Guyana Times November 13,2017

P10

Mahdia benefits from Adolescent, Men-Friendly Health Programme Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3391

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Monday, November 13, 2017

Guyana flagged for child marriages, low life expectancy – UN report Veterans’ CoI recommendations to be implemented

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Unemployed man busted with gun, P2 ammo at Montrose

Mon Repos Market vendor is “GTT Million Dollar Smile” 2nd winner P14

Page 12

Jordan pleads ignorance P7 of US$20M Exxon bonus

– President at Remembrance Day ceremony

Opposition demands answers on funds allocated for defunct agencies Page 9

Zeelugt fisherman drowns in Waini River Page 2

Cargo vessel catches Page fire in Wakenaam 2 …MARAD launches probe

Gunman in disguise arrested in Herstelling P13

2 more females P8 from Dominican Republic deported

2 news

monDAY, november 13, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Cargo vessel catches fire in Wakenaam Zeelugt fisherman drowns in Waini River …MARAD launches probe

A

52-year-old fisherman is now dead after he reportedly drowned in the Waini River mouth, Region One, last Tuesday.

He had been identified as Ram Lakhan Dalcharran, called “Rajin,” of Tulla Boy Street, Zeelugt Squatting Area, East Bank Essequibo.

According to reports, Dalcharran had reportedly jumped overboard while his crew members were asleep.

The incident occurred sometime around 04:00h in the Waini River mouth.

The man’s sister, Amrita Khelawan, told the Guyana Times that her brother left home on Sunday last with a crew to go on a fishing trip; and on Wednesday morning, her mother called and informed her that he had drowned.

Khelawan said that after confirming the news with the owner of the boat, she made a report at the Leonora Police Station and was told that she had to travel to Mabaruma.

The following day, Khelawan said, she took a flight to Region One, and went straight to the Mabaruma Police Station upon landing.

While there, she related, the officer-in-charge received a call that her brother’s body was found at Shell Beach. She thus accompanied a party of policemen to the area.

Dead: Ram Lakhan Dalcharran, called ‘Rajin’

“We take an hour boat ride to Shell Beach, and when we got there I see my brother’s body – like it washed up on shore,” she recalled.

Dalcharran’s body was subsequently transported to the Mabaruma Mortuary to await a post-mortem examination, which is expected to be done today.

According to the sister, the condition of her brother’s body is inconsistent with that of a drowned person.

His body was swollen and the hair had started to fall off, while his skin was peeling and discoloured, she explained.

Khelawan noted that while there seems to be no reason to suggest that her brother’s death was nothing but a mere accident, there are some details surrounding what transpired that

have her puzzled.

“My brother used to drink, but my brother never had anything like seizures or so. But the crew members were saying that he ‘trip out’ and was shouting that there was another boat coming at them and that he was tying up the boat with rope,” the woman related.

She said they explained that after calming her brother down, everyone went to sleep, and awoke upon hearing a loud splash in the water. Khelawan had reportedly jumped overboard.

“They said he catch ‘rum jumbi’, but since I know my brother growing up, I never knew of such happening before,” the sister related.

Nevertheless, the woman noted that Dalcharran had been a fisherman for 10 years, and had had a hiatus of six years. This was his first trip back out “at sea” since then.

Meanwhile, this newspaper was told that the captain and four other crew members were taken into custody, but after the 72 hours’ detention period had expired, they were released on condition that they report to the Mabaruma Police Station every day until investigations are completed.

Dalcharran leaves to mourn five children, two grandchildren, his elderly parents and siblings.

T

he Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has launched an investigation into the circumstances that caused a fire to break out on a cargo vessel on Thursday while it was docked at Good Success, Wakenaam Island, in the Essequibo River.

Reports are that the vessel, registered as the MV Belle, was undergoing maintenance work when around 11:00h on the day in question, flames emanating from the engineer’s room quickly spread to other sections of the boat. The workers were said to be welding when the vessel caught fire.

Fire-fighters were dispatched to the scene and after much effort, they managed to maintain and eventually extinguish the blaze entirely.

Smoke emanating from the MV Belle as the fire rages onboard

Nevertheless, the fire resulted in considerable damage to the vessel. Despite the destruction, no casualties were recorded.

The MV Belle is owned by businessman Ferouz Amin and is registered in St

Vincent and the Grenadines.

However, an application was made for it to be registered in Guyana.

The MARAD has announced that further investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Unemployed man busted with gun, ammo at Montrose

A

n unemployed 27-year-old resident of Providence, East Bank Demerara was intercepted by ranks of the Police Anti-Crime Unit with an unlicensed gun and ammo on Saturday at about 21:41hrs in the vicinity of Montrose, East Coast Demerara.

According to reports, the man was walking along the Railway Embankment Road when he was stopped

by Police ranks on patrol.

A search carried out on his person unearthed a 9mm Luger pistol with a magazine carrying four rounds of ammunition.

The 9mm Luger pistol and ammo

The accused could not explain how he came to be in possession of the items, and as such was arrested

and taken into Police custody. He is slated to appear in court shortly. Police are continuing their investigations.

news

3

monDAY, november 13, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

UN report

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Monday, November 13 – 14:00h-15:30h and Tuesday, November 14 – a nighttime retraction of 01:30h and a daytime retraction of 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, November 13 – 13:10h-14:40h and Tuesday, November 14 –14:00h-15:30h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions can be expected throughout the day, while partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging from East South-easterly to East North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 12:59h reaching a maximum height of 2.30 metres.

Low Tide: 06:23h and 18:56h reaching minimum heights of 0.91 metre and 0.92 metre respectively.

Guyana flagged for child marriages, low life expectancy …as report warns State must get aggressive to advance social protection

By Jarryl Bryan

A

recent report from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) has stressed the need for more attention to be placed on social welfare and protection for the average citizen in middle-income countries – among which Guyana numbers. The report places a focus on social protection services being offered

by Governments throughout the world. It details that there is more work to be done when it comes to eradicating child marriage.

According to the report, up to last year, 30 per cent of children in Guyana got married by the age of 18. Haiti’s rate was listed as 18 per

One of the Social Protection Ministry’s outreaches

for females and 68 years for males. Even Venezuela’s rate of 79 years for females and 71 years for males exceeds Guyana’s, despite the economic challenges the

saturDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS G

9

13 16

19 27 28

26 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

DAILY MILLIONS 01 12 13 15 25 LUCKY 3 4 9 2 Afternoon Draw

7

7

8

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

04 10

11 12 13 15 17

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

tal care, the report paints a more favourable picture of Guyana. It notes that women in Guyana are afforded the same level of access to antenatal care irrespective of rural or urban residency.

In terms of the prevalence of contraceptive use in females aged 15 to 49, 41 per cent of Guyanese women were found to use modern methods while 42 per cent used any method at all. The report also noted that 86 per cent of all births in Guyana had been attended by skilled medical personnel.

Recommendations

cent, while in St Lucia the prevalence of child marriage was recorded at 24 per cent.

Data on this subject was missing from several other regional countries.

As of 2017, the report also pegged Guyana as having a life expectancy rate of 69 years for females and 65 for males. It is a rate which does not compare well with the regional average.

Trinidad and Tobago has a life expectancy of 74 for females and 67 for males, while Barbados’ rate stands at 78 years for females and 74 for males.

According to the report, French Guiana’s life expectancy rate stands at 83 for females and 77 for males.

Suriname’s rate is 75 years

Spanish-speaking country is beset with.

One section of the report also ranks countries based on the rate of maternal deaths. It uses a Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of deaths per 100,000 live births. According to the report, Guyana had a MMR of 229 deaths as of 2015.

This is a regional high, when compared to the rates in other countries. According to the report, Jamaica had 89 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines clocked in at 48 and 45 respectively. Trinidad has an MMR of 63, while Barbados stood at 27.

When it comes to women having access to antena-

The report advises that bold initiatives be undertaken in order to increase access to health care, and contraceptives, and as many households as possible be included in the social protection net. While it noted that central governments must lead the way, it also pointed out that there was scope for

civil society to get involved.

“Beyond actions aimed specifically at reaching and empowering poorer people – the poorest 40 per cent – specific measures driven by central governments may be needed to shift highly unequal patterns in the distribution of wealth and other resources, and to counteract systemic barriers and risks that trap individuals in inequalities.”

According to the report, “a national inequalities commission could bring together people from different parts of the government, civil society and business to consider options and assess whether policy choices are minimising or exacerbating inequalities”. The report states that poor access to contraceptives, lack of health care and high mortality rates are exacerbated in countries where little emphasis is placed on social protection. turn to page 7

4

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, november 13, 2017

Views

The Cowboy 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

The Paradise Papers

E

xactly one week ago, the “Paradise Papers”, representing 13.4 million files from the Bermuda offshore law firm of Appleby and two offshore service providers -- one based in Singapore -- were released by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). But unlike the 11.4 million files in Panama Papers released two years ago, which shocked the world to learn about the technically “legal” tax havens being used for illegal purposes, including fraud, tax evasion, and evading international sanctions, the Paradise Papers -- named after their idyllic locales -- have elicited comparatively little comment.

Maybe it is because the 119-year-old British firm Appleby was more discriminating in its choice of elite clients than Mossack Fonseca of the Panama Papers fame.

Or maybe the latter created a more cynical global reading public, which is no longer surprised at the elites exhorting them to pay taxes to fund their governments’ activities while they ferret away their income in the off-shore tax havens to avoid paying their share of taxes.

Ironically, the latter invariably enjoys a much higher proportion of their governments’ largesse. Take the Queen of England, for instance, who has a private net worth (exclusive of all those palaces, etc) of £415 million and an annual income of £76 million. She also engaged a tax haven to avoid paying taxes, even though she is not compelled -- like the ordinary British citizen -- to pay those taxes.

As was revealed by the Panama Papers, the offshore tax-avoidance game works by utilising the services of offshore companies located in jurisdictions that do not impose any/minimal taxes on their operations and funds deposited there. London is home to the majority of the tax-evading facilitators because England makes it so easy for shell companies to be registered. Typically, because these companies utilise a bewildering number of paper trusts to hide the identities of the owners of the wealth, they are also used by money launderers, drug traffickers, kleptocrats, as well as big and respectable corporations, according to the ICIJ. In so doing, they deny billions to their national treasuries.

For instance, the sportswear giant Nike, with US$36 billion in global sales, used a Dutch loophole to reduce its tax rate in Europe to just two per cent, compared with a 25 per cent average for European companies. Apple, the world’s largest company in revenues, had already moved to low-tax jurisdiction Ireland to minimise its tax base, but when the latter amended its tax laws in 2015, Apple transferred its cash holdings - now totalling US$252 billion - to the British Channel Islands.

Following the Paradise revelations, the EU has now followed the lead of the OECD to call for compilation of a list of tax havens that can then be blacklisted. This, however, is very unlikely to occur because of the power of the players in the shell game. PM Theresa May of Britain, which is the mother of tax havens via its City, has already refused to provide a list.

The US, which also allows massive amounts of global wealth to be hidden from the taxmen of other countries, in its low-tax states of Delaware and Nevada, is also unlikely to budge. India, in the meantime, which has long waged a search for “black money”, has formed an investigative team to inquire into the 714 names, including that of superstar Amitabh Bachchan, which surfaced in the Paradise Papers.

In the meantime, small countries such as Guyana are on the receiving end of tremendous pressures from these same countries to go after financial transactions that may be covers for money laundering and financing of terrorists. Domestically, Finance Minister Winston Jordan and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) have also been intensifying their efforts to increase their collection of taxes. If the Panama Papers, and now the Paradise Papers, are any guide, they are simply encouraging locally generated funds to be hidden in the off-shore havens to escape our inordinately high local corporate and personal tax rates.

"I was travelling in Central Mongolia, and I saw this little cowboy playing around with a cute calf," says National Geographic ‘Your Shot’ photographer José Vílchez. "He was very happy to pose for the photo; I am not so sure about the calf!"

Guyana plagued by external interference, quite to its detriment Dear Editor, Guyana has always been a stomping ground for the big and powerful colonial and neo-colonial superpowers: Plagued by international interference for decades, with most of it to the detriment of this country.

As far back as our entrance into adult suffrage and self-rule, the superpowers dogged our path.

Our history lessons are inundated with these facts.

At one time in history, our fledgling democracy was cut short by the physical removal of the elected head of government. The situation got so bad that the premier and his wife were imprisoned so as to get them out of the way, and there was established a puppet regime that would carry out commands.

Theirs is the backward view that Guyana cannot effectively govern itself, except by their dictates, their tutelage. In fact, when you trace their actions under the microscope, their real objective is that a certain race and/or party should not -- I repeat: should not -- govern Guyana. It is as crystal clear as that! No matter how successful that party is in government, it is not good enough for those superpowers.

Their preference lies in the field of puppets and people with no brains or intelligence. Pathetic! Therefore there is this constant meddling in our domestic affairs ad infinitum. It is a sick and sad story, but it is all happening right here in Guyana. Our country nev-

er really got a head start at good and lasting governance on its own. For the above reasons, this has been our problem for a long while now: foreign interference coupled with a total breakdown of law and order.

Good governance is something Guyana has been yearning for; got it for a brief period in the 1960s, then lost it to the corrupt PNC. That respite was regained in 1992, wherein we enjoyed 23 years of peace, progress and economic bliss.

Then the ‘external powers’ thought it best that a change should be effected in this country. They were of the erroneous view that the PPP/C was too powerful and corrupt -- no real evidence to prove their case – but, based on the most spurious of claims, the PPP/C became a corrupt party. So the next logical thing to do was to get them out of power.

Change did come with the set-up of a new regime, the Coalition. Well, it was not totally new, but new in terms of a few new faces who crossed the floor.

Nevertheless, we are snugly back into the arms of the PNC. This is our story.

It was a long drawnout process, starting with The Opposition’s rumblings, then on to the poison-laced propaganda by most of the local media. They fed the nation daily doses of propaganda that the sensibilities of the people became benumbed.

Every day you could hear in -- print and electronic media -- how corrupt the

PPP/C Government had become. In the meantime, their ‘big wig overseas friends’ stepped up a campaign of their own with programmings, schemes, intrigues and downright lies which rendered the PPP/C helpless to govern this country. Ultimately, they were at the mercy of the local and foreign hounds.

Well, as sure as night follows day, the PPP/C did lose the fight to the foreign forces, and in came the PNC. We are cognisant of that superpower’s position; they are caught in a serious bind, where their “most preferred party in government” is a colossal failure, and as such they are totally embarrassed and fed up with the Granger cabal.

Economically, we are at its worst, a stagnant economy with no new investment. The poverty index is rising exponentially with its consequent ills. We are doomed!

Where do we go from here is a foregone dubious conclusion. We are destined for serious economic and social disaster of epidemic proportions more fearsome than the Burnham years.

So they have a mega-problem on their hands, and that is: what can those superpowers do to stem the tide of destruction in this country? What can they do for damage control? What I see happening is a subtle way to embarrass the regime, and it has come by way of exposing a few drugs persons at their ports of en-

try. They are holding up a few “mini drug barons” here and there in order to put them down. This may look good in the short term, but the people of this country want long-term solutions.

We are looking at the bigger picture of returning to free and fair elections, so that we can breathe again. Holding a few drug mules here and there will not change anything. This PNC-led coalition would only be jolted to reality in a system that is free and fair, and I am talking about plans, policies and a system for a proper election.

We are also well aware that the stage is set for rigging. There is no question in our minds about that. So let us begin at the heart of the problem; let us get right back there. Elections! O yes, elections free and fair and free from fear -- the reintroduction of it. That begins with the rescinding of the appointment of James Patterson from the post of GECOM Chairman.

Not a hard task, but let us get back on to the beaten path of the Carter Formula.

Mr Granger has eighteen (18) names from which to choose, and we encourage him to hurriedly get on with the nation’s business and do so.

In my next discussion, I shall, in a detailed way, speak about the contentious Leadership and Development (LEAD) programme.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

monDAY, november 13, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

5

News

Cohesion Ministry takes outreach to Region 2 – residents highlight areas for improvement

R

egion Two residents (E/bo Coast) were given opportunity on Saturday to highlight areas they wish to see improved. The platform was presented through the sensitisation and awareness outreach of the Ministry of Social Cohesion (MSC) to the region.

This campaign is part of the MSC’s five-year strategic plan to enable stakeholders to progress towards an organised and structured approach for the development and enhancement of the country.

In brief remarks made at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC), Technical Officer attached to the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Natasha Singh-Lewis, encouraged the residents attending the session to highlight the areas that they wish to collaborate with the administration to see improvement.

“We (Government) know what supposed to happen; we also know what is hap-

a need for cooperation and inclusion of his fellowmen in the development of the region.

“I hope that our work here today will ensure that the people of our region will move and see ourselves as brothers and sis-

Natasha Singh-Lewis, Technical Officer attached to the Ministry of Social Cohesion

pening. So we are here today to say to you that we want to collaborate (with you). It is part of our mandate to collaborate with the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) (and) municipalities, among others,” Singh-Lewis said.

She underscored that without the input of the residents, the MSC would be unable to provide what is needed by the various communities within the region.

Shawndelle Hercules, District Education Officer, also requested that residents pinpoint areas regarding youths that required attention; and encouraged them to take advantage of the information provided.

According to the Department of Public Information, Member of Parliament Hemraj Rajkumar thanked the MSC for its intervention, noting that there has been

Residents of Region Two attending the sensitisation and awareness workshop

Hemraj Rajkumar, Member of Parliament, Region 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam)

ters of Guyana and Region Two,”he said.

The team also visit-

ed the Capoey community, where there were calls for the upgrade of health facilities and the replacement of the engine of the boat used for health purposes.

Residents also requested washroom facilities for the nursery school children, and assistance in correcting a land titling issue.

Capoey Toshao Melrose Henry said she understood the purpose of the visit, and while there is an unspoken understanding be-

tween the villagers to help each other, the community is in need of assistance at both the local and central government levels.

The team is also slated to visit the Kabakaburi area on Sunday.

In the meantime, Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton, apologised for his absence at the outreach, but committed to assist in correcting the issues surrounding land titling in the community.

Cricket selectors never cease to amaze me with their policies Dear Editor, Having followed the recently concluded Jaguars Franchise League Threeday cricket tournament, the competition which is used to select the Guyana Jaguars Four-day team, I am assuming our selection policy is biased, or lacks authenticity.

Sidelining two promising youngsters that have performed well enough to earn themselves a place in the Guyana Jaguars Four-day team, without an opportunity to exhibit their talent at the next level, has done more bad than good for our youths.

As Cricket West Indies is aiming to rebuild, we are at the junction where the CWI is blinded towards retirees, yet our selectors find it conducive to include in their squad Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a man who, without any doubt, has done Guyana and West Indies proud, but should also know

when to call it a day.

I will be criticised for calling a spade a spade, but my question is: Is Shiv playing for selection in the West Indies Team?

Some may want to argue that youth is sacrificed for experience, but how can we equate this if our youths are not given the chance to prove themselves at the next level?

Every youngster coming up will not be a Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but each is talented in his own capacity, and should rightly be given the opportunity, as it is owed to them through their performance in the Jaguars Franchise League Threeday tournament.

I am forced to ask: What’s the significance of the Jaguars Franchise League Three-day tournament if performance is not used as a yardstick for selection?

With outstanding performances such as Akshaya

Persaud’s: A chart-topping 523 runs in the Jaguars Franchise Three-day league, the competition should have been used to select the

Guyana Jaguars Four-day team. He had a total of 941 runs in 13 games over the last two seasons, with three hundreds and four fifties at

an average of 52, what else is required?

Come on, Mr Griffith; as the Head of the selection panel, at least demonstrate

some ability to select justly.

Yours faithfully, Mustafaa Azimullah

6

5

monDAY, november 13, 2017

Page

T

Foundation

ways to ensure long-term retention of

By J Richard Gentry, PhD

eachers often report the dilemma of children scoring 100 per cent correct on a Friday spelling test but misspelling the same words the following week in their writing. Cognitive psychology has given us an answer for overcoming this age-old problem.

To begin with, we know that cramming doesn’t work. Students can cram for a spelling test on Thursday night, get 100 per cent correct on Friday, and guess what? It doesn’t stick.

Cramming is not the way to develop long-term transfer or word permanency in the brain.

In 2013, John Dolosky and his colleagues published “Improving Students’ Learning with Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions from Cognitive and Educational Psychology” (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, & Willingham, 2013), which highlighted five researchbased techniques to improve memory: (1) self-testing; (2) self-explanation; (3) elaborative interrogation; (4) distributed practice; and (5) interleaved practice. Each of these effective learning techniques can be applied to weekly spelling lessons promising better results for moving beyond rote memorisation and toward long-term retention.

Here’s how it looks in practice: Self-Testing. Students take a self-test or pretest as part of weekly Pretest/Study/ Posttest research-based methodology.

Self-Explanation.

Students ask themselves “how” questions, such as “How does something new relate to what I already know?” For example, in a researchbased third grade curriculum, students who can spell great as in Great Lakes, great-grandfather, or “You did great!” can integrate this knowledge with new

guyanatimesgy.com

knowledge gleaned from a lesson on single- s y l l a b l e homophones in English. When learning new spellings, as in “to grate cheese” or the “grate in the fireplace”, they explain how correct spelling in English sometimes must match the word’s meaning – not just the sound and that this is often due to the different origins for words that sound alike. They must learn the correct spelling that matches the meaning.

Elaborative Interrogation.

Here

students demonstrate deeper levels of word learning, retrieval, and retention by turning facts to be learned (in this case correct spellings) into “why” questions.

For example, in a research-based Grade 3 curriculum students learn two rules (ie, facts) for spelling words that end in y: Rule #1: If a word ends in a consonant followed by y, the y changes to i to add any suffix except -ing. Rule #2: If the word ends in a vowel followed by y, the base word is unchanged to add any suffix. Using elaborative interrogation, third graders use these rules to explain why carry, carried, carrying, and delay, delayed, and delaying are the correct spellings.

Distributed Practice.

Students

words

engage in distributed practice when they break up the practice into short sessions throughout the week rather than cramming the night before the test. Short practice tests throughout the week are excellent practice.

Interleaved Practice. Students build long-term retention of words by mixing up the practice for long-term effects. Rather than sort words all week, interleaved practice might include using a LookSay-See-Write-Check study technique, practising with a buddy, or reconstructing the correct spelling in an exercise or online spelling game and the like.

Generally it’s reported that seven to ten memory reengagements in the brain help build word permanency. For fullalphabetic word reading, Ehri and McCormick (1998) report “… students must possess working knowledge of the alphabetic system to be able to look at words in text and perform the matching operations linking graphemes to phonemes.

Students who have practised reading new words in this way, perhaps as few as four times (Reitsma, 1983), retain the new words in memory and can read them by sight.” (Ehri & McCormick, p. 352) Encoding or spelling the word is an even deeper level of word knowledge because the amount of information to be drawn from memory is greater for spellers (Ehri, 2000).

5 time-honoured, researchbased practices As effective as these five best learning techniques may be, they can’t be presented in a vacuum. Decades of time-honoured research-based spelling practices now newly supported by 21st century research provide strong support for five traditional best practices that

have been abandoned in many classrooms: Use word lists but not arbitrary lists. Construct lists to reflect words and patterns likely to be used by writers at developmentally appropriate grade levels and teach a few key rules (Gentry, 2004; Moats, 2005/2006; Wallace, 2006).

Pretest and have students self-correct (Gentry, 2004; Wallace, 2006).

Teach students to use a research-based word study technique (Gentry, 2004; Weakland, 2017).

Use the “test-study-test” cycle (Gentry, 2004; Wallace, 2006) Use spelling games including interactive digital resources, scavenger hunts for words that fit the weekly unit pattern or rule, and similar reengagements with the weekly spelling words to increase motivation and to take advantage of the social context of learning (Weakland, 2017).

For decades, too many schools put spelling on the back burner, creating a gap between what 21st century research supports and what is practised in many classrooms (Graham, 2000; Reed, 2012).

Importantly, we know that spelling is for reading – not just for writing (Graham & Santangelo, 2014; Ouelette & Sénéchal 2017). We need to bring explicit, standalone, grade-by-grade spelling instruction back into 21st century classrooms to increase reading scores and give students a gift for a lifetime – a dictionary of words in their brains for reading and writing.

As we embrace the new digital age sometimes it important to close those laptops or not just rely on spell check. It’s critical to remember this: If you want successful readers and writers, there’s no substitute for the human brain to do the thinking. (psychologytoday.com)

Meet the teen who discovered the secret of social capital – Natalie Hampton turns the (lunch) tables on a social system that breeds bullies

By Pamela B Paresky, PhD Brainteaser: Two children are being bullied.

One child breaks down crying.

The other child kicks her tormenter in the shin.

Which one continues to be bullied?

Hint: it’s simpler than you think. ew to her school, and knowing no one, Natalie Hampton started seventh grade expecting to make new friends. She was friendly and made an effort, but as she told me, “everyone already had friends and they weren’t looking for any more.” She knew that sitting alone at lunch would mark her as a social outcast, but when she tried to join other tables, “you can’t sit with us” was the refrain. Before long, Natalie faced persistent exclusion, name-calling, taunting, threats, and “pranks”. With no friends, by 8th grade, she was isolated and lonely. “You’ll never have any friends,” kids taunted her.

The school administration was convinced Natalie was must be doing something to cause other kids to dislike her, and was certain she was exaggerating how she was being treated. Twice a week, Natalie dutifully met with the school counsellor who interrogated her, trying to identify what was wrong with her and how she was causing her social problems.

The administration’s perception of Natalie resulted in adults at the school interpreting everything she did in the least generous way possible. With no support or protection from adults, bullies understood they had tacit approval to target her, and the social aggression became physical. Natalie developed anxiety. Whenever she entered a classroom, she planned her escape route. She suffered from chronic headaches, stomachaches, and nightmares.

She began to believe that everyone at school was right; there had to be something wrong with her. She would never have friends. “When a lot of adults in your life are telling you that it’s your fault,” she told me, “you start to internalise it.” She lost hope that her life would get better – that she would even live to graduate high school. (Excerpt

N

from psychologytoday.com)

To be continued

news

7

monDAY, november 13, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Jordan pleads ignorance of US$20M Exxon bonus W

hile the Opposition Leader has publicly declared he would be going directly to Exxon to ascertain whether a multi-million-dollar signing bonus was indeed paid to the Government, the keeper of the nation’s purse -- Finance Minister Winston Jordan -- is denying any knowledge of this payment.

Asked by the media, the Finance Minister declined to confirm or deny whether the Government was paid the sum of US$20 million by ExxonMobil when it granted the oil giant a production licence.

“I cannot confirm anything. Somebody said we have received US$20 million,” Jordan said. “I will check and see whether we did receive US$20 million.

I will check and see whether we received any bonus of any kind, signature or otherwise; and how much it was, if at all.”

The allegation about Government receiving this bonus was first made

by Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram. He had also said that this payment may be one of the reasons why Government was not disclosing the new contract.

“The Government of Guyana used the excuse of a new licence to extract a signature bonus -- a payment made by a contractor on the signing of an agreement to take up any given number

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said he would pursue the matter

of blocks. The figure I have been told is twenty million United States dollars,” Ram had said in a column.

Government’s Petroleum Advisor Dr. Jan Mangal has said he had told the coalition Government to release the contract in the interest of transparency.

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, have been tight-lipped in regard to receipt of this alleged bonus. Repeatedly avowing that releasing the contract could have national security ramifications, and that the Government has been “advised”, Trotman has said the release of the contract is not his decision, but cabinet’s.

Last week, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo promised that at his next en-

gagement with ExxonMobil, he would bring the matter up with its officials. The former President has said that while he was briefed on the visit Government Ministers had made to Texas to meet with Exxon, the subject of the US$20 million has not come up.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres. Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (Exxon’s subsidiary) is the operator, and holds a 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds a 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds a 25 per cent interest.

In June 2017, Exxon was granted its formal production licence. Before that, reviews were done of the technical and environmental aspects of the Liza Project Development Plan submitted by Esso Exploration and Production (Guyana) Ltd in December 2017.

As per the agreement the coalition Government made with Exxon, there will be a two per cent royalty per barrel of oil and a 50/50 share of profits. This 2 per cent is, however, below the global average.

The Government has justified the two per cent royalty by contrasting it with the 50/50 share of the profits; an arrangement that the Government has said is a reasonable one, arrived

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

at through the advice of experts. Some had opined that a revenue-sharing arrangement would be a better option than a profit-sharing one.

There has been a flurry of activities in the Stabroek Block, since ExxonMobil’s 2015 oil find in Guyana. In May of that year, Exxon confirmed that more than 295 feet of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs had been encountered at its Liza 1 exploration well.

In late June 2016, Exxon’s drilling results at Liza 2 revealed more than 58 metres of oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs in Upper Cretaceous formations. The well was drilled to a depth of 5,475 metres at 1,692 metres water depth.

Drilling results confirmed recoverable resources to be between 800 million and 1.4

Guyana flagged for child marriages...

from page 3

The report also notes that given the amount of evidence on how inequalities can worsen if deliberate attention is not given by the State towards closing the gaps, the report advises that extending modern contraceptive methods to poor households should

be a priority.

“Universal social protection may be one way to control inequalities. It requires everyone, whether they are working in informal jobs, retired or providing unpaid care work, to have access to basic income security, such as

through pensions or income support for the working poor.”

“It should also cover maternity, disability, child and similar benefits that are essential to well-being.

A study of several poor and middle-income countries found that universal social

protection would cost only one to two per cent of GDP [Gross Domestic Product].

This is much less than tax revenues that are lost by not taxing the wealthy effectively or tackling inefficiencies in existing public programmes,” the report states.

billion barrels of oil equivalent. Data from the Liza 2 well test is being assessed.

The company has announced that it had made its third significant discovery in its drilling explorations offshore Guyana. Its partner, Hess Corporation, had noted that the Liza 3 exploratory well’s net value could be US$6.2 billion based on calculations from the Bank of Montreal (BMO) Capital Markets.

Drilling on Payara well began on November 12, 2016, with initial total depth reached on December 2, 2016. In January of this year, the oil giant had announced it had struck oil in

Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram

its Payara-1 well, targeting the same type of reservoirs as the well’s Liza counterpart.

8 NEWS

monDAY, november 13, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS Prezzie…

2 more females from Dominican Republic deported P T wo female nationals from the Dominican Republic who were intercepted by Police ranks during a raid on the Bollywood Night Club at Providence were on Friday last fined and deported

by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Cynthia DeSantos and Stephanie Pereira, both 27 years old, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and accepted that they overstayed in Guyana.

The charge against the women stated that between October 2 and November 10, while being granted a permit to stay in Guyana for a one-month period, they overstayed their time.

According to Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore, the defendants were found in the Bollywood Night Club by ranks, along with the Social Protection Ministry representatives.

The women were taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) where an investigation carried out

showed that they had both overstayed their time in Guyana.

As such, they were arrested and charged with the offence. They told the Chief Magistrate that they were in the process of applying for an extension.

Magistrate McLennan, however, fined both of the women $15,000 and ordered that they be escorted to the nearest airport and deported.

Lovestruck Dominican also deported

Meanwhile, as reported in Sunday’s edition of the Guyana Times, another woman from the Dominican Republic who claimed that she fell in love with a Guyanese and as such, overstayed in the country was also fined and ordered deported by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Friday last.

Jane Uribe, 22, admitted that between August 11 and November 3, 2017 at Georgetown, she failed

to comply with conditions under which a permit was granted; that is, having been granted a stay for the period of July 12 to August 11, she overstayed her time in Guyana.

Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore told the Court that Uribe entered Guyana and was granted a one-month stay.

However, on November 3, a raid was carried out by the Police, along with officials of the Social Protection Ministry, on the

same Bollywood Club at Providence, and she was found at the drinking spot.

In a plea of mitigation, Uribe told the Chief Magistrate that she had come to Guyana on a holiday, but subsequently met a Guyanese man and fell in love. When questioned as to the whereabouts of the man, Uribe could not answer.

As such, she was deported and fined $15,000. Failure to pay the fine will result in three weeks’ imprisonment.

(Kizzy Coleman)

Man claims he was wrongly charged for break-in attempt …in Kitty

L

ive-in handyman Rafeek Khan of Pike Street, Kitty Georgetown was on Friday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a charge of attempting to commit a felony; that is to say, on September 17, 2017, he attempted to break into the dwelling house of Nossie Shaw with the intent to commit larceny therein.

The 39-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

According to Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore, at about 02:00 hrs on the day in question, Ms Nossie Shaw was awakened by the sound of dogs barking in her yard. She looked through her window and saw a man standing by the window, and she ques-

tioned what he was doing there, given the late hour of the night.

“I am hiding from the police”, the man allegedly replied before running away.

Days later, a police report and an investigation

would lead to the arrest of the accused, Khan.

However, when given a chance to speak in court, the defendant sought to confirm his alibi, which was corroborated by his employer with whom he resides.

Khan claimed that on the day of the incident he was in Berbice in the company of his employer and family, attending a wedding ceremony. When he returned on Monday, he recalled, he was confronted by the complainant, who relayed the incident, to which he responded by indicating that he was not around on the night the incident occurred.

His denial was not enough to convince the complainant, who pursued the matter by having the police arrest him and arraign him before the courts.

Khan was released on self-bail and ordered to return to court today. The trial will proceed before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Man remanded for stealing from plant shop

F

orty-two-year-old Maxidus Marks of Grove, EBD has been remanded to prison after appearing before Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly charged with stealing from a plant shop.

Claiming he is “sickly and would be unable to commit the offence,” Marks pleaded not guilty to breaking and entering the shop of Rudolph Chin and stealing therefrom some $240,000 worth of items

on September 29, 2017.

According to the accused, Police discovered him with the items because he had found them.

He pleaded not to be sent to jail, and added, “I cannot survive there, Your

Worship; me too sickly”.

However, the accused does not have a fixed place of abode, and, as such, Magistrate Daly remanded him to prison. He is slated to return to court on November 21, 2017.

…uber alles rezzie’s part of the generation would’ve enjoyed the voice of Johnny Nash, especially with his reggae hit, “I can see clearly now”, from 1972.

Now that he has finally confessed to being a member of the PNC since 1965 -- the year he was sent off for military training in England by Burnham -- it must’ve taken quite a weight off his chest.

He might’ve even burst out after his confession in Georgia: “I can see clearly now the rain is gone, / I can see all obstacles in my way/ Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind/ It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)/ Sun-Shiny day.” And why not? It was obvious from his speech that Prezzie had been subjected to some sniping (back-stabbing?) from within, about his seeming lack of credentials as a “born PNC”. Well, now they know!

And snipers from within and without had better beware!! Within -- Prezzie pointed he’d noted those who were in or came into the PNC holding their noses about Burnham’s policies. Hoyte, of course, was one of the main transgressors!! When he’d cleaned out the entire Burnhamite faction, some wondered why he’d elevated Joe Singh to Chief of Staff and demoted Granger to just an “advisor”. Hoyte would’ve known Granger was a Burnhamite PNC member!!

Expect, therefore, a winnowing out of those in the PNC who didn’t keep the faith of the founder leader, and that faith is: there can be only one man-crab in a hole! And this isn’t just about Prezzie once being a general and expecting folks to “follow the leader”.

He was there at Sophia at the 3rd Biennial Congress, where Burnham boasted about his “sharper steel”. But Burnham also had words for his party faithful: “The trouble with us, comrades, is that we don’t know to read between the lines; we are always reading on top of the lines; we are more democratic than the people who teach us democracy.”

Expect him to resuscitate Article 22 of the PNC’s Constitution: This authorised the leader to “exercise any, or all of the powers of the Biennial Delegates Congress, the General Council, the Central, Executive Committee, any other committee, group, arm, organ or any officer or official of the Party”.

Outside the party, no one should be surprised at the line taken by Prezzie’s lawyers: that the Court cannot tell him what to do on the GECOM Chair. That would violate the “Separation of Powers” doctrine!!

This doctrine declares that the powers of the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary are separate - with interpretation of the Constitution the function of the last.

Yet, the Courts can’t interpret Art 161 (2)!!! Pressie uber alles!!

…and the Russian revolution But if Prezzie is a real Burnhamite, shouldn’t he be bigging-up the 100th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution? We know -- like the Chinese and the Vietnamese -- Burnham insisted on introducing his own version of the Socialist Utopia: Cooperativism -but even there he was cogging from Mwalimu Nyerere, wasn’t he?

But the Russian Revolution was the grand-daddy of all revolutions - if you were a socialist. And Burnham did have a running feud with Cheddi and the PPP as to which party - the PPP or PNC - were the REAL Bolsheviks, and NOT Mensheviks!

Prezzie, after all, has now come home; and, like Burnham, can now come out of the (commie) closet.

Burnham didn’t have to be afraid of the Big Bad Gringos - look who’s waiting in the wings, he’d warn!!

Isn’t this what Prezzie can also say? No more feral blasts!

…and Nation time The Chronic’s editorial calls for “Nation Time”.

This, of course, was/is the call for a Black Nation by the Black nationalists of the US, going back to the 1960s with LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka. What time is it? Nation Time!!

So, like Burnham, will Prezzie bring back some Black Nationalists like Julian Mayfield, from the American South?

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

News

9

monDAY, november 13, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Opposition demands answers on funds allocated for defunct agencies

By Jarryl Bryan

T

he Parliamentary Opposition is raising concerns about the status of at least two constitutional agencies which were supposed to have been established by the Government but which seem to have been buried despite sums of money being budgeted for them.

During a press conference on Saturday, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall drew the media’s

Reform Commission has not been established. So we don’t know what the status of those funds is and where are they.”

In this regard, Nandlall questioned whether the monies allocated have been sent back to the Consolidated Fund.

This publication has itself sought answers on the Law Reform Commission during successive post-Cabinet press conferences.

However, Minister of State Joseph Harmon would re-

The Coroners’ Bill is designed to make inquests easier to hold

attention to amendments to the Coroners Act and the Law Reform Commission (LRC) for which Government had approached the National Assembly last year and had money budgeted.

“The Coroners’ Act is that Act which authorizes inquests to be done when a suspicious death occurs. You are aware that since 2016 we passed amendments to the Coroners’ Act. (The amendments) provided for a new structure that would allow for additional coroners to be appointed in every magisterial district.”

According to Nandlall, the house was told that this was a matter of great urgency and that President David Granger had made this commitment during the 2015 General and Regional elections campaign.

“Well, we are concluding the year 2017, the Act was passed nearly two years ago, and we are exactly where we were before the amendments. Monetary allocations were made for these decisions to be implemented.

“You would recall that another bill came in 2016, which sought to establish a Law Reform Commission.

Again, monies were allocated, and up to now, the Law

veal that the matter is not one which is before Cabinet.

The Law Reform Commission has one of the most vital functions of any commission in Guyana. It is supposed to reform and upgrade all possible legislation in Guyana in order to ensure they are in line with international best practices.

According to the Law Reform Act, No. 4 of 2016, the Commission will have the duty to “keep under review all the law applicable to Guyana with a view to its systematic development and reform, including in particular the modification of any branch of the law, the elimination of anomalies, and the repeal of obsolete and unnecessary enactments.”

The commission is also mandated by the law to “receive and consider suggestions for the reform of the law”. These suggestions, according to the Act, can be made on the invitation of the Commission, and can come from judges, public officials, lawyers, and the general public.

The Commission also has to “prepare and submit to the Minister specific programmes for the examination of different branches of the law with a view to re-

form, including recommendations as to whether such examination should be carried out by the commission or some other body.”

In order to fulfil its functions, the Commission is allowed to set up “law reform committees” that would examine particular aspects of the law to make their recommendations. Staffing of these committees, according to Section 8 (2) of the Act, does not have to be restricted to legal professionals.

Speaking on the LRC,

Attorney General Basil Williams had argued that the Commission would undo the laws Guyana inherited from the United Kingdom before independence. “Many (of which) are archaic and irrelevant to our society,” he had said.

There are a number of legislative acts likely to be

scrutinised and changed if the Commission comes on stream. These include laws pertaining to the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), laws criminalising same-sex relations, and laws regarding possession of marijuana.

shall be the coroner. A coro-

Coroners

On January 14, 2016, the National Assembly had passed the Coroners’ Amendment Bill 2015 after a heated and lengthy debate between the Government and Opposition.

According to the amended Bill, at present, the magistrate of the magisterial district in which an unnatural death occurs is the coroner. If that magistrate cannot conveniently or speedily

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

ner is defined as a public official who investigates by inquest any death not due to

do not affect the law as it stands, apart from widening the meaning of a coroner. According to the explanatory memorandum, the amendment provides for the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to appoint fit and proper persons to be coroners for the country.

A coroner shall also have the powers, privileges, rights and jurisdiction of a magistrate and justice of the peace as are necessary for the performance of his duties.

In his presentation prior to the Bill being deliberated on, Attorney General Basil Williams stated that Government was moving to have this Bill passed since there were a number of

There is no word from Government on the Law Reform Commission

be found, or is unable to act, the nearest Justice of the Peace who is able to act

natural causes.

The amendments to the Act effected by the Bill

families who needed closure on the death of their loved ones.

10 News Mahdia benefits from Adolescent, Men-Friendly Health Programme monDAY, november 13, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

…as fight against teenage pregnancy continues

T

here is no doubt that teenage pregnancy in Guyana, which ranks second highest in Latin America and the Caribbean, is at its highest in remote hinterland communities.

Acknowledgments are due the Ministry of Public Health (MPH) as the community of Mahdia, the administrative centre of Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni), will now have access to Community Parenting Support Groups, Adolescent Antenatal Clinic Days, Adolescent Health and Wellness Days, and a Men’s Health Clinic.

On Thursday, at the launch of ‘Adolescent and Men-Friendly Health Programme’ at the Mahdia Health Centre, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle report-

From left: Medical Officer of the Mahdia District Hospital, Dr Badel Baksh; Mahdia District Hospital’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCEO), Dr Karen Boyle; UNICEF Representative Sylvie Fouet and Regional Executive Officer, Region Eight, Gavin Gunga

ed during her presentation that the probability of teenage pregnancy in Guyana is 97 per every 1000 teenage female -- the second highest in Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to Dr. Boyle, statistics have shown that

poverty and other pressing issues in education and health which plague hinterland regions -- compounded by the very remote geographical locations of some hinterland communities -- are the principal factors which propel the cycle of

this phenomenon.

If one is to get into detail, local studies have revealed that one in every five Amerindian teen falls victim to teenage pregnancy, as does one in every four poor teen compared to one in every ten born to middle class households. Taking these findings into consideration, Boyle said it is now to decide how the health of teenagers

born to contrasting conditions can be balanced.

Logically, this issue can be targeted at the root by improving the quality and availability of health services in the hinterland communities with the implementation of targeted training that has an accent on adolescence.

Having a readily available and accessible health care programme at the Mahdia Hospital, the Ministry hopes that teenagers would utilize the services of same through education and the proper use of resources made available to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, UNICEF Representative Sylvie Fouet explained that adolescence can be a period of challenges and vulnerability, therefore access to youth-friendly services are critical in this regard. In partnering with the Ministry of Public Health, the main aim is to

ness, and we must look out for each other,” Dr. Baksh said Other issues which arose at the launch were concerns of incest and inter-generational sex, which are prevalent in these regions. Dr. Boyle believes that while men have a crucial role to play in disapproving inappropriate relationship practices, they are often the offenders.

Such behaviour exposes both parties to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV/AIDS, the levels of which are quite high in hinterland regions.

Dr. Boyle proposed that men must start to value their health, so they can be advocates in the fight against these dangerous occurrences.

Touching on the role of parents, Dr. Boyle said that parents should become comfortable addressing the topic of sex themselves, there-

A section of the gathering at the launch of the Adolescent and Men-Friendly Health Programme at the Mahdia Hospital, Region Eight

give young mothers and fathers the access to knowledge and information skills Men’s Health Coordinator Dr. Dennis Bassier explained that menfolk will benefit from counselling and therapy sessions. He highlighted that there are cases of men not fully comprehending the dangers of teenage pregnancy, and how to care for their newborn babies.

“We will provide counselling with them along with their partners, to let them understand what happens,” Dr. Bassier said.

Further, Medical Officer of the Mahdia District Hospital, Dr. Badel Baksh, highlighted that the area faces challenges as it relates to teenage pregnancy, since many teenagers practise experimentation, whether it be with drugs or sex.

“There is the need for much sensitization.

Hopefully, at this forum we will be able to break the cultural barrier with this population, and they can know that this is the place to come for all their problems.

Health is everybody’s busi-

fore making it easier to talk about same with their children; who, often in absence of such, resort to experimenting on their own upon the ill-advice of peers.

Mahdia Health Centre is now male friendly with a staff of 12 nurses, doctors and community members who have undergone training under the Ministry of Health. This programme was made possible by collaborations between the Ministry of Public Health and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which assisted in the area of capacity building of the community through education and donations.

The Ministry of Public Health is seeking the support of the Ministry of Social Protection and other stakeholders to ensure that Guyana’s hinterland teenagers can be protected through education, and be able to access protection materials while having the opportunity to be reintegrated into society.

The media is also being relied upon to deliver the critical message.

news

11

monDAY, november 13, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

High inflation will affect spending PPP/C still undecided about use of salary this Christmas – analyst

…says cash-strapped consumers caught in a financial cul-de-sac

By Samuel Sukhnandan

B

usinesses would be taking a huge risk to lay out any substantial investment on massive imports for Christmas 2017; and worse yet, investing on the importation of premium products.

This is according to Financial Analyst and former Alliance For Change (AFC) member Sasenarine Singh.

Companies importing low-end Chinese-made products are more likely to do better than the high-end product sellers, Singh has claimed. One can therefore expect a growing reliance on the Chinese “discount price” stores, rather than the boutique type (higher priced) stores.

“This is a direct explanation of the fact that the masses are getting poorer and the populations of the masses are expanding in Guyana, thanks to the policy paralysis that is in full force today,” he said.

Recent statistics show that food prices have increased by 4.2 per cent over the 12 months to August 2017, according to the latest dataset from the Guyana Bureau of Statistics.

Singh has said that, based on his research, non-food retailers will continue to struggle this Christmas, with sales expected to show flat growth in the fourth quarter. He recalled that back in 2012, data produced showed that nonfood retailers were expecting 8 per cent growth in the last quarter.

“At that time, one big Regent Street businessman told me he is expecting, in November-December 2012, to generate half of his annual sales. Today he is telling me (that), compared to those days, he is importing half as

Financial analyst Sasenarine Singh

much and his volumes are falling, and thus he has to push prices up to cover his fixed cost.”

In addition to this, he said, the businessman in question has since not replaced a staff member who left the business in August

discoveries that even the Minister (Winston Jordan) seems unaware of. The cashstrapped consumers are caught in a financial cul-desac where they are discouraged from shopping over the seasonal period because of three factors: flat remittance inflows from overseas; ‘skimpish’ salary increase from the employers, including the Government; and abnormal increase in prices,” Singh explained.

The overseas-based financial analyst noted that the greatest consumer of people’s money today remains utility bills, housing cost (mortgage/ rent), transportation, and food. And with the oil prices creeping up, Guyanese could expect another increase in the fuel prices at the pump before the end of the year, thus leaving less for seasonal

listening, and one just has to reflect on the utterance of President Granger in Atlanta in November 2017 and you would realize (that) he just does not get it,” Singh opined.

The analyst concluded that the year 2017 is shaping up to be one of the most significant years of inflation in the last decade, and this is what will drive sales at Christmas, not volumes, he said.

“Based on my analysis of the first 9 months of data out of the Bank of Guyana, I am convinced in my conviction that volumes at Christmas will be flat, and sales will be mostly driven by the higher price of commodities,” he noted.

Singh also highlighted the increased cost of education in Guyana, which has risen by 2.6 per cent over

File photo: Guyanese during their last-minute Christmas shopping in 2016

2017, because he cannot pay that additional body.

But what is most affecting this businessman is the weakened Guyana dollar, which continues to slide despite the Bank of Guyana injecting foreign currency into the system -- which is having an adverse impact on the international reserves.

“These are all paradigm

spending at Christmas.

“I wonder why the policymakers are virulent to the idea that Guyana needs its own oil refinery, which would bring stability to the country’s largest import cost and consumer of foreign currency. But, then again, the powerful groups that control the narrative in Guyana are not

the same period. Education cost previously declined by 5 per cent from 2009 to August 2016. But more than half of that gain was erased when education Value Added Tax (VAT) was imposed by the David Granger-led administration. “Is this the good life for the students of Guyana?”

Singh questioned.

US Embassy donates law collection to National Library

T

he US Embassy in Georgetown has generously donated a collection of legal materials to the National Library to add to the existing law collection in an effort to facilitate and provide a means to research Guyana’s laws, and criminal and civil judicial procedures.

The materials include new copies of the Laws of Guyana, and various titles from noted authors such as Harvey McGregor and DJ Galligan.

The Embassy also donated a computer, printer, and other materials in hopes that the donation will be of good use to researchers, students, and others interested in conducting legal research.

They can be accessed at the li-

Some of the legal materials donated to the National Library

brary on Main and Church Streets from Mondays to Fridays between

the hours 09:00 and 17:15, and on Saturdays from 09:00h to 14:45h.

increase

A

Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

special bank account now holds cash that was deducted from several Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) salaries since all parliamentarians were given an increase in 2015.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has confirmed that MPs of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) have held on to their promise of contributing their increases to a fund.

However, Jagdeo said that a decision was still to be taken on how the money that was accumulated over the last two years would be utilised and for what purpose.

“It’s a requirement that I know our MPs are deducting the money and sending it to that bank account… we have not decided as yet (what we’re going to do), but not a cent has been spent,” he stated.

It is unclear how much money has been saved thus far and to which bank the monies are being saved.

Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira also told the media that MPs were complying and have been do-

nating their increases to the fund that had been set up by the Party for that special purpose.

“Each MP has a standing order and so the money is automatically deducted from our salaries and deposited into the bank account,” she explained.

Four months after taking up office, the Government had moved to increase the salaries of MPs by as much as 50 per cent in some instances. Jagdeo had, however, stated publicly that the PPP/C parliamentarians would not be accepting the increase in their salaries.

Once it was made clear that the Parliament Office could not withhold the payments and would make the monies payable, the PPP/C later indicated that the funds would then be donated to charity.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan had defended the increase, stating that it catered for the increased ministerial workload and to the posts of Vice Presidents.

The Finance Minister insisted that the salary increases were necessary and justifiable.

12 NEWS Veterans’ CoI recommendations to be implemented monDAY, november 13, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

– President at Remembrance Day ceremony

P

resident David Granger has pledged to work through the Guyana Defence Board, which he chairs -- and with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Veterans’ Legion (GVL) and civil society -- to ensure that recommendations emanating from the Commission of Inquiry that was launched to investigate the living conditions of veterans are effectively reviewed and implemented.

The Head of State made these remarks on Sunday at a Remembrance Day ceremony hosted by the GVL at Coghlan House on Carifesta Avenue, where as patron of the Legion he handed over a cheque worth $1million.

“Today we look to the future, and we are all concerned about the fate of young persons who joined the defence and security forces to serve their country. The plight of veterans has not eluded the Government of Guyana. When I was in Opposition I promised, and when I took office

President David Granger laying a wreath at the Cenotaph War Memorial on Main and Church Streets

fulfilled, what I called an obligation to investigate the conditions under which our veterans live and work; and this has been done,” the Head of State said.

Speaking of the contributions and bravery of Caribbean nationals who served in the Second World War, President Granger said that not only did some make the ultimate sacrifice, but many of those who returned were highly qual-

ified and had inculcated a strong spirit of nationalism and pride. So much so that many of them took on leadership roles in their respective countries.

Among the Caribbean volunteers and recruits that returned, one became Prime Minister of Jamaica and another became the Prime Minister of Barbados.

Guyanese Royal Air Force recruit Cecil Henry Ethelwood

Members of the diplomatic corps in Guyana also participated in the traditional wreath-laying ceremony

Miller became Chief Justice of Kenya; while Victor Crane, another recruit, became Chancellor of the Judiciary in Guyana.

President of the Guyana Veterans Legion (GVL), Lieutenant Colonel (ret’d) George Gomes, said it is the responsibility of all to ensure that future generations are taught of the sig-

nificance of observances like Remembrance Day, and of the sacrifices made by those who had fought in World Wars I and II.

ins”, while others have serious ailments and disabilities.

“We continue to be thankful to the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League and the

Some members of the security forces during the march past on Main Street on Sunday morning

According to a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency, Gomes informed that there is a total of 16 surviving members who served in the British Guiana Battalion of the South Caribbean Forces, all of whom are over 90 years old.

He also noted that the GVL is a united front for all veterans, including those from the British Guiana Volunteer Force and the GDF. The GVL has compiled a list with a total of 85 veterans, some of whom he described as “total shut-

Royal Canadian Legion for the annual grants for our World War II veterans and the surviving widows (of veterans).

We, however, need much more assistance…,” he said.

The GVL also receives an annual donation from the President. British High Commissioner Mr. Greg Quinn has said Remembrance Day observances do not honour war or death, but rather commemorate those who have given their lives in service of their respective countries. continued on page 13

The War Memorial located at the junction of Main and Church Streets

news

13

monDAY, november 13, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Berbicians observe Gunman in Remembrance Day disguise arrested in Herstelling

By Andrew Carmichael

B

erbicians on Sunday joined the rest of the country as Guyana and both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries observed Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day (sometimes known informally as Poppy Day), is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations’ member states since the end of the First World War to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty.

Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919, the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries.

Remembrance Day is observed on 11th November in most countries to recall the end of the hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918.

Speaking at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), Regional Chairman David Armogan, himself a war veteran, said it was not only those who served in the two world wars that we need to honour.

Referring to Sunday’s ceremony, he said it was

Region Six Chairman David Armogan lays a wreath during Sunday’s Remembrance Day ceremony in Berbice

to remember all those servant-men and women, who gave their lives in two world wars. “We are forever indebted to them for their supreme sacrifice in the cause of peace and freedom. We also recall with gratitude those who, through the years, have made similar personal sacrifices in the continuing struggle for human dignity, social justice, and freedom from all forms of oppression, wherever these exist. On this solemn occasion, we, the citizens of the Republic of Guyana, rededicate ourselves to the search for peace everywhere, and renew our commitment to the development and well-being of our

Residents looking on as Police drive off with the arrested man

By Ashraf Dabie

A Members of the New Amsterdam Constabulary during the marchpast along Main Street in New Amsterdam on Sunday morning

beloved country,” Armogan said.

At the ceremony, wreaths were laid by the Chairman on behalf of the Government; Police

New Amsterdam Mayor Winifred Yearwood at the Remembrance Day ceremony

Veterans’ CoI recommendations...

“Many of us here have lost friends, colleagues and family members in service, and it is important that we honour their memories. They have not died in vain,” Quinn said.

High Commissioner Quinn also informed the gathering that a long-overdue war memorial has been erected in Brixton, London to honour the sacrifices of servicemen from Africa and the Caribbean, who served alongside British and Commonwealth forces in the First and Second World Wars.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Canadian High Commissioner Ms Lilian Chatterjee, who said the fact that ordinary men agreed to fight in foreign lands for foreign lands speaks to their bravery.

According to the Ministry of the Presidency, several individuals and organisations have on Sunday pledged generous financial support for the GVL. Prior to the GVL’s Remembrance Day ceremony, President Granger attended the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph War Memorial on Main and Church Streets, Georgetown.

Several Government officials and members of the diplomatic corps also took part in that activity.

In his Remembrance Day message, the President said the world is forever indebted to those who sacrificed their lives in the cause of peace and freedom.

“We remember the Guyanese men and women who struggled for national

from page 12

Independence and who have given their lives in the service of our nation. We thank those Guyanese who continue to defend our territory and our patrimony. We are encouraged by their example to strengthen our resolve to preserve the Caribbean as a zone of peace and safety, now and for generations to come.

We rededicate ourselves to the quest for peace for the Nation and for the happiness of our people,” he said.

Remembrance Day is an international memorial day observed within the British Commonwealth since the end of World War I to remember members of the armed forces who died in the two World Wars. More recently, it has been expanded to include those who have died in conflicts after the two World Wars.

Commander, Assistant Commissioner Linden Alves; Captain Raymond Archer, Commander of the Guyana Defence Force Berbice operations; Regional Executive Officer Kim Stephens on behalf of the Regional Administration; New Amsterdam Mayor Winifred Yearwood; War Veteran 75-year-old Ivan VanWilburg Andrews George, who served in the Guyana Volunteer Corps during the Second World War and served with the Guyana Defence Force between 1965 and 2008.

The Guyana Prison Service, the Guyana Fire Service and the Ministry of Education were among some of the other agencies which laid wreaths at the Esplanade Ground Monument in Berbice.

lert residents of Herstelling, East Bank Demerara were on Saturday evening responsible for the apprehension of a gunman in the community trolling the area disguised in a Muslim outfit.

According to information reaching the Guyana Times, the man and an accomplice were observed wandering in Second Street, Herstelling during the evening hours.

As a result of their suspicious operations, concerned residents alerted the Police, who responded promptly and confronted the men.

During the interception, one of the suspects managed to escape, but the ranks were able to detain the other. The arrested man was said to be clad in a thobe (Muslim male attire), and upon further investigations, he was found to be armed with a gun.

Reports are that the men were scouting the area in an attempt to stage a robbery on two shops located in the street.

The Police have come in for high praise for their quick action, which is believed to have prevented the impending attacks.

The community of

Herstelling continues to be plagued with a number of criminal activities, with armed attacks being on top of the list. Just last month, gunmen mugged a young tailor at his residence in Third Street, Herstelling, carting off his Toyota Premio motorcar. This incident took place just one street away from where the men were intercepted.

The young tailor had reported the matter at the Providence Police Station, but no arrest has been made to date.

14 news

mondAY, november 13, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

During ACTO meeting

Suriname cautioned against breach of int’l protocol D

uring a two-day deliberation of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), a Guyanese Foreign Service Officer had cause to caution the Surinamese delegation in relation to a blatant disregard of international protocol after a large portion of Guyana’s territory appeared on that country’s map.

This was as representatives from Guyana, Suriname and Brazil met in Lethem at the end of last week to discuss indigenous health in the bordering regions of the three neighbouring South American nations.

The issue arose during a Powerpoint presentation by the Surinamese officials, which was when it was observed that the New River Triangle was included on the Suriname map. This significant portion of land is located between the tributaries of the Corentyne River in southern Guyana and is about 3,000 square miles, or 15,600 square kilometres in size.

Representing Guyana on this issue was Foreign Service Officer Royston Alkins, who stated, “The inclusion of Guyana’s sovereign territory in the map is contrary to the internationally recognised jurisdictions of Guyana and Suriname, and is clearly a breach of international protocol.”

Alkins noted that Guyana and Suriname have enjoyed good diplomatic relations in the past, and that Guyana remains committed to working with its South American neighbour to strengthen this relationship.

The Foreign Service Officer went on to explain that Guyana has had to express concerns emanating from the border issues at previous ACTO forums, and the country is again pleading with Suriname to desist from these breaches of international protocol.

Foreign Service Officer Royston Alkins representing Guyana during the discussions

He urged the visiting diplomats to disregard the inaccurate outline of Suriname by saying, “We also call upon the organisation to have the document expunged from the records,” and that the records of the meeting faithfully reflect the concerns expressed by Guyana instead.

Also present at the time of this incident were Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, and Minister within that Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe; Ministerial Advisor Mervyn Williams, representatives from the Ministries of Public Health and Communities, and the Guyana Police Force (GPF), all of whom were part of the local delegation.

Guyana, Brazil to redefine borders Meanwhile, at a separate forum, the Governments of Guyana and Brazil have recommitted to having respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty by making preparations to redefine the borders between the two countries.

This is according to the Ministry of the Presidency, which announced that the Commissioner of the Guyana Lands and Surveys

Commission (GLSC), Trevor Benn, on Saturday met with Guyana’s Consul General to Brazil, Shirley Melville, and Dauberson Monteira Da Silva, Head of the Commission on Border Demarcation for Brazil.

Stemming from their discussions was the move to kickstart the remarking process, which is now slated to commence on Thursday, November 16, 2017.

Commissioner Benn, in his remarks to the team, relayed that issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity are important to the Government and people of Guyana.

He pledged commitment to the process by saying, “We will continue to give support, financial and otherwise, to ensure that this process is com-

good relationship with Brazil, it is easier for us to keep that border clean, clear, and visible to all concerned.”

The initiative was welcomed by Da Silva, who underlined that the relationship between the two countries has indeed been a long one, and has been characterized by goodwill, friendship, and mutual respect.

The Head of Brazilian Demarcation Commission posited that the exercise will further strengthen the strong bond shared by the two nations.

In this regard, the Guyana Defence Force and the GLSC have dispatched a total of four persons to facilitate the process.

The remarking of the bor-

The representatives of each of the three countries during the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation forum

pleted. We have shared relations with Brazil for a long time, and during our relationship we have been working to keep our borders clear so that we can identify the border marks.”

In outlining the process, the local official highlighted, “The team will look at the marks, (and) repair and update them for posterity. The integrity of one’s country is paramount, and to ensure that our integrity is assured, one of the things that we do is to identify the borders to make sure that (they) cannot be encroached or (are not) encroached by others. And since we have a really

ders between Guyana and Brazil dates back to 1994, when the initiative was birthed. It was stalled for years, due to funding issues on both sides.

However, in light of the density of the forests in the border region, only four marks -- BG15 to BG19 -- will be remarked and redone during the four-day exercise. The others would be completed at a later stage. Upon completion of the remarking process, a follow-up meeting will be held between the two delegations to discuss the successes and challenges, paving the way for similar ventures in the future.

Mon Repos Market vendor is “GTT Million Dollar Smile” 2nd winner

David Sital is the second winner in the GTT’s “Million Dollar Smile” promotion

D

avid Sital can definitely say his loyalty to GTT paid off; he has emerged as the second winner of the GTT ‘Million Dollar Smile’ promotion. He was chosen on Saturday evening when the local telecommunication giant took its promotion to Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.

Sital, a cattle farmer, butcher and vendor at the Mon Repos Market, exclaimed, “I am happy and thankful that I won the million dollars.”

With tears of joy flowing, the father of three said he is going through some tough times, and the million dollars would “change my life in so many ways”. He disclosed that he owes money on one of the two canters he owns, and his winnings will help him to clear his debt on the vehicle.

GTT Million Dollar Smile campaign has made it quite simple for customers to have a chance to win millions.

Every customer who: does an electronic top up of $1,000 or more in a single transaction; purchases a data plan for $1,000 or more; pays any GTT bill in full and on time; signs up for, or upgrades, a Blaze plan; purchases a GTT handset or purchases a ticket for the Chronixx show, is entered for a chance to win.

Sital topped up $1,000 at the event venue. His was the

third number selected and called after the first two did not answer.

“I have never used another phone company, even when others tried to encourage me to carry two numbers,” Sital said, while adding: “My loyalty to GTT has paid off.” He said he tops up in the thousands on a weekly basis.

Sital, who lives at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, said he rears and produces everything that he sells at his stall.

He further noted that even though he had closed his stand and left for home earlier in the day, he ensured that he returned in time for the 19:00h drawing, with the hope and prayer that he would be the lucky one. Forty eightyear-old Sital is the second winner of the GTT’s Million Dollar Smile promotion, following Maynard Carmichael who won the first million at the launch of the promotion on November 6th at the Stabroek Market Square.

The promotion heads to Linden next on November 17, then Bartica on November 24, Essequibo Coast on December 1, and Berbice on December 15, before returning to Georgetown for the Grand Draw on December 18, when the company will select four winners for a million dollars each.

FranklinCovey Guyana making waves … helping companies increase profits

I

n times of economic uncertainty and downturns, most often, the companies who survive and thrive are the ones that have prepared by strategically building the skills of their greatest asset – their people.

FranklinCovey is known as the world leader in consulting and training, enabling individuals and organizations to achieve results that require lasting changes in human behaviour.

Their local office, FranklinCovey Guyana, has been – company by company, person by person – sharing its tools, widely- regarded as some of the best in the business, to help organisations permanently lock in a competitive advantage.

At a recent workshop at Guyana Times, the FranklinCovey Guyana CEO, Dr Rosh Khan, shared how the “7 Habits of Highly Effective

People”, the bedrock of his company’s programme which was named the Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century, provides character-based solutions to optimise personal and professional effectiveness.

“If you want to make minor changes in your life, work on your behaviour. But, if you want to make significant, quantum breakthroughs, work on your paradigms,” he said quoting Dr Stephen Covey, the author of the bestselling book and co-founder of FranklinCovey.

Getting persons to understand that each individual has the power to transform their life by choosing to change their self is a foundational aspect of the programme. "The world changes when you change," said Dr Khan.

He noted that FranklinCovey’s mission is to enable greatness in people and

One of the interactive sessions at Guyana Times

organisations everywhere by focusing on the timeless, universal principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity.

The organisation, which has offices in more than 150 countries around the world, believes that each person is inherently capable with seeds of greatness with them that are waiting to

bloom, given the right tools.

Companies, from global leaders like Coca Cola and FedEx to small businesses, have utilised that the FranklinCovey training programmes to boost performance. They have impacted 90% of the Fortune 100's.

Sustained superior performance, according to FranklinCovey, requires the

P/PC Balance (Production/ Production Capability), a focus on achieving results and on building capability. And the recently-launched FranklinCovey Guyana has been making waves across the country as more entities see the truth of that. The CEO said currently, they are conducting programmes with the Civil Society, Public Sector,

and Private Sector, and the feedback has been phenomenal.

In the first quarter of 2018, the company would be rolling out programmes specifically for corporate professionals in the areas of leadership, communication, and project management. It will also be releasing the award-winning programme for Millennial Leadership.

15

monDAY, november 13, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say

I SAY...

Public outraged at brutal death of Kescia Branche

K

escia Branche, a teacher attached to the Richard Ishmael Secondary School, succumbed to injuries days after her battered and unconscious body was found in the vicinity of Princes Street and Louisa Row, Georgetown on Sunday last. Reports are that the 22-year-old woman had been brutally beaten after a night out with friends on Saturday. While Police are still uncertain as to what exactly had transpired, several persons have been detained for questioning. In light of the brutal incident, the Guyana Times have asked persons their thoughts regarding the ordeal, and whether or not they believe enough is being done to ensure that justice will be served? Here are the views of the public: Tewanna Douglas

No one can feel safe anymore with the high level of crime today. You have to be constantly looking over your shoulder just to be on the safe side. The Kescia Branche incident is one which follows many (wherein) women are brutally murdered by their husbands or boyfriends over domestic issues. Men have a tendency to resort to violence, and this is something that needs to be addressed. People practise what they see. Some persons grow up seeing their mothers having to endure violence, and mature with that mind-set that it is okay to do such. The lesser percentage with such backgrounds oppose. We should teach our children the right things. Feed them values and morals so that they grow up to be responsible and respectable citizens. The Police have a tendency to overlook things, be sloppy in their ways and investigations, which result in cases being thrown out of court. The end result being the victims and families of these victims are left without the satisfaction that justice has been served. However, we can only pray that the responsible party will be prosecuted accordingly.

Keziah Pio

The public has sought to tarnish the reputation of Kescia by seeking to paint a less-than-appropriate memory of the deceased teacher. Some have cited hypocritical words. Why should one be blamed for partying?

She is a grown woman with every right to make a decision as she sees fit. I hope the police find the perpetrator, who should face the full consequences of his actions. Nonetheless, in light of all the crimes that plague our society, people -- more specifically females who are the targets of other heinous crimes, such as rape and kidnapping -- should exercise due care with the company they keep.

Royceln Alleyne

What happened to Ms Branche was very tragic. I cannot imagine describing what her family must be feeling. For her killer(s), what did she do that was so unforgivable that you had to beat her so badly that it cost her life? I am one that will be standing with others calling for justice to be served. I cannot say what they (Police) are doing, or if they are doing enough. I do, however, hope with all of my heart that they are.”

Desa Chapman

It was a very sad story to read about a young 22-year-old who lost her life just like that, and leaving a small child behind.

Not knowing what the child’s future will hold, and without a mother's love….nobody can take the place of a mother. I think justice will be served, but slowly. Everything takes time. I believe that whoever did it will be caught, and will have to face the law.

Ravin Sharma The death of Kescia Branche, leaving her 3-year-old child, shook the lives of many teachers. She was a smart, intelligent and hardworking young lady who always strived for success at the highest level. The staff and students of Richard Ishmael Secondary also lost a great soul. This brutal incident has now left citizens concerned over their safety, since we feel that there is no safe place anymore in our capital city. I strongly believe more can be done in the investigation, and that the Police should not stop until they reach to the bottom of this matter. I hope the persons in authority work harder and put systems in place to make our city a safer place. I express my deepest condolences to her family, especially Kessandra.

Avril Samuels

To know that this young woman was beaten so badly that it resulted in her death is something that I cannot understand.

Did her perpetrators know her?

Did they know that she was a mother… a teacher? What motivated their actions? I have so many questions. The only way me and many others who have similar questions can find the answers is when her killer(s) are caught and dealt with. So I am pleading with the relevant law enforcement authorities to quickly carry out their duty and serve justice to the family of Kescia Branche.

Shomain Wilson

I feel like I have a connection with Kescia even though I do not know her. I think that is because I am also a young woman like her, and if that could happen to her, then it could also happen to me. Her killers are out there, and as a young woman, I am also fearful for my life. So I am calling for the Police to apprehend her killer(s) and to punish them accordingly.

Leslyn Thompson

I am a mother of two daughters, and if something like that (were) to happen to them, God forbid, I would be devastated just like the parents of Kescia. I am calling on the Guyana Police Force to work diligently, efficiently and expeditiously to bring her killer(s) to justice.

Alexandra Wilson I have not been following up the updates, but the entire ordeal was no doubt a horrific tragedy. One does not deserve to die in such a way, regardless of the reason. People need to understand that such brutal murder and suffering inflicted upon another cannot be justified on the basis of personal disputes. Violence is no stranger to Guyana. Every day you read about cases of domestic violence or brutal killings. It seems to be an innate part of us, a characteristic of some sort. Persons need to find other solutions and less violent ways to deal with the issues they face.

Tamera London

I share the sentiments of fear, anger, and, above all, empathy with many others as it relates to the tragic death of Kescia Branche. The way that she was just left unconscious on the street is simply inhumane. I do believe that the investigators have been doing as much as they could; they have detained every possible suspect, which is a step that should be acknowledged, and I am hopeful that justice will be served.

Sasha Rawof

It aches my heart to see such brutality in our society.

Such inhumane acts should be fully condemned, and the relevant authorities should do more to ensure that justice is served and that these things do not recur. May our society always remember that wherever women are revered, there is where God dwells.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, november 13, 2017

Regional

Deported veterans “We will survive Paradise Papers,” says Bermuda Premier protest in Mexico on US Veterans Day

P

remier David Burt says he remains confident Bermuda's reputation will survive the fallout from the Paradise Papers.

In the House of Assembly on Friday, the Premier said “The reports of Bermuda's demise are greatly exaggerated” and called for a “chorus of unity” in the wake of recent revelations contained in the hacked documents.

Earlier this week, an expert in compliance rules told the Royal Gazette newspaper that the island is “up the creek without a paddle” after the massive leak of documents stolen in a cyberattack on Bermuda –headquartered law firm Appleby, which also has

offices in the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands.

The source, who asked not to be named, said: “This is actually really, really bad and it's bad because it demonstrates Bermuda's jurisdictional attitude to shifting public opinion and reality and the rather rigid line of legality.”

Burt told MPs a coordinated Police criminal investigation into the hack is underway in several jurisdictions, including Bermuda, and said he had asked regulators to step up their game.

Burt said his sole concern was “Bermuda and her reputation”.

“I am confident that

relatively minor earthquake, measuring 4.26 was felt in sections of the British Virgin Islands on Saturday.

The Puerto Rico Seismic Network reports that the

tremor was located approximately 13 miles north of Virgin Gorda.

The earthquake that occurred shortly after 10:00 am (local time), was pinpointed at latitude 18.82

Bermuda's reputation will survive this latest series of events. Within the

Government, targeted action has been taken to manage the continuing impact of this disclosure. All relevant ministries are working together to coordinate responses as required, but more importantly to strengthen systems of oversight where necessary and communicating clearly that Bermuda is the same, sound place to do business it has always been. The depth and breadth of our energy and skill is such that we can meet this challenge, emerge stronger and continue the work of building a fairer and better Bermuda.”

Bermuda found itself at the centre of an international storm after the Paradise Papers were made public last weekend. (Excerpt from CMC)

and longitude-64.34, with a depth of approximately 30 kilometres.

There were no reports of injuries or damage.

Meanwhile, the Department of Disaster

Management (DDM) reminded residents that the territory is located in a seismically active zone and urged them to remain calm in the event of future earthquakes. (CMC)

Bermuda’s Premier David Burt

Minor earthquake rocks BVI A

T&T food bill still high T

rinidad imported TT$32.7 billion in food – mainly fruits and vegetables, cereals, dairy and meat – between 2011 and 2016.

The high food import bill, which has been identified as a problem by successive governments, crossed TT$5 billion in 2012 and has stayed at around TT$5.6 billion in the past two years, despite economic challenges and complaints about access to foreign exchange.

While on multiple occasions Government has blamed citizens’ taste for foreign things for the high figure, citizens have expressed feelings that range from confusion over differentiating between local and foreign food products, and a complete apathy toward locally produced food because of what some described as

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, in his few direct comments about the high import bill, noted that TT$669 million of the 2016 food import bill was from the importation of alcohol

“poor quality”.

At the same time, farmers said that over the past

four years there has not been any clear direction on a policy by the Government to

increase public consumption of local goods within the agriculture sector.

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, in his few direct comments about the high import bill, noted that TT$669 million of the 2016 food import bill was from the importation of alcohol. However, while Rambharat stated the 2016 figure was TT$669 million, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) website lists the figure as TTT$351 million.

During the Senate debate of the fiscal 2018 Budget, Rambharat distanced himself from the high figure, stating that while media and citizens continued to raise questions about the food import bill, he was not the one bringing alcohol into the country. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Colombian elephant gets tusk-saving surgery

T

he zoo in the Colombian city of Barranquilla successfully performed surgery on a five-tonne African elephant found on a ranch owned by drug traffickers.

Thirty people were involved as the elephant, named Tantor, was sedated for three hours.

Root canal work was performed on a cracked tusk.

Over a hundred people raised money for the operation, which cost over US$8500 (£6,500).

Police had to close off

the road outside the zoo and divert traffic to install a crane in case the elephant had to be lifted during the procedure.

The operation should have taken place two years ago when Tantor damaged his tusk, but there were delays in obtaining the special anaesthetic used for large vertebrates.

Special odontological equipment had to be designed and built for the surgery.

Tantor was taken to the zoo in Barranquilla in April 1991 after he was found

Tantor was sedated for three hours – a dangerous procedure for an animal of his age

by Colombia's National Narcotics Agency on a ranch owned by drug traffickers, along with other

animals that were being illegally traded.

He is believed to be about 50 years old. (BBC News)

A

group of Mexicans who served with the United States military in Vietnam and Iraq only to be deported held a Veterans Day protest in the border city Ciudad Juarez.

A stone's throw from the bridge between Juarez and El Paso, Texas, the deportees demonstrated with the flags of their US military units on Saturday.

"We served a country that has cheated us," said Jose Francisco Lopez Moreno, 64. Many Mexicans have served in the US military in exchange for expedited residency.

But these veterans were deported for committing crimes, despite risking their lives in far-flung combat.

"It is so unfair. They separated us from our families, and we are alone here with no healthcare or assistance

of any kind," said Lopez, who served in Vietnam, but was deported to Mexico in 2004. Veterans in the US receive pensions and health care.

Local officials estimate there are about 300 deportees.

"For as long as I live, even if I die on this side, I will always love the US flag.

That was my life," said Ivan Ocon, who served in Iraq in 2003 but last year was deported to his homeland.

"It was like having a house come crashing down on top of you, to have them turn their backs on you after all that," he added.

Trump has brought USMexican ties to their lowest point in many decades, seeking to build a border wall he first said he would force Mexico to fund. He later backtracked on that idea.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

LIAT pilots’ new row with management cripples travel

The pilots said the row was over management’s decision to train a non-LIAT pilot for certification/licensing to fly the ATR aircraft

H

undreds of passengers across the region were left stranded Friday after LIAT’s pilots refused to fly until a dispute with management is settled.

The pilots said the row was over management’s decision to train a non-LIAT pilot for certification/licensing to fly the ATR aircraft.

While LIAT’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Julie Reifer-Jones said “the action taken is disproportionate to the issue at hand”, the President of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA), Carl Burke, said management’s decision breached the collective bargaining agreement.

Reifer Jones said, “This is really very damaging to our plans to restore the operations to normalcy based on the impact of the hurricanes on LIAT. If we are not flying, it does not help anyone…the action affect-

ed us throughout the network from about 11 am [Friday]. We are still in discussions with them to address the issue.”

Neither Reifer-Jones nor the company’s Corporate Communications Manager Shavar Maloney was able to provide details on the specific flights and number of passengers affected.

“One of two flights were done but after 11 o’clock everything was impacted,” the CEO said. The company’s website was not yet updated with the information on Saturday night.

Captain Burke told Observer media, “I had to call an emergency meeting with my membership and we are going to make a decision on where we go from here. More than likely, we may have to take some form of legal action based on this situation that took place. LIAT, in our opinion, has breached or violated our collective agreement.” (Excerpt from CMC)

mondAY, november 13, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Saad Hariri: Lebanon return from Saudi Arabia "within days" L

ebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri says he will return home "in days" to formally submit his resignation.

Hariri spoke to Future TV from Riyadh, his first public remarks since he announced he was stepping down last week.

His Cabinet allies say he is being held captive, but Hariri denied this.

He has blamed the Iranbacked Hezbollah movement for his resignation, citing concerns over his and his family's safety.

The United States and United Kingdom have warned other countries not to use Lebanon for proxy conflicts.

Prime Minister Hariri's resignation has sent shockwaves in Lebanon and the region

Hariri, a Sunni leader and businessman, was nominated to form Lebanon's Government in November 2016.

"I have resigned. I am going to Lebanon very soon and I will resign in the con-

stitutional manner," he said in the TV interview.

A sombre Hariri recognised that he did not resign in the "usual way" but said he wanted to give his country a "positive shock".

"My resignation came

Gala glitz masks Asia's tensions as Trump winds up tour

L

eaders from across Asia joined US President Donald Trump at an extravagant gala dinner in the Philippines’ capital on Sunday, a show of amity in a region fraught with tensions that have lurked behind his marathon tour of the continent.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte set the tone of cordiality ahead of the two days of summit meetings he will host, suggesting

that despite their differences over claims to the South China Sea, the leaders should not discuss the issue.

“We have to be friends, the other hotheads would like us to confront China and the rest of the world on so many issues,” Duterte said at a business conference, as planes carrying Heads of State and Government attending the summit landed in quick succession in Manila.

“The South China Sea

is better left untouched, nobody can afford to go to war.

It can ill-afford a violent confrontation.”

Hours earlier, during a bilateral visit to Vietnam, Trump offered to mediate in the dispute over the South China Sea, where four Southeast Asian countries and Taiwan contest China’s sweeping claims to the busy waterway.

All the claimants will be at the summit, except for Taiwan. (Excerpt from Reuters)

North Korean man begs China not to deport wife, young son

A

North Korean man has pleaded with Chinese President Xi Jinping not to forcibly repatriate his wife and young son, saying they face imprisonment or death if sent home. The woman and her four-year-old son are understood to have been among a group of 10 North Koreans detained in China last week after secretly crossing the border.

The man, who asked to be identified only as Lee, fled to South Korea in 2015.

He recorded his plea in a video message, which was passed to the BBC. He said his wife and son

A

as a wake-up call for Lebanon," he said.

In televised remarks from Riyadh a week ago, Hariri accused Iran and Hezbollah, a Shia group, of taking over Lebanon and destabilising the wider region.

He took aim at Hezbollah in his televised interview, saying: "I am not against Hezbollah as a party; I have a problem with Hezbollah destroying the country."

Hariri also said that if he was to rescind his resignation, the Hezbollah movement must respect Lebanon's policy of staying out of regional conflicts.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Catalan crisis: Spain's PM vows to end “separatist havoc”

S

panish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said regional elections next month in Catalonia will help end "separatist havoc" in the north-eastern region.

He addressed a campaign event on his first visit there since imposing direct rule on the region a fortnight ago.

Defending his decision in Barcelona, he said he had "exhausted all roads" after the Catalan Government's unilateral declaration of independence last month.

Several key Catalan leaders are currently being detained over the move.

Some 750,000 people protested in Barcelona on Saturday against the arrests, local Police estimated.

The crisis was sparked by a disputed referendum held in Catalonia in October, which had been declared illegal by the Spanish courts.

Catalan officials said the independence campaign won 92 per cent of the vote, from a turnout of 43 per cent. Many of those who were against independence did not cast votes, refusing to recognise the legitimacy of the referendum.

The Catalan Government subsequently declared independence. In response, the Spanish Government dissolved the region's Parliament, imposed direct rule and called a snap regional election on December 21. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Quake hits Iraq and Iran, killing at least 61

A

strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake has rattled the northern border region between Iran and Iraq, killing scores.

At least 61 people were killed and 300 injured in western Iran, State media said, with four more reported dead in Iraq. The death toll is likely to rise.

The earthquake sparked panic, with residents fleeing their homes for the streets.

Mosques in the Iraqi capital Baghdad have been saying prayers through loudspeakers.

Many of the victims were in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab, about 15 kilometres (10 miles) from the border, Iran's emergency services chief, Pir Hossein Koolivand, said, according to Iranian state television channel IRINN.

Many Baghdad residents left their houses for the streets when the quake struck

Damage was reported in at least eight villages, the head of Iran's Red Crescent Organisation, Morteza Salim, told the channel.

"Some other villages have suffered power cuts and their telecommunications system has also been disturbed," he said.

Rescue teams were be-

ing hampered by landslides, Koolivand said.

The quake hit 19 miles (30km) southwest of Halabja, near the northeastern border with Iran, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The occurred at a depth of 33.9 km (21 miles), and tremors were felt in Turkey, Israel and Kuwait. (BBC News)

Trump & Russia: US “in peril over President's stance”

T

The border between the two Koreas is heavily policed

would "either face execution or wither away in a political prison camp" if sent back to North Korea. "I wish China's Xi Jinping and US President

Donald Trump would think of my child as their grandchild and send my son to the free country, South Korea," he said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

At least 16 dead after boat capsizes in south India – officials t least 16 people died on Sunday when a tourist boat capsized in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, officials said.

The accident took place on Krishna River about 25 kilometres (15 miles)

17

from Vijayawada city, district administrative chief B Lakshmikantham told Reuters. The administration was investigating what exactly caused the incident, but the initial probe found that the private boat operator did not have the neces-

sary permission to ferry people, Lakshmikantham said.

Around 20 of the roughly 35 people on the boat were rescued and search operations were continuing, India’s National Disaster Response Force said on Twitter. (Reuters)

wo former US intelligence chiefs say Donald Trump's stance on Russian meddling in last year's presidential election is putting the United States at risk.

The US President sparked uproar by suggesting he believed Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when he said there had been no interference.

The two leaders briefly discussed the allegations at an Asia-Pacific summit.

US intelligence has long concluded Russia tried to sway the vote in Trump's favour.

"Every time he [Putin] sees me he says I didn't do that, and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it," Trump told reporters.

"I think he is very in-

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump met recently at a summit

sulted by it, which is not a good thing for our country."

Trump also disparaged key figures in the US intelligence community who concluded in January that Russian meddling had taken place, including former national intelligence chief

James Clapper, ex-CIA director John Brennan and sacked FBI chief James Comey, whom he called "political hacks".

Trump has since sought to mollify critics of his comments following uproar at his apparent defence of Putin. (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, november 13, 2017

ARCHIE

Stay focused on what you need to accomplish. Getting (March 21along with your peers will April 19) make your life and job easier.

Your intelligence and skills will not go unnoticed.

ARIES

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

Talk is cheap, but it may lead to an opportunity if you connect with former co-workers. A relationship with someone special will make you a better person.

Stay in the zone and GEMINI (May 21- think matters through before June 20) you say what’s on your mind.

Emotional misrepresentation will get you in trouble instead of helping you find a solution.

Take care of responsibilities to avoid criticism and (June 21- complaints. Once you are July 22) free to do what you wish, engage in something you enjoy or that will boost your confidence.

CANCER

Peanuts

Plan to have some fun.

LEO The less time you spend at (July 23- home or with someone who is Aug. 22) overreacting or a poor influence, the better. Make positive change your goal.

Assess what you have acVIRGO complished and what’s still (Aug. 23on your bucket list. Set a Sept. 22) timeline and don’t lose sight of the goals you have yet to achieve.

Calvin and Hobbes

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Talk, but don’t share personal information or passwords. Active pursuit of knowledge and skills that will help you get ahead should be your top priority.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Be open to trying new things and doing things differently. Engage in unusual pastimes that will help you develop your skills. A change at home will turn out better than anticipated.

Take action, as your SAGITTARIUS words will mean nothing if (Nov. 23- you don’t follow through.

Dec. 21) Trust in yourself only when dealing with friends or relatives making promises.

Make stabilizing changes.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SATURDAY’S

Keep up with technology or the changes occurring within your chosen field.

Knowledge is power, and it can help you gain ground regardless of your station.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED Puzzle Gather information and AQUARIUS learn all you can before en(Jan. 20- gaging in a debate with Feb. 19) someone. A physical challenge will help calm your nerves. Avoid indulgence.

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

A change in your finanPISCES (Feb. 20- cial position will help you March 20) lift some of the restrictions you’ve been living with.

Someone you have worked with in the past will give you an interesting lead.

MONDAY, november 13, 2017

Guyana Times cops award for best cycling coverage

Andre Russell to make return for Pakistan Super League

T

he Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) on Saturday evening held its Awards ceremony at the Windjammer International Hotel and saw it fit to reward the Guyana Times for its coverage of cycling in the country.

Meanwhile, 20-yearold wheelman Jamaul John walked away with the Federation’s top award for his hard work throughout the year as he racked up victories across the “Points” races to finish top of the table ahead of rivals Paul DeNobrega and Alanzo Ambrose among others.

David Hicks also received an award from the GCF for best junior cyclist while Briton John was recognised as the best juvenile wheelman.

Veteran cyclist Junior Niles also grabbed an award for the Over-45 category, while Warren “40” McKay received an award for his continued commitment to the sport.

National Cycling Coach Hassan Mohamed was also

W

Jamual John collects his award

present, and his commitment and contributions to the sport of cycling were duly recognised with an award of his own.

Assistant Racing Secretary of the GCF, Joseph Britton, speaking during a short address, promised cy-

clists that in the new year they would no longer have to go around seeking sponsorship for trips overseas as the GCF is looking to have the necessary funds for such international meets readily available.

19

indies T20 star, Andre Russell, will be back to playing cricket in January and already has one contract lined up after Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Islamabad United bought him in Sunday’s draft.

On a day when Chris Gayle failed to find a team, Russell found himself in a team with fellow Windies T20 player, Samuel Badree.

Russell has not played cricket for a year after he was banned by the Jamaica

Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) after committing a ‘wheareabouts violation’.

The violation came because on three occasions in the space of a year, Russell failed to tell JADCO where he would be, so they could test him. The violation is treated in the same manner as a positive drug test.

Russell will also be playing alongside Mohammad Sami, and Shadab Khan, who turned out for his Jamaica Tallawahs during his absence at this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League.

Other Windies players in the PSL are Nicolas Pooran, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Darren Sammy, and Carlos Brathwaite.

Pollard, Pooran and Darren Bravo will team up for the Multan Sultans, while Sammy and Dwayne Bravo turn out for Peshawar Zalmi.

Lahore Qalandars have the services of Narine while the Quetta Gladiators will make do with Windies T20 skipper, Brathwaite.

(Sportsmax)

Vettel wins as Hamilton roars back to 4th in Brazilian Grand Prix S

ebastian Vettel restored Ferrari pride with victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday while newlycrowned four-times world champion Lewis Hamilton produced the drive of the day from last to fourth for Mercedes. Hamilton, who clinched the title in Mexico two weeks ago, started from the pit lane after changes to his car following a crash in qualifying then began a thrilling charge through the field.

The Briton was already up to ninth after 10 laps, with the safety car deployed after opening lap collisions and led the race before the halfway stage as others pitted and he ran longer.

He finished only 5.4 seconds behind Vettel.

“It was fun. It was reminiscent of my karting days when I’d start at the back, particularly in my first year or two,” said Hamilton, voted driver of the day by fans in an online poll.

“I messed up yesterday and put myself in the worst position,” he added.

“Waking up this morning, my goal was really kind of just to redeem myself... I was trying to get back to third but just ran out of tyres at the end.”

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff described his stirring performance, with a series of overtakes, as “a champion’s drive.”

Valtteri Bottas, who had lined up on pole position for Mercedes, saw his hopes of overhauling Vettel for the runner-up position in the championship effectively disappear when he finished second.

The Finn lost the lead at the start to the German, who had the race under control from the first corner onwards on a sunny afternoon at Interlagos.

Vettel is now 22 points clear of Bottas with only the Abu Dhabi seasonender remaining. Hamilton’s unassailable overall lead was reduced to 43.

It was the German’s fifth win of the season, 47th of his career, and Ferrari’s first success since Hungary at the end of July when Vettel was leading the championship.

Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen held off Hamilton to take third place for Ferrari, the 2007 world champion’s third podium finish in a row.

Flat out “I had a very good getaway but then I had a bit of wheel

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel celebrates winning the race on the podium .

spin so I thought I had missed my chance,” said Vettel of the key moment of the race. ”But I think Valtteri was struggling even more off the line so I was able to squeeze down the inside and I think I surprised him a little bit.

“After that we were pushing for the remaining laps flat out.

I was trying everything to pull a bit of a gap and control the

race from there.”

Dutch 20-year-old Max Verstappen was fifth for Red Bull, and set the fastest lap after a second stop for fresh tyres, with Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo sixth after fighting back from a first lap collision and spin.

Retiring Brazilian Felipe Massa said farewell to his home crowd with seventh

place for Williams, the former Ferrari driver then ushered onto the podium to be interviewed in front of the crowd by retired compatriot Rubens Barrichello.

“Last year I had so much love and emotion from the people, but I didn’t finish the race like I wanted,” said the Brazilian, who had retired in 2016 only to be summoned

back when Bottas left for Mercedes to replace retired champion Nico Rosberg.

“Today I finished the race like I wanted. That’s why I did another year.”

Massa’s former Ferrari team mate Fernando Alonso, who applauded the 36-yearold after they parked up, was eighth for McLaren.

Force India’s Sergio Perez was ninth and Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg, lapped by the leader, took the final point for Renault.

The safety car was deployed for three laps after Ricciardo, McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne and Haas’s Kevin Magnussen tangled at the start.

Haas’s Romain Grosjean and Force India’s Esteban Ocon also collided at turn six, with the latter suffering his first single seater retirement since 2014. ”I knew this day would come at some stage, but I wasn’t expecting it to be today,“ said Ocon. ”There was nothing I could do... he made a mistake and I suffered from it.

“Days like this happen but I hope it will be another three years before it happens again.”

(Reuters)

20 Clinical Missigher takes Federer avoids Sock inaugural Oasis 5K run

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

MONDAY, november 13, 2017

shock in Finals opener T

W

Winston Missigher crosses the finish line ahead of Cleveland Thomas to win the inaugural Oasis 5K Road Race

inston Missigher was at his clinical best in the absence of Cleveland Forde as he took the inaugural Oasis 5K road race on Sunday with some tactical running.

Despite a 45 minute late start the participants set out at a pace which separated the wolves from the sheep by the 1K mark. In the lead pack were Missigher, Cleveland Thomas, and Anfernee Headecker along with Rickie Williams; however that pack soon dwindled to three by the halfway mark along Carifesta

Avenue as Missigher, Thomas and Headecker upped the ante.

Headecker was the first of the three to show signs of slowing up and by then it was either Missigher or Thomas who would take top honours. In the final 500 metres Missigher made his move and began turning on the heat only for Thomas to give chase; a valiant effort it was by the latter but Missigher burst across the finish line in emphatic fashion to finish first in a time of 15 minutes 45.25s.

Thomas had to settle for

second and finished in 15 minutes 46.43 seconds with Headecker coming in third overall and first in the junior category in 16 minutes 01.84 seconds.

Closing out the top five were Jonathan Fagundes (fourth) and Royston Fordyce (fifth) who had times of 16 minutes 34.83 seconds and 16 minutes 58.63 seconds respectively.

The first female athlete to cross the finish line was Joanna Archer who took the overall event plus the junior prize. (Michelangelo Jacobus)

he ATP Finals title has eluded Roger Federer since 2011, but he started this year’s campaign with a win against Jack Sock.

Roger Federer started his bid for ATP Finals glory with a commanding 6-4 7-6 (74) victory over Jack Sock on Sunday.

The Swiss, a six-time winner of the event, was always in control of the Group Boris Becker clash against the tournament’s surprise package.

Sock, who made the cut after winning the Paris Masters, did manage to shake off his early nerves to produce a commendable showing, particularly in the second set, but Federer was ultimately too strong.

Having won the toss, the 19-time grand slam champion – who has not won the Finals since 2011 – elected to make Sock serve first and it paid dividends with an immediate break to set the tone.

With Federer so quickly into his groove, the scale of the task facing Sock was evident and the American did at times look overawed by the occasion.

Even after racing into a

Roger Federer

CAC Hockey Qualifiers in Jamaica 2018

Guyanese Gold! ...Ladies beat Jamaica in close final; men finish second

By Michelangelo Jacobus

Gayle snubbed

by Pakistan Super League

H

T

he Guyanese Women’s National Hockey team will head to Barranquilla, Colombia in July of 2018 as the top-ranked Caribbean team after they beat hosts Jamaica in the final of the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games qualifiers on Sunday.

It was a close contest for most of the game with both the Guyanese and the Jamaicans’ defence holding firm as the attackers tried their utmost to put their respective teams in front; however, the first half remained goalless.

The game was turned on its head in the final period of play when Guyana’s Latacia Chung broke the deadlock from a penalty corner in the 48th minute to the delight of her teammates and the few Guyanese supporters present.

Speaking after her side’s victory, Chung revealed that she was “very, very happy, overjoyed at winning gold”, while pointing out that the team would now focus their attention on preparing for

40-0 lead in the fifth game, Sock was taken to deuce before finally fending off the threat.

There was a moment of levity towards the end of the first set when Sock, who had messed up an attempted drop shot, showed his posterior as a supposed target for Federer, who proceeded to hit the net.

Both players saw humour in the incident, but it was Federer smiling when he wrapped up the set a matter of minutes later.

Sock started the second set in style, holding to love in a game sealed by a stunning cross-court forehand that left Federer stranded.

The 25-year-old underdog provided prolonged resistance and dug deep to fend off five break points across three service games to lead 6-5, putting pressure on his illustrious rival.

Federer coolly took it to a tie-break, where he eased over the line to secure a deserved win.(SPORTSMAX)

Guyana’s Latacia Chung was the hero for her team on Sunday

Colombia.

Despite finishing second in the female competition, the Jamaicans have also qualified for the CAC Games in Colombia.

In the other female fixtures, Bermuda also needled Puerto Rico to take bronze. Marisa Miro was the hero for Bermuda, scoring from a penalty corner in the 30th minute.

In the men’s final between Guyana and Jamaica, issues affecting the lights of the are-

na forced a halt to the highly-anticipated game much to the dismay of the Guyanese who were seeking revenge. The officials using the points system awarded first place to the Jamaicans while Guyana was adjudged second.

Jamaica finished top of the table after four games with 12 points, four victories, while Guyana finished second with three victories, one defeat and 9 points. In the third-place play-offs, Puerto Rico tri-

umphed over Guatemala 2-1, with Joseph Agosto and Gilberto Monserrate grabbing goals in the 19th and 42nd minutes while Leonidas Leiva scored a consolation goal for the Guatemalans in the 56th minute.

The CAC Games are slated for Barranquilla, Colombia in 2018 from July 19 to August 3, with 37 countries from Central America, the Caribbean and South America participating.

ard-hitting left hand opener, Chris Gayle, arguably, the best T20 batsman of his era, has not been picked from a draft to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Gayle, who will form part of the Windies World Cup 2019 qualification bid, became unattractive because he would have to be with the regional side from March 1 to April 14 in Zimbabwe.

However, the availability of Gayle may not have been the only reason six franchises passed on his services, since the PSL, slated to take place in the United Arab Emirates, Lahore and Karachi, had a tentative set of dates, running from February 23-March 24.

“We were told that Gayle is partially available so that was one of the reasons, but even if he was available we would not have picked him because he is no more the Gayle force he once was,” read a quote from an unnamed owner in an article published on the Wisden, India website.

That quote, along with Gayle’s abysmal PSL outings to date, tell a story.

Gayle scored just 103 runs in five matches for the Lahore Qalanders in his

Chris Gayle

first season in Pakistan before doing just as badly in a longer run last season, scoring 160 runs from nine matches.

Gayle also struggled in the Indian Premier League over the last two seasons, a fact the PSL franchises may have taken note of.

The unavailability argument also fails to hold much water when it is considered that a number of other Windies players, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Darren Bravo, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree, and Carlos Brathwaite all found homes with other franchises. (Sportsmax)

CLASSIFIED ADS ACCOMMODATIONS

Conferences and retreats – full service: Hotel, Catering & Facilities.

Aracari Resort WBD – 264-2946 Alex Wayne Weddings and anniversaries: Rental or full service: Banquet Hall & Catering. Aracari Resort 264-2946 Alex Wayne Aracari Hotel, WBD (Near Harbour Bridge) – All modern amenities, rates from $25. Phone 264-2946-8

EDUCATION Jean offers courses in dress-making, curtain designs, floral arrangement, cake decorating 670-2653/ 638-8449

FOR RENT Space to let, entire bottom flat 225 F New Market Street, 1350 sq feet, suitable for doctor’s office, clinic, pharmacy, etc. Tel: 624-7471 or email: rravier@gmail.com

FOR SALE Gas Stove and Small Refrigerator.

Total Price: $13,000. Contact Tony: 218-0167 ONE OLD MODEL TOYOTA PREMIO, PTT SERIES, INTERESTED PERSONS CONTACT: 694-5297

JOB OPENING Administrative Assistant for Pro business Builders, we are looking for a highly motivated person to assist a corporate executive and be a part of our team.

Your spoken and written English are superb. Send resume to jannessa.kalloo@probusinessbuilders.com

LAND for sale Land for sale. Farm East Bank Demerara. 1 -Bellwest, West Bank Demerara; 2 -Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara; 3 -Diamond-house and land by owner; 4 -Tuschen West Coast Demerara-house and land by owner. Tel: 650-6530

NOTICE AFTER SERVING TWO PRESCRIPTIVE RIGHTS, ACCUMULATING TO TWENTY SIX YEARS, AT BOTH 3218 BUTTERCUP PLACE, SOUTH RUIMVELDT PARK AND 469 KISKADEE DRIVE SOUTH RUIMVELDT GARDENS, IT IS HEREBY DECLARED TO THE PUBLIC THAT RAYMOND ANTHONY IS THE RIGHTFUL OWNER OF THE AFORMENTIONED PROPERTIES.

property for sale One wooden/concrete two story building painted, for sale at Wales Patentia Housing Scheme, W.B.D. Price 6 million dollars. Contact 610-8963.

Two-storey concrete, 4-bedroom, one self-contained, two bathrooms, toilet. 2320 Tuschen, E.B.E. $20M, price negotiable.

Phone 664-9310 or 626-8190.

VACANCIES Job opening for Cosmetologist, Esthetician and Barbers at Nalini’s Hair Salon. Contact us via email at nalinissalonandspa@gmail.com.

One male to work on a chicken farm in the interior. Must have knowledge and experience with poultry rearing. Contact: 680-2702 One male to work as handyman in the interior. Meals and accommodation provided.

Contact: 680-2702 Vacancies exist for the following positions: SemiSkilled Construction Workers Requirements: •Identification (ID) •TIN •NIS •Police Clearance •Two (2) References (Previous Employer).

Civil Engineer Requirements: •Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering •At least Five (5) years’ experience •Identification (ID) •TIN •NIS •Police Clearance •Two (2) References (Previous Employer) Mechanical Engineer Requirements: •Batchelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering •At least Five (5) years’ experience •Identification (ID) •TIN •NIS •Police Clearance •Two (2) References (Previous Employer).

Apply to: Universal Investment Inc., Queens Atlantic Industrial Estate, Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

WANTED Maid Needed. Contact Tony: 218-0167 Waitress for bar 612-2522

spiritualist Lalita Mahadevi Spiritualist Center.

Baba is specialised in name and date of birth reading, patra reading and book opening. He is an expert in removing black magic, enmity, bad luck and gives permanent protections. Solutions will be given to love, health, marriage, business, sexual problems and much more. Call him on 660-1938 or 618-6569. Take that number again: 660-1938 or 618-6569

Business upliftment, marriage problems, pregnancy, remove blockage impotent and many more. Tel: 6121608, 683-5228 Surinamese spiritualist. Resolving all problems. Money, love, blockage etc. Call 651-9663/600-7719.

MEDITATION You are invited to attend an introductory lecture on transcendental meditation on Nov. 9, 2017 at 5:30 pm at John’s Place 114 Garnet St, Newtown, Kitty, obliquely opposite Kanhai’s electronics. T.M is world renowned for easy and effortless stress reduction with over 600 science studies documenting the benefits from mental protection, health, relationship and peace.

Contact: Ashone Kumar (certified treacher) 609-3701

SALON / SPA COSMETOLOGY – FULL COURSE $100,000. TECHNICIAN $40,000.

Aracari Salon & Spa, WBD 2643312, 600-3927

services Specialized in repairing, Servicing and Spares to Washing Machines, Treadmills, Dryers, Stoves, Refrigerators, A/C units, Pressure Pumps, Dishwashers, Convection Ovens & Deep fryers. Home service available 681-1312.

taxi services GR Taxi, 24 hours. Phone: 2257878, 219-5000 or 227-2100

Classified Ads $5+VAT per word

Call:

223-7230 Ext 50

21

sports

MONDAY, november 13, 2017 | www.guyanatimesgy.com

N

Ramdhani bags GOLD in Canadian badminton tourney

ational Badminton ace Narayan Ramdhani snared the gold medal in the Vancouver Racquets Club (VRC) Remembrance Day Men’s Open Under-23 2017 tournament played in Vancouver, Canada this past weekend.

The top-ranking Guyanese, playing out of ShuttleSport and seeded number one in the tournament, defeated Zijian (John) Zhang of BC – Zone 5: 2115, 21-7 before whipping the number two seeded player, Jarin Allan Davison of the North Central Badminton Academy: 25-23, 21-7.

In the first match, the game was set to 20 all and Narayan pulled through to win the first game at 25-23 and went on to win the next game 21-7 before winning

the encounter. According to a release, local body Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) said they were very pleased with Ramdhani’s great achievement after just over one year in the Scholarship Programme at ShuttleSport Badminton Academy.

“We do hope he will get the necessary support from the relevant sport authorities as he is definitely a strong candidate to make the Olympics one day with his continuous upwards achievements throughout the years,” read the release.

Ramdhani will now turn his attention to the 2017 Yonex K&D Graphics International Challenge set for Orange County, California, USA from December 19 to 22.

Narayan Ramdhani added another gold medal to his collection

Wong ascends to Shichi-dan rank G uyana Karate College (GKC) Vice Chairman Sensei Jeffrey Wong rose to the Shichi-dan rank after successfully completing his senior examinations last Thursday at the Thomas Lands dojo.

The GKC’s grading was highlighted by Wong’s accomplishments as he mastered the Seventh Dan Black Belt exams. The senior instructor is now a full-fledged Seventh Dan Black Belt which is also known as the Shichi-dan, but, more importantly, has been conferred with the title Shihan.

The term Shihan is of Japanese origin and is used in martial arts as a title for a Master or “teacher of teachers”, responsible for the structure and standards of style of the Senseis under his authority. Under the International Karate Daigaku’s rules, Shihans must carry the rank of Seventh Dan or above.

Shihan Wong is one of only two persons in Guyana practising Shotokan Karate under the world governing body, the International Karate Daigaku, to have achieved this feat of becoming a Seventh Dan and a Shihan, the

other being Shihan Amir Khouri, the head of the Association do Shotokan Karate- Guyana (YMCA Dojo), who was successfully graded at the same time.

Wong said that grading was no longer the most important part of practising karate for him, and he was focused on passing his knowledge on to others. He added that he did not think of rank anymore, but if it came, he would accept it on behalf of all the thousands of Karatekas he has trained over the years.

The high-ranking karateka further opined that the idea was to keep training while he was still physically able to, and play a part in people’s lives to help them improve their calling. He began his training in the early 1970s along with other karate icons of Guyana like Khouri, Dr Guy Low and John Fernandes Charles.

Others such as Aubrey and Josef Woona-Tai, Keith Da Costa, Jackie Gomes, Aubrey Bettancourt and the late Ian Fung did their regimes at the Anglican Archbishop’s

residence High Street, Kingston under the teaching and mentorship of Shuseki S h i h a n F r a n k Wo o n - aTai, a Ninth Degree Black Belt.

Nevertheless, Shihan Wong’s capability in karate is clearly evident with the karatekas from the Guyana Karate College blazing the trail, both in Guyana and across the globe, capturing many gold, silver and bronze medals. in

Shihan Jeffrey Wong going through his karate regime

MVP Kanhai pilots Jets to retain Brusches title A

keem “The Dream” Kanhai was at his sublime best as he orchestrated a third-quarter 20-6 run that effectively put the game beyond Ravens for a repeat of the Brusche Basketball Foundation’s sixth Classic Championship Saturday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.

Before a fair-sized crowd and after a hesitant first quarter which saw the Ravens nudge ahead 14-12 and lead 28-25, Kanhai was the floor general that put the game in perspective for the Jets to be the first side to repeat.

As was the case in 2015, Kanhai, who was later named the Most Valuable Player (MVP), was able to fashion his side’s play and open the game with his artistry, allowing his players to gain some easy baskets.

After being behind 2528, Kanhai went to the basket

MVP Akeem Kanhai centre

scoring seven third-quarter points to take the game to the edge for the Jets at 3130, before they stretched that to a 45-34 lead. From there, it was no turning back for the defending champions and they were able to triumph.

Kanhai had a 17-point game, but was able to grab 11 rebounds and swat away three shots while stealing the ball three times in a fine all-round performance.

Adrian Webster was also effective inside with 10 points

and 16 boards, as Neil Simon marked his return with an 11-point game.

In the third-place playoff game, Colts scored an easy win against Royals with a 9575 victory as Shelroy Thomas topscored with 33 points for the winners. Harold Adams was the top player for Royals with 23 points.

The Jets won $300,000, second-place Ravens collected $200,000 and Colts $100,000 for the win over Royals.

Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation President Nigel Hinds, Linden Amateur Basketball Association Secretary Joseph Chapman and Dennis Clarke were honoured with plaques by the Brusches Basketball Foundation while also honoured were South American Youth Championship Gold Medallist DeShanna Skeet and CARIFTA Games 100m Gold Medallist Compton Caesar.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

MONDAY, november 13, 2017

Caribbean Motor Racing Championships 2017

Unstoppable Team Mohamed’s Enterprise obliterates field T

he final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC) concluded in Guyana on Sunday in the most emphatic fashion at the South Dakota Circuit as Team Mohamed’s Enterprise stole the limelight.

While results of the action-packed proceedings are still unconfirmed, Team Mohamed’s group of riders had the field coughing dust with their sublime performances, winning every race in which they competed.

The 2016 Moto America Champion Bryce Prince missed the record of winning all the championship titles with an unbeaten run after the four legs. He lost

– Vishok Persaud rules Group 3

his second race of the day to teammate Matt Truelove, but rebounded handsomely to control the rest of the afternoon proceedings, thrilling the sizeable crowd that witnessed the action.

The 2017 champion, Jason Aguilar won all three races in the Super sport category in emphatic fashion, with an appreciable lead.

Meanwhile, Vishok Persaud in his Lotus won all Group Three races, while in Group Four, whose results were still to be confirmed up to press time, Kristian Jeffrey, Ruppie Sewjatan and Mark Maloney were the top contenders.

The first Group Four race Jeffrey won, but the

second proved to be the one which hinted at a thrilling finish until a mishap on lap two.

Roger Mayers, who was just seconds behind former champion Jeffrey, took the lead before entering the goose-neck, but veered into the sand owing to what was reported to be an oil spill.

Jeffrey continued, but on his next entrance into the same area, he faced a similar fate before exiting the race, it left the hyped audience ‘high and low,’ but they certainly were in for a treat in the final race.

With no Mayers to challenge him in the 4WD, it was another Jeffrey master class, while the Bajan Maloney held the 2WD

Winner! Vishok Persaud cops another chequered flag (Dexter Ceres Photo)

crown.

The Trinidadians were left as spectators for most of the day owing to their machines arriving late, but the little they were able to

showcase was their drifting skills.

So far, it is Damien Deokie, who is dominant in the sport tuner category, while Shiraz Roshandin is

2017/2018 CWI/Digicel 4-Day

Chanderpaul special saves Jaguars Shivnarine Chanderpaul played another rescue innings for the umpteenth time in his career as the Guyana Jaguars secured a remarkable draw against the Leewards Hurricanes when round three of the 2017/18 Cricket West Indies (CWI)/Digicel Regional 4-Day Tournament ended on Sunday at the Warner Park Ground.

The 43-year-old lefthander notched up his 77th First- Class ton in a time of need after the Jaguars endured a tough last three days. After the Hurricanes piled on 4129 declared, Guyana were

Magnum “Tek Charge and Win” Futsal

Teams, fans will be offered Christmas cheer

– giveaways on every night of action

W

SCOREBOARD Leewards Hurricanes 1st innings 412/9 dec Guyana Jaguars 1st innings T Chanderpaul c Cornwall b Louis 3 C Hemraj c Carty b Simon 23 L Johnson* b Louis 2 V Singh not out 97 V Permaul run out (Thomas) 0 S Chanderpaul c Hamilton b Cornwall 5 A Bramble c Louis b Ward 0 K Paul b lbw Ward 4 S Rutherford c Hamilton b Ward 32 R Shepherd c Louis b Ward 13 K Joseph c Bonner b Cornwall 15 Extras (b-2, lb-1, w-0, nb-4) 12 Total: 63.4 overs ( for 10) 206 FOW: 1-6, 2-8, 3-39, 4-39, 5-47, 6-35, 7-57, 8-117, 9-131, 10-206 Bowling: Louis 15-2-52-2, Mathew 6-4-8-0, Cornwall 23.46-62-2, Simon 8-0-28-1, Ward

the leader in the Group Two category.

Full details of the event will be available in a subsequent edition of this publication. (Akeem Greene)

10-1-48-4, Bonner 1-1-0-0 Guyana Jaguars 2nd innings (following on) T Chanderpaul b lbw Bonner 16 C Hemraj c Hughes b Mathew 0 L Johnson* c Cornwall b Bonner 41 V Permaul b lbw Louis 9 V Singh retired hurt 35 S Chanderpaul c Bonner b Ward 109 A Bramble not out 57 K Paul b Ward 0 S Rutherford not out 22 To bat: K Joseph, R Shepherd Extras: (b-13, lb-3, w-0, nb-0) 16 Total: (for 6, 116 Overs) 305 FOW: 1-2, 2-35, 3-60, 4-79, 5-268, 6-275 Bowling: Louis 24-10-49-1, Mathew 15-8-16-1, Cornwall 31-7-94-1, Simon 8-1-440, Ward 21-8-43-2, Bonner 14-2-52-2, Carty 3-2-1-0

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

bowled out for 206 in their first innings.

Trailing by 153 runs heading into the final day of play, the champs who resumed on 53-2 from 41 overs, finished on 305-6 from 116 overs, leading by 99 runs when the curtains came down on the final day.

Captain Leon Johnson resumed on 27 not out and night-watchman Veerasammy Permaul was unbeaten on 6.

Openers Tage Chanderpaul (16) and Chandrapaul Hemraj (00) were the batsmen to be dismissed by Nkrumah Bonner (1-6) and Mervin Mathew (1-8), respectively prior to stumps on day three.

Johnson missed out on a fifty after he ended with six fours in his score of 41 before

he was removed by Bonner.

The in-form Vishaul Singh, who scored 35, joined forces with Chanderpaul as the duo added a vital 67 runs.

Following Singh's dismissal, wicket-keeper Anthony Bramble continued his good form with the bat this season, scoring his third halfcentury – an unbeaten 57 with four fours and three sixes.

Bramble and the veteran, who stroked 10 fours and two maximums in his 147-ball 109, shared a match-saving partnership of 122 runs.

When Chanderpaul was sent packing, it was Bramble and all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford who took Guyana to safety. Rutherford ended with 22, including four boundaries.

ith the holiday season fast approaching, 32 teams will have the opportunity to contest for over $900,000 in prize monies and trophies in the inaugural Magnum “Tek Charge and Win” Futsal Christmas Classic slated to start on December 1, at the National Gymnasium.

According to the organiser, the teams invited are among the best exponents in the futsal format and fans could expect eight action-packed nights of exciting football that will culminate with the final set for December 23.

1. Sparta Boss; 2. Gold is Money; 3. Back Circle; 4.

Future Stars; 5. Leopold Street; 6. Sophia; 7.

Tucville; 8. North Ruimveldt; 9. Queen Street Tiger Bay; 10.

Albouystown B; 11. Albouystown A; 12. Ol Skool Ballers; 13.

North East La Penitence; 14.

Alexander Village; 15.

Channel Nine Warriors; 16. Broad Street; 17. Kitty Hustlers; 1 8 .

New Market Street; 19.

West Back

Road; 20. Mike Stars; 21.

Campbellville 22. Festival City; 23. African Team; 24. Buxton Diamond; 25. Pike Street Sophia; 26. Champion Boys; 27.

Brazilian Team; 28. Mocha; 29.

Swag Entertainment; 30. Silver Bullets; 31. Showstoppers and 32. MBK All Stars.

Meanwhile, the full schedule of playing days is as follows: Friday, December 1; Sunday, December 3; Tuesday, December 5; Sunday, December 10; Tuesday, December 12; Thursday, December 14; Tuesday, December 19 and Saturday, December 23, 2017.

The winning team will receive $500,000 plus a trophy, t h e runnersu p $200,000 plus a trophy, third place $100,000 plus a trophy and fourth place $50,000.

The Most Valuable Player will walk away with US$100, while every night fans will enjoy giveaways such as headphones, pop sockets, T-shirts, and speakers.

MONDAY, november 13, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Scenes from International Race of Champions 2017

23

(Dexter Ceres photos)

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Caribbean Motor Racing Championships 2017

Unstoppable Team Mohamed’s Enterprise obliterates field Pg 22

– Vishok Persaud rules Group 3

Bryce Prince, the crown jewel of Caribbean motor racing

Top three! Jason Aguilar leads Bryce Prince and Matt Truelove after another rampant outing by Team Mohamed’s Enterprise (Akeem Greene Photo)

CAC Hockey Qualifiers in Jamaica 2018

Guyanese Gold!

Guyana Times Sport Journalist Michelangelo Jacobus receives the GCF Award from a Federation official

...Ladies beat Jamaica in close final; men finish second Pg 20 The Guyana Women’s National Team left with gold after defeating Jamaica 1-0 in the final of the CAC Qualifiers

Pg 19

Guyana Times cops award for best cycling coverage

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, News Hotliine: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Sport: sport@guyanatimesgy.com Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 SALES AND MARKETING - lezas@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.