Guyana Times December 12, 2018

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Countdown to Christmas

Government defers scrap metal legislation to 2019 P14

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3774

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

PRICE

Showdown in National Assembly

As Govt grilled on $244M for Forest Inventory study

Page 3

– project to go through NPTAB, but confusion remains over consultant

Body of Bloody bodies of man, 11-month-old wife found in Kuru baby found Kururu home …couple killed each other during argument – Police in drain Page 10

Page 11

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Labourer P12 critical after being struck by speeding car P8 Vendor slapped with attempted murder charge

President P12 Granger returns after 2nd round of chemotherapy

Annandale fatal accident

ExxonMobil donates US$40,000 in lab equipment Page to UG 13

P15

Teen remains critical as Police hunt for hit-andrun vehicle

An official at the University doing a demonstration with a piece of equipment donated by ExxonMobil in the presence of Exxon’s Country Manager Rod Henson

Guyana working with US to lift catfish ban – Holder ...as impasse projected to cost economy US$1.2M annually

Page 7

Scotiabank's sale to Republic Bank

Employees will not lose their jobs – source Page 9

P14 No legal protection for online shoppers – CCAC

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wednesdAY, december 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Wednesday, December 12 –05:00h-06:30h and Thursday, December 13 – 09:00h-10:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, December 12 – 07:00h-08:30h and Thursday, December 13 – 07:35h-09:05h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

Showdown in National Assembly

As Govt grilled on $244M for Forest Inventory study – project goes through NPTAB, but confusion remains over consultant

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions are expected with partly cloudy skies in the evening. Overall temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East-North-easterly to North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 07:21h and 19:34h reaching maximum heights of 2.35 metres and 2.41 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 13:07h reaching a minimum height of 0.90 metre.

PPP MP Juan Edghill

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he National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has maintained that Government contracts are awarded through a transparent tendering process. But there was much confusion on Tuesday in the National Assembly when the Government was asked for details on the consultant carrying out the Forest Inventory Project.

Under questioning from the Parliamentary Opposition, Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, informed the National Assembly that the works were being carried out by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).

The Junior Minister gave details of what the project would entail. According to her, the inventory would document both flora and fauna, as well as where these natural resources are located.

“The GFC will be going to look at the forest species that we have, where they are; even the wildlife. So it’s an extensive project, very robust. It’s about tagging and naming,” the Minister explained.

A sum of $35 million in capital expenditure was allocated for 2019, while a sum of over $250 million was allocated to the Ministry under 'other'. However, the revelation in the Committee of Supply that the second phase of the Ministry of Natural Resources' project will cost some $244 million, raising eyebrows in the Opposition benches of the National Assembly. Those eyebrows were raised even higher when it was made clear what the allocations would be spent on.

Broomes informed the Assembly that monies will be used to purchase an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV), a Land Cruiser and a computer. This did not sit well with the Opposition, and Opposition frontbencher Anil Nandlall requested a breakdown of how the money would be spent.

“We have here an allocation of $35 million,” Nandlall pointed out. “And the legend reads ‘provision for forestry inventory study’. I heard the Minister explain to us they are buying vehicles under this provision.

Might I ask for a breakdown

of how much of this money is actually going to forest inventory and how much is going to be spent on acquiring vehicles?

This thing says clearly ‘provision for forestry inventory study’.”

In response to questions from Nandlall on why the project money was being spent to acquire vehicles, and not on the project, Broomes defended the allocation.

“These monies will be spent to buy these things to support the study, because, to execute this study, the personnel will have to go in the fields. It’s not a study that will be done (indoors), it calls for field activities,” she explained.

Nancy story

Pressed further, Broomes related that the project was subjected to the public tendering process and to Cabinet approval, but successive Opposition Parliamentarians tried to ascertain whether a consultant was undertaking the study, or whether the GFC itself was doing so.

“The Ministry of Natural Resources with the Forestry Commission will be carrying out this project,” Broomes said. In response, Opposition MP Juan Edghill repeated his request for the identity of who would be undertaking the study. Broomes repeated her previous answer, and this did not satisfy Edghill.

“I’ve asked specifically for the Minister to tell the House who is undertaking this study, and she has said this is being undertaken through the Forestry Commission. If this

Opposition MP Anil Nandlall

Junior Natural Resources Minister Simona Broomes

is being undertaken through the Forestry Commission, then this money should have gone as a subsidy and contribution to a local organisation.”

“It has to be a consultancy or a project where persons are being engaged and being paid.

Could the Minister tell us who is undertaking this study, and if the Forestry Commission is providing any counterpart financing for the study?”

Even with all this prompting, Broomes could not provide the name of a consultant. Asked point blank if the GFC was awarded the contract to carry out the study, Broomes reiterated her earlier comments that the project had gone through the procurement procedure, and she promised to lay over the relevant documents.

“You said this went through the procurement process. The procurement process will also include public advertisement, so are you saying the Ministry

of Natural Resources went to public advertisement and the Guyana Forestry Commission submitted a bid to conduct the study?” asked Opposition MP Nigel Dharamlall.

“I’m saying that the Ministry of Natural Resources, through the procurement measures, procured the Forestry Commission,” was all Broomes would say in response, adding the benefits of the project.

A perusal of the Appendix of volume one of the budget estimates shows that the GFC did not receive any monies from the Ministry of Natural Resources in 2018 or 2019 by way of subsidy contribution or capital grant.

Edghill pointed out that in the absence of this information, GFC could not be undertaking the project. But Broomes ultimately promised to lay over the information, leaving more questions than answers.

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Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Holiday season: Traffic in Georgetown

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he holiday season always brings something added to many.

Generally, that could be financial challenges to meet the added demands for gifts, household needs, and preparations, at least for those caught up in the spirit. For businesses, added efforts to decide what new to make available, display and even staff.

That aside, the trend in increased criminal activity unfortunately never fades and added Police presence in the main towns has become routine. That’s designed to make all feel an added sense of safety. Very noticeable at this time is the increase in traffic congestion, especially in the capital city of Georgetown.

There is a distinction between increased traffic during this period, which adds to ambience of the season, and the characteristic congestion of the city throughout the year. The added and unbearable congestion at this time makes getting around a nightmare. This results from various reasons.

Over time, the pavements have become jostling grounds for vendors and pedestrians, often forcing the latter onto the carriageways for vehicles. That in turn slows the traffic as they compete for space. With the shoulders overrun with parked vehicles, whenever one stops it means that those behind have to do likewise.

This is exacerbated by the continual indiscipline of some drivers, especially those with minibuses, stopping at any point in total disregard for others. Designated bus stops have become obsolete from a combination of indiscipline and lack of enforcement by the Police.

Another major contributing factor is the narrowness of most of the streets. They are made even narrower when inconsiderate drivers park on either side. This is further compounded by the indiscriminate double-parking which has become a norm.

Very often, a vehicle stops to allow someone to make a purchase causing everyone else behind to wait for that transaction to be completed, especially when the traffic is continuous in the opposite lane. This happens every day in almost every part of the city. Guilty drivers just sit totally unconcerned, ignoring the blaring horns which bring attention to their transgression.

The situation worsens in the vicinity of bars and liming spots as the vehicles spend a much longer time being parked. Similarly, in some streets, especially around Bourda Market, it appears to be drive-thru shopping at the expense of those who use them as necessary routes. The result is the same; an unnecessary and extended wait and added frustration.

Had the parking meter system not been imposed with its draconian by-laws and exorbitant fees, it could have been one measure to help eliminate the double-parking phenomenon which would have resulted in more road space available for traffic flow.

Also, it could be a deterrent to parking on narrow streets. However, in the absence of that, the onus falls on the Police to intensify and sustain their clampdown on traffic violations.

While they cannot be everywhere, it would be not farfetched to expect a more robust approach in the high-traffic areas to ensure that traffic laws are adhered to. There could be a multi-faceted approach with advisories and enforcement. As is, if unfortunately, there is an emergency in parts of the city, getting out could be catastrophic.

The Police also have their work cut out given the volume of traffic and the challenges noted, however, the laws must be seen to be enforced to ensure a constant flow of traffic. Commandeering traffic lights, though useful, will not solve the problem. Given the volume of traffic and layout of the city, any one narrow side street that becomes congested can lead to a long build-up elsewhere.

If the Police were to professionally and consistently enforce the existing traffic laws and make it public through the media and other means, there is a great chance for some improvement in the current snail-paced flow. Similarly, if the potholes in almost every city street are fixed, the traffic will move faster.

The intersection of Mandela and Homestretch Avenues in proximity of a major embassy, is an example of how poor roads slow traffic. Like the Police, those responsible for the upkeep of roads must deliver in a timely manner and consistently.

Another area of concern is the masqueraders who appear not to be so concerned over the art form, but more on getting occupants of vehicles to donate. While it is part of the festivities, over the recent years, this has gone beyond that to simply soliciting funds. Given that priority, it is no surprise that the traffic is brought to a halt where they flounce or pretend to.

There is a question of whether that is obstruction of traffic.

Should permission be sought? And if so, should there be consideration of the roads requested in the context of high-traffic areas? If permission is granted, then it should be monitored for adherence.

That may sound like added tasks for law enforcement, which will in turn point to the need for added ranks. While an important point, the woes of all who traverse the city will be added upon if efforts are not increased to resolve the congestion for each component that adds up.

The sweet sound of masquerade band music could be heard on Regent Street, Georgetown as persons did their Christmas shopping in the area. In photo, these masqueraders brave the inclement weather as they entertain shoppers with Christmas melodies (Dexter Ceres photo)

Time honours Khashoggi, 4 others as Person of the Year ….Journalists from Myanmar, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and a newspaper in the US named as 2018’s ‘Guardians’ of truth

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ime magazine has named a newspaper and four Journalists, including Washington Post’s murdered Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi, as its Person of the Year.

The Capital Gazette in the US state of Maryland’s Annapolis, two Reuters Journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, Philippine Journalist Maria Ressa, as well as Khashoggi, were recognised as “Guardians” of truth, Time’s Editor-inChief Edward Felsenthal announced on Tuesday.

“They are representative of a broader fight by countless others around the world – as of December 10, at least 52 Journalists have been murdered in 2018 – who risk all to tell the story of our time,” Felsenthal wrote in an essay titled “The Guardians and the War on Truth”.

Time selected them “for taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts that are central to civil discourse, for speaking up and speaking out”.

Those chosen this year will appear in four different cover photos.

The nominees

The Capital Gazette newspaper lost four Journalists and a sales assistant in June when a gunman entered their news-

Time selected them “for taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts that are central to civil discourse, for speaking up and speaking out”

room and opened fire.

Khashoggi, who was killed two months ago at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey’s Istanbul, is the first person to be nominated by the magazine post-mortem, Felsenthal said.

“But it’s also very rare that a person’s influence grows so immensely in

death,” he said of Khashoggi.

“His murder has prompted a global reassessment of the Saudi Crown Prince and a really long-overdue look at the devastating war in Yemen.”

The two Reuters Journalists have been imprisoned for nearly a year in Myanmar after investigat-

ing a massacre of Rohingya.

Ressa is an award-winning Philippine Journalist who, along with the online news service she heads, Rappler, has been sued for tax evasion.

Her website has been critical of the Government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, and she says the charges are politically motivated.

She told Al Jazeera from Manila the nomination showed “how difficult it is to be a journalist”.

“This year we can’t get away from the impunity and the brutal killing of Khashoggi, the jailing of the Reuters Journalists and the challenges we face here [in the Philippines], what’s happening in the United States,” she said.

“Journalists are under attack both online and in the real world and these real-world dangers are something we have to fight to just be able to do our jobs.”

In her own case, she said “the law had been weaponised” against Rappler.

She vowed to keep on fighting in court.

Time has made the designation every year since 1927. The magazine says the Person of the Year title is not necessarily an honour or award, but representative of the influence the person – or idea – has had on the news within the past year for better or worse. (Al Jazeera)

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Unprecedented for Govt Finance Minister has to walk out on Opposition failed Guyanese miserably Dear Editor, The coalition Government (APNU/AFC) qualifies for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. It is the first Government to boycott itself in Parliament-- first time that a Government in any part of the world has walked out on (boycott) itself (its own parliamentary sitting).

The Government Members of Parliament (MPs) walked out when Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, the main PPP respondent in the ongoing budget debate, delivered his contribution. The Government asked for the sitting and it asked for the debate.

Therefore, it behooved the Government to participate in its own proceedings. For the Government to walk out in its own debate suggests they don't understand Parliamentary affairs or they don't care what the opposition says. It is unparliamentary.

While the Government may feel that the walk out, or boycott, would embarrass the Opposition Leader, it has embarrassed the Government as the international community is laughing at them. The walkout made news internationally, putting the Government in bad light. In Trinidad where I attended the weekend Hindu Conference, several former and current MPs expressed their shock that the

Government boycotted the opposition in parliament.

This is a new action. It is unheard of in the parliamentary system. The opposite happened in many countries and is an acceptable act from an opposition-- walking out as a form of protest against the Government.

A boycott or walkout is an appropriate form of protest; it was used effectively against colonial rule in India by Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters;

by Dr King in the US to protest racism against Blavks, against apartheid rule in South Africa, and by us in Guyana during the period of the dictatorship, etc, students boycotted or walked out of classes at UG and at schools during the 1980s to protest against rigged elections, national service, repressive rule, etc. I helped organise a boycott of classes at the Corentyne High School in 1977 when three of my teachers were victimised for guiding us to form a student society.

International community pays attention to that form of protest. This form of protest is generally utilised by opposition figures, not the Government in a legislature. So it is unprecedented that the APNU/AFC coalition Government would employ that tactic. In effect, the Government protested and behaved as though it is the opposition and not in charge

of the country. It reminds me of a protest that the Helmut Kohl Government in Germany in early 1990s undertook to protest against skin head attacks on immigrants. The same seems to be the case in Guyana when the Government boycotted the Opposition Leader’s response to the budget.

It is a matter of principle that the Government listen to the other side in a budget debate. The Opposition Leader and MPs were present in Parliament when the Finance Minister presented the proposed budget. Parliamentary decorum dictates that the Finance Minister listen to the response of all members, particularly the Opposition Leader as he is the main spokesperson for the official opposition. He is not speaking as Jagdeo, but as the representative of the opposition. Parliamentary convention dictates that the Opposition Leader be given equal time as the Finance Minister in responding to the budget and the Government accords respect to the office. To do otherwise, and to not listen to the Opposition Leader, is an insult to the MPs, Parliament, as well as to the nation. The Government owes nation an apology.

Yours faithfully, Dr Vishnu Bisram

Nagamootoo is power hungry Dear Editor, The Opposition's chief whip the Honourable Gail Teixieira filed a motion in the house asking that the acting President of the Republic of Guyana, Mr Moses Nagamootoo vacate his place in The National Assembly as Head of Government. It is a legally binding motion as stipulated in Article 178 (4) of the constitution which states; once a member (who must be an elected member of The National Assembly) of the cabinet is appointed to perform the functions of the office of President, then that Minister's seat in The National Assembly shall be regarded as vacant. In this regard he is considered an illegal person in The House.

Now Nagamootoo, who is supposed to be a lawyer ought to know that his continued presence in Parliament constitutes an illegality and that everything done by him is equally illegal. Presently, he is a squatter as asserted by the Opposition Leader, but Nagamootoo persists because that is the nature of this power-hungry despot.

In fact, it is his rabid obses-

sion with power that caused him to leave the PPP and later join ranks with the PNC so that he could one day become "President" of Guyana, a right he loosely says, was denied him by Jagdeo.

I would advise that he takes his cue from Volda Lawrence or others of the powerhouse in the PNC. So, my advice to this gentleman is to tread softly, very softly on the issue of leadership.

Because if he thinks that he could so easily hold power in a PNC Government then he needs to think again, that is not going to happen. That headship thinking of his is a definite impossibility.

So all this talk about the Speaker having to make a decision on the issue is hogwash! There is nothing in that article where it says a speaker has to make a ruling, it is not left to the whims and fancies of a speaker to decide on the issue. That matter is already spelt out in the Constitution in crystal clear language. It all goes to show that this coalition of parties in Government is not going to adhere to the rule of law, which is a very disgraceful precedent set since coming to Office. It has become

an all too familiar sight with this Administration where illegal acts of governance are concerned, and I call for this nonsense to stop now!

What Mr Nagamootoo can do, and the constitution makes provision for this, is to appoint someone to sit in his place in Parliament while he goes on to function as President - a very simple and clear position. But like I said earlier this man is so obsessed with power that he is prepared to do the double role and to do so illegally, quite to the detriment of democracy and good governance in this country.

Finally, I use a line from the Merrymen's song "enjoy yourself it’s later than you think." The people of Guyana are watching and are taking keen notes of your shenanigans, soon and very soon you and your Government will be taken apart by the people you so willfully and spitefully rule. They have shown it in that 63 per cent drubbing you got in the last Local Government Elections (LGE). So come 2020 the final chapter will be written.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Dear Editor, It is quite evident that as the Finance Minister’s budget speech gets longer, the budgets get bigger but the ‘good life’ promise becomes equally illusive! But I will just focus on the deliverables to the Agriculture sector where it can be seen that a decrease in budgetary allocation has precipitated a drastic decline of the sector.

In 2015 the theme of the Budget was ‘A Fresh Approach to a Good Life in A Green Economy’ and the growth of the economy fell to 3.2 per cent from 3.8 per cent in 2014.

The agriculture sector grew by only 3.1 per cent relative to a growth of 7.2 per cent in 2014.

Sugar output increased by 6.9 per cent to 231,145 tonnes and rice production increased by 8.3 per cent to 687,784 tonnes.

The Ministry of Agriculture’s budgetary allocation was $20.894 billion. It is clear that the agriculture sector was receiving the dividends from investments in 2014.

In 2016 the theme attempted to excuse the poor performance in 2015, it became ‘Stimulating Growth, Restoring Confidence: the Good Life Beckons’. However, the $230 billion Budget failed to do any ‘stimulation’’; ‘confidence’ dwindled and the ‘good life’ became an empty echo!

The growth of the economy was an imperceptible 3.3 per cent relative to the 3.2 per cent in 2015. The projected growth was 4.4 per cent. The budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector continues to get lesser and the effects were manifested in the decline of this sector. The agriculture sector (including sugar processing and rice milling) experienced a contraction of 12.1 per cent relative to 3.1 per cent growth in 2015. Sugar output decreased by 20.7 per cent to 183,400 tonnes and rice output fell by 22.3 per cent to 534,450 tonnes.

In 2017 the theme was "Building a Diversified, Green Economy: Delivering the Good Life to All Guyanese". Again, the Budget failed on all three counts as it became crystal clear that the themes have become platitudes which no one pays attention to. It increased to $250 billion. In this year the Guyanese economy was projected to grow by 3.8 per cent.

The Finance Minister boasted that, ‘Budget 2017 is designed to consolidate the gains we have made since our accession to Office, improve economic performance, and define a sustainable pathway to the happiness and prosperity of Guyana’. This never happened! Guyana’s economic growth contracted to an alltime low of 2.1 per cent. The Minister’s empty boasts have, by now, become a regular embarrassment to the coalition Government. The agriculture sector experienced a marginal increase of 0.4 per cent while sugar output decreased by 25.2 per cent to 137,307 tonnes and rice output increased by 17.9 per cent to 630,104 tonnes which was still below the 2015 production of 687,784 tonnes.

In 2018, the Finance became tired of the repetitive insipidity of his own budget so he simply stated the theme as ‘The Journey to the Good Life Continues’! It became an irrefutable conclusion that this journey had not yet begun for the masses but continued for those in the coalition Government. The National Budget was even bigger and the Minister’s budget speech was longer and more political in nature, it grew to $267 billion. The half-year growth of the economy was 4.5 per cent but the Finance Minister had predicted that the end of year growth would be around 3.4 per cent. However, given his ‘great’ prognostic ability we expected this to be lower, probably closer to the 3 per cent mark! The budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector was just a meager $16.8 billion and the sector was expected to grow by 1.1 per cent over the 0.4 per cent growth the previous year. In 2014 this sector grew by 7.4 per cent.

In 2018 sugar production will decline to an all-time low of 98,000 tonnes and rice production is expected to be around 640,000 tonnes, still unable to surpass the 2015 production of 687,784 tonnes. It must be noted that rice production was on an upward trajectory during the PPP/C’s tenure in Government. In 2014 it had climbed to 635,238 tonnes!

What is important to note is that in all these years of the coalition Government in office, the ‘improvements’ are always calculated from the poor performance in the preceding year! In 2014 the economic growth was 3.8 per cent and the growth in the agriculture sector was 7.4 per cent.

This has fallen to 3.4 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively

in 2018 with bigger contractions in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

It is indicative that the economy has never fully regained the progress made during the previous Government’s tenure in office.

Mr Jordan once again bragged that Budget 2019 among other things is aimed ‘to support the development of the non-oil sector’ yet he again failed to allocate a substantial sum to the Agriculture sector as he seemed to be oblivious of the ‘oil curse’ present all around us. The 2019 Budget is a humongous $300.7 billion but the agriculture budgetary allocation is a paltry $17 billion. This is not short-sightedness, it is blindness! It is clear that former Minister Leslie Ramsammy’s statement is factual, that the Agriculture Sector is now an impoverished orphan!

In the Minister’s 2019 Budget speech, his theme again resounded and regurgitated the platitudes of the previous presentations ‘Transforming the Economy, Empowering People, Building Sustainable Communities for the Good Life’. His ‘lubrication’ and ‘stimulation’ lacked intent, purpose and aggressiveness even though oil is expected in abundance! I wish to humbly submit Mr Jordan that you have had over three years to do what you now promised to do, and you have failed the Guyanese people miserably. Can the Guyanese people now believe you when with each passing year their standard of living is eroded? I think not!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC Councillor – Region 6

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ou’ve probably heard countless times how exercise is “good for you.”

But did you know that it can actually help you feel good, too? Getting the right amount of exercise can rev up your energy levels and even help improve your mood.

Rewards and Benefits

Experts recommend that teens get 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. Here are some of the reasons: Exercise benefits every part of the body, including the mind. Exercising causes the body to make chemicals that can help a person to feel good. Exercise can help people sleep better. It can also help some people who have mild depression and low self-esteem. Plus, exercise can give people a real sense of accomplishment and pride at having achieved a certain goal — like beating an old time in the 100-meter dash.

Exercise can help you look better. People who exercise burn more calories and look more toned than those who don’t. In fact, exercise can help keep your body at a healthy weight.

Exercise helps people lose weight and lower the risk of some diseases. Exercising regularly decreases a person’s

Foundation

risk of developing certain diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Exercise can help a person age well. This may not seem important now, but your body will thank you later. For example, osteoporosis (a weakening of the bones) can be a problem as people get older. Weight-bearing exercise – like jumping, running, or brisk walking – can help keep bones strong.

The three parts of a balanced exercise routine are: aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility training.

Aerobic exercise

Like other muscles, the heart enjoys a good workout.

Aerobic exercise is any type of exercise that gets the heart pumping and gets you breathing harder. When you give your heart and lungs this kind of workout regularly, they get stronger and are better at getting oxygen (in the form of oxygen-carrying blood cells) to all parts of your body.

If you play team sports, you’re probably getting at least 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity on practice days. Some team sports that give you a great aerobic workout are basketball, soccer, lacrosse, hockey,

and rowing.

But if you don’t play team sports, don’t worry – there are plenty of ways to get aerobic exercise. These include biking, running, swimming, dancing, in-line skating, tennis, cross-country skiing, hiking, and walking quickly.

Strength training

The heart isn’t the only muscle to benefit from regular exercise. The other muscles in your body enjoy exercise too.

When you use your muscles, they become stronger.

Strong muscles are also a plus because they support your joints and help prevent injuries. Muscle also use more energy than fat does, so building your muscles will help you burn more calories and maintain a healthy weight.

You don’t have to lift weights to make your muscles and bones stronger. Different types of exercise strengthen different muscle groups, for example: For arms, try rowing or cross-country skiing. Pull-ups and push-ups, those old gym class standbys, are also good for building arm muscles.

For strong legs, try running, biking, rowing, or skating. Squats and leg raises also work the legs.

For abdominal and core strength, you can’t beat row-

ing, yoga or pilates, planks and crunches.

Flexibility training

Strengthening the heart and other muscles isn’t the only important goal of exercise. Exercise can also help the body stay flexible, meaning that your muscles and joints stretch and bend easily.

Being flexible may also help improve a person’s sports performance. Some activities, like dance or martial arts, require great flexibility. But increased flexibility also can help people perform better at other sports, such as soccer or lacrosse.

Sports and activities that encourage flexibility are easy to find. Martial arts like karate, ballet, gymnastics, and yoga are good choices.

Stretching after your workout will also help you improve your flexibility.

sonality. For example, do you like to work out alone and on your own schedule? If so, solo sports like running, biking, or snowboarding could be for you. Or do you like the shared motivation and companionship that comes from being part of a team? School sports, intramural leagues, club teams, and pick-up games are great ways to stay active with others.

You also need to plan around practical considerations, such as whether your chosen activity is affordable and available to you.

(Activities like horseback riding may be harder for people who live in cities, for example.) You’ll also want to think about how much time you can set aside for your sport.

It’s a good idea to talk to someone who understands

the exercise, like a coach or fitness expert at a gym. He or she can get you started on a program that’s right for you and your level of fitness.

Doctors know that most people benefit from regular exercise, even those with disabilities or medical problems like asthma. If you have a health problem or other concern (like being overweight or very out of shape), talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise plan.

Considering the benefits to the heart, muscles, joints, and mind, it’s easy to see why exercise is wise. And the great thing about exercise is that it’s never too late to start.

Even small things can count as exercise when you’re starting out — like taking a short bike ride, walking the dog, or raking leaves. (kidshealth.org)

What’s right for me?

One of the biggest reasons people drop an exercise program is lack of interest: If what you’re doing isn’t fun, it’s hard to keep it up. The good news is there are tons of different sports and activities to try to see which one inspires you.

When picking the right type of exercise, it can help to consider your workout per-

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ou may have heard that you should eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day – which works out to a total of about 2½ cups. But experts actually recommend getting even more than that amount.

There are no limits on the quantities of tasty fruits and veggies you can enjoy – unless, of course, you load ‘em up with butter or dressing, or deep-fry them! But many of us still find it hard to fit fruit and veggies into our meals.

Here are some ideas to help you get into the 5-a-day (or more!) habit: Start with the first meal of the day. Plan to eat a serving or two of fruit with breakfast every day. Mix it up so you don’t get bored. Half a grapefruit, an apple, or a handful of berries on your cereal are all good choices. Continue this pattern by eating vegetables at lunch and at dinner.

Get extra energy from fruit or vegetable snacks. The carbohydrates in fruit and vegetables are great sources of energy. Combine them with a serving of protein — such as a piece of cheese, a cup of yogurt, or a tablespoon of peanut butter, and you get staying power too. Ants on a log, anyone?

Double up on fruit and veggie servings. Recommended servings of fruit and veggies can be small. Unlike other foods, it’s OK to double the serving size of fruit or vegetables. Serve yourself a 1-cup portion of broccoli or tomatoes instead of the standard serving of ½ cup.

Use fruit and vegetables as ingredients. Enjoy bread? Bake up a batch of zucchini bread and get your veggies along with your grains! Use applesauce instead of oil in your baked goods.

Chop up veggies (peppers, carrots, celery) and toss them into your favourite chili recipe. If you don’t like vegetables much, sneak them into foods you do enjoy (like grating carrots into tomato sauce or, again, zucchini into bread). It’s a great way to get your veggies without having to taste them!

Try a new fruit, vegetable, or recipe each week. Our bodies like variety. So set a goal to try something different each week.

You may find a new favourite. One good way to get variety is to eat the fruit and veggies that are in season in your area.

They usually taste better than the bland fruit salad or shrivelled apples you’re used to seeing in the cafeteria! (kidshealth.org)

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wednesdAY, december 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana working with US to lift catfish ban – Holder ...as impasse projected to cost economy US$1.2M annually

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inister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, was on Tuesday questioned about what Government has been doing to secure a lifting of the ban on exportation of catfish to the United States (US).

In budget 2019, some $14.7 million was set aside for the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism as part of Guyana’s contribution to international organisations.

In light of this allocation, Opposition Chief Whip Gail Texieira questioned whether Guyana could get help from this

very organisation, to which Holder replied in the affirmative. She then questioned what Government is doing about the matter, to which the Minister said that negotiations with the US are ongoing.

According to Holder, however, these negotiations are largely being done by the Public Health Ministry. As such, Holder admitted he is not entirely up to date with where the matter is.

At this point, Opposition Chief Whip Gail Texieira inquired whether legislation is being drafted to help Guyana become compliant.

“We’re trying to fix the regulations,” Holder said.

“The US has a kind of ban on catfish coming in to the US. They are saying that the catfish must be caught live and transported to a processing plant, live. And

‘Wife killer’ for sentencing next week

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igh Court Judge James BovellDrakes is expected to sentence 40-year-old Melroy Simpson, who turned his reputed wife, Carmelita Jones into a human torch on September 26, 2012 at B Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

When he appeared to face the indictment late last week, he pleaded not guilty to the capital offence, but guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Since his lawyer requested a probation report, sentencing was deferred to December 20.

According to the facts of the case, the offender set the 25-year-old woman on fire after an argument erupted over a pack of milk he assumed she obtained from another male.

Simpson then threw a flammable substance on his reputed wife and set her alight. She sustained burns about the body.

Some of the affected areas were her right foot, back, neck and abdomen. She later succumbed to her injuries while receiving medical attention. She was the mother of four children.

Deceased: Carmelita Jones

there processed to be sent to the US.” “Now we can’t do that.

Our stuff is caught in the ocean, degutted, put on ice and brought in. We can’t carry it live to a processing plant. But the US doesn’t want to hamper places like ours. They, apparently, were trying to keep out to protect their internal agencies. So they’ve been working with us to ensure we can continue doing what can be done to make this thing work.”

Holder added that he has personally been working with the outgoing US Ambassador Perry Holloway and he was op-

timistic that he has been making headway. Holder noted that the fishing industry represents approximately US$70 to $80 million annually to Guyana, with the ban on catfish costing the country US$1.2 million.

The ban by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) was instituted against Guyana earlier this year. Veterinary Public Health Unit Director, Dr Ozaye Dodson had said the imposition from the US export market was just a temporary technical barrier to trade.

He had posited that the country fell short of the US standards in three areas: first, on the issue of the presence of inspectors; secondly, there was insufficient documentation detailing verification of each step in the sanitation and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) process and thirdly, there was insufficient documentation specifying how the industry

manages adulterated catfish products.

However, Opposition Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo had called out the incumbent Administration for not doing enough to address the concerns of the fishing industry with the ban. Jagdeo had said that he is “of the firm view that the coalition Government is fully responsible for the plight of local fishermen, given that they were notified of the USA’s pending changes to export regulations since November 2015.

The coalition Government, despite having received notice of these changes, failed to communicate effectively with the stakeholders of the fisheries sector, many of whom have invested heavily in this area.”

“To make matters worse, the Coalition Government received an extension until February 3, 2018, to bring Guyana into compliance with the new export regulations and failed again” the Opposition leader had said.

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wednesdAY, december 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Albouystown teen on remand for armed robbery

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ineteen-year-old Samuel Forde of Albouystown, Georgetown was on Tuesday remanded to prison when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on an armed robbery charge alleging that on December 8, 2018 at Charlestown, while being armed with a knife, he robbed Patrick Paul of jewellery, cash and other items to a total value of

Remanded: Samuel Forde

$183,000.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield, informing the court that the victim is still hospitalised with head injuries inflicted on him by Forde, requested that Forde not be placed on bail.

The Chief Magistrate upheld the prosecution’s submission, and remanded Forde to prison until January 2, 2019.

Teens charged for snatching undercover cop’s phone

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ineteen-year-old teens Leon Gittens of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown and Akacie Primo of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara appeared on Tuesday before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan to answer an allegation that they had attempted to steal an undercover Policeman’s cellphone.

The duo both denied the joint charge of attempted robbery, which alleged that

on December 7, 2018 at Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown, they attempted to rob Julius Bowlin of his cellphone, valued $80,000.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield objected to either accused being placed on bail by citing the seriousness and prevalence of the charge.

The prosecution’s case is that on the day in question, Primo, a labourer,

snatched the phone from the Policeman’s hand while he was in company of other Policemen; and Gittens, a block-maker, was heard in a loud voice instructing Primo to commit the crime.

They were each placed on $15,000 bail, and ordered to report to the Brickdam Police Station every Monday and Friday as a condition of bail. The case will continue on December 21.

Vendor slapped with attempted murder charge

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34-year-old Bourda Market, Georgetown vendor who allegedly stabbed a fellow vendor during an argument over money on Tuesday was arraigned before the courts on an attempted murder charge.

Jewey Ferguson appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

The charge stated that on December 2, 2018 at Bourda, Georgetown with intent to commit murder Ferguson wound-

ed Nigel George.

An unrepresented Ferguson was, however, granted bail after Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield made no objections, but asked that conditions be applied.

According to facts presented, the accused confronted the Virtual Complainant (VC) over money, which he owed her.

However, the VC failed to hand over the money which resulted in the accused re-

portedly arming herself with a knife and inflicting a stab wound to the chest of the VC. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he admitted for treatment and later discharged.

The woman was released on $250,000 bail. As a condition of bail, she is required to report to the Alberttown Police Station every Monday until completion of trial.

The matter was adjourned until January 3, 2019.

Spending…

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…and splurging here are some folks in the world who’ll use the step-boards to their house as firewood to cook their meal for the day. Never mind they’ll have to get a ladder to get in and out later!! ‘Live for the day’, is their motto! Disaggregating the lump sums allocated to the various agencies and Ministries, it’s clear that this PNC Government is determined to burn down not only the steps, but the entire house, to live it up today.

How else can you explain spending a measly $17 billion on the ENTIRE AGRICULTURE SECTOR, compared to $54 billion on “security”!! Now, there’s nothing wrong with security…but the identical $17 billion for the GDF and Militia?? Exactly what are they protecting…when, rather than being stationed at the borders, especially with Venezuela, they’re just “throwing back” in Georgetown and at the airport??

Why should SARA get $209 million for its director Clive Thomas and staff when they haven’t even recovered a single cent in assets for Guyana? And the list goes on and on…

Agriculture, on the other hand, isn’t just the largest employer in Guyana, but actually produces stuff that is exported to bring in foreign currency plus keep down the cost of the staples that keep body and soul together for most Guyanese! But, as the PNC Chair reminded us, their party’s position is to provide jobs for “the boys” (and girls!) who’re their friends and party members.

And since the Security Sector is 90 per cent PNC supporters while the Agriculture sector is probably 80per cent PPP, we can now understand why the (money) cookie crumbles the way it did. But sadly, like most old folks, the PNC don’t really think…they just remember. When the first PNC of Burnham was shoehorned into office by the CIA, it drastically reduced the spending on agriculture and expanded the armed forces by TEN TIMES with the money diverted.

The PNC honchos, therefore, aren’t fazed by the theoretical and historical demonstration that such a policy is doomed to failure and will bankrupt the country.

Theoretically, it’s self-evident you can’t just keep spending and not produce. In fact, even Burnham knew this when he came up with the slogan “produce or perish”. Problem was – and remains – the PNC wants to “suck cane and blow whistle” at the same time!! And historically, the PNCites should remember that the economy collapsed and the country became bankrupt!!

With the 2019 Budget alone, the deficit – what happens when you spend more than you earn – has jumped to $37 billion and the overdraft from $43 million to $210 billion!! The promise of oil revenues has made the PNC giddy!

But as the US Report warns, they should look next door at what’s happened to Venezuela!! …on travel President Granger projects an avuncular image of frugality and rectitude that’s served him and the PNC he leads in good stead. So a lot of folks might’ve been jolted when they saw the travel bill he piled up after just three years in office - $209 million!! And lest you think your Eyewitness is insensitive in light of his latest travels, that number doesn’t include any travel for health reasons!!

Now, Gy$209 million isn’t chicken feed; and, in fact, to put it in perspective, it’s equal to US$1million!!

Now that’s a whole lot of money for a country that still remains stuck down there with Haiti as the poorest in the hemisphere!! So exactly what was the President jetting around the world for, apart from having tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace?

We’re told that, for one, he was “advancing the “Green State Development Strategy”. But weren’t we told the reason why this hasn’t even been laid in the National Assembly is because there needs to be broader “public consultations”?

Ah well…it’s only our money!! …by Prime Minister Nagamootoo Nagamootoo was questioned about $65 million specified as spent on the stalled “Constitutional Reform”.

He claimed it wasn’t REALLY spent, and it’ll be returned to the Consolidated Fund!

With the PM’s Budget of $908 million, small change like $65 million can be misplaced, no?

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

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wednesdAY, december 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

High drama as $38.5B Public Employees will not lose Infrastructure budget passed Scotiabank’s sale to Republic Bank

their jobs – source

Trinidad-based Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) has entered into negotiations to acquire Scotiabank’s operations in nine Caribbean countries, including Guyana

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lthough there is wellknown fear that the sale of the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) to Republic (Bank) Financial Holdings Limited could lead to dozens of employees being sent home, a source close to the transaction has revealed that this may be far from the truth.

According to the source, this and other issues were discussed at the recent Republic Bank Annual General Meeting (AGM) that was held on Monday.

Guyana Times was told that it was decided that no employee of Scotiabank in Guyana will be made redundant.

Washington DCbased Financial Analyst Sasenarine Singh had expressed worry over the possibility of Republic Bank acquiring Scotiabank. He said it could lead to staff at the latter becoming jobless, and it would indeed have negative implications for the local financial sector.

“And what are they buying? They wouldn’t buy new locations. They are basically buying a loan portfolio and a deposit base. It’s easy for Republic Bank to get rid of most of the properties owned by Scotiabank and merge their portfolios,” he declared.

Former Presidential Advisor, economist Ramon Gaskin, also believes that the sale to Republic Bank would only allow that banking institution to dominate the local banking sector in Guyana, which could be unhealthy for the financial sector.

Gaskin said, “I think that this proposed sale of Scotiabank in Guyana to Republic Bank should not be allowed by the Government of Guyana and the Governor of the Central Bank.”

The outspoken economist had told Guyana Times that before Scotiabank ventured into any arrangement with Republic Bank, it should have consulted with the Government.

“Now that is putting the Government and the Governor in an awkward position of opposing it and all of that. I think (the banks) erred in not consulting with the appropriate authority before getting into it; and it shows a lack of respect, in my opinion, to the authorities here,” he said.

But more importantly, Gaskin believes that since Scotiabank wants to exit the Guyanese market, there should be an option for local entities to acquire its banking operations.

“They shouldn’t sell to any foreign bank. There isn’t any reason why the local Guyanese business people can’t get together and take it over from them. They can build a Guyanese bank with developmental features to help finance agriculture and small business,” he declared.

Meanwhile, the source also disclosed that the negotiations of sale between Scotiabank and Trinidadbased Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) will take between 12 and 18 months.

The RFHL has entered into an agreement to acquire Scotiabank’s banking op-

erations in nine Caribbean countries. It is acquiring locations in Guyana, St Maarten, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Further, the purchase price is US$123 million, which represents US$25 million consideration for total shareholding of Scotiabank Anguilla Limited, and a premium of US$98 million over net asset value for operations in the remaining eight countries.

The Guyana Government has said the agreement “raises a number of issues for the banking sector in Guyana and for the public which the Finance Ministry, the Bank of Guyana and the Government of Guyana will need to carefully consider”.

The Ministry, in a statement, said that it has taken note of the statement by RFHL that the agreement is “subject to all regulatory approvals”. It posited that the Financial Institutions Act (FIA) has clear stipulations regarding “acquisition of control”, and requires approval of the Bank of Guyana following the submission of an application and due diligence being conducted.

“Further the FIA addresses as well the issue of ‘fundamental changes’ as it relates to mergers and transfer of assets or liabilities. The agreement raises a number of issues for the banking sector in Guyana and for the public which the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Guyana, and the Government of Guyana will need to carefully consider,” the Finance Ministry said.

But the source argued that RFHL is not in breach of the Act, because any business would seek to have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in place first. According to him, it doesn’t make business sense for the company to allow the regulators to know their options.

Republic Bank currently holds 35.4 percent of the banking system’s assets and 36.8 percent of deposits. The acquisition will up this to 51 percent of both assets and deposits.

– Opposition questions $199.7M rental of buildings for UN

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here was high drama in the National Assembly as the Government was questioned about various projects and expenditures under the Public Infrastructure Ministry, which has been allocated $38.5billion in the budget for 2019.

At one point, Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, had Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira’s microphone cut off even as she argued for more time for her side to scrutinize the Ministry’s budget.

The extended time was, however, granted.

O p p o s i t i o n Parliamentarian Irfaan Ali questioned the amount allocated to renting buildings.

A whopping $199.7 million was allocated for renting of buildings, which Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson explained would be used to house offices for the United Nations (UN) branches in Guyana.

“This is just one building, one complex. It’s immediately south of the US Embassy.

It is to house the United Nations. The UN has, at this moment, six offices. The FAO building, the Unicef building, the UNDP (United Nations Development Program), PAHO (Pan American Health Organisation), UNAIDS, all of which (we will house).”

According to Patterson, the intention is to provide one consolidated complex that could meet the standards of security necessary for the agencies. But when Ali grilled the Minister about whether acquisition of the

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

buildings -- which will carry an average monthly cost of over $15 million -- went through competitive tender, things became murky.

Patterson informed the House that he worked on the basis of a shortlist of requirements provided by the UN. An impassioned Ali pointed out that tax payers’ money would still be used to cover the expenses of renting the complex. To this Patterson noted that when everything is considered, the Government got value for money with the arrangement.

The Minister was also quizzed on the allocation of $374.8 million to Kwakwani Utilities Incorporated.

Opposition Parliamentarian Juan Edghill noted that a similar sum was allocated in 2018, and the community suffered from electricity shortage.

Edghill questioned what betterment would be brought to the community.

Eventually, the Ministry’s

budget was passed in the Committee of Supply.

Government has allocated $38.5 billion in the 2019 budget to carry out several infrastructural projects.

This had included, among other things, money for construction of 6 kilometres of paved roads in Linden, extensions of the highway from Hope Canal to Mahaica, and a feasibility study for a Linden-to-Mabura link.

When it comes to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Finance Minister Winston Jordan had said the monies allocated for all capital projects constitute 71.9 per cent of the total Ministry budget.

The money is also an increase from the $32 billion the Ministry received last year.

When it comes to the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), Jordan revealed that the projected cost of the East Coast/East Bank road linkage project (Ogle bypass) has jumped from US$50 million to US$120 million. He noted that Government would approach its bilateral partner -- in this case the ExportImport Bank of India -- for more funds.

This EBD-ECD Bypass project is expected to be 26 kilometres of constructed road linking two of the country’s main thoroughfares.

This new road link would also be connected to key communities in Georgetown and along the East Bank of Demerara. Those include Diamond, Mocha, Eccles – all on the East Bank – and Aubrey Barker Road in Georgetown.

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wednesdAY, december 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Bloody bodies of man, wife found in Kuru Kururu home …couple killed each other during argument – Police

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Dead: Naco Malika Hale

he bloody bodies of a woman and her reputed husband were on Tuesday found lying on their bed in their Lot 522 Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway home.

Dead are 36-year-old Naco Malika Hale and 48-year-old Alwin Bleacher.

The dead couple were found by their 14-year-old son after he went into their bedroom to check on his mother, since she did not wake them

ing in a pool of blood with several stab wounds to her neck, while his father was partially on her with an incised wound to his lower back. In his mother’s hand was a pair of bloodstained scissors.

He immediately woke up his three siblings and they ran over to a neighbour’s house where he related what they saw. Villagers then rushed to the scene as the Police arrived.

When Guyana Times arrived at the scene, scores of residents flocked the house as crime scene experts conducted their investigations.

The Police were working on the theory that the couple might have been involved in a fight, which led to them fatally wounding each other.

The eldest son confirmed that his parents were involved in a heated argument about 22:00h after which he heard a “scramble” followed by silence. The young man reportedly told investigators

to sleep.

The argument, the teenager allegedly stated, stemmed from his mother’s refusal to drop a court case against his father.

The Police later stated that the now dead man was charged in August last for wounding his son. This publication understands that the teenager did not clean a “pig pen” and this angered his father, who picked up a knife and cut the young man on his abdomen.

On Tuesday, a neighbour, Joan Da Silva explained that after the teenager discovered the motionless bodies of his parents on their bed, he and his siblings ran over to her house.

“I left home at about 07:00h and like 07:15h when I reached into work, my daughter called and requested that I come home right away, that Malika and her husband dead,” she added.

Residents converge at the murder scene

up to prepare for school as was routine.

As he entered the bedroom, he saw his mother ly-

that he did not pay any heed to his parents, since they usually argued. He said he, along with his siblings, went

Without hesitation, she rushed home and went straight to the couple’s house where she saw

Police ranks cordoning off the murder scene

them in a motionless state.

According to Da Silva, Hale was lying on her back and her husband’s feet were on top of her stomach.

“From what I see, Malika had couple stab wounds to her neck and the man has one to his back,” she added. However, Police sources confirmed that the man was stabbed at least 13 times, while the woman was stabbed 10 times.

Da Silva, who was also a close friend of the now dead woman, said that the couple would have disagreements often. She noted that in some cases, Bleacher would physically assault her, but this time, the argument turned tragic.

Bleacher, she claimed, was a violent person while Hale was a decent, honest and hardworking woman, who ensured that her children were taken care of. She worked as a cook at a food mart in Soesdyke on the East Bank of Demerara.

She was also the President of the ParentTeacher’s Association at

the Kuru Kururu Primary School.

Da Silva revealed that the now dead man was released on bail for the stabbing incident.

“No one knew he came out … when I get the information that he came out, I asked his daughters, but they told me no … I asked Malika, she told me no … It is until one day, I told the daughter that I saw her father and asked whether he came out of prison and it was that time, she confirmed same,” Da Silva added.

She noted that based on reports received, he was supposed to stay 100 feet away from the house and his son whom he had injured.

Meanwhile, the owner of the food mart where the now dead woman worked told this newspaper that she was a hard worker. The businesswoman explained that the woman would normally arrive at work for 07:00h, but on Tuesday she did not.

She said she attempted to make contact with Hale, but her calls went unanswered.

She said shortly after someone went to the business establishment and informed her of Hale’s demise. She drove to the scene where she saw a crowd and her worst fears were confirmed.

“She loved her children a lot … every time she was ready to leave, she collected food and so for the children … not only the life of a good woman was taken but also one who was respected,” her employer said.

Another friend, who was at the scene, explained that the two of them had a discussion on Monday afternoon and he was shocked to learn about her demise on Tuesday.

Hale and Bleacher were together for several years and had four children, aged four to 14. The woman was originally from Linden. As the news spread, the woman’s relatives showed up at the scene.

The Police removed several pieces of evidence as they continue their investigations into the murders.

(Bhisham Mohamed)

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wednesdAY, december 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

More than 6 million Guyana Stockfeeds shares placed on local stock market – placement adds depth and diversity to local stock exchange

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he National Industrial & Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) on Tuesday announced that 6,099,927 of its equity shares in Guyana Stockfeeds Incorporated are on the local stock market.

The placement of the shares on the stock market comes after previous attempts to dispose of the shares failed. The current majority shareholder, Robert Badal, was the only person to make an offer for the shares held by NICIL when they were advertised for sale.

The placement on the lo-

Guyana Stockfeeds Limited

cal stock exchange also signals a shift in strategy by NICIL, and an effort to widen shareholding by providing more opportunities for

the Guyanese public to participate in investments in public companies.

In a release to the media, NICIL said that it be-

2 nabbed with cannabis in Police operations

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wo men were nabbed with a quantity of cannabis during separate Police operations on Monday and Tuesday in Berbice and at Itaballi Police Checkpoint.

Police stated that about 14:15h on Tuesday, they arrested a male who was attempting to traffic 1882 grams of marijuana.

Based on reports received, the man was first spotted by an undercover rank with the illegal plant opposite the B Division Headquarters waiting to be collected.

He was promptly arrested

lieves the placement of these shares on the local market will greatly contribute to the depth; diversification and enrichment of the local stock market coupled with the copious potential investments gains to the general public which is likely to ensue.

Acting CEO of NICIL, Colvin Heath-London, was quoted as saying “NICIL is enthusiastic about public participation in the local stock market and intends to give every Guyanese an opportunity to grow their money, maximise their returns and have a legitimate chance to acquire state assets that are being diversified.”

For decades, families have owned shares in companies like Demerara

and was currently in custody assisting with investigations.

In addition, a female cook of Moblissa, Linden- Soesdyke Highway, was arrested after she was found to be in pos-

session of 144 grams of cannabis at the Itaballi Police Checkpoint.

Charges are expected to be instituted shortly.

global companies that come here to operate see a vibrant market for stocks and get listed on our exchange.

Such cross-listing with our local exchange would open up opportunities for Guyanese to invest in these companies and benefit from their profitability.”

Since the NICIL shares in Guyana Stockfeeds Limited surfaced in the public domain recently there has been vigorous discussion of the value of the shares versus the value of the offer made by the majority shareholder.

NICIL is of the view that ultimately, now that the shares have been placed on the stock exchange, the market will eventually determine the true value of the shares.

Body of 11-month-old baby found in drain

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The cannabis confiscated in Berbice

Distillers Limited and Banks DIH for generations after parents or grandparents bought shares.

However, the opportunities were not provided for the same type of stock ownership and transfer of wealth from one generation to the other at that time.

As many developed societies are beginning to teach entrepreneurship to children, this is an opportunity as well for parents to set up stock accounts with their children.

Heath-London added that “we at NICIL would also like to invigorate the local stock market by giving it depth and robustness that will be attractive to global companies. One of the benefits of the boom in oil and gas should be that

he body of an 11-month-old baby was retrieved from a drain at Sayah Village, Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Tuesday.

The child, Alvin Matthew, of Lot 47 Sayah Village, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital.

Based on reports received, the child was at

home with his mother, Parbattie Matthews, and his siblings in the lower flat of their house.

However, it is believed that the child crawled outside and ventured into the yard where he fell into the drain.

Shortly after, his frantic mother realised that the baby was missing and frantically began to look for him.

After some time, the child was found lying face down in the drain, which is approximately 10 feet wide and three feet deep.

The baby was picked up and rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. His body is at the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

Investigations are ongoing.

12news

wednesdAY, december 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

President Granger returns after 2nd round of chemotherapy would continue to monitor the President’s progress in the coming weeks.

On Monday last, the Guyanese President met with the Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla as he expressed appreciation to his medical team for the treatment he was afforded.

Recently, Government responded to a news article published by an online media outfit that reported President Granger could not speak as a result of cancer in

P

President David Granger and other officials

resident David Granger returned to Guyana on Tuesday following his second round of chemotherapy in Havana,

Cuba for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

According to a statement released by the Embassy of Guyana in Cuba, the Cuban

team of specialists reiterated their complete satisfaction with the President’s response to medical treatment and explained that they

his throat.

A statement from the Ministry of the Presidency on Sunday last said the article was totally false, and explained that the President could communicate and did so before his recent departure to Cuba.

The President had explained in a video that the Centro de Investigaciones Médico Quirúrgicas (CIMEQ) had drafted a schedule of treatment, which would run until May 2019.

The Ministry of the Presidency statement said, “While the Government of Guyana respects the fundamental right of its citizens to freedom of speech as well as press freedom, it condemns in the strongest possible way the publishing of misinformation, untruths.”

The Ministry of the Presidency has called on the public not to be duped by the misinformation, falsehoods, and distortions consistently being published by that news agency.

Labourer critical after being struck by speeding car

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man is now in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit

(ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital after he was struck by an allegedly drunken motorist on Monday evening along the Peters’ Hall Public Road, East Bank Demerara.

The injured man was identified as 27-year-old Kwason Lewis of Lot 441 Section D Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown.

Based on information received, the now injured man and other workers attached to a waste disposal company were cleaning up the debris along the roadway when a speeding motor car bearing registration number PWW 9187 swerved from hitting an object and struck the labourer.

He was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was admitted.

At the time of the accident, the workers were all wearing reflective vests.

The 29-year-old driver of Perseverance, Providence, East Bank Demerara, who was found to be over the limit of alcohol consumption was arrested and was currently assisting with the investigations.

Only on Sunday, 15-yearold Karamchand Khemraj was killed after he and a friend, Reaz Shaw, were struck by a speeding minibus along the Annandale Public Road, East Coast Demerara.

Khemraj died while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Shaw, on the other hand, was admitted in critical condition to the ICU. Up to late Tuesday evening, the minibus that caused the accident was yet to be located, but the Police are making every effort to do same. Sixteen-year-old Shaw remains in the medical facility.

WBD man arrested with 749g of compressed marijuana

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The compressed marijuana found on the suspect

ne man was arrested on Monday at Vriesland, West Bank Demerara (WBD) after he was found with 749 grams of cannabis in his possession. Based on reports received, the man was arrested following an intelli-

gence-led operation conducted by the members of the Police Narcotics Branch.

It was stated that the compressed marijuana was found in two parcels in the man’s possession. He remains in custody and is expected to be charged shortly.

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wednesdAY, december 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

ExxonMobil donates US$40,000 in lab equipment to UG

ExxonMobil Country Manager Rod Henson cuts the ribbon assisted by UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith and UG Deputy Vice Chancellor, Paloma Mohamed to reveal the new equipment

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il giant ExxonMobil on Tuesday handed over lab equipment costing in excess of US$40,000 to the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Guyana.

At the handing over ceremony at the University, it was revealed that the Department was able to purchase the new tools with a gift presented by the oil company.

The substantial gift was given to the University following a request made after a fire which occurred in 2015. The fire reportedly destroyed a section of the Faculty of Natural Sciences building which housed the equipment for various de-

partments.

Among the items destroyed in the fire were all the Physics laboratory equipment belonging to the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, the Computer Sciences Department equipment and the specimen collections and equipment from the Department of Biology.

However these equipment and more were purchased with the aid of ExxonMobil. It was outlined that the faculty lost critical research materials in the areas of online education and information technologies, renewable energy technologies, biodiversity and ecosystems assessment and

natural resources management.

However, the US$40,000 was given to aid the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Statistics in replacing the lab equipment that was destroyed.

Among the highly specialised equipment purchased was one Baader Multi-Purpose Coma Corrector, and one Orion XX 16G GO-TO Truss Dobson Ian Telescope among others. The equipment was purchased from two companies (PASCO and OPT) at a cost of US$37,071 and arrived in Guyana in September 2018.

According to the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Calvin Bernard “After the fire, the physics programme was ‘crippled’ by the inability to deliver the quality learning experiences necessary for the success of the students due to the lack of equipment for practical work. Lecturers struggled to improvise and compensate.”

He further stated that “With the new equipment, the quality of the educational experience in the physics courses has been lifted significantly. This is particularly important as the Faculty and University seeks to ensure it prepares graduates

An official at the University doing a demonstration with a piece of equipment sponsored by Exxon in the presence of Exxon Country Manager Rod Henson; UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith and others

for roles in a more technologically advanced economy including oil and gas”.

The Faculty is especially thankful to ExxonMobil for its contribution in making the recovery process possible. ExxonMobil was the first and only major corpo-

rate entity to offer assistance after the devastating fire.

Head of the Department of Mathematics, Dwayne Renville, extended sincere gratitude on behalf of the University, citing relief that the lab equipment was “fi-

nally here”.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed noted that “the University since 2016, through the Office PACE (Philanthropy, Alumni and Civic Management) has been building a strong relationship with ExxonMobil and their affiliates which includes strategic funding, capacity building and CSR collaborations”.

ExxonMobil’s Guyana President and Country Manager Rod Henson noted, “The youth today are our leaders of tomorrow, and education is fundamental to their ongoing development. We are pleased to provide this support to the University of Guyana and its students to further advance math and science learning today and in the future”.

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wednesdAY, december 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Government defers scrap metal legislation to 2019

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overnment has deferred the deadline for bringing legislation to govern the scrap metal trade to the National Assembly, to next year.

This was revealed during the second day of consideration of the Budget 2019 estimates when Business Minister Dominic Gaskin was questioned about allocations to various agencies under the Ministry.

He was previously optimistic of bringing the scrap metal legislation to the House by this year end, following much back and forth after the trade was halted

by Government.

The ban was temporarily

lifted in February 2017, after it was imposed in June 2015. The Business Minister revealed in September that Government would be reopening the trade of scrap metal for three-month stints at a time until the relevant legislation was tabled. In June 2018, he had said that the new legislation was taken to the Cabinet and approved at that level. The next step, he had noted, would have been to approach the National Assembly.

“Hopefully, before the end of the year, we will have a new legislation. We will have a new software system that we are using, and we will have a Board

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin

of Directors to oversee the scrap metal unit, and I believe we’ll have something firm and solid in place to regulate the scrap metal industry,” Gaskin had told the

media earlier this year.

However, following that declaration, the legislation was finalised in the Attorney General’s Chambers and has since been awaiting passage in the National Assembly.

Government had approved a restart of the scrap metal trade in Guyana during February 2017 after closing down the industry one year prior to that.

The main reason for this was to allow exporters to ship out the existing stock over a limited period of three months, to ensure that there was no pile-up of these materials. However, in April 2018, after several months of delays, Government decided

to reopen the trade to facilitate the clearance of some of the accumulated scrap metal across the country.

While a date for the full resumption of the trade had not been announced, Gaskin had told this publication that the date depended on several important factors.

The Minister disclosed that a meeting was held with exporters and dealers to introduce them to a new system that the Business Ministry was trying to implement.

According to him, it is a software-based system that was specially designed to help the Ministry to monitor and regulate the trade once

it resumed, creating a level playing field for all.

Gaskin said the resumption of the trade would give the Ministry the opportunity to test the system to ensure that it was working and would also help to clear some of the accumulated scrap metal that has been legitimately acquired from some of the exporters or dealers’ yards.

It was after a forensic audit conducted by the Scrap Metal Unit (SMU) that Government had removed the responsibility for the trade from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) to the Business Ministry.

Minibus driver arraigned No legal protection for online shoppers – CCAC for Ogle fatal accident A

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Dead: Rameshwar Singh

Dead: Jason Harris

he driver of the motor vehicle that was involved in the fatal accident on Saturday evening at Ogle Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was slapped with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, and on Tuesday appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court.

Umesh Boodram, of Lot 20 Campbellville, Georgetown, stood before Magistrate Zamina AllySeepaul and was not allowed to plead to the indictable offence.

The charge stated that on December 9, 2018 on the Ogle Access Road, ECD, he drove dangerously causing the death of 18-yearold Rameshwar Singh, called “Alvin”, and 20-yearold Jason Harris, both of Cummings Lodge.

However, Boodram was granted bail in the sum of $600,000. He was ordered to

make his next court appearance on January 16, 2019.

The young men were struck down while returning home from a nearby service station.

As initially reported, the driver was reportedly proceeding along the roadway when he attempted to make a right turn when the motorcycle that was controlled by Harris collided with his vehicle.

The impact reportedly threw Harris and Singh onto the roadway, where they sustained severe injuries.

They were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where Singh was pronounced dead on arrival and Harris was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he took his last breath on Sunday.

A breathalyser test conducted on the driver of the motor pick-up showed no sign of alcohol in his system.

lthough the number of persons now rushing to the online markets has increased significantly in Guyana, the country is still dragging behind as it lacks laws to protect such customers.

This was related by Guyana Consumer and Competition Affairs Commission (CCAC) Public Relations Officer Allison Parker during an interview with Guyana Times on Tuesday.

As pointed out by her, the Consumer Affairs Act

cross-border e-commerce.”

While this is the harsh reality, the consumer body noted that at the third session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy, a decision was made to extend the mandate to include a Working Group on Consumer Protection on E-Commerce (WGE).

The WGE is tasked with the responsibility of recommending policy options for consumer protection authorities of member states in light of its guidelines. Its

An upset customer who sourced an item online

only provides guidelines for electronic sale transactions locally.

This means that persons who source items online from overseas suppliers have no rights if an item arrives and does not meet the specification.

The CCAC said: “The Consumer Affairs Act does not provide jurisdiction for

mandate was given by the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy in the second session held in July 2018 in Geneva.

The three main areas of focus for the group will be tackling misleading and unfair business practices, consumer education and business guidance, and most

importantly, international cooperation in cross-border cases.

With regard to legislation the Consumer Affairs Act states, “The Minister may, after consultation with the Commission, make regulations for the purpose of protecting consumers in relation to electronic sale transactions.”

Persons have many a time complained of sourcing items from online stores only to receive, in some cases, an entirely different item when it comes to clothing, makeup, accessories, and even electronics.

Meanwhile, in terms of other complaints in the areas of electronics, appliances, vehicles, and other items, the Commission said it has

received a total of 273 complaints from customers who were unable to get value for their dollar.

The number of other complaints received from the beginning of the year to December 10, 2018 has increased when compared with the figure from last year. CCAC has noted that these complaints are valued at $86,156,466.

In fact, when the Commission compared its statistics for 2017 and 2018 during its mid-year analysis, it was found that complaints received by the unit have increased by a massive 78 per cent.

These figures only reflect items that were sourced locally.

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wednesdAY, december 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramsammy’s Ruminations Nagamootoo and APNU/ AFC actively sabotaging constitutional reform

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PNU/AFC promised meaningful constitutional reform as part of their first 100 days’ agenda. President Granger entrusted Prime Minister Nagamootoo with the responsibility for constitutional reform. Almost four years on, with an allocation surpassing more than $100 million in Budget 2018, and after spending many millions, the Prime Minister is forced to find excuses for doing nothing so far. In defending himself, he passed the buck by claiming there is a Special Select Committee in Parliament that is responsible for constitutional reform.

When Nagamootoo was entrusted with the responsibility for Dr Leslie Ramsammy constitutional reform, soon after his appointment as Prime Minister in 2015, the question of the role of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee for Constitutional Reform was raised. Many believed then that it was a move to side-step, bypass and sabotage the Parliamentary Special Select Committee.

In fact, the present Parliamentary Special Select Committee, which is chaired by Basil Williams, has met only twice in almost four years. Its first meeting was in 2015, when its only agenda item was electing its chairman. The second meeting took place on December 7, last Friday. It was hurriedly called, with virtually no notice, and at a time following the last day of the budget debate. It is not surprising, therefore, that the members from the Opposition could not attend. It was a farce, and was called only to avoid further embarrassment.

The duty to set and call meetings, to decide on the agenda etc., is solely the responsibility of the Chair. Other members can make recommendations, but in the end, it is the responsibility of the Chair. It is despicable that the people's business in this important parliamentary body has been totally neglected. The Prime Minister never said anything, and never requested that the Parliamentary Special Select Committee meet. In fact, it was only after the PM was forced to defend himself for the sloth in the management of constitutional reform that a meeting was then called.

While the responsibility to convene meetings belongs to the Chair of the Committee, the Prime Minister, as the Government's point person for constitutional reform, was obligated to ensure the committee met.

But the neglect in the present parliament is not new. The committee also existed in the 10th Parliament, between 2011 and 2015. The committee was chaired by the then Leader of the Opposition, Mr. David Granger. That committee met two times, in 2011/2012, and then zero times in 2013, 2014 and 2015. So the Parliamentary Special Select Committee, between 2011 and 2018, has been chaired by the APNU+AFC leaders, and has met a total of four times. Two of those meetings were short meetings, just to appoint the chairman in 2011, David Granger, and in 2015 Basil Williams.

The only substantive business meeting that the committee has had since 2011 was in 2012, when I was asked to make a summary of all the constitutional changes made and those outstanding recommendations that were made in the Ramkarran-led Constitution Commission of the 1990s, and the work of the Oversight Committee that led to several constitutional laws that were the most far-reaching reforms made since 1980.

Nagamootoo, with hundreds of millions in hand, and with this being perhaps his only substantive responsibility as Prime Minister, never once tried to get a more active committee. He behaved in almost four years as if there was no Special Select Committee.

Suddenly, the Prime Minister and APNU+AFC recognise that constitutional reform is the job of the Special Select Committee; but neither Nagamootoo nor APNU+AFC was ever serious in pursuing constitutional reform. If they did, they would not have waited for almost four years to call a meeting of the body, which by law is responsible for reviewing the Constitution and making recommendations for changes. My report to the Special Committee, with a list of the outstanding issues from the previous Public Constitutional Commission, has been on the table since 2012. It has been ignored; totally ignored.

The Parliamentary Special Select Committee is a standing committee made up of eight members, five from APNU+AFC and three from the PPP. But, unlike other parliamentary committees, the members can request participation of civil society members, and can conduct consultations anywhere in Guyana. This mandate is enshrined in the Constitution and in the Standing Orders of Parliament. APNU+AFC have sabotaged the work of the committee for more than seven years now, and Nagamootoo was tasked with side-stepping the committee since 2015. Now that he and APNU+AFC have been exposed, he is seeking to hide behind the committee. I can bet that after this week, the Parliamentary Special Select Committee will again be dormant.

Annandale fatal accident

Teen remains critical as Police hunt for hit-and-run vehicle O

ne day after being struck by a speeding minibus along the Annandale Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD), 16-year-old Reaz Shaw of Lot 35 Annandale Public Road, ECD, remains in critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

His friend, Karmachand Khemraj died as a result of the collision on Sunday evening.

Yacoob Shaw, the teen’s father, on Tuesday evening stated that there were no improvements in his son’s condition since the accident.

“He deh just how he go in; he eyes can’t even open, but de doctor tell me that is

Injured: Reaz Shaw

something with de brain and it does tek long to heal,” the

father related.

The older Shaw told this publication that his family was just hoping and praying for the best at this time.

Based on reports received, Shaw and 15-yearold Khemraj, also called “Ajay”, of Lot 44 Annandale North, East Coast Demerara were heading home from a nearby shop on a pedal cycle when a speeding white Toyota Hiace ‘Pitbull’ minibus struck them down from behind and continued on its journey without stopping.

The teens sustained severe injuries and were picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where Khemraj died about

an hour later while receiving medical attention.

His friend, who is also his neighbour, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the medical facility.

Police have not yet been able to locate the minibus that was involved in the accident.

When contacted, the father of the dead teenager explained that they were receiving the assistance of the public to search for the bus.

He stated that from all indications the Police are dragging their feet on the issue and as such, called on the higher authorities to look into the matter.

Market, Minibus Union President expects greatness from new GT Mayor

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he President of the United Minibus Union (UMU) and the Market Vendors Union, Eon Andrews on Tuesday during an exclusive interview with Guyana Times said he has great expectations of the newly-elected Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine.

Among the matters Andrews is seeking to iron out with the new Mayor who takes office in January 2019 are the removal of market vendors and bus parks.

He said, “I am glad to know there is some fresh blood there and I also feel that there ought not to have been some people on the Council from the last Council. There should have been a wider sweep of those persons who are there. Other persons should have been brought in, but they are there and one has to remember that it’s not gonna be easy for him (Narine), because the Council is run by Committees and he may have an idea and influence certain decisions … I

hope that he is given the support.”

In relation to the removal of the bus parks to facilitate the Stabroek Market Wharf vendors, Andrews noted, “We spoke with the City Works Committee that has to deal with that and take it to Statutory (Meeting) where he will be a part of the vote, as it relates to the park, but as it relates to the vendors the Union is going to write this new body.”

The Head of the Unions explained he intended to write the new leaders of the Council whereby amicable decisions could be made with regard to the vendors.

Andrews was keen to note that City Hall ought to put special attention on the vendors as the city could not be run without their input. “You cannot manage the city without the input of those vendors and I mean genuine input not just having a crowd and people talking, but more or less organised discussions,” he

UMU and Market Vendors Union President Eon Andrews

pointed out.

The vendors at the Stabroek Market Wharf were officially removed from their vending areas on September 14 when City Constables, following orders, barricaded the area after a two-week notice was served to them.

The Public Infrastructure Ministry has reportedly undertaken to rehabilitate the

Stabroek Market Wharf, which has been in a deplorable state for many years.

Several bus parks were relocated to facilitate upgrade works to accommodate the vendors, including the Route 42 (Grove/Diamond to Georgetown) Park. A number of other parks were later relocated, specifically to alleviate the traffic congestion in the area.

Bus drivers in the various operating zones have since been placed in different areas, but they have strongly condemned this development because of criminal activities and other inconveniences allegedly associated with those new areas.

The Timehri (Route 42) minibus operators who were placed on High Street on numerous occasions have lamented relocation to the area as they are not only now being affected by flooding but criminal activities. That park was moved back to its original spot for the Christmas season.

Pastor critical after hit-and-run accident

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Pastor Cecil Agard

olice on Tuesday morning arrested a woman in relation to a hit-andrun accident on Sunday in Berbice, but she denied that she was driving the car implicated at the time.

The accident has left Pastor Cecil Agard, 76, of

Nurseville, New Amsterdam, in a critical state at the New Amsterdam Hospital. He was reportedly struck off his motorcycle while riding along the Number Two Public Road, East Canje.

The owner of the car had told investigators that a female friend was using the car at the alleged time of the accident and as such, he took investigators to the friend’s home at Tucber Park, New Amsterdam, but she was not found until Tuesday morning.

However, the woman claimed that she was not driving the car at the time of the accident.

After the accident, the injured pastor’s son, Raymond Agard, reportedly visited the accident scene where he found fragments of the car and was

The car that was involved in the accident

subsequently able to identify it and its owner.

Checks for the owner led Agard to a bar in New Amsterdam and as such, the Police were summoned. The car was also searched during

which one bottle of whisky, a cutlass and several grams of cannabis were unearthed.

The left side light was damaged. As such, the owner was arrested and was expected to be charged shortly.

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wednesDAY, december 12, 2018

Regional

5 dead as gunman Jamaican Parliament shut down opens fire in as staff withdraw services Brazilian cathedral

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The Catholic cathedral in Campinas was the scene of a horrific attack

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gunman opened fire in a Catholic cathedral near Brazil’s most populous city, São Paulo, killing five people and wounding several others.

The attack happened towards the end of a midday service in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Campinas city, police say.

The gunman, carrying a revolver and a pistol, rose from his seat and started shooting randomly, Brazil’s O Globo News reports.

He then killed himself in front of the altar before police could arrest him.

The motive for the attack is not yet clear. Neither the gunman nor his victims have been identified.

Major Adriano Augusto told O Globo News that the gunman stood up shortly after the prayers had ended.

“He first hit the people on the bench behind

him,” Major Augusto said.

“Apparently he shot in several directions, not directed at anyone specifically.”

Most of those who were hit were elderly, the newspaper reports. There is some confusion over the exact number of fatalities, with some reports putting the number at four.

Police officers outside the cathedral immediately entered after hearing the shots. Paramedics could be seen treating people at the scene. Ambulances rushed the wounded to hospital.

The archdiocese of Sao Paulo said on its Facebook page that the killings had caused “deep pain”, and that the cathedral would remain shut while the police investigation was carried out.

Campinas is an industrial city some 100km (62 miles) north-west of Sao Paulo. (BBC)

he Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament was a short while ago shut down in the midst of a meeting with senior officials of Petrojam and the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica, as Parliamentary staff have been ordered to withdraw their services.

The staff, including Hansard recorders withdrew following the receipt of a memorandum from House Leader Karl Samuda which stated that the staff should immediately discontinue services because the sitting was convened without the agreement of a majority of members.

Committee chairman Mark Golding says this is yet another attempt to cripple the oversight function of the com-

mittee and that the House Leader has no authority to so instruct the Clerk or staff.

He said the move is dis-

respectful to the Auditor General and her staff, and the other senior civil servants appearing before the committee, and committee members.

He said any such instructions to staff must come from the House Speaker.

Golding told journalists a short while ago that “this is a shocking development” and that Samuda was wrong in attempting to subvert and put an end to the proceedings that were already over an hour underway.

Government members did not show up at this morning’s meeting. Three members sent apologies for absence. (Jamaica Observer)

US-Russian spat over bombers landing in Venezuela

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ussian and US officials have been involved in a spat over the landing in Venezuela of two Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

The two Tu-160 bombers landed in Venezuela on Monday in a Russian show of support for the government of socialist President Nicolás Maduro.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it amounted to “two corrupt governments squandering public funds”.

The Russian government called his words “completely inappropriate”.

The long-range strategic bombers landed at Simón Bolívar airport outside of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on Monday along with two other Russian planes. Venezuela and Russia have long been close allies, and the Russian bombers - as well as a missile cruiser - were sent to the Latin American country in 2008.

The supersonic bombers also visited Venezuela in 2013. The latest visit comes just days after President Maduro met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir

Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino (first row, second from left) welcomed the Russians

Padrino said they were part of air force exercises with its Russian allies: “This we are going to do with our friends,

because we have friends in the world who defend respectful, balanced relations.” (BBC)

TT$12M bail for women in Westmoorings drug bust

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police said he did not live at the two addresses, at Waterwheel and Sea Trace, Diego Martin, which he gave them.

Cole gave a third address at River Estate, Diego Martin, where, he said, he intends to stay if granted bail. That is his girlfriend’s address. The police were given until Monday to do their investigations.

He will return to court on Monday, when bail will be considered for him. Eligon was advised to apply to a

Krystiana Sankar

he two women held last week Tuesday at an apartment at Regents Gardens, Westmoorings, Trinidad and Tobago during a multi-million-dollar drug bust have both been granted bail of $6 million each.

Krystiana Sankar and Yannis Pebbles Augustine were each granted bail by Port of Spain Magistrate Aden Stroude when they reappeared in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court.

The two men – Atiba Eligon and Jervon Cole – were denied bail, Eligon because of his two previous convictions for drug trafficking and Cole because

judge.

Sankar, 24, the owner of a tent rental company and an internet clothing store, of Blue Range, Diego Martin, was ordered to report to the West End police station every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

The same conditions were attached to the bail granted to Augustine, 26, a lifeguard, of St Lucien Road, Diego Martin. She cried continuously after Stroude announced the bail amount.

(T&T Newsday)

Yannis Pebbles Augustine

Argentina Dirty War: 2 former Ford executives jailed T

wo former Ford executives in Argentina have been given long jail sentences for collaborating with the country’s brutal military regime in 1976-83.

Factory manager Pedro Muller was sentenced to 10 years and ex-security chief Hector Sibilla given 12 years.

They were found guilty of providing information about leftist union leaders who were later kidnapped and tortured.

It is the first-time multinational firm staff have been

Pedro Muller (left) and Hector Sibilla said they would appeal against the verdict

convicted for crimes committed during the dictatorship.

Both Muller and Sibilla said they would appeal

against the verdict.

The jail sentences were handed down by a court near the capital Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

The court stated that the two men “were necessary participants in the illegal deprivation of liberty, aggravated by the use of violence and threats” with the aim of political persecution, AFP news agency reports.

The court also found that Sibilla was present during at least one torture session.

The crimes were committed at Ford’s factory on the

outskirts of the capital.

After the verdict, family members of the victims burst into applause in the packed courtroom.

During the trial, prosecutors had asked for 25 years in prison for each of the accused.

Ford Argentina has so far made no public comments on the issue.

About 30,000 people are estimated to have been killed by the military in its infamous Dirty War against dissidents during the dictatorship. (BBC)

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guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Canadian ex-diplomat In desperate bid to save Brexit deal: May holds talks in Europe 'held in China'

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Canadian, reported to be a former diplomat, has been detained in China and his current employer says it is working for his prompt release.

The International Crisis Group said it was "aware of reports" of Michael Kovrig's detention.

The Canadian Government says it has raised the case with the Chinese authorities.

The news comes days after Canada arrested a top executive of the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

Canada's foreign affairs ministry gave no further details about its talks with China.

Tensions between Canada and China have been high over the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer and daughter of its founder, on Saturday 1 December.

Federal public safety minister Ralph Goodale told journalists in Ottawa that

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Michael Kovrig

the government is aware of "a Canadian in difficulty in China" and is "deeply concerned by the situation".

Minister Goodale said there is currently no "explicit indication" of any link between her arrest and Mr Kovrig's reported detention.

Kovrig had previously worked as a diplomat in Beijing, Hong Kong and at the UN in New York.

Kovrig has been working since February 2017 as North East Asia senior advisor for the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-

based think tank that focuses on conflict reduction research.

He worked with Canada's foreign affairs ministry between 2010 and 2016 and was posted in Hong Kong and Beijing between 2012 and 2016.

Meng faces extradition to the US on charges of fraud related to sanctions-breaking business dealings with Iran. She could be jailed for up to 30 years if found guilty. China has demanded that Canada release Meng or face consequences. (BBC)

Trump, top Democrats clash on border wall in rare Oval Office fight

US President Donald Trump talks with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as he meets with the Senate and House Democratic leadership at the White House in Washington (Reuters/

U

Kevin Lamarque)

S President Donald Trump openly sparred about Government funding with the top two Democratic lawmakers during an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, throwing into question whether a deal was possible ahead of a deadline later this month.

In a remarkable public argument, the likes of which is seldom seen before cameras, Trump bickered with US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy

Pelosi about funding for the wall he has promised to build on the southern border with Mexico.

“If we don’t get what we want, one way or the other - whether it’s through you, through a military, through anything you want to call - I will shut down the government,” Trump said as the heated argument drew near a close. “I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck, because the people of this country don’t want criminals and people that have

lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country,” he said before reporters left their ringside seats.

Congress is seeking to finalize spending before some federal government funding expires on Dec. 21. While Trump’s fellow Republicans control both the House and the Senate until next month, Democratic support is needed to pass any spending legislation.

Trump has asked Congress for $5 billion for border security, while Schumer and Pelosi said they offered to extend funding at current levels, around $1.3 billion. That is less than the $1.6 billion a bipartisan Senate committee has approved. The meeting did not last long after reporters were ushered out of the Oval Office. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement it was a “constructive dialogue” and said Trump was “grateful” the cameras captured him fighting to protect the border.

Back on Capitol Hill, Schumer accused Trump of throwing a tantrum. (Reuters)

ritish Prime Minister Theresa May has left London for talks with European Union leaders aimed at seeking agreement to amend her Brexit deal.

May met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague early on Tuesday before heading to the German capital, Berlin, for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Following her meeting with May, Merkel told members of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and its sister party the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), that she saw "no way to change the agreement", the AFP news agency reported.

She reportedly also expressed confidence that a solution to the impasse could be found, however.

May later travelled to Brussels, the administrative heart of the EU, where she held discussions with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President

British Prime Minister Theresa May met Dutch PM Mark Rutte on Tuesday morning (Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)

Donald Tusk.

Tusk said the other 27 EU leaders will discuss Brexit at a special meeting on Thursday, at the beginning of a preplanned summit in Brussels which May will herself attend.

May's whistle-stop tour comes a day after she pulled a parliamentary vote on her widely criticised EU withdrawal plan, acknowledging it would have been rejected by the UK's lower chamber House of Commons.

The move sent the pound

plunging against the dollar and the euro as fears of a nodeal Brexit spooked markets.

Amid accusations from the main opposition Labour Party that May had "lost control of events" and calls from her own ruling Conservative Party members - scores of whom were expected to reject her deal - to "govern or quit", the prime minister pledged to go back to European leaders and seek changes to her deal in order appease MPs. (Aljazeera)

Oil pares gains on threatened US Govt shutdown

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il futures edged higher on Tuesday after paring most of their gains as stock markets turned negative on worries about a possible US Government shutdown.

US stock markets pulled back after President Donald Trump threatened to shut down the federal government over funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border.

“It looks like the prospect of a US government shutdown is not good for any asset class.

Equities reacted first, taking oil prices down with it,” said John Kilduff, a partner at

Again Capital Management in New York.

Prices rose over $1 a barrel earlier in the session after Libya’s National Oil Company (NOC) declared a force majeure on exports from the country’s biggest oilfield, which was seized last weekend by a militia group. NOC said on Monday that the shutdown of the El Sharara oilfield would result in a production loss of 315,000 barrels per day (bpd), and an additional loss of 73,000 bpd at the El Feel oilfield.

After the strong start, Brent futures LCOc1 end-

ed just 23 cents, or 0.4 percent, higher at $60.20 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 rose 65 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $51.65.

Also adding pressure to the market, was Russia’s slower-than-expected planned cuts in production as part of an OPEC-led deal agreed last week to curb output by a joint 1.2 million bpd from January to shore up prices. Russia said on Tuesday it planned to cut oil output by just 50,000 to 60,000 bpd in January, as it gradually builds to an agreed cut of 220,000 bpd. (Reuters)

Accused Russian agent reaches plea deal with federal prosecutors

M

aria Butina, a Russian gun-rights activist accused of working as an agent for the Kremlin in the U.S., has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, according to several media reports Monday. Butina, 30, was arrested in July and charged with illegally acting as an agent of the Russian Federation. US authorities charged that she had used her close ties to the National Rifle Association and conservative operatives to wage a covert influence campaign and even tried to broker a se-

cret meeting between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 2016 presidential campaign. The Government initially painted the woman as a spy who used sex to get close to influential targets, but The New York Times notes prosecutors later backed away from those claims, saying they were merely jokes made in text messages.

As part of her agreement, Butina will plead guilty to conspiring “with a Russian government official … and at least one other person, for Butina to

act in the United States under the direction of Russian Official without prior notification to the Attorney General,” according to a copy of the plea document obtained by ABC News. The deal also mandates Butina cooperate with federal, state and local investigators and could see her serve a short prison sentence or be released for time served, upon which she would likely be deported to Russia, according to the Times. It must still be approved by a federal judge.

(HuffPost)

1 dead, 6 wounded in French city shooting

O

ne person has been killed and six others wounded in a shooting in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, police say.

The gunman is still at large, they added.

The French Interior Ministry confirmed a "serious public security incident"

in the city and urged residents to stay indoors.

The shooting is said to have happened close to a Christmas market in one of the central squares, Place Kleber.

Security officials have cordoned off the area and trams have been stopped, according to reports.

Local journalist Bruno Poussard wrote on Twitter that there had been a dozen shots fired on his street in the city centre - one or two to begin with, then in bursts.

Emmanuel Foulon, a press officer for the European Parliament, wrote that there was "panic"

in the centre following the sound of gunfire and that police with guns were running through the streets.

Strasbourg deputy mayor Alain Fontanel tweeted: "Shooting in downtown Strasbourg. Thank you all for staying home while waiting for a clarification of the situation." (Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesdAY, december 12, 2018

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

Don’t divulge a secret prematurely. Make personal changes that will allow you more options to travel, learn or change direction next year. Check out your options and start the ball rolling.

Plan a trip or make arrangements for the festive season. Getting together with your peers will give you greater insight into the people you work alongside.

Romance is on the rise.

Think big, but stay within your budget. Use your imagination to come up with a surprise that will thrill a loved one. An emotional issue can be resolved.

You will know what’s best for you, and you shouldn’t let anyone convince you to deviate from your plans. A personal change will do you good and boost your confidence.

It’s up to you to bring about change. Consider what you’d like to see transpire and make it happen.

Doing a little shopping or getting together with friends is encouraged.

Visit someone you find supportive. Spending time with someone with more experience will help you view personal situations clearly.

Personal relationships will require time and patience.

Plan outings, do things LIBRA (Sept. 23- with youngsters or get toOct. 23) gether with a close friend or sibling. Don’t let personal changes cause concern.

Make the best out of whatever options you are given.

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD — LOBATE (LOBATE: LO-bate: Curved or rounded.)

SUDOKU

Average mark 18 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 25 or more words in LOBATE? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — QUOTIENT

quiet quint quintet quit quite quote unit unite untie unto tent

tine tint tone toque tote tout tune into etui note

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

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

You’ll get an interesting idea that will surprise a loved one. A personal change will do you good and help you make plans that will improve your lifestyle.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

A personal change should be carefully planned before it’s executed. Rely on past examples to determine how to best bring about the alterations that will make your world better.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Don’t leave anything to chance: If someone wants to make a last-minute change, be prepared to counter with a better plan. Take control and keep things simple as you move forward.

An emotional plea will be heard and dealt with appropriately. The changes you bring about will make a difference to someone you care about. Don’t let someone’s rhetoric faze you.

Don’t share personal information with someone you don’t know well. Pay closer attention to what you eat and drink. Health issues will arise if you let yourself get run-down.

wednesdAY, december 12, 2018

19

2019 auctions…

Malinga, Mathews among 9 players with US$250,000 plus price tag for IPL auction Lasith Malinga, along with eight others, has the highest base price

– 18 West Indians shortlisted, Hetmyer included IPL auction shortlist Name Lasith Malinga

T

hree

hundred and fortysix cricketers, including 226 Indians, have been shortlisted for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. Nine players have listed themselves

Crore (US$138,258), there are only four Indians – Yuvraj Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Mohammed Shami, and Axar Patel.

Only two Bangladesh players have been shortlisted – Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. Among the top players from Bangladesh, with Mustafizur Rahman not allowed to participate by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Shakib Al Hasan already being retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad, Tamim Iqbal was a notable miss.

Eight players from

Afghanistan have been shortlisted, while USA also has representation in the form of Muhammad Khan.

The franchises were asked to submit their final shortlist by 17:00h today. The auction will take place on December 18.

Number of players from each country: India – 226; South Africa – 26; Australia – 23; West Indies – 18; England – 18; New Zealand – 13; Afghanistan – 8; Sri Lanka – 7; Bangladesh – 2; Zimbabwe – 2; USA – 1; Ireland – 1; Netherlands – 1. (cricbuzz)

Base Price (INR Lakh)

Angelo Mathews

Sri Lanka

All-rounder

200 (US$276,516)

Colin Ingram

South Africa

Batsman

200 (US$276,516)

200 (US$276,516)

Brendon McCullum

New Zealand

Batsman

200 (US$276,516)

Corey Anderson

New Zealand

All-rounder

200 (US$276,516)

Chris Woakes

England

All-rounder

200 (US$276,516)

Samuel Curran

England

All-rounder

200 (US$276,516)

Shaun Marsh

Australia

Batsman

200 (US$276,516)

D'Arcy Short

Australia

All-rounder

200 (US$276,516)

Name

at the base price o f INR 2 Crore (US$276,516).

Brendon McCullum, Chris Woakes, Lasith Malinga, Colin Ingram, Shaun Marsh, Corey Anderson, Sam Curran, Angelo Mathews and D'Arcy Short are the players who have listed themselves at the highest base price.

Among Indians, Jaydev Unadkat has the highest base price of INR 1.5 Crore (US$207, 387) – a figure he shares with nine foreign players. Among the 19 players who have listed themselves at INR 1

Role Bowler

Sikandar Raza Butt

Shimron Hetmyer has been shortlisted with a base price of 50 INR Lakh (US$69,129) for IPL auctions

Country Sri Lanka

Country

Zimbabwe

Role

All-rounder

Base Price (INR Lakh)

75 (US$103,771.76)

Carlos Brathwaite

West Indies

All-rounder

75 (US$103,771.76)

Nicholas Pooran

West Indies

Wicketkeeper

75 (US$103,771.76)

Jason Holder

West Indies

All-rounder

75 (US$103,771.76)

Darren Bravo

West Indies

Batsman

75 (US$103,771.76)

Lendl Simmons

West Indies

Batsman

75 (US$103,771.76)

Dwayne Smith

West Indies

All-rounder

75 (US$103,771.76)

Name

Country

Role

Base Price (INR Lakh)

Brendan Taylor

Zimbabwe

Wicketkeeper

50 (US$69,129)

Shimron Hetmyer

West Indies

Batsman

50 (US$69,129)

Khary Pierre

West Indies

Bowler

50 (US$69,129)

Rovman Powell

West Indies

All-rounder

50 (US$69,129)

Johnson Charles

West Indies

Wicketkeeper

50 (US$69,129)

Andre Fletcher

West Indies

Wicketkeeper

50 (US$69,129)

Oshane Thomas

West Indies

Bowler

50 (US$69,129)

Fabian Allen

West Indies

All-rounder

50(US$69,129)

Obed Mccoy

West Indies

Bowler

50 (US$69,129)

Keemo Paul

West Indies

All-rounder

50 (US$69,129)

Sheldon Cottrell

West Indies

Bowler

50 (US$69,129)

Ouseley to stand down as Chairman of football’s anti-racism campaign

L

ord Herman Ouseley is to stand down as the chairman of football’s anti-racism campaign Kick It Out after 25 continuous years in that position since the organisation was established in 1993.

The 73-year-old is understood to have informed Kick It Out’s trustees some time ago that he intended to retire at the end of this season and the announcement is not related to the resurgence of alleged racist incidents in the game.

In a statement, Ouseley reflected on the strides made in football against racism, which was overt and widespread from supporters 25 years ago, but warned, as he has done repeatedly, that racism is rising again in Britain at large.

“When I set up the [original campaign organisation] Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football in 1993, I hoped the football authorities would take it on board and tackle the problem,” Ouseley said. “It proved to be a long haul with a slow process

of change in pursuit of equality, inclusion and cohesion.

“Recent progress across the game in pursuing equalities for all is offset by the wider society afflictions of prejudice and hatred from which football cannot escape.”

Speaking positively about the future of the organisation, Ouseley repeated a theme he stressed when reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the campaign’s foundation earlier this year, that football can be a force for greater cohesion in society.

“Kick It Out is well positioned with excellent staff to keep the momentum of activity afloat in helping football to be a powerhouse for equality, inclusion and diversity,” he said. “It is also well positioned to continue its excellent work in helping to prepare the next generation of players for the diversity of cultures in the game and to handle all inequalities, discrimination and prejudice.”

That Ouseley’s retirement has been announced during the

Lord Herman Ouseley

fallout from incidents of alleged racism confirms a warning he has repeatedly made: that despite huge progress over the years, racism and other forms of discrimination have never been defeated in Britain. When he discussed the challenges and achievements of Kick It Out’s 25 years, he emphasised that toxic Brexit-related rhetoric about immigration has increased social divisions.

The Metropolitan police are investigating alleged

racist abuse by Chelsea supporters of Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, and the banana thrown towards the Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang by a Tottenham supporter at the Emirates Stadium.

Sterling has also complained about racist media coverage, referring specifically to coverage by Mailonline, which he argued portrayed the young black Manchester City footballer Tosin Adarabioyo

negatively compared with his white teammate Phil Foden.

Although Kick It Out is funded by the Professional Footballers’ Association, Premier League and Football Association, Ouseley never shied away from criticising the game’s authorities when he believed they were not working hard enough to oppose discrimination and he spoke out strongly following the abuse of Sterling at Chelsea. He said he had previously pointed out that the player has been “treated differently” by the media, and challenged senior figures in the game to speak out.

“What happened at Chelsea shows what is still going on in football,” he said.

“Where is [Premier League executive chairman] Richard Scudamore? Where is [the FA chairman] Greg Clarke? Where is Chelsea’s chairman [Bruce Buck]? They should have been talking out … and it has to be dealt with at the top. We do not have any leadership at the top of the game to speak out.

They rely on Kick it Out.” Expanding on this theme in his retirement statement, Ouseley said that he had wanted for years to hand over as chair to “younger equality advocates and campaigners”.

“I have thrown challenges at the leaders in football and they need to show their hands,” he said. “They need to show they are capable of bringing about lasting change if they all come together out of their silos and take a dynamic and coherent approach to meeting the equality challenges.”

Ouseley, who has had a distinguished 56-year career in public service, has never been paid for his role as the chair of Kick It Out. George Starkey-Midha, a Kick It Out staff member and spokesman, said Ouseley had “led the way in championing equality”, adding: “We owe it to him to continue his legacy by increasing our efforts to eliminate racism and discrimination from the game.”

(Excerpted from The Guardian)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesdAY, december 12, 2018

BCB/RHTY&SC Busta Champion of Champions 40 Overs Knockout Tournament

4 teams advance W to semi-finals

T

Top performers for Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets

he 15th staging of the popular and prestigious RHTYSC/Busta Champion of Champions tournament bowled off on Sunday with four matches in its first round.

This tournament represents the Berbice Cricket Board’s (BCB’s) 28th cricket tournament staged for 2018.

At the Area ‘H’ Ground in Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, East Canje opposed the Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets Team. East Canje won the toss and opted to bat first. They immediately lost the wicket of Michael Campbelle, dismissed for a duck by former national under-19 fast bowler Sylus Tyndall.

The Canje team never recovered, and were bowled out in 22 overs for a paltry 90 runs. Sasenarine Sukhu with 22 and Harold Singh with 27 were the only resistance encountered by the Gizmos and G a d g e t s Team.

Shawn Pereira was the most effective bowler for the Gizmos and Gadgets Team with 3 for 26.

Junior Sinclair grabbed 3 for 22 and Kevin Sinclair captured 2 for 22. Kevin Sinclair returned to score a brutal 40 from 28 balls, and together with former national player Eon Hooper, who scored 36 not out, ensured the Gizmos and Gadgets Team secure a comfortable eight-wicket victory. Isaiah Thorne and Michael Campbelle took one wicket each for Rose Hall Canje.

Albion Community Centre trashed West Berbice by seven wickets in the encounter at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice. West Berbice were bundled out for a mere 112 in 20 overs as the Albion spin attack spun webs around them.

Keith Fraser with 34 and Rennison Mitchell with 21 were the only resistance offered to the Albion juggernaut.

Albion players David Latchaya snared 4 for 39 and Kevin Umrao took 3 for 19 before Albion raced to 113 for 3 in 19 overs, with Kandasammy Surujnarine scoring 47, Sharaz Ramcharran scoring 43, and David Latchaya scoring 15 as the main batters.

At Port Mourant Ground on the Corentyne, Young Warriors Cricket Club crushed the home team by 90 runs. This match was reduced by four overs due to moisture on the Port Mourant pitch.

Young Warriors rattled up 225 for 8 in 36 overs, with Alex Algoo hitting a quick-fire 35, Mortimer Fraser scoring 29, and R i c a r d o Ramdehol top-scoring

with 44. Loyydel Lewis captured 4 for 53 and Daniel Samaroo had 2 for 39 for Port Mourant Cricket Club.

Port Mourant Cricket Club were bowled out for 130 as Ishwar Singh with 3 for 12 and Jermaine Henry with 2 for 30 delivered brilliantly for the Young Warriors.

Doorsammy Mahadeo with 18 and Trishan Ramcharran with 15 were the main contributors.

At D’ Edward Ground in West Berbice, Tucber Park Cricket Club defeated Blairmont Community Centre by four wickets.

Blairmont Community Centre made 141 all out in 37 overs, with Kevin Jawahir hitting 47, Javed Karim stroking 26, and Marvin Prashad 27 for Blairmont. Veteran Devon Clements captured 4 for 26 while lightning quick Nial Smith took 3 for 18 for Tucber Park.

Tucber Park Cricket Club reached 142 for 6 from 31 overs, with Clifton Lindie top scoring with a crucial 40 while Berbice under 19 batsman Garfield Benjamin hit 39. Steve Deonarine supported with 27. Shabeer Baksh and Seon Glasgow took two wickets each in a losing effort for Blairmont.

In the semifinals, Albion Community Centre and Young Warriors Cricket Club will clash at the Albion Ground on Saturday.

Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets will host Tucber Park Cricket Club at the Area ‘H’ Ground.

The Berbice Cricket Board is planning to host the finals before the festive season, once the weather permits. The tournament, sponsored by the Guyana Beverage Company under its Busta brand, was first organised in 2004.

Nial Smith bowled well for Tucber Park

ith the dust already settled and a winner declared, the organizers of the Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers Under-18 Schools Football tournament have deemed the competition a success.

The eleven-week competition had seen the inclusion of twelve secondary school teams from around Georgetown, East and West Coast Demerara, and Linden in a league format -- an arrangement that has been attempted for the first time at the school level.

To this end, Petra CoDirector Troy Mendonca sees the inaugural league as the making of history.

“Well, for me, history has been created. I might be wrong, but from my playing time a couple of decades ago, I can’t recall having a school league being played,” Mendonca stated.

Mendonca also said that tedious planning was injected into the implementation phase. As such, the tournament’s success is even more gratifying for the organization, because of the platform it gives young players to showcase their skills.

“And we at Petra, we fought hard to have this; it was a part of our vision. And to reach this end, where we had three teams vying for top honours on the last day, you know, it speaks volumes for

Mendonca satisfied with success of Guyoil Tournament

Petra Co-Director Troy Mendonca

what this tournament and this format can do,” he said.

Looking towards the near future, Mendonca is of the opinion that the top two Guyoil teams -Annandale Secondary and Christianburg Wismar Secondary -- are perfectly poised to do well in the KFC Goodwill tournament.

“You know, we set it up like this so as to have a good gauge as to where we’re at in terms of our football; because both teams (Annandale and Christianburg- Wismar) now going into the competition have played 11 weeks of football, they’re peaking right now. So that in itself will give us a gauge as to where we’re at, and an indication of where we’ll go from here as

a footballing nation,” he explained.

The organizer has placed confidence in the Annai Team’s abilities. “We planned this tournament last year, and we extended an invitation to Annai because they were the defending champions in that area; so we didn’t change that, and we hope they’ll give a very good account for themselves,” he said.

While noting that the Trinidadian Shiva Boys Hindu College will make a good representation of a school team from another country, Mendonca assured that the KFC Goodwill tournament, slated to kick off this Saturday, is going to be another successful one.

LeBron trumps Wade in last dance, Curry scores 38 points

L

eBron James earned bragging rights against Dwyane Wade after the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Miami Heat 108-105 in the pair's final NBA meeting.

James and Wade were part of the 2003 NBA Draft and they were selected first and fifth, respectively.

They were team-mates for four seasons in Miami, claiming back-to-back NBA championships together in 2012 and 2013 and reaching the Finals four times.

James and Wade also shared the court at the Cleveland Cavaliers for 46 games last season, but Monday was their last encounter before Wade retires at the end of the season.

And James came out on top on an emotional night at Staples Center, where he led the Lakers with 28 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, while Kyle Kuzma chipped in with 33 points.

Wade was ice cold to start and missed his first five field goals. He finished with 15 points on six-of-19 shooting before the 36-year-old and James exchanged jerseys postgame.

LeBron James and the retiring Dwayne Wade

Meanwhile, reigning champions the Golden State Warriors extended their winning streak to four games thanks to Stephen Curry's 38 points in a 116-108 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves as Draymond Green made his return to the line-up.

Trail Blazers at Rockets Both Portland and Houston have lost three of their last five games. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have been performing at a high level, but their supporting cast has not been good enough to get the job done lately.

Monday's results

Philadelphia 76ers 116102 Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers 109-101 Washington Wizards Boston Celtics 113-100 New Orleans Pelicans Sacramento Kings 10889 Chicago Bulls Oklahoma City Thunder 122-113 Utah Jazz Milwaukee Bucks 10892 Cleveland Cavaliers Dallas Mavericks 10176 Orlando Magic Los Angeles Clippers 123119 Phoenix Suns (OT) Denver Nuggets 10599 Memphis Grizzlies Golden State Warriors 116108 Minnesota Timberwolves Los Angeles Lakers 108105 Miami Heat (Sportsmax)

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21

2018-2019 CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament…

Leon Johnson’s conversion rate – 34 fifties, 5 hundreds in 100 First-Class matches

By Brandon Corlette

G

uyana Jaguars captain, Leon Johnson, played his 100th first class match in the opening round of the Cricket West Indies Regional 4-Day tournament against the Windward Islands Volcanoes. He scored his thirty-fourth half-century, but failed to convert his score into his sixth century.

This elegant, 31-yearold, left-handed batsman has been the most successful captain in the Region, having led the Guyana Jaguars to four consecutive titles.

Johnson’s teammate Vishaul Singh has played 62 first class matches and has scored eight centuries and 13 half-centuries. Singh has played 38 first class matches less than Johnson, but has three more centuries than his captain.

Leon Johnson possesses all the qualities of a good batsman, but his conversion rate has continued to fail him. Darren Bravo, who is making his return to the West Indies Team, has a better first class career than Johnson’s. Bravo has played 89 first class matches, and has scored eleven centuries and 31 half-centuries.

The other elite batsman in the West Indies Test Team, whose presence may be stalling Johnson’s selection, is Roston Chase.

This Barbadian batting all-rounder has played in 70 first class matches, and has scored eight centuries and taken 110 wickets at that level.

Leeward Islands wicket-keeper/batsman Jahmar Hamilton, who bats below number four, has scored six first class centuries in 71 matches, and has been included in the West Indies Test Team on various Test tours. Hamilton is yet to be given a fair opportunity at the Test level, but he is likely to be featured in the Test Team.

L e o n Johnson can perhaps not be compared with a batsman of Kraigg Brathwaite’s calibre. Brathwaite is among the top ranked West Indies Test batsmen in the ICC Test rankings (31), has played 134 first class matches, and has 21 centuries and 47 half-centuries to his credit.

Another Windies T e s t batsman, Sunil Ambris, has a young first

class career in contrast to

Johnson’s.

Ambris has scored six first class centuries in only 48 matches.

It would require a dream season in the domestic circuit for Leon Johnson to return to the West Indies Test

Vishaul Singh has played less matches than Leon Johnson, but has scored more First-Class centuries

Team; but with England touring the West Indies in January 2019, will this be Johnson’s dream season?

The 50-Over Cricket World Cup is scheduled for May 2019, so Johnson may be running out of time.

With an ordinary ‘List A’ career, Johnson averages a mere 27.85 in 67 matches, and has scored only one century, which came in the 2018-2019 Regional Super 50 tournament. He has thirteen half-centuries to his credit.

Johnson has represented the West Indies in nine

Test matches and six OneDay Internationals. He made his Test debut in 2014, and his ODI debut in 2008.

Unsurprisingly, he failed to score a century, but has three half-centuries in both tests and ODIs. Is there any hope that the courageous Jaguars captain could make a return to the West Indies Team, or has he been permanently axed? In the England tour to the West Indies in 2019, or in the Cricket World Cup tournament to be held in England in 2019, these questions will be answered.

Local referees complete FIFA Futsal workshop

W

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Call: 223-7230

ith the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/ ExxonMobil International Futsal tournament coming up in a matter of weeks, the GFF has taken the necessary action to ensure the competition, consisting of teams from Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname

certificates of participation being conducted on Sunday last. The workshop, which commenced on December 5, saw the participation of 13 match officials from Berbice, Linden, Georgetown, West Demerara and Essequibo, who were engaged in theoretical and practical exercises.

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FIFA Instructor Shane Butler and GFF President Wayne Forde flanked by the participants in the Futsal Referees workshop

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A glimpse of the practical sessions conducted at the National Gymnasium

and Guyana, is properly adjudicated according to FIFA standards.

In this light, the GFF has recently concluded a five-day, FIFA-facilitated futsal referees’ workshop at the National Resource Centre, with presentation of

In giving brief remarks at the closing ceremony, GFF President Wayne Forde expressed his pleasure that the referees have stayed the course and completed the programme, especially in light of the upcoming yearend futsal tournament.

Urging the referees to invest in continuous personal and professional development, Forde said: “I would like to encourage everyone to continue to invest in your knowledge and growth, as well as both your practice on the field and conduct of your person, as you represent not

only the referees, but the Guyana Football fraternity.”

FIFA Instructor Shane Butler has said: “The referees have gotten much better for the duration of the course. Their knowledge has improved, and they’re better suited to do the upcoming tournament.

“There’s still some work and practice to be done on the mechanics/techniques, but I have no doubt that they will be a success in the coming weeks. Basic football knowledge is high, but areas which require additional work include positioning, mechanics and signals – which, outside of the book, they have not seen before. It will not be perfected

overnight; it’s a gradual learning process, and the more repetition is done, the better they will become.”

On his first international assignment as Instructor, Butler says it has been a satisfying experience: “It has been a great success. I’ve taught football before, but this is my first out-of-the-country teaching through FIFA. I think it has been a great success, and I look forward to more events, and hopefully return to Guyana and see their knowledge and mine get better, and we all grow and learn the game together.”

The practical sessions were held on Friday and Saturday at the National Gymnasium.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesdAY, december 12, 2018

Northern Rangers, GFC ready for final battle tonight T

he Ministry of Education Ground on Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown will come alive with excitement as fans gather tonight to watch the final of the 2018 Turbo Knockout Football tournament.

The straight knockout tournament began in November with 16 teams vying for top honours. However, those 16 teams have been reduced to Northern Rangers and Georgetown Football Club (GFC), who will be battling it out tonight for the title.

Patrons will tonight be able to witness both the third place playoff and the final game of the second annual tournament sponsored by the Guyana Beverage Inc under their Turbo brand.

In last week’s semifinal, GFC got past Mahaica Determinators by a 2-1 margin, while Northern Rangers

had to fight a little harder to secure their final spot. Their semifinal against Santos FC went down to penalties, but the Northern Rangers side emerged victorious with a 4-2 scoreline.

Each team will now be closely eyeing the other as they prepare to win the most important game of the competition. On the Northern Rangers’ side, player Nigel Denny, although noting that GFC is usually a tough opponent to get past, expressed confidence in his experienced team.

“Well, tomorrow’s (today) final is going to be a very good game. It will kinda be a grudge match for me and my team, because anytime we come against GFC we always get the fight.

The last two games we played they beat us twice. So we got a lot of

experienced players, a set of youths, so we’d like if everybody could just come out and give us the support,” Denny said.

Further, he predicted a 3-1 victory for his team.

On the other hand, GFC is brimming with confidence.

Speaking on the team’s behalf was player/Coach Delon Cadogan, who stated, “I’d just like everybody to come out tomorrow and represent the GFC family. You can expect a lot from GFC tomorrow. Come out and see the youths take football to the highest level.”

When asked about GFC’s failure to clinch a senior title, Cadogan noted that the Turbo tournament will be the stage for them to do so.

W e feel pressured because w e need to get it done, we need to win a senior tournament. We’ve been up there for the longest while, we’re not underesti-

mating Northern Rangers, but we’re confident that we will get the job done,” he declared. According to Cadogan, GFC will take the win by a 2-0 margin.

Having described the final teams, GFC and Nortern Rangers, as youthful and as having a mixture of experienced players and youngsters respectively, CoDirector of Petra urged fans to come out this evening, as the clash promises to be a nail-biter.

“I think both teams deserve to be in the finals; they have played exceptional football throughout the tournament. You know, I just think the fans should come and witness a very good final, and give them the kind of support they need,” Mendonca stated.

The organizer said they are pleased with the development that has been showcased by the senior teams,

as they are moving in the right direction.

“I continue saying that we need a lot more football.

Looking back at our first senior competition for the year to what we’ve seen in this tournament, we’ve seen better play, more consistency; and we, as an organization, continue to lend support,” he said.

The third place playoff, a clash between Santos FC and Mahaica Determinators, will go down at 7pm tonight. Later, the headline game between Northern Rangers and GFC will determine who become new champions. Kick-off time is at 9pm.

The first place finishers will walk away with $800,000, while second place will pocket $400,000. The third and fourth place finishers will collect $200,000 and $100,000 respectively.

2018-2019 CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament…

Jaguars, Hurricanes clash in 2nd round on Thursday – unchanged Jaguars squad for 2nd round

By Brandon Corlette

The Leon Johnsonled Guyana Jaguars will, however, once again start as overwhelming favourites in the clash against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes.

H

aving secured a 125run victory over the Windward Islands Volcanoes in the opening round of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional 4-Day tournament, the Guyana Jaguars – this tournament’s four-time defending champions -- will be aiming to continue their winning ways against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes.

The two teams clash in a match that is scheduled to be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in North Sound, Antigua from December 13 at 10:00h Eastern Caribbean Time.

Guyana Jaguars will be playing this match with an unchanged squad and on a pitch that is expected to suit fast bowlers.

The Jaguars’ Keon Joseph, three away from snaring 100 first class wickets, will be looking to complete the milestone.

A lively fast b o w l e r, Joseph has played 39 first class matches, and his best b o w l i n g figures are 7-53.

Clinton Pestano, who starred with bat and ball in the match against the Volcanoes, is expected to produce wickets with the ball, as the Antigua pitch should suit his style of bowling.

Anthony Bramble scored 196* last season against the Hurricanes

The expressive Romario Shepherd, tallest of the Jaguars bowlers, will be aiming to extract prodigious bounce on one of the fastest wickets in the Caribbean -the Antigua pitch.

Among the wickets in the opening round, Christopher Barnwell will complete the fourman Jaguars’ pace attack.

The batting of the Guyana Jaguars improved as the match against the Volcanoes progressed, and their top-order batsmen will be hungry to score centuries against the Hurricanes.

Anthony Bramble, who scored an epic century

against the same Leeward Islands Hurricanes last season, will be eager to repeat his performance. He failed with the bat in the first innings of the match against the Volcanoes, but has scored 196 runs* and taken six dismissals in one innings of a match against the Hurricanes. That match has been most unforgettable for the Berbician.

Trevon Griffith, the other specialist batsman who failed to score runs, will be eager to convert his starts into meaningful contributions.

Griffith, who previously played for the Jamaica Scorpions, has been scoring runs in Guyana, and he was one of two batsmen to score centuries in the two 3-day practice matches.

It must be emphasised that the Leeward Islands Hurricanes are not to be underestimated; they rolled over the favourites,

Rajendra Chandrika will play against the Guyana Jaguars

Barbados Pride, by 34 runs in their opening round. It will be a well-anticipated match, especially for newly-recruited Hurricanes batsman Rajendra Chandrika. This axed Guyanese batsman, Chandrika, failed to impress with the bat for the Hurricanes, making scores of four and zero. However, his aim will be to score runs against his countrymen.

The Hurricanes will rely on West Indies fast bowlers Sheldon Cottrell and Alzari Joseph, along with ‘Windies B’ speedster Jermiah Louis. Hurricanes’ spin department will be covered by 33-yearold leg-spinner Damion Jacobs. First round centurion Keacy Carty will by aiming to carry on his form, while captain Devon Thomas will be hungry to lead his team to victory.

Keon Joseph is three wickets away from 100 First-Class wickets

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesdAY, december 12, 2018

West Indies tour of Bangladesh

23

Shai Hope stars with 146* as West Indies level series S hai Hope starred with an unbeaten 146 off 144 balls to help West Indies register their first win on the tour of Bangladesh and also draw level in the three-match ODI series.

He was ably supported by Keemo Paul, who came in with West Indies precariously placed at 185 for six in the 39th over. The duo added 71 between them, taking the visitors home in the final over. Hope's maiden century in a winning cause con-

tained 12 fours and three sixes, and it was his timely attack towards the end that flattened the home side.

Needing 22 runs off the last two overs, Hope struck Mustafizur Rahman for three fours, past point, long-off and the final one dinked over the wicketkeeper, before Paul calmly took the winning runs with two balls to spare in the last over. Paul was unbeaten on 18 off 31 balls, providing much-needed support to the

3

SCOREBOARD

Bangladesh Innings (50 overs maximum) Tamim Iqbal c Roach b Bishoo 50 Liton Das c Hetmyer b Paul 8 Imrul Kayes c †Hope b Thomas 0 Mushfiqur Rahim † c †Hope b Thomas 62 Shakib Al Hasan b Roach 65 Mahmudullah c Hetmyer b Powell 30 Soumya Sarkar c Bishoo b Thomas 6 Mashrafe Mortaza (c) not out 6 Mehidy Hasan Miraz not out 10 Extras (b 1, lb 3, nb 5, w 9) 18 TOTAL (50 Overs, RR: 5.1) 255/7 Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Imrul Kayes, 3.3 ov), 2-125 (Tamim Iqbal, 23.3 ov), 3-132 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 26.4 ov), 4-193 (Mahmudullah, 40.3 ov), 5-208 (Soumya Sarkar, 42.6 ov), 6-234 (Liton Das, 45.6 ov), 7-239 (Shakib Al Hasan, 46.6 ov) Bowling: KAJ Roach 10-0-39-1, O Thomas 10-0-54-3, RL Chase 3-0-22-0, KMA Paul 10-0-68-1 D Bishoo 10-1-27-1, R Powell 7-0-41-1

West Indies Innings (target: 256 runs from 50 overs) C Hemraj lbw b Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3 SD Hope † not out 146 DM Bravo b Rubel Hossain 27 MN Samuels c †Mushfiqur Rahim b Mustafizur Rahman 26 SO Hetmyer c sub (Nazmul Islam) b Rubel Hossain 14 R Powell (c) c Soumya Sarkar b Mashrafe Mortaza 1 RL Chase c Tamim Iqbal b Mustafizur Rahman 9 KMA Paul not out 18 Extras (lb 5, nb 1, w 6) 12 TOTAL (49.4 Overs, RR: 5.15) 256/6 Fall of wickets: 1-5 (C Hemraj, 1.2 ov), 2-70 (DM Bravo, 16.4 ov), 3-132 (MN Samuels, 29.6 ov), 4-155 (SO Hetmyer, 32.6 ov), 5-157 (R Powell, 33.4 ov), 6-185 (RL Chase, 38.6 ov) Bowling: Shakib Al Hasan 100-28-0, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 9-0-39-1, Mustafizur Rahman 10-1-63-2, Mashrafe Mortaza 10-1-52-1, Mahmudullah 1.4-012-0, Rubel Hossain 9-0-57-2

batting hero.

Hope's knock was replete with singles that came through delicate dabs and dinks, and fittingly he reached his third ODI hundred with a single off Mashrafe Mortaza in the 41st over. But he found the boundary at will, generally through pulls, inside-out hits over cover and slog sweeps, whenever the situation demanded.

He ensured that West Indies remained in the hunt, before launching into Rubel Hossain in the 48th over, hitting him for a straight six and taking 10 off the over after Bangladesh had strung together some tight overs.

Opening the innings, Hope was the one constant for West Indies, even as his partner Chandrapaul Hemraj fell in the second over for three, trapped lbw

by Mehidy Hasan Miraz. He then shared a 65-run stand with Darren Bravo to pull West Indies out of the rut.

Hope's first shot of intent was a driven six off Mustafizur in the ninth over, before he struck Mashrafe slightly straighter, for his second six. In the same over, Bravo clubbed his first six as the pair looked set to take the game away. However, two overs later Rubel broke through when he bowled Bravo behind his legs, for 27.

But West Indies did not capitulate. Hope and Marlon Samuels then added 62 runs for the third-wicket, bossing the middle overs, before

Samuels was caught behind off Mashrafe for a 45-ball 26, with two fours and a six.

Imrul Kayes then dropped Shimron Hetmyer, so far West Indies' best batsman on tour, when he had not even opened his account. But Rubel, who had suffered the dropped catch, made amends in his next over. Hetmyer was caught at deep square-leg, Nazmul Islam taking the catch after he had come in as substitute for Imrul, who walked off after the dropped catch holding his chest.

Rovman Powel and Roston Chase fell cheaply thereafter, both caught at mid-on. But it threw open the doors for a Hope and Paul special in the last 40 minutes.

With the ball too, West Indies had to make several mini comebacks. Fast bowler Oshane Thomas took three wickets as West Indies halted Bangladesh's progress on at least two occasions. First, they got rid of both Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim in the space of 3.1 overs after the pair added 111 runs for the second wicket. On fifty with four boundaries and a six, Tamim slogged Devendra Bishoo to midwicket where Kemar Roach completed the catch. Mushfiqur was caught behind off Thomas' wide delivery, having made 62 off 80 balls with five fours.

Shakib al Hasan and Mahmudullah then added 61 runs for the fourth wicket, a fine recovery which

could have led them to a 280-plus total. But just when Bangladesh entered the last 10 overs, they lost Mahmudullah, caught slogging Rovman Powell in the 41st over.

Shakib struck four boundaries and a six during this period, taking 16 off the 45th over in which he was also caught at midwicket off a Thomas no-ball. But he fell with exactly three overs remaining, leaving the slogging duty to Mehidy Hasan and Mashrafe, who managed to eke out only 16 runs.

An unproductive final ten overs that yielded just 64 proved costly in the end, given the slim margin of defeat with just two balls remaining. (ESPNcricinfo)

Ragnauth crowned winner of inaugural A&R Printery Golf tourney A

postle Balgobin Ragnauth putted his way to the top this past Saturday, prevailing over his opponents to emerge as champion of the inaugural A&R Jiwanram Printery Inc. Open Golf Tournament.

Golf action continues at the Lusignan Greens as the fraternity prepares to bring the curtains down on an overly successful 2018 year for the sport. Contesting in the 0-9 handicaps Flight, 1st and 2nd places went to the experienced pair of Kassim Khan, 73/8, and Lusignan Club President Aleem Hussain, 75/9, with other seasoned pros in Mike Mangal (77/9) and Patrick Prashad (79/9) completing the quartet.

In the 10 – 18 Flight, Parmanand ‘Max’ Persaud finished with 69/12 to clinch the first place spot, while 2nd place went to women’s pro Shanella Webster, 71/15.

Former LGC President Hilbert Shields was among the group winners, coming in third with 72/16, leaving the likes of Aasrodeen Shaw, 72/16, and Bholawram Deo, 73/18, to settle for 3rd and 4th respectively.

Lastly, the 19 – 28 Flight was owned

by Ragnauth, whose net 66/23 saw him beat off the likes of Maurice Solomon, 72/24, second; rookie Videsh Persaud, 73/28, third; Miguel Oviedo, 75/26, fourth; and MACORP CEO Guillermo Escarraga, 76/22.

As Ragnauth walked away overall tournament champion, Overall Best Gross was won by ‘Max’ Persaud. In the absence of a representative from A&R Printery, Mr Escarraga assisted in the distribution of prizes as Hussain, speaking on the behalf of CEO and local race car driver Paul Jiwanram, thanked the golfers and indicated that A&R, who has been in the printing business for a while, has also been a strong supporter of the Lusignan Golf Club.

President Hussain added that in addition to having pledged continuing support of the LGC, CEO Jiwanram, who is very keen on golf, even made a proposal to build a miniature golf course on land he has available out of Georgetown.

Meanwhile, President Hussain did the sponsors proud by being in the winners’ row for the day.

(Clifton Ross)

MACORP CEO Guillermo Escarraga presents Balgobin Ragnauth with prizes

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

West Indies tour of Bangladesh

Shai Hope stars with 146* as West Indies level series Page 23

Ragnauth crowned winner of inaugural A&R Printery Golf tourney

Page 23

Northern Rangers, GFC ready for final battle tonight Page 22

From left: Kassim Khan; Aleem Hussain; winner Balgobin Ragnauth; Parmanand "Max" Persaud; and Captain Deo

GFC’s Dellon Cadogan and Northern Ranger’s Nigel Denny pose with the championship trophy

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