Guyana times 2 september 2017 new

Machel Montano touched down in Guyana P

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Issue No. 3320

PRICE

Amerindian Heritage Month 2017

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

NTC granted land for Georgetown Secretariat Page 3

As Guyana celebrates its Indigenous peoples, the Indigenous Heritage Village, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, on Friday was energised with rich culture, food and music where Amerindian Heritage Month 2017 opened. The month-long celebration is being observed under the theme, “Guyana’s first peoples; sustaining a rich cultural environment” (Carl Croker photo)

Prison escapee Uree Varswyck killed by Police

P11 MTV broadcast tower collapses

…bolt cutter found close by, Police launches investigation

Taxi driver jailed for causing P8 death of pensioner

Contract P10 inked with Chinese firm for water treatment plants

Page 9

Uncle kills 18-monthold niece for earrings Page 7

Ex-Cop, girlfriend die in ECD accident Page 8

Region 2 house lot fraud

Deputy Housing Officer taken into custody P11

2 News

saturDAY, september 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Aruba Airlines accused of overbooking flights

… just weeks after commencing operations in Guyana … passengers stranded at CJIA

O

ver the past week, hundreds of passengers have been seen flocking the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, East Bank Demerara, with hopes of making it on to their flight out of Guyana. This is as Aruba Airlines, just weeks after commencing operations in Guyana has been accused of overbooking flights, forcing passengers to rely on a “first come, first serve” system.

Following the inaugural landing of the airliner in

Scores of passengers flocked the CJIA on Friday, uncertain as to whether or not they would make the flight out of Guyana

Guyana, local franchise holder Captain Gerald Gouveia

indicated that the carrier will be serving between

Guyana and Cuba, flying three times a week. This is

with the use of an Embraer ERJ 145, which has the capacity of carrying about 150 passengers at a time.

However, despite operating with a small aircraft, the airline is said to book an excessive number of passengers, making it impossible to transport the full list in one flight. As a result, they have been faced with a constantly growing backlog which has resulted in travellers either forcing their way onto the flights or being turned away at the airport. Earlier this year, Cuban passengers

were faced with a similar debacle as the aircraft attached to the Easy Sky’s fleet was grounded, following similar reports of Honduran-based airline overbooking as well as overloading their flights.

While disgruntle travellers have pinpointed Aruba Airlines as the most recent culprits for overbooking and uncertainty in travel, there is no official confirmation as to whether or not the newly inducted domestic carrier is truly the reason passengers are being left stranded at the CJIA.

news

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saturDAY, september 2, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Saturday, September 2 – a night retraction at 02:00h and a day retraction from 14:00h-15:30h and Sunday, September 3 – a night retraction at 03:00h and a day retraction from 14:00h-15:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Amerindian Heritage Month 2017

NTC granted land for Georgetown Secretariat find some help and support there”.

Fredericks had expressed expectations that construction of the NTC Secretariat would commence shortly.

He said the President had committed to supporting the venture. “We have some resources at hand, what we can start with; and his Excellency (has) also (committed) to giving some support,” Fredericks stated.

Saturday, September 2 – 13:55h-15:25h and Sunday, September 3 – 14:40h-16:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Heavy rain showers with sunny intervals can be expected throughout the day, with clear skies in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Heritage festival

At Friday’s ceremony, a number of Indigenous organisations took to the podium to reflect on the significance of Heritage Month.

Representatives came from groups such as the Amerindian People’s Association (APA), The Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAAMOG), Guyana Organisation of Indigenous

tion, thrilling crowds with their cultural presentation.

The Surama Culture Group, from whence Minister Allicock hails, also joined in on the action.

Trailing this opening ceremony will be the art/ craft and food exhibitions, the Heritage sports, reflection on the life and work of the first Indigenous Parliamentarian, Steven Campbell; the Heritage

Winds: Easterly to South-easterly and North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 01:25h and 14:04h reaching maximum heights of 2.20 metres and 2.22 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 07:31h and 19:55h reaching minimum heights of 0.96 metres and 0.99 metres respectively.

wednesDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS C

03 06 10

17 19 22

05 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

Thursday, August 31, 2017

DAILY MILLIONS 01 17 18 23 24

LUCKY 3 3 9 1 Afternoon Draw

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

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09 16 18 20 21

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

Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock

A

merindian Heritage Month 2017 opened on Friday with much flare at the Indigenous Heritage Village at Sophia; and the rich culture, food and music of Guyana’s Amerindians were on full display.

However, neither President David Granger nor Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo was present at the Friday launch, having sent in excuses stating that they were ‘busy’.

Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock has, however, reiterated Government’s support for the Indigenous peoples. During his feature address, he pointed out that the President had consented to the National Toshaos Conference (NTC) request for a plot of land. The request for a Secretariat for the NTC was made to President Granger by Indigenous leaders last year at the National Toshaos Conference. It is understood that the Secretariat will be constructed in the Compound of the Sophia Exhibition Centre.

NTC Chairman, Joel Fredericks, had said the Secretariat would be “a place where we (NTC) can have our headquarters functioning; a place where the Indigenous peoples can come and lay their issues, they can

NTC Chairman Joel Fredericks, NTC Vice Chairman Lennox Shuman, American Ambassador Perry Holloway among the audiance on Friday

A section of the gathering, including from right: Junior Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Valarie Garrido-Lowe; First Lady Sandra Granger; Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock; Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton; and Junior Finance Minister Jaipaul Sharma at the launching of Amerindian Heritage Month

“It is expected that that building, which will be known as the Secretariat, will help the communities to realise their dreams. It will be a place of action. No longer complaints and gyaff, but action. And Government is committed to give its support,” Allicock said.

Allicock also paid tribute to renowned artist and archaeologist George Simon.

Widely regarded as one of the leading artists of his generation and the founder of the Lokono Artists Group, Simon was present at the launch.

Peoples (GOIP), and National Amerindian Development Foundation (NADF).

The St Cuthbert’s Cultural Group was in ac-

dinner at Lions Club; and the much anticipated Miss Indigenous Heritage Pageant, showcasing elegance, beauty and culture. turn to page 13

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, September 2, 2017

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

Amerindian Heritage 2017

A

merindian Heritage Month was launched yesterday under the theme “Guyana’s first peoples; sustaining a rich cultural environment.”

This year heritage month comes at a trying time for our Amerindian brothers and sisters with respect to their land rights and development within their communities.

At the just concluded Annual National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference the Government came in for stinging criticisms regarding issues relating to the development of Indigenous people in Guyana.

Among the issues that attracted most criticisms was the fact that many of the real issues which are affecting indigenous communities were not properly addressed since Government ministers, unlike what occurred in the past, showed up just to engage the NTC at this very last moment. Toshaos were justified in their criticisms that such behavior questions the sincerity of the Government in addressing their plight.

But even as Guyana celebrates Amerindian Heritage Month 2017, all Guyanese must be conscious that our culture is dynamic and complex. Owing to an interesting unification of six ethnicities, Guyana’s cultural fabric is interwoven with African, East Indian, Portuguese, Chinese, Indigenous and European influences.

Most of today’s international conflicts are driven by differences, including economic and class tensions, and are masked by ethnic and religious differences.

Thankfully, Guyana has been spared the atrocities associated with religious and cultural extremism.

One of the main factors which have essentially shielded us is that many in our society have remained open to the viewpoints, thoughts, and experiences of others, and have actively sought to explore and honour those differences.

Over the next month, we will join our indigenous brothers and sisters in celebrating Amerindian Heritage, and will be invited to participate in the many planned activities across the country. We will undoubtedly be exposed to many aspects of the Amerindians’ rich and diverse traditions, most of which we are familiar with; many will be new to us.

In these instances, it is apt that we remain respectful and mindful of our viewpoints, lest we offend. We must at all times guard against the temptation to judge as wrong views that are different from ours. There will be instances when cultural norms of one group may make us uncomfortable. However, we must resist the urge to judge. Instead, we should make a conscious effort to understand the other perspective.

As was pointed out in a previous editorial during the launch of the Amerindian Heritage celebrations 2016, a religious leader was reported to have made several unpleasant remarks which were said to have offended our indigenous community. While the ‘faux pas’ was dismissed as being “a matter of opinion”, it is apposite for our leaders to take note. This is especially directed to our religious leaders, who have a vital role to play in leading the fight for religious and cultural harmony.

It is true that we are entitled to our opinions; it is also true that we should feel comfortable expressing our views, this goes without saying. However, we need to avoid imposing our own values on others. Again, because we live in a plural society, we need to make a conscious effort to understand the perspectives of others.

It goes without saying that our answers to important societal problems will not be identical. Also, our understanding of the causes of existing issues will not have the same frame of reference. But, like most things, the development of our cultural identity, our tolerance and understanding are all ongoing processes.

Every opportunity that our society is given to celebrate and unite can be used as a platform where individuals, organisations and groups can become aware of each other and recognise existing commonalities.

During the coming month, scores of events will be held nationwide to celebrate a very important aspect of our culture; let us proceed in the spirit of peace and tolerance.

Themed “Guyana’s first peoples; sustaining a rich cultural environment”, Amerindian Heritage Month 2017 began on Friday, at the Sophia Exhibition Site, Greater Georgetown. In photo, dancers brought the Indigenous Heritage Village alive at the opening of the month’s activities (Carl Croker photo)

Govt must plan for flooding Dear Editor, The disaster caused by the tropical storms in Texas and Louisiana -- seen on TV -- should be a wake-up call for the Government of Guyana to immediately begin planning and preparing for annual flooding, which affects our country.

We should learn from the Texas disaster as indeed from the many disasters that struck Guyana in the recent past. Guyana has been devastated by intense rainfall at various times during the year and over the last couple of decades. May we be reminded of the recent intense flooding that hit parts of the interior over the last month, displacing people and causing billions in damage to property and infrastructure. Action is needed now; enough with the talk.

The many storms that hit Guyana and the US and other parts of the world show climate change is real, and that one can expect more severe storms and flooding at any time of the year. Thus plan-

ning should be ongoing, to protect life and property.

Several Guyanese and other Caribbean people live in the flood-affected areas of Texas and Louisiana, and one hopes that all is well with them. Indeed, one wishes well for all the victims of the storm, irrespective of national origin; Guyanese and other Caribbean people like myself are contributing to relief efforts to assist the victims.

The flooding that hit the south of the US is not new or strange; it is an annual phenomenon caused by tropical storms, although this particular storm has perhaps been the worst to have hit Texas.

Guyana (and even neighbouring Trinidad) has been prone to similar flooding.

True, Guyana and Trinidad do not face the same ferocity of (hurricane) storms, (being south of the hurricane belt) that annually hits coastal California, Texas, Louisiana or the eastern shore of the US. But Guyana and Trinidad do face annual heavy rainfall. And while the

US states do make preparations to brace for the annual hurricanes or major storms, limited measures are taken in Guyana (and Trinidad) to mitigate the effects of similar flooding.

Guyana, like Trinidad, needs a massive works programme to clean drains and build mega reservoirs (conservancies) to collect water.

It is the only way to deal with frequent destructive weather patterns that we have been experiencing over the last decade. A tropical storm deluge is no longer an uncommon occurrence; it happens several times in a year, and is no longer predicted. It can happen at any time, as we have experienced in Guyana over the last several years.

Instead of waiting for floods and then scramble for money for relief efforts and rehabilitation, or to pump water, we can plan to prevent flooding by managing water flow.

During colonial times, proper action was taken to prevent flooding. There is no reason why it can’t be done

now. It is dismaying that not much has been done to protect against flooding, especially when we know flooding is expected during the rainy season. We must learn from our flood experiences as well as from the current one in Texas and Louisiana.

In regard to those affected by flooding in the interior, the people need immediate relief.

The Government should alleviate financial losses for a return to normal life similar to what was announced by the US Government – short term housing, food, safe water, health care, social support; and physical protection, especially to the vulnerable (children, women, elderly).

It is indisputable that flooding in various parts of Guyana at various times suggests we need better infrastructure and planning.

And since funds are a problem, we should consult with major donor countries for assistance.

Yours faithfully, Vishnu Bisram

M&CC needs to cut its expenditure

Dear Editor, The economic slowdown in the country has impacted every entity in Guyana, causing most businesses to make tough but necessary decisions in regard to personnel in all of their operations, including layoffs and redundancies.

Is it not time for the bankrupt Georgetown Municipality to do the same, and consider reducing overtime; implement-

ing hiring freezes; salary freezes; downsizing and layoffs; salary reductions; furloughs; temporary shutdowns of some of its sections; work-sharing arrangements; shortened work weeks or workdays; and eliminating training programs, especially overseas ones?

Let us face it: why does a purportedly cash strapped municipality, which is doing nothing positive for the

citizens, need a public relations department? To write an occasional letter to the press and to host an insipid weekly television programme? The citizens don’t need a green washing tool to just carry out acts of window dressing, they need a clean and healthy city.

Having a large audit department in a municipality that has not had its accounts audited, qualified or presented to the citizenry

for decades is nothing short of a sick joke. Maybe these staff members of the Audit Department should be reclassified and sent after delinquent ratepayers.

Rather than crying out each day and harassing persons each day for more revenue, the Council needs to simply cut its expenditure.

Sincerely, Mateo Phelepe

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, September 2, 2017

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

Lessons from the Foundation for a Kenyan elections successful Guyana Dear Editor, The results of the elections held in Kenya in August have been annulled by the Supreme Court of Kenya. It is a signal victory for Opposition Leader Raila Odinga.

Odinga had contested four consecutive elections in the past, but claimed he was cheated of victory on every occasion.

Following declaration of election results, the opposition had filed an election petition challenging the results, and called for fresh elections to be held.

According to the official results announced by the Kenyan Elections Commission, President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party won 54.3 % of the votes cast, while Odinga's National Super Alliance won 44.8 % In a matter of just two weeks, the elections petition was heard, and a ruling cancelling the elections results was made by the Supreme Court of Kenya, comprising six judges.

The Supreme Court ruling is a big embarrassment for the foreign observers, including the Carter Center team led by former US Secretary of State John Kerry, the African Union team led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, the Commonwealth team led by former Ghanaian President John Mahama, and other foreign observers who had travelled to Kenya to observe the elections process and had claimed it was free and fair.

The Supreme Court ruling is an indictment of the Kenyan Elections Commission. The ruling has brought the Commission into disrepute, and calls have been made for its members to be prosecuted and brought before the court for electoral crimes committed against the people of Kenya.

Of great significance in the history of Kenyan

Jurisprudence is the ruling of the Supreme Court deeming the elections results “null and void due to massive irregularities.”

Kenyans have lost confidence in the court as an institution for dispensing justice.

Many expected the Supreme Court to 'go with the flow' and to maintain the status quo ante, but according to Odinga, "The Supreme Court ruling sets a precedent, is historic, and (is) a triumph for Kenyans."

The court ruled that fresh elections are to be held in six months.

Of great importance was the observation made by the Opposition Leader -- that the "gathering of the evidence was critical for the presentation of a credible case.

Ten days before the elections, the IT expert attached to the Kenyan Elections Commission was murdered under questionable circumstances. The Opposition believed that his death marked the beginning of elections’ rigging by hacking into the electronic voting system.

Tallying and transmission of the results were areas where considerable fraud was committed.

The elections in Kenya is instructive for Guyanese elections’ watchers. First, there is the need to always bear in mind our own experiences with rigged elections. Second, there is need for zero tolerance with electoral malpractices. Third, we need to realize that election is a process beginning from the selection of the Chairman of GECOM and ensuring the independence of the Commission.

The selection of elections officials; the registration of electors; and the preparation, verification and cleanliness of the voters' list; casting of ballots; transmission of the tally sheets; Counting the votes at the places of poll; and the transmission and reliability

of the data on the tally sheets are all very important.

Fourth, foreign observers should not consider casting of votes at the places of poll as the single most important criterion for validating elections as free and fair. Fifth, the introduction of voting machines together with the tallying and transmission of votes cast electronically in a country where elections were never held in that way before is fraught with grave challenges, if not dangers. Sixth, the need for the opposition party contesting elections to have smart, strong and knowledgeable polling agents at each polling station. The agents must be capable of recording accurate and reliable data and irregular occurrences as future evidential value at each polling station. Seventh, the independence of, and non-interference in, the work of the judiciary.

Eighth, the sloth of the court system here in Guyana.

In Kenya it took only two weeks to hear an election petition and dispense justice.

Here in Guyana it is more than two years now since an elections petition was filed in court. Justice delayed is justice denied. Both Kenya and Guyana are Commonwealth countries.

Guyanese must take note of the Kenyan election experience, and always remember that "Those who forget the past are bound to repeat it."

Sincerely, Clement J Rohee

Dear Editor, Being born in a land teeming with resources, I have always dreamt that Guyana would one day be a prosperous nation. However, the mismanagement of these resources by our leaders has not only threatened to shatter my dreams, but the dreams of many others.

As a concerned citizen, I write to inform our Government and people about the basis of a successful Guyana. I believe that success is the accomplishment of one's goals. This means that one sets a goal, and works towards achieving that goal. So I must ask: what are the goals of our Government? What are they hoping to achieve?

It is crucial to have a strategy, and plan in advance the development of an economy. Therefore, I submit that educating the citizens, creating a healthy society, and attracting investors must be undertaken if Guyana is to be a successful country.

Firstly, it is imperative to evaluate the need of education. A Government that is endowed with intelligent and understanding people has the potential to succeed. This means that Government should channel its resources to the youth.

This can be achieved by providing more educators and education centres for differ-

ent age groups, spread evenly across all regions.

Furthermore, scientific research and modern technology must be considered, since it would be difficult for a country to sustain its stability without an appropriate approach to the future.

Secondly, if we are to have intelligent Ministers of Government and a productive society, more consideration must be placed on health care. Excellent health services increases a citizen's lifespan, reduces the risk of dangerous diseases spreading over the regions, and increases the citizen's ability to solve problems. This can be realised by providing more hospitals, physicians, paramedics and clinics in reachable distances for the citizens. Why isn't this happening?

Thirdly, if the Government wants to achieve success, it must attract investors. Currently, there is nothing as such!

Attracting investors should be done carefully, in order not to discourage or harm the local investors. For example, at least 51% of a firm’s actions stock should be sold to the native investors. On the other hand, a maximum of 49% should be sold to foreign investors. In both categories, care must be ensured so as not to bring the firm to bankruptcy.

In addition, citizens

should be encouraged to have their own businesses. Enterprise is a characteristic of man which many countries do not properly appreciate. Those who create a work place not only for themselves but also for others surely are a vital part of an economy. Consequently, having a high percentage of business people leads to the better quality of life in a country. In fact, laws and fees are the main factors which contribute towards making a decision to start your own company. Therefore, a government has everything in its arms.

To our leaders: leadership is not about glorious crowning acts; it is about keeping your team focused on a goal, and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for the success of others, and then standing back and letting them shine. Stop the blame game! Stop pursuing fame!

Remember, you have people looking up to you.

What are you saying to the youths? Be a positive role model to them.

Let us manage our resources accurately, so that success will be the common heritage of Guyanese!

Jason Persaud

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saturday, September 2, 2017

Page Foundation How to deal with a child who constantly

complains

By Amy Morin, Lcsw

“

I

t’s too hot.”

“I don’t want to go to Grandma’s house.”

“This bug bite itches.”

Listening to constant complaints from your child will wear on your patience.

And, complaining isn’t good for your child. If he’s always focused on the negative, he’ll be at a higher risk of mental health problems as well as social problems.

If your child complains a lot, or if he whines regularly, it’s important to address this behaviour.

If you don’t curb it while he’s young, he may grow up to become an adult who constantly complains. Here are some strategies to help you address the negativity:

1. Acknowledge your child’s emotions

The last thing you want to do is minimise how your child feels by saying something like, “Quit crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.” That’s just not

helpful.

Instead, find ways to briefly acknowledge your child’s distress and then move on. If your child’s behaviour requires further intervention, discipline the behaviour, not the emotion.

Sometimes children complain because they want you to know that they’re dealing with some difficult feelings or some physical discomfort.

Simply acknowledging that you hear them can sometimes be enough to settle them down for a bit. Say something such as, “I know you’re uncomfortable right now because we’ve been in the car for a long time but we still have another hour to go.”

If there are further protests or your child begins whining, ignore it and make it clear that you aren’t going to pay attention to negative attempts to get attention.

2. Encourage problem-solving

If your child is complaining to you about

something, encourage him to solve the problem. If he says, “I’m hot,” while he’s playing outside, ask, “What do you think you should do about that?” If he needs help thinking of options, remind him he could sit in the shade or ask for help getting a cold drink.

Teaching your child problem-solving skills can help him see that coming to you and complaining isn’t likely to fix the problem.

But, he can ask for help solving the problem or he can figure out how to solve the problem on his own if it’s age appropriate to do so.

When children improve upon their problem-solving skills, they may be less likely to complain. And if you don’t jump in to solve every problem for them, you won’t create a sense of learned helplessness.

3. Point out the positive

If your child is always quick to point out the negative in any situation, be willing to point out the pos-

How to teach children problemsolving skills – give them skills to make good decisions

itive. This can help your child develop a more balanced view of the world instead of only seeing the bad.

If your child complains that he can’t ride his bike because it’s raining, remind him of the fun indoor activities he can do instead.

By pointing out the positive, you may be able to remind him that almost every situation has a bright side.

When to seek professional help

Sometimes, an overly negative attitude can signal an underlying mental health issue. Children with depression, for example, often dwell on the negative and children with anxiety often imagine worst-case scenarios.

If you suspect your child’s constant complaining or victim mentality could be a sign of something more serious, speak with your child’s paediatrician. (verywell.com)

BY AMY MORIN, LCSW

W

hether your child can’t find his math homework or he’s forgotten his lunch, good problem-solving skills are the key to helping him manage his life. You can begin teaching basic problem-solving skills during preschool and help your child sharpen his skills into high school and beyond.

Reasons children need problem-solving

Children face a variety of problems every day, ranging from academic difficulties to problems on the sports field.

Yet, few of them have a formula for solving those problems.

Children who lack problem-solving skills may avoid taking action when faced with a problem.

Rather than put their energy into solving the problem, they may avoid addressing it. That’s why many children fall behind in school or struggle to maintain friendships.

Other children who lack problem-solving skills may spring into action without recognising their choices.

Their impulsive behaviour may create even bigger problems for them.

Teach children how to evaluate the problem

Before children can solve the problem, they need to identify exactly what the problem is. In fact, just stating the problem can make a big difference. For example, a child who can say to his mother, “Children are picking on me at recess,” may begin to feel a little bit of relief.

Once children identify the problem, teach them to develop several possible solutions before springing into action. Try to brainstorm at least four possible ways to solve the problem.

Then discuss the pros and cons of each approach.

It is important that children learn to recognise the possible positive and negative consequences of their behaviours.

Actively discuss problems together

When problems arise, don’t rush to solve your child’s problems for him. If you see your child struggling, give him a chance to figure it out on his own.

If he’s unable to come up with a solution, step in and help him think of solutions.

But don’t automatically tell him what to do.

Ask, “What are some things you could do about this?” If he can’t come up with any ideas, offer one of your own. Remember, even a silly answer or farfetched idea is a possible solution.

The key is to help him see that with a little creativity, he can find many different potential solutions.

Help your child practice problem-solving in real-life situations. If your child forgets to do his homework, don’t rush to take away his privileges.

Instead, sit down with him to discuss the problem using the problem-solving process. He may have several ideas about how he can do better. Try to reach a solution together. Provide plenty of praise when your child is brainstorming and evaluating his options.

Once you try a solution, revisit the discussion again. Talk about whether it worked or decide if you want to try something different.

Allow for natural consequences

Natural consequences may also teach problem-solving skills. So when it’s appropriate, allow your child to face the natural consequences of his action.

Just make sure it’s safe to do so.

For example, let your teenager spend all of his money during the first 10 minutes you’re at an amusement park if that’s what he wants. Then, let him go the rest of the day without any spending money.

This can lead to a discussion about problem-solving to help her make a better choice next time. Consider these natural consequences as a teachable moment to help work together on problem-solving. (verywell.com)

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saturday, September 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Uncle kills 18-month-old niece for earrings

By Kizzy Coleman

E

ighteen-month-old Ronasha Pilgrim lost her life tragically in the wee hours of Friday when her uncle, 18-year-old Sherwin Pilgrim, in attempting to steal her earrings, allegedly threw her out of a window of the Lot 98 North Sophia, Greater Georgetown home where she lived, and buried her in a shallow grave in the yard.

The incident occurred at around 03:30h, when the toddler and her two brothers, aged 10 and 12, were alone at home. Guyana Times understands that the children were awoken when their uncle broke a window and entered their home.

Reportedly just released from prison, the man al-

Eighteen-month-old Ronasha Pilgrim

legedly attempted to throw the 10-year-old out of the window, but the child managed to escape. He then grabbed the toddler, tore her earrings from her ears, and

The house where the father and his children lived

then threw her out the window into the swampy yard.

Reports are that after this uncle had allegedly thrown little Ronasha out of the window, he dug a shallow grave in the swampy yard and buried her therein, afterwards placing planks over the grave.

Father of the toddler, Ron Pilgrim, a security guard who was on duty at the time, rushed home upon receiving news of his daughter’s demise, and had to pull the dead toddler from the shallow grave. The heartbroken father recounted to this publication the horrifying story his sons had told him.

The grief-stricken father revealed that his sons had awaited their uncle’s departure at a neighbour’s home.

Pilgrim said that at

The swampy area where little Ronasha Pilgrim was buried

around 03:30h, he received a call from a female friend informing him of what had transpired, and he rushed home to be with his children.

The man said the call he received informed him: After he (Sherwin Pilgrim) fling her through the window, he go behind her and they (his neighbours) say that they peep through the window and he dig a hole and bury her inside and he pack mud and then wood on top of her.

Upon his arrival on scene, the father explained, the Police were called and a search was launched in the yard for the toddler’s body.

“When the Police came, they say, ‘let we do an entire yard search,’ which we did. The Police ask me to see if I (could locate) any wood. I saw two big pieces of plank, I moved them, I pushed my

hands down as the mud was swamped, when I push my hands down I feel my daughter and then I saw her,” Pilgrim revealed in disbelief.

The distraught man denied reports that his younger brother is of unsound mind, and said he was baffled as to what may have caused him to commit such a gruesome act.

Pilgrim, however, noted that his brother was recently released from prison, where he had been serving time on a simple larceny charge.

“To be honest, he don’t come by me, so I am surprised as to why he come here. What he came here for?

What was his intention? So I have no idea what to say,” Pilgrim explained.

He said he had recently seen his brother, who “hailed” him up, and they

had briefly chatted.

Neighbours who also knew the teenage suspect were in shock at what he had done. One neighbour said that when she heard what had transpired “I started to scream, because I know the boy plus this man (Pilgrim) is a hardworking man, he does really take care of them children,” the woman disclosed.

The teenager was captured by Police at his “A” Field, Sophia home, and reportedly confessed to the act.

He was taken back to the scene, and was able to point out to Police where he had buried the child.

The toddler’s body is currently at the Lyken Funeral Home, awaiting a post-mortem examination. She leaves to mourn three siblings, her parents and other relatives.

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saturday, September 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ex-Cop, girlfriend die in ECD accident T hirty-eight-year-old Malcom Ross, called Shabba, an ex-policeman and late GEB Security employee, perished with his girlfriend, 20-year-old Jewel Pestran of Bel Air Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, in an accident with an allegedly speeding unlit motorcycle along the Cummings Lodge Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara at about 2:30hrs on Friday.

Reportedly en route home after attending a party on the East Coast of Demerara, Ross was driving motorcycle CE 9653 in a westerly direction along the ECD road, and he allegedly was proceeding at a fast rate when he collided with allegedly unlit motor car HC 4097 being driven by 25-year-old Mark Cameron in

Dead: Malcom Ross

an easterly direction and also proceeding at a fast rate.

The impact of the collision sent pillion rider Pestran flying from the motorbike onto the road, where she sustained

multiple injuries to the head and body.

She and Ross were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, (GPHC) where he was pronounced dead on arrival while she succumbed to her injuries at around 05:10hrs while receiving treatment.

The driver of the car was said to be heavily intoxicated, and is in Police custody assisting with investigations.

“She just turned 20 yesterday (Thursday), and they were coming home after celebrating…I got a call this morning telling me that Jewel get in an accident and she died; then she mother come and ask me for she things, and I am not too sure what happened,” the dead woman’s aunt, Police Corporal Cherise Vancooten, detailed.

Vancooten added that her

niece had gone to live with her about five months ago, and Ross would frequent her apartment.

The woman said she was shocked when she received the call, and related that she was more shocked when Pestran’s mother, Youlandee Lashley, visited her home.

Ross leaves to mourn his son and other relatives.

Ross and Pestran’s deaths have brought the number of road deaths to six for this week.

Earlier in the week, Cleon Perreira, 27; Ferose Khan, 50; Abdool Wahab Khan, 45, and Arnold Tinnis all lost their lives in separate road accidents.

The common denominator in all these accidents was speeding.

Taxi driver jailed for causing death of pensioner

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inden Magistrate Clive Nurse on Thursday sentenced 36-year-old Wendell Smith of M12 One Mile, Wismar, Linden to five years’ imprisonment for causing the death of pensioner Henrietta Cadogan whilst driving hire car HC 5603 in a manner dangerous to the

public along the One Mile public road in Wismar on January 18, 2016.

Cadogan, of Lot 572 Canvas City, Wismar, was struck down while attempting to traverse a pedestrian crossing in the vicinity of Four Corner in One Mile, Linden; and was admitted to the Linden

Wendell Smith

Hospital Complex (LHC) in a critical condition, where she died later that day while receiving medical treatment. A post-mortem examination which was later conducted on the body of the 74-year-old Cadogan revealed that she had died of multiple injuries.

At the time of the accident, Smith, a f o, was reportedly driving at a fast rate. He later surrendered to Police, and had been placed on bail in the sum of $800,000.

Wanted…

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…dead or alive ow that one of the four escaped bandits, Uree Varswyck, was shot dead after the police pounced upon him and his fellow escapee, Mark Royden Williams, up in Linden, does that mean someone will be collecting half of the $10 million reward that was promised for their capture? The police, after all, did admit that “members of the public” had provided the info on the bandits’ lair. And it wasn’t these publicspirited citizens’ fault that Williams got away.

But your Eyewitness wants to know how come no one spied these bandits before now? Are these fellas so adept in the art of disguise that they can transform themselves like chameleons to just flit by folks? Your Eyewitness thinks not.

There are people in this country who’re willing to aid and abet known killers like Varswyck and Williams because they believe some weird narrative of Guyanese society’s “role” in creating such psychopaths.

And only a psychopath would cold-bloodedly murder that Sterling guard like Varswyck did, or those TWENTYEIGHT men, women and children whom Williams had a hand in murdering at Bartica and Lusignan.

You’re hearing this narrative once again after a lull - since most of the gangs that held this nation hostage between 2000 and 2008 were wiped out. In that period, because of claims of “marginalisation”, those psychopaths could have claimed to be “freedom fighters” and have large swathes of citizens offer them succour and comfort as they broke out of Buxton and traversed the country freely. They were able to access “safe houses” and protection at will from the East Coast.

That network that glorified the psychopaths couldn’t just have disappeared. They’re real live persons, like those Russian “sleepers” we used to read about during the Cold War, waiting to be “activated”. Now, some of you may think your Eyewitness has succumbed to the “conspiracy” bug, but really, if the 2002 breakout from Camp St was planned and executed by “political sophisticates” from the outside, why not the 2017 breakout?

Varswyck was shot wearing full GDF battle gear, but he wasn’t GDF, was he? He was an ex-Police TSU trainer.

Where did he get the GDF battle gear? Where did he get all that firepower? And, more to the point, what was it he and Williams were about to do? One can only presume that the latter also was similarly outfitted. Surely, they didn’t sit around all day (and night) in full battle gear just discussing the mining challenges in Region 10?

That region was recently “bigged up” as the most militant in Guyana after noted elements illegally blocked bridges and burnt down government property back in 2012.

Was that “militancy” (or psychopathology) about to explode onto Guyana?

…real Indigenous heritage Now that we’re celebrating “Amerindian Heritage Month”, shouldn’t we be getting serious about that heritage? Your Eyewitness has frankly had it up to his throat with the grass skirts, cassava bread and piwari being exhibited for decades now as defining “Amerindian heritage”. Of course, these products of Indigenous peoples are aspects of their culture and heritage; but surely, like all cultures, they also had practices and perspectives that go beyond those products.

What about their world view, which encompassed their environment as part and parcel of their own lives, and which was to be cared for, and not exploited and destroyed as it is presently? Or do we still want to dismiss such world views as “animism”, and pretend that the hegemonized beliefs imposed on them by the Europeans are all they’ve ever produced.

In this age, when the world’s facing the cataclysm of global warming and all its consequences, shouldn’t we unearth REAL Indigenous Heritage that can help us survive?

Or do we still want to infantilise the Indigenous peoples?

…some action from CoIs In Guyana, if it’s “another day, it’s another CoI”. So now the one into the power struggle at the top of the Police Force is completed, what will be inquired into next? Why no animals in the zoo?

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

News

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saturDAY, september 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Prison escapee Uree Varswyck killed by Police …2 arrested for harbouring wanted men

Clothing, medication and other items found in the house

P

rison escapee Uree Varswyck, also known as "Malcolm Gordon", was killed in a shootout with law enforcement officers on a Joint Services intelligence-led operation at Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden at about 23:45h on Thursday.

Reports are that ex-policeman Varswyck and fellow fugitive from justice Mark Royden Durant, aka Royden Williams and Smallie, were seen in the Central Amelia’s Ward area of Linden, Region 10, a short distance away from the Amelia’s Ward Police Outpost. As Joint Services ranks approached their hideout, they opened fire.

The ranks returned fire, killing Varswyck in the process.

His body is at the Wismar Hospital Mortuary, Linden as ranks continue their relentless pursuit of Royden Williams.

A 9mm pistol with 40 live rounds, a haversack and cloth bag containing medication, a gas mask, military camouflage clothing, toiletries and a cellular phone were found when police went to retrieve Varswyck’s body.

A bicycle and a rake were leaning against the small wooden house. Black plas-

Dead: Uree Varswyck, also known as "Malcolm Gordon",

Food and beverages found in the hideout house

tic bags were spotted inside the yard, and a spade was at the front of the yard. A bag of tennis rolls was just outside the front of the fence, and the gate to the premises was secured. Varswyck, who had escaped from prison while on remand for murder, was lying dead clad in a camouflage vest and a pair of military boots.

Residents in vicinity of the shootout recalled seeing Police occasionally traversing the area. A resident re-

Gun and ammunition

The alleged hideout

called hearing the commotion on Thursday evening and seeing the Police traversing the location. The resident also recalled spotting the owner of the house and another man fitting the description of Williams at the house over the course of the past week "smoking on the step".

One resident told this publication that they are "scared", given that the area is densely vegetated.

Another resident recalled

hearing on Thursday evening what sounded like squibs going off, and noted that they were made aware of what had transpired only on Friday morning.

‘E’ Division (LindenKwakwani) Commander, (ag) Superintendent Anthony Vanderhyden, noted that Joint Services ranks acting on information headed to Lot 5118 Central Amelia’s Ward, whereupon shots rang out at them. turn to page 15

Tear gas mask found in the house

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saturday, September 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Strategic plan for countrywide water supply shortly – Van West-Charles

… to be reviewed, approved by GWI Board of Directors Treatment Plant to install filters and aerators. Works are expected to be completed by the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The report also details plans for improvements to quality assurance systems, with the construction of a mini-laboratory at the Eccles Water Treatment Plant which is expected to be

Water treatment plants in Essequibo

T

he Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is sometimes cited by members of the public as a utility company with woeful service. But the company has prepared a countrywide strategic plan to improve its water provision service.

This is according to Managing Director of GWI, Dr Richard Van WestCharles, who was at the time speaking following the completion of a contract for new water treatment facilities. He noted that these plants, as well as upgrades currently being carried out, are all part of this plan.

“This falls right within the strategic plan for GWI,” he said. “And later in this month you will be informed more of the other aspects that we will bring to the table once the Board would have approved the strategic plan for GWI.” Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase Green, is the

Chairperson of that Board, after taking over from accountant Nigel Hinds. The other members who were appointed back in 2015 are engineer Charles Ceres, Permanent Secretary of the Communities Ministry, Emil McGarrel, David Dewar, Carol Joseph, Savitri SinghSharma, Ryan Belgrave and Samantha Fedee from the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry.

While Van West-Charles was tight-lipped about the strategic plan highlights, the Government’s 2017 midyear report certainly went into details about plans for the water company.

According to the report, Government expended $463 million of the budgeted $2.8 billion during the first half of 2017. It details that work on the construction of a well at Diamond commenced in the first half and is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

In addition, the report stated that construction of wells at Westminster, Pouderoyen, and Vergenoegen are expected to commence in the second half. Meanwhile, hinterland regions are also targeted for improved access to water before the end of 2017, with works on new water systems already underway in Matthew’s Ridge, Yarakita, and Tassarene.

The installation of a water supply system at Chenapou is also expected to commence and will be completed in the second half.

Assessments of existing infrastructure are reportedly also being conducted and will guide the decision to upgrade or construct a new well at New Amsterdam.

The quality of water supplied is also expected to improve before the end of the year, with works already commencing at the New Amsterdam Water

completed by the end of the third quarter.

Further, there is a NonRevenue Water Reduction Programme whereby the Government is planning to transition to smart metering to enhanced security and reporting. This, according to the report, will be facilitated through the installation of improved

customer management information and billing software.

Providing an update on the metering initiative, the report states that the drive resulted in 10,000 new meters being installed in the first half. There are expectations that there will be a push to double it by the end of the year.

2 nabbed with ammo, ganja P

olice nabbed two men with 12-gauge cartridges along with a quantity of cannabis packaged in small size Ziploc bags on Thursday.

The men, a 42-yearold logger of Alliance Road, Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD); and a 21-year-old of First Covent Garden, EBD, were discovered with the items during a routine stop search operation.

According to reports, ranks were at the time of the discovery conducting a routine stop search operation at Bamai Public Road, Linden, when the vehicle in which the men were travelling was stopped and searched.

During the search, the lawmen unearthed six live 12-gauge cartridges along with a quantity of cannabis packaged in small size Ziploc bags.

As such, both men were taken into Police custody where they were later told

cannabis and cartridges

of the offence, arrested and charged.

They are expected

to appear at the Linden Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

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saturDAY, september 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Region 2 house lot fraud

Deputy Housing Officer taken into custody

T

he probe into house lot fraud at the Regional Housing Office in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), widened when Deputy Regional Housing Officer, Safeia Razak, was taken into Police custody on Thursday at her Anna Regina home. She is accused of unlawfully collecting monies from persons for house lots in the region.

Razak now joins her boss, Regional Housing Officer (RHO) Omesh Sasenarayan, who was also accused to issuing fake receipts for house lots in the region. He has since been sent on administrative leave pending the

outcome of the investigation.

The arrest, of Razak, came after officials from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) conducted an audit into the books of the office and found irregularities.

She was arrested following her return from vacationing overseas.

Minister within the Communities Ministry, Valarie PattersonYearwood, met with persons who are victims of RHO Omesh Sasenarayan’s house lot fraud scheme.

“It is no secret that we have fraud at our regional

Deputy Housing Officer, Safeia Razak

office where persons went in, paid monies and by the way, persons knew that had

MTV broadcast tower collapses … bolt cutter found close by, Police launches investigation there were no security guards on the property. The facility also does not have CCTV cameras.

When contacted, MTV said they are working to restore service to its viewers but noted that the extent of the damage caused by the collapsed tower makes it challenging.

Part of the collapsed tower

L

ocal television station, Multi Technology Vision Inc (MTV) Channel 14/65, said it will remain off air until further notice, since its broadcast tower collapsed, sometime around 00:05h on Friday morning, causing severe damage to broadcasting equipment and its building at the Eccles Industrial Site studio, East Bank Demerara.

The circumstances surrounding this collapse are currently under investigation, however, sabotage is not ruled out according to management.

It added that the team is working assiduously to restore all operations but noted that pro-

A Detective with the bolt cutter found on site

grammes, advertisements and entertainment including MTV’s News Update and death announcements will not be aired until further notice.

However, according to reports reaching Guyana Times, a bolt cutter was found at the site and it was disclosed that

Meanwhile, A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) Commander Marlon Chapman said he received reports of the incident sometime around noon on Friday and instructed his detectives to venture to the scene to investigate.

Regional Housing Officer, Omesh Sasenarayan

to pay at RDC Office and I don’t understand why they allow themselves to be cajoled to pay at the regional office. They were issued with fake receipts, that matter is now in the hands of

the Police, and it will not come out until we see justice. Once they are found guilty, and we know they are guilty, they will go down… orange jumpsuits for them,” Patterson-Yearwood had said.

According to reports, earlier in the year, Sasenarayan allegedly collected the sum of $50,000 as payment for a house lot but issued a personal receipt instead of an official one, converting the money to his own use.

The woman he ‘sold’ the land to visited the Regional Democratic Office for an update on the progress of her transaction only to be told that there were no records and the receipt she had in her possession is fake.

She then ventured to of-

fice of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) at Brickdam, Georgetown and it was revealed that there were no records of the transaction.

Reports are an investigation has been launched into several other incidents of a similar nature.

Except for the CH&PA office in Georgetown and Linden, all payments for house lots must be made at the Regional Democratic Offices in Regions Two, Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo). Given this report, ongoing investigations are being carried out at all those offices.

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saturDAY, september 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Machel Montano has touched down in Guyana

… to headline Mega ‘Soca in My Heart’ Concert tonight

A

fter years of keeping his local fans longing for a live performance, the ‘King of Soca’, Machel Montano, on Friday touched down in Guyana as he is set to headline the Mega ‘Soca in My Heart’ Concert this evening.

The years’ long anticipation has finally come to an end as “Mr Fete” himself will take to the Providence National Stadium today in what promises to be the biggest Soca event of the year, and perhaps ever in Guyana.

While speaking to the swarm of media operatives that flocked the “Fast Wine” singer shortly after his arrival on Friday, Montano expressed the overflowing excitement that surrounds his return to the ‘Land of Many Waters’.

In doing so, he revisited an unforgettable encounter which reflected the love of his local fans and thereby offered a sneak peek of what is in store for tonight’s showcase.

“Because of the sheer volume of the fans in Guyana, I really look forward to giving them the best of the Machel Montano show. The unit of Machel Montano now is full dancers, full band, full energy; no sleeping time,” expressed the 42-year-old Trinidadian Soca Monarch.

Moreover, given that the

Machel Montano on Friday

“Soca in My Heart” event is Machel’s first reappearance following a sold out concert back in 2013, the “Party Boss” offered up an explanation as to what kept him away from Guyana for so many years.

“Something I like to do is to stay away for a little while, to accumulate the kind of excitement so when you come, [you] have a more effective show,” he relay.

As such, Montano went on to say, “It’s been a while since I’ve been here; I’ve been missing Guyana so it’s a great feeling for me to come now and celebrate with such a great history we have in the last couple years.”

However, Montano indicated that there is something different to look out for in his performances this time around. It was then

that the lead singer alluded to the evolution of his band, noting that while they were previously referred to as High Definition (HD), the team has taken on a new identity which he revealed – dubbing them MONK. On that note the ‘King of Soca’ outlined, “High Definition was my idea of transmitting a clearer picture of who I am but now the Movement of New Knowledge (MONK) is about bringing people together for the different energies of different cultures.

I’m here to learn as well as to inspire and the movement is about inspiring people to be the best they can be right now.”

As the singer attempts to shed his scales as merely an entertainer while taking on the responsible of an influencer as well, Montano con-

tinued by highlighting the importance of Caribbean music and other art forms to the world at large.

It was then that the regional icon posited, “As a Caribbean people, we have a major role to play in the world. We were brought here from all different places and we live side by side (different races and cultures)… we have a model of unity and I feel in our music, entertainment and art it comes out and the world can learn a lot.”

With that being said, Machel is calling on Guyanese artistes to follow in his footsteps in creating original content so as to further solidify the footprint of the regional art forms throughout the world.

As such, while Machel

Machel Montano flocked by media operatives shortly after his arrival in Guyana on Friday

is set to headline the ‘Soca in My Heart’ Mega Concert this evening, he will be backed by an exhilarating line-up of local singers as well. The list includes Michelle “Big Red” King, Kwasi “Ace” Edmondson,

Adrian Dutchin, Timeka Marshall, and Trevor Vibes.

Gates to the biggest Soca party for 2017 will be open at 17:00h with the artistes set to take the stage, starting from 19:30h sharp.

Support activities that help senior citizens lead meaningful lives – First Lady

G

Senior citizens enjoying breakfast at the launch of the Club

uyana’s First Lady, Sandra Granger, has called on residents of Region Ten (Upper

Demerara-Berbice) to support the Wisroc Senior Citizens’ Club as it aspires to bridge the generation-

al gap through transfer of knowledge and sharing of experiences.

A prayer breakfast held on Friday at the Wisburg Secondary School to officially launch the club -where the First Lady asked for support for the club -saw senior citizens from the Dorfor Home for the Elderly and from communities such as Blueberry Hill, Silvertown, One Mile and Christianburg well in attendance.

Later on Friday, the First Lady turned the sod at the site in the Wisroc Housing Scheme where a building would be constructed to house the Club.

“This Club will not only provide opportunities for seniors of Wisroc to meet and share their knowledge, it will also promote intergenerational interaction by having the seniors interact and share their knowledge and experiences with the young people in the communities. The young people, too, will be given opportunity to share their experiences and their knowledge, and to learn from those of our seniors,” the First Lady said.

The First Lady pledged to provide assistance to advance the Club’s programmes. continued on page 15

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M

uslims from across the country sent out messages of peace to all as they observed Eid-ul-Adha on Friday.

Eid-ul-Adha commonly known in Guyana as Eid Mabarak is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhul-hijah, the last month of the Muslim year.

The celebration commemorates the command given by

Allah to Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his first son.

The fulfillment of the command shows extreme faith in Allah and therefore is a unique occasion for Muslims.

In Guyana, in addition to prayers, Muslims assemble at the various Masjids and made sacrificial offerings of rams and bulls to Allah.

New ferry for Region 1 still a NTC granted land... reality – Minister Ferguson M

inister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Annette Ferguson, is reiterating a call to Region One (Barima-Waini) residents to remain patient as Government works on providing the region with a new ferry.

To date, the design and specifications for the new ferry are with the manufacturers awaiting construction.

However, the process is one that will take time, Minister Ferguson pointed out.

Currently, the Transport and Harbours Department’s refurbished MV Barima along with the Lady Northe Cote are plying the region.

Minister Ferguson said since its restoration, the MV Barima has been functioning remarkably.

“The vessel is working well, she’s in preparation for her sail tomorrow to Kumaka. It works along with Lady Norte Cote in servic-

Minister Annette Ferguson

ing Region One, so every other week either of the vessels service the region,” the Public Infrastructure Minister is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

Some $150 million was spent earlier in the year to refurbish the MV Barima vessel with new features including seating accommodation

and additional life jackets, among others.

Meanwhile, the MV Kimbia which is currently in dock, will soon be in opera-

tion. Minister Ferguson noted when the vessel is completed it will bring further relief to the commuters of the North West District.

The Indigenous Peoples Affairs Ministry launched the annual Heritage Festival at the Umana Yana earlier last month under the theme “Guyana’s first peoples; sustaining a rich cultural environment”. The launch was done in the spirit of International Day of World Indigenous Peoples.

Minister within the Indigenous Peoples Affairs Ministry, Valerie GarridoLowe, had highlighted the struggles of Indigenous peoples in their fight for equal rights, not confined to Guyana but rather on an international scale.

“In many countries, (including) in our South American continent, many Indigenous peoples still suffer injustices simply because they are the first peoples, and they want to be recognised as such. Many are advocating and literally fighting for their lives, for their lands; and some of the most outspoken; some of the bravest, have died for this cause,” the Minister lamented.

She had also reflected on

from page 3

her 2016 visit to Ecuador, where Indigenous women had gathered to discuss the concerns of Indigenous peoples and the way forward, and said she was amazed at the indignities that fellow Indigenous peoples had to suffer in this modern day and age.

“I realised then how far advanced Guyana was as a nation in the treatment of Indigenous peoples,” she noted.

Amerindian Heritage Month 2017 is geared at celebrating Guyana’s first peoples by reflecting on their contributions; and to protect, pursue and promote Indigenous heritage while trying to recapture lost traditions.

This year’s calendar of activities was also unveiled at the launch, showing that it will kick-start with a ceremonial launch and cultural extravaganza on September 1, 2017 at the Sophia Exhibition Centre in Georgetown.

Ovid Williams had presented an overview of the cultural aspect of the month’s celebrations.

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saturDAY, september 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Contract inked with Chinese firm for water treatment plants G

uyana has on Thursday signed agreements with the Chinese firm Sinohydro to procure three new water treatment plants to service the communities of Uitvlugt (West Coast Demerara), Diamond (East Bank Demerara) and Sheet Anchor (East Canje, Berbice).

Initiated under the previous administration at a cost in excess of US$30 million, Sinohydro will be undertaking the project with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the European Union (EU). Included in the contract are provisions for the replacement and installation of transmission mains in the project areas.

Managing Director of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Dr Richard Van West Charles, noted that with addition of the new plant at Sheet Anchor, the number of treatment plants in Region Six would increase to five.

“This is one of the central strategic objectives of GWI. And this fits right into the mission of this organisation,” Van West Charles said.

These new treatment plants

Managing Director of GWI, Dr Richard Van West-Charles

would be additional to the existing 24 treatment plants.

“But it is important for us to understand, that in our quest for water quality, the treatment plants represent one of the modalities that we are using with respect to the attainment of water quality across the board,” he explained.

Procurement of these treatment plants, he noted, would complement works be-

Outgoing Minister within the Communities Ministry, Dawn Hastings

ing done to upgrade infrastructure around the country. According to Van West Charles, some 70,000 people would benefit from the new treatment plants.

“With respect to the specific regions, this now moves us to four of these large treatment plants in Region Three. And within another few weeks, you shall hear and witness the turning of the sod for three new

wells (to be installed) at Vergenoegen, Pouderoyen and Westminster in Region Three,” Dr Van West Charles detailed.

“In Region Four, this now moves these treatment plants to five on the East Bank of Demerara, with two additional wells which will be in Diamond. And in Region Six, it now moves the plants to five, with additional wells in Manchester and Port Mourant, in addition to other upgrading of the infrastructure,” Dr Van West Charles detailed.

Van West Charles claimed his entity had learned from the fiasco in regard to the 2015 Amelia’s Ward project in Linden, which saw Government shelling out millions to fix defective water treatment plants.

Performing what will likely be her final duties under the Communities Ministry, outgoing minister Dawn Hastings was also present. She went into details regarding the number of persons the project, in the pipelines since the previous administration, would target.

Support activities that help senior citizens lead...

from page 12

She also committed to exploring the possibility of hosting the Care for the Elderly and Early Childhood Education workshops in Region 10 next year, to complement programmes with similar missions that are already ongoing.

Club President Ruperta Fanfair said she was divinely inspired to gather all the senior citizens in Wisroc

and spearhead programmes that would enhance their lives. The club would be benefiting from accommodation and other forms of tangible support from Food for the Poor (Guyana) Incorporated (FFTP) and Caring for Others Guyana Incorporated and Corporate Guyana.

Fanfair said the 60 members of the Club meet every Wednesday to socialise and

create craftwork and other items, such as hand-painted and applique pillow cases, bedsheets and tablecloths.

The six-month-old Club also benefits from assistance from teenage girls in

the community, and principally from those enrolled at the Mackenzie High School, who help with the production of scented candles and other novelty items for sale.

“This project is going to benefit a lot of persons, and I would like to identify exactly where and how many households.

This programme will benefit approximately 6,764 households in Region Three; 9,292 households on the East Bank (in) Region Four, and 4,629 households in Region Six; with a per capita investment in excess of $30,000 per person. We’re (also) going to replace and install 70 kilometres of transmission and distribution mains in the project areas,” she explained.

She said the overall aim

of the programme would be to increase the range of treated water service.

It has been reported that GWI had sought the help of its Surinamese counterparts to assist in designing the water treatment plants.

That decision was taken following a visit by a team of specialists from the Surinamese Water Supply Company (SWM), which discovered in the Linden Water Treatment Plant design flaws that has since been causing headaches for the residents of the community and GWI.

Prison escapee Uree...

The lawmen returned fire, killing Varswyck in the process. The Commander (ag) noted that the deceased had been spotted in the company of Williams.

Two other persons have since been arrested for reportedly harbouring the escapees. This newspaper understands that one of persons taken into custody is the owner of the said property where the incident occurred. Residents informed Guyana Times that the individual who owns the home is a "Rasta man" who goes by the alias "Priest". One resident described him as a "cool Rasta man" who always

from page 9

"hail up everybody.”

According to residents, the man has been living at the location for over seven years, and is a "well-known" individual.

Investigations are ongoing.

Varswyck, Royden Durant and Cobena Stephens, aka OJ, are said to be the masterminds behind the July 9, 2017 Camp Street Prison fire and escape which left prison officer Odinga Wickham dead.

Durant, also called Royden Williams, was sentenced to death for the Bartica Massacre.

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, september 2, 2017

Regional

US hands out first contracts Barbados health project used for global initiative to for border wall prototypes reduce heart disease, stroke F A

our companies have been chosen to build prototypes for Donald Trump's planned border wall, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said. The four concrete prototypes will be 30 feet (9 metres) long and up to 30 feet tall, and will be built in the coming months.

Officials will then spend up to two months testing the walls for tampering and penetration resistance using small hand tools, CBP said. The four contracts are worth up to US$500,000 (£387,000) each.

A continuous wall across

Parts of the US border with Mexico are already sealed off

the entire southern US border was a key promise in President Trump's election campaign. The prototypes

"will help us refine the design standards" of the eventual wall, acting CBP deputy commissioner Ronald

Vitiello said.

"Testing will look at things like the aesthetics of it, how penetrable they are, how resistant they are to tampering, and scaling or anti-climb features."

But he said the officials would stick to small hand tools rather than testing "ballistic kind of things".

The walls will also need to feature cable conduits and other design features for sensors and cameras. Once the order to start building is given in the next few weeks, the prototypes are expected to be finished within 30 days. (Excerpt from BBC News)

senior official of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says a pilot project at two polyclinics, which was aimed at improving blood pressure control in primary health care, has been so successful that the results have informed a global initiative to reduce ill health and premature death due to heart disease and stroke.

Deputy Chief of the Global Non-Communicable Disease branch of the CDC, Dr Lorna English, said that based on the positive results

from the Barbados pilot, the evidence-based tools and practices that were promoted and demonstrated by the project had been integrated into technical packages of a programme called the Global Hearts Initiative.

She said that the tools developed for the technical packages reflected lessons learned in Barbados and that key elements included standardised, evidence-based treatment protocols; team-based care; registries for patient monitoring, and evaluation. (Excerpt

from Jamaica Observer)

Baby’s death in reprisal Malaria parasite spreads from howler monkeys to humans killing shakes The Bahamas – officials working on holistic plan to arrest crime

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haken by the shocking shooting of an eightmonth-old baby in what has been described as a reprisal killing, Bahamian Prime Minister, Dr Hubert Minnis, Attorney General Carl Bethel and the top brass of the Royal Bahamas Police Force have been meeting to find solutions to the vexing crime problem.

With mounting criticism of the Government’s handling of the problem, Press Secretary Anthony Newbold who confirmed that talks have been taking place, stressed that Government’s zero tolerance approach to crime has not changed and every effort was being made to strengthen the Royal Bahamas Police Force to ensure it can arrest the problem.

According to the Police, the infant, Shelton Tinker Jr, was killed in an act of

retaliation against the baby’s father, Shelton Tinker Sr. Assistant Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said the father of the toddler was about to enter his home when he was forced into the residence by a gunman who he knew.

Once inside the house, the gunmen shot Tinker, his girlfriend Jeffrina Sweeting and their baby.

“The infant died on the scene, the male and the female were transported to hospital by ambulance and they are listed in serious condition.

The man is in more serious condition than the woman,” Fernander said.

The senior cop said the male victim and the suspected gunman had an argument the night before, which police believe led to the shooting.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Colombia's FARC political party looks to coalition for 2018 elections

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olombia’s disarmed Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels have their eye on forming a political coalition for the 2018 elections, ex-rebel leaders said on Friday, as the group marked its transition to a political party with a concert in Bogota’s central square.

The former FARC, whose political party will be called the Revolutionary Alternative Common Force, ended its part in a war that has killed more than 220,000 people under a 2016 deal which granted amnesty to most of its fighters.

Whether the ex-rebels can convince Colombians, many of whom revile them,

to back the new party remains to be seen.

The decision by the group to preserve its famous FARC Spanish acronym raised eyebrows, given many Colombians associate the word with decades of bloodshed.

The FARC will hold 10 automatic seats in Congress through 2026 under the terms of the accord and may campaign for others.

Both legislative and presidential elections are set for 2018 and the party plans to reach out to ideological allies to try to form a coalition, without abandoning its Marxist commitments to land reform and social justice, the group said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

A

form of malaria parasite that has spread from howler monkeys to humans in Brazil has been identified by researchers, raising concerns for eradication of the disease in Brazil and beyond.

Malaria was thought to have been eradicated from southern and south-eastern Brazil 50 years ago, but more than 1000 cases reported since 2006 from the Atlantic Forest region, in Rio de Janeiro state, including two outbreaks in 2015 and 2016, led researchers to investigate.

The initial assumption was that the new cases were caused by the Plasmodium vivax malaria parasite, one of the main global species.

Most of the people affected were visitors, who might

A black howler monkey. Researchers found a zoonotic malaria – a disease transmitted from animals to humans – caused by a parasite that lives in monkeys

have been infected elsewhere.

But analysis of DNA samples has now established that some of the in-

fections did not come from a human malaria parasite.

They were discovered to be a zoonotic malaria caused

by Plasmodium simium, a

parasite that normally lives only in monkeys.

Zoonotic diseases are those transmitted from animals to humans, and this is only the second discovery of a zoonotic parasite.

The previous one was found in macaque monkeys and is responsible for a high proportion of the human malaria cases in South-East Asia.

The researchers, who have published their findings in the Lancet Global Health journal, say they do not believe malaria is being transmitted from one human to another via the bites of mosquitos carrying the simium parasite. But there are concerns for the global effort to stamp out the disease. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

Pope Francis ‘consulted psychoanalyst’ in 1970s

P

ope Francis sought the help of a psychoanalyst for six months when he was 42 and found the experience beneficial, he has been quoted as saying in a new book.

It is not clear why the Pope attended the sessions. He was the leader of the Jesuit order in Argentina in the 1970s.

The Pontiff, who is 80, also said that he now felt free. The information features in a book by French sociologist Dominique Wolton. “For six months, I went to her once a week to shed light on certain things,” the Pope said, according to the book Pope Francis: Politics and Society, based on 12 interviews.

“She was very good, very professional... but she always remained in

Pope Francis

her proper place,” he added, without revealing the reason for the sessions or identifying her.

At that time, between 1978 and 1979, Argentina was ruled by a military dictatorship, which ran from 1976 to 1983.

Rights groups say up to 30,000 people “disappeared” during the period.

Some rights groups have also raised questions about his role at that time, and particularly about the kidnap of two Jesuit priests, in 1976.

He was accused of effectively delivering them into the hands of the authorities by declining to publicly endorse their social work. His office has always denied the accusations.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

LIAT requests funds from AntiguaBarbuda to pay CDB debt

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he government of Antigua and Barbuda has been asked to pay LIAT additional funds to meet its debt to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The money requested is commensurate with the country’s sharehold-

ing, local media reported. Antigua and Barbuda owns a 34 per cent stake in the regional carrier.

St Vincent and the Grenadines owns 12 per cent of the airline; Barbados has a majority share of 51 per cent and Dominica has three per

cent.

It is not known at this time whether the other shareholders are also being asked to contribute according to their shareholding.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne is on record en-

couraging other Caribbean countries served by LIAT to purchase shares in the carrier or “to contribute to LIAT’s operations”.

Shareholders of the airline will hold a critical meeting about the company’s operations on Monday.

(Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

saturDAY, september 2, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

Trump travel ban: People denied Court annuls Kenya presidential elections entry to US can reapply

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K

enya's Supreme Court has annulled the result of last month's presidential election, citing irregularities, and ordered a new one within 60 days.

The election commission had declared incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta the winner by a margin of 1.4 million votes.

Raila Odinga, Kenyatta's opponent, said the commission was "rotten" and demanded resignations and prosecutions.

President Kenyatta said he would respect the court's decision but also branded the judges "crooks".

Other elections in Africa have been annulled or cancelled but this appears to be the first time on the continent that an opposition court challenge against a presidential poll result has been successful.

Chief Justice David Maraga said the 8 August election had not been "con-

A Kenyan opposition stronghold celebrates the decision

ducted in accordance with the constitution" and declared it "invalid, null and void".

He said the verdict was backed by four of the six Supreme Court judges.

The announcement drew cheers from opposition supporters both inside and outside the courtroom.

The court ruling did not attribute any blame to President Kenyatta's party or campaign. Justice Maraga said the election commis-

sion had failed "to conduct the presidential election in a manner consistent with the dictates of the constitution".

He said the commission had committed irregularities "in the transmission of results", adding that the court would provide details in a full judgment within 21 days.

Dissenting judges said that the Nasa opposition alliance - which had petitioned the Supreme Court - failed to prove claims that the polls had been rigged. (BBC)

eople denied entry to the US under Donald Trump's first travel ban can now reapply for visas following a legal settlement reached in a federal court.

The US government will now contact individuals turned away at borders as a result of the executive order that came into force on 27 January.

The agreement does not guarantee that applicants will receive new visas.

Trump signed the original order in January barring people from seven Muslim countries from entering the US. The move sparked numerous protests and legal challenges.

Trump later defended the executive order, saying it was "not a Muslim ban".

A week after it was implemented, a federal judge in Seattle suspended it nationwide, allowing banned visitors to travel to the US,

pending an appeal by the administration.

The new legal agreement, which was announced on Thursday, obliges the US government to act in "good faith" when processing the paperwork of all applicants.

The seven countries affected by the initial 90-day travel ban were Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Iraq was later removed from the list.

Some visa categories, such as diplomats and UN workers, were not included in the suspension.

Among the individuals initially barred from

entry to the US were two Iraqi nationals; Hameed Khalid Darweesh and Haider Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi.

They were stopped and detained on arrival at John F Kennedy airport in New York.

Human rights groups, including the National Immigration Law Centre (NILC) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), filed a lawsuit in New York to demand the release of the two men, who were in the air bound for the US when the executive order was signed. (BBC)

Putin warns North Korea situation Texas governor says Houston on verge of 'large-scale conflict' recovery a 'multi-year project'

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resident Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that the standoff between North Korea and the United States was close to spilling into a large-scale conflict and said it was a mistake to try to pressure Pyongyang into halting its nuclear missile programme.

Putin, due to attend a summit of the BRICS nations in China next week, said the only way to de-escalate tensions was via talks, and Sergei Lavrov, his foreign minister, said Washington not Pyongyang should take the initiative on that.

“It is essential to resolve the region’s problems through direct dialogue involving all sides without advancing any preconditions (for such talks),” Putin, whose country shares a border with North Korea, wrote on the Kremlin’s web site.

“Provocations, pressure, and bellicose and offensive rhetoric is the road to nowhere.”

The Russian leader, whose nuclear-capable bombers recently overflew the Korean Peninsula in a show of force, said the situation had deteriorated so badly that it was now “balanced on the verge of a large-scale

H

Russian President Vladimir Putin

conflict.”

Pyongyang has been working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States and recently threatened to land missiles near the US Pacific territory of Guam.

On Monday, North Korea, which sees joint war games between the United States and South Korea as preparations for invasion, raised the stakes by firing an intermediate-range missile over Japan. (BBC)

ouston's recovery from Hurricane Harvey flooding will be a "multi-year project", Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said.

"This is going to be a massive, massive clean-up process," he told the ABC News programme Good Morning America.

President Donald Trump is to propose an initial US$5.9 billion (£4.56 billion) for recovery efforts, but the Texas authorities say the state might need more than US$125 billion.

More than 40 people have died in the storm and its aftermath.

Recovery efforts in Houston are under way as the water recedes but search-and-rescue teams continued their work in the nearby city of Beaumont,

Abbott said on Friday.

Officials in Beaumont, a city of about 120,000 people near the Louisiana border, said Harvey's flooding has cut off their drinking water supply.

Brad Penisson, a captain with the Beaumont fire and rescue department, said on Friday the city was setting up water distribution

stations to ensure residents had clean drinking water.

Harvey made initial landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane in Texas last Friday, and has since dumped an estimated 20 trillion gallons of rain on the Houston area. It was later downgraded to a tropical storm but continued to batter Texas with rain. (BBC)

Germany may 'rethink' Turkey ties after Pakistani court declares ex-military 2 more Germans detained: Merkel

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hancellor Angela Merkel on Friday said Germany should react decisively to Ankara's detention of two further German citizens, amid growing calls for Berlin to issue a formal travel warning for Germans heading to Turkey.

Twelve German citizens are now in Turkish detention on political charges, four of them holding dual citizenship. Among these is GermanTurkish journalist Deniz Yucel, who will have been in detention 200 days on Friday.

Under the circumstances, Merkel said she did not think it was appropriate to carry out further discussions with

Ankara about its participation in a European Union customs union.

"We must react decisively," Merkel told a business event in the southern city of Nuremberg, noting that Germany had already fundamentally revamped its relations with Ankara.

"Given the latest events, perhaps it is necessary to rethink them ever further."

Germany was not officially informed of the two new detentions, which took place at Antalya airport on Thursday, leaving Berlin's consulate in the coastal city of Izmir to learn of their arrest from "non-state sources", Foreign

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr told a news conference.

Many European citizens

have been detained in Turkey over the past year, accused of involvement in last year's failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom many accuse of purging opposition under the cover of a crackdown.

"We're trying to establish what they are charged with," said Adebahr said. "We must assume that it's a political charge, suspicion of terrorism, as with the others."

Diplomats had not been able to contact them, she added, with Friday's public holiday celebrating the Muslim festival of Eid a possible reason for delays in contacting officials.

leader a fugitive

A

Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Thursday declared ex-military leader Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in the murder case of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and acquitted five people in the killing.

As an “absconder”, Musharraf must be arrested and brought to trial if he returns to Pakistan after being allowed to leave the country last year. The court also ordered Musharraf’s property in Pakistan seized.

Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide and gun attack in Rawalpindi in 2007, weeks

after she returned from exile to campaign in elections to bring back civilian rule.

Bhutto’s daughter Aseefa Zardari tweeted after the court’s decision that “There will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf answers for his crimes!”

Five accused members of the Pakistani Taliban were found not guilty of any role in the attack due to a lack of evidence.

Special Prosecutor for the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Khawaja Mohammad Imtiaz said he found the acquittal surprising. (Reuters)

18

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saturDAY, september 2, 2017

ARCHIE

Shy away from anyone showing signs of impulsive be(March 21havior or emotional outbursts.

April 19) Avoid being drawn into someone else’s affairs. Remain level-headed and reserved to avoid a clash.

ARIES

Do your best and you will

TAURUS stand out. Pursue talks with in(April 20- dividuals who can elaborate on May 20) a topic you need to know more

dilbert

about. Mix business with pleasure.

You’ll make a mistake if GEMINI you are too quick to judge.

(May 21Situations will get blown out June 20)

of proportion quickly, causing trouble with authority figures.

Stick to the facts.

Discuss what it is you want

CANCER to do next. Sharing your plans (June 21- will help you fine-tune exactly July 22) what you want to do and make

Peanuts

a flawless presentation.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

Get down to brass tacks and initiate a practical application of your idea. Having a stable plan will encourage certain conservative people to agree to your terms.

Socialize, have some fun VIRGO and participate in life. Serious (Aug. 23discussions that revolve around Sept. 22) your relationship with an important someone will help clear up any uncertainty about your future.

Be willing to compromise LIBRA (Sept. 23- when faced with opposition.

Oct. 23) Negotiate a fair deal by offering unique solutions. Put your time, effort and energy into achieving your goals.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Using your imagination and SCORPIO resources to bring your ideas to (Oct. 24- life will result in a fresh attitude Nov. 22) and changes that will make you happy about the direction in which you are heading.

Truth comes out when emoSAGITTARIUS tions flare up. Listen to com(Nov. 23- plaints and criticism, and conDec. 21) sider your best reaction. An

impulsive response will cause physical and emotional stress.

Time is on your side.

Stick close to home and take

CAPRICORN unusual measures to ensure (Dec. 22- that your place is tidy and up Jan. 19) to code. Cutting your costs by

solution for Last Published Puzzle

being more efficient will allow greater cash flow for enjoyable pastimes.

Keep spending to a mini-

AQUARIUS mum and avoid indulgent be(Jan. 20- havior that will affect your Feb. 19) health or damage your reputa-

tion. Secrets are best kept that way. Moderation will be required to avoid controversy.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

March 20) -- Form an alliPISCES ance with someone who is will(Feb. 20ing to work alongside you to March 20) bring about important change.

Be willing to make adjustments, but don’t go overboard.

saturDAY, september 2, 2017

19

Manny Pacquiao pulls out of planned Jeff Horn rematch in November

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anny Pacquiao lost a highly disputed decision to Jeff Horn last July, and early planning stages for a rematch had been originally penciled in for November.

According to multiple reports, that isn’t the case anymore.

Horn’s promoter also confirmed this, saying that the Pacquiao, who is also a senator in the Philippines, will have other duties that would prevent him from having a proper training camp.

“Manny Pacquiao has decided that he will not be competing in a rematch with Jeff

Horn in 2017,” Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan told the Daily Telegraph in Australia.

“On behalf of the Philippines government he will be part of a delegation that will visit China in the middle of his proposed preparation period for the fight.”

According to Lonergan, they will be looking for a new opponent for Horn, as he looks to defend the WBO title that he took in that bout with Pacquiao.

While obviously not coming directly from the Filipino’s camp, Lonergan also claims that Pacquiao will be compet-

ing again in 2018, with the rematch still the option they’re looking at.

The 38-year-old Pacquiao is in the twilight of his hall-offame boxing career. This is why seeing a rematch — and a possible trilogy — of a bout I felt he already won clearly isn’t the most interesting use of his time remaining in the sport. We already saw the same thing with Timothy Bradley, and I’m not a fan of seeing a repeat of that to close out his career.

This is why news of the cancellation is music to my ears, as there’s a small chance they

move on from i t completel y .

I’d rather see Manny fight closer to his normal weight, instead of unnecessarily giving up size and strength now that he’s past his prime and done chasing history in his 8th division.

Come to think of it, I’d prefer he drop out of politics instead of boxing fights, but that’s neither here nor there. (Yahoo Sports)

Lasith Malinga to hand over captaincy to Upul Tharanga, unsure of SL future

Kendall’s Union Sports Club donates school supplies

Sri Lankan cricket is going through a crisis after the poor showing in the Test and ODI series vs Indian cricket team, following which the selection led by Sanath Jayasuriya (R) has resigned. Lasith Malinga (L) is also going through a lean patch, and limited-overs skipper Upul Tharanga is under tremendous pressure to at least win the fifth and final ODI as a face-saving measure (AFP)

S

ri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga has said he will assess his future in international cricket after the current limited-overs series against Indian cricket team, reiterating he will call it quits the moment his performance drops.

Malinga took his 300th ODI wicket when he dismissed Virat Kohli in the fourth match in Colombo on Thursday which Sri Lanka cricket team lost by 168 runs. The hosts are on the verge of suffering a second straight whitewash, after losing the Test series 3-0.

“I’m playing after 19 months following a leg injury. In the Zimbabwe and India series I couldn’t play well,” said Malinga. “ I’ll see where I’m at after this series, and evaluate how long

I can play given the way my body is.

“No matter how experienced I am – if I can’t win a match for the team and do what the team needs, there’s no point in me being here,” added the 34-year-old pacer.

“I’ll see if I can make up for that 19 months and regain that form over the next 3 or four months.”

A day before the fourth ODI, Malinga had expressed his hope of playing until the next World Cup. But based on his form lately, he admitted his future is up for consideration.

“I’ll see the number of games that I get. If not I’ll have to consider the state of my body, and what is expected of me. If I can’t deliver that, then I’ll happily retire,” he said

He will hand over captaincy to Upul Tharanga, who returns after a twogame ban due to the team’s slow over-rate in the second ODI in Pallekele.

‘Everyone is waiting for a win’ Malinga absolved Sri Lankan batsmen from any blame once again, highlighting that they need more experience and it was the bowlers’ job to contain the scoring on a flat batting track.

“We didn’t bowl well in this game. With the batsmen, we only had one experienced batsman – Angelo Mathews. Others are young players, but they need time,” explained Malinga. “They are still learning, I feel. I feel they don’t have much confidence to play their natural game, because the last

couple of matches they lost and everyone wants to get runs.

“That’s why they really concentrated on trying to get runs, I feel. They aren’t playing their natural game.

Everyone is waiting for a win,” he said.

“In the last couple of matches we lost and they didn’t get much runs, they feel they have to score every single match,” added Malinga. “That’s why we can’t get their maximum in this period. I think maybe in the next couple of months they will work hard and get good mentality. I hope for Sri Lankan cricket they perform well.”

The fifth and the final ODI of the series will be played in Colombo on September 3.

Some of the pupils and club officials

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ome 17 pupils from the Bohemia Primary School, located at Number 19 Village on the East Coast Berbice, were recently beneficiaries of school supplies from the Kendall’s Union Sports Club.

The club, which continues to show that they are not only interested in sports but also youths and their education, donated haversacks and other school supplies to the 17 students, who recently wrote the National Grade Six Assessment examinations.

The club, which is one of the leading second-division clubs in Berbice recently made a presentation, and in a release to the media, club President Albert Budhoo noted that the club is excited to be of such assistance.

He said that KUSC has embarked on a number of community-related activities, and will continue in its quest to become, not only a successful sports club, but a successful NGO. Budhoo and other executives encouraged the students to be disciplined, and to dedicate time to their studies, put God in their lives and get involved in activities of the club.

The KUSC would like to thank S. Baichan (Amar), Metro Office and Computer Supplies, F. Ahamad and R. Guyanand for sponsoring the event.

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturDAY, september 2, 2017

Rossi vows to make quick return after surgery I

talian MotoGP great Valentino Rossi has vowed to make a quick return to the track after surgery on Friday for a broken leg sustained in an off-road bike accident that effectively ended this year’s title chances.

“The surgery went well. This morning, when I woke up, I felt already good,” the 38-year-old said in a Yamaha statement after the operation in the eastern Italian coastal city of Ancona.

“I‘m very sorry for the incident. Now I want to be back on my bike as soon as possible. I will do my best to make it happen.”

Yamaha said Rossi was operated on in the early hours after being transferred from hospital in Urbino, where he had ini-

tial X-rays.

“Valentino is doing well,” Raffaelle Pascarella, director of the Ancona hospital orthopedics and trauma department, told a news conference.

Pascarella said the operation lasted about an hour and involved inserting a pin into the injured limb. Rossi will stay in hospital for another three or four days, but should rest for around 40 days.

Exactly how long Rossi will wait before getting back on his bike “depends a lot on him”, Pascarella said, adding: “I was struck by how calm he was.”

The accident, while he was riding an off-road enduro bike, and likely recovery time realistically ends Rossi’s title chanc-

es for another year.

There are six races remaining and the Italian seems sure to miss at least two of them.

The next race is at Misano on Italy’s Adriatic coast, near Rossi’s home, on Sept. 10 and that is followed by Aragon in Spain on Sept.

24.

The rider is currently fourth in the overall MotoGP standings and 26 points behind leading compatriot Andrea Dovizioso. A race win is worth 25 points.

Rossi also broke his right leg in practice for the Italian Grand Prix in 2010.

The rider returned to MotoGP after an absence of six weeks that time. (Reuters)

Nadal Rooney charged with drink-driving offence F overpowers Daniel at US Open

W

orld number one Rafa Nadal came from behind to dispatch underdog Taro Daniel of Japan 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 in front of a sold-out crowd at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

Despite playing a marathon five-setter the day before, 121st ranked Daniel looked the fresher of the pair at the outset of the match, breaking Nadal to take a 5-4 advantage when the Spaniard dumped a forehand into the net.

He eventually won the set and appeared poised to deliver a massive upset.

But Nadal soon found the accuracy that had eluded him in the first set and his booming serve proved too much for the exhausted 24-yearold, who is now 0-6 against top 20 opponents in his career.

“All the matches are difficult, especially here where everyone wants to play their best,” Nadal said in an on-court interview at the Arthur Ashe Stadium after the win.

“It’s true that I didn’t play very well tonight but it’s also true that I‘m through to the next round.”

Nadal is now one step clos-

er to a potential semi-finals match against third seed Roger Federer, who won his second consecutive five-set match earlier on Thursday.

“I am here to improve every day. I believe I can do it much better and I really feel I am going to do it much better,” Nadal said.

Next up for the 31-yearold is a third round match against aggressive Argentinian L e o n a r d o Mayer. (Reuters)

ormer England captain Wayne Rooney has been charged with a drink-driving offence, Cheshire police said in a statement on Friday.

Rooney, 31, has been released on bail and is due to appear at Stockport Magistrates’ Court on September 18.

The Everton forward has been charged with driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit.

“The man was arrested shortly after 2.00 a.m. today, Friday 1 September, after officers stopped a black VW Beetle on Altrincham Road, Wilmslow,” Cheshire police said.

Rooney announced last month he was retiring from national team duty, ending a 14-year stint in which he became the country’s top scorer with 53 goals.

In July Rooney returned to Everton, his boyhood club, after 13 years with Manchester United. He has scored twice so far this season for the Merseyside team.

Everton did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident. (Reuters)

Pele congratulates Cristiano Ronaldo on surpassing his goals record

A

fter a hat-trick against the Faroe Islands moved Cristiano Ronaldo on to 78 international goals, Pele congratulated the Portugal star.

Pele has sent his congratulations to Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal forward surpassed his international goals record.

Ronaldo struck a hat-trick, including opening the scoring with a brilliant scissor-kick volley, in his side’s 5-1 victory against the Faroe Islands on Thursday.

And his latest Portugal treble means Ronaldo has now scored 78 times for the Euro 2016 winners, moving ahead of Pele on the all-time list.

“Congratulations @Cristiano for joining the elite five of #FIFA international goal scorers.

Congratulations!” Pele wrote on Twitter.

Ronaldo is now level with Iraq’s Hussein Saeed and just two goals behind Japan’s Kunishige Kamamoto, while Ferenc Puskas – who hit 84 goals for Poland – is also in his sights.

The all-time-record international goalscorer is still Iran forward Ali Daei, who struck 109 goals in 149 appearances. (SportsMax)

Rafa Nadal

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21

More upsets as Group Stage gets under way

By Michelangelo Jacobus

F

ans were treated to more riveting action as play continued in the group stage of the Guinness Cage Indoor tournament on Thursday night at the National Gymnasium.

The upsets continued as well, none bigger than Sparta being soundly beaten 3-0 by Ol Skool Ballers in the last match of the night.

The hero for the Ballers was Joel McGarrell who netted a hat-trick to get his side off to a confident start; McGarrell’s goals came in the 6th, 19th and 20th minutes.

Earlier in the night the new boys MBK All-Stars continued to raise eyebrows as they overcame the seasoned Leopold Street 4-3.

MBK got off to a flyer as they pressured Leopold Street into scoring an own Goal in the 2nd minute.

However, Okeene Fraser leveled the score immediately after with a laser-like goal in the 3rd minute.

Christopher Hyderkhan in the 5th and Nevon Haynes in the 6th minute put MBK back in the lead at 3-1 but Leopold Street continued to fight back with Samuel Hunte’s goal in the 8th and Orandell Williams in the 17th minutes bringing their team back on terms.

– Guinness/Three Peat Promotions Cage Indoor Tournament ed a single goal to get past Albouystown-B as Colin Daniels scored in the 13th minute.

A brace from Sunil Logan (12th and 15th minutes) complemented with a goal in the 18th minute from Josiah Charles ensured the Hustlers beat Tiger Bay 3-1. The lone

Showstoppers.

Devon Dooker in the 5th, Marlon Nedd in the 14th and Tevin Curry in the 18th minute were the players on target for Albouystown-A. West Front Road- Gold is Money was needled by Mocha as Sceyon Hope found the back of the net in the 2nd

over Champion Boys following goals from Runel Gordon and Nick Williams in the 5th and 13th minutes respectively.

Lloyd Matthews scored for Champion Boys in the 11th minute.

The group stage will continue on Tuesday, September 5th at the same venue with eight more matches:

• • • • • •

Action between the Hustlers and Tiger Bay

MBK showed grit and determination as Oswald Cornette netted in the final minute of the game (20th) to ensure his side walked away victorious.

North Ruimveldt need-

goal scorer for Tiger Bay was James Meredith in the 4th minute.

Albouystown-A fared better than their B counterparts as they had a comfortable 3 -0 victory over the

minute.

Future Stars continued their fine run of form by beating Pike Street Sophia 1-0, as star player Keron Solomon struck in the 10th minute.

Back Circle prevailed 2-1

• • •

The fixture is: -September 5th Hustlers vs Mocha19:00hrs Pike Street vs Albouystown-A19:30hrs North Ruimveldt vs Ol Skool Ballers-20:00hrs Gold is Money vs Tiger Bay-20:30hrs MBK All-Stars vs Champion Boys21:00hrs Future Stars vs Showstoppers-21:30hrs Back Circle vs Leopold Street-22:00hrs Sparta vs AlbouystownB-22:30hrs

Alonso gets 35 place Thompson bounces back Classified penalty amid calls for from worlds disappointment in Diamond League finale Ads rule change M Call: $5+VAT per word

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cLaren’s Fernando Alonso will collect a 35 place grid penalty for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix after Honda announced changes to his car’s power unit.

The penalty means the double world champion, whose future at McLaren remains uncertain due to the team’s continuing engine woes, will start at the back of the 20-car grid for the last European race of the season.

His chances were limited anyway at Monza’s ‘Temple of Speed’, the fastest circuit on the calendar where engine performance is crucial.

His Belgian team mate Stoffel Vandoorne suffered a similar fate when he was handed a 65-place penalty for his home race at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend.

Such meaningless penalties incurred through no fault of the driver have come increasingly under scrutiny in Formula One with some saying the system has got out of control and must change.

“I hate the fact that we’re having to affect the racing because of the technical issues,” Formula One managing director Ross Brawn, a title-winning former team principal and ex-Ferrari technical director, told motorsport.com. ”I know you can say if a car breaks down in a race that’s a technical issue and you’ve affected the race, but I think the fans understand that.

“For a fan to stomach that his hero is on the back of the grid because he had to change the engine, that’s not great sport,” added the Briton.

Brawn suggested a different form of penalty, or removing it altogether, but acknowledged that the sport might have to wait until 2021 when new engine regulations will come into force.

The current Formula One regulations stipulate that each driver may use no more than four power units during a championship season, with that number due to be

reduced to three next year.

Each power unit is made up of six separate elements; the engine, the motor gen-

Elaine Thompson wins the 100m at the IAAF Diamond League final in Brussels

Fernando Alonso

erator unit-kinetic (MGU-K), the motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H), the energy store, turbocharger and control electronics.

Grid penalties are imposed if a driver uses more than four of any one of the elements during the course of a season, and for successive breaches.

Honda said Alonso was now on his seventh engine and MGU-K, his ninth turbocharger and MGU-H, his sixth energy store and fifth control electronics.

Alonso retired from the Belgian Grand Prix but some components of the power unit used there will be run again inFriday’s second practice after Honda said they could find no obvious problem. (Reuters)

S

he missed out on a World Championship title, but Elaine Thompson has a Diamond League trophy to console herself with.

Thompson avenged her disappointing performance at World Championships to claim 100metre glory in the Diamond League final on Friday.

The Jamaican sprint legend finished a disappointing fifth in London last month, but edged Marie-Josee Ta Lou in Brussels with a time of 10.92 seconds to win the Diamond Trophy.

Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo became only the second athlete to do the Diamond League

200m and 400m double with victory in the latter, winning with a world-lead mark of 49.46 secs Sandra Perkovic also made history, her win in the discus ensuring she became the first woman to claim six Diamond League titles.

Christian Taylor racked up a sixth success in a row in the triple jump, while Noah Lyles won the 200m to become the youngest Diamond League champion in that race at the age of 20.

Botswana's Nijel Amos was triumphant in the 800m, while there was 1500m glory for Olympic and world champion Faith Kipyegon, the Kenyan finishing strongly to take the trophy.

Conseslus Kipruto beat Soufiane El Bakkali and Evan Jager in the 3,000m steeplechase, the top three identical to that of the World Championships.

Dalilah Muhammad went one better than at that event, the Olympic champion prevailing in the 400m hurdles.

Serbian Ivana Spanovic retained her long jump title, Russia's Sergey Shubenkov won the 110m hurdles and the discus trophy went to Andrius Gudzius of Lithuania.

Hellen Obiri provided more success for Kenya in the 5,000m, Mariya Lasitskene earned her 24th win as many competitions in the high jump and Greece's Katerina Stefanidi took the pole vault crown. (SportsMax)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturDAY, september 2, 2017

second century of the season for Dwayne Smith set up a crucial 29 run victory for the Barbados Tridents against St Lucia Stars in Match 27 of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The victory keeps the Tridents in the hunt for a finals week spot and ensures the Stars end their season without a win.

After winning the toss the Tridents promoted Nicholas Pooran to open the batting for only the third time in his T20 career and he justified their decision in an explosive 20-ball 36. While Dwayne Smith struggled for fluency early on Pooran’s power and timing was on full display as he struck two sixes and four fours.

When he was dismissed with two balls remaining in the Powerplay—duped by a well disguised slower ball from Obed McCoy—he had scored more than 80% of the Tridents runs.

In the six overs after the Powerplay the Tridents begun to lose their way. First Kane Williamson was brilliantly stumped by Andre Fletcher down the leg side off the bowling of Rahkeem Cornwall and then Kieron Pollard mis-timed a rank short ball from Cornwall in the twelfth over to leave the

Tridents 83 for 3 after 11.3 overs.

Having struggled for timing in the Powerplay, Smith then begun to find his range, striking his first six in the 12th over and another a few balls later before taking 22 off a Shane Watson over to really get the innings moving. Smith lost his partner, Eoin Morgan, but continued unabated scoring boundaries on both sides of the ground, pulling well off the back foot and driving with typical aplomb off the front foot.

The Stars have struggled to restrict run-scoring in the death overs this season and their weakness was once again exposed as Smith punished some wayward lines.

2 8 runs came from the 18th and 19th over before a 42-minute stoppage due to a floodlight failure delayed the bowling of the last over. When they eventually returned Watson struggled to bowl the right length and Christopher

Smith's century powers Tridents to victory Barnwell and Smith took 22 from the over, with Smith reaching his century with consecutive sixes. Watson finished with figures of 0 for 55 from just three overs and the Tridents with 195 for 5 - the equal highest total at Kensington Oval.

The Stars innings started in frenetic fashion when Andre Fletcher hit a six and a four in the opening over before mis-timing a short

ball from Ravi Rampaul to Eoin Morgan in the deep.

Watson briefly threatened to get going, scoring 22 before pulling a Wahab Riaz short ball to mid-wicket. Three Cornwall boundaries helped the Stars to 54 for 2 after six overs.

The relaxing of the field restrictions did nothing to slow Cornwall who cleared the ropes three times in the two overs after the Powerplay and moved to his fifty in the 11th over, off just

26 balls. Johnson Charles struggled for fluency and timing and scored just 13 off 20. Cornwall was having no such troubles however and continued to find the boundary regularly enough to keep the run rate in check. He should have been dismissed in only the 9th over when he picked out Barnwell at long off who dropped the catch.

With five overs remaining and 59 required Cornwall begun to show signs of tiring complicating

the Stars strategy. Running between the wickets ceased to be an option and after the equation had been reduced to 48 off 16 balls Cornwall decided to retire, allowing Darren Sammy to come in. Two balls later Marlon Samuels picked out Pollard on the boundary. In the face of a spiraling run rate and some tight death bowling the Stars were unable to stay with the Tridents and eventually fell short by 29 runs.

Allicock, Moore for Chile games

F

Terrence Poole

lyweight Keevin Allicock will lead a three-man team representing the Guyana Boxing Association to the South American Youth Championships in Chile later this month. The 18-year-old dapper boxer will be accompanied to the Games by 16-year-old lightweight Christopher Moore and coach Terrence Poole.

Allicock is fresh off winning a silver medal at the Youth Commonwealth Games while Moore reached into the quarter finals of the same Games. The South American Championship is scheduled for September 27 to October 8 in Santiago.

Poole, the GBA Technical Director disclosed that the two boxers would be encamped two weeks before leaving for Chile. “Training is going on as scheduled and both of the guys are doing well. Allicock would have had a slight bout with the flu but he is back up and running,” Poole said.

“I have informed the GBA president Steve Ninvalle that encampment will commence two weeks before we depart.

These are two very good young fighters and we must put all in place to make sure that they can create and impact when they go to Chile,” Guyana’s first AIBA certified Three Star coach added.

Quizzed on his expectation Poole, a former heavyweight amateur fighter declared optimism. “Both Mr. Allicock and Mr. Moore have been having much needed international exposure in the past year or so. They are both gold medalist at the last Caribbean Championship (Caribbean Development Tournament) and have performed with credit at the Youth Commonwealth Games. Latin American style of fighting is a bit different for what they would have encountered at the two competitions but I am optimistic that they will be very competitive,” Poole said.

“These are young fighters with very good ability and skill level. The Olympics and the sky is their limit once they remain focused.”

GCA/Carib Beer T20

Battle for final semi-final berth is on

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he exhausted wait to know the fourth semifinalist of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Carib Beer T20 is expected to be over this weekend as University of Guyana and Transport Sports Club are slated to engage at the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) Ground.

The battle for the final semi-final berth depends on the outcome of this match. Police Sports Club could find itself to be fortunate if the result works in their favour as they sit on 51points.

The other teams that have already made the cut are reigning champions DCC, who have played unbeaten, Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), and Everest Cricket Club.

The match is scheduled to start at 13:00h and will be officiated by Linden Matthews and Jogeshwar Goberdhan.

Key players expected to feature in the match are; Royston Alkins and Darnell Douglas for UG and Ryan Hemraj and Charwayne McPherson for TSC.

Christopher Moore

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, september 2, 2017

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Windies recall Nurse Brathwaite, Hope make for England T20 big rise in rankings K

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pinner Ashley Nurse is in line to make his T20 appearance for over two years in a repeat at Chester-le-Street.

Nurse has replaced Samuel Badree in the West Indies squad for a one-off Twenty20 international against England this month, while Ronsford Beaton could win his first cap.

Nurse has not played for the world champions in the shortest format since January 2015, but the spinner may come back into the side at Durham on September 16.

Badree made himself unavailable for a repeat of last year's World Twenty20 final due to a "prior commitment".

Beaton, called up for the T20 series against Afghanistan earlier this year, is in contention for a maiden senior international appearance.

Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard are also among the 13 named in the squad.

Windies chairman of selectors Courtney Browne said: "We have a good mix of experience and youth that should adapt to English conditions quickly.

"Coming off the series win against India in the Caribbean in July our expectations is to see the team play a highly competitive game and bring that T20 Caribbean atmosphere to England."

West Indies squad: Carlos Brathwaite (captain), Ronsford Beaton, Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Ashley Nurse, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams. (SportsMax)

raigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope have made career-best moves up the ICC Test Rankings following their memorable batting in the second Test against England which West Indies won by five wickets on Tuesday at Headingley.

Brathwaite and Hope defied the odds and the form book to lead the West Indies batting in the Headingley Test and help them successfully chase 322 in an unforgettable victory.

They both gained massively in the latest rankings that also took into account the opening Test in Dhaka, which saw Bangladesh pull off a 20run win over Australia on Wednesday.

Opener Brathwaite has risen 14 slots to 16th position after his innings of 134 and 95 in the second Test of the three-match series.

Hope’s knocks of 147 and 118 not out, the first pair of hundreds in

Kraigg Brathwaite

any first-class game at Headingley, have helped him secure a massive gain of 60 places to reach 42nd position.

Windies Captain Jason Holder has gained in both batting (up four places to 57th) and bowling (up two places to 37th) rankings, while pace bowler Shannon Gabriel has gained two slots to reach 18th position after taking six wickets in the match. (CMC)

Hamilton wants to wipe the smile off Vettel's face

L

Sebastian Vettel

ewis Hamilton says he is ready to wipe the smile from Sebastian Vettel’s face in

front of Ferrari fans this weekend.

The Mercedes driver is seven points behind Ferrari’s champi-

onship leader but can take over at the top by winning at Monza, the Italian “Temple of Speed”.

“This weekend the ultimate goal is obviously to win, to put a dent in that lead that he’s had all season,” Hamilton told reporters.

“He’s had that smile on his face all year long ... so I’m looking forward to turning that upside down.”

Hamilton has started the last three Italian Grands Prix on pole position, winning two of them and finishing second last year to now-retired team mate and eventual title winner Nico Rosberg. He also won in 2012 with McLaren.

Another pole position on Saturday would be a Formula One record, after Hamilton equaled former Ferrari driver Michael

Schumacher’s 68 in Belgium last weekend, and looks highly likely.

British bookmakers William Hill have Hamilton as favorite for the race, with odds of 1/3 to take pole and 2/5 to win.

Vettel is third favorite for pole, at 6/1 and joint second favorite with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas to win at 9/2.

Ferrari have not won a drivers’ championship for a decade, with Vettel’s current team mate Kimi Raikkonen the last in 2007. Vettel took his four with Red Bull.

He is the first Ferrari driver to lead the championship at Monza since Fernando Alonso in 2012.

If most of the crowd will be cheering for Vettel and Raikkonen, Hamilton was unconcerned. ”I have in the past, many years

Venus sails into US Open 4th round V

enus Williams continued her U.S. Open campaign when the American beat Greek Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-4 on Friday to advance to the fourth round.

Roared on by the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, Williams, who won two titles at Flushing Meadows in 2000 and 2001, overcame serve problems to set up a meeting with gritty Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro.

She has now reached the last 16 in every grand slam this year, a feat she

last achieved in 2010.

The 37-year-old managed the only break in the opening set to take control of the match.

After a couple of exchanges of breaks in the second, Williams stole her opponent’s serve again to close it out on the first match point when Sakkari’s forehand sailed long.

“I‘m playing at home, I’ve got a lot to accomplish here, and I‘m happy to get the win,” she said, before adding she was expecting a similar game style

from Suarez Navarro as Sakkari.

“She’s feisty. I know I have to come out, play well, have you all (the crowd) behind me and get a win.”

The question on everyone lips, however, was whether her younger sister Serena, the 23-times grand slam champion, had given birth to her first child.

Venus refused to answer the question and a reporter was cut off by a moderator after she asked several questions related to the expected birth.

(Reuters)

ago, felt that I was in the enemy’s back garden,“ he said. ”But in the last four or five years I’ve had such a great welcome here even from the Ferrari fans. It’s much appreciated. Every time I come I feel at home. ”I love it here ... when you turn up and see the fans at the gate, there’s a lot of Ferrari fans there, but at least 50 percent of them say ‘Forza Ferrari, come to Ferrari’. I just say thank you. It’s a compliment.

“If it‘s a battle of how much support you have, I have no problems.”

With Vettel signing a new deal until 2020, and Hamilton set to extend his contract, there is no imminent prospect of seeing the Briton in red overalls. (Reuters)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2017

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

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Spectacular Walton, Ronchi lead Warriors to amazing victory See details in Sunday's edition

More upsets as Group Stage gets under way

Pg 21

– Guinness/Three Peat Promotions Cage Indoor Tournament

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