Guyana Times - Monday, July 29, 2019

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3999

monday, JUly 29, 2019

PRICE

Oil and gas sector

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Govt called out for delayed Local Content Policy

Berbicians losing confidence in Police – Regional Chairman P12

Page 3

…as PPP/C Presidential Candidate slams lax attitude to creating policy

Disciplined services cite political interference among grievances

…as Opposition continues pre-election outreach

Gunmen rob man of motorcycle P8

Page 7

Linden hosts exhibition, trade fair …NEW GPC lauded for local products manufactured

Committee P7 makes new changes to Civil Procedure Rules ..changes include reforms to process for enforcing judgements

8-hour power outages expected this P8 week

See story on page 13 Persons examining products at the NEW GPC booth during the Linden exhibition and trade fair 2019

Boat capsizes in Pomeroon River …Captain missing

Page 11

Fire destroys DeKinderen house …arson suspected, 2 arrested Page 10

Cop caught planting evidence

Police ask DPP for legal advice on fate of CID P9 rank Mechanic’s murder

Employees P11 grilled as probe continues – Crime Chief

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monday, JUly 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

news

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

Monday, July 29 – 02:00h and 14:30h-16:00h and Tuesday, July 30 – 03:00h and 14:30h-16:00h.

Oil and gas sector

Govt called out for delayed Local Content Policy …as PPP/C Presidential Candidate slams lax attitude to creating policy

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

the production of oil and gas that is technical and capital intensive,” Ali noted.

He added that consequently, the direct economic impact of the production of oil and gas was not as significant as the indirect contribution, especially in emerging oil-rich countries without an industrial base.

Monday, July 29 – 14:40h-16:10h and Tuesday, July 30 – 15:25h-16:55h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals are expected followed by light to thundery showers from the mid-morning into mid-evening hours. Partly cloudy conditions are expected for the rest of the evening. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to South Southwesterly between 1.34 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 14:31h reaching a maximum height of 2.41 metres.

Low Tide: 07:59h and 20:20h reaching minimum heights of 0.72 metre and 0.81 metre.

saturday, JULY 27, 2019

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Opportunities

PPP/C Presidential Candidate and economist, Irfaan Ali

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overnment’s failure to prioritise the implementation of a Local Content Policy (LCP) is being criticised by People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali, who noted that owing to a lack of appropriate regulation, Guyana is vulnerable.

Ali on Sunday pointed out that around the world a local content policy is considered a necessary condition when countries are looking to become oil producers. This is to ensure that countries can benefit as much as possible from their oil and gas industries.

In Guyana, he said, the utterances and actions of senior officials of the caretaker A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government seem to suggest otherwise.

“The latest confirmation that the LCP is not a priority came from the caretaker Minister of Finance last Friday at a press conference at Congress Place. In the words of the Minister, “while legislation is important, we should not make it the be-all and end-all. Many companies that are coming aren’t waiting for local content and other legislation”. Unfortunately, this statement is coming from the Minister as we edge closer to ‘first oil’ as a country that is extremely vulnerable due to the weak legal and regulatory framework.”

The former Housing Minister noted that in the four years the APNU/AFC Administration has been in office and has known it had to prepare for an oil industry, the Government has failed to formalise policies that would safeguard Guyana while producing oil.

“It would take less than one year with the help of international organisations to develop such a policy at a cost that we can afford as a nation.

The literature on LCP is very explicit on why it is essential for every country involved in

Ali explained that in the absence of direct opportunities from the sector, the LCP allowed for countries to create value-added economic activities related to the oil industry. Another important aspect of the policy is the creation of employment opportunities when investments and entrepreneurial activities are facilitated.

In addition, Ali noted that a well-designed LCP allows for opportunities for local companies to take advantage of the global economic network, as well as diversifying the economy and improving the competitiveness of nonoil and gas sectors, to protect the country from the “Dutch Disease” economic phenomenon.

Perhaps most importantly, Ali pointed to the potential for a LCP to ensure as many people as possible can benefit from the wealth generated from oil and gas production, and to ensure poverty reduction.

“Because of the foregoing, it can be argued that the developmental impact of the production of oil and gas can be diminished if the country proceeds without an LCP. As a matter of fact, the literature shows that countries which exploit oil and gas without an effective LCP experience less development when compared

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

Director of the Department of Energy, Dr Mark Bynoe

Government’s LCP has been a work in progress for some time, ever since a draft that was released came in Warning Ali warned that in the ab- for criticism for lacking specsence of the policy, everyone ificity and concrete measures. would be exposed to the neg- Jordan made his comments ative consequences of oil and downplaying the significance gas production, but with little of the policy at a press conto no chance of being compen- ference held on Friday by the sated economically or socially. People’s National Congress The Presidential Reform (PNCR).

Jordan pointed out that Candidate also noted that the PPP/C, should it win the elec- activities in the oil and gas tions, inevitable in light of the sector were moving full No-Confidence Motion, would steam ahead without that formulate an LCP that pro- critical piece of legislation. motes the use of domestic ma- Nevertheless, the Finance explained that terial and services for oil com- Minister panies, as well as setting out Director of the Department of policies to equip locals with Energy, Dr Mark Bynoe has training, incentivising compa- indicated that the local connies to retool their businesses tent legislation was all but to higher standards and also finished and would be availcreating an enabling environ- able for public consumption fairly shortly. ment for investments.

Local Private Sector bod “The PPP/C is conscious that development cannot oc- ies and other stakeholder cur by accident, but must agencies had expressed disbe planned. In this regard, satisfaction with the slothwhen the PPP/C is elected fulness in which the local in three months’ time, it will content laws are being develmove quickly to develop the oped. Calls are constantly beLCP and the accompanying ing made for the policy to be State bureaucracies to ensure finalised before first oil in the that every Guyanese benefits first quarter of 2020 when US equally from the positive de- oil giant ExxonMobil is slatvelopmental outcomes that ed to commence production in are expected to accrue from the Stabroek Block offshore Turn to page 7 the production of oil and gas.” Guyana. to those with sound regulatory policies.”

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guyanatimesgy.com

monday, JUly 29, 2019

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

What’s to “examine”?

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eminded by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo that, in accordance with the ruling and consequential orders of the CCJ, the President and his Cabinet should have resigned, the National Assembly dissolved, and a date for General and Regional Elections announced, Caretaker President David Granger replied, “Your requests are being handled by the Attorney General in light of the constitution and the relevant rulings of the Caribbean Court of Justice.”

This is simply another example of Granger resorting to what George Orwell, in his classic satire of the workings of a totalitarian society -- the technique that was later dubbed “doublespeak” -- described thusly: “Doublespeak is language that deliberately obscures, disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words”; and one scholar elaborated: “What is really important in the world of doublespeak is the ability to lie, whether knowingly or unconsciously, and to get away with it; and the ability to use lies and choose and shape facts selectively, blocking out those that don’t fit an agenda or program.”

The first thing to note in the doublespeak of Caretaker President Granger is that the Opposition Leader was not making a “request” of him; he was pointing out the need for his to follow the ruling of the highest court of the land on the consequences of a successful no-confidence motion, as adumbrated in Art 106 of the Constitution. It is worth quoting the Court in full, lest Granger be given the benefit of the doubt: that there was some ambiguity in the ruling that needed his Attorney General to “examine”.

The Court itself felt compelled to specifically point out: “The judiciary interprets the Constitution. But, as we intimated in our earlier judgment, these particular provisions require no gloss on the part of the Court in order to render them intelligible and workable.” The word “gloss” in the legal sense means a note or commentary on a passage that is intended to explain or illustrate its meaning.” Even a cursory perusal of Art 106 (6) makes this clear: “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence”. We note that the resignations are not made optional, but mandatory, since it is preceded by the imperative “shall” rather than “may”.

The Court emphasised, “Their meaning is clear, and it is the responsibility of constitutional actors in Guyana to honour them.” But to belabour the directives of Art 106 (6) and (7), the Court took pains to explain: “Upon the passage of a vote of no confidence, the Article requires the resignation of the Cabinet, including the President”. The Article goes on to state, among other things, that “notwithstanding such resignation, the Government shall remain in office and that an election shall be held “within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than twothirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine…”

“The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has the responsibility to conduct that election, and GECOM, too, must abide by the provisions of the Constitution.”

Caretaker President Granger is deploying doublespeak to cover his blatant disregard for the Constitution, as interpreted by the highest Court, which was simply gilding the lily. Rather than taking the right and moral path and prepare to face the electorate for their judgement on his administration, the caretaker President took refuge in the CCJ’s patent efforts not to embarrass him by assuming he would do so.

There are some who have claimed there is an apparent contradiction between the resignation of the President and Cabinet (Art 106 (6)) and the Government continuing until elections in three months (Art 106 (7)), but the CCJ addressed this succinctly: “By convention, the government is expected to behave during this interim period as a caretaker, and so restrain the exercise of its legal authority.”

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo shares a light moment with guests at the pre-Emancipation social hosted on Friday night at his Church Street, Georgetown office

‘Savage capitalism’ takes hold in crisis-hit Venezuela

By Michael Stott

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fter years of expropriations, hyperinflation, bankruptcies and financial collapse, what remains of Venezuela’s Private Sector might be forgiven for giving up hope.But business people in Venezuela say the economic crisis in the South American nation has hastened moves by President Nicolás Maduro’s Government away from the full-blooded socialism of his predecessor Hugo Chávez towards a freer market.“As business people we have wanted free prices and a free flow of dollars for many years,” one senior executive at a consumer goods said. “Now prices have effectively been freed and you can pay with dollars. ”Venezuela had “adopted savage capitalism,” he added.

Ministers have not officially announced policy changes and were not available for interviews. But over the past few months, business people say rules barring transactions in hard currency have not been enforced, many price controls have been dropped, imports have been freed and Venezuela’s battered economy has rapidly dollarised.As a result, some goods which were previously scarce or unobtainable have reappeared in shops, though their prices are out of the reach of the vast majority of shoppers. Inflation has fallen from stratospheric levels of more than 100,000 per cent last year to an expected level of several thousand per cent this year.

“The economy has stabilised to a degree,” said Dimitris Pantoulas, a Caracas-based analyst and consultant. “It was chaos, with queues everywhere and no food. But now, although it is far more expensive, you can get what you want.”“There is a certain orthodoxy,” agreed Asdrúbal Oliveros, director of Ecoanalítica, a consultancy. “But it has come very late and it is disorderly. The controls have not been lifted, they are just not applied. It is very arbitrary.”Nobody is suggesting Venezuela’s economy, crippled by years of mismanagement and reeling from US sanctions, is in anything like a sustainable position. Gross domestic product has more than halved in a few years,

Shops are shuttered in a mall in Caracas (Bloomberg)

in what Ricardo Hausmann, a former Venezuelan central banker, has called the greatest economic collapse of modern times outside of war or natural disaster.But some business leaders have welcomed the greater economic freedom of recent months, even if the Maduro government’s motives were less than pure.“It was not out of conviction but out of necessity that the pressure of exchange controls has been lowered,” said Carlos Larrazábal, outgoing head of Fedecámaras, the country’s main business association. “There is a deep recession in the productive sectors, consumption is falling dramatically, there is no finance?.?.?.?credit is impossible.”

To combat inflation, banks have been obliged to hold 100 per cent of deposits as mandatory reserves with the central bank, which has cut off lending. The failure of credit card limits to keep up with rampant inflation has put a brake on consumer borrowing. And some of the few remaining industries still functioning complain that they cannot compete on production costs with cheap unregulated imports.“Purchasing power has collapsed, so sales are now 20 per cent of their former level,” said the owner of one manufacturing facility.

“But I still have a factory set up to produce for a far bigger market. So in the short term, this situation is not better.

But in the long term, it is good because

there is less state intervention.”Mr Pantoulas compared Venezuela to a war economy. “Ten per cent of the population have access to all they want,” he said. “The other 90 per cent live in penury.”Indeed the Fedecámaras annual assembly, held this month at a Caracas university, had a certain wartime feel to it. When the loudspeaker system failed to play the national anthem during the opening session, delegates rose to their feet and delivered a rousing impromptu rendition, ending with shouts of “Viva Venezuela!”. “The Private Sector refuses to disappear,” Mr Larrazábal said in a defiant address to delegates. “This is not an option for us?.?.?.?we are part of the solution, not part of the problem”.Asked beforehand by the Financial Times how long the Private Sector could hold out, he painted a bleaker picture: “It is difficult to predict?.?.?.?there used to be more than 12,000, nearly 13,000 industrial establishments [in 1998], now there are no more than 3,000 left.” Of those, he added, a third had predicted at the end of 2018 that they would not survive another year if policies remained unchanged.

As Mr Larrazábal put it: “The speed of destruction of the economy is much faster than the speed of expectation of a political change which allows us to have a model of free enterprise and private property.” (Financial Times)

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, JUly 29, 2019

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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

GECOM officials abusing taxpayers’ monies Dear Editor, The internal dynamics of Guyana are in a potentially explosive political crisis, emanating from who control Guyana. Many intelligent and sincere people are convinced that the taking of or continuation in power by the APNU/AFC coalition Government will be destructive for the nation while the Government satisfies their own self-interest.

The most troublesome and worrying development is the Guyana Elections Commission, which was explicitly created to prepare and conduct elections (which the Constitution specified could be held anytime) and which exists to continuously update the voters’ registry and otherwise prepare for elections at any time.

GECOM is acting in defiance of the Constitution and continues to be partisan in its behaviour when making critical decisions. It is factual that GECOM is an autonomous Commission that is being financed by taxpayers, and must ensure that its constitutional mandates are being fulfilled despite any external political forces. The drastic action by GECOM to embark on House-to-House

Registration cannot satisfy all stakeholders in the holding of credible elections since obligations to hold genuine elections have not been addressed comprehensively or systematically by GECOM. However, no two electoral systems are exactly alike, there is no single model of democracy, there is no one size democracy that fits all, while it differs, the range of democratic systems does share one important similarity that is the intricate link to everyone’s civil rights and obligations.

While each country’s sovereign right is to choose how to conduct its elections, UN member states have agreed by a set of obligations and commitments to protect and promote electoral rights of their citizens, basically to ensure that every citizen has the effective right and opportunity to participate in elections on an equal basis.

If a Guyanese goes out of the country for six months and returns to Guyana after the final voters’ list has been compiled by GECOM, (but their name was on the last voters’ list), only to be told that their name is no longer on the voters’

list, that would deny this person an opportunity of their constitutional right to vote. Therefore, the ongoing HTH Registration is not only denying this person their right, but many other Guyanese who are holidaying overseas.

Guyanese must ask: 1) Why is it that GECOM presently doesn’t have a valid voters’ list?

2) Why did GECOM allow the voters’ list to expire?

3) What happens if there should be by-elections in the Local Government System?

Billions are being spent by taxpayers yet officials who are mandated to execute their functions are failing. We must not continue to pay officials for failure and incompetence in GECOM. GECOM, under its new leadership, must act professionally to ensure that Guyana remains a democratic State. The UN, OAS, Carter Center etc must be asked to assist in the preparations for elections before September 18, 2018.

Congratulations to the new Chairperson of GECOM. Regards, Zamal Hussain

City Hall putting its feet in its mouth Dear Editor, There City Hall goes again, putting its feet in its mouth. On its “sacred no sell area” on the tarmac in front of the Stabroek Market (next to the Digicel booth), an established business has

and capable of functioning at this very senior and responsible level. And just as importantly, they must have a competent, trained and skilled auditor and audit team put in place.

If the Ministry of Communities can do one good thing for the citizens of Georgetown, it would be to engage the services of a few good private accounting/auditing firms and have them descend upon City Hall with the scope and authority to carry out a complete forensic audit of its systems.

One wonders what has happened to the purported human resource audit that was commissioned more than a year ago but for which the results are still to be revealed? One wonders what has happened to the Council’s asset register, which should have recorded what has happened to all of its vehicles and properties, including its reserves that

have been farmed out many times without the knowledge and consent to the Council?

One wonders when audits will be carried out on projects such as the Kitty Market construction, the Constabulary Training School, the City Hall Restoration Fund that has been set up many times before, the city anniversary celebration fund which was supposedly funded by friends of the Council to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, the parking meter project, the millions spent

Hall.

Is this for real?

Sincerely, Eon Andrews President Guyana Market Vendors Union

Surely this depravity should not be allowed to continue Dear Editor, As an earnest tax paying citizen of Georgetown, can the Council inform us when the current Mayor and Councillors of the city of Georgetown will embark upon correcting the wrongs and repairing the extensive damage that was wilfully done to our capital city by a former senior administrative municipal staffer?

If one were to take a stroll in the Bel Air Park neighbourhood along where the empty lots known as R3 and R4 are located, one can still observe the remaining evidence of the venal attempt at land grabbing by the “Fantastic Four”. There is an old shipping container and a dilapidated and teetering guard hut defacing one side whilst the other side has been made into a swamp that breeds mosquitoes and cultivates copi-

Restoration of financial credibility at M&CC needed Dear Editor, I would like to know why it is so difficult if not impossible for the Georgetown Municipality to get its financial systems in order. For decades now, that has been the bane of the Council and yet succeeding Councils and Administrations of the city seem to lack the desire, the courage and the moral rectitude to tackle this problem frontally.

If the Council is serious about correcting this ageold problem, they will have to elect a Chairman and Finance Committee whose members are knowledgeable about fiscal planning and who have the political will to make the hard policy decisions in the best interest of the city and not protect partisan interests. The Council and the Local Government Commission need to hire chief administrative and chief financial officers that are experienced, qualified,

its bread truck parked, selling bread wholesale and retail.

On enquiring from the small bread vendors and the City Constabulary ranks; they were both told that permission was given from City

on tools, equipment and services at the Solid Waste Department, and also the cemetery clean up initiative etc etc.

Clearly, the powers that be at the Council have no interest in having their slate wiped clean, in having their books put in order, and in restoring fiscal transparency to City Hall.

The Mayor should make the restoration of financial credibility of the Council his first and foremost priority.

Best regards, Deodarie Putulall

ous amounts of wild brush, weeds and trees due to it being recklessly excavated when the gang was trying to illegally convert this dedicated open space into a dedicated upscale housing plot for themselves. The area needs to be restored into an aesthetically pleasing open space. The same goes for the Farnum Ground in the Subryanville area where another illegal land grab attempt was made.

In the downtown area, there are old cut-up railway tracks that have been placed along some sidewalks, which serve no useful purpose other than to have given “the boys” some jobs and some free money to cut up and bolt down this scrap metal.

This should be removed and sold to the scrap metal dealers.

And then there is the unfinished and now derelict “Presidential Park” at the eastern extremity of Church Street and North Road, which was an unrefined attempt to pander to the politicians. This eyesore needs to be either completed by the relevant agency or torn down. Should this area not

be returned to a green space as part of our city’s and country’s green agenda?

And further west of these same two roadways, there is the area that was assigned to street barbers, cosmetologists, and beauticians, many of whom are unlicensed which is now nothing short of a shantytown with a number of rickety makeshift tents barely standing, adorned with scraps of multi-coloured plastic, cloth, and canvas, and which is ironically named “The Beauty Promenade”.

In the interest of developing our tourism industry, this area should be cleared and cleaned in addition to the dog kennel type structures that were constructed a little further west which is supposedly a “Farmers Market” for wholesalers who bring their produce for sale on Thursdays and Fridays from the rural areas.

Surely this depravity should not be allowed to continue. We need to take back our city from this unlawfulness.

Sincerely, Anu Bihari

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monday, july 29, 2019

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H

ave you ever played the game Telephone?

You sit in a circle with a group of people and one person whispers a phrase to the person next to him or her. Then, each person keeps whispering the phrase around the circle until it reaches the last person, who repeats the whispered statement out loud. What started out as “Pizza tastes great” can end up as “Pete’s a great ape!”

It’s funny to laugh at how twisted the sentence became as it got passed around.

Gossip can work the same way, but it’s not so funny. In fact, it can be very hurtful.

Have you ever gossiped or been gossiped about? Let’s find out more about gossiping.

Talk versus gossip

Talking is how you spread your thoughts, ideas, and experiences to people around you. It’s not always wrong to talk about other people. There’s nothing wrong with telling your friends, “I like hanging out with Jake. He tells the funniest stories!” Those words don’t hurt anyone.

But when you say mean things, tell stories that you’re not sure are true, or reveal information you know is supposed to remain private, you’re spreading gossip. What if you saw funny

Foundation

Jake go into the principal’s office and you started wondering if he was in trouble.

There’s nothing wrong with wondering that, but what if you started telling other people you think Jake’s in big trouble. You really don’t know why he was in the principal’s office, right?

But before you know it, everyone is talking about how Jake is in trouble and imagining why. Maybe he put his rubber snake in the teacher’s desk, someone says. Maybe he punched a kid who didn’t laugh at one of his jokes, another person suggests. Jake doesn’t come back to class for a long time, but when he does, everyone wants to know what happened in the principal’s office.

Jake might be a little angry or confused about all the questions, especially when he explains, “I went to the principal’s office because my mom was there to take me to a doctor appointment.”

That’s how rumours work. They start small and often blow up into something different from the truth.

What if it’s true?

Even if it was true that Jake was in big trouble – and you knew it for a fact – it wouldn’t have been right to tell everyone about it. Try to avoid talking about stuff that would embarrass an-

other person.

Before you blab, try this test: Ask yourself if you would want other people to know that kind of stuff about you.

Sometimes a friend will admit something to you and ask you not to tell anyone else. It can be hard not to share a secret, especially when it’s something you really want to talk about with other friends. Maybe you don’t even understand why the person wants you to keep the information a secret.

Sometimes, you may overhear something and your mind starts spinning.

But remember that you might have heard just one piece of the story. Something like this happened a long time ago, before everyone had TVs in their homes, when people used to listen to stories on the radio.

On Halloween in 1938, a radio programme broadcast a story called “The War of the Worlds” .It was about Martians landing in New Jersey and trying to take over the world. Sounds crazy, right? Well, the problem was that some people turned on the story in the middle, and it sounded like it a regular news broadcast. Some people thought it was actually happening. They didn’t hear the introduction, when the announcer explained

that this was just a pretend story. They only heard one piece of the story and got all confused!

When it’s ok to tell

Of course, sometimes it’s OK to talk about another person, especially if it involves dangerous behaviour.

What if a classmate brings a pocketknife to school or your friend tells you she’s not eating until she loses 10 pounds? In cases like that, you need to tell a parent or another trusted adult.

Telling a grownup who can help is not gossiping.

Gossip busters

The best way to avoid being a part of the gossip mill in your school is to steer clear of kids who gossip. If you happen to hear a rumour, don’t repeat it — and don’t listen to it, either. And when someone trusts you with a personal secret, keep it to yourself.

If you’re the victim of gossip, know that this happens to a lot of people. Talking to a close friend, sister, brother, parent, or guidance counsellor can help you feel better.

At first, gossip might seem like fun. It can feel like a private little club with you and your friend whispering about another person. But if someone gossips with you, he or she also might gossip

about you. And it doesn’t feel good to be on the receiving end. Stick with friends who

would rather live their own fun lives than talk about someone else’s! (kidshealth.org)

Geography for kids: Map your backyard for a treasure hunt!

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earning about geography for kids can be fun when you turn it into a treasure hunt! Despite the ubiquitous GPS devices, map-reading skills are important and necessary. Obviously being able to read a map can help you on your way, but also the ability to imagine looking down from above improves spatial intelligence.

Howard Gardener, a renowned developmental psychologist proposed the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983. According to Dr Gardner, we focus our attention on logical-mathematical and linguistic intelligences (Maths and reading). However, he argues that teachers and parents should also encourage the other intelligences: bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and spatial. This map-making, map-reading activity does just that – with a sweet treat as a reward!

Choose an area that has some landmarks – it can be your backyard, the school playground, a park, or a section of your neighbourhood. Have you ever been on an airplane and looked out the window.

What did the ground look like?

Could you identify houses? Fields? Parks? Forests?

How did the objects look the same or different?

Close your eyes. “Imagine that you are able to fly above us. When you look down, objects look a little different. If you fly above a swimming pool, it might look like a blue circle or a blue rectangle. If you fly above a house, it might look like a square. Right now imagine that you are floating right above us, and looking down. Now open your eyes.”

Try to draw the park (backyard, etc) as if they were looking down from above. It is helpful to walk around and count bushes, notice placement of playground equipment, etc. Use a compass to show north, south, east and west.

Now comes the fun part! Once you have the maps finished, collect little stickers. Hide treasures (candy) and mark their locations on their maps with the stickers.

Then, trade the maps with a partner (or sibling:) and use the maps to find the treasures.

After the treasure hunt, look at local city maps. For a follow-up geography activity, draw the route you take to school or to a friend’s house, or work collaboratively to create a map of the neighbourhood. Happy mapping! (kidworldcitizen.org)

7 Disciplined Services cite political interference among grievances news

monday, JUly 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

…as Opposition continues pre-election outreach

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s General and Regional Elections draw closer, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has uncovered a litany of complaints among one of the most important branches of society, the Disciplined Services.

According to PPP Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali, he has been engaging with numerous men and women in uniform over the past month. What he discovered is disconcerting.

Ali said that these professionals have come to him complaining bitterly about political interference and favouritism that have hampered their career advancement Other complaints, Ali said, included obsolete equipment, poor working conditions, limited support for their families, a work en-

vironment in which political directives are becoming more prevalent, poor salaries and benefits, lack of access to personal development, and limited community support and attention to welfare issues.

“Securing our borders, fighting crime, keeping our homes and community safe requires a healthy mix between well trained and highly motivated manpower backed with the necessary equipment, tools and enabling environment that would foster higher level of performance leading to better results,” Ali said on Sunday.

“In ensuring men and women in uniform are able to perform at the highest levels here are some of the initiatives the next PPP/C Government will pursue to enhance the welfare and

The Joint Services in action

wellbeing of our men and women in uniform and their families.”

Among the things Ali promised another PPP Government would do for the disciplined services is to implement affordable housing and support in access to financing, as well as support to families and enhanced training and access to skills development.

He also pledged that there would be a return to equitable career development and merit-based promotion without political interference, favouritism and bias, as well as access and support for university education.

In terms of the work environment, Ali promised improved and enhanced working conditions, remu-

neration and benefits. He also noted that their policy directives would see to enhancing access to healthcare and support and reform to improve the effectiveness of the Force.

Crucially, Ali is also adamant that the next PPP Government will reinstate the annual bonus that the Disciplined Services enjoyed before the allowance

was scrapped by the current Government, with one Minister reportedly saying at a political rally that officers’ loyalty were bought by the across the board bonus.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has previously called on Government to reinstate the one-month tax-free bonus that was traditionally given to members of the disciplined services and for this to be further extended to all public service employees, including those working in the sugar belt.

He has argued that fiscal space exists for the reintroduction of the one-month tax-free bonus previously offered to the Disciplined Services, namely the ranks of the Guyana Defense Force, Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Prison Service.

Among the measures he has touted is Government cutting back on millions in wasteful expenditure.

Committee makes new changes to Civil Procedure Rules …changes include reforms to process for enforcing judgements

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The High Court

he Civil Procedure Rules that were implemented in 2016 to simplify the conduct of civil matters in the court system have received a further update, courtesy of the Civil Rules Committee.

The Committee has made changes to part 43 (Enforcement of judgements) and to part 53 (Stop notices and charging orders) of the Civil Procedures Rules, in alterations it has cited as the Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules of 2019.

One of the first changes

is to the process for persons complying with court judgements that direct them to pay money or transfer property to the successful applicant.

According to Section 43.03 of the amendments, “it is not necessary to make any demand for the money or property, but the person so directed must obey the judgement or order upon being duly served with it without demand.”

The new rules also set out that when someone has won a judgement in the court upon certain conditions and they

do not comply with these conditions, they are considered to have waived their judgement.

It states that “any other person interested in the matter may on breach or non-performance of the condition take either those proceedings as the judgement or order may in the case warrant, or those proceedings as might have been taken if no such judgement or order had been made, unless the court otherwise directs.”

Part 45 of the Civil Procedure Rules speaks to application for writ of possession, in cases where court marshals acting on court orders take possession of specified land or property. Part 43.06 of the amendments states that a judgement for the recovery of, or delivery of possession of land can be enforced by this writ.

Part 43.05 meanwhile states that a judgement for the recovery of money may be enforced by writs of seizure and sale of both moveable and immovable property, as well as garnishment orders or

Govt called out for...

Importance of local content

Earlier this year British High Commissioner to Guyana, Gregory Quinn had said that it is imperative that Guyana has a finalised Local Content Policy with clear guidelines on how everyone will benefit. According to the British High Commissioner the sooner this is completed the better for everyone.

The High Commissioner was asked about local content on the sidelines of an event where he noted the urgency of having a policy. According to Quinn, it should be a prerequisite for Guyana doing business with the international community while ensuring ordinary Guyanese benefit.

“We’re still waiting to see what the Local Content Policy

or legislation will look like. So we’re waiting and I think it’s actually important that that gets delivered and produced quite quickly so that everyone knows, both on the international business side but also on the local company side.”

“Because no good international company will want to come in here and not do stuff that will benefit the local economy and the local population. But they need to know exactly what the parameters which they have to work in are. So I think the sooner we have complete clarity on that, I think the better for everybody.”

However, Quinn noted that these companies need to know within what framework they can work. Asked about

From page 3

what forms of local content companies should employ, Quinn had this to say.

“I think it’s everything.

I don’t think there’s any one way you can look at it.

Obviously there’d be jobs, whether its people working in the office. Whether its people they sub contract to provide services, or employing more people,” Quinn said.

“So I think local content has to be very clear in demonstrating what local people are getting out of it. And it’s not just about providing the jobs.

It’s about providing the education and the knowledge and passing on that, so that the people here who are working in the companies can also benefit and develop themselves, through the system.”

an order charging interest in cases where money is held in shares of a company.

The Civil Procedure Rules state that in cases where “a person fails to do an act (other than the payment of money) or fails to abstain from doing an act as required by an order, a person may make an application for a Writ of Sequestration (Form 47) against all or part of the person’s real or personal property, which application may be made without notice and in

writing.”

It defines a Writ of Sequestration as an order providing the marshal with the authority to take possession of property of someone who the court has ruled against and who has to pay money. It also empowers them to collect and hold any income from the property until the person complies with the order. In Part 43.09, it further states that judgements for paying money into the court may be enforced by

the Writ of Sequestration or by attachment where it is authorised.

The new Civil Procedure Rules are intended to bring Guyana in line with similar rules in the Caribbean. The Rules and legal forms span 187 pages and contain procedures for the settlement of civil matters and making payments both in and out of court. The Rules were touted as having the potential to reduce clogging of the courts by matters that could be settled.

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monday, JUly 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Gunmen rob man of motorcycle A Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) man is now left counting his losses after he was attacked by gunmen and robbed of his motorcycle on Saturday night.

Keoma McAlmont said that he rode his motorcycle from Tuschen to De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara (WCD), but stopped to take cover after it began raining.

According to the 21-yearold man, at around 21:30h, his phone rang and as he was speaking on the phone, he saw a white motorcar pass the bus shed. He recalled that a short while af-

ter, he noticed that the car, which was heading in the direction of Vreed-en-Hoop, re-

versing and stopped in front of the bus shed in which he was standing. McAlmont re-

lated that two men exited the car and approached him.

He said that one of the men pulled out a firearm from the waist of his pants, pointed it to his head and demanded that he hand over the motorcycle and keys.

“The man seh ‘bai you got to give me this bike’, so I became afraid because they had the gun to my head and I give them it,” the traumatised man revealed. The men then escaped with the bike and the car sped away.

The police were called to the scene and the matter was reported. An investigation has since been launched.

Sheep rustling ring strikes in Tuschen

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Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) family is the latest set of victims of a sheep rustling ring, which has been on the prowl over the last four months.

Mohan Chotilall, 63, said that he tied his sheep to graze on nearby land at around 09:30h on Saturday morning but returned to find all of them missing.

The man told Guyana Times that he is one of many who have had their sheep stolen over the last month.

According to Chotilall, on Saturday morning he

took four sheep and left them to graze but when he returned at about 13:00h, he found the ropes cut and the animals gone.

“This thing here happen in broad daylight, these men brazen. I saying men because some people who they steal from saw them.

Is only today I seh alright, I aint hear about one of the robbery in lil while so let me carrying out that four and let them graze and baps, all four gone, all me find was the ropes,” Chotiall relayed.

The man explained to this publication that sever-

al other persons in the area have made similar reports to the police.

“Whoever doing this, they selling them. They have to be rich because is a lot of sheep them stealing so far,” the man said. He is calling on the police to thoroughly investigate the matter.

In June, a De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara (WCD) pensioner had a similar experience when thieves entered her backyard and made off with her sheep.

This publication has previously reported that

the 67-year-old woman had said that at about 18:00h, she secured the sheep but retired to bed just before midnight. However, the following morning, she journeyed to the back of her house to take her sheep to graze but noticed that the door to the pen was opened.

Upon inspection, she found that 15 sheep were missing. The woman had expressed her anger over the situation since the sheep were her livelihood and had called on the police to assist her to properly investigate the matter.

Armchair Generals…

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…and politics t’s true your Eyewitness taps out these pieces from a keyboard. But he also has a life away from it, where he’s on the ground. And, trust him, dear reader, he finds out every day that only when thoughts are translated into action you know whether you’ve just been masturbating mentally, or whether you can achieve the changes that’s been roiling around in your head! Even old man Marx had pointed out that the task is to change the world, not just interpret it every which way – and then some!!

Trouble is, nowadays, with social media, it seems like every person with two thumbs and a smartphone has the answer to whatever bedevils Guyana – and they make sure they let every Tom, Dick and Eyewitness know about it!! Damned if he knows how they got his number, but nowadays his phone keeps pinging away at all hours of the day – and night – seemingly whenever these armchair generals have a thought floating around their empty craniums!!

Your Eyewitness hasn’t removed himself from one of these WhatsApp chat threads, ‘cause he wants to find out what makes these persons tick. Right off the bat, he can see that most of the denizens are older folks, with the median age above 50. He can easily tell from their allusions and phrasings. Now, the thing is, these armchair generals – most of whom are evidently overseas, with time on their hands - seem very well intentioned. But they’re so far off base it’s not funny!!

Your Eyewitness calls what they’re doing “pretend politics”, as opposed to “real politics” that involves ensuring on the ground that your party gets to determine who gets what, when, and how. Not understanding the difference, most of the keyboard warriors “call names” and cuss out their “opponents” to such an extent your Eyewitness could be excused for thinking he’s in the middle of a school playground at recess!!

It’s not that these folks don’t always understand what the issues in Guyana’s politics are all about, but in confining their actions to the discursive realm, they cannot ever initiate any real, meaningful political action. They’re all about inventing and deploying fancy rhetoric that will never actually challenge institutional power! So, we just get a whole bunch of noisy jumping up and down and virtue signalling about personal opinions on false equivalence between PPP and PNC, rather than breaching the walls of the PNC oppression.

The armchair warriors convince themselves they’re doing “their bit” when they know “their bit” surely isn’t enough. But rather than conceding the weakness of their strategies, they invariably turn around and blame those in the trenches for not effectuating changes.

Mental masturbation redux!! …not defending Gerry Gouveia Your Eyewitness notes the deafening silence of armchair generals on Govt GECOM Commissioner Desmond Trotman’s nasty attack on the head of the PSC, Gerry Gouveia, by playing the race card to answer the latter’s censure of CEO Lowenfield. He compared Gouveia to “a white slave owner who, in the presence of his overseers, is penalising a delinquent slave for failing to carry out the instructions of “massa””; but Booker T. Washington described folks like Trotman well: “There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs — partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays.

“Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.” …and US visas The number of non-immigrant visas issued by the US Embassy keeps falling precipitously, from an average of 33,000 annually to a low of just over 4000 last year.

Ah, well…guess this means there won’t be too many folks abroad for the Sept 18 elections!!

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

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Cop caught planting evidence

Police ask DPP for legal advice on fate of CID rank

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he fate of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) rank at the Reliance Police Station, Canje, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), who was arrested on Saturday after a series of damning reports of corrupt activities including falsifying evidence, is soon to be determined.

According to the police, investigations were conducted last week into the claims by several persons that the cop had been “planting evidence” at various locations and forcing innocent persons to pay him monies to avoid arrest.

A file has been compiled on these matters and has been dispatched for legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions on the way forward.

Guyana Times was told that the CID rank was placed under close arrest on Friday after the owners of a SuperBet location in Berbice made a report at the police station. The business owners reported that the rank had placed marijuana at their premises during a police search and then accused them of possession of the illicit substance.

Guyana Times was told that the CID rank along with another officer had gone to the SuperBet location to conduct a search but while the other officer walked straight

into the establishment, the alleged corrupt rank stood at the corner of the building and “threw” an item to the corner.

This was the item he picked up during his “search”, which he used to accuse the owners at the SuperBet location of having marijuana on their premises.

A source close to the investigation told this publication that when the embattled CID rank confronted the owners about “his find”, they vehemently denied ownership or having knowledge as to where the marijuana could have appeared from or to whom it belonged.

However, the police constable continued to press the issue and allegedly told them that they had a choice; either pay him to “drop the matter” or they would be arrested for the marijuana possession.

The owners reportedly refused to pay him but rather, went to the police station with Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage showing the rank’s action.

According to the police source, upon reviewing the footage provided by the SuperBet owners, it showed the policeman throwing an item at the corner of the establishment as soon as he walked into the yard. The footage also showed him picking up the same item before confronting

the owners.

A senior police rank, who is probing the incident, told this publication that regardless of what was inside of the package, the search conducted by the CID rank along with his partner had not been authorised. In fact, no other rank at the police station was aware that the duo was going to visit the SuperBet location to conduct a search.

As such, the rank was placed under close arrest on Friday.

However, on Saturday other persons visited the Reliance Police Station where they also alleged that the same CID rank had “planted evidence” to have them arrested. Persons also purported that he had requested they pay him to avoid being arrested for matters in which they claimed that they were innocent.

In light of this, he was re-arrested and is presently in the lock-ups as investigations into the matters continue.

Meanwhile, another police source told this publication that the said CID rank had been stationed at the Number 51 Village Police Station, Corentyne, Berbice, earlier this year but after a series of allegations by residents in the area he was transferred to the New Amsterdam Police Station.

8-hour power outages expected this week

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everal communities in Georgetown and Berbice are bracing for at least eight hours of power outage during this week as a result of line maintenance and routine inspection to be conducted by the Guyana Power Light (GPL).

According to the utility company, the maintenance will be carried out from July 30 (Tuesday) to August 4 (Sunday).

The works will commence on Tuesday at A to E Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, Republic Park and New Providence on the East Bank of Demerara from 08:00h to 16:00h.

On Wednesday, July 31, these activities will continue at Best Village to La Retraite on the West Coast of Demerara and Canefield to Albion, Berbice, from 08:00h to 16:00h.

Thomas Street, New Market Street between Camp and Thomas Streets and environs, Georgetown

are scheduled for maintenance on Saturday, August 3, from 08:00h to 16:00h.

The last maintenance will conclude on Sunday, August 4, in Holmes Street, Queen Street and environs, Georgetown from 08:00h to 16:00h GPL advises persons residing in these areas to be on the lookout when these activities are conducted. An intermittent power supply can be expected.

Just last month, describing the recent challenges which beset the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL Inc) as a combination of unfortunate events, CEO of the company, Albert Gordon reiterated the agency’s commitment to ensuring that all affected citizens are supplied with reliable electricity as soon as feasible.

Recently, there has been damage caused to the submarine cable-link between GPL’s Kingston and

Vreed-en-Hoop stations.

According to the CEO, this will take an estimated three-week period for adequate repairs to be done.

The power company has come in for much criticism for the unreliable service. Also, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has the power company for failing to improve its services in accordance with performance targets previously set out. This is according to the PUC’s Annual Report for 2018.

The PUC also received some 248 complaints against the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc. The highest complaints against GPL were received from Regions Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

Meanwhile, one project that would have assisted the Guyana Power and Light to get adequate electricity supply was the Amaila Falls hydropower project, which the coalition Government continually blocked while controlling the National Assembly by a one-seat Opposition majority.

The Norway-funded project, when completed, would have provided 165 megawatts to the national grid, thus providing cheaper and more reliable power to citizens and businesses.

10 NEWS Fire destroys De Kinderen house monday, JUly 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

…arson suspected

The burning building at De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara (WCD)

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fire, suspected to be the result of arson, destroyed the house of a De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara (WCD) family, leaving several homeless.

The Lot 42 De Kinderen two-storied concrete house belonging to 63-year-old Ruby Persaud was completely destroyed just before midnight on Saturday.

According to reports, the family, including two children, were not at home at the time of the fire.

Reports are that one of the occupants of the home, Suffina (only name given) had just returned from work when she entered the house and saw flames. As such, the young mother began screaming, alerting neighbours to the fire.

The owner, who was at a neighbour’s home for a celebratory event, heard the woman’s screams, rushed over and saw flames billowing from the upper floor of the house.

The duo, along with oth-

er neighbours, attempted to remove some household articles from the bottom flat of the burning building but their efforts were unsuccessful.

A bucket brigade was formed and the fire service was notified. However, the house was destroyed before the fire service arrived.

An eyewitness told this publication that he was on the road at a bar-b-que when he heard the screams.

“She said that upstairs burning when she first run out. It’s a good thing nobody was at home because she have two little children but they were by their father,” the man related.

The matter has since been reported and based on information given, two persons were taken into Police custody. However, it was not clear why the family suspected that the house was deliberately set on fire. The Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Police Force are investigating.

FIU successfully executing mandate – Director …says additional training for financial analysts to boost capacity

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he Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), even prior to a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), had been able to establish a relationship with a number of stakeholder agencies that have been sharing information with the entity.

This is according to the FIU Director, Matthew Langevine, who in a recent interview with Guyana Times stated that the mandate of the Unit is to facilitate the detection, prevention and deterrence of money laundering, and financing of terrorist activity in Guyana and to date, it has been successful in this regard.

“We have been doing very well in terms of executing our mandate, receiving information, analysing information, putting out intelligence reports. Also, in completing guidelines so that the competent authorities and other reporting entities will ensure that they are following the requirements of a good and effective

FIU Director Matthew Langevine

Anti-Money Laundering/ Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) programme. In 2018, we have had outreaches throughout the country, a number of training sessions, and the developing staff within the FIU,” Langevine said.

He explained that the FIU’s financial analysts over the past year have benefitted from significant additional training which will improve their effectiveness

in conducting and completing intelligence reports.

“We have been doing a number of things to improve the effectiveness of not only the FIU but the AML/CFT regime as a whole,” he added.

It is expected that the recent inking of MoUs with several agencies and the upcoming signings of such that the regulatory framework stipulated within the agreements will better equip the FIU and enhance the performance of the Unit which will ultimately lead to successful prosecutions and convictions.

The FIU of Guyana is an autonomous body responsible for requesting, receiving, analysing and disseminating suspicious transaction reports and other information relating to money laundering, terrorist financing or the proceeds of crime. It was established and operates within the ambit of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act (AMLCFTA)

2009 and its Regulations.

The Act authorises the FIU to request and receive information from any reporting entity, any supervisory agency and any law enforcement agency or any other competent authority in Guyana.

The FIU compiles reports for competent and law enforcement authorities if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that transactions involve money laundering, proceeds of crime or terrorist financing.

It also extends legal assistance to foreign jurisdictions with respect to production orders, property tracking, monitoring, and forfeiture or confiscation orders.

Earlier this month it was reported that the FIU has submitted its annual report to the Finance Ministry, as the Unit has revealed that financial crimes involving over $8 billion worth of illicit money were reported to it for the 2018 fiscal year.

Drive-by shooting

Police closing in on suspects – Crime Chief

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ne week after the gunning down of former murder accused Leon Duncan called “Whistle” and shooting of his brother along with two of their friends at Williamstaad Road, Festival City, North Ruimveldt, Police are now closing in on the suspects.

Crime Chief (ag) Michael Kingston on Sunday told Guyana Times that investigating ranks are expected to make a breakthrough in this case quite soon.

“There have been no arrests that have been made.

But we are getting close to that,” he stated.

Twenty-nine-year-old “Whistle” was killed, in a drive-by shooting while gambling with his brother, Shaquile, and two friends,

Former murder accused Leon Duncan, called “Whistle”

Orande Gordon and Lance Simon.

Although “Whistle” allegedly appeared to have been the target of the gun-

men, the other three men were shot and injured.

Based on information received, the four men were sitting on the street corner when an unmarked car drove up alongside them and the occupants opened fire.

Guyana Times was told that the men then exited the car, stood over “Whistle” and shot him several times.

He, along with others, was picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

His brother, who was shot to his leg along with Simon and Gordon, were admitted to the medical facility.

In 2017, “Whistle” was charged for the attempted

murder of Ceon Nedd and Geoffrey Farrell. He reportedly discharged a loaded firearm at the men with intent to commit murder.

He was shot in Leopold and Breda Streets in 2018 after he was traced by an off duty police rank, who reportedly witnessed him robbing and gun-butting a woman.

Last year, he was slapped with several armed robbery charges. He was also charged for assaulting two peace officers who were executing their duties.

Among other charges faced, he was remanded to prison for the shooting incident that took place in the Privilege Nightclub, injuring two persons back in 2017.

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monday, JUly 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Boat capsizes in Pomeroon River …Captain missing

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boat captain is feared dead after the boat he was operating capsized in the Upper Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Missing is Kendol Rodriguez of the Kabakaburi village, Upper Pomeroon River. The lone passenger that was in the boat, 42-year-old Joseph Thomas, a chainsaw operator also of Kabakaburi village, was rescued by another boat.

Reports are that on Saturday night, Thomas and Rodriguez attended a wedding and were imbibing.

At about 02:00h on Sunday, the duo left the wedding to return to their village using the boat owed by Rodriguez.

The boat was equipped with a 15-horsepower engine.

According to Thomas, they were in the vicinity of the Siriki village, when

Rodriguez “suddenly began to swerve from left to right” and this resulted in the boat capsizing and both men being thrown into the river.

The chainsaw operator told the police that he managed to hold onto a side of the overturned vessel during the commotion but did not see what happened to Rodriguez.

Shortly afterwards, a boat that was traversing the area rendered assis-

tance to Thomas. The men then conducted a search for Rodriguez but their efforts were futile.

According to the police, it was around 09:00h on Sunday, some seven hours after the incident took place, that Thomas made a report about the incident.

Police ranks launched a search for Rodriguez, while Thomas remains in Police custody as he assists with investigations.

Unlicensed driver on $20,000 bail

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n unlicensed driver, who was driving an uninsured vehicle, found himself before Magistrate Wanda Fortune at the Linden Magistrate’s Court slapped with two charges.

Wayne Fredricks is accused of driving motor lorry GXX 7945 with trailer TWW 5393 while not being the holder of a driver’s license and while third party insurance was not in effect. Reports are the in-

cident occurred on July 12, 2019, on Burnham Drive, Wismar, Linden. In court, the Lindener denied the charges and was released on $20,000 bail. The case will continue on August 14, 2019.

Mechanic’s murder

Employees grilled as probe continues – Crime Chief

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number of persons including all of the employees of murdered mechanic, Reginald Atherly called “Diesel Boss”, were questioned on Saturday morning in relation to the 44-year-old man’s death.

This is according to Crime Chief (ag), Michael Kingston, who told this publication on Sunday that the police are still on the hunt for the perpetrators.

“We haven’t any suspects in that matter as yet.

But we have questioned a number of persons including his workers,” Kingston told this publication.

Although the motive for the killing was initially suspected to be robbery, nothing was taken from the man’s home. However, according to the acting Crime Chief, Police are exploring all leads to determine what led to the shooting of the Guyhoc Park, East La Penitence, Georgetown man.

Atherly, popularly known as “Diesel Boss” and “Reggie”, resided at Lot G26 Guyhoc Park, East La Penitence, Georgetown, and owned and operated a mechanic shop at his home.

Reports surrounding the killing indicate that the fa-

Dead: Reginald Atherly, popularly known as “Diesel Boss” and “Reggie”

ther of five was shot multiple times at close range by two masked gunmen who invaded his home at about 04:00h on Saturday morning.

Guyana Times was told that the gunmen gained access to the home by removing louvred panes from the windows situated on the side of the house.

When this publication visited the dead mechanic’s home, his partner, Roxanne Crawford, explained that she awoke to the voices of men inside the home, whom she soon realised had guns.

Crawford told this publication that she started to

scream, before breaking down into tears.

“So I sleeping and I hear like two men talking, so as I hear this talking I open my eyes and I realise two men deh aiming the gun, they had on this black hoodie and one taller than one and they got this old gun…and I start screaming cause I say when I scream they gon panic and they gon gotta go out back how they come in,” the grieving woman said.

In tears, she added that Atherly, who was on the bed with her, also awoke, sprang up and rushed towards the men.

“I hear the shots dem start fire so I wake up my lil daughter and tell she bandits! Bandits! Go under the bed….and when I peep now to see wuh going on, I see he got one at the front door, he lay down on the ground and he grabble one of them and I run back fuh the cutlass, me ain’t see he moving,” Crawford cried.

After the shooting, Atherly was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The dead man leaves to mourn his partner, five children and mother.

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monday, JUly 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

New investors buy Fly Jamaica Airways …operations to resume in September

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team of investors including Jamaican aviation veteran Glenn Logan, led by Yann LeProvost of the Frenchbased company W&Y SAS, has taken over the operations of the problem-plagued Fly Jamaica Airways.

The new owners, who took over the reins on Friday from Guyanese operators Paul and Roxanne Reece, have promised to address issues affecting the carrier, including the payment of salaries, ticket refunds and the payment of outstanding debt.

“This is significant for many different reasons, to restore confidence in the Jamaican people, the flying public and the tourism industry in Jamaica. I want to say that we are not just going to concentrate on the ethnic market, but also the tourism market. It is essential for the survival of the tourism market, for us to concentrate on this. This is the key component for the survival of the airline,” said Logan in an interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

He said plans are underway for flights to resume in September.

Logan comes to Fly Jamaica with years of expe-

rience in the aviation industry, including that of working with Air Jamaica, Air Canada and other airlines in Canada. He also started Canada 3000 airlines and established a small airline out of South Florida.

“This is why the investors have confidence in what I am doing,” he said, while adding that the new Fly Jamaica, with headquarters in Kingston, will initially focus on destinations in North America.

“Toronto, New York, will be the primary North American destinations with plans to expand to Fort Lauderdale in the future.

We are also working right now with some French tour operators as well as operators in Germany and South America. It is imperative that we gear up as quickly as possible to meet the deadlines of the tour operators in Europe.”

According to Logan, plans are also underway to open an office and start departures out of Montego Bay. “We have already had talks with personnel from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), they are excited to work with us, and within the next two weeks, there will be new posters, a new

Fly Jamaica logo and a complete rebrand of the airline.

Things will be different. We are looking at the operations of some very successful carriers, such as AirAsia and Sun Wing Vacations in Canada.”

He noted that attorney Michael Vaccianna played an instrumental role in getting the deal done.

“Things will be different with this airline, this will be a lateral integration, we will have Fly Jamaica vacations,

Jamaican aviation veteran Glenn Logan

we intend to have a hotel, we will focus on ground handling. This will ensure that money circulates within the company.”

Fly Jamaica Airways, that was based in Georgetown, Guyana, started operating on February 14, 2013.

However, the carrier was grounded following an incident at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on November 9, 2018, when the 757 Boeing aircraft, des-

tined for Toronto, Canada, encountered difficulties and made an emergency landing with more than 100 passengers on board. In March, the airline made all staff redundant – with then Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Paul Reece, saying that this was due to the lack of planes to carry out operations and the failure of the company to recover in the aftermath of the November emergency landing. (CMC)

Berbicians losing confidence in Police – Regional Chairman …says crime still high, many cases unreported

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espite the repeated public statements that there has been a decrease in crime in Guyana, there is still a lot of criminal activities taking place in the county of Berbice, most of which are not reported to the police for various reasons.

This is according to Regional Chairman of Region Six, David Armogan, who told Guyana Times in an interview that Berbicians continue to complain about their homes being broken into and also of physical assault cases but they are reluctant to turn to the police for help or justice.

“The Minister of Public Security keeps saying that crime has been on the decrease but it is the same way here… a lot of people thieves go at and it does not get coverage by the newspapers or anything so it looks as if things are bright and beautiful but it is not. Then people stopped, they don’t even

Regional Chairman David Armogan

go and report because they don’t get any of the results,” the Chairman said.

He acknowledged that the shooting to death of three bandits that were hiding out in the Black Bush Polder two months ago did put a dent in the rate of armed robberies for the year, however, crime continues to spiral in different forms in Berbice.

The Regional Chairman noted that the data/statistics on the crime rate are retrieved from cases that have been reported but that a large number of thefts and robberies continue to occur without victims making reports in Berbice because they have lost confidence in the police.

“They don’t have that confidence and then the

thing is when you go to make a report at the police station, it is like you are the one who did the crime.

For example, the amount of questions that you have to answer and the amount of time you got to spend at the station. People are now really hesitant to report a matter,” he explained.

Just last month, Guyana’s Police Commissioner, Leslie James, declared that there is no spike in crime in the country, despite repeated daily reports that persons and businesses are being robbed.

James had instead attributed the perception of increased crimes to “sensational” media reports. At a press conference in June, he assured the Guyanese diaspora and visitors that

crime is not on the increase.

“I wish to advise very, very clearly that there is no upsurge in crime in the State of Guyana.”

At that time, when he was asked to respond to the reaction by the public that claims of low crime figures are a “joke”, the Police Commissioner said he was relying on “our numbers” that reflect no hike in crime.

However, in the month of May, the US Department of State had sent a stringent warning to all its citizens, urging them to exercise caution when visiting Guyana due to the evident spike in the country’s crime rate.

In a statement on its website, the Department had stated there is a frequency of violent crimes, commonly armed robbery and murder. It specifically highlighted that the police network is hindered to effectively alleviate these incidents due to the lack of resources.

“Violent crimes such as armed robbery and murder, is common. Local Police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents,” the notice stated.

In Guyana’s Crime and Safety Report for 2018, which was created by the State Department, Georgetown was assessed as “a critical-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official US Government interests”.

The report categorised local criminals based on their choice of weapons and targets, some of whom are American citizens. However, Police officers are also victims in some cases.

“Criminals may act brazenly, and Police officers have been both victims and perpetrators of assaults and shootings. Criminals are increasingly willing to resort to violence while committing all types of crimes.

Criminals are often organised, travel in groups of two or more, and conduct surveillance on their victims.

Criminals generally will not hesitate to show multiple weapons as an intimidation tactic during a robbery,” the report stated.

13 Linden hosts exhibition, trade fair news

monday, JUly 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

…NEW GPC lauded for local products manufactured …as businesses urged to embrace technology

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he Linden Exhibition and Trade Fair officially opened in the mining town at the Egbert Benjamin Centre on Friday evening, with over 50 local businesses and industries on display.

The annual event which is put on by the Linden Chamber of Industry, Commerce and Development (LCICD) was declared officially open

by Minister of Business Haimraj Rajkumar. The three-day event forms part of a “Business Week” initiative put on by the Chamber which is being hosted under the theme, “New horizons, new opportunities in 2019 and beyond”. It will feature three days of showcasing local large, medium and small scale businesses from across the country.

Speaking at the event, LCICD President, Victor Fernandes alluded to a successful three days of the business forum thus far, with engagements with persons from the diaspora, entrepreneurs, business professionals and investors. He noted that moving forward, the exhibition intends on showcasing local products and businesses. He urged all to accept new challeng-

Gafoors products on display at the trade fair

Locally-manufactured products on display

es associated with changes in business in 2020 and beyond, noting that there is much potential in what is to come as it relates to the oil and gas sector in Guyana.

“The only way how we can benefit is if we should retool because it is something that is new to us and for many of us if we don’t rise to the occasion of new innovations and the technology that comes with oil and gas we would be lost, overwhelmed by it all. And, therefore, in many instanc-

es, we would miss the economic benefits...Businesses must, therefore, learn and learn quickly to be innovative and to be up to the challenge of the economic transformation that is to come,” he told the gathering.

Fernandes added that local businesses must rise to meet challenges and embrace the use of technology to market products.

He said emphasis must be placed on quality in standards and services offered and to ensure that prod-

ucts are of the highest quality, more so as it relates to marketing and packaging. He said, therefore, the exhibition provides the opportunity to enhance local products while creating an opportunity for businesses to network and create opportunities for new markets.

Fernandes highlighted local companies such as the NEW GPC Inc, which he noted is currently manufacturing a large quantity of local products.

Minister of Business

Essequibo Coast residents call for more investment

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s residents, especially the younger generation of the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) continue to move away from the region due to the lack of employment, residents are calling for more investments into the county.

During a visit Guyana Times spoke with a number of residents, who expressed their dissatisfaction over the lack of investments being made in the region.

According to the residents, the Essequibo Coast has the potential for growth, however, genuine efforts are not being undertaken to ensure that the county further develops.

“Essequibo have land, plenty land, we have space and we need so much, but no one is investing and the young people them keep moving away because of that,” one resident said.

One young teacher is calling for a University of Guyana campus to be built in the region, pointing to the fact that both Demerara and Berbice have campuses.

According to the young woman, the lack of a university in Region Two is chief among the reasons why the young residents are moving away.

“It’s hard because most of us want to further our education but we cannot do it from here. So that’s the only option left, to move somewhere where you can pursue your studies. And when you end up moving and see that there is a better life elsewhere then usually you don’t return, that’s how its been going for the longest,” the teacher shared.

She further revealed that the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) in the county only offers training in nursery and primary but not in secondary.

“So if you want to become a sec-

An aerial view of a section of the Essequibo Coast

ondary school teacher, then you gotta move and go to pursue that at the colleges” she explained.

The residents are also calling for more business investments which will boost tourism in the county.

“We have the potential to be big, and there is so much that we need here. Business owners and investors can do well if they invest in businesses here but for some reason, no one is doing that. We have a few bars and so on but if you wanna go to a nice restaurant for a special occasion then you can’t even do that, you gotta travel out of Essequibo for stuff like that. If you want the movie theatre experience, you can’t even have that, you gotta travel out of the county for that, there is so much that we need, if only people would invest,” a shop owner asserted.

Just recently, Regional Chairman, Davanand Ramdatt had emphasised the need for growth and development in the county.

Ramdatt had noted that though agriculture is important and will remain important to Essequibo, the county is looking to build tourism.

The Chairman has expressed that business investments will not only add to the development in Essequibo but will see jobs being created.

“This business is coming at a crucial time. The economy is not as it once was but I know for sure that there is tremendous potential for growth and development. We strongly believe that this business will add to the competitiveness and will provide job creation,” Ramdatt had stated at the opening of a Diamond Insurance branch.

Haimraj Rajkumar in speaking on behalf of President David Granger said many opportunities are available across the country in economic sectors but would not be materialised unless deliberate actions are taken to make them a reality.

The Minister said with the emerging oil and gas sector, the economy has taken a new direction.

“Petroleum is now part of our economic reality. The question is, how will our business community benefit from procurement opportunities that directly relate to this sector? Although there are not many opportunities in this sector, we must be able to create it... and we must prepare ourselves to benefit from the spinoffs of this sector...As a Government, we are committed to ensuring that

Guyanese business have equal and fair access to those business opportunities, but it has to be a collaborative effort. As businesses leaders, the growth and development of our business will depend on how well we are able to respond to change”, he said.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Small Business Bureau, Dr Lowell Porter in his remarks alluded to the available opportunities in the community but pointed to the need for support from larger businesses so that small businesses can grow.

He also urged small business owners to come in and find out how the Bureau can be of assistance to them as he posited that grants are available. Dr Porter also urged entrepreneurs to be creative and innovative in starting a business.

14 News

monday, JUly 29, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

US intelligence chief leaves Plane passenger spit in wife’s face, Trump Administration

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he US director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, has become the latest high-profile figure to leave the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump tweeted Coats would step down in mid-August and that he would nominate the Texan congressman John Ratcliffe to replace him.

He said Ratcliffe would lead and “inspire greatness for the country” he loved.

Coats and Trump have often been at odds over Russia and North Korea.

In January the president

US Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats

A year ago, Coats laughed in surprise when he heard that the US president was going to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for a summit in Finland.

“That’s going to be special,” said an amused Coats, when he was told the news at a public event.

He later apologised for his reaction, saying “my admittedly awkward response was in no way meant to be disrespectful or criticise the actions of the president”. (BBC)

forces emergency landing

A Calls for legislative intervention called his intelligence chiefs passive and naive in their

assessment of the threat posed by Iran.

for T&T law students

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ongress of the People (COP) political leader Carolyn Seepersad Bachan has called for “immediate legislative intervention” for citizens affected by a recent High Court decision blocking them from using section 15 (1A) of the Legal Profession Act (LPA) to enter the local legal profession.

Justice Vasheist Kokaram, in a 125-page decision last Friday, deemed the section to be unconstitutional as it discriminates against non-nationals who want to practise law in TT. The Section allowed TT law students to enter the profession without the requirement of a legal education certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School, if they underwent six months of in-service training under a practising attorney, once they had the LPC and BPTC (Legal Practice

Leader of the Congress of the People, Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan

Course and Bar Professional Training Course).

Kokaram held that the section placed an additional burden on non-nationals seeking admission to the Hugh Wooding Law School, who must write an entrance examination, or wait additional years to be called to

the bar in England and then seek to get their certificate of fitness before being admitted to the local Bar. In a media release, Seepersad-Bachan who was recently called to the local Bar said while she is not making any comment on the judgment, she notes there

are several unanswered questions which need to be addressed including the “possibility of obstructed access to practice in the local courts.”

“Many questions have been raised on the disenfranchisement of so many students, the investment of money and time, the many modified family and living arrangements, and above all, the possibility of obstructed access to practice in the courts of Trinidad and Tobago.”

“The travesty is further highlighted by the fact that the Hugh Wooding Law School has not been able to accommodate the majority of persons outside the Faculty of Law, UWI. In many cases an external programme would not have been the preferred option, but an option born out of necessity.”

She said the COP “sympathises” with those perspective lawyers who will be affected by this decision and called on government, though the Attorney General, to “offer some form of redress by immediate legislative intervention.”

“We call on the Government to consider an urgent sitting of Parliament, as the impact of the timing of this judgment is crucial, given that many students are about to, or have already begun their in-service training, and others are presently preparing for being called to the Bar at the next sitting later this year.” (T&T Newsday)

passenger who spat in his wife’s face on a jet and forced the captain to make an emergency landing has been fined £5,250.

Edward Mongan, 42, had a furious row with his other half on the holiday flight from Britain to Mexico.

Mongan also shouted at cabin crew as well as pushing one of them, a court was told.

The pilot was so worried that he diverted to Bermuda where the raging British passenger was arrested.

Senior magistrate Juan Wolffe told the court in Bermuda: “One can only imagine what was going through the passengers’ minds while this was happening.”

Mongan, from Manchester, admitted threatening behaviour, interference with the duties of a flight attendant, and using abusive words.

He told the court: “What I did was uncalled for. I’ll never do it again...My wife is in Mexico. I just want to see my wife and kids.” He was on a TUI Airways jet on Sunday when he was heard to swear at his wife.

Magistrates in the capital Hamilton were told cabin manager Anne Marie Evans spoke to him about his language but that he told her: “…. Get out of my sight.”

Prosecutors said Mongan went to the back of the plane and shouted at another crew member, then spat in his wife’s face and pushed Ms Evans away.

TUI said the plane continued to Cancun soon after the diversion.

It comes after a British woman, who allegedly ran amok on a plane, causing it to be diverted and RAF jets to be scrambled, got an £85,000 bill from the airline Jet2. (UK Mirror)

Russian Opposition Leader may have been poisoned – doctor

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ussian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was hospitalised on Sunday after suffering an acute allergic reaction which one doctor said may have been the result of him being poisoned with an unknown chemical substance.

Navalny, 43, was rushed to hospital from jail where he is serving a 30-day sentence for violating tough protest laws, a day after police in Moscow detained more than 1,000 people for an illegal demonstration called for by Navalny.

His spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said Navalny had signs of an acute allergy with “severe swelling of the face and skin redness.”

A doctor at the hospital treating him told the Interfax news agency that Navalny had been diagnosed with hives and that he was feeling better.

But one doctor who has treated him in the past and was able to speak briefly with him and look at him through the crack of a door on Sunday said she could not rule out that he had been poisoned.

“We cannot rule out that

toxic damage to the skin and mucous membranes by an unknown chemical substance was inflicted with the help of a ‘third party’,” Anastasia Vasilyeva, the doctor, wrote on Facebook.

Vasilyeva, who said Navalny had a rash on his upper body, skin lesions, and discharge from his eye, called for samples of Navalny’s bed sheets, skin and hair to be tested for chemicals.

She said she found the fact that she had not been allowed to examine him properly suspicious.

The Moscow hospital where Navalny’s spokeswoman said he was being treated could not be reached for comment.

Separately, Navalny’s lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, wrote on Facebook on Sunday evening that doctors did not know what was wrong with her client, but that she deemed his symptoms strange given that he had never suffered from allergies in the past.

Navalny suffered a serious chemical burn to his right eye in 2017 as a result of an assault. Doctors were able to restore his sight and save the eye. (Reuters)

news

15

monday, JUly 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say

I SAY...

Traffic Chief Linden Isles has noted the importance of cracking down on children who wash vehicles or solicit money at traffic lights along major roadways.

Do you think the relevant authorities are doing enough to enforce laws when it comes to children’s welfare?

Narissa Campbell “Yes, they are doing their best. The Guyana Police Force cannot do all these clamping down on the kids working at the stoplights for small monies in one day but they are putting their utmost best, but one thing, Rome wasn’t built in a day. One one dutty bill dam.

Hats off to the Guyana Police Force for the effort and as time progresses, the problem will permanently be resolved.”

Latoya Forde “Yes, I think the police are doing their job, however, I don’t see the issue with the kids trying to earn extra cash during the holiday.”

Caesar McAlmont “No, I don’t think enough is being done. More so now that it is the holiday season and many children are at home. This is a very dangerous practice and for children to be out on the roads, not to mention there are supposed to be laws against child labour. So I definitely think more should be done to curb this.”

Leslyn Thompson “Man everybody is trying to make a living. Since them children started doing that to help their parents, I never heard of anybody getting hurt, like hit down or anything like that so I say let them live, they are not bothering anybody.”

Denisia Chapman “Well, I can recall seeing children at the stoplights while on my way to Georgetown and I would always wonder why this is happening. In my opinion, the police need to look into this. I think they should pay more attention to areas where this is happening.”

Mark Gill “The police as a whole are making some efforts to clamp down on certain illegal activities, however, it is now the officers’ job to do the same without question. There are a few dedicated officers while others damage the Force’s reputation but as long as the rest work towards getting these children off major roads from soliciting monies, it is sure other activities can be clamped down too.”

Roycelyn Alleyne “Children under no circumstances should have to labour, children should be allowed to be children. So I’m not only agreeing with the police cracking down on this for lawful reasons but also because I hate to see children having to labour, it is not right.”

Stacy Jackman “I believe that certain laws need to be put in place to address this matter. The Education and Social Protection Ministries should see to work together and get something done urgently to address this matter that involves schoolaged children. Regardless if it is during school sessions or not, they are still underage when it comes to labour laws too.”

Leisa Thorne “Those children look like they have fun doing it and personally, it doesn’t bother me but if it’s against the law, it is against the law.”

Tanisha Petty “I know that everybody trying to make a living but it is very unsafe for those children out there. It is not their jobs to clean cars and walk in the rain and sun selling water so I really hope that the police look into this matter for real.”

Daniel Graham “I think that more can be done to help tackle this situation. It is a collective, collaborative effort needed to address it. It is not only the job of the police, but also other agencies, and even regular citizens should report these matters because it involves children – the future of our nation.”

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guyanatimesgy.com

monday, JUly 29, 2019

Regional

Brazil’s Indigenous people: Miners Cuban officials attend kill 1 in invasion of protected reserve funeral service for Cardinal Ortega

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eavily armed gold miners have invaded a remote Indigenous reserve in northern Brazil and stabbed to death one of its leaders, officials say.

Residents of the village in Amapá state fled in fear and there were concerns violent clashes could erupt if they tried to reclaim the gold-rich land.

Police have arrived in the area.

Tensions in the Amazon region are on the rise as far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who is against the reserves, vows to open some of them to mining.

Bolsonaro says the Indigenous territories are too big given the number of people living there, and critics accuse him of encouraging illegal mining and invasions of reserves.

The group of 10 to 15 heavily armed miners overran the village Yvytotõ of the Wajãpi community and “tensions were high”, according to Brazil’s Indigenous rights agency, Funai.

The residents fled to the Mariry village, some 40 minutes away by foot, and have been warned not to try to come into any contact with the invaders.

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The Wajãpi Indigenous community live in a remote area in northern Brazil

Based on accounts from the Wajãpi, Funai said the miners had killed 68-year-old Emyra Wajãpi, whose body was found with stab marks in a river near Mariry on Wednesday. It said, though, it had not been to the crime scene because of the difficulty of access.

Despite the rising tensions, killings of Indigenous leaders in Brazil are rare.

The incident appears to confirm the worst fears for the fate of Brazil’s protected Indigenous territories, the BBC’s Julia Carneiro in Rio reports.

Federal police and an elite force arrived in the area on Sunday, and both the federal police and the federal prosecutors’ office said they will investigate the events, reported by a local leader on Saturday. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Jamaican Tourism Minister urges regional response to curtail growing sargassum threat

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amaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says a strong collective regional effort is needed to curtail the rapidly growing threat posed by the influx of sargassum seaweed in the Caribbean.

Among the interventions he is proposing is the development of a comprehensive scientific initiative to devise the most efficient way to collect sargassum in the open sea without harming the ecosystem.

He was speaking at a regional roundtable forum at the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters in St Andrew on Friday, under the theme: “Sargassum and

Jamaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett

the Caribbean: Resilience, Innovation and Solutions”.

Bartlett noted that “masses” of sargassum, which have washed onto beaches along the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and

the tropical Atlantic, have smothered coral reefs, and trapped several species of marine life.

Additionally, he said the influxes have adversely impacted tourism, fishery

and nautical activities such as diving, kite surfing and windsurfing, which have contributed to, among other things, economic instability within coastal communities dependent on these engagements.

Bartlett further pointed out that sargassum has destroyed colonies of mangroves which has, in the process, contributed to the demise of turtles and fish species, and impacted human health due to decomposition of algae and the release of hydrogen sulfide.

He said the Caribbean has been experiencing “colossal influxes” of sargassum over the last nine years.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

All passengers aboard Air Peruvian President proposes Canada flight from Kingston early legislative elections searched at Toronto P

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n what seemed an unprecedented operation, the entire plane load of passengers on Air Canada flight AC 1803 from Kingston, Jamaica, had every piece of their luggage searched and some items confiscated by customs agents at Pearson Toronto International Airport in Canada.

The late-night flight Thursday which had been delayed by almost an hour, leaving Kingston about 09:45h, culminated with the two-hour long operation which featured several sniffer dogs and more customs agents than usual.

While the Jamaicans were visibly upset at having to bare everything in their luggage, as anxious relatives waited outside to pick them up, they cooperated with the Canadian customs officer and the search

appeared to have been carried out without incident.

“I was flabbergasted by the search. I’ve just never seen an entire flight searched this thoroughly, because usually it is random,” shared Marcia Newby, who said she was a frequent visitor to Canada.

Several passengers said the agents had taken away tins of Grace Corned Beef, patties, opened tins of ackees, tore up small bags of coffee bought at duty-free shops at the airport, and rummaged through other packed items.

But most fruits like mangoes and soursop, sugar cane and sliced breadfruit survived the examination.

Asked the reason for confiscating the corned beef, one agent said the product was allowed in Canada only from the United States. (Excerpt from

Jamaica Observer)

eruvian President Martin Vizcarra on Sunday proposed moving up legislative elections for Congress and ending his term a year earlier in 2020, amid his flagging effort to pass anti-corruption measures.

Vizcarra, in his traditional national holiday speech in Congress, said the proposal will be presented to Congress and must be ratified in a referendum.

The presidential term and the congressional term each last for five years and are both due to end in 2021.

“I present to Congress a constitutional reform for the advancement of general elections, which implies cutting the congressional and presidential term to July 28, 2020,” Vizcarra said.

The proposal comes after Peru’s Government won a confidence vote in the country’s Opposition-controlled

Congress in June after Vizcarra asked for the vote as part of his effort to pressure the legislature into approving a reform package, including measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing and curbing the immunity against prosecution enjoyed by lawmakers.

“Our bill proposed that another independent body be responsible for determining whether congressmen may or may not be tried and detained. Where is the confidence that Congress has supposedly granted us to work on anti-corruption policy?”

Vizcarra said.

A business-friendly former Vice President, Vizcarra took office a little over a year ago after his predecessor resigned in disgrace – one of several politicians entangled in a bribery probe involving Brazilian builder Odebrecht.

(Reuters)

uban Government and Communist Party officials attended funeral services for Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega on Sunday in a testament to his success in elevating the Church’s position on the Caribbean island after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Cuban First Vice President Salvador Mesa and two other top leaders on the Communist Party Politburo attended the Requiem Mass along with other officials.

Religious leaders from other countries including Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Puerto Rico Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves and Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley of Boston also attended the event in the colonial district’s Havana Cathedral.

Ortega, who died on Friday aged 82, was buried afterwards in the city’s Colon cemetery.

A labour camp inmate in the 1960s when Fidel Castro’s revolutionary gov-

ernment was rounding up religious figures and other perceived enemies, Ortega became archbishop of Havana in 1981 at a time when Cuba was still officially atheist.

For the more than three decades that followed, as Castro’s stance on the Church softened, Ortega raised its visibility and power, building a working relationship with the Government thanks to his non-confrontational style and opposition to US sanctions.

Ortega earned the wrath of hard-line exiles and some dissidents on the Caribbean island with his stance.

“His work helped a lot to bring closer the ideas of the Cuban Government and the Catholic church,” retiree Maria Green, said, standing outside the Cathedral.

“He managed to solve many things and opened the way for many, many Cubans,” she added.

Ortega hosted three popes and negotiated the release of dozens of political prisoners in 2010 and 2011.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Media Association asks Police Commissioner, DPP to explain A&V CEO’s case collapse

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he Media Association (MATT) is calling on Police Commissioner Gary Griffith and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Roger Gaspard to provide a thorough explanation for their failure to prosecute A&V Oil and Gas Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hanif Nazim Baksh and his son-in-law Corporal Billy Ramsundar for an assault on Guardian Media senior photographer Kristian De Silva.

In a media release Saturday, MATT’s executive said despite two strongly-worded newspaper editorials, radio commentaries, correspondence from MATT to the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) and calls from civil society, there has been no explanation forthcoming from the TTPS or the DPP for the non-appearances of their representatives in court, which ultimately led to the dismissal of the case by the presiding magistrate.

In a follow-up telephone conversation with the PSB on July 24, MATT said it was told that the matter was under investigation.

On September 15, 2017, De Silva was standing outside A&V’s compound along Nazim Avenue, Penal, gathering photos for coverage of

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Roger Gaspard

the “Fake Oil” scandal between the company and Petrotrin, when he was allegedly assaulted by Baksh.

He sustained a busted lip, bruised face and his camera was damaged.

On November 10, 2017, Baksh and Ramsundar appeared before Magistrate Ava Vandenburg-Bailey in the Siparia Magistrates’ Court charged in the matter.

Ramsundar, a Police Officer with 25 years’ service, was charged with assaulting De Silva and occasioning actual bodily harm and damaging his Canon DSLR camera valued at US$1600. Baksh, who is the father of former PNM Senator Allyson Baksh, was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and unlawfully and maliciously damaging De Silva’s eyeglasses valued at TT$2400. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, JUly 29, 2019

Around the World

Protesters clash in Hong Kong as cycle of violence intensifies

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ong Kong Police clashed with thousands of protesters on Sunday, as they sought to defend China’s main representative office from crowds seething over what many see as an increasing cycle of violence against them.

Protests over the past two months spearheaded by anti-Government activists against a proposed bill that would allow people to be extradited from the city to stand trial in courts in mainland China have grown increasingly violent.

On Sunday, a peaceful gathering in a park in the city’s central business district rapidly morphed into a march, as tens of thousands of black-clad protesters set off in several directions, clogging up major thoroughfares.

Demonstrators clash with Police during a protest against Police violence during previous marches, near China's Liaison Office, Hong Kong, China, July 28, 2019

Thousands of people headed east, toward the shopping district of Causeway Bay, while another large contingent headed west, toward the

Chinese government’s representative office, known as the Central Government Liaison Office.

There, hundreds of riot police blocked activists from

advancing toward the building, which had been heavily fortified with barricades after it was surrounded and defaced a week earlier.

As the crowds surged, hundreds of riot police with shields advanced, firing rounds of tear gas, rubber bullets and sponge grenades - a crowd-control weapon at protesters, sending clouds of acrid, burning smoke through the streets.

The mostly young activists in hard hats, gas masks and body armour dug in, dismantling street signs and fences which they used to form makeshift barricades to slow Police advances.

Many hit metallic surfaces with sticks to create an ominous drumbeat that echoed down the streets.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

India's monsoon flooding more erratic and the season weaker

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he average rainfall for every region of India is deficient, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Measuring from June 1, the overall deficit is 16 per cent. Maybe more tellingly, 56 per cent of the land area of India is short of the expected fall for this point in an "average" season.

But as in every year,

17

there are areas of severe floods and areas of persistent drought. In the northeast, the wettest place in the world, the Brahmaputra River has burst its banks.

In the west, Mumbai saw 11 days of monsoon rain in 24 hours, and the Mahalaxmi Express train from Mumbai to Kolhapur was stranded, amid floods, just outside Mumbai on Friday.

The States of

Maharashtra and Karnataka have had excessive rain this year but they are the exception, not the rule. Mumbai itself exceeded its average in both June and July, with figures of 123 per cent and 151 per cent, respectively.

Yet Chennai has run out of water and has hope only for proper rain from the receding monsoon rains in September. This is despite a lucky 167mm of rain in July,

not enough to top up the dry reservoirs, but 161 per cent of what is usually a meagre month anyway.

The southwest monsoon started late this year, and has so far been disappointing. The monsoon front was late in reaching the mainland and erratic in crossing.

It accelerated during July and reached Pakistan only four days behind average.

Air strike on Libya hospital kills 5 doctors

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n air strike has killed five doctors in a hospital in the southern outskirts of Libya's capital Tripoli, an official from the UN-backed Government said.

A warplane belonging to Khalifa Hafta, the rogue general who commands the Libyan National Army, carried out the attack, the Health Ministry spokesman added.

The LNA has not commented.

Libya has been roiled in conflict since the fall of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Fighting between the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) led

by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and Haftar's LNA has claimed 1100 lives since April, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The fighting has remained deadlocked on the outskirts of the capital, with both sides resorting to airstrikes, news agency AFP reports.

Saturday's bombing also wounded seven people, including some rescuers, Lamine al-Hashem, the spokesman from the Health Ministry, said.

"It was a direct hit against the field hospital which was packed with med-

The Government said a warplane belonging to rogue General Khalifa Hafta carried out the attack

ical teams," Hashemi added.

The attack was the third to target a hospital in the capital's south, AFP reports.

African migrants who use Libya as a key crossing point to Europe have also been caught up in the fighting.

The GNA blamed the LNA for last month's airstrike on a detention centre that killed at least 50 migrants.

However, the LNA said it had attacked a pro-Government camp near the centre and pro-Government forces had fired shells in response, hitting the migrant centre by accident.

The UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said the attack could constitute a war crime. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Death toll in southwest At crisis talks, Iran links tanker row to nuclear deal China landslide rises to 36 (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

I

ran considers Britain's seizure of an Iranian oil tanker a breach of the 2015 nuclear deal, a senior official said on Sunday, as remaining signatories to the ailing accord met in the Austrian capital for emergency talks.

Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran have been trying to salvage the landmark pact since the United States withdrew from it in May 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran, crippling an already weak economy.

Iran-Europe ties are under strain, however, after British authorities detained an Iranian oil tanker carrying two million barrels of crude off the coast of Gibraltar earlier in July. They cited alleged violations of European Union sanctions against Syria for the move.

Days later, Iranian forces impounded a British-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Arriving at the meeting in Vienna on Sunday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi linked the tanker row to discussions over the nuclear deal, formally known as the

A

Envoys from Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and Iran took part in Sunday's extraordinary meeting

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"Developments have occurred, such as the seizure of the tanker carrying Iranian oil in Gibraltar, which in our view is considered a breach of the JCPOA," Araghchi said in comments carried on Iranian state TV. "Countries party to the JCPOA must not create any obstacles in the way of Iran exporting its oil," he added.

Araghchi told reporters after Sunday's meeting ended "the atmosphere was constructive, and the discussions were good".

The Head of the Chinese delegation also said every nation represented wanted to keep the accord alive, and strongly opposed Washington's decision to unilaterally re-impose sanctions on Tehran. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

t least 36 people have died in a landslide that struck a village in southwest China, with 15 others still missing days after the disaster hit, according to State broadcaster CCTV. The landslide late on Tuesday in Pingdi village, in Guizhou province's Shuicheng county, buried more than 20 houses, with a thick torrent of mud rolling down from the peak of a mountain to its base, some 500 metres below.

CCTV broadcast footage on Sunday of rescue workers trying to reach survivors through a huge mound of earth, as excavators dug through the collapsed hill.

Two children and a mother with a baby were among the dead.

On Saturday, official news agency Xinhua had

said 29 people were dead and 22 others were still missing.

Forty people had been rescued from the site, it added, citing the local emergency rescue command.

A local school was set up as an emergency medical and rescue centre, with "multiple rescue teams and experts" still searching for those missing, Xinhua reported.

The Government has assigned US$4.35 million for search and rescue efforts in the province as well as the relocation of victims.

Landslides are a frequent danger in rural and mountainous parts of China, particularly after heavy rain, and the country has suffered severe flooding this year.

In August 2017, at least 30 people were killed in two separate landslides in Guizhou province. (Excerpt from Al

Jazeera)

Afghan VP candidate injured as Kabul blast kills 2, wounds 25

A

powerful explosion hit central Kabul on Sunday, wounding Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s running mate on the first day of official campaigning for a presidential election and killing at least two others, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility

for the attack, which came as officials have been looking ahead to an expected resumption of peace talks between the Taliban and US diplomats in the coming days.

At least 25 civilians were injured in the blast on a road near the private Ghalib University, Interior

Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.

Immediately after the blast, gunmen stormed a nearby building belonging to vice presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh’s Afghan Green Trend Party.

Saleh was wounded by shrapnel before being evacuated from the office.

Photographs shared by a Government official showed Saleh sitting in a garden with bloodstains on his right arm, surrounded by security guards.

Afghan soldiers killed one gunman but two others were still battling with Afghan forces in a four-storey building near the blast

site, Rahimi said, adding 40 civilians had been rescued.

The attack underscored the risks facing the presidential election, which is scheduled for September 28 but which has already been delayed twice this year.

It follows chaotic parliamentary elections in October last year which

were marred by violence and accusations of widespread fraud as well as serious organisational problems.

Full results of the October parliamentary election were only released in May, almost seven months after the ballot.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, JUly 29, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES Try not to get bogged (March 21- down in other people’s dilemApril 19) mas. Do something you’ve never done before. Look for ways to improve your health and appearance without taking drastic measures.

You may feel the need to TAURUS make an impulsive move, (April 20May 20) but think twice before you take action. Someone close to you will disagree with your plans, causing a rift in your relationship.

dilbert

When it comes to emoGEMINI tional matters, you’ll dif(May 21fer from someone who may June 20) stand between you and the success you are trying to achieve. Get the go-ahead before you proceed.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Express your feelings and accept the response you receive. The talks you engage in may not be what you expect, but, in hindsight, you’ll realize the benefit of the information you collect.

An unexpected offer will not be what you think it is.

Ask questions and get the lowdown before you agree to something that may not be the way to go.

Look at the facts and VIRGO take what you discover at (Aug. 23face value. If someone overSept. 22) reacts, rely on what you know to restore peace. Your stability and insight will encourage positive results.

Calvin and Hobbes

Change begins within.

LIBRA Start by updating your im(Sept. 23- age and projecting a posiOct. 23) tive attitude. Joint ventures should be avoided, and impulsive purchases should not be made.

SCORPIO

SUDOKU

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Getting along with peers won’t be easy, and letting stress build could be a health hazard. You need a diversion. Focus on what you enjoy. Gravitate to the positive, not to the negative.

Take an aggressive apSAGITTARIUS proach to your responsibili(Nov. 23- ties. Taking care of personal Dec. 21) business will ease your mind and help you see situations clearly. Don’t spend money on unrealistic products.

SATURDAY’S WORD

solution for SATURDAY’S puzzle

A shift in attitude reCAPRICORN garding a certain relation(Dec. 22ship will help you eliminate Jan. 19) some of the drama or negativity you’ve experienced.

Let go of the past and embrace the future.

If you desire change, beAQUARIUS gin on your own doorstep.

(Jan. 20Evaluate what you’ve accomplished and what you Feb. 19) want to do next. Leave nothing to chance, and plan your actions and execute them flawlessly.

A creative approach PISCES to the way you deal with (Feb. 20younger and older people in March 20) your life will improve your relationships. Participate in events that include people of all ages.

monday, JUly 29, 2019

Verstappen wins thrilling German Grand Prix after Hamilton crash

M

ax Verstappen won the German Grand Prix after a fascinating, gripping race in treacherous wet conditions that proved to be too much for a host of drivers and for the first time this season saw the normal pecking order of F1 turned on its head.

Lewis Hamilton, having led from pole for Mercedes made a highly uncharacteristic error in the wet that cost him a potential win and was compounded by some questionable strategy decisions by his team and he finished in 11th place. Worse still for his team, Valtteri Bottas also crashed out late in the race.

Ferrari, already suffering a calamitous weekend after both their cars suffered mechanical failures in qualifying, only saw it get worse as Charles Leclerc crashed at turn 16, ending his race. Yet there also was major consolation for the Scuderia in that Sebastian Vettel came back from 20th on the grid to claim second, having moved through the field during the race before a late charge from fifth to the second step.

Toro Rosso got it just right with Daniil Kvyat taking third place, their first po-

Max Verstappen

lenge Mercedes and Ferrari.

He has looked solid all weekend but to secure the win from second on the grid in such tough conditions was yet further evidence of how strong a driver he has matured into.

Hamilton still leads the championship by 39 points from Bottas in second.

The win cements Verstappen’s strong third place, 62 points behind Hamilton, while Vettel is languishing in fourth 20 points behind him.

With the race starting in treacherous wet conditions as the track dried and then rain returned again, switching between wet and dry tyres became decisive as were the calls when to do so

for him with either wing or tyres. There was some confusion over which tyres he would take before they finally found the intermediates to fit but the damage had been done It dropped him to fifth and the Dutch fans erupted as Verstappen inherited the lead behind the safety car prompted by Leclerc’s stricken car. Worse still for Hamilton he was given a five-second penalty for his late entry in to the pitlane.

Hamilton charged but with the safety car deployed again on lap 41 when Hulkenberg too went into

Lewis Hamilton

the wall at 16 Mercedes however opted to leave their cars out, not willing to lose track position due to having to take the time penalty at the stop.

240:

Holloway retains UFC feather-

F

weight title in Edmonton

eatherweight champion Max “Blessed” Holloway maintained his grip on the UFC’s undisputed 145lb title with a dominant display against former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 240 in Edmonton.

Hawaii’s Holloway, 27, eased his way into the fight before upping his intensity as the fight progressed to secure scores of 50-45 49-46 48-47 on the judges’ scorecards to extend his winning streak at featherweight to 14 with a unanimous decision victory.

Edgar started the fight looking sharp, but as the opening round progressed Holloway started to find a home for his punches, with his right uppercut in particular having repeated success. And as the fight moved into the middle rounds Holloway hit his stride as he loaded up on his strikes and started to catch the New Jersey native almost at will.

And the Hawaiian star’s composure and conditioning held up against Edgar’s relentless forward pressure as he effectively counter-struck his way to a lop-sided victory on the scorecards.

Holloway took a brief break from featherweight title duties earlier in 2019

Max “Blessed” Halloway (right) lands against Frankie Edgar

fully defend his title and maintain his dominant win streak at 145lb as he further cemented his legacy as one of the best featherweight fighters in UFC history.

After his win, Holloway said he wanted to prove a point by outworking Edgar, who has a well-earned reputation as one of the fittest fighters in the sport.

“Frankie is a true warrior. He’s the guy who inspired me to be here. You’re the man, Frank.”

Meanwhile, a crestfallen Edgar paid tribute to the champion, saying: “I expected everything he brought.

Max is a stud, man. He represents our sport to the

Hamilton damaged a front wing in crashing (Photograph: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images)

dium since Vettel won for them in 2008, as did Racing Point who managed to get Lance Stroll into fourth.

Both teams made the right tyre call late in the race that leapfrogged their drivers up the field. Carlos Sainz was fifth for McLaren.

In what had been an unpredictable, captivating race that seemed impossible to call, it was Verstappen who held it all together. This is his seventh career win and his second in three races having also taken the flag recently in Austria. His first win at Hockenheim is a huge result for Red Bull on a circuit where they had not been expected to really chal-

as the safety car was repeatedly used as drivers were caught out in Hockenheim.

Verstappen had stayed in the mix throughout but looked unable to challenge Hamilton’s lead. However, after a sequence of stops just over one third distance with the leaders taking slicks the entire race changed.

Leclerc however was found wanting, on cold tyres he lost it going wide at turn 16 but he was not alone as Hamilton too went off at the same place took damage to his front wing and had to immediately veer over into the pits. The stop was painfully slow taking 50 seconds as the team was unprepared

Verstappen and Bottas pitted for new slicks on lap 47 as did Hamilton a lap later. Stroll and Kvyat who had taken slicks under the safety car came out well ahead, while Hamilton ultimately emerged in 12th.

Verstappen had the race in his hand and finished it with the control absent from his more experienced rivals.

In stark contrast to Bottas who crashed out at turn one on lap 58. The celebrations at Red Bull will be long and loud and the debrief at Mercedes likely a painful affair. They have not failed to score a point for over a year since the Austrian Grand Prix in 2018. (The Guardian)

19

Cris Cyborg (left) dominates Felicia Spencer in co-main event

when he moved up a weight class to challenge for the vacant interim lightweight title against American Dustin Poirier.

But after suffering his first defeat since 2013, he returned to his natural weight class to success-

best, represents this division to the best. He’s the best guy in the world.

“I need to go back to the drawing board and regroup.

I’m not done. I’ve got a lot of fight in me, man. Max is the best guy in the world and I

fought pretty damn tough.”

Cyborg bounces back amid uncertain future

In the night’s co-main event, former UFC featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino returned to winning ways with a unanimous decision victory over previously-unbeaten contender Felicia Spencer in the final fight of her UFC contract.

Justino’s last outing saw her lose her UFC title in dramatic fashion to compatriot Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 last December.

And the 34-year-old produced a strong striking display to turn back the charge of Canadian Spencer to cement her position as the number one contender for her old title.

Spencer’s strengths were in her wrestling and grappling skills, but she was unable to get the former world champion to the canvas as Justino shrugged off her takedown attempts and fired back with stinging punches.

Despite Justino’s total dominance in the striking realm, Spencer’s sheer toughness and grit kept her in the fight as she absorbed everything the Brazilian could throw at her as she took the power-punching former world champion all the way to the scorecards.

Justino’s win extended her record to 21-2, but her immediate future remains uncertain. The UFC want her to sign a new deal and face current champ Nunes in a rematch, but rival promotion Bellator are also believed to be keen to secure her signature. (BBC Sport)

20

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monday, JUly 29, 2019

Real Madrid call off Bale’s China move Egan Bernal (centre) with the six team-mates who helped him win the race – GB's Luke Rowe was disqualified from the race on stage 17

Team Ineos’ Bernal wins, Thomas 2nd

E

gan Bernal became the youngest rider in 110 years to win the Tour de France when he crossed the finish line on stage 21 in Paris on Sunday evening.

With the race leader not challenged on the final stage, 22-year-old Bernal became the first Colombian winner.

He crossed the line in the peloton, hand-in-hand with his Ineos team-mate and last year's winner Geraint Thomas, who finished second this time.

Caleb Ewan won the traditional sprint finish on the Champs-Elysees.

The Australian, who timed his charge to the line to perfection, edging out Dutch rider Dylan Groenewegen to win his second stage on his debut Tour, said: "It was quite messy I went down the right, I'd been told to avoid there and it is quite bumpy but luckily

I had enough speed to come through at the end."

Welshman Thomas went into the three-week race as joint leader with Bernal but his preparations were disrupted when he crashed while travelling at around 50mph in the Tour de Suisse in June.

He had to abandon that week-long race and then he had three minor crashes during this year's Tour.

Thomas led Bernal for much of the race but his team-mate was stronger in the final week in the Alps, and ended up winning by one minute 11 seconds, with Dutch rider Steven Kruijswijk 20 seconds further adrift.

Bernal's victory is the seventh in eight years for a British-based team, after Ineos took over the ownership of the Team Sky squad earlier this year.

Bradley Wiggins became the first British winner of

the race in 2012, with Chris Froome triumphing in 2013 and then claiming three in succession from 2015 before Thomas took last year's title.

Bernal is just the third Colombian to win one of cycling's three Grand Tours.

Nairo Quintana won the 2014 Giro d'Italia and 2016 Vuelta a Espana, while Luis Herera won the Vuelta in 1987.

How the final stage unfolded

A largely pedestrian 60km ride from Rambouillet to Paris saw Bernal and his Ineos team-mates sipping a celebratory glass of champagne.

As the riders entered the capital city, the race crossed the river Seine via Le Pont Neuf, close to the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame French television chose not to show the building that was ravaged by fire in April - before the riders swept

through the grounds of the Louvre.

Last year's champion Thomas was given the honour of leading the peloton through the Place de la Concorde and up the cobbles of the Champs-Elysees for the first time.

The pace increased with the passing of each 7km lap, which saw the riders swing round the Arc de Triomphe before hurtling back down the Champs-Elysees at speeds approaching 50mph before heading off back towards the Louvre.

Julian Alaphilippe, who led the race for 14 days, giving French fans hope of first home win since 1985, led the peloton on to the ChampsElysees for the final time, trying to set up a victory for his Deceuninck Quick Step team-mate Elia Viviani.

However, the Italian was nowhere as Lotto Soudal rider Ewan proved quickest in Paris. (BBC Sport)

Final general classification standings: 1. Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos) 82hrs 57mins 00secs 2. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos) +1min 11secs 3. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 31secs 4. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger/BoraHansgrohe) +1min 56secs 5. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/ Deceuninck-Quick

Step) +3mins 45secs6. Mikel Landa (Spa/ Movistar) +4mins 23secs7. Rigoberto Uran (Col/EF Education First) +5mins 15secs 8. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) +5mins 30secs 9. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) +6mins 12secs 10. Warren Barguil (Fra/Arkea-Samsic) +7mins 32secs

Bomb threat delays Canada fixture A

bomb threat delayed the start of the GT20 clash between Montreal Tigers and Winnipeg Hawks on Friday in Brampton. While little information has been forthcoming about the 90-minute delay that truncated the fixture to 12-overs-a-side, ESPNcricinfo spoke to a number of players from both squads.

Global T20 Canada organisers said, “play has been delayed due to some technical reasons” through their twitter account in a tweet posted at 4:50 pm local time, 20 minutes after play was scheduled to begin. However, a running scroll on one of the official TV broadcasts said “security issues” were the reason for

the delay. A number of fans tweeted images of standing in long queues outside the ground, after being denied entry by the police.

The players ESPNcricinfo contacted confirmed they weren’t allowed to enter the makeshift ground at the CAA Centre after a suspicious package had been left unattended at the venue. The police then closed off the venue to perform a sweep of the facility, by employing bomb-sniffing dogs.

“Routine sniffer dogs checks found a substance that alerted security,” one player told ESPNcricinfo.

Another source also said that alarms were raised after a hole was found in a temporarily constructed

Saad bin Zafar was the hero of the inaugural Global T20 Canada final won by Vancouver Knights GT20 Canada

perimeter fence that surrounds the cricket portion of the facility, contributing to the precautionary measures taken by local police.

The players were eventually let in to warm-up and begin the match after the package was deemed not dangerous. The reduced-overs match went off

without any further hiccups.

When the match finally began, the only other mention for the delay came through one of the commentators, who said a “security situation” was the reason without elaborating further. Montreal Tigers won by 24 runs, courtesy Sunil Narine’s 30-ball 59. (Cricinfo)

G

areth Bale’s move to China is off after Real Madrid cancelled the deal, with the Wales winger now set to stay at the Spanish club.

Bale, 30, had been expected to join Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning on a three-year deal, earning a reported £1m a week.

Last week Real boss Zinedine Zidane said Bale was “very close to leaving” having fallen out of favour.

Zidane added his exit would be “best for everyone”.

Bale joined the Spanish club for £85m from Tottenham in 2013 in a world record deal at the time.

He has three years left on his contract with the Bernabeu club where he has won four Champions Leagues, one La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, three Uefa Super Cups and three Club World Cups.

Bale scored three goals, plus a penalty in a shootout, in four Champions League finals for Real as they won the competition in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

However, injury problems have limited him to 79 La Liga starts in the past four seasons.

He played 42 matches for Real Madrid last season but was booed by the home supporters at times during the campaign.

It has been reported Real blocked Bale’s move as they are demanding a transfer fee for the player.

Real have also had their attacking options depleted with winger Marco Asensio set to miss the majority of the 2019-20 season after rupturing his knee ligaments.

Zidane’s return as Real boss in March was described as “bad news” by the forward’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, because the Frenchman did not want to work with Bale and the two men disagreed on playing style.

However, Real president Florentino Perez has often defended the Welshman.

Bale ended last season on the bench as Real endured their poorest domestic campaign in 20 years, with 12 defeats, 68 points

and a third-place finish - 19 points behind champions Barcelona. They were also knocked out of the Champions League by Ajax in the last 16.

Bale has reportedly been nicknamed ‘The Golfer’ by his Real team-mates, and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said Bale did not attend a team meal because he did not want to miss his bed time.

A pre-season to forget

Bale, Wales’ record goalscorer with 31 goals in 77 caps, was left out of Real’s first pre-season game of their US tour, a 3-1 defeat

by Bayern Munich on 21 July.

After the game Zidane said: “We hope he leaves soon. It would be best for everyone. We are working on his transfer to a new team.”

In response to Zidane’s comments, Barnett told AFP: “Zidane is a disgrace - he shows no respect for a player that has done so much for Real Madrid.”

Bale came off the bench in Real’s next game to score as they won on penalties after a 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the International Champions Cup, although Frenchman Zidane insisted “nothing had changed”.

He again started on the bench as Real were thrashed 7-3 by Atletico Madrid in New Jersey, but came on for the final 30 minutes. (BBC Sport)

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monday, JUly 29, 2019

Australia’s Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry celebrate at the end of the match (Reuters)

Hove.

Tammy Beaumont topscored with 43 from 39 balls as England posted what they hoped would be a potentially competitive 121-8 on a slow pitch.

With the Ashes already gone, England briefly had hope of a first series win when they reduced the tourists to 35-3.

But Meg Lanning (43 not out) and Ellyse Perry (47 not out) saw the Aussies past their target with 13 balls to spare.

on Wednesday - giving them the chance of going through the entire tour without losing a game.

England bat better – but still fall short

This was not a humiliation in the manner of England’s 194-run capitulation in the final one-day international at Canterbury, or their 93run hammering in the first game of this T20 series at Chelmsford.

But there was still a sense

that Australia remained in control of proceedings - as summed up by Amy Jones’ dismissal in the first over of the day after England won the toss.

Jones has been one of England’s success stories of the past 12 months.

Having spent much of her international career in the shadow of fellow keeper Sarah Taylor, she has established herself at the top of the order - hitting five half-centuries in six ODIs against Sri Lanka and West Indies this year.

However, she has now received 10 balls from Perry’s right-arm pace in white-ball cricket in this Ashes series - and been dismissed four times by the all-rounder, this time offering an easy catch to cover.

With opening partner Danni Wyatt soon caught at deep mid-on, trying to hit into a strong wind, and Natalie Sciver bowled round her legs, it was left to Beaumont to anchor the innings as wickets fell around her.

Perry did not return after her opening spell as Australia discovered the conditions suited their slower bowlers, while England found boundaries hard to come by.

And after Beaumont was bowled reverse-sweeping

England Women Innings (20 overs maximum) AE Jones † c Wareham b Perry 0 DN Wyatt c Mooney b Jonassen 9 TT Beaumont b Jonassen 43 NR Sciver b Wareham 8 HC Knight (c) c & b Wareham 17 L Winfield c Kimmince b Schutt 12 KH Brunt c †Healy b Kimmince 6 GA Elwiss run out (Gardner) 5 S Ecclestone not out 17 LA Marsh not out 1 Extras (lb 1, w 2) 3 TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 6.05) 121-8 Did not bat: KL Cross Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Amy Jones, 0.2 ov), 2-23 (Danielle Wyatt, 3.5 ov), 3-40 (Natalie Sciver, 7.1 ov), 4-78 (Tammy Beaumont, 12.4 ov), 5-80 (Heather Knight, 13.3 ov), 6-95 (Lauren Winfield, 16.2 ov), 7-98 (Katherine Brunt, 17.1 ov), 8-113 (Georgia Elwiss, 19.2 ov)

JL Jonassen S Molineux G Wareham DM Kimmince

(4-0-19-2) (2-0-15-0) (4-0-22-2) (4-0-21-1)

Australia Women Innings (target: 122 runs from 20 overs) AJ Healy † c †Jones b Brunt 20 BL Mooney b Ecclestone 9 MM Lanning (c) not out 43 A Gardner c Marsh b Cross 1 EA Perry not out 47 Extras (w 2) 2 TOTAL (17.5 Overs, RR: 6.84) 122-3 Did to bat: RL Haynes, S Molineux, JL Jonassen, G Wareham, DM Kimmince, M Schutt Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Alyssa Healy, 3.1 ov), 2-30 (Beth Mooney, 4.4 ov), 3-35 (Ashleigh Gardner, 6.1 ov) BOWLING GA Elwiss (2-0-22-0) KL Cross (3-0-20-1) S Ecclestone (4-0-18-1) KH Brunt (3.5-0-24-1) LA Marsh (3-0-23-0) NR Sciver (2-0-15-0)

BOWLING EA Perry (2-0-17-1) M Schutt (4-0-26-1) Jess Jonassen’s left-arm spin and captain Heather Knight popped a return catch to leg-spinner Georgia Wareham, no-one else took up the baton to push England towards a winning

score.

Indeed, only one four was hit in the entire second half of the innings as Australia put the squeeze on - although Lauren Winfield and Sophie Ecclestone hit sixes. (BBC Sport)

Lyles: Bolt not wrong to Mayweather protégé beats doubt championship mettle Nunez to defend WBA

R

ising United States sprinting talent Noah Lyles has admitted legendary Jamaica sprinter Usain Bolt was right to question his championship mettle but hopes to silence all doubters at the upcoming IAAF World Championships.

The 22-year-old Lyles has recently featured prominently among the handful of names labeled as potentially next in line to inherit the throne vacated by the big Jamaican.

To add fuel to the fire, Lyles recently clocked an impressive 19.50, the fourthfastest time in the event’s history, in Lausanne, Switzerland last month.

While admitting that Lyles was unquestionably a huge talent, Bolt insisted he

super-featherweight title

Noah Lyles ran the fourth fastest 200m time in history

was waiting to see such performances replicated on the big stage.

“Yeah, I’ve seen him run, I’ve seen him compete,” Bolt told the New York Times.

“Last season he was doing a lot of good things, this season he has started off good.

But as I said, it all comes down to the championship. Is he confident to come into a race after running three races and show up? For me, he has shown that he has talent, but when the

championship comes, we will see what happens,” he added.

Lyles is yet to compete at a major championship and is also a threat over 100m but dropped the event from his schedule at the United States national championship to ensure full focus on the 200m.

“Sounds about right to me, sounds like my thoughts exactly,” Lyles said when shown the Bolt’s comments.

“It’s why I decided to run one event this year.” (Sportsmax)

Gervonta Davis (right) signed with Mayweather Promotions in 2015

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ervonta Davis defended his WBA super-featherweight title with a knockout win over Ricardo Nunez on Saturday.

The American, 24, caught Nunez with a left hook midway through the second round and the Panamanian was stopped on the ropes shortly after.

Victory in Davis’ hometown of Baltimore ensured the Floyd Mayweather protege remains unbeaten and takes his record to 22 wins with 21 knockouts.

Davis said he now wants a unification fight with IBF champion Tevin Farmer.

It was a second defence of the WBA title by Davis while Nunez, who was fighting in the US for the first time, saw his record go to 213.

Davis, signed by Mayweather Promotions in 2015, claimed the WBA belt by stopping Argentina’s Jesus Cuellar in April 2018 before making his first defence against Hugo Ruiz in February. (BBC Sport)

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monday, JUly 29, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Invitational Golf Tournament…

Mangal, Dinanauth, Adams are champs T

he Laparkan Invitational Golf Tournament was held at the Lusignan Golf Club on Saturday, July 27, with proceedings getting underway from 12:45 hrs.

Under fair weather, the eager golfers took to the Course, but to the players’ dismay, a heavy downpour halfway during the tournament caused play to be stopped after only 9 holes had been accounted for.

Nevertheless, the golfers utilised the afternoon to review the day’s play and receive coaching on improving the techniques of their game. This was done by veteran former Captain Patrick Prashad.

Mike Mangal, Deoram Dinanauth and Carlos Adams emerged champions in their respective flights.

In the 20-28 flight, Carlos

Winners of Saturday’s event. From left: Alfred Mentore; Paton George, standing in for Pope Emmanuel London; George Bulkan; Guy Griffith; Mike Mangal; Deoram Dinanauth and Carlos Adams

Adams (31/13) topped the field, while 2nd place was a tie between Pope Emmanuel London (33/11) and Paton

George (33/10).

Pope Emmanuel won on the last six holes’ countback.

In the 11–19 flight,

Deoram Dinanauth (33/9) topped the field, while George Bulkan (36/9) placed second.

In the 0-9 flight, a tie ensued between Mike Mangal and Alfred Mentore at 36/5 for the winning spot, but Mangal had scored better on countback of the last 6 holes, thus he was given the first place and Mentore was given second place.

Dr Joaan Deo, representing Captain Chatterpaul Deo, was heartened at the performance of the golfers, and noted that the support, skill level and camaraderie displayed augur well for development of golf in Guyana.

For more information on golfing in Guyana, Lusignan Golf Club tournaments and activities etc., please contact the Club at 220-5660, or visit its Facebook page- lusignan golf club.

The Laparkan Trading Company Limited of Lots 2-9, Lombard St, Georgetown has more than

30 years of service in the Caribbean, and is the largest network of offices and agents in that part of the world.

This company has more than 6000 agents worldwide to serve customers through its international partners.

The company provides solutions for customers’ transportation and logistical needs, and has membership in over 6 (six) international freight forwarding organisations.

Laparkan’s efficient operations are facilitated by several agencies, including an Air and Cargo Division, Freight Forwarding Division, Office Equipment and Supplies Division and a Shipping Division.

Laparkan has been contributing to the Lusignan Golf Club especially in areas of freight/cargo delivery.

Western Union Malteenoes Guyana Captain delighted with Junior Kolapore victory SC cricket academy bowls off today L NRA’s 150th Imperial Meeting…

ennox Braithwaite, as captain of the Guyana Team which competed and won the Junior Kolapore match at the NRA’s 150th Imperial Meeting in England, has declared how delighted he was at the team winning this prestigious trophy.

At that meeting also as Captain of the West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council Team, Braithwaite has said that, despite challenging conditions which were experienced by almost all the shooters, and also challenges with the ammunition, the Guyana team represented this country with pride, and he is proud of their performance as well as the performance of team Coach, GuyanaNRA Vice Captain Dylan Fields.

Guyana totalled 558 points along with 51 Vs, to beat the Falkland Islands

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The winning Guyanese quartet of (from right) John Fraser, Dylan Fields, Lennox Braithwaite and Sigmund Douglas

which totalled 553 points along with 44Vs. The twin-island Republic of Trinidad

and Tobago secured third place with 549 points and 37Vs.

The individual and overall scores of the top three nations are listed below.

Guyana

Name Lennox Braithwaite Dylan Fields John Fraser Sigmund Douglas Total

Falkland Islands M. Dodd C. Berntsen KJ Aldridge GK Goodwin Total

Trinidad & Tobago N. Gomez O. Daniel J. White C. Gomez Total

300x 49.8v 49.5v 46.4v 43.1v 187.18v

500x 48.6v 49.8v 45.3v 46.3v 188.20v

600x 48.6v 46.3v 44.2v 45.2v 183.13v

Total 145.20v 144.16v 135.9v 134.6v 558.51v

48.3v 47.5v 45.3v 41.4v 181.15v

49.7v 45.3v 44.2v 46.2v 184.14v

49.4v 48.7v 47.0v 44.4v 188.15v

146.14v 140.15v 136.5v 131.10v 553.44v

48.6v 44.3v 44.0v 45.3v 181.12v

46.3v 47.4v 50.2v 45.5v 188.14v

46.2v 47.5v 43.3v 44.1v 180.11v

140.11v 138.12v 137.5v 134.9v 549.37v

he 2019 edition of the cricket academy sponsored by the Western Union Malteenoes Sport Club (MSC) will begin today, Monday July 29, from 9:00h at the Malteenoes Sports Club on Thomas Road in Thomas Lands, Georgetown.

Slated to conclude on Friday August 9, this academy will hold sessions for male and female participants between the ages of 6 years and 18 years daily from Monday to Friday between 9:00hrs and 15:00hrs.

Besides cricket, participants will benefit from information in areas such as personal and educational development, which are equally important to any individual. Some activities planned for the academy are: training on etiquette, public speaking, anti-drug awareness, and Interactive and critical thinking.

Head Coach of the National Under-17 team, Orin Bailey, and Demerara Cricket Club Coach, the former Guyana senior off-spinner Garvin Nedd, will run sessions at this cricket academy, assisted by female c o a c h

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones presenting batting gloves to 2018 academy participant Brandon Corlette at the closing ceremony

Subrina Munroe.

Registration fees for girls between the ages of 6 and 12 years cost G$2000.

The fee for girls aged 12 to 18 years is G$3000. The fee for boys aged 6 to 12 years is G$3000; and for boys between the ages of 12 and 18 years, the fee is G$4000.

The following dress code applies to all participants of this cricket academy: Long track pants, white T-shirts, and 70 percent white sneakers.

Application forms are available at the MSC in Thomas Lands between 15:00hrs and 20:00hrs daily.

Besides Western Union Grace K e n n e d y Remittance Services, past participants of

this cricket academy have contributed financial support to the staging of this academy.

The academy’s opening ceremony today, Monday July 29, is expected to be attended by Director of Sport Christopher Jones, who will deliver the feature address.

For further information on the academy, interested persons are invited to contact Troy Lewis on telephone number 592-613-2575.

The Malteenoes Sports Club, formed in 1902, is considered one of the oldest institutions of its kind in Georgetown. Besides cricket, table tennis and darts are offered at this iconic sports club, which has produced some great cricketers, journalists and well-rounded individuals. (Brandon Corlette)

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, JUly 29, 2019

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Sale of CPL 2019 tickets for Guyana games postponed

he sale of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tickets for the Guyana games has been postponed.

In a release on Sunday, CPL OPCO (Guyana) advised that the sale of tickets for the Guyana Amazon Warriors home matches of the 2019 Hero CPL which was due to commence today has been post-

poned to a date to be announced. It was also noted that a notice would be issued advising on the new start date of ticket sales.

“CPL OPCO apologises to all our fans and especially to our overseas supporters for any inconvenience caused,” the release stated.

CWI Regional U-19 Tourney…

Guyana’s opening match washed out

F

ive-time Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Under-19 One-Day defending champions, Guyana, yesterday began their campaign in the 2019 edition of this tournament against the Windward Islands at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent & the Grenadines.

Having won the toss, Guyana decided to bowl first. However, after only two overs had been bowled, the onset of rain halted play for the day, with the Windward Islands on 13 without loss facing the bowling of Qumar Torrington and Leon Swamy.

Guyana’s starting XI featured Alex Algoo, Junior Sinclair, Sachin Singh, Kevlon Anderson, Alphius Bookie, Garfield Benjamin, Ashmead Nedd, Kelvin Umroa, Joel Spooner, Leon Swamy and Qumar Torrington.

Daniel Mootoo, Adrian Hinds and Seon Glasgow were on the sidelines. Sinclair, a brilliant off-spinner, kept wicket in this opening match.

Led by Ashmead Nedd, Guyana will now shift focus towards their next match, to be played on Tuesday July 30, when they lock horns with Barbados at Arnos Vale from 9:30h.

With onset of the rainy season in St Vincent and the Grenadines, winning the

toss assumes added importance moving forward in the tournament.

Guyana had overcome Barbados in a low-scoring thriller in the 2018 edition of this tournament, winning the encounter by three wickets.

Barbados had scored 80 all out in 25 overs in that match. Kelvin Umroa and Qumar Torrington, who had played in that encounter and are present in this team, had collectively taken three wickets. Sachin Singh was Guyana’s top-scorer in that match with 21 runs from 28 balls. Anderson, Sinclair and Nedd had respectively scored five, six and seven runs.

Barbados will be led by West Indies Under-19 player Nyeem Young, who had also played last year. The Bajan Squad is as follows: Nyeem Young (captain, formerly St. Michael), Rashawn Worrell (vice-captain, St. Leonard’s), Rivaldo Clarke (St. Leonard’s), Matthew Forde, Che Simmons (Combermere), Indal Persaud (Police/ Combermere), Dasani Griffith, Rikeem Headley, Antonio Morris (Foundation), Mekhail Marshall (Carlton, formerly Queen’s College), Shemar Persaud (Carlton, formerly Ellerslie), Demetrius Richards (Ellerslie), Ramon Simmonds (Alleyne), and Kevin Wickham (Grantley Adams).

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Guyana’s basketball sensation Kevon Wiggins takes Monroe College by storm

C

ontinuing on a trajectory of success in basketball, the ultra-talented 18-year-old Kevon Wiggins has recently been signed by the Monroe College Express men’s basketball team.

Having until recently played for the Guyana senior and junior basketball teams, Wiggins has of late been playing basketball in New York, where he is attending high school, and has been distinguishing himself as a dominant force there.

Speaking exclusively with this reporter, Wiggins explained that his playing basketball in Guyana is responsible for the expertise that has given him all the recognition he now enjoys.

“I picked Monroe College because this is the team I know I will make an immediate impact on, and hopefully win a championship in my first year at that college”, Wiggins revealed.

This Rose Hall Town, Corentyne native is beyond thankful for being signed at this elite college based in the Bronx, New York, USA.

“Coming f r o m Guyana, I had only one intention, and that is to get to college for free by playing the game I love, and doing what’s best for me and my family. Now it’s finally happened, I am one step closer to my dreams; but that’s a very big step, and with my determination and hardworking mentality, I will overcome,” Wiggins disclosed on his social network.

Wiggins played for the Evander Childs Campus Tigers in high school basketball in the United States of America (USA) and scored 503 points in his senior season. That represented the second highest points scored. In one match against Rooseveldt, Wiggins scored 50 points despite being fouled out in the third quarter.

The young star has expressed gratitude to the Guyana Basketball

Federation (GBF); his former New Amsterdam Secondary School Coach Willon Cameron, who is presently Coach of the President’s College in Guyana; Lugard Mohan, Chris Bowman, Keeny Avent, David Fona and, most importantly, his parents and grandmother.

He is also thankful to all those who have supported him throughout his journey.

(Brandon Corlette)

Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” – Georgetown…

Organiser shifts penultimate night to August 2

Former New York Knicks player to visit Guyana

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ormer NBA New York Knicks player Anthony Bonner, aka “The Big Man from St Louis”, will be in Guyana this August for the second free Youth Hoops Basketball Guyana Clinic, organised by Green Mango Media in partnership with the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABA).

Bonner will, from August 6th to 8th, host training sessions in Regions 4 and 10

Former NBA player Anthony Bonner

with Xperience Outreach (USA) founder and youth coach Rich Mahler. Young people between the ages of 11 and 19 are invited to participate.

“We are excited that Anthony Bonner agreed to travel to Guyana to be a

part of YHBG, which was formed to give young basketball players a chance to be trained and hear from athletes who played/play in top leagues, including the NBA and BIG3,” said a spokesperson for YHBG. This is the first time that Bonner will be visiting Guyana.

Anthony Bonner was one of the top forwards in the NBA during the 1990s. He played six seasons in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings (23rd overall pick), New York Knicks and Orlando Magic.

Bonner was on the 1994 Knicks team that made it all the way to the NBA Finals.

Then, a year later, the team made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Playing for the Orlando Magic in 1996, his team again made a playoff run, but lost to the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls.

After leaving the NBA, he played in professional leagues in Europe before returning to St Louis and sponsoring youth basketball camps to help young athletes attain the same level of success he had enjoyed.

Youth Hoops Basketball Guyana Clinic was launched in April 2019, with sessions in Georgetown and Linden hosted by Rich Mahler

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Some of the action from the Georgetown segment of this event

Coach Rich Mahler

and former NBA and present BIG3 baller, Jermaine Taylor.

“Green Mango Media is committed to promoting youth skill development in basketball through local and international partnerships, and to reinvigorate an interest in basketball at all levels,” a spokesperson has said.

Bonner and Mahler will focus on footwork, aggressiveness, mentality, and allround offensive skills, including ball-handling and shooting.

They will also identify players with the potential to make it to the next level, and hold talks with players on the pathway to sports college/training scholarships in the United States and playing in the NBA.

ollowing onset of the rainy season with its accompanying persistent downpours, the National Cultural Centre tarmac has been rendered unplayable, thus the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ quarter-final and semi-final matches have been shifted to Friday August 2nd, but will be played at the same venue.

Tournament coordinator Three Peat Promotions made this disclosure in an official correspondence that said: “The torrential downpour rendered the venue unplayable, which was certainly disappointing, as systems were in place for a wonderful night of action.

“Priority was and must be given to the safety and overall health of the players. Although injuries are a by-product of the sport, we have to use every opportunity to ensure and remove any possibility of injury

(to) the players. That is the most important factor of the event, because without the players there would be no event.

“Despite the unfortunate incident, we envision a thrilling night of action on Friday, as the teams vie for a coveted final’s berth.”

In the opening match, Broad Street will oppose Leopold Street from 19:00hrs, while Albouystown ‘B’ will be taking aim at Back Circle from 19:45hrs, and Sparta Boss will be opposing Sophia from 20:30hrs.

The fourth quarterfinal match will put defending champions Gold is Money against Tiger Bay from 21:45hrs. The respective winners would advance to the semi-final stage. The grand final will be staged on August 3rd at Jubilee Park.

Winner of the event will collect $500,000 and the

championship trophy, and would automatically secure a place in the National Championships.

The second, third and fourth place finishers will cop $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively, plus the corresponding trophy.

The National Championships, to be contested over two days, will commence on August 9th at the Pouderoyen Tarmac on the West Bank of Demerara.

Fifteen teams are slated to compete in the event, which will conclude on August 10 at Jubilee Park.

Presently, Gold is Money [National Champion], Beacons [Bartica Champion], Melanie ‘B’ [East Coast Demerara winner], Brothers United [West Bank Demerara/East Bank Demerara winner], Trafalgar [Berbice champion] and High Rollers [Linden champion] have sealed automatic berths.

monday, JUly 29, 2019

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

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Sale of CPL 2019 tickets for Guyana games postponed Page 23

See stories on page 23

Former New York Knicks player to visit Guyana Anthony Bonner tried to block a shot against Michael Jordan on March 28, 1995

Guyana’s basketball sensation Kevon Wiggins takes Monroe College by storm

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