 of the Constitution. This appointment was made after an application was received to fill that position and an interview was conducted by members of the JSC on the March 22, 2016.

He said the Registrar of Deeds proceeded on her annual leave at the end of July 2016 and that the Attorney General has since purported to appoint another person not as “fractionally qualified as Ms Frank to perform the functions of Deputy Registrar of Deeds bearing the purported title of ‘Deputy Registrar of Deeds (acting)’”.

He said the Registry staff had been instructed that that person must perform the functions of the Registrar of Deeds in her absence and not the appointee of the Judicial Service Commission. In fact, Nandalll said instructions have been handed down that the appointee of the JSC must not be placed upon the payroll and, as a result, this young lady is yet to receive a salary.

Nandlall said Williams’ action not only undermines the independence of an important constitutional institution, but also interferes with the functional autonomy of a statutory corporate body, the Deeds and Commercial Registry, which is managed by a Board of Directors in accordance with the provisions of the Deeds and Commercial Registry Act. This trampling upon the Constitution and violation of the rule of law come from the State’s functionary whose responsibility is to advise Government to comply with the Constitution and uphold the rule of law.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

City Hall unveils restored Peace Pole

T

The restored Peace Pole

he Mayor and City Council conducted a restoration unveiling ceremony of the Peace Pole in the compound of City Hall on Monday.

The restored structure

was unveiled by the Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase Green, President of the American University of Research, Dr Eton Simon, Imaam Shaheed Mohamed, Prabhupada Deva Parabhu

and Pastor Ronald McGarrell.

Addressing the small gathering, Simon said: “When I came here in 2001, I met with the Mayor Hamilton Green and we spoke about planting a Peace Pole in the compound of City Hall. He agreed and we got support from many other members of the Mayor and City Council.”

Simon stated that upon his return to Guyana this year, he suggested to the present Mayor Patricia Chase Green, to have the Peace Pole restored and within 15 days, it was complete.

In his peace pilgrim’s message, Simon relayed: “People in their immaturity, attempt to overcome evil with more evil and that multiplies the evil.

Only good can overcome evil.

There is within the hearts of people, deep desire for peace and they would speak for peace if they were not bound by apathy, by ignorance, by fear. It is the job of the peace-

makers to inspire them from their apathy. To dispel their ignorance with truth. To allay their fear with faith and work for good.” Mayor Chase Green expressed appreciation towards the refurbished concrete structure and highlighted that Peace Poles were planted around the City of Georgetown in 2004. “Over the years, we noticed that the one at City Hall had started to deteriorate, and I sometimes wonder if the deterioration of the pole was a deterioration of the peace at City Hall, but now its restored and I’m certain that peace, peace perfect peace, will be restored at City Hall.”Chase Green further stated that in the journey to restore Georgetown to the former Garden City, she aimed to advocate peace, adding that “peace is a light that we will always need to make our differences find common ground and to make our diverse goals into a single purpose.”

President assures State...

FROM PAGE 11

He stated that since its election into office, the Administration has funded several youth development projects aimed at generating employment through entrepreneurship capacity building.

The Administration, he said, in order to reduce unemployment, also launched the billion-dollar youth employment programme in the hinterlands, which saw 2000 young people in 106 communities being able to access knowledge and grants for entrepreneurship.

He added that their aim is to establish a youth enterprise network in every town, not only in Linden.

“SLED, the HEYS and the LEN are all part of this Administration’s grand strategy to employ young people,” he said, noting that the strat-

egy stands on a bipod of education and entrepreneurship.

He stated that the Government is cognisant that education unlocks opportunities for young people and that employers would often complain that young applicants do no posses the skills to fill vacancies. Therefore, he indicated that it is vital to improve education and training for those who did not do well in their examinations.

He stated that the Central Recruitment and Man Power Agency, which is part of Social Protection Ministry, registered 3430 job seekers in 2015 and placement was found for 89 per cent of them.

“The State will do all things necessary to find employment for the youths, public service together with the Private Sector and foreign companies must combine

their energies to generate more employment,” he added.

On the other end, Member of Parliament Irfaan Ali, has stated that based on the Government’s previous stance that they are not accountable for generating employment, it is absolutely clear that they “have no intention of fulfilling its promise to the youth by providing them with better paying jobs that would offer the kind of satisfaction our Ministers enjoy from the 50 per cent increase in salary. Instead the coalition Government seems to be more interested in deluding the youths again by parroting ‘entrepreneurship’ as the panacea for youth unemployment.”

He said, while one cannot dispute that entrepreneurship may help in reducing unemployment in Guyana, it

should be noted that the government is simply loud on the rhetoric but silent with on offering fiscal and other measures to assist entrepreneurs and small businesses.

SLED works by distributing interest-free cash grants to registered groups and associations, needing the economic boost to improve their economic enterprises. SLED also works with non-profit organisations, like the Canadian funded Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED), to provide training and capacity building to beneficiaries of the grants.

Kitty Market restoration progresses

November deadline not likely as materials limited – Foreman

City Hall says the Kitty Market is scheduled for completion on November 1

By Ramona Luthi

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espite the visible progress made in the restoration of the Kitty Market Guyana Times was informed on Monday, by the foreman of the construction workers that the overall slow pace of restoration was due to the lack of materials provided.

According to the foreman, who preferred not to be identified, the original deadline set for the completion of the Kitty Market rehabilitation, in time for Guyana’s Jubilee celebrations in May, would have been possible if the materials were being provided consistently.

“To my estimation, this work could’a finish for the 50th anniversary, if we had gotten the materials on time,” the emphasised to this publication.

He highlighted that due to continuously “running out” of materials, he is unable to uphold the announcement by City Hall that the

Kitty Market is scheduled for completion on November 1.

“That is a thing I can’t answer. I could give a deadline if the materials coming how it expected to come. But I can’t do that,” he stated.

The Kitty Market rehabilitation began in February of this year and the initial deadline was announced for Guyana’s Jubilee Anniversary in May; however, construction was halted, causing many persons to speculate that the Mayor and City Council had become cash-strapped and was unable to pay contractors for the restoration.

This speculation was later confirmed by the Mayor of Georgetown, Patricia Chase Green.

Restoration recommenced in July and during a statutory meeting last Monday, Town Clerk of Georgetown Royston King declared that the new completion deadline is November 1, 2016.

14

guyana-times.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

Regional

US actor, Jamaican sprinter to Up to 16 people abducted from Mexican beach resort restaurant receive honorary UWI degrees

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Puerto Vallarta became a destination for American tourists in the 1950s after it was visited by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

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rmed men burst into a restaurant in the Mexican beach resort of Puerto Vallarta and abducted as many as 16 customers early on Monday, according to local authorities.

Prosecutors in the western state of Jalisco said that around 1am local time, the gunmen entered a restaurant called La Leche on the resort city’s main boulevard, bundled the victims into SUVs and sped away.

At a news conference, Jalisco state prosecutor

Eduardo Almaguer said the preliminary results of the investigation indicated that all the victims were members of “criminal organizations”.

“They were not tourists or residents who work in legal activities,” Almaguer said. “They were people tied to a criminal group we can very clearly presume.”

He said authorities believe they know which groups were involved, but declined to name them.

Witnesses reported that

four women in the targeted group were not taken by the gunmen, he said. He said authorities were looking for those women.

All of those abducted were from the western states of Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco, Almaguer said.

Five vehicles, including a Jeep, Land Rover and a Cadillac Escalade, were left at the restaurant, but it was unknown if any belonged to the victims or attackers.

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

Shallow 5.3 quake in southern Peru kills at least 4

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5.3 magnitude shallow earthquake killed at least four people and injured more than two dozen when it rocked a copper-producing region late on Sunday, authorities said.

The quake was eight kilometers (five miles) deep in the Caylloma province of the Andean region Arequipa and aftershocks continued to shake the region on Monday, the Geophysical Institute of Peru said. The USGS reported the earthquake as having a 5.4 magnitude.

The Caylloma province is home to Peru’s Colca

Canyon, one of the deepest in the world and a popular draw for trekkers.

A 66-year-old US man was among four confirmed casualties, the National Civil Defence Institute said.

Preliminary reports from affected areas indicated eight people may have been killed as dozens of homes collapsed in three towns, Arequipa Governor Yamilia Osorio said on local broadcaster RPP. Phone lines and electrical service were down and roads were blocked by landslides, provincial Mayor

Romulo Tinta said on RPP on Monday.

Southern Copper Corp said its two copper mines and smelter in Arequipa were unaffected by the quake. Representatives of Freeport McMoRan Inc’s Cerro Verde copper mine in Arequipa could not immediately be reached for comment.

Vice President Martin Vizcarra traveled to Caylloma to oversee the distribution of humanitarian aide, President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said on Twitter.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Grenada becomes embroiled in Caribbean knighthoods scandal

(L-R): Baroness Patricia Scotland; Grenada Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell; and Anthony Bailey

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ollowing allegations that British public relations consultant Anthony Bailey used promises of donations and unofficial honours to obtain a knighthood in Antigua and Barbuda, accusations have now surfaced that he also obtained a knighthood from Grenada in similar circumstances.

According to an article

by Ned Donovan in Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper, the Commonwealth

Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland is also facing further embarrassment over her links to Bailey, who has referred to her as one of his “dear friends”.

Officials at Buckingham Palace have repeatedly warned Bailey, who calls himself “Sir Anthony”, to stop masquerading as a British knight on the basis of his Antigua and Barbuda honour. British citizens with foreign knighthoods are not allowed to use their titles in the

UK. Bailey received a knighthood from the Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda in 2014, in a process one contemporaneous fellow recipient called “irregular”.

Now a second knighthood he was granted by Grenada is being investigated, amid accusations that it violated the country’s laws. Last November Bailey obtained his second Caribbean “knighthood” from the Governor General of Grenada, Dame Cécile La Grenade, in what was officially billed as an “exchange of honours”, in which he awarded her the blue sash of Constantinian Grand Cross with Gold Star.

However, under the Grenadian Honours Act, only two people can receive knighthoods each year, but Bailey managed to obtain four for himself and his allies in one day, The Mail on Sunday reported.(Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

ormer independent senator, Reverend Daniel Teelucksingh; Jamaican sprinter ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce; and Caribbean Journalist Richard Anthony Best, are among 11 people selected to receive honorary degrees in October from The University of the West Indies.

Teelucksingh expressed surprise at the news and said he felt humbled and honoured to be among those who will be recipients of the honorary degrees.

In a statement, UWI said the degrees will be awarded

by Chancellor, Sir George

Alleyne during the 2016 graduation ceremonies, which will kick off at the Open Campus in St Kitts and Nevis, on October 8. This will be followed by the Cave Hill campus in Barbados on October 15, the St Augustine campus, on October 20-22, and will conclude with the Mona Campus, Jamaica, on October 28-29.

The decision to confer the degrees was confirmed at the annual meeting of The UWI’s University Council held earlier this year. People of eminence in the arts and sciences or other fields of intellectual endeavour, or

people who have made outstanding regional or international contributions are usually conferred with honorary degrees at the graduation ceremonies.

Other awardees are Antiguan family physician, Dr Sir Prince Ramsey; Dr Carol Jacobs; Dr Carissa Etienne; Professor Lorna Goodison; Sir Trevor Austin Carmichael; American actor and film Director Daniel Lebern “Danny” Glover; Professor KE Bingsheng; and local steelpan arranger Anthony Williams. (Excerpt from

Trinidad Guardian)

Venezuela envoy disputes UN chief’s “humanitarian crisis” remarks

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e n e z u e l a ’ s Ambassador to the UN, Rafael Ramirez, has denied there is a humanitarian crisis in his country.

He said comments made

by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to that effect last week were “wrong”. Ban said he was “very worried” by the “humanitarian crisis” in Venezuela. He said it was caused by “political instability”.

Venezuela is in the grip of a severe economic crisis which has led to shortages of basic goods. At the weekend, almost 150,000 peo-

ple crossed from Venezuela into Colombia to buy food and medicine, according to Colombian migration officials.

Long queues formed on Saturday before dawn to take advantage of the 12hour daily window in which pedestrians are allowed to cross. The re-opening of the border on Saturday was agreed just days earlier by Colombian leader Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.

The shortage of basic items has become so severe,

Ban described it as humanitarian crisis. “This triggers a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela which is created by political instability,” Ban added.

But Ramirez called Ban’s description “strange” and questioned where the UN secretary-general got his information. “We have problems here, but it’s nowhere near a humanitarian crisis,” he said. He also said that President Maduro would speak to Mr Ban in September during a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Caracas. (Excerpt

from BBC News)

Bahamas Police seize more than US$5M in cocaine

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olice say they have seized an estimated US$5 million in drugs following an operation at the Freeport Container Port over the weekend.

Law enforcement officers in Grand Bahama acting on a tip-off went to the Freeport

Container Port on Friday and conducted a search of a 20-foot container where they discovered seven duffel bags of suspected cocaine.

The bags weighed 253 pounds and the drugs had a street value of over US$5 million.

Police said no one was arrest and that investigations were continuing.

They said they were urging the public “who may have any information… no matter how small or insignificant” to contact them.

(Jamaica Observer)

Jamaica: Minister launches mobile post office

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inister of Science, Energy and Technology Dr Andrew Wheatley on Friday officially launched the mobile post office service in the community of Steer Town, St Ann. The mobile post office is an initiative of the Postal Corporation of Jamaica and is expected to serve more than 50 communities and adjoining districts currently without a static postal point.

In his remarks, Dr Wheatley said the mobile service forms part of moves to modernise the postal sector to ensure its continued relevance.

“This is a bold and important initiative which is keeping with the department’s plans as well as its mandate, which is ensuring access of affordable postal services for all Jamaicans,” he said.

Dr Wheatley said while the mobile post office will serve all Jamaicans, pensioners and the aged are especially happy, given the fact that it will drastically reduce the need for them

Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Andrew Wheatley (right) cuts the ribbon to officially launch the mobile post office service in the community of Steer Town, St Ann, last Friday. Joining in the occasion are (from left) mayor of St Ann’s Bay Councillor Desmond Gilmore; Post Master General Michael Gentles; Minister of Labour and Social Security and member of parliament for St Ann North East Shahine Robinson; and Chairman of the Postal Corporation of Jamaica, Marcus James

to travel long distances.

He said the postal service has a rich history in Jamaica and the mission is to take it back to its glory days, with technology playing a major part.

Meanwhile, the minister noted that the Postal Corporation of Jamaica is now embarking on a number of ini-

tiatives as a way of being more innovative.

He said this includes the use of Zip Mail, which incorporates the use of technology to capture digital signatures upon delivery, as well as to allow people to track the movement of items online. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

guyana-times.com

15

News

NDC overseer assaults Bus crash on mountain road in Nepal kills at least 33 people reporter, fish vendor

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− Police investigating

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verseer of the Johns/ Port Mourant Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) on Monday allegedly assaulted a Guyana Times reporter moments after reportedly assaulting a fish vendor at the NDC office.

Following a protest by the vendors last week over farmers/wholesalers undercutting vendors by selling the same goods at a cheaper price at the Port Mourant Market on Friday evenings, the vendors out of frustration met with Prime Minister’s Regional representative Gobin Harbajan at his Port Mourant office on Monday.

The protesting vendors are contending that on Friday evenings the farmers/wholesalers would sell their produce to the vendors at wholesale prices and the vendors would then retail the produce to turn a profit. However, according to the vendors, the farmers/wholesalers would now come in the evenings and sell the produce to the vendors but instead of leaving, they would stay and also sell their produce to the consumers at wholesale prices.

As a result, the vendors say that consumers are no longer purchasing produce from them, but instead buying it from the farmers at wholesale prices, cheaper than they can afford to sell.

On Thursday the vendors took to the streets in protest demanding that the NDC put an end to Friday

Overseer Meena Ramnarine has her fingers around the reporter’s neck

evening vending. They say the Council does not collect revenue from wholesale vendors (farmers).

After no action was taken by the NDC, the vendors related that they then engaged Harbarjan. They were told that arrangements are being made through the Regional Administration to establish a market management committee.

The vendors then left Harbajan’s office and went to the NDC office demanding that they get some word from the NDC, but the Overseer Meena Ramnarine upon seeing the vendors shut her door on them.

One of the vendors Premyavatie Yadram, angered by the action of the Overseer, attempted push open the door that was closed. Upon seeing this, Ramnarine reportedly walked out of the building and held onto the top of the dress that Yadram was wearing, physically assaulting her in the process.

Ramnarine, after realising she was being filmed, attempted to hold the camera which Guyana Times reporter had. Not being able to get hold of it she then held onto the reporter’s neck and sank her fingers into his throat, while at the same time using her other hand to hold onto the reporters face.

Ramnarine who at the same time was told that she was assaulting the reporter, then took her hands and placed them around the reporter’s chest. The reporter kept his hands in the air while telling the overseer that she was assaulting him.

The entire episode was caught on camera by another reporter.

Meanwhile, the matter has been reported to Region Six Chairman David Armogan, Regional Executive Officer Veerasammy Ramayya and the Police.

Following the incident, the reporter sought medical attention.

India’s Modi lashes out at Pakistan, Pakistan hits back

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ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took aim at supporters of “terrorism” in his Independence Day speech on Monday, ratcheting up criticism of Pakistan while avoiding direct mention of month-long protests in Indian-ruled Kashmir.

Modi also pitched a vision of national unity and progress in his third annual address from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Old Delhi that, at 94 minutes, was the longest delivered by the 65-year-old leader.

Yet it was a broadside against Pakistan, the archrival also born out of independence from Britain and partition, that left the strongest impression in a speech that otherwise focused on his Government’s achievements.

“What kind of life is this, inspired by terrorism?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he addresses the nation from the historic Red Fort during Independence Day celebrations in Delhi, India, August 15

What kind of Government set-up is it that is inspired by terrorism?” asked Modi, who delivered the openair address amid a security lockdown in the Indian capital.

“The world will know about it and that’s suffi-

cient for me.” Modi referred to messages of support he had received from people in regions of Pakistan, including the restive province of Baluchistan, drawing a rebuke from Islamabad which accused him of fomenting terrorism there.

Modi was “only trying to divert world attention from the grim tragedy that has been unfolding in the Indian Occupied Kashmir over the past five weeks”, Pakistan’s foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz said in a statement.

Baluchistan’s provincial capital, Quetta, was the scene of a suicide bombing on August 8 that killed more than 70 people and wounded at least 100 more at a hospital. A Taliban faction and Islamic State both claimed responsibility.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

bus filled with people travelling to their home villages in Nepal to receive the first Government payments for victims of last year’s devastating earthquake slipped off a narrow mountain road on Monday, killing at least 33 people and injuring 28 others.

The bus was heading to Kartike Deurali village, among the worst hit by the quake, which killed nearly 9000 people in the country.

The road, little more than a trail, was wide enough for only one vehicle to pass at a time and was slippery because of continuous rain.

A Nepalese home ministry official, Chiranjivi Nepal, said 33 people were killed, but injured passengers and relatives said many more may have died because

A victim of the bus crash is assisted by Nepalese army personnel after being airlifted to Kathmandu

the wreckage was scattered along the slope below the road and some areas were inaccessible.

“The bus stalled while climbing the hill and the driver tried to restart it, but the vehicle rolled backward and then slipped off the road,” said Kopila Gautam from a bed at the national trauma centre in Kathmandu.

Gautam said about 85 passengers were riding inside the bus and on its roof.

It was also packed with bags of rice, lentils, flour and other supplies being taken to villages. Gautam was sitting on a sack of rice because there were no seats available. She said she and other survivors struggled to climb back up to the road after the crash. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

Yemen conflict: Air strike hits MSF hospital in Hajjah

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n air strike has hit a hospital run

by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in northern Yemen, killing at least 11 people, the medical charity says.

Another 19 people were injured in the attack in Abs, in Hajjah province, believed to have been carried out by the Saudi-led coalition which is backing Yemen’s government in its fight against Houthi rebels.

The coalition has not yet commented. Local people said the hit follows days of air raids in the area.

The first rescue workers to arrive at the scene had to move cautiously, fearing that the circling planes might attack again. The blast immediately killed nine people, including an MSF staff member, MSF Yemen tweeted.

Two more patients died while they were being transferred to another hospital, it added. The conflict in Yemen that began in 2015 has left more than 6400 people dead, half of them civilians, and displaced 2.5 million others, according to the UN.

MSF said more than 4600 patients had been treated at the Abs hospital since MSF began supporting it in July 2015. A spokesman for the United Nations said the organisation was aware of the latest reports from Yemen and was trying to gather some details.

Last year, one person was killed in coalition air strikes on an MSFsupported health centre in the neighbouring province of Saada and a mobile clinic in the southern province of Taiz were hit in air strikes, according to the charity.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

US election: Trump adviser denies Ukraine ‘cash payments’

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onald Trump’s top aide has denied receiving “payments” from the former Russian-backed Ukrainian Government.

“I have never received a single ‘off-the-books cash payment,’” Paul Manafort said in a statement.

The New York Times reported finding ledgers pledging US$12.7 million (£9.8 million) in undisclosed cash payments to Manafort between 2007 and 2012.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign has called for Mr Trump’s team to disclose any pro-Russia links.

“The simplest answer is the truth: I am a campaign professional. It is well known that I do work in the United States and have done work on overseas campaigns as well. I have never received a single ‘off-the-books cash payment’ as falsely ‘reported’ by the New York Times,” the statement reads.

Donald Trump with Paul Manafort and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, at the Republican National Convention

The New York Times article said Trump’s campaign manager and his business played a key role in advising Ukraine’s former proRussian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled after an uprising in November 2013.

Manafort’s work advising Yanukovych’s pro-Russia political party, ended when the country’s parliamentary elections were held in 2014, he said in his statement.

The New York Times report said Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau had discovered the listed payments in the ledgers of Yanukovych’s then governing Party of the Regions - allegedly part of “an illegal offthe-books system”.

The bureau is also investigating business deals worth millions of dollars put together with the help of Manafort’s business. (Excerpt from BBC News)

16 NEWS Draft proposal on ‘Green Linden Mayor denies Bartica’ submitted financial extravagance TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

− reiterates Town Clerk must go

BY Utamu Belle

L The draft proposal was presented to Agriculture Minister Noel Holder by Presidential Advisor on the Environment, Rear Admiral (Rtd) Gary Best, at the Ministry of the Presidency

I

n an effort to facilitate a “climate resilient economy”, a draft proposal was presented to Agriculture Minister Noel Holder on the Green Bartica Development/Land Use Plan which would see Bartica becoming Guyana’s “first green town.”

The presentation was made by Presidential Advisor on the Environment, Rear Admiral (Rtd) Gary Best, at the Ministry of the Presidency on Monday.

It was outlined that the draft plan seeks to establish a “green pathway” for the foundation of a new Guyana, “which will result in reducing the overall carbon footprint in agriculture, fisheries, water, forestry, waste, manufacturing, transport,

construction, tourism and other sectors.”

“Some of the elements which will be looked at during the planning will be mainstreaming, Disaster Risk Management, alternative energy, meeting international standards and the land use plan, which will determine the viability of the proposal,” Best expressed.

It was explained that the draft proposal was presented to the Ministry of Communities, National Land Use Committee and the Commissioner of the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GL&SC).

“The green proposal, which is presently in the 2nd phase, saw presentations being done on the committee’s plan to further

promote an inter-sectoral approach to environment and economic development,” the Ministry of Agriculture noted.

Earlier this year President David Granger on a visit to Bartica, declared that it should become Guyana’s first green town.

“Bartica has to lead the way, become our first green town…Solar energy, electrical vehicles, wind energy, solid waste management, recycling… Bartica is going to become a laboratory for Guyana’s green economy… it must be a model town for our green economy, showing all other towns and other regions how Guyana would supply enough energy without depending on fossil fuel,” the President had stated.

inden Mayor Carwyn Holland has denied reports highlighted in some sections of the media that he and Deputy Mayor Waneka Arindell expended over $500,000 in travel/fuel expens from the time of taking up office on April 1.

Holland, reportedly overseas at the time of the allegations, sought to set the record straight during a press conference in Georgetown on Monday. He said the impression presented to some sections of the media and the public that he “treats the municipality of the Linden Mayor and Town Council’s (LM&TC) funds like his personal piggy bank” are not only untrue, but signals a clear attempt to incriminate and bring the Mayor’s office into disrepute with malicious slandering.

He pointed out that it is the Linden Town Clerk (TC) Jenella Bowen, who administers and more so has access to the Council’s funds, also stating that not even the Deputy Mayor has such access to the funds.

Councillor and acting head of the council’s Finance Committee Derron John who was also present, reported that from the period April 1 to now a total of $255,464 was expended in vehicular travelling by the mayor and deputy mayor, instead of over the $500,000 that was reported. “Let me begin by first asserting that these allegations are completely untrue and are a gross exaggeration of the actual expenditures...the actual sum expended on fuel by

the mayor and deputy Office is almost half of what was wickedly presented to the media...It is the responsibility of the municipality to provide a fixed sum for travel to the capital city Georgetown on Council business. On many occasions I have travelled to Georgetown and not requested funds to travel,” Holland noted.

According to Councillor Wainwright Bethune, who was part of the press conference, the reports of over $500,000 in spending was an error which had been recorded but that the amount was corrected at a Finance Committee meeting. He explained that the municipal treasurer had also relayed the correction to the TC. He noted that while he is not making allegations against the TC, there was circumstantial evidence which proved that a document, which only TC had access to, was out in the public domain prior to the Finance Committee meeting.

Bethune noted that some members of the municipality have also indicated their belief that the incorrect figures could have been leaked to the public by the TC. Bethune posited that because of the incorrect information being peddled, it was decided that the recent noconfidence motion be passed against the TC. He said that while the decision was made in the absence of the Mayor, Holland supports the decision of the Council and reiterated that the TC must go.

Meanwhile, the mayor went on to state that he is aware of the Council’s financial situation, with it being

over $200 million in the red but denied the exorbitant spending.

“I am not now, nor have I been an exorbitant spender, nor one to be fancied over frivolous things. Instead, I know myself to be charitable especially to my town and have been fighting ever since we took office for stricter financial accountability and prudent spending,” Holland remarked.

Further, Holland reiterated that he does not have any direct access to Council funds and that no spending of the Council is done without the passage and signature of the Town Clerk.

Holland said he was forced to send a letter of complaint to the Communities Minister regarding what he described as the malpractices of the TC while he was on vacation. He believes there was a deliberate attempt to besmirch his image and that of the Deputy Mayor by inflating expenditures. He is contemplating legal proceedings; and will only recant when he gets a public apology. He added that the noconfidence motion was not a deliberate plan, but came from a recommendation from a Finance meeting of the Council where the accusations of the improprieties came up, which pushed the Council to make a recommendation for the no-confidence motion to be discussed at the level of the statutory meeting.

He also denied allegations that the TC was locked out of office and noted that tardiness on the part of the TC was the main reason for the motion.

17

NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Road rehabilitation ongoing in Govt moving to upgrade Diamond, Mahdia, but contractors face Leonora diagnostic centres challenges – MPI’s engineer

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The Diamond Diagnostic Centre

Ongoing roadworks in Region Eight (GINA photo)

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he cries of residents in the mining community of Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni), are being answered through the rehabilitation of internal roads.

Senior Hinterland Engineer, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Naeem Mohamed said that works on the internal roads are ongoing, despite challenges.

In an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), Mohamed said that the contractors are facing challenges with the removal of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and Guyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT) utilities. However, these are being addressed and the contractors are increasing the pace of work. To date 15 per cent of the work has been completed.

The approximately $720 million allotted in the 2016

budget will see two kilometres of roads concreted, along with several drains, Mohamed explained.

Additionally, works on the Mabura road will commence shortly. The contractors will be removing slush from the potholes and other areas, and in the dry season laterite will be added on, “so that the road will be more passable in times to come,” Mohamed claimed.

The contracts were awarded to JR Ranch Incorporated, but due to heavy rains, works were delayed. Mohamed explained: “It is challenging doing the grading when the rain comes. When you do on surface road in the rainy season it gets more complicated, the material becomes more plastic and there is a difficulty in doing roads when these times come.”

Mohamed pointed out to GINA that maintenance on the roads is usually execut-

ed annually, since it would not be economical to carry out periodic maintenance: “We also cannot allow lots of time to pass before we do work on the road so we have to choose the right time to get it done.”

Early in 2016 when Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman and a team visited Mahdia, they were apprised of the poor state of roads in the community.

Minister Trotman had assured residents that works were slated to commence this year, since in the 2016 national budget funds were allocated for the paving of roads in Mahdia.

A total of $1.702 billion has been provided for rehabilitation of hinterland roads in Bartica, Mahdia, Ituni-Kwakwani and the Cassandra Bridge, says GINA.

Cocaine in deodorant

Jamaican jailed for 3 years, fined $1.4 million T he Jamaican busted with cocaine concealed in a shipment of deodorant bottles was Monday sentenced to three years in prison.

Easton Stapleton, 54, was also fined $1.4 million, the street value of the drugs, when he appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Stapleton was intercepted after he was observed by a Custom Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officer to be acting suspicious.

According to CANU prosecutor Kunyo Thompson, on

Easton Stapleton

the day in questioned the defendant entered the Guyana

Post Office with the intention of posting a package.

He enquired whether the parcel would have to be examined by CANU and upon learning that it must, he left with the package.

The officer who noticed his actions, followed and intercepted him in the vicinity of Fogarty’s Store.

A search was conducted on the parcel and it was then that a whitish substance was found in the rollon deodorant balls and paper markers.

He was told of the offence, arrested and charged.

overnment is moving to have the Diamond and Leonora diagnostic centres upgraded soon, improving the delivery of healthcare services to patients.

According to Government, the Public Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Communities Ministry, will soon advance works in Jawalla, Kako, Katchikamo, Port Kaituma, Kato, and Kurukubaru, to facilitate improved living accommodation for health professionals in the hinterland.

The Finance Ministry’s 2016 mid-year report said that upgrade works are also expected to commence shortly at the Diamond and Leonora diagnostic centres, while work is ongoing at the Port Kaituma Hospital Complex. The latter is expected to be completed by year-end.

The interventions, at Diamond and Leonora, are expected to improve the ef-

ficiency of healthcare service delivery to citizens in the immediate and surrounding areas, by reducing the congestion at the country’s national referral hospital – the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) – and the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH).

Further, several other projects are scheduled for the second half of the year.

These include the upgrading of the Tuberculosis (TB) Step Down Care Facility at the WDRH, along with the rehabilitation of a building to permanently house the Mental Health Secretariat, the report stated.

“With regard to the modernisation of three select primary healthcare facilities, designs and building plans were completed and sent to the Government of India for consideration. Finally, the Government is reviewing options for the way forward for the Specialty Hospital Project, in light of the debarring of the prospective

contractor by the World Bank and concerns expressed by the Government of India,” the Government Information News Agency (GINA) reported.

For the first half of the year, the Health Ministry, according to GINA, expended a total $11.5 billion of its $28 billion National Budget.

Of this sum, $407 million was spent on the construction, rehabilitation, upgrading and maintenance of health infrastructure countrywide. This included the construction of a 10bed Intensive Care Unit for cardiac patients at GPHC, where progress also continues to be made towards the completion of the cardiac theatre and the extension of the Maternity Unit, where an additional 50-bed capacity will benefit expectant mothers.

Additionally, $189 million was also spent on the purchase and maintenance of medical equipment, GINA highlighted.

18

guyana-times.com

tuesday, august 16, 2016

ARCHIE

An enthusiasm for experimentation accompanied by (March 21- hard work and discipline will April 19) pay off. Giving back to your community by volunteering your time will also lead to interesting new friendships.

ARIES

Don’t give in to emotionTAURUS al manipulation or be made (April 20- to feel guilty. Surround yourMay 20) self with people who think the same way you do. Listen to an expert and apply what you learn.

dilbert

You won’t see eye-to-eye GEMINI with the people you interact (May 21with.

Listen carefully and go June 20) about your business. You’ll gain the most by working alone. Avoid temptation and indulgence.

Go with the flow and see CANCER what happens. Your ability (June 21- to adapt to the changes going July 22) on around you will be to your benefit. A romantic gesture is encouraged.

Peanuts

Network with peers and LEO share your experience. Don’t (July 23let the actions of others upset Aug. 22) you or cause you to leave your plans incomplete. Believe in yourself and what you have to offer. Prepare and present.

Participate in events that VIRGO involve colleagues or deal with (Aug. 23Sept. 22) changes going on in your industry. The people you meet will expand your knowledge and give you insight into future changes and obligations.

Calvin and Hobbes

If you listen to what your LIBRA (Sept. 23- emotions are trying to tell Oct. 23) you, you will know exactly what you have to do. A positive personal change will occur through communication with an expert.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Expressing your feelings SCORPIO will give others the opportu(Oct. 24nity to share theirs as well.

Nov. 22) Together, you can find solutions that will help you move forward without fear, uncertainty or regret.

Consider your income opSAGITTARIUS tions and look for alternatives (Nov. 23- that will help you make more Dec. 21) doing something you enjoy or are good at. A change of location or of colleagues is favored.

solution for Last Published Puzzle

You can offer someone CAPRICORN help, but not at the expense (Dec. 22Jan. 19) of forgoing a chance to make personal gains. Make suggestions, but don’t take on responsibilities that don’t belong to you.

Put energy and enthusiAQUARIUS asm behind your plans in or(Jan. 20der to improve your current Feb. 19) work situation. Taking on additional responsibility will impress someone influential.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

PISCES A situation you face will (Feb. 20- require patience, understandMarch 20) ing and the time and space to unfold naturally in order to turn out favorably. Good things will develop if they are given the chance.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

Rio 2016…

19

Biles misses out on 4th gold

Bahamian Miller wins 400 S meters in diving finish

A

llyson Felix's bid for gold in her first attempt at the 400 meters in the Olympics came up just short Monday night as Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas laid out to edge her at the finish line for gold.

Miller led most of the race but it appeared Felix was set to pass her on the home stretch. Miller, though, found one last reserve of energy and fell toward to the finish line, her torso crossing just ahead of the upright Felix in 49.44 seconds. Felix clocked in at 49.51 for silver and Shericka Jackson of Jamaica took bronze in 49.85.

Shaunae Miller

A longtime 200-meter specialist, Felix fell short of qualifying for the U.S. team in that event and will be unable to defend the gold she won in London four years

ago. But her first-place finish in the 400 at the World Championships last year showed she could step up to the longer distance without missing much.

Felix entered Monday night's showcase race coming off the fastest time in the semifinals, a season-best 49.67. She kept a steady pace throughout the final but never could quite reel in Miller, a 22-year-old who finished second to Felix at the 2015 Worlds.

U.S. teammates Natasha Hastings and Phyllis Francis finished fourth and fifth, respectively. (sportal.co.nz)

Imperious Rudisha retains 800m title

K

enya's David Rudisha proved he remains the quickest man in the world over two laps by winning gold in Rio. The majestic David Rudisha retained his Olympic 800 metre title with another middledistance masterclass on Monday.

Rudisha smashed the

David Rudisha

world record to take gold in London four years ago and proved he is still the fastest man in the world over two laps in Rio. The elegant Kenyan was a class apart once again, clocking a season's best of one minute and 42.15 seconds to win in style ahead of Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria and America's Clayton Murphy. (SportsMax)

You can run but you can't hide, IOC tells doping cheats

D

oping cheats using designer drugs or gene doping at the Rio Olympics should know they will eventually be found out, the International Olympic Committee said on Monday.

The Rio Games are taking place under the cloud of doping with the Russian track and field team virtually excluded after a statebacked systematic doping program was revealed, and three more athletes having tested positive since the opening of the Games village on July 24.

But that may not be the end of the story and about 6,000 tests, both urine and blood, will be stored by the IOC for a decade to allow for re-testing, using new technology, and the detection of substances that were not yet known at the time.

"We will store the samples. We can be very confident that an athlete who is cheating should be very scared," IOC medical chief Richard Budgett told report-

President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach

ers.

He said athletes guilty of gene doping or using the so-called designer drugs -more sophisticated forms of performance-enhancing drugs -- will be caught.

"If someone thinks they have designer drugs eventually they will be found," he said. "The message for all those cheats out there is 'beware you will be caught.'

"I am confident we have

the deterrents that should lead to the protection of clean athletes."

Targeted re-tests from the Beijing 2008 and the London 2012 Games recently yielded an additional 98 positive samples for banned substances with none of those athletes able to compete in Rio. A test for gene doping would also be used in a matter of months after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) approved it recently.

Budgett did not want to say whether the Rio Games would be drugs-free but he said he was confident over time the cheats would be discovered.

"I am a medical man fundamentally so we always doubt everything. That is our job. So I think it is right we always investigate. But it is unfortunate that we doubt every fantastic performance. That's why we test the top five athletes. You can never know." (Reuters)

imone Biles missed out on a fourth gold at the Rio Olympics, winning bronze on the beam as the Netherlands' Sanne Wevers took gold.

American Biles, 19, slipped and put her hands on the beam during her routine.

Wevers, 24, became the first Dutch woman to win an Olympic gymnastics medal, while 16-year-old American Laurie Hernandez took silver.

Biles, who has won allaround, vault and team gold at Rio 2016, competes in the floor final on Tuesday.

Simone Biles

Wever won with a score of 15.466, with Hernandez

awarded 15.333 and Biles 14.733. (BBC)

Antiguan sprinter Francis defends Jamaican coach A

ntiguan sprinter Miguel Francis has lashed out at members of the public accusing his Jamaican coach Glen Mills of withdrawing him from the Olympic Games, despite the athlete’s willingness to run.

Francis, who has run 19.88s over the 200 metres this season, announced late last week that he was withdrawing from the Games as a precautionary move.

Members of the public took out their frustration accusing the athlete’s coach of unfairly withdrawing the athlete.

The athlete, who trains in Jamaica, said those making those accusations were being disrespectful towards his coach and that they should learn about the sport before “speaking nonsense”.

The post has since been

Miguel Francis

removed from his Facebook page.

Francis’ absence from the Olympics has had a significant impact on that country’s medal possibilities.

Francis was a contender for a medal in the men’s 200 metres. He was also an integral member of the country’s sprint relay team

that also includes Daniel Bailey, Cejhae Greene and Chevaughn Walsh.

Francis also clocked 19.67 in the 200 metres during the National Championships held in Antigua & Barbuda in July.

The time, however, has not been ratified because the track has not been certified by the IAAF. (SportsMax)

We can control Neymar – Pinto

B

razil star Neymar is causing headaches for Honduras coach Jorge Luis Pinto ahead of their Rio Olympics clash.

Honduras coach Jorge Luis Pinto is confident his team can "control" Neymar in their Rio Olympics semifinal against Brazil.

Neymar is under pressure to deliver the host nation football gold, an achievement that has eluded them in their history.

The Barcelona star and his men meet Honduras in the last four on Wednesday, with Nigeria and Germany in the other semi-final.

Pinto, also the senior team boss, said he is considering how to deal with

Neymar

Neymar.

"I am thinking a lot about Neymar and how I can control him. I'm looking for that player to mark

him," he said.

"I have played against him with Deportivo Tachira and we managed to control him, also with Honduras and we controlled him too."

Pinto knows the challenge awaiting his side, who were fortunate to beat South Korea 1-0 in the quarter-finals.

"Honduras is mentally prepared for the match.

We know that the Brazilian fans will support their team for 90 minutes, but we will have the mental and emotional control of it," he said.

"I am very respectful of Brazilian football but today you can't win due to the supporters or the colour of your shirt." (SportsMax)

20

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

Sri Lanka vs Australia, 3rd Test, SSC, 3rd day...

Honours even after Marsh, Smith hundreds

T

his was a handy day of Test cricket all round.

Rangana Herath’s magic hands conjured six wickets. Mitchell Marsh’s hard hands cost him the chance for more than a fifty. Kusal Perera’s lightning hands effected two brilliant stumpings. Shaun Marsh and Steven Smith played invaluable hands, scoring Australia’s only two centuries of the series. And by the close of play on the third day in Colombo, it was impossible to say which team had the upper hand.

That, after a couple of walkovers in Pallekele and Galle, was a blessing. True, the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy will be presented to Angelo Mathews no matter what happens in this Test, but Smith and Marsh at least reduced the chances of a whitewash and made a contest of this match. And it is accurate to lay the credit entirely with those two men, for after their 246-run partnership ended, Australia’s last nine wickets tumbled for 112.

For the period of their union, it was as if Australia were playing a different series. The 2011 series, perhaps, when Marsh scored a century on debut and Australia lifted the trophy.

The ball still turned, but Marsh and Smith handled it with aplomb, using their feet, finding the gaps, showing patience and respect.

It was enough, along with the second fifty of Mitchell Marsh’s career, to give Australia a first-innings lead of 24.

By stumps, Sri Lanka had reduced that deficit to two runs, moving to 22 for 1. A change of openers did not improve their top-order record in this series.

Dilruwan Perera, bumped up to open alongside Dimuth Karunaratne, was lbw when he offered no shot to a fast inswinger from Mitchell Starc. The score was 8 for

Rangana Herath ended with figures of 6 for 81 ©Associated Press

1, which remarkably was Sri Lanka’s biggest opening partnership of the series. At close, Karunaratne was on 8 and Kaushal Silva had 6.

But this day was about the Smith-Marsh partnership, which became the fourth-highest stand for any Australian pair for any wicket in a Test in Asia. The most recent such occasion had also featured Marsh: on debut against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2011 he had put on 258 with Michael Hussey for the fourth wicket.

Since then, Marsh has been the source of great frustration for Australia, his obvious talent and his ability to score Test centuries offset by frequent troughs in his scoring. That this is his 18th Test and yet his seventh stint in the side shows that the selectors appreciate his potential but have often been vexed by his inconsistency.

But at 33, Marsh might just be pushing his case for a lengthy stay in the side.

His hundred in Colombo was his second from consecutive Test innings, though they have come eight months apart - almost a pregnant pause, and indeed he did become a father during the downtime. In December Marsh was dropped after making 182 against West

Indies in Hobart, where he had been an injury replacement for Usman Khawaja.

His approach to this innings could hardly have

gaps, alternating between playing forward and back.

His hundred - the fourth of his Test career - came up with a boundary swept fine off Dilruwan Perera off his 214th delivery.

Smith’s century, the 15th of his career and his first in Asia, came up soon afterwards from his 176th ball when he advanced and clipped Perera through midwicket. Like Marsh, Smith used his feet and played along the ground, and was strong through both cover and midwicket. Smith has now scored a century against every Test nation that he has played with the sole exception of Pakistan, and a home series against them this summer gives him every chance of rectifying that.

SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka 1st Innings 355 Australia 1st innings D Warner c MDKJ Perera b de Silva 11 S Marsh b Lakmal 130 S Smith* st MDKJ Perera b Herath 119 A Voges lbw b Herath 22 M Henriques st MDKJ Perera b Herath 4 M Marshc Mendis b Herath 53 P Nevill† lbw b MDK Perera 14 M Starc not out 9 N Lyon c Mendis b MDK Perera 3 J Hazlewood b Herath 0 J Holland c Mathews b Herath 1 Extras (b 4, lb 9) 13 Total (all out; 125.1 overs) 379 Fall of wickets 1-21 (Warner, 3.6 ov), 2-267 (SE Marsh, 82.5 ov), 3-275 (Smith, 85.2 ov), 4-283 (Henriques, 89.1 ov), 5-316 (Voges, 103.5 ov), 6-353 (Nevill, 114.6 ov), 7-367 (MR Marsh,

been a finer audition for a place in Australia’s line-up for next year’s Test tour of India - one country in which Marsh has never played a Test match. For the most part, he picked the turn and played with soft hands, working the ball through

119.5 ov), 8-376 (Lyon, 122.2 ov), 9-377 (Hazlewood, 123.5 ov), 10-379 (Holland, 125.1 ov) Bowling: Perera 44 -4-1292, de Silva 7-0-27-1, Herath 38.1-11-81-6, Sandakan 19-0-70-0, Lakmal 13-054-1, Mathews 4-1-5-0 Sri Lanka 2nd innings M Perera lbw b Starc F Karunaratne not out J Silva not out Extras Total (1 wicket; 5 overs) To bat: MDKJ Perera, BKG Mendis, AD Mathews*, LD Chandimal†, DM de Silva, HMRKB Herath, PADLR Sandakan, RAS Lakmal Fall of wickets 1-8 (MDK Perera, 0.4 ov) Bowling: Starc 3-019-1, Lyon 2-0-3-0

8 8 6 0 22

But once the partnership was broken, wickets started to fall more freely. Herath, who struggled in the morning session and left the field still suffering from discomfort after being struck in the groin while batting on the second day, found his

Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh are elated after the latter’s century © AFP

mojo in the second session.

But the highlight of the session was Kusal Perera’s brilliant work with the gloves.

Twice within five overs, he stumped Australian batsmen off Herath, his hands so slick they looked fast even on slow-motion replays.

Smith was the first of the two victims, drawn forward by Herath and found by the third umpire to have dragged his foot fractionally outside the crease when the bails were whipped off. The second such dismissal was that of Moises Henriques, included for the fourth Test of his career and his first in more than three years. He never looked comfortable, and fell in similar fashion for 4, the victim of Perera’s lightning glovework.

It meant that three wickets had fallen within the first 10 overs of the new ball, Suranga Lakmal having already accounted for Shaun Marsh, who chopped on for 130 from 281 deliveries.

That ended the long partnership with Smith, who finished on 119 from 218 balls a few overs later. No other Australian partnership reached fifty.

Adam Voges was lbw to Herath for 22, beaten by a ball that turned exquisitely past the outside edge and

would have hit off stump.

Peter Nevill (14) was similarly beaten and trapped lbw

by Dilruwan Perera, though this time he played for spin that never arrived. Nathan Lyon was caught in close off Perera, Josh Hazlewood bowled by Herath and Jon Holland taken at slip to leave Herath with 6 for 81, and 21 wickets so far in the series.

Only Mitchell Marsh had offered any real resistance after his brother’s wicket.

Marsh has contributed cameos on a regular basis in his Test career but not since his second Test, played against Pakistan in the UAE back in 2014, had he made a halfcentury. Here he did so in impressive style, punishing loose balls when given the chance and respecting the good ones.

On 53, though, he prodded with hard hands at Herath and was snapped up sharply by Kusal Mendis at bat-pad. Marsh’s face told the story: he couldn’t believe what he had done. But at least he had done his bit for Australia, and for making this match a contest. With two days to play, only two runs and one wicket separated the teams. A fascinating final two days were in prospect. (Cricinfo)

Barclay’s Premier League...

Chelsea 2 West Ham 1: Last-gasp Costa gives Conte dream debut

C

helsea gave new manager Antonio Conte a thrilling start with a late London derby victory against West Ham. Diego Costa scored a dramatic winner with one minute remaining to give Chelsea a 2-1 victory over West Ham in Antonio Conte's first Premier League match in charge.

Having had the better of a quiet first half at Stamford Bridge on Monday, Chelsea netted what they thought would be the game's only goal when Eden Hazard blasted home a 47th-minute penalty after Michail Antonio had fouled Cesar Azpilicueta.

But West Ham, who kept Dimitri Payet on the substitutes' bench until midway through the second half, saw defender James Collins stun

the hosts with 13 minutes remaining – scoring with their first shot on target.

However, it was Costa – fortunate to still be on the pitch following a reckless lunge on goalkeeper Adrian – who had the last word with an impressive long-range winner.

Despite the late nature of their triumph, Chelsea - still unbeaten at home to West Ham in the Premier League since September 2002 – were deserving of the victory, with Conte celebrating wildly after the controversial Costa struck.

The Blues are back in action away to Watford on Saturday, while Slaven Bilic's men have a Europa League tie against Astra on Thursday.

Chelsea threatened first

Digeo Costa

when Branislav Ivanovic combined with Oscar and forced Adrian into a smart save at his near post.

Conte and Oscar were then both demanding a penalty when the Brazilian dis-

possessed Mark Noble and charged into the box before going down as Winston Reid challenged, but referee Anthony Taylor waved away their claims.

Hazard and Costa both

shot narrowly off target as the hosts looked most likely to make the breakthrough, while West Ham suffered a major blow with debutant and club-record signing Andre Ayew forced off due to a thigh injury.

Within 52 seconds of the restart, Chelsea were awarded a penalty when – moments after Adrian had denied Costa from close-range – Antonio rashly brought down Azpilicueta, with Hazard smashing the resulting spot-kick into the roof of the net.

Adrian got down well to keep out Willian as Conte's men attempted to put the result beyond doubt, while Bilic finally introduced Payet for the last 23 minutes with the visitors still seeking their first shot on target.

Costa – already on a booking – was extremely fortunate to avoid a red card for a lunge on Adrian, before West Ham grabbed a shock leveller.

Payet's corner had led to Cheikhou Kouyate having an effort blocked before Collins lashed home a magnificent left-footed finish from just inside the penalty area.

Conte threw on Pedro, Michy Batshuayi and Victor Moses in the closing stages and was ecstatic when his alterations paid dividends.

It was debutant Batshuayi's flick that picked out Costa more than 20 yards from goal, with the Spain striker finding the bottom corner to seal a memorable victory, sending Conte wild on the touchline. (SportsMax)

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Holder takes aim at batsmen after Windies humiliating loss to India W

est Indies captain Jason Holder has taken a swipe at his batsmen after his side crashed to a humiliating 237-run defeat against India in the third Test on Saturday.

Facing a victory target of 345 after India declared nearly an hour into the morning session; West Indies imploded for 108 in about two sessions to hand India the series at the Darren Sammy National Stadium.

India now lead two games to nothing with the final Test scheduled to start on Thursday.

“We haven’t been able to put up reasonable firstinnings totals which have hampered us in the recent past. If you don’t put up a good first-innings total, then you are chasing the game,” Holder said.

“We need to knuckle down. As batsmen, we need to be accountable for our actions. At the top, predominantly, we haven’t been consistent; not getting starts we’ve been looking for.”

Left-hander Darren Bravo top-scored with 59

Jason Holder

but was one of only three frontline batsmen to reach double figures and the only one to pass 12, in a humiliating display.

In the first innings, the home side was bowled out for 225 after being placed at 202 for 3.

The young Windies skipper says his batsmen were overly cautious and failed to learn from flaws in the first innings.

“I think the difference from here to Jamaica is that we also spent time but we didn’t score. I think most

of the batsmen have spent some time initially but they haven’t tick over the scoreboard as well as we would like,” Holder said.

“I can’t speak for every batsman and it is a situation where each batsman needs to cope, how we are going to score and how we are going to occupy the crease. So sitting here is difficult to answer but all I can say is that the responsibility is on the batsmen at the present time.”

Holder has also lamented what he termed a disparity between first class cricket in the region and Test cricket.

“It is a situation where many of us coming to international cricket and are trying to learn on our job. It is far different from first-class cricket,” he said.

“For instance you get a first-class game where a fast bowler hardly bowls the amount of overs we have bowled in this series. For the last five to 10 years we have had spinners dominating first-class cricket in terms of wickets taken. So it is a transition that we have to try to open up and adjust to as quickly as possible”. (CMC)

Ticket # 982 wins RHTYSC raffle — winner to receive airline ticket to the USA

T

he Cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC), M.S on Sunday last held the drawing ceremony of their 2016 “Say Yes to Education and Sports” Raffle. The drawing was conducted at the Club’s Office in presence of Club members and members of the General Public.

The holder of Ticket #982 won an airline ticket to the United States of America compliments of Fly Jamaica. The winning ticket was drawn by national female cricketer Sheneeta Grimmond. Ticket #464 would receive the 2nd prize of a bicycle while the holder of ticket #310 would take home, an electric blender.

The 4th prize of a large food hamper would go to the holder of ticket # 1630.

Funds raised from the

Club Member and National Cricketer Sheneeta Grimmond draws the winning ticket while fellow Club Member Brandon Corlette looks on

raffle would be used by the RHTYSC, M.S to purchase school bags for less fortunate students in an effort to get them to stay in school and complete their education.

Some of the funds would also be used to purchase cricket gears for the Club’s cricket development programme.

Persons holding tickets with the numbers 982, 310 and 1630 are asked to get in contact with the Club on Telephone number 337-4562 or visit the Club Office at the Area ‘H’ Ground, Rose Hall Town during normal working time.

Lukas Podolski retires from international football

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Lukas Podolski made his debut for Germany against Hungary in June 2004

ermany striker Lukas Podolski has announced his retirement from international football.

The Polish-born 31-year-old helped his country win the 2014 World Cup, and scored 48 goals in a 129-cap career.

An appearance off the bench in the 3-0 win over Slovakia at Euro 2016 was Podolski's final outing for Germany.

The ex-FC Koln, Bayern Munich and Arsenal player, now at Galatasaray, told German fans, "It was amazing, it was great, and it was an honour." (BBC)

22

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

Jardine, Gonsalves crowned Regatta champions

BY ROMARIO SAMAROO

U

nder the blazing sun, thousands of boat racing lovers flocked the shores of the Lake Mainstay Resort, Essequibo on Sunday to witness history, where Jose Jardine and Clint Gonsalves were crowned the champions of the 14th annual Lake Mainstay Regatta.

Gonsalves was crowned champion of Group Two while Jardine was champion of Group One. The big boys came out to play in the Open category, demonstrating to the crowd why Lake Mainstay Regatta has always been one of the leading sporting events in the country.

Jardine hammered the vessel “Flash” to emerge victorious even though behind Dave Scott’s “Jaguar” for the first lap of the six-lap race.

Unfortunately, Jaguar suffered engine failure and was unable to complete the race which allowed Flash to capitalise and cop first place followed by team Avengers.

The day was one in which the entire family could come out and enjoy the full beauty of nature and sport racing, giving equal opportunities for all racers to vie for a chance to cash in big.

The first event of the day saw Jardine registering his first of many wins in the four-lap 90 horse power (HP) category. Jardine stamped his authority by lapping third placed driver, Louknauth Jaggernauth,

Champion racer Jose Jardine poses next to his trophies of the day, alongside “Flash”

A Stag representative presents the Group Two champion trophy to Clint Gonsalves

who battled with the beast, “Hunter”. Hunter was also lapped by second placed Danny Benjamin who piloted “Out and Bad”.

The small engines proved that they had a lot of kick in them when they clashed in the 15HP two-lap meet but Kelvin Manny was the stand out driver, manoeuvring his way with “Fly” past Javis Jabbar’s “Lil Saint.”

In the same category, the females showed they too were not to be underestimated as Savita Garraway led the women to the finish line, followed by Loretta Savory and Drupattie Persaud in second and third respectively.

Jardine continued his

marvelous run to win the 40HP three-lap race with a small scare from Gonsalves who was behind the wheel of “Bravo.” Jaggernauth once more finished in third, this time driving “Sunflower”.

In the second 40HP event, spectators saw “Bravo” take revenge to win the race ahead of second placed Jardine and Jaggernauth rounding off the top three.

But “Flash” would not take second place so easily by winning the 200HP fivelap race which he was trailed

by Gonsalves who was driving “Miracle”. Avengers finished the top three.

Again, “Miracle” exchanged positions with

“Flash” in the second 90HP race. “Out and Bad” fought only to finish in third.

In the 90HP Orin Bell memorial race, Gonsalves won first followed by Jardine and Danny Benjamin in second and third respectively.

Both Gonsalves and Jardine indicated to Guyana Times Sport that this year, the competition improved tremendously and the weather was just right for the them to produce their best.

“Experience played a key role for me to become the champion and good support from my team, minus a few hiccups, it was a good day,” Gonsalves said.

On the other hand, Jardine said “Team Flash really put in a lot of effort and time into this year’s regatta and it is because of

them I came and won.”

Aside from the engines, participants showed their skills and techniques in the 200 meter male and female canoeing.

Sanjeev Ramdeen conquered the males followed

by Alwyn Marks and Geton Thomas in second and third respectively. The women’s event saw Carla Ramdeen emerging victorious, being trailed by Loretta Savory in second and Simone Persaud in third.

The swimmers open event saw only by men participating as Loid Ward of Bartica was deemed the best swimmer of the day ahead Sanjeev Ramdeen and Deondre Thomas.

After the races were complete, patrons were treated to a spectacular stage

show, which demonstrated the talents of our very own local performers in the likes of Yoland Need, Big Red, Bounty Singh and Jomo Primo.

Owner of the resort and mastermind behind the regatta, Wilfred Jagnarine highlighted that this year was one of the best they have had to date, and the regatta is growing in strength with each passing year.

“The excitement is here, we had good weather and the racers were excellent,” Jagnarine said.

Jagnarine added that this event could not be possible without sponsorships from companies such as Digicel, Guyoil, the Tourism Ministry, Republic Bank, Citizen’s Bank, Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry, ANSA McAL and others.

Guyana’s triple Stallions, GCC and jumper leaps Hikers in winner’s row into final at Rio A GHB/ Lucozade Indoor Hockey Tournament

s the Guyana Hockey Board/Lucozade Indoor Hockey Tournament continues, Old Fort Stallions, Pizza Hut GCC and Hikers all registered wins on Friday at the National Gymnasium.

In the first match of the night, Pizza Hut GCC out played the Old Fort ladies to an entertaining 5:2 victory.

The Xavier sisters were the main goal scorers for the GCC team, scoring three of the five goals. Carina Moller once again opened the account for GCC, blasting past the Old Fort goalie in the 7th minute.

Carolyn Deane quickly responded for the Old Fort team when she placed them on the scorecard in the 10th minute.

Shonette Freeman would capitalise on a penalty goal to put Old Fort in the lead at the strike of the 12th minute.

Gabriella Xavier would then take matters into her own hand in the 16th minute when she levelled the scoreboard heading into halftime.

Xavier’s sister, Rebecca, would then set the lead for the GCC ladies in the 29th minute with a well directed shot past the Old Fort goalie.

Vanessa Pires got among the goals extending the lead 4:2 in the 33rd minute. Gabriella

T

Gabriella Xavier

Xavier would then return to finish things off with the fifth goal for the GCC team in the 36th minute with the final score ending at 5:2.

In the second battle, Hikers decimated the Spartans in a 5-0 drubbing, thanks to a hat-trick off goals from Tekeisha Dileon who scoring in the 5th, 15th and 40th minutes. Charlyn Elliot scored in the 12th and Maria Munroe in the 37th rounded off the goals for the match.

In the only male match of the night, doubles from

Jason De Santos and Omar Hopkinson lead the Old Fort Stallions to a 4-1 Victory over Saints.

De Santos scored in the 8th and 37th minute while Hopkinson scored in the 26th and 36th minute.

Hilton Chester was the only resilience by the Saints team who scored in the 39th minute.

The excitement will continue this evening at the national Gymnasium with the first match slated to begin at 17:00h.

roy Doris has placed hope in the hearts of many Guyanese who continue to be drowned in disappointment, as he now has the opportunity to break a 36-year-old Olympic medal drought. Doris jumped into the finals of the men’s triple jump after finishing sixth on Monday.

The 27-year-old overseas-based Guyanese jumped 16.81 meters with the Olympic record being 18.09 meters as well as the World record being 18.29 meters and will now set his sights on a medal today at 08:50h.

Doris, who is currently ranked seventh in the world, holds the Guyana’s national record at 17.18 meters.

The leading Guyanese jumper took to his social media account where he expressed his delight in being able to represent his country and a “time to make history.”

Former Guyanese Olympian and Commonwealth Games silver medalist, Aliann Pompey, who now works as an overseas ambassador for the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG); and President of AAG, Aubrey Hutson, have extended their excitement and confidence in the young man bringing home a medal for his country.

Guyana last won a medal back in 1980 when the event was staged in Moscow.

Bantamweight boxer, Michael Paris won Guyana a bronze medal. Guyana has never won a medal in the men’s triple jump.

Troy Doris will have the chance to break Guyana’s 36-year-old record drought at the Olympic Games

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

NAMILCO/GFF Thunderbolt Flour Power Nat U-17 League...

Cougars trounce Corriverton Links

— Monedderlust and Rosignol clash today

I

n the lone match that was contested on Sunday at Burnham Park, New Amsterdam, Cougars roared to a comfortable 4-0 win over Corriverton Links, thanks to a brace each from Quinton Crandon and Lamar Reid in the Berbice leg of the GFF/ NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power National Under-17 league.

Crandon sent Cougars into the lead 15 minutes into the match and by the end of the first 45 minutes they were up 3-0 on account of Reid’s double in the 32nd and 40th minute.

Corriverton Links never

Mahaicony ground in what is anticipated to be one of the most looked forward to matches in the ongoing.

The two sides over the years have produced ex-

inclement weather for the past five weeks which has put paid to their ability to have available grounds in playing conditions.

The Milling Company

Flashback! Action in a match being played between hosts Mahaicony Thunder and Paradise Invaders in red

threatened Cougars’ dominance on the match as the winners sealed the deal ten minutes into the second half when Crandon completed his double with a 55th minute strike.

Arch rivals Monedderlust and Rosignol United are set to clash today at the

citing encounters which is set to continue today when the next generation of footballers, collide. Kick off time is 16:00hrs at the Mahaicony ground.

The respective associations that are contesting this inaugural and historic league have been battling

has been in existence since 1969 and produces several heath oriented products such as Maid Marian Harvest High Fibre Whole Wheat Flour, Maid Marian Wheat-Up Breakfast Porridge, and Maid Marian Multigrain Flour among many other products.

23

Mahaica XI wins Everest 10/10 Softball – Shawn Scot cops MVP

M

ahaica XI outplayed NDC by 88 runs to win the inaugural Everest 10/10 Softball Tournament on a weekend where the sprinkling of spectators were kept indoor due to the inclement weather.

Shawn Scot and Victor Pampey of Mahaica XI were the dominant players in the batting department with Scot even going on to record a score of 108) (10x6s;8x4s) against one of the mix teams. Marvin Babb of Mahaica XI was the bowler that also contributed to his team dominating all their matches.

In the final, Mahaica XI won the toss and batted scoring at over 10 an over with Shawn Scot 72 (8x6s; 2x4s) and Victor Pampey 43 (6x4s) involved in a partnership of 130 runs in 8.3 overs; the duo carried the score to 178-2 in their allotted 10 overs. In reply NDC had no answer to the bowling as Marvin Babb 3-8 and Pampey 3-15 took over proceedings. NDC were limited to 90 all out with extras going for 30 and Alex Culley contributing 22 (2x6s).

The results of the preliminary matches are as follows: Mahaica XI defeated Brickery All Stars by 65 runs: Mahaica XI won the toss and batted first rattling up a challenging 1204 in 10 overs (Scot 59 (5x6s; 2x4s); Pampey 35 (3x4s).

In reply Brickery all Stars

President of Everest Rajesh Singh (left) presenting the winning trophy to Skipper of Mahaica XI Avinash Persaud

were set back immediately with the run out of Gopaul Mangar with only 4 runs on the board. The situation got even worst as they slumped to 38-7 in the seventh over. They eventually were bowled out for 55 runs.

Extras the top the scores with 20; Babb took 3-15 from two overs.

Mahaica XI defeated a combine XI by 20 runs: Mahaica XI again took first strike and scored 138-3 in 10 overs with Scot again top scoring with 65 (7x6s; 3x4s). In reply the combine XI scored 118 all out in 9.4 overs. The top scorer was Vickash Persaud with 40 (3x6; 2x4). Pampey took 3-10 from two overs.

New Doctors clinic won from Combine XI by 13 runs: NDC batted first and scored 83 -5 in 10 overs with Alex Culley blasting 45 (6x6s). Roy Sanichari took 2-12 from two overs. In reply Combine XI were bundled out for 70 in 8.2 overs.

Culley returned to take 1-4 from 2 overs to cap a good all round performance.

The event was sponsored

by Everest Cricket Club and Trophy Stall and administrated by the Guyana Softball League. Trophies were presented to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Shawn Scot for his outstanding performances and Mahaica XI for dominating the matches in all aspects.

Successful Linden table GVF one-week volleyball tennis camp concludes coach’s course commences

T

he Linden Table Tennis Committee (LTTC) successfully hosted its 2nd annual summer training camp targeting students between the ages 6 to 16 years, at the Mackenzie High School Auditorium.

According to a release from the LTTC, the aim and objectives of the camp were to introduce and orient players to the fundamental aspects of the game with a view of developing the sport and building a nucleus of players in Linden, that would challenge for national representation in the near future as well as teach a lifelong learned skill to students.

The release added that the central plan of the LTTC is to now continue to work with the players in a more structural manner to develop talents, while also seeking to engage them in competitions with other novices from Georgetown in addition to developing schoolbased programmes.

After the training an evaluation competition was organized for the partici-

pants The camp was held from July 25 – August 12, Monday through Friday where basic strokes such as the forehand and backhand drives, push, top spin and serve were taught by ITTF Level One coaches and LTTC general secretary and Chairman Shavin Greene and Howard James respectively.

Also, assisting was coach and ITTF basic umpire and referee Mr. Maurice Cummings, who serves as Treasurer of the LTTC. In the special Females category Shania Barrow took first, the other categories were the 6 to 9 years, 10 to 13 years and 14 to 16

years, where the winners where Yohance October, Jamal McCalmant and Kester Albert respectively.

The LTTC extended thanks you to all the sponsors especially, Director of Sport Christopher Jones and the NSC, Banks DIH limited and Sports Plus for their support in making the camp a success.

The LTTC is now looking forward to the implementation of the National Athlete Development Programme for Table Tennis which targets 8 schools in Linden in view of the developing the sport.

The camp engaged over 45 participants.

With local coaches becoming more qualified, the hope is that it will bring about a transformation in the level of skill among players

T

he Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) yesterday commenced Level 1 Coaches’ Course being conducted by conducted by renowned International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) instructor and author, Dr Christian Kroeger at the National Gymnasium.

They course will run for one week ending this Friday, and will be aimed at to help aspiring coaches learn about the proper knowledge and techniques to effectively teach the sport.

Twenty persons, from across Guyana, are taking part in the course. The

course, which will see the participants attending sessions from 8am – 4pm daily, will culminate with the participants being tested on what they’ve learnt.

“The course last five days, each day has a program of 8 hours. On the last day they will have written exams and practical exams. We have all the technical and conditional preparation for beginners. “ said Kroeger, who has over 30 years as an instructor.

This course is a continuation of an online program that the participants began a few months ago. This ac-

tivity is part of the GVF ongoing development of volleyball all across Guyana.

“This is a course that will give the participants enough technical knowledge to do some coaching when they go back to wherever they are from, when they go back and develop volleyball,“ stated GVF president, John Flores.

“Basically we wanted to spread the games in schools, so it’s mostly aimed at the schools. Every year we host a course and this year we decided that a coaching course for teachers would be the best.” He further added.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

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

Bahamian Miller wins 400 meters in diving finish

Pg 19

Shaunae Miller (BAH) of The Bahamas throws herself across the finish line to win the gold ahead of Allyson Felix (USA)

Jardine, Gonsalves Guyana’s triple jumper crowned Regatta leaps into final at Rio champions Pg 22

Dave Scott’s “Jaguar” missed being lapped by Jose Jardine’s “Flash” as they crossed the finishline

Pg 22

After 36 years, Guyana will have its first chance of winning an Olympic medal (photo courtesy of newsroom.gy)

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