Guyana Times - Thursday, April 18, 2019

Over 14,700 students sitting NGSA 2019 P13 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3898

guyanatimesgy.com

thurSday, april 18, 2019

Police question Opposition Leader Page 3

...about “chase them out”, alleged “jackass” statements ...recording reveals Jagdeo said “Judas”, not “jackass”

Teixeira, Anamayah resign as MPs over dual citizenship status

Page 9

Daughter charged for killing mother faints in court

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

No election matters on parliamentary P7 agenda …sitting set for April 26

P11 M&CC pensioners threaten legal action against City Hall …still waiting on $124M approved disbursement

Police call on School of the Nations principal to ID shooter P11

Page 10

All PPP wants is free and fair elections in Guyana – P5 Jagdeo

After being charged for killing her mother, Cameela Jameer fainted twice at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday before the charges could have been read to her. In photo, Police ranks were seen lifting the 47-year-old woman out of the courtroom to take her to hospital (Andrew Carmichael photo)

PPP calls for full probe into Minister’s conflict of interest reports Page 7

22 workplace accident deaths recorded in 2018 See story on page 14

Harmon promises Berbicians P10 required services

2

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

news

3

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Thursday, April 18 – a night retraction at 04:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h and Friday, April 19 – 05:30h-07:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Police question Opposition Leader ...about “chase them out”, alleged “jackass” statements ...recording reveals Jagdeo said “Judas”, not “jackass”

Thursday, April 18 – 15:40h-17:10h and Friday, April 19 – 16:35h-18:05h.

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

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers can be expected throughout the morning, followed by partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. Light to partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening, with overall temperatures ranging between 21 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-easterly and Northeasterly between 2.23 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 03:45 and 16:07h reaching maximum heights of 2.78 metres and 2.80 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 09:41h and 21:58h reaching minimum heights of 0.40 metre and 0.42 metre respectively.

WEDNESday, april 17, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS D

09

11

16

18

20

26

FREE TICKET

04 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

04

08

09 13

24

7

2

LUCKY 3

9

3

Afternoon Draw

5

1

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

01

03

06

08

PAY DAY

03 08

10 11 13

09

10

20 SUPER PAY DAY

01 07

11 19 20

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

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo being questioned by two CID ranks in the presence of his lawyers at his Church Street, Georgetown office on Wednesday

P

olice ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters on Wednesday turned up at the Office of the Opposition Leader, after Bharrat Jagdeo returned from his overseas trip.

While he was not arrested, he was questioned about statements allegedly delivered at Babu Jaan and directed to President Granger and PM Nagamootoo. This would presumably mean that the two high officials had to have filed a complaint against Jagdeo, thus giving credibility to claims that Police action against the opposition leader was politically directed.

During an annual memorial service March 10, 2019 at Babu Jaan for former President and founding member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr Cheddi Jagan in Port Mourant, Corentyne, Jagdeo called upon all Guyanese to reject the coalition Government, including President David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo after March 21, 2019, “by chasing them out” since that was the time according to the Constitution that they would have been illegally occupying office if an election was not held.

A complaint was subsequently filed against the Opposition Leader and as such, the two CID ranks turned up at this Church Street, Georgetown office to question him about his utterances.

“Basically I’m here to solicit from you any reply… as it relates to [your] March 10th visit to Port Mourant,” former Deputy Crime Chief, Hugh Jessemy informed Jagdeo during the highly publicised visit.

Jessemy had previously retired from the Force back in 2017, but a few months later, in 2018, was rehired to head the Cold Case Unit within the CID headquarters.

Nevertheless, during Wednesday’s visit to the Opposition Leader, Jessemy, who was accompanied by Assistant Superintendent of Police Cameron, informed Jagdeo that on the day and at the location in question, he told persons gathered there that “…if the President, Mr Granger, and Mr Nagamootoo; if they come

to chase them ‘cause they illegal, that’s one. And two, you called the President and Mr Moses Nagamootoo and one, Mr (Sydney) Allicock, jackasses. So it’s fair enough if you want to explain; these are the two things I actually (came) here about”.

Jessemy indicated to Jagdeo that he can reply in whatever means he chooses, that is, oral or written.

Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the PPP, informed the ranks that he had strong justification for the statements made and offered to submit his explanations in a written statement.

“I’m tempted to give you an explanation because I do believe that there are strong justifications for everything that I said. But I will prefer to just give you a written statement,” Jagdeo said, while adding “…Had it not been a legal matter, I would have justified every single word that I uttered there at Babu Jaan”.

At the time of Wednesday’s brief questioning, Jagdeo was accompanied by his lawyers, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall and

A snapshot of the story published in 2015

Attorney Sanjeev Datadin along with other party members including Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali, former President and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Priya Manickchand, among others.

On Tuesday, the PPP accused the Guyana Police Force of taking political instruction from the Government to arrest the Opposition Leader upon his return from the United States.

In a statement, the party said that the police has been instructed by Congress Place and the Office of the President to arrest, detain and charge the Opposition Leader with criminal offence(s) under the Racial Hostility Act, Chapter 23:01, Laws of Guyana, for wilfully inciting or attempting to incite racial hostility in relation his speech at Babu Jaan last month.

Turn to page 10

4

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, april 18, 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

Norte Dame Cathedral vs our historical sites

O

n Monday, April 15, 2019, the world watch in shock as the 850-year-old Cathedral of Norte Dame in Paris, France, became engulfed in flames. While much of the historic and iconic structure was destroyed in the fire, valiant efforts led to the saving of precious artworks and most venerated relic. Reports suggest that aside from precious artworks, a nail from the cross of Jesus Christ and what is believed to be the Crown of Thorns, were housed within its walls.

The people of France are deeply affected as they mourn what is being described as its “Lady” and the soul of their country. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, who was on the scene, was quoted as saying, “Notre Dame is our history, it’s our literature, it’s our imagery. It’s the place where we live our greatest moments, from wars to pandemics to liberations. This history is ours. And it burns”.

The Cathedral has come to epitomise France and the French people feel a sense of connection to it as many around the world, whether they were Christians or not, including the millions of tourists with cherished memories. Even in the face of its destruction, it remains a towering beacon of unbridled pride.

Macron wasted no time in announcing that the Cathedral will be rebuilt. Citing that it’s probably part of the French destiny, he said a national donation scheme which will extend beyond the borders of France, will be started. That swift announcement speaks to the tremendous value that is attached to the Cathedral by the people of France and what they know it means to millions of others across the world.

France is not the only country that is cognizant of the value of its historic buildings. Many countries have enshrined the protection of these edifices with parts of towns and cities being safeguarded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO). The Norte Dame Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Such sites offer a glimpse into the past and serve, in some instances, as a reservoir or as pivotal focal points to understand, not just history, but the cultural journey over time. It also identifies with the individual countries. Guyana is not devoid of such buildings that are of immense historical value. Sadly, some have been destroyed and not rebuilt while others, even though a bit more fortunate, need much care.

Cognizant of the need to help preserve these historical sites, the Government established the National Trust of Guyana in 1972.

It has expended much efforts over the years however, gauging from the appearance of some of the buildings, resources may be a suggested constraint. It is tasked with preserving national monuments and buildings it has declared as part of its overall responsibilities.

Its powers, however, were brought into question when State House, which is categorised as a national monument on its website, was painted in green after the current Government took office. Green is the colour of the A Partnership for National Unity, the dominant party in the coalition Government.

Since May 2015, a number of public buildings and bridges were repainted to reflect that party colour in what seems an exercise for it to be imposed. The Office of the President was also not spared. Many objected, especially to the repainting of State House, however their cries fell on Government’s deaf ears.

The basic understanding that generally governs heritage sites globally is that any refurbishing cannot alter the appearance as agreed for preservation. This does not in any way prevent restoration work; work which Sate House has undergone when the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was in government.

Whatever was done then to keep the building intact, seemingly confirmed to the guiding protocols.

That said, questions were raised as to whether the National Trust was consulted on painting State House green. It remains unclear if it was and if so, why it may have agreed. As it is, the appearance of this national monument was altered thereby deliberately interrupting its historical aesthetics which is considered a direct contradiction of the policies of preservation.

This can be easily interpreted as devaluing its historical worth and even desecration seemingly just for political gratification.

It clearly sends the wrong message to the current and coming generations. If only those responsible could have been aware as to what State House, built in 1823, and other historical sites mean to Guyanese, as President Macron is for France. What makes this Government’s actions even more baffling to the point being worry, is that the Head of State is a historian who needs no lecture on the value of our historical sites.

The value of the Norte Dame Cathedral to the French people over the many centuries, transcended political boundaries. It is part of what made France, France. Similarly, here, there are sites that make Guyana, Guyana. All it takes is for more awareness be brought and for them to be respected.

What happened to State House smacks of disrespect to both its historical value and the National Trust; a stark contrast to what currently plays out in France even as the Norte Dame Cathedral stands in ruins.

Education Minister Nicolette Henry advising a student of St Gabriel’s Primary School to ensure he reads and understands each question on the National Grade Six Assessment papers before attempting to answer. The Minister also visited several primary schools where similar advice was given (Education Ministry photo)

Business quietly returns to Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi’s murder

By Michael J de la Merced, Stanley Reed and Daisuke Wakabayashi

S

ix months after agents from Saudi Arabia murdered and dismembered the writer Jamal Khashoggi, companies are no longer shying away from the Arab kingdom.

The movie theater giant AMC says it is moving ahead with ambitious expansion plans for dozens of cinemas there. Hundreds of investors thronged last week to place US$100 billion in orders for the first international bond sale tied to Saudi Arabia’s state-backed oil company.

Google has a major data centre in the works.

Many companies contend that they are, in part, helping to open up the deeply conservative society. A screening of Marvel’s “Black Panther” at a repurposed concert hall in early 2018 lifted a 35-year ban on movie theatres, with men and women attending the showing together.

But the math is simple: There is serious money to be made from working with the kingdom that lives off the world’s most profitable company, Aramco. A few weeks ago, Aramco disclosed that it generated US$111.1 billion in net income last year. That was more than Apple, Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil combined.

“It is nothing personal,” J Robinson West, the managing director of the BCG Centre for Energy Impact, a Washington-based consulting unit, said about why investors and banks flocked to the bond sale.

To corporations around the world, the October death of Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who was strangled when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, was a controversy to avoid. Business leaders pulled out of a high-profile, government-sponsored conference in Riyadh, and

have since largely kept quiet about their companies’ ties to the kingdom.

But global businesses and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, recognise a need for each other.

Saudi Arabia’s fortunes fall and rise with the price of oil. Increasingly, it wants fresh investment and businesses to support its fast-growing population – 33 million people, most of whom are younger than 30 – and to winnow a nearly 13 per cent unemployment rate.

The crown prince rolled out a grand promotional campaign in 2016 to woo investors, but the results have been meagre. Direct foreign investment fell to a decade low in 2017, just US$1.4 billion, according to the Institute for International Finance, a research organisation in Washington.

Investment fell, in part, because of concerns about how the kingdom – which increasingly means Prince Mohammed – confronts problems. In fall 2017, hundreds of Saudi businessmen and princes were detained, essentially under house arrest, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh and other locations amid corruption allegations.

About a dozen female activists were arrested in May for campaigning for broader rights, including driving.

Some are still being held on “suspicion of harming Saudi interests,” and their court hearings have been delayed multiple times, including this week.

“Things certainly got worse after the fall of 2017 and have not significantly improved,” said Karen Young, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, referring to investment levels.

But the promise of Saudi Arabia, which saw oil prices rise by a third this year

to about US$71 a barrel for Brent crude, has been too rich for many big companies to pass up. Google, JPMorgan Chase and the Japanese technology giant SoftBank are among the businesses that have kept Saudi Arabia as a partner.

“We thought long and hard, and concluded that the best course of action was to go forward,” Adam Aron, the chief executive of AMC, said in an interview, describing his company’s decision to open at least 40 new theatres there over the next five years.

“It’s the right thing to do for the people of Saudi Arabia,” he said this month.

“They have been deprived of going to the movies for decades.”

Google has been working on a Saudi data centre, its first in the Middle East and an important hub for its cloud computing services, for more than a year. Revelations about Khashoggi’s killing had not derailed its plans. When asked about its business with the kingdom, Google said it had signed a memo of understanding with Saudi Aramco in early 2018 “to explore potential establishment of cloud services to serve our customers in the Middle East.”

“There are no further updates to share at this time,” the company added.

JPMorgan’s Chief Executive, Jamie Dimon, cancelled an appearance at the Riyadh conference in October, but showed up to pitch Saudi Aramco’s bond deal to investors in New York two weeks ago.

The investment firm Blackstone is still planning to spend money from a US$40 billion infrastructure fund, of which US$20 billion is meant to come from Saudi coffers, according to a person briefed on the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly about the firm’s investment plans.

And SoftBank, whose nearly US$100 billion Vision Fund for technology investments counts the Saudi government as its biggest backer, has had little difficulty crafting deals using Saudi cash. It has participated in 20 investments since the Khashoggi news emerged, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Some analysts said that floating Aramco’s bonds was a shrewd move by the crown prince.

Aramco raised US$12 billion from its first-ever bond offering on the international market. Investors placed tens of billions of dollars in orders on the same day that the State Department barred 16 Saudis from the United States, for their suspected role in killing Khashoggi.

“Everyone in Saudi will be celebrating that they have actually pulled this through and made it a success story,” Ayham Kamel, head of Middle East at Eurasia Group, a political risk firm, said of the bond deal.

Many Western companies were tight lipped about their continued investment in Saudi Arabia for weeks after Khashoggi disappeared.

But in November, SoftBank’s chief executive, Masayoshi Son, publicly articulated what many corporate titans have quietly used as their justification for working with the kingdom. “As horrible as this event was, we cannot turn our backs on the Saudi people as we work to help them in their continued efforts to reform and modernize their society,” Son told analysts and investors at an earnings presentation in Tokyo Companies have also taken cues from the Trump administration, which has repeatedly stressed that it considers the crown prince a crucial ally in a long-awaited Middle East peace proposal and other issues. (Excerpt from The New York Times)

news

5

Thursday, APRIL 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

All PPP wants is free and fair elections in Guyana – Jagdeo

O

pposition Leader and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo, said he is satisfied with the effectiveness of Mercury Public Affairs and believes his party got value for the $34 million contract it signed with the US consulting firm.

Fielding questions about the company at this weekly press conference on Wednesday, Jagdeo pointed out that he is happy with the decision to hire the lobbyist firm and did so after reviewing their work and found it to be “effective” – something which the PPP needs.

“We’re very happy with the firm, we’re happy with its credentials, we’re happy that the firm is a bipartisan firm – both Democrats and Republicans… We need an effective firm to counter the lies being told by the APNU

(A Partnership for National Unity) in Washington…

Every cent is worth it,” he contended.

Jagdeo said that the US lobbyist firm was contracted early in March and was paid for by funds donated to the party. The main role of Mercury is to advise the PPP on its presence in Washington and to ensure that its views are being heard by policymakers at every level in the US and internationally.

According to the Opposition Leader, the PPP needs to establish its presence in Washington since many international organisations and even the US Government can be tainted by the coalition Government’s misrepresentation of the issues in Guyana.

“So we have to have a presence there [in Washington] so that we can have access to those bodies [and] we can bring a balance to what is be-

ing peddled in those circles.

So, therefore, we took that step as a party to have that presence and we’re going to continue with that presence,” he insisted.

The PPP General Secretary went on to outline that he has already seen evidence of the benefit of recruiting Mercury Public Affairs to work on the party’s behalf. In fact, during a recent visit to the North American state, he was able to meet with senior functionaries of both the executive and legislative level of the US Government.

“I believe we’re getting all our views into all the cir-

cles that matters so when the lies come from Guyana through the various sources and Government, people can ask the right questions from them. One thing I’ve gotten out of Washington from the executive – the senior functionaries I met there – as well as the Congress, is that they will pay careful attention to Guyana and support free and fair elections,” he asserted.

Jagdeo, also a former President of Guyana, posited that it is unfortunate that party members have to travel all the way to the US to ensure that free and fair elections prevail in Guyana.

“All the PPP wants is free and fair elections in Guyana, that what we’re lobbying for.

It’s a shame that we have to, in the 21st century – go to Washington to lobby for free and fair elections just because of this Government’s transgressions: refusal to accept a no-confidence vote; install one of their persons in GECOM [Guyana Elections Commission]; violating the Constitution and 25 years of history; and threatening democracy once again. It’s a shame we have to do this,” he pointed out.

Responding to questions about the company’s implication in several contentious matters in the US, Jagdeo explained that he has examined all of this and is now looking at the company versus a partner in the company who had issues. He added too that the bipartisan nature of the company, as well as its effective-

ness, were critical factors for the party’s decision to hire the company.

“In the US system, if [the firm] is lobbying on behalf of anyone, they have to register who they’re doing so on behalf of. If they violate anything in that registration, that ethics, the US system picks it up and deals with it. So the mere fact that this firm is still operating in Washington and is very effective, means it is in good standing and in good standing for me,” the Opposition Leader maintained.

Mercury Public Affairs is a high-stakes public strategy and communications firm that provides services to the world’s most successful companies, leading advocacy groups, Governments, political parties, NGOs, and prominent public and political figures, including US President Donald Trump.

The Region will focus on CCJ rulings on Guyana Dear Editor, The CCJ’s President (equivalent of Chancellor in Guyana) celebrated 14 years of its existence on April 16 bragging about its 34 judgments. Does the court render fair objective rulings? Do the people of the region really want or trust the court or prefer to return to the London Privy Council? The Barbadian Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, described the court judges as “politicians in robes” and promises to pull her country out of it and return to the London Privy Council.

Many of the CCJ’s judgments would not pass muster if appealed to the Privy Council. The late Queens Counsels, Fenton Ramsahoye and Karl Hudson Phillips, told me that Law Lords in England laugh at some of the judgments rendered by the CCJ. Other Senior and Queens Counsels I spoke with in Trinidad, Guyana, Jamaica, and Barbados said many of the rulings of the CCJ would have been reversed if appeals were allowed in the Privy Council. Politicians, lawyers, laymen and former judges I spoke with in the region say “thank God for the Privy Council” when referring to some of the judgments of the CCJ. In other words, they are saying their country’s judicial system is best protected with the Privy Council as the final court of appeal.

Many said that the Law Lords would not have accepted the CCJ’s ruling that Parliament is supreme over the people in amending the Constitution.

The British Government held a referendum on whether the UK could break away from the European Union.

It is noted that the CCJ was launched without the approval of the people in the region. Of the four nations (Guyana, Barbados, Dominica and Belize) that accept the CCJ as the final court of appeal, not one of them held a referendum on accepting its jurisdiction.

Referendums held in Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines rebuffed the court as the final court of appeal; the people prefer the

Privy Council. The Barbados Government had promised to hold a referendum before accepting the CCJ as its final court but changed course when public opinions revealed that the court would be rejected in a referendum vote.

Instead, the Government joined the court without the promised referendum.

In opinion polls I conducted in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, St Kitts, Antigua and Guyana, the population overwhelmingly oppose the CCJ as the final court of appeal for their country. In a survey I conducted just last week in Trinidad, voters reject the CCJ by two to one.

Voters said they have greater faith in the Privy Council of London. The people feel that the Privy Council (dubbed as the White Man court) renders impartial justice.

The seven judges of the

CCJ and their staff should visit the four countries where the CCJ has jurisdiction to get the population’s view on the court. They will be surprised by the findings. If the Chief Justice (President Adrian Saunders) has faith in the court, he should urge the four Governments to hold a referendum on whether each

should continue with having the CCJ as their final court of appeal or return to the Privy Council.

The people in the region will be looking at the judgments in two upcoming important court cases relating to the appointment of GECOM Chair and the no-confidence motion -- whether 33 is a sim-

ple majority and/or absolute majority of 65 and whether an absolute majority is needed for a no-confidence motion.

The CCJ judgments will determine whether long-held mathematical concepts (like majority and absolute majority) have to be redefined and whether amendments to a Constitution have legality. Can a judge rule

whether 3 is not greater than 2 and people accept it? Queens Counsels and Law Lords are having a field day in the UK upon learning that two judges say that 33 is not a majority (and not an absolute majority) of 65.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram (PhD)

Breach of people’s constitutional rights Dear Editor, I am a former junior staff of Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) Enmore Estate, having contributed to the pension scheme by monthly monetary payroll deduction.

After retirement, with over 30 years in contributions to the pension scheme, I was qualified for a monthly pension payment.

In June 1999, I immigrated to the US, with full arrangements with GuySuCo to deposit my monthly pension into my Guyana bank account. All went well until for the first time, in 2016, my pension deposit was stopped.

With the timely intervention by GuySuCo’s Human Resource Director, Mr Earl John, my pension payment

was restored in September 8, 2017, with a total payment of $226,308.

After that impasse, all went well with my pension deposit. Until March 2019 when no pension was deposited into my bank account and despite making contact with GuySuCo, Paul Bhim, Sugar and Trading Enterprises Pension Scheme (STEPS) and Republic Bank,

no information is forthcoming on my pension.

Instead of paying their debts, GuySuCo is spending millions of dollars to provide meals for its top brass at the expense of those GuySuCo is obligated to pay. A total breach of the people’s constitutional rights.

Respectfully, Albert Persaud

6

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

Page

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation T

here are many ways that parents can foster positive body image and strong self-esteem in their children. If you are at all concerned about your child’s body image, self-esteem or eating behaviours, consult with your doctor or dietician for information and referral.

Your body image is how you think and feel about your body, and what you imagine it looks like. This may have nothing to do with your actual appearance. Poor body image can have a range of negative effects, including disordered eating, compulsive exercise, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. Relationships, social functioning, mood and activity choices can be seriously affected by low self-esteem. Feeling embarrassed about physical appearance can cause some people to decrease social interactions. This can create feelings of loneliness and isolation, and increase fears of rejection, leading to further lowered self-image.

P

eople might think guys don’t worry about their looks.

Guys may not talk about their bodies as much as girls do.

But they spend plenty of time in front of the mirror. And for some guys, body image can be a problem.

What is body image?

Body image is the way you think and feel about your body and looks. How you feel about your body affects how you feel about yourself. Many people feel unhappy with some part of their looks. But if you get too focused on what you don’t like, it can bring down your self-esteem.

People with a good body image: * feel OK about the way they look * accept their body as it is * feel good about what their body can do * take good care of their body You don’t need a perfect body to have a good body image. You just need to accept the body you have. Focus more on what you like than what you don’t. Take good care of your body. Doing these things will help you feel good about your body. And about yourself.

Can puberty affect body image?

Your body changes a lot during puberty. How you feel about your body might change too. It can take time to feel at ease in a body you’re not used to.

And not everyone goes through puberty at the same time. It can feel awkward if you’re the first one whose voice is changing or who’s growing body hair. It can be tough if you’re one of the last to change too. But as you get used to it, you can feel good about your more mature body.

How can I have a better body image?

Want to feel better about your body? Here are some ideas:

* Find things to like about your looks. Focus on what you do like more

than what you don’t. * Focus on what your body can do. Can you run, walk, swim, ride a bike? Hit a baseball, throw a football, kick a soccer ball, sink a basket? Can you climb, hike, dance?

Can you draw, paint, play a musical instrument? Your body is more than looks. * Be aware of your body. When you stretch, reach, go up and down the steps, tie your shoes — that’s your body in action. It’s easy to take it for granted. Try not to. * Be active every day. Your body needs to move to be healthy and fit. Have fun. Let yourself feel glad about what your body can do. * Do some strength training. Being in shape can help you look good and feel good. But it doesn’t just happen.

You have to train and eat a healthy diet. Start with 20–30 minutes 3 days a week. Look to a coach or trainer to give you tips. A good workout boosts your mood too. * Treat your body right. To feel good about your body, take care of it. Don’t smoke or do other things you know are harmful. Eat good foods. Get enough sleep. Keep your body clean. Shower regularly. Take care of your teeth, hair, and skin. Wear clean clothes. When you treat yourself well, you’ll have a healthier, stronger body — and a better body image. * Be yourself. Your body is just one part of who you are. Focus on things about the person you are too. Are you honest, kind, a good friend? Good in math, science, or writing? Outdoor guy? Animal lover? A reader, artist, musician? There’s lots that’s good about you. * Do things to help. Use your body’s strength, skill, or energy to help others. Did you know your body image can get a boost when you (gladly) do a chore that helps out?

So, paint your little sister’s room, rake leaves for a neighbour, clean up the dishes, or carry out the trash. It feels good to help. (kidshealth.org)

Be a good body image role model The most influential role model in your child’s life is you. Parents can encourage their children to feel good about themselves by showing them how it’s done.

Suggestions include: * Children learn eating behaviours from their parents, so make sure you include plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy products and unprocessed cereals in the family’s diet. Go easy on takeaway, fried foods and sugary snacks. Try to include these as ‘occasional’ foods, rather than labelling foods as good or bad. * Avoid dieting and do not encourage your child to diet either. Dieting can be dangerous as it can cause symptoms such as dehydration, weakness, fatigue, nausea, headaches and constipation, and can lead to inadequate vitamin and mineral intake. It is also a key risk factor in developing an eating disorder. Studies also show that most people who diet regain the weight, or gain additional weight, within a couple of years. Talk to your children about the dangers of dieting. * Be aware of the impact of negative body talk around your children, about your own body or other people’s. Work on modelling a healthy acceptance of your own body shape. Don’t complain about ‘ugly’ body parts or, at least, don’t share your opinions with your child. * Accept other people’s body sizes and shapes. Don’t put a lot of emphasis on physical appearances or your child will too. Instead, try to talk to your child about all the different aspects that make up a person, such as personality, skills and outlook on life. * Exercise regularly, and keep the focus on health and fun. Have at least one family activity per week that involves some kind of exercise; for example, bushwalking, dancing, playing backyard cricket, going for a walk or swimming. * Be critical of media messages and images that promote thinness or masculine ideals. Encourage your child to question and challenge Western society’s narrow ‘beauty ideal’.

Get children into the exercise habit Studies show that a person who appreciates what their body can do, rather than what it looks like, feels good about their body and tends to have higher self-esteem.

Suggestions include: * Make your family an active one. Exercise yourself and encourage your child from an early age to exercise right along with you. For example, take little ones for strolls in the pram. Once they’re old enough, encourage them to walk part of the way. Use walks to encourage them to engage their whole body with the environment, using sights, smells, sounds and touch. * Emphasise fitness, health, social interaction and enjoyment as the motivations for exercise, rather than weight loss or weight management. * Try to find a team sport they enjoy. Team sports encourage camaraderie, teamwork, competition and mastery of physical skills. A child who feels passionate about their sport is more likely to continue playing into adulthood. * Regular exercise naturally helps to maintain a healthy body weight. * Investigate associations or clubs carefully and make informed decisions about sports that have a strong emphasis on thinness or muscular form, such as gymnastics and ballet. Vulnerable children may feel pressured to lose weight to participate in these activities.

Help your child feel confident about themselves A strong sense of identity and self-worth are crucial to your child’s self-esteem.

Suggestions include: * Encourage problem solving, expression of feelings, opinions and individuality. Providing opportunities for your child to problem solve will help them to build confidence in their abilities. * Teach your child various healthy coping strategies to help them deal with life’s challenges. * Allow them to say ‘no’. Encourage them to be assertive if they feel they have been mistreated. * Listen to their concerns about body shape and appearance. Puberty, in particular, can be a worrying time. Reassure your child that their physical changes are normal and that everyone develops at different times and rates. * Don’t tease them about their weight, body shape or looks. Even seemingly friendly nicknames can be hurtful if they focus on some aspect of the child’s appearance. * Place value on their achievements, such as talents, skills and personality characteristics. * Make your child feel they have an important role in the family; for example, give them age-appropriate household tasks. Tell them what a valuable contribution they make to the running of the house.

Talk to your child’s school about body image Your child’s school can be a positive environment that fosters healthy body image and self-esteem. Talk to your principal about any concerns you may have.

Issues may include: * Teasing about physical appearance is a known risk factor for poor body image. Make sure your school has an effective anti-bullying policy. If your child is being teased, contact the principal immediately. * Peer pressure can contribute to poor body image if the peer group is concerned with physical appearance and thinness. Talk to the school about their body image programs. * If you think your child is hanging out with a ‘thin is in’ crowd, try to arrange opportunities for them to mix with other children. Once again, team sports could be a valuable avenue, since the emphasis is on how the person plays, not what they look like. * Self-conscious students may shy away from school sports because of the uniforms. If necessary, consult with your school on possible changes to make the sports uniforms less revealing or figure-hugging. (betterhealth. vic.gov.au)

news

7

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

PPP calls for full probe into Minister’s conflict of interest reports

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is calling for a thorough probe into reports that contrary to public statements, Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes has not relinquished control over day-to-day affairs in her company and has, in fact, been overseeing its fi-

nancial affairs.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Jagdeo noted that the Minister claimed that she relinquished all day-to-day control of the company since 2015. Jagdeo, however, said that the Minister has been signing cheques for the company to suppliers as late as last year.

“She said in May 2015, ‘Upon the assumption of my role as Minister of Tourism, I relinquished any involvement in the day-today running of Videomega Production’, that is not true.”

According to the Opposition Leader, until late last year, cheques were being signed by the Minister on behalf of the company.

“That testifies to dayto-day running of the company. She said she had relinquished responsibility,

but she has been signing cheques to suppliers on behalf of this company, until late last year,” Jagdeo told the media during a press conference on Wednesday.

Apart from urging a probe, Jagdeo also raised additional questions about the entire issue, questioning the fact that the Minister said she made declarations regarding the company to the Integrity Commission.

Jagdeo noted that to do this, the Minister had to be privy to details about the company’s operations and this includes contracts.

However, according to Hughes in her statement on the matter, she had been completely oblivious to the contract with the Department of Energy until the recent revelations.

“If you give up the dayto-day running of a company and you have to file sub-

Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes

missions to the Integrity Commission, you do not file your integrity statement only on the basis of ownership of assets, but also income earned from those assets. So she had to know whether Videomega Production earned income to do a true representation to the Integrity Commission.”

“It would be interesting

No election matters on parliamentary agenda …sitting set for April 26

A

s the coalition Government prepares to return to the National Assembly next week following a hiatus pending the outcome of the cases filed against the Opposition’s No-Confidence Motion in the local courts, there is nothing listed on the parliamentary agenda regarding funding for the continuation of preparations for elections.

Following the Appeal Court’s ruling that the motion was invalidly passed, President David Granger had said that Government will still continue with preparations for General and Regional Elections and ensure that the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM) is in a state of readiness to hold polls, even as they await a final decision from the Caribbean Court of

Justice (CCJ) before which the matter is currently being deliberated. “We are going to go back to Parliament and make requests to ensure that GECOM has everything it needs. We are committed to having clean elections, credible elections in this country and as I said, I will engage GECOM to ensure that the request made to me by the Chairman is satisfied,” President Granger had told reporters last month.

However, this commitment is not reflected in the parliamentary agenda, which was sent out on Wednesday.

Following the Head of State’s commitment, Government spokesperson, Minister of State Joseph Harmon had subsequently explained that the upcoming sitting, which was ini-

The Parliament Building

tially announced as April 11, was not to exclusively deal with funding for the elections body. In fact, he had outlined that there was a process to follow before the matter can be brought in the National Assembly for approval.

Since the Court of Appeal’s ruling on March 22 that the No-confidence

Motion was invalidly passed on December 21, 2018, because it required an “absolute” majority of 34 votes, calls have been mounting from various stakeholder bodies for the elections body not to abandon plans to prepare for polls so that it is ready whenever elections are due.

Turn to page 9

to know how much income she filed to the Integrity Commission that came from Videomega Productions… how many contracts Videomega Productions received from 2015 to now.

Two, whether those contracts were tendered and the value of those contracts.”

Jagdeo also noted that the police should be involved. When asked by the media if his party was willing to file a report, he replied that his party would do so if necessary. However, he noted that the police ought to be able to act independently and conduct their own investigations.

Contract

Hughes’ company, Videomega Productions, was recently the recipient of a contract from the Department of Energy.

Sources had indicated that Videomega Productions, a company for which Minister Hughes is the managing director and executive producer, received contracts from the department.

According to information reaching this publication, the contracts in question had to do with radio and television Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) for the department, which is coordinating preparations for Guyana’s oil and gas sector.

It is understood that the company has also been contracted to produce brochures. It is unclear at this point of what, if any, tendering process the Minister’s company went through to get these contracts.

After the story broke, the Minister had insisted that she was not involved in the day-to-day running of the company. She had noted that the contract in question was for $832,000 for the production of three 60 second television PSAs She had maintained this position in her statement, adding that she has always declared her connections to her company and moreover, never sought to use her ministerial influence to get contracts for her company.

8 News

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Systems manager charged for $20M fraud

A

systems manager found himself before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday to answer to a fraud charge.

Lindon Stephney stood before Magistrate Faith McGusty to answer to the charge which stated that between July 31 and August 31, 2018, with intent to defraud, he uttered a forged document, that is to say, an invoice purporting to show he received it via email.

He was not required to enter a plea.

The court heard that the accused, upon receiving the invoice, handed over the said invoice to Esau Samad to effect payment in the sum of US$92,494 for the renewal of the annual insurance policy for Jags Aviation Inc, which is located at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

The accused was responsible for

Lindon Stephney

communicating with the insurer, Author J Gallagher, and finalising the annual premium but issued to the chief accountant incorrect invoices so as distract BK International – owner of Jags Aviation Inc – from making the correct payment to the complainant.

The 50-year-old man was represented by Attorney-at-Law Adrian Thompson, who in a bail application said his client is not a flight risk and asked for bail in a reasonable sum.

The police prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds of the large sum of money involved but requested that should bail be granted, Stephney must lodge his passport and report to the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters weekly.

Magistrate McGusty released Stephney on $150,000 bail. The case will continue on May 8, 2019.

Grove man jailed for ganja possession

P

ossession of narcotics has landed a Grove, East Bank Demerara man in prison for three years.

Daniel France of Lot 501 Kaneville, Grove, EBD, was taken before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where he admitted that on April 13, 2019, at Magnet Place, Georgetown, he had in his possession 25

grams of cannabis.

The prosecution’s case stated that ranks from the police patrol saw France acting in a suspicious manner. This led the ranks to conduct a search of his possessions and it was then that the cannabis was discovered in a bag which the 27-year-old man was carrying. According to the prosecution, France admitted that the cannabis belonged

to him.

In court on Wednesday, the unrepresented man pled guilty, asking the court to give him a chance to explain himself.

In a plea of mitigation, France told the court that he has been suffering from a constant stroke in his right hand for the past three years and would usually boil the cannabis and drink it as a tea. He claimed

that this causes the pain to ease.

He went on to say that the police ranks did not weigh the cannabis in his presence. He also told the court that he received the cannabis from his uncle in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). He was nonetheless sentenced to three years in prison and fined $30,000.

Bodybuilder on bail for ecstasy pills possession

A

bodybuilder was on Wednesday taken before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to an-

swer to the charge of possession of narcotics.

Keshan Simon denied that on April 15, 2019, at Lot

247 Oronoque and Forshaw Streets, Georgetown, he had in his possession eight ecstasy pills.

The prosecution is contending that on Monday, Police ranks acting on information received went to Simon’s house and conducted a search.

During the search, the ecstasy pills were discovered in the toilet area of the home. The prosecution is contending that the man also flushed some of the pills down the toilet. According to the prosecution, the 29-yearold admitted to the ranks that the pills belonged to him.

The police prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds of the nature of the offence.

He was, however, released on $50,000 bail. The case will continue on May 8, 2019.

Peddling…

W

…a “Green State” hether the next elections are held in this year or the next, what we know for sure is it’ll be preceded by the longest elections campaign in our history!! The irony, of course, is that it was kicked off by the possibility that there could’ve been the SHORTEST campaign in history, if the Constitution had been respected by the PNC-Government on the NCM, with its order that elections be held in three months.

Suddenly, Government Ministers are hurtling like yoyos from one end of the country to the other, handing out goodies like tropical Santa Clauses, complete with the obligatory “ho-ho-ho’s”!! But unlike Santa, who moves around via low cost reindeer that subsist on lichens, this lot has access to top-of-the-line trans-p whether via the sky, water or land. Cost is no problem, of course, since it’s all at the expense of the State (meaning your taxes, and mine) under the fig leaf of “Government outreach” missions!!

But the campaign isn’t limited to “touch the flesh” initiatives…they’ve even launched what’s in all respects their manifesto-in-instalments. Their latest insert is on “The Green State Development Strategy: Vision2040”. (GSDS) Now we all know the PPP under Bharrat Jagdeo had wowed the entire world when he launched the groundbreaking “Low Carbon Development Strategy” (LCDS) that became a model for sustainable development under the constraints of climate change.

Between 2009 and 2015 (when they demitted office) the PPP had implemented a host of initiatives that gave life to the strategy. One of them was the agreement honed with Norway which led to US$250 million being transferred into our economy for holding our deforestation rate down.

It was a win-win proposition for us, since our deforestation rates were well under the proposed cap and we ended up not with just the money, but an institutionalised mechanism for monitoring or deforestation rate along with sustainable programmes that benefitted our hinterland citizens.

The PNC never even mentioned in their manifesto the need for an overarching strategy on a climate-sensitive development strategy. But in trying to get their hands on the last tranche of the Norway Fund of US$80 million that was earmarked for the Amaila Falls Hydro-electric Project, they had to “confirm devotion” to the LCDS! And this was the birth of their GSDS! An new name because they just didn’t want to admit they were following the vision of Jagdeo!!

Initially, they’d proposed a 15-year implementation programme - which would run to 2032, but that’s now pushed back to 2040.

Not surprising, since all they did for the first three years was just paint Government buildings green!! …hysteria There’s no question that the PNC’s running scared of Jagdeo. Very scared. And it’s not too difficult to see why”: he’s been running circles around them politically and making then look like amateurs! They thought the CCJ ruling was the end of the longest serving Guyanese President – who was still just 51. But they forgot that as the General Secretary of the PPP Jagdeo has an institutionalised platform to have an input into the political system!!

So what the PNC’s now decided is to intimidate Jagdeo by stifling his right to free speech. They took a snippet of his remarks at Dr Jagan’s death anniversary at Babu Jaan, where – in the context of the Government firing 4000 Berbician sugar workers and the then incipient illegality of the PNC regime because of the NCM – he advised the audience to not make them feel welcome.

And because of this the CID just visited his office to make good on their threat to charge him with “incitement”!!

Maybe Jagdeo should’ve told the Berbicians to “mala” the PNC leaders?? …deceit Oh what a tangled web we weave…!! The Housing Minister and her Pastor/Contractor husband are trapped in the web of deceit on the CH&PA contracts the latter received!!

Confession, they’d know, is good for the soul!! Try it!!

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

news

9

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Gail Teixeira, Adrian Anamayah resign as MPs over dual citizenship status

I

n keeping with the Constitution, Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira and fellow People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Adrian Anamayah have resigned as members of the National Assembly.

This was announced by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who also noted that MP Odinga Lumumba is expected to follow suit shortly. The parliamentarians resigned in keeping with the Constitution which dictates that persons with dual citizenship are ineligible to serve as MPs. Jagdeo expressed regret that Teixeira would have to take this step after so long in public office. However, he noted that she will be relinquishing her citizenship and so will be on the next candidate list.

“It’s a sad thing. Teixeira, I know how agonising this must be for her, having served the country for over 25 years in Parliament. And you know the passion with which she has done so. She was our chief whip,” Jagdeo said. “Her contributions to Parliament [and she was] one of the most knowledgeable persons in Parliament.”

“And then to have to re-

Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

sign, but from a principled position. It must be heart-wrenching, but she is a principled person. But she will be on our list in the future. She will renounce her [dual] citizenship. This is not the end of her career in the National Assembly.”

In the meantime, Jagdeo criticised the Government for the uncertainty regarding their dual citizen MPs. From press reports, only Dr Rupert Roopnarine has claimed that he resigned.

But Jagdeo contended that Dr Roopnarine is still going on outreaches as a Minister of the Government despite the constitutional provisions.

Asked if his party has had a change of heart over not attending Parliament while the no-confidence cases are ongoing, Jagdeo made it clear that they had not.

This is in light of April 26 being named as the next sitting.

Article 183 of the Constitution says “the office of any Minister shall become vacant if that person ceases to be a member of the National Assembly for any cause other than the dissolution of Parliament.”

In February, acting Chief Justice Roxanne George had ruled on the case filed by Compton Reid over the dual citizenship of former AFC Member of Parliament (MP) Charrandas Persaud.

In the case it brought to the Chief Justice, Government had argued that Persaud’s dual citizenship status invalidated his vote in support of the No-Confidence Motion that brought the Government down last year.

This argument also formed part of the opinions presented to Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Barton Scotland in the hopes that he would reverse the ruling, something the Speaker ultimately refused

No election matters...

Prior to last month’s ruling, GECOM had indicated that it cannot hold elections before the March deadline and has voted to do houseto-house registration, which will conclude in November.

In fact, GECOM Chairman, Justice James Patterson, in a letter to the Head of State informed him that polls cannot be held before late November 2019.

Justice Patterson explained in the correspondence that since the elections body is continuing with its normal work programme, that is, the holding of house-to-house registration, it will need some $3.5

billion to host elections and as such, “no election date should be contemplated less than five months after these funds are placed at the disposal of and under the control of GECOM”.

Meanwhile, GECOM has already rolled out its 2019 work programme, commencing with training for the house-to-house registration expected in June. However, legal proceedings have been filed against GECOM and Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, to restrain them from going ahead with the registration which could see overseas-based Guyanese being disenfranchised from

Opposition MP Adrian Anamayah

to do.

The Court of Appeal later upheld the January High Court ruling that it is illegal for persons holding dual citizenship status to be sitting in the National Assembly.

Government has been under increasing criticism, even from its own supporters, for stating that dual citizens will return to the National Assembly despite these two rulings.

On April 2, the Ministry of the Presidency had announced that effective from April 1, Members of Parliament (MPs) on the Government side that have dual citizenship had resigned.

From page 7

voting.

Nevertheless, with regards to the agenda for the April 26 sitting of the National Assembly, the Interception of Communication (Amendment) Bill 2019 – Bill No 1/2019 is among several bills for Introduction and First Reading.

The Act, which deals with wiretapping and the interception, acquisition and disclosure of data from protected communications, is seeking to include additional grounds for such interceptions.

However, even as Government prepares for

the recommencement of parliamentary sitting, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Opposition has since indicated that they will not participate in any of the National Assembly sittings until the Caribbean Court of Justice rules on its challenge of the Appeal Court’s decisions.

Lawyers representing Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo are asking the regional court to restore the ruling of the chief justice, who upheld the passage of the No-confidence Motion with a 33 majority. Those hearings are scheduled to be heard in the coming weeks.

These MP’s were Minister of State Joseph Harmon (United States citizenship), Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin and Public Service Minister Dr Rupert Roopnarine (all British citizenships).

In a statement afterwards, Government had said that the vacated ministerial posts will be occupied by the former Ministers’ Cabinet colleagues. According to a statement, Ministers who acted in the past for them will once more fill in.

But in another statement the next day, the Ministry of the Presidency had announced that the resignation of four Ministers would not take immediate effect.

Further, the statement had said that three of the four parliamentarians who had indicated their intention to resign, planned on renounc-

Opposition MP Odinga Lumumba

ing their foreign citizenship.

But in another twist, it emerged that Dr Roopnarine had resigned with immediate effect. It would not be the first time, having tendered his resignation back in 2017 citing health reasons.

10 news

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Daughter charged for killing Harmon promises Berbicians required services mother faints in court

Dead: Rookmin Jameer

Murder accused Cameela Jameer being lifted out of the courtroom after she fainted

he 47-year-old daughter who is accused of killing her mother appeared at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday where she fainted two times, causing Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh to order that she seek medical attention and a psychiatric evaluation.

Cameela Jameer was taken into the courtroom in handcuffs and started to cry loudly when she saw her siblings and other family members.

As the magistrate took the bench, Jameer fainted causing the court to be adjourned.

The proceedings resumed five minutes later and again, she fainted.

As a result, Magistrate

Singh was unable to read the charge to her but ordered that she be taken to the hospital and also sent for a psychiatric evaluation.

She is expected to return to court today.

The woman reportedly confessed to killing her mother, Rookmin Jameer, 67, on Friday last.

Meanwhile, sister of the now dead woman, Juliet Carr, 67, one of four sisters alive and the youngest, said she is unhappy with the entire situation over her sister’s death but is willing to forgive her niece.

While the aunt speaks of forgiveness, only two days ago, in a fit of rage, two of the dead woman’s sons said that

T

they wanted the woman who killed their mother to face the full brunt of the law.

The woman’s body was found at her Tempe Village home lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood Reports are that the suspect confessed to the act, saying that her mother had been accusing her of stealing money.

Following the confession, Cameela Jameer took investigators to the scene of the crime, where she led them to a chopper in the house, stating that it was the weapon she used to murder her mother.

When the woman was arrested, she handed over US$600 along with $365,000 local currency to the police.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon listens to a resident as he makes a point during the community meeting at the Fyrish Basketball Court

M

inister of State, Joseph Harmon and Public Affairs Minister Dawn HastingsWilliams, who were in Tain, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) for the “Bringing Government to the People” initiative on Tuesday, met with residents of Albion, Liverpool/Manchester and Fyrish/Gibraltar to discuss and attend to several of their concerns.

Stopping first at Liverpool/Manchester, Ministers Harmon and Hastings-Williams met with the young people as well as the elderly residents to listen to some of the challenges in their community, which included complaints about drainage and irrigation, security and public infrastructure.

The Minister of State, according to the Ministry of Presidency’s Public Affairs Unit, on the spot, took a decision to hire two excavators owned by a villager to clear the waterways in the area.

He also made it pellucid that all persons needed for

the operation must be hired from within the community.

He also committed to raising the other matters with the relevant subject Ministers.

In an invited comment, a resident, Wilson Monroe, said that he was pleasantly surprised to see the Minister addressing concerns of residents on the spot.

From Manchester, the ministerial team travelled to Albion to fulfil a promise that Minister Harmon made to residents at the “Bringing the Government to the People” event held at the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus that he would visit to take a look at the condition of their road, which was their main complaint.

Over at the Fyrish Basketball Court, Minister Harmon told the crowd gathered there that the Government considers the community meetings and public day activities to be an important exercise in the conduct of Government business.

Minister Harmon noted that the Administration is cognisant that most per-

sons simply require better access to Government services and amenities such as water, roads, lights and recreational facilities and it is the duty of the Government to provide same.

Additionally, Minister Harmon announced that soon, the Government will be establishing a medical institution on the Corentyne Coast to ensure easier and faster access to health services.

Minister HastingsWilliams echoed these sentiments even as she noted that the Government is one that listens to the people and residents can rest assured that their issues would receive the utmost consideration.

At the close of the meeting, Minister Harmon committed to engaging the Public Infrastructure Ministry with the view of having a team from that entity visit to examine the state of the roads, while the Social Cohesion Ministry has already committed to providing a recreational facility for the community.

Police question Opposition...

However, in a subsequent statement, the Police Force denied taking “political instruction”. Moreover, the Ministry of Presidency also said that no such instruction was issued by the Head of State, any Minister of Government or any Government official to instruct the Guyana Police Force to arrest the Opposition Leader.

But even as the police are probing the complaint filed by APNU Member of Parliament (MP), Barbara Pilgrim, who replaced former AFC MP Charrandas Persaud, a review of Jagdeo’s remarks at Babu Jaan last month revealed that he did mention the President, Prime Minister

and Minister Allicock but did not call them “jackasses” as is being alleged. In fact, he called them “Judases”.

“Government, in the guise of Nagamootoo, on a day when they were celebrating the Rose Hall Martyr’s Day, they sent him to bring the sad news to that community that they were gonna close the Estate as they did elsewhere. Who is the Judas?

Who are the bigger Judases in Guyana? They’ve betrayed all of the people of the country,” Jagdeo had stated.

He further noted “It’s a Government of Judases because they promise the Amerindians to accelerate land titles and they failed

From page 3

them. So Sydney Allicock is a Judas too. And they promised to bring jobs in Linden and many parts of the country so Granger is a Judas too. All of them are Judases”.

On the contrary, however, Inews had reported in 2015 of President Granger, when he was the Opposition Leader, saying “Guyana is a nation of jaguars led by jackasses”.

The article which was published by Inews on March 17, 2015, stated that Granger made the comment while delivering the feature address at the Guyana Manufacturing Services Association (GMSA) luncheon at the Pegasus International Hotel.

NEWS

11

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

M&CC pensioners threaten legal action against City Hall …still waiting on $124M approved disbursement

R

etired workers of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) are contemplating legal action against the council for outstanding gratuity and other benefits owed to them dating back to 2015.

Vice President of the Pensioners Association, Kathy Fowler on Wednesday said that the association has been pleading with the M&CC to disburse benefits owed to the pensioners, who would have worked with the municipality for more than 30 years. “There are pensioners that would have served the municipality well. Who would have served for 30 years, 33

years, 35 years. Persons that would have given their youth to the municipality and this is how they are being treated [at] the end of the day,” she said.

Fowler, a member of the Guyana Local Government Union, explained that several attempts were made to retrieve the funds from the council, however, they are being ignored. The association has 35 members, all of whom are still awaiting their retirement benefits after four years.

She added that a meeting was held under the stewardship of the new Mayor, Ubraj Narine, in early January where the Deputy

Vice President of M&CC Pensioners’ Association, Kathy Fowler

Mayor, Town Clerk (ag), City Treasurer (ag) and Chairman of the Finance Committee also

attended to update them on the issue of non-payments, however, no progress was made.

The Mayor and team committed to putting measures in place for the pensioners to receive their benefits and two follow-up meetings were done in January month end and mid-February but to date, nothing has been done.

Fowler said the M&CC had begun paying workers retroactive pay increase on salaries and the pensioners had picketed the exercise. This resulted in them being called to a meeting with the Mayor.

She added that the meeting was attended by the Deputy Mayor and a few of the councillors but the Administration

had abandoned the meeting.

“To date, nobody has called us. Even though the media covered everything. Nobody called us. Nobody had the courtesy to sit with us or to acknowledge us,” she argued.

Fowler disclosed that some of the pensioners attended the M&CC Commission of Inquiry in 2018 and spoke on the issue. She said subsequent to this, recommendations emerging from the CoI revealed that $124 million was given to the Communities Minister, Ronald Bulkan to address the pensioners’ issues.

“Coming out of the CoI, based on the recommendations, the $124 million was given to the Minister of Communities, Mr Bulkan, to

address the issues of pensioners’ gratuity, Guyana Public Service Credit Union and the National Insurance Scheme but we got nothing and not a word from them,” she explained.

The money was given to begin to pay the retired pensioners, however, to date, none of them has received the payment.

Fowler warned that they will be making efforts to meet with the Communities Minister soon before moving ahead with legal actions, which they have in the pipeline. “We do have legal actions in progress and we will also try to meet with the Minister before taking those steps,” she said.

Police call on Nations Director to identify shooter

C

rime Chief Lyndon Alves on Wednesday called on the Principal of School of the Nations, Dr Brian O’Toole, to provide the police with the identity of the shooter.

The call by the Crime Chief comes mere days after O’Toole said that his shooter was flown out of Guyana.

On Wednesday, the Crime Chief told Guyana Times “If O’Toole is so sure of the claims he is making let him come to the police with the identity of this individual. We are not aware of anything like this”.

Questioned further, Alves said that there are no new leads into the investigations and no new person or persons

Principal of School of the Nations, Dr Brian O’Toole

of interest as to who may have perpetrated this act.

Over the weekend, almost three months after O’Toole was shot, he disclosed that

the shooter was flown out of Guyana.

According to O’Toole, the lack of prosecution and delay in justice is due to the fact that the parents of the teen flew their son out of the country less than 24 hours after he had committed the crime.

On Thursday last at the British High Commissioner’s residence in Georgetown, O’Toole stated that regardless of the professions of parents, they should not allow their children to pursue the wrong path and engage in such illegalities.

“It does not matter what position you have in society. If you are the one that got your child out of the country the

Crime Chief Lyndon Alves

day after the shooting, then you have created a monster that is going to destroy his life, the life of your family; and if he is not brought to justice,

God knows the mayhem that it’s going to cause,” O’Toole said.

He explained that as a result of the shooting, which was highly publicised in local and international media outlets, overseas-based Guyanese, as well as foreigners, are now questioning the state of Guyana with respect to crime.

He added that steps need to be taken and initiatives should be put in place to curb violence involving students and other youths in the country, and this means that a multi-stakeholder approach is necessary.

On January 27, O’Toole was shot three times as he was returning to his Bel Air,

Georgetown residence, hours after an emergency meeting with parents and guardians about violent threats on social media to injure students and teachers of that school.

Earlier this year, Crime Chief Lyndon Alves told Guyana Times that Police had questioned four persons – both current and former students – in relation to the shooting of the school’s principal.

However, subsequent to the incident, there were several threats against the school on Facebook made by “Kira” (meaning killer), which is the alias of the main character in “Death Note” – a Japanese manga series that was later adapted into films.

12

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

13 Over 14,700 students sit NGSA 2019 News

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Teachers advising students of One Mile Primary before the exam commenced

T

he National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) commenced on Wednesday with a sitting of 14,715 students across the country, who are all contending for a place at a reputable secondary institution.

The examination, which will conclude on Thursday, is written as a formal completion of the primary level and students are tested in four subject areas.

On Wednesday morning, many students eagerly entered their respective schools to complete the examination after months of studying and preparation. While some were nervous, others remained confident that they will surely succeed. English was written in the morning, followed by science in the afternoon hours.

Guyana Times visited numerous schools to get a review of the assessment and mixed reactions emanated from the students.

At the North Georgetown

Primary School on Woolford Avenue, Georgetown, most persons seemed to have been well-prepared but shared that English Paper Two was challenging.

Deli Chan explained that she received support from her parents, who ensured that she remembered all the topics.

“I was both scared and overconfident but then I prayed and understood everything. We got special advice when we didn’t understand a question. My mom would usually be helping me so I was really ready,” the 11-year-old said.

Her colleague, Tyrel Cadogan, revealed that he found the English paper to be quite difficult. As such, extra attention was needed to make the right choices.

“Most of the stuff was hard but I know I will pass Science because I like that,” said Cadogan, as he is hoping to attain a place at Bishops’ High School.

Students attending the Stella Marris Primary School were convinced that the NGSA was easy. Most of them, during the lunch break, started preparing for the following subject.

Meanwhile, at the Eccles Primary School on the East Bank of Demerara, many children said the first two subjects challenged their minds, even after many hours of lessons and reading.

Reginald Rudolph told this publication, “The exam was quite challenging. I would have prayed to God to help me and then I did the exams.

I want to get Queens College because that is one of the highest schools”.

Education Minister Nicolette Henry and Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson also visited a few schools within the capital city, such as Ketley Primary, St Stephen’s Primary and St Gabriel’s Primary.

Both education officials were confident that the syllabuses were covered and students were completely prepared.

Over on the West Coast of Demerara, children attending the Academy of Excellence were confident that the examination was easy. Some stated that they sacrificed extracurricular activities and went to school for additional hours but it was worth it.

Essequibo

In Essequibo, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Reanna Parris of CV Nunes Primary told Guyana Times

that this year’s NGSA was tricky. While making her way to school, she was a bit nervous but this changed after encouragement from her mother. Parris said she is focusing on this exam and will then go on to choose a career path.

Pradesh Dwarka, who attends the same school, said he is aiming towards a profession in computer programming.

For him, the exams were easy and he is hoping to receive high grades.

This publication also spoke to Talesh Boodha, who resides in La Belle Alliance, Essequibo Coast. Boodha’s main goal circled around doing well enough to get a good job to provide for his family. At that moment, his right hand was fractured but he made it to school on time to sit the exams.

Linden

In Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), the exams got off to a positive start and a number of parents were observed showing support to students of various schools before the commencement of the exams, as Head Teachers gave their final words of encouragement and offered prayers.

At the One Mile and Wismar Hill Primary Schools at Wismar, Linden, some students noted that they were nervous while some said they were excited heading into the examinations. After completing the morning session, students expressed optimism about the later exams.

Overall, most of the students noted that they were

Students, teachers and parents praying in Region Two, Essequibo Coast (Pomeroon-Supenaam), before the start of the exam

well-prepared and confident while some were not too keen about a few subject areas.

An education official indicated that the students were well-prepared, noting that some teachers even worked with students up to Tuesday.

The official said some teachers even finished the syllabus ahead of time and everything had been covered.

The examination concludes with the final sitting for mathematics and social studies today. This year saw an increase in the candidates from 14,551 to 14,715. This is an important examination since the results will determine which secondary institution these students will attend come September.

Prior to this, the students had to write the National Grades Two and Four Assessments back in 2012 and 2014 respectively. A percentage of the marks from all three assessments will be calculated to determine the over-

all performance of each student.

Berbice

Meanwhile, in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), there were some minor hiccups as children commenced sitting the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) on Wednesday.

Officials from the Department of Education were seen visiting schools throughout the region during the morning session.

Most children were early for the exams and were accompanied by their parents.

Teachers and parents were seen at schools in New Amsterdam in prayer sessions prior to the exam doors being opened.

Students attached to St Theresa’s Primary in New Amsterdam expressed confidence going into the examination room.

The results for the NGSA will be revealed in July.

14 NEWS

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

22 workplace accident deaths recorded in 2018

Minister Keith Scott

F

rom a total of 560 reported workplace accidents, 22 or four per cent have resulted in the loss of lives during last year. This was disclosed by Minister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott at the Ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OS&H) Department’s symposium, which opened on Wednesday at Herdmanston Lodge under the theme “Safety and Health and the Future of Work: Building on the knowledge and achievements accumulated over the years”.

Minister Scott said that four per cent is too high and his Ministry intends to en-

sure that all employers understand that in this country, the employees and their health come first and that the laws of Guyana at all stages must be enforced.

“We have not yet computed the cost of compensation paid by the National Insurance Scheme and other costs through civil proceedings. However, we have a policy in this Ministry that any fatal accident must be immediately investigated.

And I can say without fear of contradiction that we have attained and maintained 100 per cent reporting and investigations of all fatal accidents that are work-related in this country since 2016 to now,” the Minister is quoted by the Department of Public Information (DPI) as saying.

According to the DPI report, the Minister, who has the responsibility for labour, stressed that safety must be given the prominence it deserves in the strategic plan of every enterprise.

He alluded to the challenges stakeholders had to confront in the realm of OS&H in recent times including leakage of mercury at the Guyana Gold Board, leakage or escape of ammonia at a fishing enterprise on the East Bank

of Demerara and contamination and death of Chinese nationals at the Manganese Company in North West District.

“These incidents have tested our preparedness to deal with major issues like oil spills, which we hope will never occur. We have the equipment and have to go [to] any part of Guyana to investigate accidents,” Minister Scott stated.

The Minister encouraged stakeholders to improve their work ethics and to prioritise the safety of workers so that workplace accidents can be avoided.

He said a forensic investigation of all accidents, particularly those with fatal consequences, shows that they were avoidable if the necessary Standard Operating Procedures, including risk

analysis, were carried out.

Meanwhile, Principal Assistant Secretary of the

Guyana Trades Union Congress, Eslyn Harris pointed out that OS&H stands at the forefront of the standards within the workplace but there is always the need for improvements.

Harris stressed that work-related deaths, injuries and illnesses occur every day and many people lose their lives every year.

Therefore, the need for advancements in OS&H in the workplace is clear and urgent. She called on stakeholders to work together to

ensure that workplace accidents are completely eliminated, since the task cannot be achieved alone.

The symposium saw presentations from the panellists which included representatives from the Government, University of Guyana (UG), Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and the National Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) among others.

108 differently abled persons trained by BIT

O

A section of the gathering at the graduation on Wednesday

ne hundred and eight (108) differently-abled persons on Wednesday graduated with various skills from the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) which was in collaboration with the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) at the David Rose Special School.

The graduates, some of whom have visual and hearing impairments, graduated from the programme with training in leather craft, rope mat making, computer skills, basic cosmetology, basic sewing and basic woodworking training.

Differently-abled per-

sons as young as 13 years old participated in the programme.

Chairman of the GCOPD, Cecil Morris urged the graduates to utilise the skills obtained for economic purposes.

“You now have the tools to take you forward in life and because you have that tool, you need to use it and use it in a mighty way. Some of us might go through the training and when we are done we still throw back like before, the onus is upon you not to throw back but to step forward and make yourself be counted,” Morris encouraged.

The Chairman further

called for Government to continue to assist the differently-abled community and thanked BIT for its contribution.

BIT Chairman, Clinton Williams said that similar programmes are being hosted in all regions of Guyana for differently-abled persons.

Since the commencement of the programme in 2014, some 400 persons have graduated.

Public Affairs Minister, Dawn Hastings-Williams assured that the differently-abled community will continue to have Government support.

15 Starr Computer Innovation Centre launched news

thursday, april 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

ties….. While we have these things available persons can purchase, at the same time our main emphasis is really to educate people about it more than trying to sell it” he said.

Some of these innovative

A

An interior display of some of the modern devices in the innovation centre

s technology plays a significant role in creating an easier version of everyday life, more of this technological advancement should be more focused on modern educational development for children today.

In an effort to attain this goal, Starr Computer in collaboration with its international partners on Wednesday launched its Starr Innovation Centre, which was specifically designed to promote modern educational development starting with robotic toys to modern classroom solutions.

The centre seeks to fast-forward learning through the use of various electronic devices in a classroom since Guyana has a rapidly emerging oil and gas

sector, which would require quick-thinking minds in the areas of critical thinking, logic and problem-solving.

Director of Starr Computer, Mike Mohan explained that the main purpose of the centre is to create a concept of educating the younger generations by using the disruptive devices or technologies that are on the market, while revealing that one such department is the Kids Discovery Department.

“We have just launched our innovation centre and the main reason for the innovation centre is to create a concept to educate the younger generation with the disruptive items that are on the market…so within the innovation centre, we’ve got what we call the Kids Discovery Department and

from this department here we’re going to be showcasing small devices that kids can relate to, work with and they can learn how to do coding at a very young in at a fun fashion,” Mohan explained.

In addition, Mohan disclosed that even though the devices are on sale at his company they are working to educate the public about them and not just sell them.

The newly-launched centre is open to the public, absolutely free of cost and is encouraging these young minds to take advantage of these technologies.

“The centre is open to the public, we are trying to get the Ministry of Education and other educational agencies to take advantage of these opportuni-

devices that are waiting to be utilised include the robotic vacuum cleaner, humanoid robots (namely Dr Albert Einstein), hologram 3D displays, recreational drones among others.

Starr’s technology part-

ners, through the innovation centre, is showcasing their modern technologies in business solutions to education. Some of these partners include APC, Hewlett Packard, and Star Micronics among others.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, april 18, 2019

Regional

Alan García; Peru's former President US says new initiative will strengthen kills himself ahead of arrest relations with the Caribbean

Alan García had been accused of taking bribes from Brazilian firm Odebrecht

F

ormer Peruvian President Alan García has died after shooting himself as Police arrived at his home to arrest him over bribery allegations. García was rushed to hospital in the capital, Lima. His death was confirmed by current President Martín Vizcarra.

A crowd of supporters gathered outside the hospital building, and were

held back by a line of Police Officers. García was accused of taking bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht – claims he denied.

Officers had been sent to arrest him at his home in the affluent Miraflores neighbourhood in connection with the allegations.

Interior Minister Carlos Morán told reporters that when Police arrived, García

asked to make a phone call and went into a room and closed the door.

Minutes later, a shot rang out, Morán said. Police forced the door open and found García sitting on a chair with a bullet wound to his head. Ricardo Pinedo, García's Secretary, said the former President had four or five weapons in his home, gifts he had received from the military, and that he had used one of these to shoot himself.

He underwent emergency surgery in the Casimiro Ulloa hospital in Lima.

Health Minister Zulema Tomás said García had to be resuscitated three times after suffering cardiac arrests before finally succumbing to his injuries.

In a post on Twitter, Vizcarra said he was "shocked" by the former president's death and sent his condolences to his family. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Haitian claiming political persecution seeks asylum in Barbados in first of its kind case

A

31-year-old Haitian man who says he was forced to flee his homeland to save his life is now seeking political asylum in Barbados. “I have political persecution in my country, Haiti, and I [fled] here to Barbados to save my life,” Jean Wilny Michel told online newspaper Barbados Today on the steps of the Supreme Court where his case for asylum is being heard.

The computer scientist and television broadcast technician arrived in Bridgetown last September

and was given a six-month stay as a visitor, which expired on March 25, 2019.

But before his time was up, Attorney Lalu Hanuman filed an urgent writ seeking refuge for Michel.

Chief Justice, Sir Marston Gibson is hearing the matter which is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. The Chief Justice, in a very humanitarian and perceptive order back on March 26, ruled that that there should be a stay of deportation pending a decision by the Minister of Home Affairs Edmund

Hinkson on the application for political asylum.

But Hanuman said Barbados has no prior precedent, “as far as we are aware”, of anybody being granted political asylum. The sitting resulted in the Chief Justice asking for more information and research on the matter, especially as Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), and with Barbados opening its borders to skilled nationals from Haiti under the Caricom Single Market (CSM). (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Migrant camps overflow as Mexico cracks down after Trump threats

A migrant from Central America talks with his family by a river during a break in his journey towards the United States, in Huixtla, Mexico April 16, 2019

A

mid pressure from Washington, Mexico is backpedalling on promises of better treatment for Central American migrants, leaving hundreds stranded in unsanitary camps near its southern border and allegations of irregular detentions.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised more hu-

mane treatment for Central American migrants when he took office in December. His left-leaning Government issued thousands of yearlong humanitarian visas in January, giving migrants legal access to jobs and the right to travel to the United States.

However, caught off guard by a surge in arrivals, Lopez Obrador’s

Administration is resorting to old tactics based on tough law enforcement. Mexico has halted the liberal visa policy and ramped up detentions of migrants heading North, Government data shows, following criticism from US President Donald Trump of a jump in the number of Central American asylum seekers reaching the US border in February.

Trump, who is expected to make border security central to his 2020 re-election bid, has vowed to limit trade with Mexico if it does not help slow immigration. While Lopez Obrador’s Government has said it will not react to “threats”, sources familiar with Mexican policy, who asked not to be identified, said near-daily US Government pressure had led the interior and foreign ministries to push the National Migration Institute (INM) for tougher action. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US-Caribbean Resilience Partnership

T

he United States says the “USCaribbean Resilience Partnership” which was launched in Miami last week will strengthen the relationship with the region and advance “shared interests” in achieving greater resilience to natural disasters.

US Deputy Secretary of State John J Sullivan, last Friday led an inter-agency team of United States senior officials and experts to Miami where he hosted ministers and disaster management officials from 18 Caribbean countries, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management

Agency (CDEMA) and the Regional Security System (RSS) in launching the new “US-Caribbean Resilience Partnership.”

In a statement on Tuesday, the State Department said that the new partnership involves several initiatives including understanding risk and enabling action; building resilient communities; and improving disaster response.

The State Department said officials from the Caribbean and the United States will continue high-level policy dialogues and collaboration on the use of Earth obser-

vation tools to build resilience and reduce risk during the “Understanding Risk: Caribbean Conference” in Barbados on May 27, and at the NASA-led workshop on vulnerability and exposure of infrastructure in Puerto Rico, August 6-8.

Washington said it would also be “an active partner” when Jamaica hosts the first United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Americas and Caribbean Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction meeting in 2020.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

T&T Police search for kidnapped Jamaican businessman

T

he Police in Trinidad and Tobago were Wednesday continuing their search for a Jamaican-born businessman, who was abducted from his home in south Trinidad on Sunday by men pretending to be Police Officers.

Police said that they believe a US$6 million ransom is being asked for Yohan Chin's release and have detained his 36-year-old unidentified partner, who reported the kidnapping to Police on Tuesday evening.

Police said that Chin's partner in his first report to

them said that on Sunday evening he first received a call from Chin, who is in his 30s, indicating that earlier during the day armed men, two wearing ski masks and two with hats each with the word “Police” written on it came to his home. He said Chin indicated he has been taken to an unknown location and has asked him to organise some money, promising to call back with the instructions.

The partner said Chin called later and gave him further instructions, including going to his home and securing a Porshe car for

safe keeping. On arrival, the partner reported meeting the house ransacked.

A woman, who lives in San Juan, was awakened by a commotion in the house and saw men dressed in Police task force uniform.

On Tuesday, Chin is reported to have again called the partner asking him to sell the Porshe as well as his personal car, a Mercedes Benz. The victim called the partner several times and asked him to contact their lawyer to organise and sell a piece of land which they intended to do business.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Trump's Cuba hawks try to squeeze Havana over Venezuela role

T

he Trump Administration on Wednesday imposed new sanctions and other punitive measures on Cuba and Venezuela, seeking to ratchet up US pressure on Havana to end its support for Venezuela’s socialist President, Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking to a Cuban exile group in Miami, US national security adviser John Bolton said the United States was targeting Cuba’s military and intelligence services, including a military-owned airline, for additional sanctions and was tight-

ening travel and trade restrictions against the island.

Bolton’s speech followed the State Department’s announcement on Wednesday that it was lifting a long-standing ban against US citizens filing lawsuits against foreign companies that use properties seized by Cuba’s Communist Government since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.

President Donald Trump’s decision, which the State Department said could unleash hundreds of thousands of legal claims worth tens of billions of dollars, drew swift criti-

cism from European and Canadian allies, whose companies have significant interests in Cuba.

The Cuban Government, which could be hindered in attracting new foreign investment, denounced it as “an attack on international law.”

Taking aim at Venezuela, Bolton said the United States was also imposing sanctions on the country’s central bank to prohibit access to dollars by an institution he described as crucial to keeping Maduro in power. Bolton also announced new sanctions on Nicaragua. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, april 18, 2019

17

Around the World

Toppled Bashir moved from residence India cancels polling in southern to Khartoum’s Kobar prison: relatives constituency over ‘vote buying’

D

eposed ex-Sudanese President Omar alBashir has been moved to Khartoum’s grim high-security Kobar prison from the presidential residence, family sources said on Wednesday, and transitional military rulers announced steps to crack down on corruption.

In initial moves to tackle graft, the Transitional Military Council (TMC) ordered the central bank to review financial transfers since April 1 and to seize “suspect” funds, State news agency SUNA said on Wednesday.

SUNA said the TMC also ordered the “suspension of the transfer of ownership of any shares until further notice and for any large or suspect transfers of shares or companies to be reported” to State authorities.

The TMC also decreed that all State entities disclose financial holdings within 72 hours, and warned that officials who failed to comply could be fined and face up to 10 years in prison, SUNA reported.

The decree applies to bank accounts and holdings of foreign currency as well as precious metals and

jewellery inside and outside Sudan, according to the TMC. Bashir, 75, had been detained under heavy guard in the presidential residence inside the compound that also houses the Defence Ministry, before being transferred to Kobar prison late on Tuesday, the family sources said. He was being held in solitary confinement at Kobar, a prison source said.

Kobar housed thousands of political prisoners under Bashir’s nearly 30-year rule and is Sudan’s most notorious jail. (Excerpt from Reuters)

China’s Xi, in scandal-plagued Chongqing, praises city’s achievements

Chinese President Xi Jinping

C

hinese President Xi Jinping offered praise on Wednesday for what he called the achievements of the south-western city of Chongqing, one of the country’s most important cities, hit by two major graft scandals in recent years.

Chongqing has been ground zero for Xi’s war against graft, with two of its former Communist Party chiefs, both once seen as contenders for China’s top offices, jailed for corruption.

On a visit to the city, Xi “gave affirmation to the achievements Chongqing has made in its work”, the official Chongqing Daily said, after he heard a report from party and Government officials.

Xi said he hoped that the city could ensure party instructions are fully implemented and continue to create a “pure and honest political ecology”, the paper added.

Last year, a court sentenced former Chongqing party boss Sun Zhengcai to life in prison for corrup-

tion.

Before being jailed, Sun had been abruptly removed from his post, and replaced

by Chen Miner, who is close to Xi. Another former Chongqing party boss, Bo Xilai, was jailed in 2013 for bribery, corruption and abuse of power in a dramatic scandal kicked off by his wife’s murder of a British businessman.

Xi has presided over a sweeping corruption crackdown since coming to power in 2012, vowing to target both “tigers” and “flies”, a reference to elite officials and ordinary bureaucrats.

The campaign has led to the jailing or punishment of thousands of officials and brought down dozens of senior party and military officials. (Excerpt from Reuters)

I

ndian election authorities have cancelled voting in a constituency in the southern state of Tamil Nadu after seizing more than 110 million rupees (US$1.6 million) they believe was meant to influence the outcome.

It is the first time a ballot has been cancelled in a national election over attempted vote-buying, officials said on Wednesday.

The decision comes as Indians vote in a mammoth national election being held over several phases.

The next phase of voting is

scheduled for today.

But voters in the Vellore constituency in coastal Tamil Nadu will not be going to the polls as scheduled after the Election Commission of India (ECI) ruled there were fears of a “systematic design to influence voters”.

The ECI said late on Tuesday the environment in Vellore was no longer conducive to “free and ethical” elections.

No fresh date has been announced for polling in the constituency.

Almost 900 million vot-

ers are eligible to cast their votes to elect 543 members to the lower house of Parliament - the Lok Sabha.

The counting of votes would be done on May 23.

Attempts to secure votes in return for cash, liquor, electronic gadgets and even goats have been reported across Tamil Nadu in the run-up to voting.

More than 1.3 billion rupees (US$18.7 million) cash and one tonne of gold worth about US$43 million has been seized in the state since the polling dates were announced on March 10.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Yemen war: Trump vetoes bill to end US support for Saudi-led coalition

Most of the civilian deaths in Yemen have been attributed to air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition

U

S President Donald Trump has vetoed a bill passed by Congress to end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Trump described the resolution as an “unnecessary” and “dangerous” attempt to weaken his constitutional powers.

It is only the second time Trump has used his presidential veto since he took office in 2017.

Opposition in Congress

to his policy on Yemen grew last year after Saudi agents killed the journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The resolution passed the House of Representatives in April and the Senate in March, the first time both chambers had supported a War Powers resolution, which limits the President’s ability to send troops into action.

The House Speaker,

Democrat Nancy Pelosi, was among those to condemn President Trump for the move.

Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in March 2015, when the rebel Houthi movement seized control of much of the west of the country and forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee abroad.

Alarmed by the rise of a group they believed to be backed militarily by regional Shia power Iran, Saudi Arabia and eight other mostly Sunni Arab states began an air campaign aimed at restoring Hadi’s Government.

The US has provided billions of dollars of weapons and intelligence to the coalition.

The UN says at least 7000 civilians have been killed in the country, with 65% of the deaths attributed to air strikes by the Saudiled coalition. (Excerpt from BBC News)

EU Parliament votes to fine Internet firms Israeli President tasks Netanyahu for not removing extremist content quickly with forming new Government

The building of the European Parliament

T

he European Parliament voted on Wednesday to fine firms like Facebook, Google and Twitter up to 4 per cent of their turnover if they persistently fail to remove extremist content within one hour of being asked to do so by authorities.

The measures have been brought into sharper focus since the live streaming on one of Facebook’s platforms

of a lone gunman killing 50 people at two New Zealand mosques in March.

The Parliament voted 308 to 204 with 70 abstentions to back the proposal to tackle the misuse of internet hosting services for “terrorist purposes”.

A new European Parliament, to be elected on May 23-26, will finalise the text of the law in negotiations with the European

Commission and representatives of EU Governments, a process likely to take many months.

EU officials moved to regulate because they believe internet companies are not doing enough under voluntary measures, even though the first hour is the most vital to stemming the viral spread of online content.

In response to industry concerns that smaller platforms do not have the same resources to comply as speedily with tougher EU rules, lawmakers said authorities should take into account the size and revenue of companies concerned.

Brussels has been at the forefront of a push by regulators worldwide to force tech companies to take greater responsibility for content on their sites. (Excerpt

from Reuters)

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin hands a letter of appointment to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he is entrusted with forming the next Government, during their meeting at the President’s residence in Jerusalem April 17, 2019

I

srael’s President on Wednesday nominated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to head the next Government, after he won the backing of a majority of members of Parliament following an April 9 election.

In office for the past decade, Netanyahu won a fifth term despite an announce-

ment by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in February that he intends to charge the Prime Minister in three corruption cases.

Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing.

Netanyahu has 28 days, with a two-week extension if needed, to complete the task. If, as seems likely, he succeeds, he will become in

July Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister.

Netanyahu has said he intends to build a coalition with five far-right, rightwing and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties that would give the Government, led by his Likud party, 65 seats. No party has ever won an outright majority in the 120seat Knesset.

Netanyahu is under no legal obligation to resign if charges are brought against him and has said he plans to serve Israel for many more years. He can still argue, at a pre-trial hearing whose date has not been set, against the formal filing of bribery and fraud charges against him.

The election, brought forward from November, was widely seen in Israel as a bid

by Netanyahu to win a renewed mandate in the hopes that it would strengthen his hand in the legal proceedings against him. (Excerpt from

Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

Take a warning offered by someone close to you seriously. If you are too willing to help outsiders, you will end up in a vulnerable position. Use your skills and enthusiasm to get ahead.

CANCER

Use your irresistible charm appropriately. If you take advantage of someone’s vulnerability, you will hurt your reputation. Offer positive reinforcement and support to gain respect.

Be smart regarding matters that could affect your home or community. Be willing to go the distance and make adjustments that are in everyone’s best interest.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU TODAY’S WORD GEORGETTE (GEORGETTE: jor-JET: A sheer, strong, sik or silk-like fabric.)

Average mark 14 words Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 19 or more words in GEORGETTE? The list will be published tomorrow.

ultima umlaut usual last list litmus luau lust lutist tail

talus taut tilt tumult tutu imam mail maim malt mast

maul milt mist mitt mumu must mutism mutt mutual alit

alms alum atilt autism sail salt silt slam slat slim

slit slum smalt smut stat stilt suit summit

Listen and learn.

Someone who has a unique way of thinking or doing things will inspire you to make a lifestyle or professional adjustment.

Don’t let uncertainty set in if someone offers information that doesn’t make sense.

Call on an expert to break down what you’ve been told so you can make the best choice.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Don’t let the actions of others influence you. Head in a direction that is conducive to learning and developing skills you can use to bring about personal change that will make you happy.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

You’ll be encouraged to make a personal change.

The manner in which you treat others will lead to an offer that is worth considering.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

YESTERDAY’S WORD - ULTIMATUMS

Don’t let an emotional challenge ruin your day.

Face facts and make changes that will encourage you to move out of the shade and into the sun. Present what you have to offer.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

(June 21July 22)

Peanuts

Don’t let an emotional challenge ruin your day.

Face facts and make changes that will encourage you to move out of the shade and into the sun. Present what you have to offer.

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Money matters, home improvement and charitable acts will inspire you to contribute more to your community. An unexpected opportunity will develop.

Do something that matters.

Make an adjustment at home that will simplify your life.

Don’t share too much information. Walk away from people who promote bad habits.

Dream big, but stick to basics and live within your means. Know your limitations and how to deal with conflict and troublemakers.

thursday, APRIL 18, 2019

19

Rashid Khan, David Warner snap Sunrisers Hyderabad’s losing streak

Rashid Khan is pleased after getting a wicket

S

unrisers Hyderabad broke Chennai Super Kings’ winning streak, and secured a vital victory after three losses on the trot, with a six-wicket win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Super Kings were without their talismanic captain MS Dhoni, who was rested after pulling up with back spasms in their last game. And aside from a 79-run opening stand between Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis, their innings lacked oomph. Despite the slowness of the track, their 132 for 5 was sub-par and after David Warner’s rapid 50 had set the innings up, Jonny Bairstow closed the

match with an unbeaten 61.

With stand-in captain Suresh Raina having opted to bat, halfway through their innings Chennai would have been pleased with their progress at 80 for 1. But just 52 runs came from the next 10 as the innings fizzled out.

The much-hyped showdown between Vijay Shankar and Ambati Rayudu came to naught, but in truth Super Kings could have done with a little more fire in the belly at the death.

Indeed, Warner’s response at the top of Sunrisers’ chase

showed that there were quick runs to be made despite the slowness of the pitch. Warner dominated the powerplay and left Sunrisers’ brittle middle order with a very easy job to complete. Bairstow ensured there were no slipups, and a strugJohnny Bairstow swats a boundary on the offside

gling Sunrisers unit took down the table-toppers with 19 balls and six wickets to spare.

Watson, du Plessis lay platform

With three single figure scores and a duck in his last five innings before Wednesday, Watson came into this match without much form to speak of. Neither Watson nor du Plessis looked in particularly world-beating touch when the openers crawled to just 15 from t h e first four overs.

T h e press u r e was on, and a wicket at that stage could have been disastrous, but the experienced pair shrugged it off with five fours and three sixes in the next five-and-a-half overs to set the innings up.

square-leg boundary and Rashid leaked 14 from his first two overs as he struggled to find his length and repeatedly dropped short.

His third changed the complexion of the match. With du Plessis and Watson having fallen in quick succession of each other either side of the halfway mark, Rashid finally got things right in his third over, nipping out Suresh Raina and Kedar Jadhav in the space of four deliveries – both batsmen unsuccessfully reviewing their dismissals – as Super Kings

Rashid finds his length (eventually)

Rashid Khan’s midmatch comeback mirrored his teams. One sensed a big moment when he was introduced in the eighth over with both openers set, but his first ball was a half tracker that was spanked to the

David Warner plays a shot

slipped to 99 for 4.

Bhuvneshwar keeps it tight

Super Kings might still have made a fist of things at the death from that position, and they may well have been looking to target Bhuvneshwar Kumar in that regard. He had an economy rate of 12.6 between overs 16 to 20 heading into this game, and was seen practicing various versions

3

of the cutter with head coach Tom Moody on the eve of this match. The extra work clearly paid off, and Kumar gave away just 15 runs in his last two overs – and just five off the final over of the innings – to stall Super Kings’ charge.

Rayudu managed to get a couple away, but Ravindra Jadeja’s innings completely failed to launch as he finished with 10 not out from 20 balls.

SCOREBOARD

Chennai Super Kings Innings (20 overs maximum) SR Watson b Nadeem 31 F du Plessis c †Bairstow b Shankar 45 SK Raina (c) lbw b Rashid Khan 13 AT Rayudu not out 25 KM Jadhav lbw b Rashid Khan 1 SW Billings † c Shankar b Ahmed 0 RA Jadeja not out 10 Extras 7 (b 2, lb 2, w 3) TOTAL 132/5 (20 Overs, RR: 6.6) Did not bat: KV Sharma, Imran Tahir, SN Thakur, DL Chahar Fall of wickets: 1-79 (SR Watson, 9.5 ov), 2-81 (F du Plessis, 10.2 ov), 3-97 (SK Raina, 13.1 ov), 4-99 (KM Jadhav, 13.4 ov), 5-101 (SW Billings, 14.4 ov) BOWLING B Kumar 4-0-21-0 KK Ahmed 4-0-22-1 Sandeep Sharma 4-0-33-0 S Nadeem 2-0-24-1 Rashid Khan 4-0-17-2 V Shankar 2-0-11-1

Sunrisers Hyderabad Innings (target: 133 runs from 20 overs) DA Warner c du Plessis b Chahar 50 JM Bairstow † not out 61 KS Williamson (c) c & b Imran Tahir 3 V Shankar c †Billings b Imran Tahir 7 DJ Hooda c du Plessis b Sharma 13 YK Pathan not out 0 Extras 3 (w 3) TOTAL 137/4 (16.5 Overs, RR: 8.13) Yet to bat: Rashid Khan, B Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, S Nadeem, KK Ahmed Fall of wickets: 1-66 (DA Warner, 5.4 ov), 2-71 (KS Williamson, 6.6 ov), 3-105 (V Shankar, 12.2 ov), 4-131 (DJ Hooda, 16.4 ov) BOWLING DL Chahar 3-0-31-1 SN Thakur 3-0-31-0 Imran Tahir 4-0-20-2 RA Jadeja 4-0-22-0 KV Sharma 2.5-0-33-1

Spurs stun Man City on away goals

T

ottenham overcame Manchester City in a classic encounter at Etihad Stadium to reach the last four of the Champions League for the first time.

Fernando Llorente’s goal, bundled in from a corner and confirmed by VAR 17 minutes from time, gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side victory on away goals on a night of tension, attacking quality and defensive frailty that ended City and Pep Guardiola’s quest for a historic quadruple of Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup. In a game of relentless drama, City even thought they had won it in injury time only for Raheem Sterling’s goal to be ruled out for offside by VAR. Spurs were protecting a 1-0 lead from the first leg but an opening 21 minutes of chaotic brilliance saw City lead 3-2 on the night as both teams exchanged goals at will.

Sterling lit the blue touchpaper on a thunderous atmosphere when he curled in a precision finish from the edge of the area after only four minutes, but Spurs responded with a double from Son Heung-min as he took advantage of errors by Aymeric Laporte.

Bernardo Silva put Spurs level on the night with a shot that deflected past Hugo Lloris then

Sterling arrived on the end of the outstanding Kevin de Bruyne’s cross to score at the far post.

It left City effectively needing to win the second half and they looked on course when Sergio Aguero crashed home their fourth after De Bruyne sliced Spurs open before Llorente, on as a first-half substitute for injured Moussa Sissoko, bundled in from a corner via his hip – the goal given after a VAR check for handball.

In one last extraordinary twist, City thought they had snatched victory and Sterling a hat-trick, but emotions switched instantly as VAR had the final word once again, ruling that Aguero was in an offside position as Bernardo Silva diverted the ball into his path.

Spurs go on to face Ajax at the

end of unforgettable encounter that left everyone involved stunned and breathless.

Spurs dig deep and stay bold to triumph

For Spurs this was the rollercoaster night to top them all, their players and coaching staff dragged through every possible emotion before joining their supporters in joyous celebration at the final whistle.

After such a bright start, Pochettino’s side struggled to weather a City storm that culminated with Aguero putting them ahead in the tie, before Llorente’s goal renewed hope once more.

They then had to deal with the gutpunch of Sterling’s stoppage time goal only to be hit by a wave of re-

lief and joy at VAR’s final decisive intervention.

This was all done without striker and talisman Harry Kane, but once again Son rose to the responsibility, the classy South Korean typifying their bold approach with his superb movement and those two vital early goals.

Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris – rightly criticised after his mistake gifted Liverpool victory at Anfield recently – also deserves huge praise after his penalty save from Aguero in the first leg and crucial stops from the Argentine and De Bruyne in the return leg.

This was a Spurs side, it should be remembered that needed a draw in Barcelona to reach the group stage after damaging defeats away to Inter Milan and draw at PSV Eindhoven.

It is a tribute to the resilience of this squad – and Pochettino’s management of his resources – that they not only achieved that but now stand only two games away from their first Champions League final.

They survived an all-out assault from City to achieve it – how they deserved those celebrations.

City’s quadruple dream ends

City’s fans gave their players a standing ovation after the chance of finally winning the Champions

League – and claiming that haul of four trophies – eluded them on this sensational night.

And it was hard to criticise a team who, in this game, were scintillating going forward and were a magnificent sight in full cry for long periods.

City’s downfall was the sloppy defending that let Spurs back in after Sterling’s opener, the normally reliable Laport diverting Dele Alli’s pass into Son’s path for the equaliser before the Frenchman’s heavy touch led to the Korean’s second.

Guardiola’s players slumped to the turf as the final whistle sounded but they will not be allowed to stay down for long. It’s back to business in the Premier League on Saturday for a start. Their opponents? Spurs.

There will be no genuine consolation for City after a night such as this, but what stood out was the sheer relentless quality of De Bruyne, back to his best after an injury-troubled season, while Sterling continues to go from strength to strength.

Both men will be key to City’s bid to overhaul Liverpool in the Premier League title race before meeting Watford in the FA Cup final, but the disappointment of missing out on the trophy that would confirm the club’s status as a European superpower will remain.

(BBC Sport)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursday, APRIL 18, 2019

Jofra Archer: England skips over pace bowler in provisional World Cup squad

E

ngland has not picked uncapped pace bowler Jofra Archer in a preliminary 15-man World Cup squad but have named him in one-day squads for games against Pakistan and Ireland.

Barbados-born Archer, 24, qualified to play for England in March after a change in residency rules. He could still make the World Cup if he impresses in the pre-tournament matches as changes can be made up to May 23. England play Ireland on May 3 before a five-match series against Pakistan.

“The selection panel has been impressed with Jofra Archer’s performances in domestic and franchise cricket,” said national selector Ed Smith. “He is a very talented and exciting cricketer.” England’s Chris Woakes said on Tuesday it would “not be fair mora l -

ly” to pick Archer for the World Cup, hosted by England and Wales, which begins on May 30. Sussex’s Archer has an English father and a British passport. He became eligible to play for England on March 17, thanks to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) bringing in new residency

his 90mph bowling, athletic fielding and aggressive batting, is currently playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), alongside England internationals Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes.

Smith told him about his selection prior to the Royals’ game against Kings

Archer has been playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League

rules on January 1, 2019.

He has played only 14 one-day matches in his career but has impressed in T20 cricket. Archer, rated one of the most valuable limited-overs players in the world because of

XI Punjab on Tuesday, where Archer took 3-15 from his four overs.

The ECB said players “selected in the squads, who are currently playing in the IPL, will return to England on or before April 26”. The preliminary World Cup squad is unchanged from the drawn winter one-day series against the West Indies, with Eoin Morgan captaining a side who are number one in the ODI rankings.

Jordan returns to ODI squad

Archer’s Sussex teammate Chris Jordan has also been given a chance to break into the World Cup set-up by being named in the squads to play Ireland and Pakistan.

Pace bowler Jordan, who played in England’s 3-0 T20 series win in the West Indies, returns to the ODI squad for the first time since September 2016. “Chris Jordan, a regular in T20 squads over the past few years, has continued to develop as a cricketer – as we saw in the T20s in the West Indies,” said Smith.

“He fully deserves his return to the ODI squad.”

Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes will be rested for the ODI against Ireland in Dublin and the T20 international against Pakistan on May 5.

They will return to the squad for the five-match ODI series against Pakistan between May 8 and 19 before England open their World Cup campaign against South Africa at The Oval on May 30.

“All 17 players named in the Royal London ODIs against Pakistan can stake a claim to be in the final 15-

man squad, finalised at the end of that series,” added Smith. “With regard to resting players, we are conscious of managing player workloads leading into such an important summer so that players are in the best possible condition for the World Cup.” That was also a factor in the way we have selected these three squads.”

After the World Cup squad is finalised, England play warm-up matches against Australia on May 25 and Afghanistan on May 27.

These are not official ODIs. Jofra Archer has been given a chance to prove himself for the World Cup. It is a real conundrum for the selectors; how do they give all involved in this knifeedge choice – David Willey, Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Tom Curran and possibly Joe Denly – a fair and equal chance to compete with the talented Archer.

Archer, for all his T20 experience, has played only 14 one-day matches in his career. Keeping a squad of 17 happy over five make-orbreak games with so much at stake will not be easy.

Chris Jordan’s performances in the West Indies have giv-

en him another opportunity, while England’s party to play Ireland is essentially its T20 squad.

England preliminary 15man World Cup squad:

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

England 17-man squad to play in Pakistan ODIs:

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

England 14-man squad to play in Ireland ODI and Pakistan IT20:

Eoin Morgan (captain), Jofra Archer, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey, Mark Wood.

Orinduik Development Inc lends Easy Liverpool win sets up Barca semi hand to Sport Shooting Foundation

L

iverpool swept side Porto with a thumping 6-1 aggregate victory to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg at Anfield, goals from Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and

Virgil van Dijk underscored an accomplished win by Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The Reds had been forced to survive an early bombardment in the saturated Estadio do Dragao, before Mane opened the scoring with a sliding effort – from

Salah’s scuffed shot – which was confirmed by VAR. Salah stroked in a second after the break from a superb counter-attack before Real Madrid-bound defender Eder Militao pulled a goal back for the hosts.

Liverpool reasserted their authority though with close-range headers from Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk sealing an impressive victory.

Remarkably Porto had threatened to capitalise on a sluggish Liverpool start until Mane’s goal swung the momentum of the second leg back in the visitors’ favour.

Until then Liverpool were the beneficiaries of errant finishing from the home side – with Mali forward Moussa Marega notably failing to convert any of his five chances in the opening 20 minutes.

Liverpool will face Barcelona in the first leg of their semi-final at the Nou Camp on Tuesday, April 30.

(BBC Sport)

Brian Backer of Orinduik Development Inc hands over the sponsorship cheque to Ray Beharry, Treasurer of the GSSF, in the presence of Directors Andrew Phang and Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon

U

pon hearing the word “Orinduik”, every Guyanese national’s mind immediately travels to the major tourist attraction on the Ireng River, which borders Guyana and Brazil, before merging with the Takutu River and into Brazil to join the Amazon River.

For local sport-shooters however, this name is becoming synonymous with the promise of an exciting, fun and safe competition. A mere six months after closing off the 2018 Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) shooting calendar with a Steel Challenge Shooting Match which was

sponsored by Orinduik Development Inc, the dedicated match sponsors returned to support the Shooting Foundation; this time around with match sponsorship for a Practical Shooting Match.

Like the multi-tiered series of cascades of the Orinduik Falls, Orinduik Development Inc has been supporting the respective shooting disciplines that are explored by the Foundation.

At the simple handover ceremony on April 16, Managing Director of Orinduik Development Inc, Brian Backer, which is a private security firm

based on the East Coast that specialises in aviation security and VIP personal protection, handed over the sponsorship cheque to the Foundation’s Treasurer Ray Beharry.

Also present at the handover ceremony were GSSF Directors Andrew Phang and Vidushi PersaudMcKinnon.

Following the presentation, the members of the GSSF extended their sincerest gratitude to Brian Backer and the Board of Directors of Orinduik Development Inc for the kind sponsorship and support of the Foundation’s activities and events.

guyanatimesgy.com

THURsday, APRIL 18, 2019

21

U-19 Inter-county preparation continues in Berbice – Anderson, Umroa, Nedd, Singh depart

T

number eight lit up Albion with a shot-filled 47, including shots outside the ground.

In reply, Umroa’s XI

Kevlon Anderson

he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) continues to gear up players for the Under-19 Inter-county Tournament slated for the latter part of April.

On Tuesday last, the Berbice Under-19 players assembled at the Albion Sports Complex for their first trial match.

Among notable players in the trial match were Kevlon Anderson and Kevin Umroa, who will depart today for Antigua to attend the West Indies Under-19 training camps. The two Berbicians, who

Ashmead Nedd

are likely to feature in the Berbice and Guyana Under-19 teams will join Demerara’s duo, Ashmead Nedd and Sachin Singh, who will be encamped in Antigua, with the Windies Under-19 squad.

During the trial match for the Berbice players at Albion, Anderson’s XI got the better of Umroa’s XI. In the presence of Leslie Solomon and Balram Samaroo, who is performing the duties of the Chairman of Selectors in

the absence of Julian Moore, they along with the Guyana Under-15 team witnessed some solid performances.

Batting first in the 50-over match, Anderson’s XI racked up 311; the junior players were given the opportunity to showcase their talents while the senior players took the back seat. Jeetendra Outar smashed 80 for Anderson’s XI. Deonauth Persaud scored 69, while Kevlon Anderson batting at

Sachin Sigh

reached 226 all out in the intense trial match; Blairmont’s Seon Glasgow top scored with an even 50 Shamar Angel scored 47. Bowling for Anderson’s XI, leg-spinner, Winslow Roberts had 3-40 in seven overs.

The Berbice team looks a formidable unit on paper, with Windies selectees Kevlon Anderson and Kevin Umroa leading the troops. Berbice will continue their preparation with a two-day fixture ahead of the 2019 Intercounty tournament that will play in the three-day and one-day format.

Berbice 30-member trial squad reads: Alex Algoo, Junior Sinclair, Fawaz Gafoor, Rajendra Beharry, Seon Glassgow, Shamar Angel,

Amerith Rocky Rai Memorial T20 Cricket…

Deonauth Persaud, G a r f i e l d Benjamin, K e v l o n Anderson, Nigel Deodat, Kevin Umroa, D a r r e n Brijadder, Fenton Mingo, Chris Daniels, Gevon Shultz, Nicholas Lawson, Christopher Harry, Isai Anderson, M o h a b i r S e w r a j , Anthonio

February, Carl Gilgeous, Chanderpaul Govindhan, Aaron Beharry, Melvin Singh, Beesham Surujnarine, Reyon Sam, Dorasammy Mahadeo, Winslow Roberts, Leon Swammy and Tyrese Sealey.

(Brandon Corlette)

WDCA Beacon Café 50Over Competition…

CLASSIFIED Zeeburg BS to battle Rising Stars in finals Persaud dents La Grange ADS

with all round brilliance

ARACARI

I

ARACARI HOTEL, WBD (NEAR HARBOUR BRIDGE) ALL MODERN AMENITIES- RATES FROM US$25.

TEL #264-2946-8 CONFERENCE & RETREATS- FULL SERVICE: HOTEL, CATERING & FACILITES. ARACARI RESORT, WBD. ALEX WAYNE: 264-2946.

WEDDINGS & ANNIVERSARIES. RENTAL OR FULL SERVICE: BANQUET HALL & CATERING, ARACARI RESORT. ALEX WAYNE: 264-2946.

SALON: COSMETOLOGY-FULL COURSE $100,000. TECHNICIAN $40,000. ARACARI SALON & SPA, WBD 264-3312, 600-3927.

The victorious Zeeburg side

FOR SALE LEFT HAND DRIVEN TOYOTA CAR $480,000 NEGOTIABLE, SMALL BUS/ VAN $300,000, STAND UP FREEZER $45,000, CALL OR WHATSAPP 6803863 ONE GREENHEART WOODEN BUILDING ONLY. MUST SELL, GOING CHEAP, PRICE NEGOTIABLE. CONTACT R. SINGH ON TEL# 501-3706

property for sale TWO APARTMENT, SIX BEDROOM PROPERTY LOCATED AT FIRST BRIDGE, GOLDEN GROVE HOUSING SCHEME FOR SALE. 30.5 MIL NEGOTIABLE. TEL# 600-2032 OR 693-5426

SPIRITUALITY Are you having problems with money, job, lovelife, domestic problems/ maritial problems, all difficulties in your life, you can adjust your life, etc. Call for appointment Pandit Mohan 692-9449

TO LET FOR RENT BY OWNER . 8000 sq ft of warehouse/office space on the BV (Beterverwagting) Public Rd, East Coast Demerara. Multiple air-conditioned offices. Call or Whatsapp 592-610-6580

VACANCY MAID, COOK, CALL – 624-0033 DRIVER AND PORTER FOR WATER DELIVERY TRUCK CALL OR WHATSAPP 680-3863

Keon Roberts scored 40 and bagged 2-17

F

ollowing their successes in the Amerith Rocky Rai Memorial T20 Cricket semi-finals on the West Coast of Demerara, Zeeburg BS and Rising Stars will battle for supremacy in the final.

Playing in semi-final number one, Zeeburg BS defeated Omesh XI by 23 runs at the Meten-MeerZorg Sports Club. Zeeburg BS won the toss and elected to bat on a flat track.

Throughout their innings, Zeeburg were able to maintain a steady run rate, despite losing a few wickets along the way. This resulted in Zeeburg BS posting 167 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs, as Ravindra Dookie top scored with 42 from 19 Balls (4×6,1×4), Richardo Poloram 39 (2x6,4×4), and Balbinder Shivpersaud chipping in with 37 (2x6,3×4).

Bowling for Omesh XI were Stephen Johnson with figures of 3-17 and Ganesh Narine 2-34. Omesh XI in

The victorious Rising Stars

reply folded for 145 for 9 in 20 overs, as Mark Gonzales scored 21 at the top of the order and Madanlall Doodnarine played a late cameo of 48 in a losing effort. Bowling for Zeeburg were Mark Hubbard who bagged 4- 34 and chipping in with Yutesh Dhanpaul 2-30.

In semi-final number two, Rising Star defeated Canal #2 by 21 runs as Rising Stars won the toss and elect to bat first. The team batting first had the highest probability of victory as the ball came on to the bat of the batsmen with ease. Rising stars were

able to finesse their way to a respectable total of 1827 in their allotted overs with Travis Cato top scoring with 43 (4×6 3×4), Keon Roberts 40 (2×6 3×4) and Marvin Cheong chipping in with 37 (1×6 3×4). Bowling for Canal #2 was Narindra Persaud with figures of 2-24.

In reply, Canal #2 reached 161-9 in their 20 overs as Shane Persaud’s 3-13 in and Keon Roberts 2-17 was just enough to restrict from booking their spot in the finals.

Rising Stars will meet with Zeeburg Sports Club in the final.

n a weekend packed with action, McGill Super Stars Sports Club defeated La Grange All Stars in the West Demerara Cricket Association’s (WDCA) Beacons 50Over Competition by 187 runs. The match which was held at the Zeeburg Sports Club Ground, was reduced to 40 overs due to overnight rain.

At the spin of the toss, McGill emerged victors and opted to bat first on a hard wicket. Sunny conditions also favoured Travis Persaud and Keshram Seyhodan single-handedly took the team batting first. their team across the line La Grange were no strangers to McGill, havfor La Grange were Greg ing lost to them in the past, Singh 3-31 and Paul but McGill were prepared Shivram 2-36. to make light work of the Needing 320 for victory fragile team. Opening the in 240 balls at run rate of batting for the superstars, 7.95 runs per over, Daniel McGill were led by brothers Basdeo and Travis Persaud Travis and Troy Persaud, opened the bowling. Basdeo who played smartly as they and Persaud ripped through built an opening stand of 51 the batting line-up as runs. But Troy Persaud fell Basdeo had two wickets for 19, and La Grange were in his first over removing given a window of oppor- Jurmin Ramroop (0) and tunity. But all hopes were Leon Frederick (8). Persaud dashed against the sidewalk then bowled Saif Persaud as Keshram Seyhodan and (0) and Greg Singh (13), to Travis Persaud frustrated dent the hosts hope at 39-4, their opponents with a 151 as Tyrone Carrington conrun partnership. Eventually tinued to hold his team toTravis Persaud reached gether before he fell bowled his second century in two to Seyhodan for 22 at 60matches in a space of 91 5. Travis then had George balls, but was caught in the Carrington caught at long on 24th over with the score at for (0) and David Manohar 211-2, while Seyhodan de- (13) caught and bowled parted 10 runs later, bowled at 76-7, with the pressure for 68 by Greg Singh. From mounting La Grange eventhere on it was easy work tually folded for 132 in 33 for the McGill Superstars overs. Bowling for McGill as Sudesh Persaud and were Travis Persaud 4-25, Mahadeo Ramotar played Daniel Basdeo 2-32, Abdul vital cameos of 44 and 23 not Razack 1-18, Keshram out to take the Superstars to Seyhodan 1-20 and Sudesh 319-8 in 40 overs. Bowling Persaud 1-15.

22

THURsday, APRIL 18, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Guyana drawn in Group A of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifier

G

uyana is now aware of who their opponents will be when they enter the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifier in July. The Caribbean tournament will pave the way for Guyana’s Olympic 2020 dreams to be realised.

After the draw in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday morning, Guyana has found themselves in Group A with St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and Caribbean football powerhouse, Jamaica.

The four group tournament will run from April 17-21, with two Caribbean teams advancing to the CONCACAF qualifying championship.

The format of the Caribbean version of qualifying will see the top teams from every group at the end of the round robin stage advancing to compete in a final play-in match (1A v 1D and 1B v 1C). The winners of those two play-in matches will then go on to compete in the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic qualifying championship.

If Guyana is to reach this stage, they will meet three teams from the Central American version of the competition and the North American representatives, Mexico, Canada and the USA. Central America’s quali-

fying (which will take place during the first three weeks of July) format will see six participating teams – Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua and

Carlos “The Show Stopper” Peterson

“Strong Mind and A Big Heart”

T

he International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Powerlifting Championships is set to take place in Helsingborg, Sweden. As such Guyana’s very own Carlos “The Show Stopper” Peterson will be aiming to secure a gold medal as he represents the Golden Arrowhead.

Peterson is currently Guyana’s reigning 93kg powerlifting champion and according to the IPF, he was ranked number 10 out of 300 of the best athletes from around the world in the Classic Powerlifting World Ranking 2018 – Men 93 kg. Peterson had a best squat of 300kg, bench press of 165kg and dead lift of 325kg in 2018.

He placed first in the open raw/classic category 93kg weight class, [and got] overall raw best lifter and the new NAPF South American, Pan American Squat Record; 1st place In the open equipped category 93kg weight class, third place overall and South American deadlift record. As such, he is currently pushing himself to the maximum to come out as a gold medalist and be the number one ranked for 2019, which means he will have to defeat Anatolli Novopismennyi of Ukraine.

He further secured his spot in Sweden for 2019 when he won gold in the Men’s Raw Open 93kg class and followed up that performance in the Men’s Equipped Open division claiming his second gold and setting a

Carlos “The Show Stopper” Peterson

new national total record of 800kg, his squat of 315kg was also a new national record as was his deadlift mark of 330kg.

As crunch time approaches the pressure will definitely be on Peterson, but he has proven time and time again to defy the odds.

Peterson has had his fair share of loses in his career, but he has learnt from his mistakes and channelled his energy in to breaking records. He must now double down on his training and push himself beyond his limit as that would be the certified formula if he desires gold. When he lands in Sweden he will definitely be a threat as gold will be the only thing on his mind.

Guatemala – competing in three individual home-andaway series. The three series winners will then earn their spot in the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic qualifying

championship. The matchups will be set, 1 v 6, 2 v 5 and 3 v 4, and positions will be determined via the FIFA World Ranking as of March 31, 2019.

The tournament is said to be catered for Under-23 players and as such will give the spotlight to Guyana’s younger crop of local and internationally based players.

Without a doubt the likes of Kelsey Benjamin and Jeremy Garrett are expected to grace the squad.

In addition, the Guyana Football Federation is set to launch their GFFKFC National U20 IntraAssociation Independence Cup. The impending tourna-

ment is currently scheduled for April 27 – May 20 with an Inter-regional play-off to follow. Given that the tournament is set for Under-20 players, one can expect that the shining stars at the end of the local tournament, will have a chance to make the national team cut.

Group B of the Caribbean qualifying stage consists of Barbados, Cuba and the US Virgin Islands. Group C features Haiti, Suriname, Grenada and Cayman Islands whilst Antigua and Barbuda, The Dominican Republic, St Lucia and Puerto Rico were drawn in Group D.

Stag Futsal quarter-final on today

S

tarting out with 32 teams from Georgetown, West Bank Demerara, East Bank Demerara, East Coast Demerara and Linden, the Stag Beer Easter Futsal Festival has boiled down to just eight, as the tournament heads into the quarter-final round.

With some of the round of 16 hosted on Saturday last, the last few matches were held on Tuesday evening at the National Gymnasium, Mandel Avenue.

In Tuesday’s action, California Square booked their spot in the semi-final after defeating Melanie.

David George (12, 19) and

Oring (6) were responsible for California Square’s 3, while Shazis John was the only reply for Melanie.

ANSA McAL thumped Future Stars in a high-scoring encounter.

Ozia Hernandes celebrated a hat trick and Jemmy Gorcia had a brace for ANSA McAL’s 5. Jamal Cozer, Rondell Bowman and Willim Europe contributed one each for Future Star’s three.

Sunil Logan and John Greaves’ too were not enough for Hustlers to overcome the dominant Gold is Money who had three goals, thanks to Michael Pedro, Colin Nelson and Jamal Pedro.

Bent Street almost had a scare in their encounter against Tiger Bay, but a late goal from Clive Nobrega did the trick.

In the quarter-final, Gold is Money will take on Leopold Street at 20:00h, while Bent Street battles California Square at 21:00h.

Back Circle and North East will go head to head at 22:00h, while Sparta Boss and ANSA McAL fight for their spot in the semi at 23:00h.

The tournament is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, April 27, the eventual winners will pocket $700,000.

CWI/TTWCA Female Regional U-19 20-Over Tournament…

Mixed results for Guyana on opening day

– Fraser, Gajnabi star in respective matches

O

n the first day of the Cricket West Indies Regional Under-19 Female Tournament in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana defeated Canada by six runs in their first match.

In the second match, Guyana suffered an eight-wicket defeat by the hands of Trinidad and Tobago, who also defeated Barbados by eight wickets earlier.

Canada v Guyana

Batting first, Guyana made 108-4 in 20 overs, after Canada won the toss; Cherry Ann Fraser topscored with 37, while Mandy Mangru scored 19. Bowling for Canada, Mahwish Khan had 3-16. In reply, Canada fell short by six runs, finishing with 102-7 in 20 overs.

Off-spinner Ashmini Munisar had 2-13; medium pacer, Shabika Gajnabi had 2-15, while Playerof-the-Match Cherry Ann Fraser had 2-21. Miryam Khokhar top-scored with 23 for Canada and Kamna Mirchandani scored 18.

Trinidad and Tobago v Guyana

In Guyana’s second match of the day, playing against hosts Trinidad and Tobago, the visitors scored 108-6 in 20 overs. Captain

Player-of-the-Match Cherry Ann Fraser receives an award from Windies player, Britney Cooper

Shabika Gajnabi top-scored with a classy 52 from 48 balls, hitting four boundaries and one six and the hard-hitting Afruica Gentle scored a useful 16.

Bowling for Trinidad and Tobago, Alysha Gomez had 2-20 following up her playerof-the-match performance against Barbados in the first encounter, where she had 4-12. Trinidad and Tobago achieved the target in 14.2 overs, finishing victorious on 110-2 in 14.2 overs.

Player-of-the-Match Shania Abdool top-scored with 35 from 30 balls and Shunelle Sawh scored 26.

Bowling for the Guyana, Cherry Ann Fraser and Niveena Ramnauth had one wicket each in a losing effort.

Guyana will play Windward Islands and Barbados today. The first match will commence at 09:30h and the second match will bowl off at 14:30h. (Brandon Corlette)

thursday, APRIL 18, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

23

What’s next for West Indies cricket?

– as Skerritt continues to make shocking changes

By Brandon Corlette

O

n March 24, 2019, it was the beginning of a new era for West Indies cricket, when the known dictator, Dave Cameron, made his exit and Ricky Skerritt entered office. From the West Indies team’s manager to President of Cricket West Indies (CWI), the 62-year-old Skerritt and his administration has made wholesale changes to the management thus far.

Skerritt began his “Cricket First” 10-point plan by making amends with ex-Head Coach Phil Simmons.

Three days into the Skerritt-era, on March 27, it was officially announced that CWI and Phil Simmons came to an amicable resolution in the claim of Simmons’ dismissal as Head Coach in 2016.

On April 10, 2019, it was a monumental moment for cricket in the Caribbean; in the press conference that was held in Antigua, CWI seen more notable changes made. Richard Pybus was sacked as Head Coach of the West Indies team, to the corrupted Courtney Browne time as Chief Selector, came to an end.

In came the new-boys, Floyd Reifer, new Head Coach; and Robert Haynes, Chairman of Selectors. As Skerritt promised, the coaching staff will see Caribbean personnel, and the Barbadian Reifer signified that promise. Following the numerous

CWI President Ricky Skerritt (in black suit) and former Head Coach Richard Pybus

announcements made on April 11, on April 12 CWI officially announced a squad to tour Ireland for an ODI Tri-series.

From a Guyanese perspective, the squad selected for Ireland, led by the Robert Haynes panel was no different from a Courtney Browne squad. The 14-man squad, includes eight Barbadians, and none of the players in the squad was of Guyanese decent. With all the Indian Premiere League (IPL) stars missing, at least two Guyanese should have made the

cut, since the Guyanese franchise have dominated regional cricket.

The explanation behind this squad selected was to expose a wider pool of players in the United Kingdom (UK) Conditions with the IPL players unavailable for selection. That explanation would have done little justice. Earlier this week, India announced their World Cup squad, and clear explanations were made on the selection of the players.

Why has CWI lacked explanation in its selection process, leaving the Guyanese players out?

However, it was stated that the squad to Ireland will not be the ICC World Cup squad, as IPL players such as Chris Gayle and Andre Russell will feature in the World Cup squad that may announce this week.

Ricky Skerritt commented on the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) illegality issue in the press conference in Antigua; he explained that the issue needs to sort itself out but CWI would assist. Further changes were made with less explanation; the coaching staff and team management saw Assistant Coaches Esuan Crandon and Vasbert Drakes, who is suing CWI, were excluded from the West Indies team coaching staff.

It was shocking, especially for Crandon who is arguably the best coach in the Region at the moment, having won five consecutive regional

Barbadian and former West Indies assistant Coach Vasbert Drakes

titles coaching the Guyana Jaguars.

Surprises continued as the 40-yearold Rayon Griffith, who played the roles of assistant coach and Head Coach for Guyana Jaguars; was appointed Assistant Coach (fielding coach). Griffith played 22 First-Class matches and 22 List A matches and he has 10 catches in those matches he played.

Not saying Griffith does not deserve the job, but Assistant (fielding) coach? An explanation is needed for these selections. Crandon’s replacement was Roddy Estwick, a Barbadian while Corey Collymore, another individual of Barbadian decent made the cut as Assistant (Fast Bowling Coach).

Reflecting on the series against England, many would have thought wholesale changes would not have been made since that series was hailed a success for West Indies cricket. It was a series of significance; players saw it as the series for a perfect preparation for the World Cup, but this new CWI administration has different views.

Recently, it was announced that Guyanese Ramnaresh Sarwan welcomed an invitation from CWI to work with the West Indies batsmen, who are currently encamped in Barbados. What is the next move for Cricket West Indies? What changes will Ricky Skerritt bring to the table?

CWI Regional U-15 Super 50 tournament…

Energised Guyana, winless Leeward Islands meet in 4th round

A

fter two wins in three matches to date, the Guyana U-15 team that is currently touring Antigua, will play Leeward Islands in their penultimate match today. The Leeward Islands team, that is yet to register a win in this tournament, will lock horns with Guyana from 09:30h at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

Guyana began their campaign on a high with six wicket win over Jamaica.

The elegant left-handed stroke-maker, Rampertab Ramnauth was the star of the match with a brilliant

114. The lad from Berbice, Ramnauth, who was the leading run scorer in the inter-county under 15 tournament, continued his rich vein of form.

In the first match, skipper, Zachary Jodah had 3-46 while Krsna Singh and Mavindra Dindyal had two wickets each. Dindyal and Jadon Campbell had scores in the forties in match one.

In the next match, Barbados looked the stronger unit when the humbled Guyana by 95-runs.

The defending Champions, Barbados, racked up 332-7 in their

50 overs, taking Guyana bowlers to the cleaners.

Only off-spinner, Alvin Mohabir had 3-52 while Isai Thorne had 2-66. In reply, a one-sided batting effort was shown by the Guyanese as Mavindra Dindyal playing a lone hand, finishing with 126. Left-handed Alvin Mohabir scored 31 batting at number four.

In the Guyanese third match on tour, they returned to winning ways with a 25-run win over Windward Islands. Matthew Pottaya made his regional debut as he watches his fellow Berbician; Isai Thorne

The Guyana U-15 team in Antigua

churn out a player-of- thematch performance.

Guyana batting first reached 222-9 with Ravishkar Sobahi, who kept wicket in the first two matches, sat out as Dindyal took the gloves. A solid batting effort form Rampertab Ramnauth (57) and Captain Zachary Jodah (45) ensured the Guyanese finished with

a respectable total.

Fast bowler, Isai Thorne had 3-59 as Windwards were bowled out for 197.

Thaddeus Lovell had 2-35, Krsna Singh had 1-25 and Matthew Pottaya grabbed 1-28. Guyana will be aiming to continue their winning ways; with two matches remaining they have an opportunity to win the title.

Trinidad and Tobago sits at the top of the table with three wins while Barbados, Windwards and Guyana won two matches and lost one. If Guyana ensured Leeward Islands remain winless, their fifth and final round match against Trinidad and Tobago on April 20, may play out a virtual final.

(Brandon Corlette)

thursday, APRIL 18, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana drawn in Group A of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifier Page 22

U-19 Inter-county preparation continues in Berbice Page 21

Kevin Umroa

What’s next for West Indies cricket?

Former West Indies Assistant Coach Esuan Crandon

Page 23

– as Skerritt continues to – Anderson, Umroa, Nedd, Singh depart make shocking changes

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.