Guyana Times Monday January 6, 2020.

President promises annual subvention P to GPA

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

Issue No. 4157

THE BEACON OF TRUTH MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

PRICE

PPP launches 2020 elections campaign

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Inspirational Irfaan Ali commits to transformational inclusivity …says “I will be a president for all Guyanese”

Couple found P9 dead in bathtub at Aracari Resort

Bandits invade birthday party, rob invitees P2

See story on page 3

Parika robbery

Driver of P2 ‘stolen’ car used by bandits claims he was abducted …left in Hubu Backdam

Use your vote to send a strong message – Ret'd Brigadier Mark Phillips …reveals comprehensive plan to tackle crime, security

Page 11

PPP will restore democracy, progress – Jagdeo

Wheelchairbound man P10 arrested for breaking into car …cutlass, knife found in his possession

Ramjattan P14 backpedals on decision to keep sugar industry alive

See story on page 7

…says Granger’s threat to take away no confidence constitutional provision ominous …points to corruption, running down of reserves under APNU/AFC …nothing decent, honest about APNU/AFC Govt – Nandlall

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Parika robbery

Bandits invade birthday Driver of car used by bandits claims he party, rob invitees was abducted, left in Hubu Backdam

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he car that was allegedly hijacked by armed bandits to execute the daring robbery at the “Fresh Bar” in Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), on Friday night was found abandoned in close proximity to the crime.

However, the four perpetrators are still at large, but investigators are hoping to have a breakthrough in the case soon.

Commander of Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), Simon McBean, when contacted on Sunday stated that the car was attached to a taxi service based on the WCD. On the night of the robbery, the suspects reportedly stopped the car under the pretence of hiring it but instead, after entering, they held up the driver.

“The report we received is that they abducted him and had him in the car until they drove to the Hubu Backdam area. They [suspects] then reportedly took him out of the vehicle and left him there. They then used the car to execute the crime and later abandoned it but we found it the same night and so investigations into the matter continue,” Commander McBean said.

On Friday evening, sometime around 23:05h, a gun-

The “Fresh Bar” establishment located at Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE)

man and a knife-toting bandit stormed into the drinking establishment in question where they assaulted the owners and customers before relieving them of an undisclosed amount of cash and gold jewellery.

The duo then made good their escape with two accomplices inside of the white motorcar, which the perpetrators had arrived at the location with.

According to the 58-yearold bar owner, she has been left traumatised after two of the men assaulted her son along with an employee while they executed a daring robbery which lasted less than five minutes.

The bar was packed with customers when two men ran into the premises; one of whom had a rag tied around his head to conceal half of his face.

The woman explained

that her establishment houses a bar and a gambling section. However, she was unable to state the amount of cash that the bandits had gotten away with.

According to the woman, the bandits then attacked the customers and robbed them of their cellular phones.

However, one customer was in the gambling section when the knife-toting bandit attacked him and relieved him of a gold band and gold chain. The proprietress related that after the robbery, the men rushed into a white motorcar that had been parked between her premises and a fast food outlet.

The car along with the robbers was captured on CCTV cameras which were handed over to the police.

Her business has been in operation for the past 35 years and this is the first time it was robbed.

birthday celebration turned tragic after three bandits, one of whom was armed with a handgun, stormed the party and robbed several persons including the birthday boy.

The incident reportedly occurred around 02:30h on Sunday morning at Lot 179 National Walk, Triumph Village, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Based on reports received, the birthday boy, Mohammed Nazim Wahab, threw a party on the eve of his birthday, on Friday evening, and invited his family, relatives and friends to partake.

However, after midnight, a group of five was still consuming alcoholic beverages as the music system blasted.

A few hours later, three males, who had their faces tied with rags to conceal their identities, entered Wahab’s premises by drilling a hole through the fence.

One of the perpetrators was carrying a silver revolver.

The trio confronted the men who were in the yard and instructed them to lay face down on the ground as they were relieved of their cash and cellular phones.

Wahab, who runs an autobody shop, had about $100,000 and his iPhone 7 snatched from him while his younger brother, a businessman, was relieved of a cellu-

lar phone.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Anil Dhaniram, a mechanic of Mon Repos, ECD, was robbed of his mobile phone, a Samsung J2, and another mechanic, 39-year-old Rasheed Alli, who lives at the Wahab residence, was also relieved of his cellular phone.

Additionally, 20-yearold Rosita Figueredo, who is said to also reside at the Wahab residence, was robbed of her Samsung J7 cellular phone.

Guyana Times understands that during the robbery, the younger Wahab put up a resistance and a struggle ensued between him and one of the bandits.

In retaliation, the man who was armed with the gun discharge three shots in the air, thus resulting in the victims scampering to safety.

The armed men then made good their escape through a gate on the Western side of the premises.

As they ran out of the Wahab’s yard and headed towards the Eastern direction on foot, the older Wahab gave chase and managed to follow the trio into Good Hope, ECD, then lost them According to the police, no one was injured and no spent shells were found but ranks discovered one warhead at the scene of the crime.

Commander of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Sub-division C (East Coast Demerara), Royston Andries-Junor, when contacted by Guyana Times on Sunday confirmed the incident and noted that investigations are currently underway. (Kristen Macklingam)

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NEWS

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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

Monday, January 6 – 02:00h – 03:30h and 13:30h- 15:00h and Tuesday, January 7 – 03:00h – 04:30h and 14:30h- 16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, January 6 – 12:50h – 14:20h and Tuesday, January 7 – 13:35h -15:05h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions will prevail during the day. There will be clear skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to North NorthEasterly between 1.34 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: maximum heights

13:13h of 2.33

reaching metres.

Low Tide: 06:43h and 19:16h reaching minimum heights of 0.98 metre and 0.861 metre.

Inspirational Irfaan Ali commits to transformational inclusivity …says “I will be a president for all Guyanese”

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ecked out in trademark red and surrounded by his party’s top executives, Dr Irfaan Ali stood before a mammoth crowd at Kitty Market Square, Georgetown, vividly illustrating how transformational the country would be if the longest standing political grouping – the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) – returns to power.

The audience erupted into cheers and applause as he took to the podium, having waited several hours to hear from the Party’s presidential candidate.

“Today (Sunday), I stand here humbled by the opportunity to be President for all Guyanese,” the 39-yearold presidential hopeful expressed.

“Not a president for

PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali on Sunday

Brigadier David Granger of the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition, which was toppled subse-

“Today (Sunday), I am not here to deliver promises, but I am here with this wonderful team to outline aspects of a clear strategy and vision to take our country forward.

A section of the thousands of supporters at the Kitty, Georgetown launching of the PPP/C 2020 campaign

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friends and supporters alone, but a president that would work hard every day for the upliftment of every Guyanese.”

Ali evoked the heritage of the original nationalist and united PPP that was formed “three scores and ten years ago in 1950” and had a brief “glorious moment of unity”, which he vowed to return to Guyana when he and the PPP/C were re-elected to office.

In January 2019, Ali was elected by the Party to serve as its presidential candidate for the March 2, 2020 polls.

He will be vying against the incumbent, Retired

quent to a No-Confidence Motion in December 2018 – triggering the need for early elections.

But according to the young politician, he has no interest in delivering empty promises.

“A plan that is not defined by oil and gas, but one that speaks to the holistic aspirations of every Guyanese.”

He explained that the Party’s plan, as outlined in its elections manifesto,

sought to secure, strengthen, and expand the economic base of the country; stimulate growth; create opportunities; support the Private Sector and ensure social justice.

“Unlike David Granger, as a new generation leader, I am not stuck in the past; I understand the true meaning of transformation,” Dr Ali posited.

“To transform our country, we must be able to transform our thinking. To transform our country, we must first transform ourselves,” he stated, referring to the incident where PPP/C supporters were attacked by coalition supporters while putting up flags at Laing Avenue, Georgetown.

“Not one of the leaders in the PNC has condemned the action, because up to today, their minds and hearts have not been transformed,” he asserted.

Dr Ali admitted that he may not have all the answers, but said he was committed to transforming himself to deliver whatever was necessary for Guyana.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

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

Irfaan Ali: The Charisma of Competence

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s the PPPC officially kicked off their campaign for the March 2nd elections at Kitty Market Square, Guyana had the opportunity to listen directly to their Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali. He outlined his vision for Guyana, which he will realise as leader of the next government. As he has emphasised in the past, the programme his government will execute is embodied in the PPPC’s Manifesto. But we know that in all human undertakings, especially political ones, the style and commitment of the leader will inevitably influence the achievement of the articulated goals. It is called “political will”.

Ali will become the second youngest President of the Republic of Guyana at the age of 39, following Bharrat Jagdeo. There has been, of recent in Guyana, a clamour for “youth” in leadership, which is clearly a reaction against the gerontocracy that was sedulously created by the septuagenarian David Granger.

“Youth” suggests energy and a mind that has not become ossified and backward- looking. This is vitally needed at this particular juncture, because of the serendipitous world class oil discovery, which will finally give us the wherewithal to create the El Dorado we were told existed here.

But in spite of his relative youth, Irfaan Ali has extensive organisational experience, which will be vital to deal with the welter of institutions -- businesses, governmental and non-governmental -- that will be flocking our shores. He has played a leadership role in the youth arm of the PPP -- the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) -- for almost two decades now, and in the Party’s leadership for almost 15 years.

Besides presently serving in the Party’s Central and Executive Committees, Irfaan Ali has served for almost a decade as the Party’s Finance Secretary. His involvement in political leadership has therefore not been trivial, and has been in major roles. He has also been in leadership at the regional level and, since 2011, in both General and Regional Elections (four successive elections), has led his Region Three to provide the biggest percentage of PPP wins.

Crucially, he has served as minister, starting at the age of 28. Irfaan Ali’s Ministries were major ones – Housing and Water, Trade and Industry and Tourism. For most of his ministerial service, Irfaan Ali has controlled these two ministries simultaneously. It was a major responsibility that the PPP -- through its Presidents, Jagdeo and Ramotar -had placed on a very young man; and he did not disappoint them. He did not disappoint the PPP, and he certainly did not disappoint the people; he served his country with distinction in these two portfolios.

In his period as Minister of Housing, he led the establishment of more housing schemes in Guyana for any five-year period in the country’s history, and distributed more house lots, particularly to low-income and middleincome families, than any other Housing Minister in our history. As Minister of Water, he led Guyana to almost universal access to potable water, and Guyana gained United Nations’ recognition for this achievement.

Under his tenure as Trade Minister, there was major business development and creation of several industrial parks. As Minister of Tourism, he led the drive to make tourism a major pillar of the growing and diversified economy. But Irfaan Ali distinguished himself not only as a competent and dynamic Minister of Government, he was also a dynamic legislator. He became a major spokesman in Parliament for the Government’s economic trajectory and the macro-economic and financial stability policies and actions of the then PPP Government.

After 2015, he assumed the role of shadow finance minister for the PPP, and in that capacity, he exposed the weakness of the APNU/AFC regime and their mismanagement of the economy. Ali has also been the Chair of the PAC, and in that capacity, has led the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in one of its most active periods of financial scrutiny in our parliamentary history.

Irfaan Ali has demonstrated the charisma of competence, and is ready to lead Guyana to greatness.

People visit a snow sculpture prepared for the upcoming Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China (Reuters/Aly Song)

Renowned Guyanese writer dies at 104

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he New York Times is reporting that ER Braithwaite, a Guyanese author, diplomat and former Royal Air Force pilot whose book To Sir, With Love a memoir of teaching in London’s deprived East End, was adapted into a hit 1967 film starring Sidney Poitier, died on Monday in Rockville, Md. He was 104.

Braithwaite’s companion, Genevieve Ast, confirmed his death to The Associated Press. He had taught English at Howard University, in Washington, and lived in the area for many years.

Braithwaite, who became a diplomat and represented Guyana at the United Nations and in Venezuela, wrote several books, many about racism in countries like South Africa and the United States, where he lived much of his life. But he is best known for To Sir, With Love (1959).

The book chronicled his efforts — as a courtly, Cambridge-educated military veteran who had been denied employment as an engineer because he was black — to motivate a group of unruly adolescents raised in a slum in early-1950s Britain, which was still slowly recovering from the austerity of the war years.

The students’ antisocial behaviour, casual racism, penchant for violence and, worst of all, self-hatred horrify the new teacher, whose colleagues expect little of the pupils.

He takes them to museums and tells them about his childhood. Slowly, he gains their trust by showing respect and affection, which, for most of the students, have been in short supply. (The title of the book comes from an inscription his appreciative students wrote on a pack of cigarettes they gave him.)

He also develops romantic feelings for another teach-

Guyanese author ER Braithwaite

er, who, like the students, is white.

The memoir was praised for offering a sympathetic account of race and class without naïveté or excessive sentimentality.

Early in the book, Braithwaite recounts his disillusionment and struggles with joblessness after being passed over for work because of racial discrimination, contrasting his experiences in Britain with the years he had spent in the United States.

He wrote of America: “There, when prejudice is felt, it is open, obvious, blatant; the white man makes his position very clear, and the black man fights those prejudices with equal openness and fervour, using every constitutional device available to him.”

He added: “The rest of the world in general and Britain in particular are prone to point an angrily critical finger at American intolerance, forgetting that in its short history as a nation it has granted to its Negro citizens more opportunities for advancement and betterment, per capita, than any other nation in the world with an indigent Negro population.”

The book was timely, arriving as a wave of migration

from the West Indies and South Asia began to transform British society, and as Americans were grappling with persistent segregation.

That Braithwaite, a well-educated middle-class man from the colonies, was trying in the capital of the British Empire to look past the squalor and despair of the school, was not lost on critics.

The movie, directed by the novelist and filmmaker James Clavell, was a box-office success, largely because of its star, Poitier, whose character is named Thackeray in the movie. (The theme song, sung by Lulu, also helped; it became a No 1 hit.) But, perhaps to appeal to an American audience, it focused less on race.

“It is as discreetly played down as are many other probable tensions in this school,” the critic Bosley Crowther wrote in his review for The Times.

“When I saw the film, I was not impressed,” Braithwaite said in a 2013 interview with Coffee-Table Notes, a blog. “Something had been lost in the transition from book to film.”

Eustace Edward Ricardo Braithwaite was born on June 27, 1912, in Georgetown, the capital of what was then

British Guiana.

He studied at Queen’s College, Guyana, a prestigious high school, and at the City College of New York. He moved to Britain after working at an oil refinery in Aruba, off the coast of Venezuela. In 1940, he volunteered for service in the Royal Air Force.

He received a master’s degree in physics from Cambridge University in 1949. After leaving his teaching job, he worked with Caribbean immigrant families in London, the basis for his second book, Paid Servant: A Report About Welfare Work in London published in Britain in 1962.

Braithwaite’s other books include “A Kind of Homecoming” (1962), about searching for his ancestral roots; “Choice of Straws” (1965), a mystery novel set in London; “Reluctant Neighbors” (1972), about a black man and a white man who share a short but fraught train ride; and “‘Honorary White’: A Visit to South Africa” (1975), based on a 1973 visit he made there to lecture.

Not all of his books were acclaimed.

Along with his writing, Braithwaite had a record of public service. From 1960 to 1963, he was a human-rights officer at the World Veterans Federation, based in Paris; from 1963 to 1966, he was a lecturer and education consultant at Unesco, also in Paris.

From 1967 to 1969, he served as the first permanent representative of Guyana to the United Nations. He was later the country’s ambassador to Venezuela.

In addition to Howard, he taught at New York University and Florida State University, among other institutions. There was no immediate information on his survivors. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

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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

The emasculation of Ramjattan Dear Editor, The emasculation of Khemraj Ramjattan on the January 3 launch of the Granger re-election campaign was painful to watch; no one, friend or foe should ever have to go through such humiliation on a public stage.

On the eve of Christmas, as the coalition partners met to celebrate the clandestine sale of three million barrels of oil at State House, a new accord between Granger’s APNU and Ramjattan’s AFC was spontaneously announced.

Many expected that the question of Granger’s choice of prime ministerial candi-

date and running mate was finally settled. It now appears that the question still hangs and there is a real possibility another candidate has caught the imagination of Mr Granger.

APNU/AFC imitated the PPP approach of a multi-ethnic ticket for elections; but upon election to office in 2015, Moses Nagamootoo, who was/is the Prime Minister of that coalition Government, was gradually reduced to ribbon-cutting and used as an Indo-mannequin in the social cohesion dress window.

The moniker of ‘rubber stamp’ was coined by a local wag and resonated to

the point where the phrase was used by a Judge in the Caribbean Court of Justice during the No-Confidence Motion hearings. Given that both Nagamootoo and Ramjattan are IndoGuyanese and both have been forced to prostrate themselves before David Granger, can we conclude that this is Granger’s view of how the race should be treated? Reduced to begging him for sustenance and approval? Was the US assessment in 1974 spot on?

For among the Wikileaks releases was a US diplomatic cable of June 27, 1974, that said David Granger had a history of being an

“anti-East Indian racist”.

When you add that to the foregoing facts on the treatment being meted out to Nagamootoo and Ramjattan and the callous disregard shown for the seven thousand sugar workers thrown unceremoniously onto the bread line and the fact that the worker of the Wales estate had to approach the courts to be paid severance guaranteed by the laws of Guyana, you may get the true measure of the hateful nature of this man who wants to be re-elected.

The conclusion that the American diplomats got it right back then is inescapable; It is only left for

Granger to bellow “back to back, belly to belly, I don’t give a dam, I done dead already” for his transformation into an intellectually-lightweight version of the ‘Kabaka’ he so idolises to be complete.

As I watched the evisceration of Ramjattan as the campaign launch wore on and no indication that he had attained his goal of prime ministerial candidate, the clichéd “you lie down with dags (sic) you get up with fleas” came to mind and I resolved to unmask this macabre game of ‘tokens’ being played by Granger. It is distasteful, disrespectful and demean-

ing to all Guyanese. I also resolved to redouble my efforts in support of the genuine multi-ethnic team assembled by the PPP/C in the upcoming elections.

The PPP/C campaign theme “Stronger together” was chosen with care and good reason. It is an acknowledgement of our multi-cultural society; a milepost on the road to becoming one people with many pigmentation levels, a smorgasbord of people, all with one love; our dear land of Guyana.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

BCB condemns attitude of Regional Sports Officer

Dear Editor, The Management of the Berbice Cricket Board would like, in the strongest possible way, to condemn the behaviour and attitude of the Regional Sports Officer, Region Six, attached to the National Sports Commission.

Since the election of Hilbert Foster, MS, as President of the Berbice Cricket Board in February 2018, the Sports Officer has unleashed a daily abuse of the President, selected executives and the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club on his Facebook account and also in the public arena.

As Regional Sports Officer, it was expected that the Government Official would seek to work closely with all sports associations to promote the importance of sports in the region. Over the twenty months of Mr Foster’s presidency, the Sports Officer has never contacted or visited the Berbice Cricket Board or

sought to find out how he can use his good office to assist us to fulfil our mandates.

The Berbice Cricket Board under Mr Foster’s leadership has been willing to work along with every person, organisation and club to lift Berbice Cricket even higher. Sadly, the Regional Sports Officer, who seemed to have a personal obsession with the President for reasons known only to him, has never reached out to the Berbice Cricket Board.

He is very close to some leaders of the Guyana Cricket Board and this seemed to be the reason for his unprofessional behaviour. He is known to have signed his Government position on a Guyana Cricket Board’s Letterhead on matters concerning Junior Female Cricket, scores at GCB franchise matches during official working time and even organised lunches, refreshments at these matches.

At our last Annual General

Meeting on December 22, 2019, he was present outside of our office, encouraging delegates to remove the President.

Leading up to that meeting, the Sports Officer was openly campaigning for another candidate, who has failed to turn up while accusing the President of being a supporter of a certain political party.

This official also sent/posted messages on social media that he would slap the nineteenyear-old BCB Public Relations Officer on his face whenever he sees him. This was his second threat to this youth.

At the election, the BCB President was re-elected 310. The Sports Officer also accused the President of bypassing the position of a Vice President for the nomination of a PPP supporter.

The truth of the matter was that the Vice President indicated that he was not available to serve due to his

pressing duties as a Senior Government Official in Region Six. The question that the Sports Officer needs to answer is how political views affect his capacity to function in a NGO. That officer has also threatened to end the careers of several national players with a single phone call.

The Director of Sports and the Minister of Social Cohesion are fully aware of the behaviour of this individual. There are other organisations that have made complaints to the Director and Minister Norton and other Government officials.

Minister Norton, at a public meeting in Rose Hall Town, was informed of this sickening attitude and he had publicly told the official to put his house in order. Sadly, the situation has gotten worse.

The Berbice Cricket Board has no problem with this official and we are willing to

work along with him to further develop the lovely game of cricket. All Government officials are expected to work along with every Guyanese to develop our country and our taxpayers should not be taken for granted. It is a waste of Taxpayers’ time to pay salary/ wages for persons who seek to cause confusion and to make division among our people.

We are open to answer any question from stakeholders of Berbice Cricket and should the Region Six Sports Officer follow the correct channel, we would answer all of his questions.

The daily and constant abuse of our President via social media has most of us worried about his personal and family safety. Should any harm occur to him and his family, that Government Sports Officer would have to take the blame and full re-

sponsibilities.

While we do not seek or cause anyone to lose their jobs, it is the Berbice Cricket Board’s desire that the relevant Ministry of Social Cohesion officials takes the time to correct this situation. The funny thing is that the same Region Six Sports Officer served as Asst Treasurer and then Treasurer of the Berbice Cricket Board in 2017 to early 2018 and has failed to date to give an account for the withdrawal of over $2 million that was withdrawn from the BCB account during the period which he served. Requests were made for over 20 months for a financial statement and to date, same was never received.

Yours respectfully, Angela Haniff BCB Secretary

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

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t’s school time again!

And homework is once again in the mix.

After you finish your homework.”

You have probably heard your mom or dad say these words. It might seem like all the good stuff has to wait until your homework is done. There’s a good reason why adults make a big deal out of homework. Homework helps you learn. And getting a good education can help you build the kind of future life that you want. So, homework is important, but how can you get it done?

First, you need a quiet place without clutter and confusion. Writing on top of potato chip crumbs while talking on the phone is not going to help you finish your history lesson. Turn off the TV and other distractions. You’ll be better able to concentrate, which usually means you’ll finish your work more quickly and it’s more likely to be correct.

Set aside enough time to finish your work without rushing. You can’t just squeeze your science assignment into the commercials during your favourite TV show. Really learning something takes time. But if you find that you’re struggling even after putting in the time, you’ll want to ask for help.

Why do some kids need homework help?

Aside from just not understanding the lesson or assignment, kids might need homework help for other reasons. Some kids are out sick for a long time and miss a lot of work. Others get so busy that they don’t spend enough time on homework.

Personal problems can cause trouble with your work, too. Some kids may be

Foundation dealing with stuff outside of school that can make homework harder, like problems with friends or things going on at home.

Kids whose parents are going through a divorce or some other family problem often struggle with getting homework done on time.

Even students who never had a problem with homework before can start having trouble because of problems they face at home. But whatever the reason for your homework struggles, there are many ways to get help.

Who can help?

Talk to someone (parents, teachers, school counsellor, or another trusted adult) if you’re having prob-

brothers and sisters!

Teachers also are important resources for you because they can give you advice specific to the assignment you’re having trouble with. They can help you set up a good system for writing down your assignments and remembering to put all the necessary books and papers in your backpack. Teachers can give you study tips and offer ideas about how to tackle homework. Helping kids learn is their job, so be sure to ask for advice!

You can also use the Internet to visit online homework help sites. These sites can direct you to good sources for research and offer tips and guidance about many academic subjects.

you’re one of them, good for you! Why not use your talent to help a friend who’s struggling? You might offer to study together. Going over lessons together can actually help both of you.

Information is easy to remember when you’re teaching it to someone, according to one fifth grader, who says she helps her friend, Jenny, with multiplication tables.

“It helps me to learn them, too,” she says. “I practise while she’s practising.”

You might want to create a regular study group.

You could set goals together and reward yourselves for completing your work. For example, when you finish writing your book reports, go ride your bikes together.

Looking forward to something fun can help everyone get through the work.

Still having trouble?

lems with schoolwork. Speak up as soon as you can, so you can get help right away before you fall behind.

Your parents are often a great place to start if you need help. They might be able to show you how to do a tough Maths problem or help you think of a subject to write about for English class. But they also can be helpful by finding that perfect spot in the house for you to do your homework and keeping supplies, like pencils, on hand. Parents also can cut down on distractions, like noisy younger

But be cautious about just copying information from an Internet website. This is a form of cheating, so talk with your teacher about how to use these sources properly.

Another option is a private tutor. This is a person who is paid to spend time going over schoolwork with you. If cost is a concern, this can be less expensive if a small group of kids share a tutoring session.

Do it together

Some kids will hardly ever need homework help. If

Sometimes even after trying all these strategies, a kid still is having trouble with homework. It can be tough if this happens to you. But remember that everyone learns at a different pace. You might have to study for two hours instead of one, or you might have to practice multiplication tables 10 times instead of 5 to really remember them.

It’s important to put in as much time as you need to understand the lessons.

Ask your mom or dad to help you create a schedule that allows as much time as you need.

And keep talking about the problems you’re having – tell your parents, teachers, counsellors, and others.

That way, they’ll see that you are trying to get your homework done. And when it is done, make sure you find time to do something fun! (kidshealth.org)

R

eading, writing, ‘rithmetic and… good manners?

Researchers have found that 10 basic social skills such as taking turns, listening and simply being nice are just as important to children’s academic success as the subjects they study, and that students can and should be learning these skills in the classroom.

“If we increase social skills, we see commensurate increases in academic learning. That doesn’t mean that social skills make you smarter; it means that these skills make you more amenable to learning,” Stephen Elliott, Vanderbilt Peabody education and psychology researcher and co-author of The Social Skills Improvement System – Classwide Intervention Program, said. “In our research, we found that elementary kids and teachers value cooperation and self-control. When we teach and increase those behaviours, we reduce problem behaviours and maximise learning time.”

Elliott and co-author Frank Gresham identified the top 10 skills that students need to succeed based on surveys of over 8000 teachers and over 20 years of research in classrooms. They are: 1. Listen to others 2. Follow the steps 3. Follow the rules 4. Ignore distractions 5. Ask for help 6. Take turns when you talk 7. Get along with others 8. Stay calm with others 9. Be responsible for your behaviour 10. Do nice things for others “Our new publication is based on a survey we did in 2006, but we found almost exactly the same list of desired social skills when we did the survey in 1989,” Elliott said.

“Society has not changed what it values as fundamental social behaviours.”

In the book, Elliott and Gresham present a detailed 10-week programme that teachers can use to incorporate teaching of these skills into pre-school through middle school curriculum.

The programme devotes a week to each of the 10 skills, with each section building upon what is learned in the previous unit. In addition to the guide for teachers, the programme includes student workbooks, videos and other supplemental materials.

Elliott believes that rather than adding on to a teacher’s already heavy workload, the programme will in fact help them reach children more effectively.

“Many teachers feel pressured by the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act and see this as an addon,” Elliott said. “But we have found after this program they can teach these skills at the same time as they are teaching science and math, and it will help them be more effective across the board.”

The programme includes a simple screening tool that teachers use at the beginning of the year to assess their individual students’ social and basic academic skills. The tool allows them to provide specific assistance in a particular area based on the student’s needs, and also to assess progress.

It includes communication with parents throughout the process to encourage their involvement in supporting these skills at home.

Elliott is professor of special education, Dunn Family Chair in Educational and Psychological Assessment and interim director of the Learning Sciences Institute at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development.

Gresham is professor of psychology at Louisiana State University’s Department of Psychology. (news.vanderbilt.edu)

NEWS

7

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

PPP will restore democracy, progress – Jagdeo …says Granger’s threat to take away no-confidence constitutional provision ominous …points to corruption, running down of reserves under APNU/AFC …nothing decent, honest about APNU/AFC Govt – Nandlall

B

oisterous crowds greeted People’s Progressive Party (PPP) leaders as they took the podium at Sunday’s campaign launch, but one of the loudest welcomes was reserved for General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, who immediately made his case for his party’s election on March 2.

In his address, Jagdeo warned that with the current Government seemingly fixated on holding on to power while running down the economy, his party must be returned to power to right the wrongs.

Jagdeo referenced comments made by President David Granger on Friday, that constitutional reform would be pursued by the coalition to ensure that “that nonsense they tried for us in the last twelve months doesn’t happen again,” a reference to the

PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo addressing thousands of supporters at Kitty Market Square on Sunday

No-Confidence Motion that the Opposition triggered and passed back in December 2018.

“Now we have advanced the most aggressive constitutional reform programme in the past. And

Inspirational Irfaan Ali...

FROM PAGE 3

“I intend to be the person tomorrow whom you see today. Not one to make promises and then turn my back on our people and what I promised,” he explained.

According to the former Government Minister, “We have the experience to govern; we have a track record in managing the country’s resources.”

The PPP/C has 23 years of governing experience under its belt; Ali simultaneously served as Minister of Housing as well as Tourism and Commerce in PPP/C Administrations prior to the last elections in 2015.

While its tenure in office saw major infrastructural development and particularly a boom in the housing sector, the Party was criticised on several fronts.

Dr Ali admitted that the Party made mistakes, but explained that its members would have learnt from them.

“Yes, we have learnt from our shortcomings, I have and will continue to reflect on how we can be a better government than we have been in the past,” he stated.

Transformative projects

As he elaborated on his party’s plan to the attentive and enthusiastic audience, Dr Ali reiterated that the Party would restore the “Because We Care” back-toschool cash grant, an initiative which was developed under the former PPP/C Administration whereby every schoolchild across the country benefited from $10,000 in cash.

And according to Dr Ali, there is room for that amount to be increased to as

much as $50,000 per child per year.

Reflecting on the decline in economic sectors and the huge loss of jobs across all walks of life, Dr Ali assured that the PPP/C has a plan to create as much as 50,000 job opportunities for locals.

“These jobs will be across every single sector, not only oil and gas,” Dr Ali said as he cited sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, mining, forestry and tourism.

He pointed out that under the former Administration, the country recorded positive growth without the advantage of massive oil wealth.

“You know why? Because we have competent leaders as against the incompetence we have today,” he posited.

But with the millions Guyana is poised to earn from its petroleum sector, Dr Ali asserted that the funds must be used to improve people’s lives, and that the PPP/C has a plan to achieve just that.

He said the oil revenues would be used for job creation, improving social and economic infrastructure, and to facilitate tax reduction.

Dr Ali also assured that under the next PPP/C Government, he would initiate works on several transformative projects such as the Deepwater Harbour, the Linden-Lethem Road, the four-lane Highway from Georgetown to Timehri, the bridging of the Corentyne River, the high-span bridge across the Demerara River, the Parika-Rockstone Del Conte Road link with Bartica as well as a duty-free zone.

Additionally, Dr Ali said

his government would work towards the provision of cheaper electricity by completing the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.

“We will not stop until the cost of electricity comes down by as much as 70 per cent!”

In speaking about opportunities for young people, Dr Ali said he would establish a National Youth Advisory Commission to the President, where youths would have the opportunity to contribute to the country’s development.

Scorecard

With regard to guarantees that the Party would deliver, Dr Ali simply charged the electorate to study the PPP/C’s track record and compare it with the “scorecard” of the APNU/AFC. “You cannot fake knowledge, you cannot fake experience, you cannot fake results, but you can regurgitate fake news, so president stranger, show us your scorecard.”

According to Ali, the Granger-led Government’s term in office is characterised by 30,000 jobs being lost, a decline in economic sectors, increase in taxes, reduced spending power, hike in non-performing loans, and increase in infant mortality among others.

“This is your scorecard!

This is your record!”

“This is what we will hold you accountable for and on March 2, you will pay the price when we take you out of office!”

Many in the audience were visibly moved by the sincerity of Dr Ali’s commitment to the transformation of the country.

we have outlined a path for the future. We want to look at the electoral system to increase inclusivity and even explore power-sharing. How do we change our Constitution to serve our people!” Jagdeo said.

“The only thing he (Granger) wants to change in the Constitution is to get rid of the No-Confidence Motion! Now let me tell you. In India, they have a billion people. And the Government can fall on one vote in their Parliament.

But they are not changing their Constitution to get rid of that. In the UK, a Government can fall on one vote. But Granger wants to change that here.

He feels aggrieved. That is the alternative to a PPP Government.”

When it comes to the economy, Jagdeo took a swipe at the incumbent Government by pointing to the steep declines in the foreign and gold reserves, as well as the state of agencies like the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).

“For the last five years, they’ve lived off the reserves we left. They ran it down at Central Bank.

They sold off $20 billion of gold we had there, almost finished. All the agencies were making surpluses.

GWI is almost bankrupt.

GPL is almost bankrupt.

We had millions at the GGMC. They can’t pay wages. Millions at the forestry sector. Now they have difficulty paying wages. Almost every agency is on the decline. GuySuCo is falling apart. It’s a trend.

They are consuming everything without replenishing.”

“They are pinning their hopes on oil and gas, but they sold us out. No ring-fencing… Guyanese working offshore, 12-hour shift and gets $72,000 when the foreigner is making (TT)$10,000. They don’t look out for us. No Local Content Policy… so Guyanese. foreigners are going to come in and use up all the opportunities if you don’t get a PPP Government back in place to look out for us.”

Jagdeo also took the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change

(APNU/AFC) Government to task over the lack of transformative and visionary leadership. He noted that APNU/AFC has also used its majority in Parliament since 2011 to block progress, such as the Amaila Falls Hydro Power project (AFHP).

The General Secretary also pointed out that when given a chance to govern, APNU/AFC has simply continued projects or Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) the PPP initiated. He noted that the Government has failed to bring anything new to the table.

“They killed the hydropower that by now would have supplied reliable electricity for Guyanese.

They have no plan to fix the blackout… they have not secured a single new investment. The big gold companies came under the PPP. Bauxite, PPP. Manganese, PPP. Oil and gas sector, PPP.” “The East Coast road, PPP. The Marriott, PPP. The airport [expansion], PPP. What have they done in four years? No vision, no plans for the future.

Nothing of substance to take care of the people.”

Jagdeo also noted that pre-2015, the PPP/C was vilified by APNU/AFC, on fabricated accusations of corruption. But he pointed out that since coming to office, the current Government has been unable to bring credible charges or imprison anyone from the PPP camp.

8 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana first Caribbean country to join Transformational Travel Council

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he Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has announced that it has become the first country in the Caribbean to join the transformational travel movement through a pioneering partnership with the Transformational Travel Council (TTC).

The TTC unveiled its first 80 ally partners and these include tour operators, media organisations and travel suppliers from around the world.

This new partnership means Guyana will be joining a community of like-minded organisations around the planet that believe in transformation and are interested in networking, sharing, learning and collaborating with one another on how to shape the future of travel around these tenets, ultimately positioning Guyana as a destination thought-leader and early-adopter.

Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Brian Mullis

“Guyana believes in transformation and that it happens from the inside out, often inspired by a journey, where awareness is heightened and traits of empathy and stewardship are cultivated, all leading to behaviour changes at home,” explained Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Brian Mullis.

“We at the GTA are excited to learn more about

the philosophy and how we can take it from theory to practice in a way that aligns with our destination’s strategic goals and initiatives. We have invited the TTC to come to Guyana and conduct a workshop for our destination’s key stakeholders, tour operators, accommodation providers and Indigenous communities,” he added.

TTC’s ally partners have

joined the #TransformationalTravelMovement and have crossed the threshold into a new age of exploration.

With their pledge to the TTC, they’ve signalled to their respective teams and prospective clients, guests, and travellers that their organisation believes that travel should be a relentless force for good.

Transformational travel experiences empower people to make meaningful, lasting changes in their lives.

The transformational travel movement provides an opportunity to transcend from a consumptive form of tourism to a responsible form of travel that has a sustained impact on travellers.

TTC co-founder, Jake Haupert shared, “Guyana is an emerging and dynamic destination rich in biodiversity, cultural heritage, but yet also raw and real at its essence, making it a prime destination to start integrating the TTC philosophy and guiding practices into their entire tourism ecosystem and truly enhance their already unique, powerful and burgeoning story”.

Guyana’s commitment to transformational travel is part of a larger strategy to continue to develop the destination in a sustainable and socially conscious way. Earlier this year, Guyana was awarded the title of Number One “Best of Ecotourism” destination at the Sustainable Destinations Top 100 Awards.

Guyana increased nearly 16 per cent in 2018 over 2017 and new air routes continue to make the destination increasingly accessible from around the world.

In May 2019, Guyana became the first eco-tourism country to join the transformational travel movement through a pioneering partnership with the TTC.

Corruption…

O

…rampant with PNC ld people say, “Once dog suck egg, deh cyan stap!”

It’s too sweet, never mind it’s someone else’s egg!!

And in their first incarnation, the PNC sucked the “eggs” of the public purse so voraciously that one wondered why their supporters took them seriously when they made “egg sucking” their major attack against the PPP. We now know they were merely projecting their own fantasies about getting their grubby (not-so-little) paws on the treasury! Every single case of corruption they brought against PPP officials /associates has been thrown out!! The British advisor to SOCU – who proved he KNEW a thing or two about corruption! - just advised them to forget about ever proving anything against PPP. Instead, they should focus on current corruption!!

And we don’t have to take his word about the current rampant corruption in this PNC government.

The IDB recently issued a report referencing a study they conducted, which rated Guyana as the most corrupt Government in the Caribbean – when it comes to public servants sticking their hands out for bribes! Could it be that the excuse Harmon gave for Ministers getting a 50% salary increase immediately upon taking office - to discourage them from stealing! – pissed them off? After all, they were promised “substantial” raises during the last PNC elections campaign, but instead got “wood”!! So now they’re filling their pockets even faster?

But the PNC are just too barefaced! After all, the Jubilee Park they created in 2016 to celebrate our Golden Jubilee had been so mired in corruption that you’d think they’d stay away from that location as far as possible in this elections period, wouldn’t you? There was the private company, HDI, registered AFTER a bunch of Ministry of the Presidency insiders started collecting funds – more than $500 million - from private businesses to build a stadium. Remember them? They included one ex-GDF officer, Larry London, and the fella who brokered the WPA deal with the PNC to form APNU – Rupert Roopnaraine. Remember him?

May 26 was dawning, but the stadium was nowhere to be seen, so Granger called in the MoPI under Patterson to use the Army corps of engineers to finish the structure for the big bash. Another billion or so had been spent.

And imagine, Granger chose the exact corruption-ridden structure to launch his re-election campaign!! After spending god-knows-how-much-more to re-asphalt it!!

But in case the PNC faithful thought others had forgotten the monument to PNC corruption – some fairy godmother (?) released the last Auditor General Report.

Not only can Rupert’s HDI not account for the halfbillion they collected, we’re told that Patterson’s bunch can’t account for another half-billion from their $1 billion spent!!

But old dogs just gotta suck eggs, no? …and campaigning There’s a hot debate raging in the blogsphere about the propriety – if not the legality – of PNC supporters blocking PPP vehicles campaigning – and even hurling objects at them - in their neighbourhoods. One school feels that this is no big deal; partisans will be partisans! One wellschooled university lecturer compared it to the shouting and walk-out by PPP partisans at the Pegasus Lunch.

But is it really? Those PPP activists didn’t actually throw objects at Granger, who’d by then struck his “unbothered” pose, had they?? The thing is, you see, the PNC can’t have it both ways. With the tragic fate suffered by Crum-Ewing when he was campaigning for them in a PPP dominated area, don’t they see the enforcers of our law have to draw a very firm line against molesting campaigners from the “other” side??

Last Saturday, it was sticks and stones. Luckily, no one was hurt. Guyana’s too volatile at this time to take chances.

Chaos beckons!! …and Granger The PNC and myrmidons are banking on Granger’s “clean” image in this campaign. Notice all the posters in front of their stage trumpeting his “honesty and integrity”?

Welll, how honest or upright is he when he’s allowed corruption to run so rampant? There are sins of omission and sins of commission!!

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

9 Nothing decent, honest about APNU/AFC Govt – Nandlall NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…as PPP leaders take Govt to task for corruption, defiance of Constitution

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he launch of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) campaign got underway on Sunday at the Kitty Market Square, Georgetown, with several of the party’s leaders taking the current Government to task over its track record in office, while assuring its crowd of supporters of better days ahead should the party win.

At the rally, the party’s point man on legal matters, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, took aim at the incumbent Government’s ‘decent and honest’ slogan being used on some of their flags to campaign. According to Nandlall, there is nothing

PPP/C MP Anil Nandlall

“decent or honest” about the Government’s actions over their five years in office.

“I saw their big banners.

Imagine after all they

have done to you, they are campaigning under the banner of decency and honesty, oh my god! From the first day they took office, they paid themselves an increase. How much more dishonest can they get? Then they refused to tell you! They hid it in the official gazette.”

“What is more dishonest than lying to you about a signing bonus they received from ExxonMobil and then stashing it in an account.

They said they never received it. What is decent about renting a house in Albouystown valued $20 million for $12.5 million a month, to store condoms and lubricants?” Nandlall asked,

Couple found dead in bathtub at Aracari Resort

T

he bodies of a couple were on Sunday evening found in a bathtub at the popular Aracari Resort, Versailles, West Bank Demerara, in what appears to be a double suicide.

Kevin Singh, 23, of Triumph, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and 25-year-old Subrina Nandram of Mon Repos, ECD and formerly of Corentyne, Berbice, were found dead at about 18:00h by staff of the resort.

Based on information received, the couple checked into the resort on Saturday after lunch and was due to check out at 12:00h on Sunday but the male extended their stay.

However, on Sunday, the hotel staff attempted to make contact with the couple but the phones to their room went unanswered.

At that point, the staff did

Dead: Kevin Singh

Dead: Subrina Nandram

not suspect anything and thought the couple did not want to be disturbed.

Nevertheless, after some time, the staff attempted to contact the couple for a second time and again, the phone went unanswered.

The staff, thinking that something was amiss, walked over to the room and it was then that the gruesome discovery was made.

The staff immediately informed management, who in turn contacted the police.

The bodies were removed and taken to Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem.

Regional Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police Simon McBean told a section of the media that investigators were unable to determine the cause of death since there were no marks of violence on their bodies.

As such, the autopsy will help the detectives to solve the case, the Commander stated. Investigations are ongoing.

Former PPP Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

to jeers and laughter from the crowd.

Nandlall pointed to the Government’s dismissal of thousands of Amerindians from their jobs as Community Support Officers (CSO), soon after they took office. He also recalled the thousands of Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) workers who were dismissed as the Government looked to downsize the industry.

“The latest IDB (InterAmerican Development Bank) report ranks Guyana as the most corrupt country in the Caribbean, with bribery at the highest! What is decent and honest about that? Look at the front pages! Government failed to account for $800 million in 2018 and over $166 million in contract overpayments!

What is decent and honest

about that?”

“After being defeated by a No-Confidence Motion, which required them to resign and call elections in three months, they are clinging on to power, contrary to the law and contrary to the Constitution.

What is decent and honest about that?”

Nandlall questioned.

Nor were the political newcomers to the scene spared, as the former Attorney General questioned what the new parties have done since their entrance onto the political scene.

Among other things, Nandlall pointed out that the PPP has stood alone in keeping the Government and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) accountable.

“What have they done for you, over the past [year]?

Apart from promoting themselves?

Nothing has stopped them from protesting on the streets.

Nothing has stopped them from filing an action against this Government. What has stopped them from [keeping GECOM accountable]? They have all abandoned you.

But the PPP stands tall and continues to champion the cause for democracy!”

Meanwhile, former PPP Chief Whip Gail Teixeira lauded the Irfaan Ali/Mark Phillips President/Prime

Ministerial team, while noting that the APNU/AFC coalition was not a coalition in a true sense but a farce.

Retired Brigadier General Mark Phillips served as Chief of Staff of the GDF from 2013 to 2016.

He previously attended the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst in the United Kingdom and was Guyana’s nonresident Military attaché to Venezuela. Phillips is also the holder of a Master’s Degree in Public Sector Management.

Teixeira pointed out that while President Granger also holds the rank of Brigadier General, he was never appointed a Chief of Staff of the army, unlike the PPP’s prime ministerial candidate. She questioned why other army officers got the top job ahead of Granger.

She also slammed Granger for announcing his intention to amend the Constitution to prevent NoConfidence Motions from happening. According to her, this is a fundamental part of any democracy.

“At the rally on Friday, President Granger says they want constitutional reform.

And what will they be doing? They will amend the section of the Constitution that deals with the NoConfidence Motion. And that is a fundamental part of our parliamentary democracy.”

10 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Motorcyclist robbed of cycle, Wheelchair-bound man arrested for breaking into car cash and other valuables – crime captured on CCTV camera

A

lthough a young motorcyclist was assaulted before being robbed of his motorcycle during a daring daylight robbery on Campbell Avenue, Campbellville, on Friday, he is yet to make a report to the police.

This is according to Commander of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) SubDivision A (Georgetown), Edgar Thomas, who told Guyana Times on Sunday that his ranks were made aware of the crime via a social media post and other news entities.

However, he noted that while some details of the crime were captured on CCTV cameras and footage is being circulated on Facebook, the robbery victim has not come forward to lodge his report or request the assistance of the police.

“This is a very interest-

Commander of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) SubDivision A (Georgetown), Edgar Thomas

ing case, yes, I saw a video but that is all. The fact of the matter is that it has not been reported to any one of my police stations, and we are interested to know that person, if he can share some information with the police.

The video is there, I saw it, and we would like to know what transpired there.”

The CCTV footage shows three unmasked men approaching the motorcyclist as the young man was about to start it. One of them was on a bicycle while another grabbed the neck of the motorcyclist from behind and pulled him off.

The victim struggled in resistance against the assault but was eventually pinned to the ground by the suspect.

Two of the bandits then raided the pockets of his pants and relieved him of cash and other valuables. In the process, the third bandit jumped onto the young man’s motorcycle and as he was riding off the scene, one of his accomplices joined him while the other ran away, leaving their pedal cycle behind.

…cutlass, knife found in his possession

O

ne man is now in the lock-ups after being caught with a cutlass and a knife in his possession at New Market Street, Georgetown, along with articles that were stolen from a motorcar that had been parked a short distance away from where he was arrested.

Reports are that the man was arrested shortly after noon on Sunday while he was pushing a wheelchair through the streets of Georgetown.

Commander of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Sub-division A, Edgar Thomas confirmed that the man is in Police custody after a police patrol in the New Market Street area observed him with the weapons.

“He had a cutlass and a knife and was actually involved in stealing some arti-

cles from motorcar at Thomas and Lamaha streets, the vehicle was parked there and he was arrested not too far away. He was arrested and found with a cutlass and a kitchen knife.”

It is believed that the suspect would have previously used the wheelchair under the pretence of being differently-abled to solicit funds and items from passersby in various areas.

According to the Commander, there is a possibility that he could have pretended to have been injured or suffering from a disability as his modus operandi (MO) in executing crimes.

However, at this point, investigators are currently investigating the matter of the motor vehicle which was broken into, and items stolen along Thomas and Lamaha Streets.

Man collapses and dies at Black Water Backdam

A

55-year-old man on Wednesday collapsed and died at Black Water Backdam, Cuyuni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

The man has been identified as Terrance Victor Cadogan, also known as “Eye Up” or “Pack up” of Lot 18, Good Intent, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

Guyana Times understands that the man worked in the interior regions and operated a shop

in Stabroek Market.

Cadogan, who was known by many as an alcoholic, left his shop in Barakat Backdam, Cuyuni River, on New Year’s Day, to visit his friend, Mark Partamouth, also of Good Intent, WBD. While visiting his friend, the man complained of having severe pains in the stomach.

However, the following day, Partamouth woke up and saw Cadogan lying on

a bench at a nearby shop.

Minutes after, Mark heard a loud sound outside and upon checking, he discovered Cadogan lying motionless on the ground.

The matter was reported to the police while Cadogan was immediately taken to the Bartica Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The body was transported to Lyken Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem.

NEWS

11

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Use your vote to send a strong message – Ret’d Brigadier Mark Phillips …reveals comprehensive plan to tackle crime, security

J

oining ranks with the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Brigadier Mark Phillips delivered his maiden political address on Sunday afternoon during the party’s 2020 elections campaign launch, where he urged Guyanese to use their vote wisely.

“I will be the next Prime Minister of Guyana,” he declared to the hundreds of supporters who gathered at the Kitty Market Square.

“I will be a Prime Minister for all Guyanese, regardless of race, religion or political persuasions!”

A former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Phillips will be running alongside the party’s Presidential Candidate Dr Irfaan Ali. “You may want to know what I may bring to the PPP/C as the prime ministerial candidate,” Phillips reasoned.

“Well, I am bringing years of experience in the public service and sound leadership…my solid combination of experience and leadership will help the new PPP/C Administration to move Guyana forward,” he posited.

“The team approach to nation-building is not a new concept to me comrades. I have led teams of various sizes and I have worked on teams as a member, what has always been important to me is the satisfaction of knowing that my team has created positive changes in the lives of ordinary people. What has always been important to me is making a positive difference in the lives of others so they can pursue their dreams of a better life,” Brigadier Phillips explained.

He reflected on when he retired from the GDF in 2016, after serving some 36 years as a soldier, that he had committed to finding an

appropriate “civilian type job” to continue to serve the people of Guyana.

“With your votes, I will find the appropriate job to continue to serve!” he expressed, noting that he will serve with integrity and fairness, as he did during his time at the GDF. “As your prime ministerial candidate and soon to be Prime Minister, I can assure you that the PPP/C has a vision and strategy to lead the people towards prosperity,” he explained.

Brigadier Phillips said there is an anti-crime and security strategy, which will address the current and future security concerns of the country.

“This anti-crime and security strategy will be linked to other strategies for employment creation and poverty alleviation throughout Guyana and it will help to open the gateway to prosperity,” he

said.

In fact, he urged Guyanese, both supporters and non-supporters of the PPP/C, to take some time to review the party’s plans and strategies, assuring that there is a proposal for everyone, from the young to the elderly.

“There is no time to hurt or destroy each other during this political season. Let us stick to the issues…let us remain steadfast. Let us stay focus,” Brigadier Phillips said.

He further told the gathering that he will work closely with Ali and the rest of the PPP/C to ensure all Guyanese are in a position to elevate themselves, to live a more comfortable life.

“I will work together with our next President Dr Irfaan Ali to implement our plan for equal opportunity and racial harmony for all Guyana,” he posited.

PPP/C Prime Ministerial Candidate, Ret’d Brigadier Mark Phillips

The prime ministerial hopeful encouraged Guyanese to come out early on elections day, and mark their ‘x’ on the cup.

“We will return the PPP/C to Government!” he declared.

“Use your vote to send a strong message, comrades, vote for democracy, vote for unity, vote for youths, vote for strong leadership, vote for development, vote for Guyana, vote for the PPP/C!” Brigadier Phillips was unanimously endorsed as the prime ministerial candidate for the PPP/C on January 3,

2020.

As a member of the army, Phillips held a number of crucial leadership positions at various levels and ranks and his consistent upward mobility clearly demonstrated that he carried himself with distinction in every position held.

Academically, Phillips possesses a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management, a Master’s Degree in Public Management and several post-graduate diplomas in Defence Planning and various areas of management.

Thousands rally with PPP/C at campaign launch

I

t was an electrifying atmosphere on Sunday as thousands of Guyanese from all walks of life gathered at the Kitty Market Square for the official launch of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) 2020 elections campaign under the theme “Stronger together for a better Guyana”.

Those in attendance were decked in red, yellow and black, like the party flags which dominated the atmosphere.

The event was expected to commence at 15:00h but the crowd was there hours in advance, anxiously awaiting to hear their leaders as they outlined their vision of the PPP/C for Guyana.

The sound of loud cheers was deafening as the speakers delivered their remarks and it was almost impossible to move through the crowd.

Among the list of speakers were many young professionals who endorsed the PPP/C since they believe that the party provides opportunities for the young to play a major role in the leadership of the country.

One thing that was common to the young speakers was the fact that the APNU/ AFC failed on their 2015 promises.

A section of the large gathering of supporters on Sunday

Many of the young professionals expressed that they were least interested in politics until the APNU/ AFC coalition Government took office in 2015 and realised that with the failed promises and stagnation of progress across the country over the past five years, they needed to step in to take the country back in order to see real progress achieved.

Moreover, supporters among the crowd were eager to express their thoughts as to why they will be voting for the PPP/C at the upcoming General and Regional Elections slated for March 2, 2020.

Michael Indardat, who was in the crowd, said: “The coalition did nothing for Guyanese people, nothing at

all whatsoever. I want to see more progress from where they [PPP/C] left off from 2015. From where PPP leff off 2015 to now you see no progress whatsoever…the people struggling all over the place. All over de place you nah find job for de people them. So I think Guyanese will vote for the PPP and let progress continue.”

Another supporter, Sherry, said “I don’t want stress anymore. We punish enough and we want PPP to come back to give we a better change. And I love PPP and I get strong hopes PPP will come back”.

“I fly till from New Jersey.

I get my first Guyana ID card. I’m excited for young leadership of Guyana and I’m excited with [having a]

PPP Government because they are gonna take back Guyana. They’re the right people to take back Guyana and the economy because this Government is not doing [anything]. I’m overseas and what [I’m] seeing, it hurts me to see what the youths and what they promise the young people of Guyana. For five years, nothing has been done. They raise their salary, nothing has been done in this country. I’m gonna tell the young people here, their best choice is Irfaan Ali and I’m with Irfaan. I’m with Irfaan all the way,” another supporter of the PPP stated.

“We don’t believe in politics but we believe in a betterment for Guyana. The coalition didn’t fulfil their promise[s] but we believe

in PPP/C and they will fulfil [their] promise[s]. Because lot[s] of people [on] the East Coast, they are suffering. Some rent [and] have nowhere to go and it really hard. No job, nothing.

Money nah circulate so it really very hard right now. We want a betterment for the future for the new generation, schooling, reverse the VAT, you know, etc,” PPP supporter Pam explained.

Finola Trim told this

publication: “Well the reason I’m here is that the PPP/C party is a party with a vision. They have the interest of every Guyanese at heart.” On why the coalition should not be re-elected, she said: “Because they’re a set of old cabals who are just interested in filling their pockets and their cronies. She added: “If the PPP/C gain victory, well I would like to see they provide jobs for the youths.”

The successful track record of the PPP/C was referenced and persons expressed confidence in the party and their eagerness to see the PPP/C come out victorious at the upcoming elections as they believe them to be the only political party capable of moving Guyana forward and continuing the progress which was evident prior to 2015 and came to a halt after the APNU/AFC coalition Government took office.

Correction

In our Sunday, January 5, 2020 edition, in the article headlined “Moruca Maternal Waiting Home to be constructed this year”, Guyana Times inadvertently captioned a photograph of Regional Health Officer, Dr Latchmie Lall as Regional Engineer for Regional Democratic Council Region One, Murwin Allison. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020 | GUYA

Scenes from PPP/C campaign launch

RY 6, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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nch on Sunday at Kitty Market Square

14 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ramjattan backpedals on decision to keep sugar industry alive

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he future of the sugar industry and GuySuCo was a crucial, monumental issue in the 2015 Regional and General Elections, but it is now on the back burner.

Consistently in 2013 and 2014, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) denied they had any plan to close the sugar estates.

On their campaign trail in 2015, the incumbent Government promised that no sugar estate would be closed and that sugar workers would enjoy a 20 per cent annual increase and better benefits under an APNU/AFC Government.

In addition, they promised that under their tenure, sugar would see even more glorious years ahead.

During a rally in 2015, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan told those gathered that “As part of taking care of the people, we have to ensure that certain industries that are the foundation of this economy, Guyanese economy, are looked after and in Berbice here they are two major ones, the sugar industry, and the rice industry and I want to tell you that the propaganda that you are

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan delivering his speech in 2015

hearing the APNU/AFC coalition is going to ground both industries to the dirt is all lies! We are not going to in any way close the sugar industry”.

While APNU/AFC wildly uses financial feasibility as the excuse to close sugar, former President Bharrat Jagdeo and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic contended that there are compelling socio-economic reasons for keeping sugar.

He pointed out that sugar is the largest single employer in Guyana, after the public service. Sugar provides the bulk of the drainage and irrigation in Regions Three, Four, Five and Six. Sugar plays a critical role in the viability of the

National Insurance Scheme and contributes considerably to the Government’s income tax receipt, which is a significant foreign currency earner.

Sugar also creates a whole village economy that falls like dominoes when sugar is not working. See what has taken place in Wales, Patentia, West Bank Demerara, Canje, Enmore and La Bonne Intention (LBI).

The vendors in the community markets in these areas, taxi drivers, grocery shop owners, tailors and seamstresses, jewellers and barbers and hairdressers have seen their livelihoods gone up in smokes.

The closure of the four sugar estates at Rose Hall-

The Wales Sugar Estate, West Bank Demerara (WBD), which was the first to be closed by the APNU/AFC coalition Government, putting thousands of workers and their families on the breadline

Canje, Skeldon (both in Berbice), East Demerara (Enmore to Ogle) and Wales (West Bank Demerara) tossed close to 7500 workers into a financial crisis.

In addition, that same rally in 2015, Ramjattan signalled his intention of the sugar and rice industry by noting that: “We intend, my brothers and sisters, to make that industry [sugar] profitable again, we have to make it profitable

because it is that creates so much employment not directly but also indirectly for so many people across this country,” Ramjattan cited.

Nevertheless, despite all the sugarcoated talks and speeches on keeping the sugar industry alive, Ramjattan has another story to tell.

“We want to wane the next generation away from cane cutting, a place where PPP wants to put them

back.” Those were the words of Ramjattan at the APNU/ AFC campaign launch on Friday at D’Urban Park.

2019’s, 92,246 tonnes of sugar were sold in the local, regional and international markets compared to 110,273 under the PPP Administration.

In May of 2019, the coalition Government was preparing to sell off huge swathes of land owned by the GuySuCo as part of moves to sell off the several loss-making estates.

This was being executed even as the Administration prepared to revive interest in the ‘for sale’ assets by local and foreign investors.

The downsizing of the sugar industry has been fiercely resisted by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the parliamentary Opposition and a number of other agencies.

The operations of the La Bonne Intention Estate were amalgamated with those of the Enmore Estate; those at Wales were amalgamated with Uitvlugt and there are plans to privatise Skeldon. But the closure of the estates and the sacking of workers are having an effect on the economy.

President promises annual subvention to GPA – urges fair and unbiased reporting during elections coverage

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The President addressing media operatives

he Guyana Press Association (GPA) has been promised an annual subvention by caretaker President David Granger, who made the announcement at the Annual Media Brunch

held at the Baridi Benab, State House, Georgetown, on Sunday.

During his brief remarks, the President noted that the Finance Minister is yet to introduce a budget for 2020 but vowed to

keep the promise.

The President urged the GPA to continue to work to keep the association alive and wished the media a successful decade of work.

As the GPA observes its 75th anniversary, the executives would have used the opportunity to discuss developmental roles and responsibilities of the press corps in Guyana with the Head of State.

He, nevertheless, stated that the media workers lack training while commenting on the use of the English language by reporters.

He also reminded those in attendance of the guidelines of journalism and the need for fair and unbiased reporting, especially as the country prepares for General and Regional Elections in March.

“I urge that your statements in the future be

The President and members of the media on Sunday

guided by accurate representation words and check with this little book and see what fair means, and I will urge your statements in the future be guided by accurate representation of the words,” the President stated.

The caretaker President read from an Oxford pocket

dictionary, quoting – “Fair – treating people equally, equitable, honest, impartial, unbiased, unprejudiced, neutral, even-handed.”

In closing GPA’s President, Nazima Raghubir outlined that the evolution of the press to social media platforms brings

many challenges.

However, she encouraged that journalists use fact-checking, clarity and research to provide balanced, unbiased and factual reports, especially during this electoral phase.

The media brunch was attended by Government Ministers.

Woman of unsound mind found dead

P

olice on the West Bank of Demerara are investigating the death of a woman of unsound mind whose lifeless body was found at her home on Friday.

The woman, Merle Anthony Lee, who lived at Lot 130 Unity Street La Grange, West Bank Demerara, is said to be about 56 years old.

The discovery was made

around 10:00h by her nephew, Samuel Lee, a lecturer at the University of Guyana who resides nearby.

According to the woman’s nephew, he did not see his aunt on Friday morning and as such went to check on her. It was at that time, he discovered that the woman’s clothing was scattered in the house and yard.

It was after a continuous search that the man found

his aunt’s lifeless body lying naked in a concrete drain.

However, Jermin Kendall, the woman’s cousin, said that he last saw Lee alive, sitting at her front step.

Police were summoned to the scene where they discovered the woman’s body with bruises on the legs. The body is presently at Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination.

NEWS

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Kumaka Bridge completed, to be commissioned today

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he $85 million bridge that was under construction in Kumaka, Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini), is said to be completed and will be commissioned today.

The new 60-foot bridge replaced another wooden structure which caused flooding in the Barabina Hill community at Mabaruma.

According to the Regional

Executive Officer (REO), Randolph Storm, the structure has been completed and is being cured for a few days.

The new structure was built on a steel frame while concrete works were subsequently undertaken. The bridge is said to be a critical link between several areas.

He stated that the old wooden structure was replaced by the concrete

bridge, which was built without a conduit for the water from a nearby creek to pass.

Storm further indicated that a number of projects will be commissioned, including the Canal Bank Primary School at Port Kaituma and another school at White Water Village, North West District.

Allocated house lots cannot All set for re-opening be resold – CH&PA of school today

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he Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is again urging holders of house lots not to re-sell the land, but rather return it to the agency.

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), CH&PA’s Director of Operations, Denise KingTudor, said the agency is working to increase its investigation and staff strength of the enforcement and investigation unit.

Information has shown that individuals who are selling the land, are issuing irrevocable Power of Attorneys to the buyer.

Because there is a payment penalty for the act, in many cases, the new buyer is left to make that payment.

“We do not want persons to sell the lots that we have given to them. We are expecting that if someone is no longer interested in a va-

CH&PA’s Director of Operations, Denise King-Tudor

cant lot, that they can return it to us. We will refund them and reallocate it to someone who is on the waiting list.”

At the same time, KingTudor said the agency is also reviewing the allocation criteria and selection process for persons purchasing housing units. According to

her, it has been discovered that a lot of information during the application process is oftentimes omitted.

“They [applicants] provide documentations to say this is what I earn, but sometimes I am of the view that persons do not give us all the information pertaining to their financial status.”

In such cases, many persons applying for a low or middle-income home can quickly expand their living quarters. While the CH&PA has no qualms about the developments, there is a timeline of twelve months which homeowners must adhere to before making any changes to the units. Any time prior, permission must be sought.

“So, we are in the process of reviewing the allocation criteria and the selection process and I believe that once completed, we are going to see some level of improvement in our process.

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s students and pupils prepare to head back to school today, Education Minister Dr Nicolette Henry visited several city schools where she engaged teachers to ensure their readiness for the new term “Well from what I’ve seen so far I have to say that persons are busy preparing for the new year and I trust that when we get to Monday that they will be fully and adequately prepared,” Minister Henry said.

Students can expect to start their first term of school in the decade of development on the right foot.

“The decade of development is really important for the country’s overall development, education is key to that to ensure that the environment is conducive as far as possible for those that are learning and for those that are teaching,” Minister Henry continued.

Education Minister, Dr Nicolette Henry greets a teacher at Turkeyen Nursery School during her visit

She further explained that preparations are underway to ensure that everything is in order so that students will have a conducive learning establishment.

“Aspire towards the vision of the Ministry and that is to work to ensure that ev-

ery child is taken care of in the education sector.”

Among the schools visited by the Ministry of Education’s team are Sophia Primary, Turkeyen Nursery, New Campbellville Secondary and Tutorial High School.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

Regional

Venezuela crisis: Juan Guaidó rival declares himself new Speaker

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e n e z u e l a n Opposition figure Juan Guaidó was denied entry to the National Assembly to be re-elected as its head.

Dissident Opposition politician Luis Parra, Guaidó's rival, then declared himself Parliament's new Speaker by megaphone – a move denounced by the Opposition as a "parliamentary coup".

The Opposition also said Parra was sworn in without votes or quorum.

For the past year, Guaidó has led Opposition to the country's socialist President, Nicolás Maduro.

A US official said Washington still recognised Guaidó as Venezuela's legitimate leader, and described Sunday's events as a farce.

In a heated exchange at the doors, Guaidó reportedly told a security officer: "This is unprecedented!"

Images later showed him and other politicians

Juan Guaidó (left) tried to climb over the fence to get into the National Assembly building

who support him trying to climb a fence to gain entry to the building.

Guaidó said that only regime politicians and Opposition deputies critical of him had been allowed to enter the National Assembly building, and that security forces had set up barricades in downtown Caracas.

Before the dramatic declaration, AFP reported that Opposition deputy Jose

Brito – another opponent of Guaidó – told Journalists that Parra would stand for the role of Speaker.

"You could have been the future – now you are and will be the past," Brito told reporters, addressing Guaidó.

State broadcasters later described Parra as the new Speaker.

Before the vote, Guaidó had accused the Government of attempting

to thwart his re-election as parliamentary speaker by bribing and intimidating politicians.

Parra, however, told State television that those who were present in the chamber opened the session without Guaidó because he had not arrived.

"We announced this morning before entering the legislative palace that the rebellion of the deputies... would be clearly expressed," he said.

In December, Guaidó had vowed to investigate alleged wrongdoing by Assembly politicians, including Parra for unduly advocating for a businessman linked to President Maduro's Government.

Last January, Guaidó declared himself interim President – a move that was quickly backed by almost 60 countries, including the US and United Kingdom – after disputing President Maduro's 2018 re-election.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Chile's President sends Congress plan to slash health care costs after protests

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hilean President Sebastian Pinera on Sunday announced a plan to overhaul the country’s public health care system, the latest in a series of measures aimed at quelling the demands of protesters who took to the streets two months ago.

In a televised speech, Pinera said his proposed legislation would speed up treatment by setting new

maximum wait times for surgeries, cover a minimum of 80 per cent of health care costs and reduce the price of medications by more than half.

Under his plan, FONASA, the country’s public insurer, would go from simply paying patient bills to “defending the interests of its users”.

Chile’s current health care system, with both public and private options for insurance, is widely perceived

by Chileans as too expensive, complex and in some cases, ineffective. Nearly three million sick Chileans languish amid long waits for treatment.

Specialists are in short supply throughout the country.

“I can imagine the indignation that Chilean feel when they see so many problems,” Pinera said in the speech. He called on the country´s Congress to fasttrack the legislation.

Protests in Chile began in mid-October over a small hike in metro fares, but quickly spun out of control.

Two months of sometimes violent riots, looting and mass demonstrations have since prompted Pinera’s Government to call for a vote on a new constitution, beef up pensions and the minimum wage, and to cut transportation costs.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Lawyer, 3 others for court today following TLM raid

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civil lawyer and three other persons who were arrested on Saturday night at their homes across Trinidad will appear before a Port-ofSpain Magistrate today on charges of Trafficking In Persons, kidnapping and false imprisonment arising out of the Transformed Life Ministry (TLM) bust in Arouca in October last year.

Attorney Lena Jaggernauth, 37, of Lot 38, Richard Avenue Peters Field, Chaguanas was arrested at a relative's home in Abidh Road, Felicity around 22:50h on Saturday by officers of the Special Operations Response

Team (SORT) after a warrant was executed at her home by Corporal Batson.

Jaggernath was later charged with Trafficking In

Persons.

She is the daughter of Indra Jaggernauth who had been charged with a similar offence on Friday last together with Pastor Glen Awong, who was additionally charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment and appeared before an Arima Magistrate last Friday.

They were later granted bail of TT$300,000 and TTT$900,000 respectively.

In an operation coordinated by Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith and SORT head, Sergeant Mark Hernandez, Police also arrested Robert Andrews, 70, at his Ceylon Site Building 2A North Post Road home in

Diego Martin around 21:40h on Saturday.

Andrews, an employee of TLM, was charged with kidnapping and Trafficking In Persons.

An hour later SORT also arrested another employee of TLM, Anthony Marchan, 74, on the TLM compound at Arouca.

Marchan, of Prizgar Lands, Laventille, was later charged with Trafficking In Persons and kidnapping.

Ear­li­er that night SORT of­ fi­cers al­so ar­rest­ed Cheryl Kalicha­ran Be­har­ry at her Beth­le­hem Park home in Chase Vil­lage, Ch­agua­ nas. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

in Manchester have been reported missing since Thursday, January 2.

Reports from the Mandeville Police are that

Gayle and her daughter were last seen along Main Street in the parish capital and have not been heard from since.

Police are seeking the public’s help to locate the duo. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Attorney-at-Law Lena Jaggernauth

Jamaica: Manchester mother and 1-year-old daughter missing

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hirty-one-yearold Angella Gayle and her one-yearold daughter Mia Walker of Hampton Road, Porus

Trinidad to implement glass bottle ban for Carnival 2020

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he Trinidad Ministry of National Security says that it will be implementing a ban on glass bottles during the upcoming Carnival season.

During a recent meeting, officials from the Ministry said talks surrounding the proposed ban progressed positively in discussions with key Carnival stakeholders.

The meeting focused on a flexible enforcement approach as well as implementation considerations.

“All participants in the consultation process expressed their full support for

the intended ban on glass bottles on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, agreeing that the thrust will create a safer and cleaner environment,” said a statement from the Ministry.

The ban on glass bottles is expected to take effect from 04:00h on Carnival Monday February 24, to 12:00 midnight on Carnival Tuesday February 25.

The National Security Ministry added that a public education drive on the collaborative initiative entitled “Clean Scene, Safe Scene” will be launched in the coming days.(CMC)

Composer wins tax fight over Four Seasons

Several celebrities invested millions of dollars in Four Seasons Barbados (file photo)

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t least one of the 14 villa owners who invested millions of dollars in the failed Four Seasons Barbados project will be able to claim capital gains tax losses in England on their investment.

Judge John Brooks recently told the tax tribunal in London that Baron Andrew Lloyd-Webber, 71, and his wife Madeline, 57, should be credited for the “real loss” they suffered when they forked out as much as 20 mil-

lion pounds for two villas.

Lord Webber, a famous composer and impresario had paid a deposit of eight million pounds upfront for the properties, one of which was being sold for nearly £10 (£1 = BDS$2.61) million and the other for more than £7 million.

When they first made claims for capital gains tax losses, the HM Revenue and Customs disallowed the claims and the couple filed an appeal. (nationnews.com)

CTO looking forward to growth in Caribbean tourism sector for 2020

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n 2019, Caribbean tourism had its ups and downs, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO).

However, the CTO is hoping for growth in the Sector, in the year 2020.

In a New Year’s Message, the CTO’s acting Secretary General Neil Walters described 2019 as “a varied year, which both highlighted the strengths in Caribbean tourism and its inherent weaknesses”.

“The sector’s strengths were evident in the significant growth rates experienced by most Caribbean countries. Despite contraction in some larger destinations, such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean experienced an overall 6.1 per cent level of growth in visitor arrivals during the first nine months of the year. It is noteworthy that the growth rates of those countries affected by the 2017 hurricanes were substantial, in some cases up to triple-digit levels. This

level of recovery speaks volumes about the commitment of the Caribbean to this industry, which has become the lifeblood of several countries,” Walters said.

He added, “During early September, a portion of the northern Bahamas was ravaged by Hurricane Dorian, a super hurricane which broke many records. The devastation caused was a further wake-up call to us in the Region, that the climatic changes are here and likely irreversible. It is our responsibility to create resilience not only in the tourism sector, but in all sectors of our economies and by extension all sections of our societies.

We continue to commiserate with our brothers and sisters in The Bahamas on the loss of life and property experienced as a result of Dorian.”

He went on to point out that the cruise sector has also had a strong showing in 2019, with a 5.8 per cent growth rate for the first three quarters. (Excerpt from Barbados Advacate)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

17

Around the World

Iraqi Parliament calls for Australia bushfires might burn expulsion of foreign troops for months, PM Morrison warns

I

raq’s Parliament has passed a resolution calling on the Government to expel foreign troops from the country as Iran-US tensions escalate following the killing of a top Iranian military commander and Iraqi armed group leader in a US strike in Baghdad.

In an extraordinary parliamentary session on Sunday, Parliament called on the Government to end all foreign troop presence in Iraq and to cancel its request for assistance from the US-led coalition which had been working with Baghdad to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Parliament resolutions, unlike laws, are non-binding and the move would require new legislation to cancel the existing agreement.

Ahead of the vote, chants of “No, no, America…long live Iraq”, rang out inside the hall,

Move to expel US troops from Iraq would require new legislation to cancel an existing agreement between Washington and Baghdad [Reuters]

before Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also called on parliament to end foreign troop presence.

The embattled Prime Minister stepped down in November amid months-long mass anti-Government protests but remains in a caretaker position.

“Iraq has two options”, he said, adding that the country can either immediately end the presence of foreign troops

on Iraqi soil or reconsider a draft resolution that ties US presence to training Iraqi security forces in the fight against ISIL. Around 5000 US troops remain in Iraq, most of them in an advisory capacity. US troops fought alongside Iranbacked Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces or PMF) during 2014 - 2017 against Islamic State group.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

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in the fires.

He has faced fierce criticism over the speed of his response to the crisis.

The weekend saw some of the worst days of the crisis so far, with hundreds more properties destroyed.

Rural towns and major cities saw red skies, falling ash and smoke that clogged the air.

Conditions eased in Victoria and New South Wales on Sunday after tem-

peratures and wind speeds dropped and some light rain fell. But authorities warned that the danger was far from over.

Prime Minister Morrison on Saturday announced the largest military call-up in the country’s recent history, mobilising up to 3000 reservists to assist exhausted volunteer firefighters.

Morrison, who cancelled a planned visit to India because of the crisis, faced further condemnation on Sunday, after the Head of the NSW Rural Fire Service revealed the service had only learned of the plan to call up reserve troops through the media.

In an indication of the long road ahead, Morrison warned that the fires might burn for many months, and said that the newly-created recovery agency would run for at least two years.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

pulsed. Four terrorists’ bodies have so far been found.

The airstrip is safe,” the statement added.

The US military command for Africa, AFRICOM, confirmed there had been an attack in a brief statement.

The Kenya Police report said two US helicopters and a Cessna aircraft had been destroyed as well as “multiple” American military vehicles. A Kenyan Cessna aircraft was also destroyed, it said.

Earlier, al-Shabab said in a statement the raid resulted in “severe casualties on both American and Kenyan troops stationed there”.

Al-Shabaab claimed it had destroyed seven aircraft and three military vehicles, without providing other details. It also published pictures of masked gunmen standing next to an aircraft in flames.

Al-Shabab has maintained a campaign of deadly bomb and gun attacks despite being ejected from their bases in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and other areas years ago.

The group also carries out frequent attacks in neighbouring Kenya, which sent thousands of its troops into Somalia to fight it. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison

ustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned that the devastating bushfires raging in the country might go on for months.

At least 24 people have died since the fires began in September. Air quality in the capital Canberra was this weekend rated the worst in the world.

Morrison announced the creation of a recovery agency to help those who have lost homes and businesses

Iran says no limits on enrichment, 3 killed in Al Shabab attack on stepping further from 2015 deal – TV Kenyan military base

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ran announced on Sunday it would abandon limitations on enriching uranium, taking a further step back from commitments to a 2015 nuclear deal with six major powers, but it would continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog.

Iran had been expected to announce its latest stance on the deal this weekend. But its announcement coincided with a major escalation of hostilities with Washington following the US killing of top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike on Friday in Baghdad.

State television said Iran would not respect any limits set down in the pact on the country’s nuclear work: whether the limit on its number of uranium enrichment centrifuges to its enrichment capacity, the level to which uranium could be enriched, the amount of stockpiled enriched uranium or Iran’s nuclear Research and Development activities.

Iran has steadily overstepped the deal’s limits on its nuclear activities in response to the United States’ withdrawal from the accord in 2018 and Washington’s reimposition of sanctions that have crippled Iran’s oil

trade.

Under the nuclear deal, Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of most international sanctions.

Relations between Tehran and Washington sharply deteriorated after President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the United States from the deal. Iran has criticised European powers for failing to salvage the pact by shielding its economy from US sanctions.

Sunday’s statement said Tehran can quickly reverse its steps if US sanctions are removed. (Excerpt from Reuters)

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hree people, including a US service member and two civilians, have been killed in an Al-Shabab attack on a military base in Kenya’s Lamu County used

by US and Kenyan military personnel, the American military said.

Two other Department of Defense personnel were wounded in the attack on Camp Simba.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) said in a statement on Sunday that “at around 5:30 am an attempt was made to breach security at Manda Air Strip.

“The attempted breach was successfully re-

China pneumonia: Sars ruled out as dozens fall ill in Wuhan At least 30 killed in Libya military academy attack A

mysterious viral pneumonia that has infected dozens in central China is not Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), health chiefs have said.

They also discounted bird flu and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and said investigations were continuing.

A total of 59 cases have been reported in the city of Wuhan, seven of which are considered critical.

The outbreak prompted Singapore and Hong Kong to bring in screening processes for travellers from the city.

An epidemic of the potentially deadly, flu-like Sars virus killed more than 700 people around the world in 2002-03, after originating in China.

In a statement posted on its website late on Sunday, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said 163 people who had had contact with those infected had been

A

The Hong Kong airport is health screening passengers arriving from Wuhan

placed under medical observation. It said efforts were continuing to identify the virus and its source.

The Commission said previously that there had been no human-to-human transmission of the illness. It added that a number of those infected worked at a seafood market in the city, leading authorities to sanitise the area.

Singapore and Hong Kong have both set up systems to check travellers arriving from

Wuhan for possible fever.

Hong Kong has admitted 16 travellers with pneumonia-like symptoms to hospital, the South China Morning Post reported, but none have so far been found to have the unidentified strain.

Singapore has had one suspicious case, it added.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it is aware of the outbreak and is in contact with the Chinese Government. (Excerpt from BBC News)

t least 30 people were killed and 33 others wounded in an attack on a military academy in the Libyan capital late on Saturday, the Health Ministry of the Tripoli-based Government said in a statement on Sunday.

There has been an increase in airstrikes and shelling around Tripoli in recent weeks, with fears that fighting could escalate further after Turkey’s Parliament voted to allow a troop deployment in support of the GNA. GNA Health Minister Hamid bin Omar told Reuters earlier in a phone call that the number of dead and wounded was still rising.

The GNA Foreign Ministry called for referring Haftar and his aides to the International Criminal Court on charges of committing “crimes against humanity”, adding that it

Mourners at the funeral of people who were killed in an attack on a military academy in Tripoli, Libya, January 5, 2020

will call for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the alleged crimes.

Qatar, which supports GNA, said on Saturday that the attack “may amount to a war crime and crimes against humanity”.

In response to the attack, GNA allied forces have targeted the LNA airbase of AlWattia in an airstrike, around 159 km southwest of Tripoli, a spokesman said in a state-

ment.

The Parliament which moved to the east in 2014 voted to provide Haftar with emergency funding on Saturday.

The pro-Haftar chamber also held a series of symbolic votes against the GNA and Turkey, which struck two pacts on maritime boundaries and military cooperation in November. (Excerpt from Reuters)

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Be careful whom you trust. The changes happening around you could go either way, depending on how astute you are when determining who is on your side and who isn’t.

If you go with the flow and embrace change, an opportunity will come your way. Speak up if you want to know every detail. Assess the situation and make a decision.

If you are prepared, doors will open for you.

How you present yourself and what you are trying to achieve will determine the outcome. Give your all and reap the rewards.

Be original and be gungho about reaching your objectives, if you want to drum up the support you need to get things done. Keeping a steady pace and enlisting responsible associates will pay off.

Do what’s necessary and move on to more enjoyable pastimes. Taking time to relax and rejuvenate will help you clear your head, ease your stress and make better decisions.

A positive change is heading your way. It’s out with the old, in with the new, so close the door on what no longer benefits you. Don’t lament over past regrets.

Break away from whatever and whomever is holding you back. Shake off projects that are dead ends and latch onto new beginnings full of promise and hope.

Be open to suggestions, but in the end, follow your intuition, heart and what works best for you. It’s OK to take a different path than others do.

Step up your pace, foSAGITTARIUS cus on physically bringing (Nov. 23about a positive change and Dec. 21) be strong enough to walk away from anyone using manipulation to discourage you from pursuing your dreams.

SATURDAY’S

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Reminisce, but don’t fall into the trap of letting sentiment get in the way of making the right decision.

Change is upon you, and it’s essential to handle strategic details personally.

Listen to others, but don’t respond unless you can put a positive spin on the situation.

Negativity will cause emotional mayhem if you allow it to gain the upper hand. Do something beautiful for a loved one.

Get involved in projects or causes that concern you.

This will expand your mind as well as your friendships with people who can help you get ahead. A reunion will be gratifying.

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

19

NBA round-up:

Hornets survive Doncic, Mavs in OT

T

erry Rozier scored 29 points, and Devonte’ Graham added 27 as the visiting Charlotte Hornets opened a 20-point first-half lead and still had to rally for a 123-120 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.

PJ Washington added 19 points as the Hornets came back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win consecutive road games following a six-game losing streak. Rozier tied it at 103 with 19 seconds left in regulation, then scored seven points in the extra period for the victory.

Luka Doncic scored 39 points, and Maxi Kleber added a career-high 24 as the Mavericks lost for the third time in their last four games.

Doncic added 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his team-record 10th triple-double of the season. The Mavericks are now 1-1 at the start of their seasonlong six-game homestand.

Terrence Ross (24 points) led the Magic in scoring for the second consecutive night on their back-toback, which began Friday with a 105-85 rout of Miami.

Atlanta Hawks 116-Indiana Pacers 111

Trae Young scored 41 points, the fifth time he’s scored 40 or more this season, and Atlanta hung on to beat visiting Indiana.

Young scored 30 in the first half, and his basket with 1:22 left gave the Hawks a 113-109 lead it never relinquished. Young made 3 of 4 free throws, sandwiched around a steal, in the final 4.5 seconds to seal the win. He became the first Atlanta player with a 30-point first half since Stephen Jackson in 2004.

Indiana was led by Domantas Sabonis with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Justin Holiday added 18 points.

Boston Celtics 111-Chicago Bulls 104

Memphis Grizzlies 140-Los Angeles Clippers 104

Jae Crowder scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and visiting Memphis coasted past Los Angeles. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 24 points and four blocks, while Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks added 22 points apiece. Jonas Valanciunas had 12 rebounds and nine points, all in the second half.

It was the most points the Clippers have given up to an opponent this season. Los Angeles played without star forward Paul George.

Montrezl Harrell had 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting and nine rebounds for the Clippers. Lou Williams and Kawhi Leonard had 24 points apiece.

Leonard, though, misfired on 16 of 24 attempts from the floor. He also had eight rebounds.

New Orleans Pelicans 117-Sacramento Kings 115

JJ Redick drove for the decisive layup, a floater that kissed high off the glass, with 1.1 seconds left to give New Orleans a victory at Sacramento.

Lonzo Ball recorded 24 points, 10 assists and six rebounds to help the Pelicans win for the sixth time in the past eight games. Jrue Holiday added 19 points and seven assists.

Harrison Barnes matched his season high of 30 points but couldn’t prevent Sacramento from losing for the ninth time in 10 games.

The Kings had managed a miraculous tie when Nemanja Bjelica banked in a 3-pointer and was fouled

by New Orleans’ Brandon Detroit Pistons guard Ingram Derrick Rose dribbles with 4.2 past Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall (USA Today Sports)

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell drives around Orlando Magic centre Mo Bamba (USA Today Sports)

seconds left. He hit the free throw to tie the score at 115 before the late heroics by Redick, who finished with 18 points.

Milwaukee Bucks 127-San Antonio Spurs 118

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and Eric Bledsoe added 21 as host Milwaukee continued its record-breaking season with a win over San Antonio in the first of backto-back, homeand-away games between the two teams. They will meet in San Antonio on Monday.

It was Antetokounmpo’s 19th game this season with 30 points or more, and the Bucks won their fifth game in a row and eighth in their past nine outings. The Bucks (32-5) are off to the best 37game start in franchise history. Khris Middleton added 20 points, Robin Lopez had 14, Ersan Ilyasova scored 11 points and Brook Lopez contributed 10 points for the Bucks.

DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 26 points while LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gay added 15 points, Patty Mills scored 11 and Trey Lyles grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for San Antonio (14-20).

Toronto Raptors 121-Brooklyn Nets 102

Fred VanVleet scored 22 of his 29 points after halftime as Toronto rallied from a 16-point deficit and continued its domination over Brooklyn with a victory in New York.

The Raptors beat the Nets for the 17th time in the past 18 meetings, with the one loss being a one-point overtime defeat in December 2018. VanVleet shot

11 of 19 and tied a season best with five 3-pointers after shooting 3 of 16 and missing 10 of 11 3-point tries in Thursday’s 84-78 loss at Miami.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points for the Nets, whose losing streak

reached a seasonhigh five games.

The Nets also dropped to 12-11 without Kyrie Irving (right shoulder impingement), who before the game acknowledged he might need surgery on a shoulder that also has some bursitis.

Utah Jazz 109-Orlando Magic 96 Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, and visiting Utah used a 22-8 run over the first half of the fourth quarter to beat Orlando.

Mitchell’s effort, which included 14-for-21 shooting from the floor and six assists, paced the Utah offense. He made the first of four straight Jazz 3-pointers in a stretch to open the final quarter.

Jayson Tatum scored 28 points and Gordon Hayward added 24 as Boston held off host Chicago for its eighth win in nine games.

Tatum rebounded from a 2-for-16 performance from the floor in Friday’s 109-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks by making 12 of 15 on Saturday for the Celtics.

Eastern Conference Player of the Week Jaylen Brown scored 19 points and Enes Kanter recorded a doubledouble off the bench with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Chicago’s Zach LaVine scored 13 of his 35 points in the first quarter and finished with five 3-pointers, however he struggled from the free-throw line (8 of 14).

Washington Wizards 128-Denver Nuggets 114

Ish Smith scored a career-high 32 points and added eight assists, Troy Brown Jr. had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and host Washington beat Denver.

Isaac Bonga had 15 points, Anzejs Pasecniks scored 13 and Johnathan Williams added 12 for the Wizards. Washington’s bench, led by Smith and Brown, scored 92 points to lead the Wizards. Williams and Jordan McRae (11 points) were the only starters in double figures for Washington.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 39 points, 20 coming in the third quarter when he hit all six of his field-goal attempts. Nikola Jokic had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Paul Millsap scored 12 for the Nuggets, who fell to 1-2 on their five-game road trip.

Detroit Pistons 111-Golden State Warriors 104

Derrick Rose scored 22 points off the bench, and visiting Detroit ended a three-game losing streak with a victory over Golden State in San Francisco.

Rookie Sekou Doumbouya supplied a career-high 16 points and 10 rebounds in his second career start.

Andre Drummond had 14 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out.

Alec Burks had 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Warriors. Omari Spellman tossed in 23 points with five rebounds and four steals. Damion Lee added 14 points and five rebounds.

Oklahoma City Thunder 121-Cleveland Cavaliers 106

Dennis Schroder continued his hot shooting of late, scoring 22 points to lift Oklahoma City to a win at Cleveland.

The Thunder have won a season-best five consecutive games and nine of their last 10. Oklahoma City lost its first six games on the road this season but has won seven of its last nine away from home.

Schroder was 9 of 15 from the floor, making 2 of 3 from 3-point range and scoring at least 17 for the 17th straight game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points for the Thunder, while Steven Adams had 10 points and 16 rebounds. (Reuters)

20

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

iverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said his team’s performance was “sensationally good” as Curtis Jones’ stunning winner earned the Reds a fully deserved FA Cup thirdr o u n d victory and extended Everton’s miserable record of Anfield failure.

The German made nine changes from the side that increased their Premier League lead to 13 points with victory over Sheffield United on Thursday - including three debutants in Takumi Minamino, Nathaniel Phillips and substitute Yasser Larouci.

And it was 18-year-old Jones who grabbed the Merseyside derby glory with a magnificent curling 25-yard drive that eluded the outstretched arms of Everton keeper Jordan Pickford as it arced into the top corner after 71 minutes.

The Toffees remain without a win at their rivals since September 1999.

Klopp said: “I saw a sensation-

ally good performance of a not very experienced team with a lot of players playing for the first time on this kind of stage, in front of this crowd, against the opponent. It was outstanding.

I loved it - I loved

van Dijk, survived the early loss through injury of James Milner, and yet still saw his side fully merit their place in the fourth

Chelsea ease past Forest

Curtis Jones scored the decisive goal in the Merseyside derby, bending a peach of a shot past Jordan Pickford into the top corner (Reuters)

each second of this game.

The Reds boss had the luxury of resting superstars such as Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Virgil

round.

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti played virtually his strongest available side but the visitors paid for a lacklustre display and a succession of missed opportunities in the first half, when Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Mason Holgate and Richarlison saw efforts saved

by Liverpool keeper Adrian.

Carter becomes 1st player to play in 4 different decades

H

The Italian blamed a drop in his side’s performance level during the match.

The fourthround draw takes place on Monday

e played against the legendary Michael Jordan and made his debut when the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs’ eye.

And on Sunday, against the Indiana Pacers, Vince Carter, 42, became the first NBA player to have a career spanning four decades.

The Atlanta Hawks star made his debut in the ‘90s (1999 to be precise), and has starred in every decade since - the noughties, 2010s and now the 2020s.

To put it into further context, 36 current NBA players - including four of his team-mates (Bruno Fernando, Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish) - were born after Carter was first drafted.

“I’m just very thankful to still be around and competing at this level,” Carter told Yahoo Sports.

“I saw a picture of one of my team-mates by the name of Hakeem Olajuwon [who is now 56]

and the other was Trae [Young, who is 21] and it’s just like, man, as much as I talk to people and handshake with former friends who are now general managers, coaches, whatever they are, I can say I played against Michael Jordan and stuff like that and now I’m playing against the Trae Youngs and all the stars of today.

“I’m probably more competitive now because I know the end is near.

I never imagined playing this long.

“I got to 15 years and I still felt good and here I am seven years later. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

It’s not the first time Carter has made history.

In August, Carter became the first person to play 22nd NBA seasons after signing a one-year contract to return to the Hawks.

The decision meant he became the longest-tenured NBA player, surpassing the members of the 21-season club - Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis and Robert Parish.

(BBC Sport)

Callum Hudson-Odoi scored one goal and made another as Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest in their FA Cup third round tie.

The hosts only needed six minutes to score as HudsonOdoi cut in from the right and shot into the bottom corner.

Forest, fourth in the Championship, were then awarded a penalty but, after a lengthy video assistant referee delay, the decision was reversed.

Chelsea soon had a second goal when HudsonOdoi’s shot was parried with Ross Barkley scoring from close range.

The Blues, who have won the FA Cup on eight occasions, will find out their fourthround opponents on Monday.

The draw will be on BBC One and the BBC

Sport website from 19:30 GMT, before the Arsenal versus Leeds United tie.

Spurs rescue draw against Middlesbrough

Jose Mourinho admitted his Tottenham side were “in trouble” but praised their reaction as they came back to draw at Middlesbrough and force an FA Cup third-round replay.

Spurs named a full-strength team, bar the injured Harry Kane, but trailed to the Championship side when Ashley Fletcher ran on to George Saville’s ball and slotted home.

Lucas Moura saved the visitors with a fine header from Serge Aurier’s cross.

Mourinho thought Fletcher was offside for Boro’s goal, but actually seemed pleased that the video assistant referee system was not in action.

Moura twice went close to a winner, with goalkeeper Tomas Mejias stopping his long-range shots.

Aurier could have won the game for Mourinho’s side in the closing minutes but fired an effort well over the bar.

Fletcher had an earlier chance to make it 2-1 to Middlesbrough - managed by one-time Spurs defender Jonathan Woodgate - but shot straight at Paulo Gazzaniga.

(BBC Sport)

Ibrahimovic statue sawn off at ankles and toppled in Malmo

V

A shirt with the Swedish badge was draped over the statue’s face

andals have toppled a statue of former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic by sawing it off at the ankles.

The statue, which is outside Malmo’s stadium in Sweden, previously had its nose cut off after Ibrahimovic invested in a rival club in December.

The damage was discovered at 3.30am local time on Sunday, and there was graffiti reading “take away”, written in Swedish, next to the statue.

Ibrahimovic, 38, made his professional debut for Malmo 20 years ago.

The statue’s face was also covered by a shirt bearing the Swedish badge.

A spokesperson for the Malmo municipality’s sport and recreation department told BBC Sport the statue has been taken away for repairs.

They added that the plan is to bring the statue back.

Malmo deputy mayor Frida Trollmyr told AFP: “I can understand that many people are disappointed in Zlatan’s behaviour, but vandalising a statute is sim-

ply unworthy.

“Better to express your dissatisfaction in a democratic way.”

The 3.5-metre bronze structure was sprayed with paint, set on fire and had a toilet seat put over its arm after it was announced that Ibrahimovic had bought 25% of the shares in Hammarby.

Police erected a fence around the statue, which was unveiled in October 2019, after an attempt to saw through its feet in December.

Ibrahimovic’s house in Stockholm was also vandalised, with “Judas” painted on the front door.

The statue’s artist Peter Linde has previously appealed for people to stop the vandalism.

Former Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Manchester United and LA Galaxy player Ibrahimovic has just re-signed for AC Milan.

He is expected to make his second debut for the Serie A side on Monday when they host Sampdoria. (BBC Sport)

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

21

Bravo, Greaves lead President’s XI past Ireland in tour match H

alf-centuries from West Indies left-hander Darren Bravo and uncapped Justin Greaves carried the CWI President’s XI to a three-wicket victory over Ireland in their tour match on Saturday.

Bravo cracked 70 from 62 balls and Greaves 70 from 67 balls, as the President’s XI successfully chased 276 for victory in the 50 overs-aside match at the Three Ws Oval.

Bravo and Greaves shared 61 for the fourth wicket to put the President’s XI on course for victory, after they restricted the Irish to 275 for nine from their allocation of 50 overs.

Greaves followed up with a fifth-wicket stand of 56 with Joshua Da Silva to keep the President’s XI on track.

When Da Silva was dismissed, the President’s XI needed 42 from the final 48 balls and Greaves added a further 35 for the seventh wicket with Romario Shepherd before his dismissal with seven needed.

Earlier, Gareth Delany scored 60 from 78 balls and led consistent batting down the order for Ireland.

Delany shared 71 for the third wicket

with Andrew Balbirnie and there was a stand of 74 between William Porterfield and Kevin O’Brien for the fourth wicket, as several Irish batsmen got starts, but failed to carry on.

Spinner Yannick Ottley was the most successful President’s XI bowler, taking 3-46 from 10 overs, and Akeem Jordan took 2-59 from 10 overs.

The match was preparation for the visitors ahead of the Colonial Medical Insurance One-day International Series against West Indies which comprises matches this coming Tuesday and Thursday at Kensington Oval in Barbados, and next Sunday at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada.

(CWI)

Nigel Hinds Financial Services Berbice Basketball…

Canje Knights play unbeaten to reach final T

he Nigel Hinds Financial Servicessponsored Berbice Basketball Association’s Mecca Classic continued on Saturday at the New Amsterdam Basketball Court with Rose Hall Town Jammers and Canje Knights emerging winners of the tournament.

Canje Knights defeated Fyrish Black Sharks 108 to 61. Top scorers for Canje Knights were Jamal Felix, who had 25 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals; Michael Bowen, who gathered 22 points, 4 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals; and Tyrone Dey, who scored 19 points, 1 assist and 1 steal.

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For Fyrish Black Sharks, Garfield Benjamin recorded 25 points, 6 assists, 1 rebound and 2 steals. He received support from Allandro Hercules, with 11 points, 1 assist and 1 rebound; and Carl Logan, with 14 points and 4 rebounds.

Rose Hall Town Jammers defeated Hopetown Stealers 69 to 46. Half-time score was 39 to 20 in favour of Jammers.

Jammers were led by Malcolm Mickel, who put up 22 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, with 1 turnover; while Edmar Semple had 10 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal; and Kursi Mickel

shot 9 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds and 4 steals.

Hopetown Stealers’ top performers were Kevon Mars, with 17 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 turn; Joshua Thompson, with 12 points and 1 assist; and Dave Torrington, with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 turnover.

Final game for the Mecca Classic will be on Saturday, January 11, when the unbeaten Canje Knights take on Rose Hall Town Jammers at the New Amsterdam Court. Jump ball time is 21:00h. (Andrew Carmichael)

Holder, Roach targeted for load management by CWI C

ricket West Indies has instituted a mandatory rest period for Test captain Jason Holder in what seems to be a calculated bid to avoid overuse injuries or player burnout.

Holder, who was a part of the team’s recent tour of India, will be rested for both three-match ODI and Twenty20 series against Ireland. The player will also be unavailable for his regional team Barbados in the upcoming four-day competition fixtures.

“Jason will be rested during the Ireland series and will be unavailable for Barbados until the end of the series against Sri Lanka in February. He will then be assessed coming out of the SL series and a decision made and communicated on what his regional workloads will be for the later rounds of the 4-day competition,” CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams told Barbados Today.

With a busy 2020 coming up, which will include the team’s defense of the T20 World title another player targeted for load management is fast bowler Kemar Roach.

The player is not in the Barbados team for the opening match against Windward Islands Volcanoes in St. Vincent following a request from Cricket West Indies (CWI) that he plays six of the maximum ten matches.

“We see the need to manage Kemar and Jason’s workloads to get the best out of them for 2020.”

Hope looks to continue improvement

Windies in-form batsman Shai Hope has labeled adaptability as a key component to his recent success and expects to successfully replicate his good form in the coming year.

The 26-year-old batsman has been the regional team’s top runs getter in the ODI format for 2019 and third overall in the world, behind the Indian duo of

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. At year-end, the right hander plundered 1345 runs at an average of 61 with four hundreds.

Often finding himself nestled between power hitters, Hope’s unflappable nature and timely stroke play often proved crucial in whatever success the Windies team had.

“The key is knowing your role in the team and knowing how it affects your batting partners, so the key is about standing your role. I think everyone in the team is starting to understand their role and it’s making our batting performances a lot more successful and consistent,” Hope said in a recent interview.

“It’s about being adaptable. I believe that adaptability is the biggest thing in cricket, especially when you’re playing [different] formats,” he added.

Hope recently produced a strong showing against the world’s top-ranked ODI team India. It was his unbeaten hundred in the series opener in Chennai which helped the Caribbean side take a 1-0 lead but knocks of 78 and 42 in the remaining matches failed to prevent defeats. The young batsman insists he remains focused on improving. “[It’s] about improvement.

Obviously, you want to score more runs as a batsman but the key is about gaining things, adding things to your game and improving as a cricketer.”

(Sportsmax)

Jason Holder

22

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Tropical Woods and Wood Products Golf Tournament…

Walker, London are flight champions

I

n convincing fashion, and after weeks of strong play, William Walker turned in his best performance to win the Tropical Woods and Wood Products’ (Pandit Lumberyard) inaugural golf tourney on Saturday, January 4, 2020.

Playing on well-manicured grounds complemented by fabulous weather and environmental conditions, and with Captain Chen Deo electing to run two Flights of handicaps: 0-12 and 13-28, to accommodate the number of players in each category, all golfers were able to take full advantage of the course, and returned very competitive scores.

Competition was noticeably stiff when play came down to the final holes to determine the champions (prizes being awarded to the first two best net scores in each Flight).

Club President Aleem Hussain was profuse in his praise for the new sponsor, Satesh Tewari, CEO of Tropical Woods and Wood Products, who took the honours for being ‘Sponsor of the First Tournament of the Year’.

President Hussain disclosed that, already for 2020, he has on schedule some 35 tournaments, with some 30 more pending. He added that the LGC has “a fantastic lineup of activities for 2020, and it is our goal to host a minimum of

LGC President Aleem Hussain shares a moment with the sponsor’s family following the tournament. In picture, from left to right, are: Maxim Mangra, Lilowtie Tewari, William Walker, Anuradha Tewari, Anirudh Tewari, Shivani Sahadeo and Hussain

60 events in the year.

“This will break the record set over the past several years, and we expect it to be the best year for the club in recent history,” he indicated.

Continuing his aggressive performance from the closing months of 2019, former LGC Executive Member William Walker, owner

of Oasis Café, dominated the 0-12 Flight and returned the overall Best Net score (69/12), not only for his Flight, but for the entire tournament.

Moreover, he had a clear three strokes’ lead over any of the other golfers in both Flights, and relegated Club President Aleem Hussain to 2nd place with 72/10,

and former Guyana Open champion Mohanlall Dinanauth to close 3rd place with 73/6.

Another former Guyana Open champion, Mike Mangal, placed fourth with 76/8, Club Treasurer Aasrodeen Shaw returned 77/12, and former Captain Patrick Prashad returned 79/8.

The third-placed Dinanauth

also won the Best Gross prize and the specialty prize of Nearest the Pin, while President Hussain produced a surprise-of-the-day win in taking the specialty Longest Drive prize (establishing that accuracy is a major factor in the game). His accurate driving of the ball from the tee-box onto the fairway caused him to win over longer but less accurate drives.

In the 13–28 Flight, former Guyana Open women’s champion Shanella London played extremely well (72/15) to earn the top position, beating Handsome Maxim Mangra (72/20) on the count-back off a tie. Mangra has returned to the winners’ row after a little absence therefrom.

Other great performances were returned by ANSA McAL head Troy Cadogan (75/26), Macorp Executive Jordi Pinol (76/28), former Club Vice President Dr Philbert London (77/18), and former captain Ayube Subhan (74/14).

The turnout of players was encouraging, as the entire Macorp team -- led by CEO Guillermo Escarraga, Miguel Oviedo and Carlos Carbo -- participated in the tournament; as did former captain Brian Glasford and players David Harry, Mahindranauth Tiwari, Ian Gouveia, Ramesh Amrud, and up-and-coming female contender Eureka Giddings.

National Table Tennis Championships begin on January 17 T

he Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), in collaboration with the National Sports Commission (NSC) and some key sponsors, will stage the National Senior/Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships for 2020.

According to a release from the GTTA, the event, which kick-starts the association’s year of activities, is scheduled for staging from January 17 to 19 and from January 24 to 26 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on Homestretch Avenue in Georgetown.

The Junior and C a d e t Championships will engage male and female players in the age category of 15 to 18 years and

Christopher Franklin

will have a novices’ component, while the Senior Championships will engage senior males and females, and would have under-21 male and female components and ‘B and C’ Class components.

These National Championships are premier domestic tournaments.

They are used for the crowning of national champions, and serve as a key component for establishing a ranking and selection system, among other benefits.

With the continental qualification event for Games of the XXXII Olympiad scheduled for April 15–19, 2020 and the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics scheduled for August 2020, many of the events scheduled on the regional and international calendar of activities have been advanced.

This will see the Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships scheduled for March 2020, the Caribbean Senior Championships scheduled for April 2-8 in Havana, Cuba -- which is being u s e d as the qualification event for the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships in Houston Texas, USA -- and the Continental Olympic qualification event being held early in 2020. This will provide greater impetus to the national championships.

Snr National Championships

The men’s category of the Senior National Championships truly offers a treat for table tennis fans and enthusiasts, given the competitiveness of the current lineup of male players. In this division, current National Champion and 2018 Caribbean Men’s Singles bronze medalist, Christopher Franklin, will face the likes of a surging, in-form and hungry 2018 Caribbean Under- 21 Champion, and 2019 Caribbean Under-21 silver medalist and men’s singles bronze medalist, Shemar Britton; f o r mer national champion Nigel Bryan, and Joel Alleyne, Elishaba Johnson, Miguel Wong, v e t e r an Colin France, Orin Hickerson, Jonathan Sankar, Edinho Lewis, and the young brigade which would be making their claim to the throne.

In the absence of Chelsea Edghill and Trenace Lowe, current National Women’s Champion Natalie Cummings would face challenges from Jody-Ann Blake, Priscilla Greaves, Neveah Clarkston, Thuraia Thomas, Nhecki Mc Crae, Crystal Melville, Abigail Martin and Jasmine Billingy, among others.

While, in the B Class, there are Warren Hacksaw, Devon Richmond, Levi Percival, Remy

Taitt, Xen Goliath, Krystian Sahadeo, Maurice Cummings,

Shavin Greene, Raynor Anderson, Junior Isaiah Layne and Jonathan Van Lange.

National Junior and Cadet Championships

Colin

Current National Junior Boys Champion Jonathan Van Lange, together with Jamal Nicholas, Isaiah Layne, Wong, Kaysan Ninvalle,

Yeudistir Persaud, Terrence Rausch, Krystian Sahadeo, Dhanesh Persaud, Peter Persaud, Curtis McCrae, Ajay Persaud, Uriel Isadore, Kyle Chung, Ebo Mc Neil, Malaki Moore, Andell Austin, Narren Persaud, Salim Rahim Percival, Jaswan Seenarine, Rhys Belle, Adrian Melville, Tyler Orderson, Christopher Barrow and Joshua Lucas, among others, will be making their claim to the throne.

In the Girls’ category, current National Under-18 c h a m - pion Thuraia Thomas will be hard

pressed to defend her title against the likes of Neveah Clarkston, Thuraia Thomas, Crystal Ann Melville, Abigail Martin, Jasmine Billingy, Akira Watson, Samara Sukhai; and new talents Lisana Ramascindo, Sufah Burrowes, Samirah Burrowes, Alana Gouveia and Upha Hackett Isasha.

With the great nucleus and quantum of young, immensely talented athlete players who possess lots of potential currently emerging and playing the sport in the respective categories, it truly makes for a competitive championship tournament, filled Natalie with key rivalCummings ry and excitement.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

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Chanderpaul: Jaguars batsmen must dig deep for better conversion rate ond highest by a Jaguars batsman, behind Bramble’s 580 runs.

With the West Indies Test openers’ spot not yet fully cemented, Chanderpaul said he would be aiming to press for selection. “(I am) just trying to take it one game at a time, get some good scores in, and see what happens,” he explained.

His opening partner Hemraj, who is fresh from a century in the practice match, said it was good to spend valuable time at the crease.

“My main focus is getting runs for Jaguars, and of course I want to make it back into the West Indies team,” Hemraj explained.

He added that he and his opening partner Chanderpaul will be aiming to lay a good platform for Jaguars in the big 4-Day season.

Speaking on the conversion rate, Hemraj said he is hoping that his fellow Jaguars batsmen, himself included, would rectify the matter and convert their starts at better rates.

Reflection of Jaguars batting in 2018/19

Chandrapaul Hemraj

By Brandon Corlette

W

ith the exception of Anthony Bramble, none of the Guyana Jaguars batsmen had batting averages in the 2018/19 Regional 4-Day season to brag about.

As the 2020 season looms, with five-time defending champions Jaguars departing today, January 6, to play the Leeward Islands in Antigua from January 9, the Jaguars will be aiming to chalk up consistent scores.

The opening duo of Chandrapaul Hemraj and Tagenarine Chanderpaul spoke to Guyana Times Sport, making mention of batsmen in the team scoring runs while digging deep and converting those starts.

“I think (that) when batsmen get a fifty, they must dig in and try to get a big score,” the young Chanderpaul noted. The left-hander had played in all ten matches in the 2018/19 season, and had scored 542 runs at an average of 33.87. His aggregate was the sec-

Bramble has been the definition of consistency. He scored two of the four centuries made by a Jaguars batsman in the last 4-Day season at a stunning average of 52.72.

Captain Leon Johnson has unfortunately been among the poorest of converters in 4-Day cricket. This classy left-hander who warmed up in fine style with a century has played 109 First-class matches and has scored five centuries and 37 fifties. In the 2018/19 season, he scored 480 runs at an average of 32, including 4 half-centuries.

His left-handed partner

Anthony Bramble

Vishaul Singh has also had difficulty in converting.

From 69 First-class matches, Singh has recorded eight centuries and 15 fifties, batting in 119 innings. His 2018/19 season saw him score 366 runs at an average of 28.15.

Hemraj had racked up 350 runs in his six matches in 2018/19, scoring one century and one half-century.

As Guyana Jaguars seek a sixth consecutive title, the batsmen must simply score more centuries. In the last 4-Day season, 20 half-centuries were scored by the Jaguars, along with the 4 conversions mentioned earlier. Giving

the class and temperament in the team, Jaguars are capable of rectifying the conversion issue.

However, the last 4-Day season saw Jaguars scoring the highest team total -- 548 against a star-studded Barbados Pride. This is evidence of a well capable unit having the ability to dominate teams with the bat.

The bowling has always been impressive over the past seasons, with the veteran spin twins Devandra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul; along with quicks Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Clinton Pestano and Keon Joseph, and all-rounders Raymon Reifer and Chris Barnwell.

Table tennis competition BCB/Ramnaresh Sarwan U-17 cricket… set for return to Berbice Albion defeat Port Mourant on January 11 – to play in final C A ompetitive table tennis will return to the ancient county of Berbice on Saturday, January 11th, in a tournament that would be played in the Berbice High School auditorium on Princess Elizabeth Road in New Amsterdam.

Sanctioned by the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) in collaboration with Region 6 Sports Officer Godwyn Allicock, this tournament will see participation from entrants categorised from under-9 to seniors.

The objective of this competition is to select a team from Berbice to participate in the GTTA S e n i o r Championships which are slated for January 17 in Georgetown.

It is envisioned that this Berbice team would feature former Junior player Steven Sankar, among others. Last December, the Berbice Table

Tennis Association had hosted week-day sessions at the New Amsterdam Prison Club from 17:30h to 22:00h, and on Saturday from 10:00h to 20:00h.

A host of persons had turned out to participate in those sessions, among whom were novices, juniors and females. That programme had been sanctioned by the GTTA, which had donated balls and nets. The coordinator of that programme was Region 6 Sports Officer Godwyn Allicock.

lbion defeated Port Mourant by eight wickets on Saturday last to advance to the final of the Berbice Cricket Board’s (BCB’s) Ramnaresh Sarwan Under-17 Fifty-Over Cricket Competition.

In a match reduced to 40 overs due to rain, Port Mourant won the toss at the Albion Community Centre Ground and took first strike. They were restricted to 82 for 8 from their allotted overs, with Salon Khan making 19.

Left-arm spinner Inzam Shazam took 4 for 21 in bowling for Albion, who responded with 84 for 2 off 13 overs.

Hemendra Gurdyal led the way with 28, and Naresh Veerasammy contributed 18.

Albion upset Rose Hall Town to reach U-15 semis

Permaul’s Trading and Distribution (PTD), an Albion team, whipped Rose Hall Town (RHT) by 73 runs to advance to the Under-15 semi-final play in Berbice.

Albion (PTD) made 153 for 9 in 30 overs, with Tameshwar Mahadeo and Naresh Veerasammy each contributing 25. Shiv Harripersaud registered 19 and Damien Cecil 18.

For RHT, Nathan Kistama took 3 for 21 and Mathew Potaya 2 for 26.

RHT responded with 80 all out in 25.5 overs, with Raayad Rahaman making 27. Medium pacers Manoo Inasi and Antonio Ramphal each took two wickets, for 6 and 8 respectively; while Mahadeo grabbed 2 for 12 with his off-spin.

National U-15 batsman Tameshwar Mahadeo

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020

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

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Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Leon Johnson

Page 21

Bravo, Greaves lead President’s XI past Ireland in tour match

Chanderpaul: Jaguars batsmen must dig deep for better conversion rate Holder, Roach targeted for load Walker, London are management flight champions by CWI Page 23

Tropical Woods and Wood Products Golf Tournament…

Page 22

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