Guyana times Daily August 24 2017

Suriname’s Ambassador bids Guyana farewell P10

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

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

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Issue No. 3311

Reparation: not the way forward – UK Ambassador Page 9

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Private P7 developers owe CH&PA over $1B – SOCU Head

... says look to the future rather than the past

Unidentified pedal cyclist killed in Grove accident P9

School cleaners complain about inadequate P14 cleaning supplies

Jawalla residents urged to Page 5 embrace rebuilding process Residents of Jawalla Village, Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven, are now regrouping their lives after a freak storm struck on Friday, August 18. The Civil Defence Commission dispatched relief supplies to the affected area. Pictured are supplies being off-loaded at Kamarang to be sent into Jawalla

Page 3

Annual Toshaos conference

Several NTC executives stage walkout

Woman fined for beating ex-husband’s new lover P10 G Division P11 commander visits NOC … urges juvenile offenders not to lose hope

… says Govt attempting to undermine discussions Mid-year financial report

GBTI records $603M profit

… crime continues to dampen struggling Page economic growth – Chairman 7

Businessman charged for shooting bandit Page 8

Illegal aircraft

P11

Residents, leaders of Yupukari feel victimised

2 News

THURsDAY, august 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Barber commits suicide Lima Sands to after beating grandparents benefit from

A

Corentyne, Berbice barber was on Tuesday afternoon found in his bedroom hanging by the neck from a rope.

Reports are the young man had earlier in the day refused a gift from his mother and received a scolding from his grandparents over his behaviour.

Dead is Steffon Baldeo, 20, of Lot 271 Rose Hall, Reef. The discovery of the body was made by two Police Officers who had gone to the house to arrest the barber.

They were told that he was in the bedroom and when they opened the door, his lifeless body was discovered hanging from the ceiling.

Reports are that Baldeo was sent back from Trinidad to live with his grandparents at Rose Hall, leaving his mother and

four sisters in the twin island republic. Baldeo’s use of narcotics is said to be the reason for him being sent back home.

On Tuesday, two of his sisters arrived from Trinidad and brought several items, which his mother had sent. However, the cellular phone which he had requested was not included.

According to Baldeo’s grandfather, Narine Singh, the young man did not accept the items his mother sent. “He brake up everything…,” Singh said.

Singh explained that he attempted to rebuke the enraged young man but he reacted by whipping him with a hose. The boy’s grandmother then got involved and tried to calm him down but instead, she received several lashes too.

The sisters, who had

Dead: Steffon Baldeo

brought the gifts, called the Police and took Singh and their grandmother for medical attention.

It was as the others were out that Baldeo used the opportunity to flee.

When the Police arrived to arrest him, he was hiding in the bushes a short dis-

tance away.

However, after his siblings and grandparents had returned home, the young man joined them and shortly after reportedly went to his bedroom which is situated on the lower flat of the two-storey building.

His sister then telephoned the Police informing them that he was at home.

When the Police arrived, they pushed open the door and saw Steffon suspended by a rope tied around his neck attached to a beam in the ceiling.

“He use to play the drum in the church… The only problem he had was the lil smoking [marijuana].”

An autopsy was performed on the body today and gave the cause of death as aphasia. (Andrew Carmichael)

improved water

The Lima Sands, Region Two well site

F

ollowing steps by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) to decrease the presence of iron in their water supply through the use of a product called SeaQuest, residents of Lima Sands, on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) will be the newest beneficiaries of improved water quality.

Lima Sands gained a constant source of water supply from GWI earlier this year upon the completion of a new well at the cost of $117 million. The 640 households in the community have since been receiving water with unusually high iron content, having previously accessed water through a creek or via rain water harvesting.

The Essequibo Coast is known for the relatively high iron concentrations in water and as such, GWI has implemented SeaQuest to rectify this issue –significantly reducing its presence in a number of villag-

es, with Lima Sands being the next on the agenda to benefit.

The rectifying product is added to the water at pump stations to reduce discoloration and is used at a number of pump stations on Guyana’s Coast.

The total sum of dosing of SeaQuest at the Lima Sands pump station is valued at some $3.6 million; however, with the necessary equipment being mobilised, residents of Lima Sands are expected to benefit from clear and odorless water before the end of August.

Previously, six pump stations across the Essequibo Coast had benefited from the implementation of SeaQuest at a cost of $22 million.

In light of this recent investment in improving water quality supply on the Essequibo Coast, GWI is urging customers to conserve on their water consumption while making bill payment a priority.

news

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THURsDAY, august 24, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, August 24 – 05:00h-06:30h and Friday, August 25 – 05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, August 24 – 05:35h-07:05h and Friday, August 25 – 06:15h-07:45h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Light to heavy rain showers with sunny intervals can be expected throughout the day, with clear skies in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to Easterly and Northeasterly between 0.89 metres and 2.68 metres.

High Tide: 06:02h and 18:20h reaching maximum heights of 2.75 metres and 2.69 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 11:56h reaching a minimum height of 0.50 metre.

WednesDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

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Annual Toshaos conference

Several NTC executives stage walkout … say Govt attempting to undermine discussions

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he 11th Annual National Toshaos Council (NTC) conference was dogged by more controversy on Wednesday, as several members of the NTC executive staged a walkout over what they described as an attempt by Government to ‘undermine’ the issues being put forward for discussion.

Vice Chairman of the NTC, Lenox Shuman, told Guyana Times that toshaos were supposed to have presentations on Wednesday, and as they were trying to consolidate their position with Government, so that they could have meaningful action, there was no minister present until the evening.

“The fact that seven Government ministers showed up just to engage the NTC at this very last moment is questionable. It brings to my mind the question of sincerity. How sincere, and what kind of action (are you) going to get for these people? And I see it as an attempt to undermine the credibility of the NTC; to undermine the proposed work that the NTC is doing, and to ensure that the NTC remains weak,” he said.

Shuman said the walkout may be viewed -- or spun -in the light that some of the NTC executives were irresponsible, but that is far from the truth. He said the NTC felt it should take a stand, and the Amerindian people’s issues should be treated with importance.

So far, Indigenous Peoples Affairs Minister, Vice President Sydney Allicock; Minister within the Indigenous Peoples Affairs Ministry, Valerie GarridoLowe; Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman; Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan; Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams; and Minister within the Communities Ministry, Dawn HastingsWilliams, have attended the conference.

Shuman argued that while most of the issues are discussed during the day -and would require the ministers to be there to dialogue with the toshaos – the ministers have been showing up late in the evenings. “And just to be frank: I don’t see the NTC to be a side chick or a side thing for the ministers -- that they could only see us in the nights. What is wrong with during the day? My nights are my nights. And we deal with our community issues during the day time?” he further lamented.

Although this issue has created some unease among participants at the conference, the NTC vice chairman has said the executive is still hopeful that most of the issues raised would be addressed.

“When we present, we have the opportunity to pres-

NTC Vice Chairman, Lenox Shuman

ent the people’s position, and develop a tracking mechanism to bring all these issues to light. But the ministers’ late attendance, in my view, is to dilute those issues and take away from them.

And we are not prepped to allow that to happen,” he explained.

Ministers of the Government would all be present to listen to a more comprehensive presentation on Friday, and would have opportunity to state how they can help to address the issues, but Shuman is of the opinion that most of the toshaos may not want to present anymore, given the issue which has arisen.

The NTC officials told Guyana Times also that issues which should have been resolved since the last NTC conference have again been discussed, and the same solutions given last year have been re-tendered this year.

He said that, over the past

year, the NTC has been preaching for Government to release the guns seized from Amerindians during the gun amnesty, and Ramjattan has again promised to give the guns back.

“Minister Ramjattan showed up and said, ‘You will get your guns back; we have to put serial numbers on them’. Why (could we not) get this action since a year ago, when we brought it to his attention?” he asked.

The NTC executive had used the opportunity of the opening of conference to condemn recent comments made by a Government Minister who had suggested that Amerindians are greedy.

Chairman of the Council, Joel Fredericks, criticised Government “over an incident which took place in

the National Assembly”.

Fredericks said the organisation views the comments made by the Minister as a direct attack on Indigenous people’s identity, and expressed disappointment with the statement. “(There are) Ministers of the Government, insulting the Indigenous people and calling them greedy, also in Parliament, without any consequence,” he lamented.

He also raised concerns that no parliamentarian from either side of the House had objected to the remarks purportedly made by the said Minister in Parliament.

Issues such as alleged political interference in Indigenous communities, and the need for strengthening of the NTC were also discussed at the conference opening.

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THURSDAY, august 24, 2017

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

President meets a queen

High school exams

W

e are once again revelling in the CSEC and CAPE results that signify our youth’s qualifications, or lack thereof, for tertiary education. We repeat a point made many times before in this space: our obsession with results of exams taken in the Grade 11/Fifth Form -- when our children are merely around sixteen years old -- is a sign of our country’s repressed development. Like the NGSA at the end of Grade 6 and CAPE at Grade 13, the excitement surrounds the results of these exams and the top performers who will be the recipients of scholarships for furthering their studies.

And it is this drive for scholarships - with a few exceptions - that will be pushing our high school graduates to write every increasing numbers of subjects at these exams. It is a sign of our poverty-stricken economic status, wherein most of our students know they cannot afford the tuition to attend top quality universities outside of Guyana. Be certain that the now incredible and just achieved twenty-five CSEC record will be bested in the very near future, and the race will now be for the number of CAPE subjects that will be written. This year, the top performer in the latter wrote and passed Unit 1 in the two mandatory subjects (Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies) as well as Units 1 and 2 in seven other subjects in the natural science stream. The norm used to be three “other subjects” in the area the student expected to pursue at the tertiary level. The top CAPE student was quite clear in his interviews: he was interested in securing a scholarship.

At one level, the new competition at CAPE might be seen as “progress”, since, as one candidate pointed out, the gap between CSEC and CAPE is very wide. CAPE, for all intents and purposes, is equivalent to a threeor four-credit college course. In fact, passing five CAPE subjects earns the student an “Associate Degree” from CXC, and in overseas universities, credits for one year’s work in the particular subjects. If the competition moves to this level, it should serve to winnow out the serious students from mere dilettantes, and perchance force the education establishment to revive the idea floated in the previous administration for a number of CAPE colleges to be established in the three counties.

With our students entering UG after achieving the basic five CSEC subjects - including Mathematics and English Language - required for “Matriculation”, it has been discovered that most of them are not ready for work at the University level. This places an inordinate strain on the University’s facilities, where it is claimed eight thousand students are accommodated. The CAPE colleges would serve as a transition mechanism for students to begin dealing with the need for more independent work and less “spoon feeding”, which is the norm in University.

This would also allow the Government to tailor students into streams of studies that are more in consonance with the developmental goals of the country. Take, for instance, the now identified need for Guyanese to be qualified for technical jobs in the oil and gas industry. In a general sense, it should be appreciated that the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects at the CAPE level must be inculcated by the individuals who will most benefit from the engineering degrees at University. This will save time, effort and money.

But with all the usual hoopla over the top 1% of students who excelled at CSEC by the law of averages, one has to be concerned at the steadily decreasing numbers that have written the exam in the past five years - from 16,000+ to the present 12,000+. Where have all the missing students gone? Have they dropped out of secondary school?

Finally, there is the handwringing over the mere 63.8% of passes with Grades 1-3 at CSEC. But a more interesting topic would be the percentage of students who were able to matriculate.

President David Granger received a courtesy call from Miss World Guyana, Vena Mookram, at State House on Wednesday. The 18-year-old East Bank Demerara resident outshone nine other contestants on June 25 to take home the crown. She believes the Miss World Guyana platform will boost her self-confidence and help her become a better role model for young people everywhere

Is the Town Clerk being realistic?

Dear Editor, After reading a letter captioned “The M&CC cannot hire contractors it cannot afford” -- written by the Town Clerk of Georgetown, who has assumed the title of Municipal Clerk, a title he has created and assumed in what appears to be an effort to convey esteem, but which lacks legal standing -I felt compelled to highlight a number of inconsistencies contained therein.

Beginning with the title of the letter, there is a considerable conflict with that caption and what obtains at the Georgetown Municipality, as there are lots of things that are done at that City Council that they simply cannot afford, but continue doing nonetheless. These include frequent extravagant travels around the world by the ‘Fabulous Four’ and their cohorts; use and abuse of luxury sports utility vehicles by the ‘Bigwigs’ and their families;

superfluous staffers attending to these persons, including bodyguards, personal assistants, secretarial staff, chauffeurs, static security at their residences etc.

But getting into the content of this long-winded epistle, I would like to debunk the claim that ‘Historically, the council has always struggled for money’. This is just simply not true. If one were to do research in the archives, one would see that, beginning with the Mayorship of John Croal, and extending all the way to the 1980s under the astute, honest and accomplished stewardship of Town Clerks E. A. Adams and Elmo Mayers, and City Treasurers Cyril Ramalho and Patrick Robinson, the Georgetown Municipality was a financially solvent and economically viable institution. It carried out administrative and financial best practices that caused the ‘Garden City’ to be the

envy of the Caribbean. The economic malfeasance and administrative irresponsibility we see now, and which are being alluded to in the letter, are of more recent vintage.

He speaks contemptuously of the council needing to pay in excess of $50 million per month to contactors to haul and dispose of the city’s waste – which, incidentally, is a vital public health service -- but conveniently fails to mention that the City pays more than twice that amount each month to underwrite its bloated and top-heavy payroll, which is stuffed with friends, church pals, and family members of the Big Enchiladas at City Hall, who do little or nothing all day long.

He continues whining about revenue shortfalls, but one has to wonder if he has ever heard of the concept of fiscal restraint to facilitate economic growth at the council; and responsible

spending to balance their secret budget, which is never made available to the citizenry.

The ultimate irony of the letter is when he says, “The reality is that the council cannot hire contractors it cannot afford”. Does this include the son of one of the political leaders in the council, who gets contracts without bidding? Does it include the gentleman who is well known to be a good friend of a senior administrative officer? Does it include the contractor who builds around the city without adhering to Tender Board procedures?

He ends the letter with a sarcastic joke that will crack all citizens up when he says that “The council takes its responsibility seriously. It will not compromise the health and well-being of its citizens”.

Best regards, Deodarie Putulall

Is this not called ‘putting the cart before the horse’?

Dear Editor, The M&CC (Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown) has now agreed to postpone a vote on the fate of the metered parking system until later in the month, under the pretext that it wishes to allow stakeholders and the wider public to read and comment on a report on metered parking that found that Smart City Solutions (SCS) withheld vital information from the Council’s negotiating committee.

Is this not called “putting the cart before the horse”?

This is what the M&CC

should have done in the first place, before signing the contract and rushing off to Mexico and Panama.

The continued refusal by Smart City Solutions to provide proof of investment purportedly to the tune of US$10 million shows the continued disregard and disrespect they have not only for the Fantastic Four, whom they conned, the Review Committee and the Council; but, indeed, the citizens of Georgetown and Guyana.

Don’t forget that Ifa Kamau Cush, the man who helped engineer the contro-

versial parking meter deal with the Council, had said, and I quote: “You’re not progressives. You are freeloaders; You lack the intestinal fortitude to control your own destiny. You all possess the mentality of slaves, indentured servants, incapable of generating wealth and building capacity.”

Additionally, the methodology being used to sensitize the public of the contents of the report is most archaic and cumbersome, probably for some ulterior motive. Why does the Mayor expect persons to leave the comfort of their homes and

offices -- where they could read the report in its entirety on their computers and smartphones, and comment on its contents online immediately and through social media, if only the Council would put it up on their web page, Facebook page etc -and instead trek all the way down to Town Clerk and Treasurer’s offices and the National Library?

But suspension of the contract seems to indicate that it has more elasticity than a rubber band, where the Councillors could extend it as long and as many times as they like. turn to page 5

thursDAY, august 24, 2017

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News

Jawalla residents urged to embrace rebuilding process

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esidents of the Upper Mazaruni riverine community of Jawalla, Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni), are now regrouping their lives after a freak storm that struck on Friday last at about 15:30h had brought them heavy winds and rainfall, along with lightning and thunderstorms, destroying 34 buildings in the area.

The roofs of some buildings were damaged while other buildings collapsed entirely, one resulting in the death of 27-year-old Marsha Jordan, who was seven months pregnant at the time. The death of Jordan and her unborn child has plunged the entire community into a state of shock and mourning.

When tragedy struck, Jordan and her two chil-

dren were sheltering from the heavy rains under a house, when a strong wind caused the building’s support to weaken and it came crashing down. Jordan died instantly from severe head and neck injuries sustained, while her two children managed to escape death with minor injuries.

According to residents, freak storms like this one occur often but have never previously resulted in the death of anyone. Minister within the Indigenous Peoples Affairs Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, and Minister Dawn HastingsWilliams met with residents and the family of the deceased Jordan to offer them comfort and support.

Major Sean Welcome of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and Dr.

The collapsed building which crushed Marsha Jordan

Shamdeo Persaud, Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Public Health, accompanied the ministers to determine how their respective organisations could aid in the rebuilding of the community after the natural disaster.

“We were talking about how perhaps we can bring

engineers -- the army engineers -- to come and look at the structures of the houses, to see how we can build strong houses to withstand these freak storms that happen every now and then. I understand now it is increasing,” Minister Garrido-Lowe is quoted by the Department of Public

information as saying.

Upon assessing damaged buildings, especially those that collapsed, the team recognised the need for a redesign in the way wooden structures are built in the area.

The building which crushed Marsha Jordan was considered a ‘disaster waiting to happen’. The elevated building was placed on wooden blocks approximately four feet off the ground.

With the structures being redesigned, Jawalla residents are being urged to play their part in this rebuilding process.

The CDC and the Indigenous Peoples Affairs Ministry contributed building materials to the village, and the toshao has been tasked with mobilising men from the commu-

nity to undertake the task of rebuilding Jawalla.

The two ministers also committed to being a part of the rebuilding process by making individual contributions.

Meanwhile, a new home is to be constructed for Jordan’s husband, Gilbert Jordan, and the two children, Carmeline and Zalepha Jordan. “It would be a good thing if the men of the community come together, saw boards, and let us build a new house for Gilbert Jordan and his daughters.” one of the ministers expressed.

The Civil Defence Commission would be supplying the village with relief supplies, including foodstuff, cleaning agents, and other items needed for basic living.

Understanding the Local Government System (Part one) Dear Editor, Understanding how the Local Government System is structured -- its functionality, and how it ought to work -- is essential to highlighting the partiality and continued frustrations being imposed

by Minister Bulkan and APNU/AFC Government on communities locally.

The basis of establishment is enshrined in Chapter VII, titled ‘Local Democracy’, of the Constitution of Guyana Cap. 1.01, which is instructive on the role and provisions of Government to support the various tiers of governance, including the Municipal, Regional, Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs)and other sub-divisions, including village and community councils. For the purpose of this article, focus and much reference is given to, but is not limited to, the treatment of and impact on Regional

Councils and NDCs. In the current framework, as it has been for decades, the organisational functionality of the local government institutions and organs is largely based on the Council, drawn from elected persons from within the Local Authority Areas (LAAs) and complemented by the administrative arm comprised of all other staff, which is headed by the Regional Executive Officer (REO), and the Overseer in the respective cases of Regions and NDCs. These two officers are often the financial reporting officers, representing Government interests while at the same time performing functions as the Clerk to the Council. Additionally, for the efficacy of resources among others, they ought to ensure that the decisions of Council are executed. For efficient delivery of service, it

Is this not called ‘putting the cart...

This is at odds with what the Town Clerk had said to the Minister of Communities when he wrote him strongly suggesting that suspension of the parking meter contract with Smart City Solutions (SCS) would be impossible -- after learning that a Cabinet decision was to ask the municipality to halt the deal for the next three months.

The Town Clerk is said to have cautioned the Minister that if the contract is suspended, City Hall would have to pay for breach of contract, and that Council could not accept the wide-ranging legal, financial and oth-

from page 4

er fall-out.

The Mayor and City Council has a 20 percent stake in the purported US$10 million project, and SCS has 80 percent.

It is logical that the Council is just stalling for time, and citizens need to be wary that the M&CC has something sinister and ominous up its sleeves. The Council is not above the courts of Guyana; Council has to await the courts’ decision, and stop wasting time having ill-advised reviews.

Sincerely, Mark Roopan

demands and follows that the administrative arm of the Councils must be subordinate and subjective to the Council, while at the same time reporting to the council and addressing issues of financial improprieties.

Importantly, the gaps created by this conundrum have been recognized, and several actions were taken by Parliament to remedy many discomforting situations that emerged as a consequence of overspills due to different political overtones. One definitive approach coined the pass-

ing of legislation to establish the Local Government Commission (LGC), which presents a somewhat balanced approach to bridging the gaps while allowing for controlled development of communities under circumstances reflective of balanced political, regulated, and other key forms of representation.

It is important to note that the legislation which was before Parliamentary committees for many years reflect a corroborative approach to reform and an

agreeable position by the main stakeholders. Indeed, the final bill that was vigorously debated, amended and passed in the National Assembly was so passed at a time when the current APNU/AFC government representatives were in Opposition but had the one seat majority. At the same time, it was assented to by President Ramotar, who could have withheld his approval. By now it is widely known that the responsible minister, Ronald Bulkan, and the Granger

Government had done everything they could do to delay implementation of the LGC -- a Commission whose role is necessary, and one that they had the most significant role in influencing the contents of the Legislation.

Having lost the leadership of the Councils in most LAAs, they have reverted to influencing and condoning actions by administrative officers that delay development in areas unpopular to them.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

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BY STEPHANIE PAPPAS ELIZABETH PETERSON

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and

Being a good parent

here are many ways to raise happy, well-adjusted children, but science has a few tips for making sure they turn out okay. From keeping it fun to letting them leave the nest, here are 10 research-based tips for good parenting.

Don't be fooled by their height.

No matter how tall they get or how grown-up they look, your children are still just that … children. And parents of older children especially need to remember this fact, according to Sara Johnson, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The developmental period known as adolescence lasts about 10 years – from ages 11 to 19 – and it's regarded as a critical time for brain development. So it's important to keep in mind that, even as children grow into young adults, "they are still in a developmental period that will affect the rest of their life," Johnson told Live Science in March 2016.

Support the shy ones. A little bashfulness is one thing, but children with behavioural inhibition – a trait that refers to shyness and also extreme caution in the face of new situations – may be at higher risk of developing anxiety disorders, according to researchers. And parents who shelter children demonstrating behavioural

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation inhibition (in effect, encouraging this inhibition) may actually make the situation worse.

So how do you support shy children? The key is to get them out of their comfort zones without trying to change their nature, said Sandee McClowry, a psychologist at New York University. Why not just break them of their shy habits?

Research has shown that shyness is a part of some children's character and a very difficult trait to change. In other words, it's better to work with shyness than against it. "That acceptance of the child is a huge, huge thing," McClowry told Live Science in September 2016.

Live in the moment. Adults tend to constantly think about the future, but children – especially preschool-age children (ages two to five) – live in the here and now, scientists say. To get on a kid's level, parents need to learn how to live in the moment, too, said Tovah Klein, director of the Barnard College Centre for Toddler Development in New York City.

This is especially true when it comes to communicating verbally with a young child, said Klein, who is also the author of "How Toddlers Thrive" (Touchstone, 2014).

Instead of telling a three-year-old that it's time to get ready for some future action, like going to school, parents should give their child a set of instructions, Klein told Live Science in August 2016. Replace ambiguous statements like "it's almost time for school" with clear, simple explanations and directions, such as, "We need to leave for school. It's time to get your coat."

Tell them how they feel. While older children are widely regarded as the kings and queens of self-expression, young children often lack the vocabulary to properly label their own emotions, according to researchers who study child development.

Children ages two to five are just starting to understand emotions like fear, frustration or disappointment, according to Klein.

You can help your kid express herself by calling out such emotions when you see them. For example, a parent might say, "It's disappointing that it's raining outside, and you can't go out to play," Klein said.

Slow down. The hectic schedule of adulthood doesn't always vibe with the relaxed pace of childhood, according to Klein.

"Children move at a slower rate," and parents should try to match that pace, Klein said. By scheduling extra time for the little things, like a bedtime routine or a trip to the grocery store, parents can turn hectic chores into more meaningful time with their children, she said.

Limit distractions. Do you check emails or scroll through your social media feeds while spending quality time with your children? Because you shouldn't, Klein said.

It's hard to be really engaged with your children if you're distracted by a bunch of other things. And this distracted presence can take a toll on children, who might feel like you're not really there for them when you're attention is divided, Klein said "Children don't need their parents’ attention 24/7 and 100 per cent of the time," she said. But when your children do need your full attention, you should give it to them without any caveats.

Be polite. Want to raise polite children? Try adding the words "please" and "thank you" to your own vocabulary. Children learn how to interact with others mainly by observing how grown-ups do it and then modelling that behaviour themselves, according to Klein. So if you treat everyone – from cashiers and bus drivers to teachers and family members – with respect and politeness, chances are your children will, as well. (livescience.com) TO BE CONTINUED

BY AMY CAPETTA

T

he key to raising a well-rounded child is to establish a solid support system at home so that she grows up satisfied with her achievements and ambitions. "The goal as a parent is to help your child feel competent and confident, and to help her develop a sense of passion and purpose," says Susan Stiffelman, MFT, an educational therapist and author of Parenting Without Power Struggles. It's the education that happens before she sets foot into school that is crucial in bringing up such a child.

"If you want to enhance your child's learning abilities to eventually boost her academic performance, it will take consistency, dedication, and patience," says Michele Borba, EdD, an advisor for Parents and the author of The Big Book of Parenting Solutions.

Consider these seven techniques if you're looking to raise a child who is well-balanced, healthy, and happy with her accomplishments.

Encourage special skills

Every child has unique gifts and talents. These special attributes can show up in a traditional school setting, but there are plenty of children who shine after the final bell has rung for the day. Activities like a mommy-and-me music class or karate lessons can open their minds, but your wallet doesn't need to be involved.

"Do not underestimate the power of unstructured play," says Stiffelman. Playing catch in the yard, dancing in the living room, and chasing after lightning bugs provide opportunities for intellectual, physical, and personal development. Stiffelman also suggests finding a hobby or two for yourself. "Allowing your child to see you trying something new may inspire her to do the same."

Applaud and praise efforts

Research conducted by Carol Dweck, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and a leading researcher in the field of achievement and success, discovered that a person's mind-set can influence behaviour. When it comes to parenting, she suggests praising your child for his hard work instead of labelling him as "smart" or "talented." People with a fixed mind-set are usually reluctant to take on challenges because they believe their achievements come from innate abilities. Those with a growth mind-set are usually more willing to face challenges with hard work because they believe in always learning new skills. "Above all, keep in mind that the grade is not what motivates a top student to succeed – it's his inner drive for learning," adds Borba.

Respect different learning styles

Just because you need complete silence while typing an e-mail or balancing your chequebook doesn't mean your child needs a noise-free environment when doing his homework.

Harvard researcher Howard Gardner established eight kinds of intelligences, or ways kids learn best, some that include musical, logical-mathematical, linguistic, and interpersonal traits.

The trick is to pay attention to how your child learns best so you can identify her specific learning style. For example, if your school-age child is visual, consider using flash cards when she's trying to memorize multiplication tables. If your child falls into the interpersonal intelligence category (that is, he has people smarts), help him improve his vocabulary by connecting descriptive words to people like friends, relatives, and historical figures. (parents.com) TO BE CONTINUED

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thursDAY, august 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Mid-year financial report

GBTI records $603M profit … crime continues to dampen struggling economic growth – Chairman

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fter-tax profit made by the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited (GBTI) and its subsidiaries between January and June 2017 stands at $603 million, down from the $961 million recorded for the same period in 2016.

The GBTI Mid-Year (Interim) Financial Report has detailed that the company earned just over $902 million net profit after tax from its operations conducted during the first half (Jan/June) of 2016; but has recorded $599 million net profit after tax for the comparative period in 2017.

Moreover, a slight change in the company and group’s asset holdings has seen its worth decrease by some $2 billion for the first half of 2017, but the com-

pany’s cash resources have moved from $19 billion in 2016 to $22 billion in 2017.

This financial performance was, no doubt, due in part to the fraud perpetrated on the bank earlier this year, and partially because of economic issues facing the local financial sector, it has been said.

Chairman of the GBTI Board, Robin Stoby, said in his report that the local economy experienced significant disruptions in the first quarter of the year due to cyclical fluctuations in the foreign currency market.

“The (GBTI) if happy to report that it has been able to resume significant correspondent banking relationships, which have relieved the pressure on the delivery of foreign exchange supplies,” he explained.

ment climate. He referred to local banks, including GBTI, being faced with rising levels of non-performing loans, and slower credit with growth in the private sector.

Disclosing that the GBTI has provided for the fraud perpetrated on it, Stoby declared, “We remain optimistic that the legal process will be completed before the end of the year.”

the short term, the bank would have to make provisions for the loss, affecting earnings for the year, the board’s intention was to make an insurance claim for the money, in addition to conducting civil proceedings in an attempt to recover as much of the funds as possible.

The former Chief Justice, Senior Counsel Ian Chang, has been contracted

help of the Guyana Police Force and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Rasul, owner of SSS Minerals Trading, was on April 3rd charged with six counts of fraud, wherein it was alleged that between March 21 and March 22, at Bartica, with intent to defraud, he obtained from GBTI $96 million, $290 million, $89 million, $45 million, $298 million and $138

Chairman of GBTI, Robin Stoby

The chairman noted that crime continues to dampen both the struggling economic growth and the invest-

Private developers owe CH&PA over $1B – SOCU Head ... systems to monitor implementation of agreement lacking

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he Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into land ownership heard that several discrepancies were unearthed by a forensic audit into the Central Housing and Planning Authority’s (CH&PA’s) operations relative to the allocation of land to private developers; and although those developers reportedly owe that housing authority more than $1 billion, no system exists that would enforce agreements existing between the CH&PA and those developers.

Head of the Special Organised Crimes Unit (SOCU), Assistant Police Commissioner Sydney James, read excerpts from the reported findings of the forensic audit into the operations of the CH&PA, done

by Ram and McRae, when he appeared on Wednesday before the Commission of Inquiry into lands. He told the CoI that the report has been referred to SOCU. This CoI, established under the Commission of Inquiry Act, is designed to examine and make recommendations to resolve all issues and uncertainties surrounding the claims of Amerindian land titling; the individual, joint or communal ownership of lands acquired by freed Africans; and any matter relating to land titling in Guyana.

However, the Amerindian aspect of the CoI has been put on hold until further notice.

Having submitted to the Commission a copy of the audit report, which was tendered into evidence, James said investigations are still

The Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited head office

Stoby had, in May 2017, told GBTI shareholders that the bank would recover the $941 million lost in a fraudulent transaction allegedly conducted by gold dealer Saddiqi Rasul.

He had said that while, in

SOCU Head, Assistant Police Commissioner Sydney James

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

ongoing, but declined to comment when asked about the allocation of land to a popular hardware company at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown. However, according to the report, he did indicate that the CH&PA is owed more than $1 billion by private developers.

“The investigations are ongoing, and I submitted a copy of (the) forensic audit and notes (detailing) that a number of observations were made: that there were discrepancies in the procedures…, (that) there were delays in the start of construction, and (that) there was no evidence that the chap had systems in place to monitor or enforce the agreements with the developers.

“We also noted significant outstanding balances that totalled $1,174,294,600 (one billion, one hundred and seventy-four million, two hundred and ninety-four thousand, six hundred dollars) owed to the Central Housing and Planning Authority by

developers,” he read.

CH&PA Director of Operations, Denise KingTudor, had taken the stand before the Commission on Monday, and was questioned extensively about the operations of her office. She alluded to some discrepancies with land allocations in some sections of the country.

The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) is in the process of repossessing allocations of land from private developers who are in arrears of fees and have failed to honour the terms of agreements entered into with the CH&PA. In cases where irregularities were discovered and legal advice is being sought before engaging defaulting parties, the housing authority has accordingly forwarded those agreements to the Attorney General’s Office.

The CH&PA has also taken the Bai Shan Lin subsidiary, Sunset Lakes, to court for breaching the agreement entered into with the housing authority.

as a special prosecutor in the case, as the board was “not satisfied with progress on the matter.” Chang has been authorised to pursue the bank’s interest in an urgent manner, and prosecute the case to finality with the

million by falsely pretending that he had cash in a Citizens Bank account to honour cheques that he had written. Rasul has denied the charges, and has been placed on a total of $3million bail.

8 news

thursDAY, august 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Farmer jailed, fined for narco-trafficking T hirty-five-year-old Fernanda Laita of the Region 9 community of Aishalton, South Rupununi was on Wednesday arraigned before Georgetown Magistrate Judy Latchman on a charge detailing that, on August 17, at Aishalton Village, South Rupununi, Region Nine, he was found with 96 grams of cannabis in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Unrepresented by legal counsel,

the father of two minors admitted to the charge, and in a plea of mitigation, told the magistrate that the drugs were for the use of his mother and grandmother, who are both ill.

“If it wasn’t for my mother and grandmother who are ill, I would have never had it,” the farmer explained.

But Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves told the court that the illicit substance was found in a multi-co-

loured bag hanging from a tree close to where the defendant was found. He said that when the bag was searched by police ranks, leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis were discovered. The bag and the defendant were taken into Police custody, where the defendant told ranks, “I was just doing a lil hustle”.

Accordingly, Magistrate Latchman sentenced Laita to three years’ imprisonment, and fined him $30,000.

Businessman charged for shooting bandit

L

Lloyd Thomas

inden businessman Lloyd Thomas, accused of discharging a loaded firearm at Anthony Rogers with intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or cause him actual bodily harm, was on Wednesday arraigned before Georgetown Magistrate Annette Singh, charged with the offence.

Unrepresented by legal counsel, the 43-yearold defendant denied the charge, allegedly committed on August 17, 2017 at Sand Hills on the Linden-

Soesdyke Highway, and explained to the court that he was on the road when he was attacked by a bandit who attempted to snatch a gold chain that he was wearing at the time. Thomas said he put up a fight, during which he was able to disarm the bandit of his gun, and he used it to shoot the bandit.

Because the Police Prosecutor did not object to the defendant being placed on bail, Thomas was placed on $50,000 bail, and was ordered to report to the police

The suspected bandit seeking medical attention

station nearest to his home until the conclusion of this matter. The case will continue on September 11.

Moutar…

W

…vs Guitar on harmony e Guyanese do have a way with words; and if we don’t have the words, well, then, that’s no problem, we simply make them up as we go along!! Your Eyewitness has always liked our local comeback to those who boast about doing “this” or doing “that” - ‘e gat wan difference between “moutar” and “guitar” That is between the pretend sound made by the mouth (“moutar”) and the real sounds of beauty produced by the “guitar”!!

Your Eyewitness was stuck by the difference when he showed up at the ball game four nights in a row to see his Guyana Amazon Warriors play in the flesh (so to speak) at Providence Stadium. For two and a half years now, the Government had been going on (and on and on…!) about “social cohesion” with not a thing to show for it amongst the people in the communities.

Quick now, can you think of any event that the Government held that had a REAL impact on the man on the street to hug his fellow Guyanese in embrace?

Thought so: none!!

But, at the ball game, your Eyewitness say Guyanese of all persuasions and types - young and old, male and female and all the genders in between, all the six races and the dozens of mixtures and ethnicities. And guess what? When their team was on that cricket field, they were all COHERING!! They cheered in unison when the ball sailed over the fence, they groaned when a Warrior was “out”. They spontaneously hugged each other when their team won…and consoled each other when they lost. (Next time!!)

When the team lost the two games which they should’ve won... they all shook their heads ruefully.

And when they won that final one against the St Lucia Stars, you would think the warriors had won the championship. But no…they’d just won the hearts of the Guyanese people, which were all beating as one!!

The Ministry of Social Cohesion should learn a lesson from this: Social Cohesion will not come from speeches - especially from politicians. Our people have rightfully become very, very cynical about their “politricks”. What is needed are more events like the cricket matches, where we have to stand behind ‘we own” in opposition to “outsiders”. It is only then that we’ll realise we have much more in common than in difference.

So, for instance, why doesn’t the Ministry of Social Cohesion have the Warriors franchise organise local cricket matches at different levels throughout the year across the country against comparable teams from other countries?

Or make it part of their budget to host the CPL playoffs and finals in Guyana? Now that’ll be some real “guitar” won’t it?!! …and CSEC For donkey years, those in the educational sector have been promising a “turnaround” in the delivery of their various curricula in a more efficient manner.

Meaning, we’d get better results. What’s happened, however, is when they say that, they simply mean they’ll just intensify their efforts to “teach to the test”, so the results will APPEAR better. But even here they’ve failed abysmally!

Take the NGSA. (As Rodney Dangerfield would say, “Please!!) When it was the “Common Entrance”, there were complaints that the test wasn’t accomplishing its purpose - “evaluate” the children in their areas of strengths and weaknesses, so that remedial/customised efforts could be made.

To date, 13 years after the “assessment” change, there hasn’t been a SINGLE review of a student’s score after they moved on to Grade 7 (high school), to follow up with remedial/customised interventions.

So the top 1% will have their 15 minutes of fame, and we will all bask in their reflected glory; then sink into the (educational) slime once again! …and smuggled chicken Your Eyewitness has always heard about seized ganja/cocaine being sold in the streets by the cops - who did the seizing, to begin with. But smuggled chicken being sold on the streets by the GRA agents?

Jeezz!!

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

News

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thursDAY, august 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

pedal Reparation: not the way Unidentified cyclist killed in forward – UK Ambassador Grove accident ... says look to the future rather than the past

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espite repeated calls by several Caribbean territories to be paid reparations by European nations for their involvement and benefit from slavery, the United Kingdom (UK) believes that such calls are not the way forward. The calls are for financial compensation to be paid to descendants of enslaved peoples but the UK, Guyana’s former colonial ruler, indicated that countries should look to the future rather than the past.

This was the expressed view of British High

to the UK,” the Ambassador explained.

For over 400 years, colonial European powers benefited from slavery. The trade brought over 10 million captured Africans to work in sugar and cotton plantations throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. Governments in the Caribbean have estimated that reparations for the slave trade could be trillions of dollars, and some have floated the idea of debt relief.

Caribbean leaders in 2014 had approved a

UK High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn

Benedict Cumberbatch playing “William Ford” in 2013 film 12 Years A Slave (AP photo)

Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn who told media operatives that his country is maintaining its position regarding the reparation calls.

“We as a Government do not believe that reparations are the way forward and that we need to look to the future and not the past.

I know Caricom Reparations Committee has been looking on this but I’m not quite sure what the status is of what they may have produced and whether they would have made that claim or request

10-point plan to seek reparations from the former slave-owning states of Europe. In July 2017, Guyanese President David Granger suggested that more awareness and education was needed to allow for support in calls for reparative justice.

“Reparative justice is not a ruse for development finance or international handouts. It is a demand aimed at ensuring recompense for crimes against humanity, enslavement and native genocide, and

for the atrocities of indentured immigration. The demand for ‘reparative justice’ must not be confused with developmental assistance,” the President stated at the National Rastafarian Conference earlier this year.

Ambassador Quinn recalled that it was his country’s past Prime Minister, David Cameron, who had suggested that reparations were not the way forward.

“Look back at what Prime Minister Cameron said when he was in Jamaica in September 2015

and that is still the position,” Ambassador Quinn maintained.

When Cameron had visited that Caribbean island, Jamaica’s then Prime Minister Portia SimpsonMiller reiterated calls for reparations to be paid by Britain but on a sidelines interview, the former UK Prime Minister had responded in the negative.

“I don’t think reparations are the right answer but the purpose of my visit is to look to the future,” the former Prime Minister, who later resigned in 2016, had stated.

Some 46,000 British slave owners, including a distant relative of former Prime Minister Cameron, and distance relatives of UK television and film actor, Benedict Cumberbatch, were among those compensated at a current-day equivalent of £17 billion for “loss of human property” after the country emancipated its slaves in 1833.

Britain subsequently replaced slavery with indentureship, offering immigrant workers small payments and marginally better living conditions. (Shemuel Fanfair)

A

This mark indicates where the cyclist was struck down

n unidentified pedal cyclist was struck down and killed in front of a popular sports bar at the School Street junction of Grove, East Bank Demerara at about 15:45h on Wednesday.

Reports are that the driver of motorcar HC 3809 was proceeding north on the western side of the highway in the direction of Georgetown when he allegedly swerved from a minibus and crashed into the pedal cyclist, who was in the process of crossing the road from the western side to the eastern walkway.

When Guyana Times vis-

ited the scene, the cyclist’s body had already been taken to the nearby Diamond Diagnostic Centre.

The driver of the car, apparently devastated and in shock from the accident, lay in the yard of the Diamond Hospital, too distraught to speak to media operatives.

He nevertheless disclosed that he had felt the impact of the hit, but did not know that he had hit the cyclist. It was only when he asked if he had hit the minibus that it dawned on him that he had struck down the cyclist.

He has since been taken into Police custody as investigations continue.

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, august 24, 2017

News

Suriname’s Ambassador Alleged iPhone thief granted $100,000 bail bids Guyana farewell

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P

resident David Granger applauded the services of Ambassador Mehroen Nisa Kurban-Baboe of Suriname for her work in advancing and strengthening the bilateral ties between Guyana and Suriname, when she bid farewell during a courtesy call after four years of service, at the State House on Wednesday.

According to President Granger, during Ambassador KurbanBaboe’s tenure, the two countries have been able to resuscitate the GuyanaSuriname Cooperation Council aimed at further strengthening cooperation between the two neighbouring states, the promotion of investment opportunities and the exchange of culture.

However, the President pointed out that while significant progress has been made, there is still much more to be done.

Ambassador KurbanBaboe echoed the President’s sentiments, noting that while works have begun, there is still more to be done to strengthen cross-sectoral cooperation between the two countries. According to the Ambassador, Suriname plac-

man accused of snatching an iPhone appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman to answer to the charge on Wednesday.

Jonathon Mohammed, 26, of La Penitence, Georgetown, denied that he stole the phone valued $220,000 from Rupert Singh at Middle Road, La Penitence, on August 17.

According to Police

President David Granger with Ambassador Mehroen Nisa KurbanBaboe during their meeting on Wednesday

es great value on its bilateral ties with Guyana and will keep the channels open for cooperation and dialogue.

“It is important for us to have a good relationship with Guyana. We have a lot in common economically, in culture and tourism and we have to keep the doors open and speak to each other…

We are border countries and I think we should move further to strengthen the relationship. Guyana is beautiful country. The people are beautiful and I must say that I have a very positive impression of Guyana and I know that with my country, we can do a lot,” she said.

Ambassador KurbanBaboe also paid a courtesy call to Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge, earlier in the day who expressed that the two States had enjoyed a high level of interface, one which had been bolstered by the Ambassador during her tenure.

Formal diplomatic relations between the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Republic of Suriname were established on November 25, 1975. Ambassador KurbanBaboe was accredited as Ambassador to Guyana in 2013. Her successor is yet to be identified.

Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves, the Virtual Complainant (VC) was walking along the public road in La penitence when he was approached by two men.

The other perpetrator, who is yet to be arrested, reportedly formed a conversation with him.

However, Mohammed used the opportunity to sneak up and grab the phone after

which both men made good there escape, the Prosecutor said.

The matter was reported and the defendant was subsequently arrested and charged with the offence.

Gonsalves had no objections to bail being granted.

The defendant was released on $100,000 bail. The case will continue on September 11.

Woman fined for beating ex-husband’s new lover

T

he ex-wife of a man was on Wednesday brought before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged for beating his new lover.

Onica Blackman, 36, made her appearance before Magistrate Judy Latchman and admitted to committing the offence.

She pleaded guilty to the charge, which stated that she assaulted the woman so as to cause her actual bodily harm on August 13, 2017, at Norton Street, Georgetown.

According to the prosecution’s case, the defendant had a restraining order against her from her ex-husband.

However, on the day

the assault took place, she breached the said order and went to the home of the Virtual Complainant (VC) where she used a series of indecent expletives. As such, a fight broke out between herself and her ex-husband’s new lover. The matter was reported and she was arrested and charged with the offence.

In plea of mitigation the woman told the court that she and her ex-husband were married for 20 years and claimed that the marriage ended in a divorce as a result of the VC. She told Magistrate Latchman that the restraining order that was taken out

against her was being used as a weapon by her ex-husband.

“I was passing at Norton Street and I saw where he and the woman are staying and I told him that I don’t want my son there,” she told the court.

As such, an argument and then a fight broke out between her and the VC. “I was only defending myself,” she told the court.

Magistrate Latchman cautioned the ex-husband not to deliberately provoke the defendant as this will result in punishment.

The defendant however was fined $7500. Failure to pay this will result in her serving one month in prison.

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thursDAY, august 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Illegal aircraft

Residents, leaders of Yupukari feel victimised

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s investigations continue into the discovery of an illegal aircraft found in North Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo), residents and leaders of Yupukari, an Amerindian village in that area, are claiming that they are being constantly victimised by law enforcement officials.

A senior member of the community told Guyana Times on Wednesday that several persons from the

community have not only been questioned but harassed by Police. The resident, who requested anonymity, claimed that law enforcement officials have been visiting homes, and calling village leaders and some residents, to question them about the illegal aircraft, but in a manner to allegedly “pin it on someone.”

The elder claimed that Police and Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officers may be fully aware of the aircraft’s

landing. According to him, the area where the plane was discovered is bordered with Brazil and there is a small presence of GDF officers in that same area.

The resident said the community finds it strange that the illegal airstrip is only now being discovered, when GDF officials have at some point traversed that area due to their presence at the border.

“If the Police and soldiers were serious about il-

G Division Commander visits NOC

… urges juvenile offenders not to lose hope

G Division Commander Stephen Mansell speaking to the students at the NOC on Wednesday

C

ommander of Police G Division, Senior Superintendent Stephen Mansell, has visited the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) at Onderneeming, on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two, following the recent breakout in which 11 students fled that institution.

During the commander’s visit on Wednesday, he called on the juveniles to aim high and not to lose hope, and urged them to turn their negatives into positives and to change their lives by grasping opportunities available to them.

Mansell admonished: “Keep in mind that, for the time being spent at the facility, you are here to learn a skill; you are not here to engage in misconduct. It is our hope that, upon completing your time at the facility, you graduate with a skill that (would) assist you in your personal development.

Guyana needs you… you are

the future, so we urge you all to make hay while the sun shines.”

Commander Mansell also committed the efforts of the Force in building stronger relationships with the facility, and to offer lectures and music classes to students. He promised to send a rank to hold talks with the students, and to arrange for music classes to be held at the Anna Regina Police Station every Saturday.

He also invited the youths to participate in Region Two’s upcoming fair, titled, “Show Young Guyana”, which will be held on September 30th at Damon Square in Anna Regina. This fair is aimed at showcasing youth entrepreneurship, job creation, craft, poetry and pageantry; and Mansell believes this fair would give students at the facility an opportunity to showcase their new skills, thus making themselves

marketable for employment.

Six female and five male inmates escaped from the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) at Onderneeming last Sunday, reportedly by stealing the keys to the facility and unlocking the doors.

According to the Police, two females were recaptured shortly after, and the others were recaptured at about 06:00h on Monday, not far from the facility.

Two inmates, having recently escaped from this facility, had burgled the home of Member of Parliament Haimraj Rajkumar and stolen boots, perfumes and clothing valued $129,000.

The teens, a 16-year-old from West Coast Berbice and a 17-year-old from La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, were recaptured on July 26 and admitted to the offence in court. A probation report is pending, following which their sentences will be handed down.

The illegal aircraft that was found

legal aircraft landing there, they would have secured this place and patrol the area constantly, but they have left it open,” he opined.

Further, the resident told Guyana Times that there is some confusion as to where exactly the illegal airstrip and aircraft were discovered.

He noted that while media reports have said it was in Yupukari, this is not exactly true. In fact, the area according to him, which is located five kilometres West of Santa Fe, Rupununi, is referred to as ‘Manda Claro,’ a Brazilian name that was given to the area.

“They were blaming us.

The aircraft was found about 26 miles from Yupukari and 26 miles from other satellite communities. And it is not even in Yupukari land. It is

in the proposed extension.

The impression being created was that if the aircraft was found there, then we should know,” he lamented.

On Sunday, August 13, Police intercepted an illegal Beechcraft Kingair aircraft minutes after it landed. It is currently registered to Banco Brandesco – one of Brazil’s third largest banks.

However, an official from the bank had said that while the financial institution does not own any planes, the aircraft is registered to the bank since the owner may have acquired a loan to purchase it.

During the search of the aircraft, several pieces of communication equipment, including cellular phones, flashlights, a quantity of dried ration, medical supplies and identification

cards were discovered. The ID cards were later found to be that of a Venezuelan and a Brazilian.

Following the discovery of the plane, an extensive search was mounted by a Joint Services team for the men. F Division (Interior locations) Commander, Ravindradat Budhram noted that a search of the area unearthed three abandoned camps, in which canned food and other items were found.

Additionally, 16 ten-gallon containers, which are suspected to have contained aviation fuel, had also been discovered.

A mining company named Riwa SA Incorporated Investments and participants operates the aircraft and no trace of narcotic was found. When the plane was found, three men were reportedly seen running from the landed aircraft.

The plane’s discovery came less than two weeks after an illegal airstrip was discovered. It was in early August that this airstrip had been unearthed about five kilometres West of Santa Fe, Rupununi, by members of the GDF who were patrolling the area.

12 news

thursDAY, august 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Land CoI hears

NCN still legally owns ‘Pradoville 2’ Lands – SOCU Head

By Lakhram Bhagirat

H

ead of the Special O r g a n i s e d Crimes Unit (SOCU), Assistant Police Commissioner Sydney James, told the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into ancestral land ownership that the National Communications Network (NCN) is still the legal owner of the controversial SparendaamGoedverwagting Housing Scheme, commonly referred to as ‘Pradoville 2.’

James told the CoI that SOCU is currently investigating the findings of the forensic audits of the Central Planning and Housing Authority, the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited and Pradoville 2.

Sydney James, Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (Commission of Inquiry photo)

transfer of lands under the Public Corporations Act. He explained that transport #381 of November 4, 1920, states that 15.25

gally exchanged with NCN nor was a proper vesting order or other instruments effective to remove the ownership of the land from NCN,” James testified.

Based on SOCU’s investigations, he said, the land was transferred from the British Guiana Broadcasting Company to the National Communications Network and there is a vesting order.

The vesting order, vested to the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited. Order 6 of 2004, this order was made by former President Bharrat Jagdeo on February 5, 2004, dissolving the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation and Guyana Television transferring the assets to NCN and NICIL and among the assets of this or-

Commissioners of the Lands Commission of Inquiry. From left: Berlinda Persaud, Professor Rudolph James, David James, Chairman Reverend George Chuck-A-Sang, Paulette Henry, Lennox Caleb, and Carol Khan James (Commission of Inquiry photo)

He made those revelations at the CoI when he testified on Wednesday. He told the Commissioners that the issue of land titling became a subject of their investigation after perusal of audit reports and submitted a statement to the CoI detailing several discrepancies in the vesting and

acres of land was transported to the British Guiana Broadcasting Company and subsequently NCN. “The order vested in the area of GoedverwagtingSparendaam into a company National Communications Network Incorporated that land was never sold or le-

der transferred to NCN was the area of land at North Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, comprising of 649,653 square feet, he told the CoI. James said that during their investigation, one man by the name of Fitzroy McKenzie produce documentations that showed that the

Pomeroon farmer Muriel Allen (Commission of Inquiry photo)

area on which Pradoville 2 sits might be ancestral lands bought in the early 1800s by some 65 freed slaves. However, he added that he urged McKenzie to produce the documents to the CoI since they were unable to verify its authenticity as well as the exact location of the land.

He added that there are some 67 such investigations involving NICIL and approximately 28 of those have been completed. The files are with the Police Legal Adviser for review.

Earlier the Commission heard from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) Manager of Land Administration, Michael Hutson, who said that the application for lands at SparendaamGoedverwagting Housing Scheme did not pass through his department. He added that the transaction was done through NICIL, which has a tendency to intermeddle in the Commission’s affairs.

“And it’s our view that

based on order #36 of 2004, NICIL should have only kept lands that had infrastructural development on it for privatisation and should have reverted all other lands under the authority of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys,” Hutson told the Commissioners.

Manager of Surveys at GL&SC, Rene Duesbury, told the tribunal that he was satisfied that all statutory requirements were followed in relation to the Pradoville 2 Housing Settlement. He added that the request for land at Goedverwagting came from NICIL but pointed out that his department only did the conveyance plan and not the surveying.

CH&PA Director of Operations, Denise KingTudor told the Commission that she could not say if there was a breach in the protocol in the access of the lands at SparendaamGoedverwagting Housing Scheme but noted that the normal application process was not followed.

She explained that the transfer of documents was not signed at the CH&PA nor were payments made to the Authority as per norm adding that there are no documentation to confirm the transaction nor any records of the application within the CH&PA database.

Meanwhile, Pomeroon farmer, Muriel Allen said her 3000 acres of leased and licensed lands are under threat since the GL&SC had no documentation of her owning it. She added that she had to provide the Authority with all her documents so that they can create a file for her within their database.

Violet Jean-Baptiste

Violet Jean-Baptiste of the African Cultural Development Association (Commission of Inquiry photo)

of the African Cultural Development Association (ACDA) also made a presentation before the Commission.

The CoI was established under the Commission of Inquiry Act, to examine and make recommendations to resolve all issues and uncertainties surrounding the claims of Amerindian land titling; the individual, joint or communal ownership of lands acquired by freed Africans, and any matters relating to land titling in Guyana. However, the Amerindian lands aspect of the CoI have been put on hold until further notice.

The Commission is headed by Reverend Oswald Peter Chuck-A-Sang and includes other members such as Paulette Henry, David James, Carol Khan-James, Professor Rudolph James, Lennox Caleb and Berlinda Persaud. The public hearings are being conducted at the GL&SC Secretariat in Durban Backlands.

news

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thursDAY, august 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Hard work, dedication spurs Guyana records 5.8% increase results – top CAPE student in CAPE percentage pass rate

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By Shemuel Fanfair

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ne of the two top performers at this year’s Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) has highlighted the winning combination he had used to attain his remarkable achievement.

“Hard work and dedication,” CAPE student Vamandev Hiralall told Guyana Times in an interview, was his motto; and it has led to his success over the past three years – first at CSEC and then at CAPE. The Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN) student secured eight grade ones at CAPE this year, sharing the top spot with St Rose’s student Shawn Shewram.

Hiralall, however, amassed 13 grade ones and 3 grade twos in 16 CAPE units over the two-year period. This awarded him a Government scholarship to the University of the West Indies, where he will soon pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine and Surgery.

Hiralall explained that his passion for the medical field came from his involvement in a project which saw him conducting surveys on diabetes and hypertension in various villages, allowing him much interaction.

“I surveyed residents of a rural village and I gathered information on their lifestyle and physical body, and I did hypertension and diabetes screening,” he noted.

Hiralall’s academic performance over the last three years has been consistent with the 20 ones and the one grade two that he achieved at CSEC in 2015.

Commenting on calls to reduce or limit the number of subjects that candidates can write, the budding medical

Top performer Vamandev Hiralall amassed 16 units over 2 years at CAPE

Another top CAPE performer, Shawn Shewram of St Rose’s High

doctor suggested that capacity of each student must be considered.

“I disagree with that sentiment of capping the number of subjects. Every student has potential. I believe the better thing to do would be to assess every student’s potential to see how many subjects they can write.

Knowledge is not a burden, so when opportunity comes to a person a lot, they should take it,” the young man reasoned.

“If you want to make a change for the better, you must be willing to sacrifice your time to dedicate to your studies, if you want to keep your goals,”Hiralall observed.

He also highlighted that avoiding the influence and frequent use of technological devices was among the sacrifices he had made in order to maintain his consistent academic performance.

“In order to achieve my goals, I had to consistently work on them, and have that mindset all the time,” he noted.

Hiralall added that the

school he attended played an instrumental part in keeping him in line, and this had allowed him to remain focused.

St Rose’s shines

And Shawn Shewram, in a brief interview on Tuesday, said he was relieved, and contented with his results after all the hard work he had invested to attain his success.

“Sixth Form has been one of the biggest challenges that I’ve ever taken part of, and there were many times I doubted myself and wanted to close my books, but I knew that this was something I started and knew I had to finish,” Shewram explained.

The teenager has secured grade ones in 8 CAPE units, and noted that he intends to pursue a degree in Law. “Be dedicated, put your best foot forward, and always believe in yourself,” was the encouragement that Shewram offered to others, echoing the sentiments of this year’s top CSEC student.

ight hundred and fifty-one candidates from nine public secondary schools and four private institutions across Guyana sat the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) in 2017, achieving a 92.57 per cent pass rate, an increase of 5.8 per cent as opposed to 86.74 per cent in 2016.

The Education Ministry confirmed that 16.47 per cent of the entries achieved Grade Ones, 22.90 per cent attained Grade Twos, while 22.93 per cent attained Grade Threes. 18.08 per cent attained Grade Fours, while 13 per cent of the students managed to secure Grade Fives.

This year’s top CAPE performances were recorded from Saraswati Vidya Niketan, St Rose’s High School and Queens College among others.

Among the top performers are Vamanadev Hiralall of Saraswati Vidya Niketan and Shawn Shewram of St Rose’s High and Shawn Shewram of St Rose’s High and who each secured Grade One passes in eight units.

Queen’s College also saw outstanding performances from students such as Ashley Anthony, a Guyana Times columnist, and Shannon Woodroofe who each copped seven units with six Grade Ones and one Grade Two. “I feel relieved and contented because I know that I would’ve put in a lot of hard work and to know that everything is unfolding like

Education Minister Nicolette Henry speaking during the release of the 2017 CSEC results

this is something to be relieved about. Sixth Form has been one of the biggest challenges that I’ve taken and there were many times when I doubted myself and many times I wanted to close my book… but I knew that this was something that I did and something that I started so this is something that I had to finish”, Shawn Shewram said in an interview with the Guyana Times.

Meanwhile, Nations School of Business and Management recorded exceptional results at the Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level Examinations with 100 per cent passes in Chemistry, Economics and English.

Hannibal Gaskin sat the Advanced Level examinations and scored grade a distinction in Chemistry and Grade A (one) in Maths,

while securing a Grade B in Physics.

Other remarkable performances came from Shamita Bhagwandas, Sandhya Meerah and Cindyann Khan. Top performers at the Advanced Subsidiary Level were Kayshav Tewari who attained A grades in Economics, Law, Maths and Sociology, while Ryan Benschop and Arun Kanhai each secured Grades A and B in four units.

A synopsis of the general CAPE performance provided by the Education Ministry detailed that this year saw 100 per cent pass rate in 30 units.

Green Engineering, Animation and Gaming Design and Digital Media were written for the first time this year, with 100 per cent pass rates in each of the named areas.

14 news

thursDAY, august 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

School cleaners complain about inadequate cleaning supplies

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recent meeting between sweeper/ cleaners attached to schools in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Region 10 Representative, Maurice Butters, has uncovered numerous complaints of issues affecting these workers, employed by the Region 10 Administration.

Among the issues highlighted by the group of female cleaners, drawn mainly from various primary and secondary schools in Linden, was the shortage or insufficiency of cleaning agents, including bleach, soap powder and Jeyes Fluid, given them.

During discussion with

“A small bottle of Marvex does got to use between seven of us” the GPSU representative, who was also made aware of numerous other issues, the cleaners complained that, given the situation, their requests for additional supplies in times of need are often not granted by head teachers.

Some indicated that the supply of cleaning agents they receive comprise half a sachet of soap powder, half-gallon bleach, and a

GPSU Representative Maurice Butters and cleaners at the meeting held in Linden

large bottle of Fabuloso; and these are expected to last for up to three months.

Others noted that similarly meagre supplies sometimes would have to be divided between numerous cleaners. “Sometimes we get one bag (sachet) of soap powder for three persons. Sometimes the

ing and complain,” an affected cleaner pointed out.

The need for an adequate supply of Jeyes Fluid to satisfactorily clean a school was noted. “The place need a lot of Jeyes, because the children does urinate all over the place,” yet another cleaner pointed out.

“We get 1 bag of soap powder for three persons. Sometimes the half-gallon bleach got to divide half and half between some of us. When it finish, sometimes the school (still) stink, and everybody coming and complain.” half-gallon bleach got to divide half and half between some of us. When it finish, sometimes the school (still) stink, and everybody com-

A cleaner from one of the secondary schools noted, “A small bottle of Marvex does got to use between seven of us”; while

yet another complained bitterly about the insufficiency of cleaning agents: “I does get a half-bottle of bleach, lil soap powder and a Fabuloso. That is it!” she noted.

Butters noted that what was relayed to him by the

Region 10 Administration was that head teachers would requisition the cleaning materials before they are uplifted and taken to the schools for distribution among the cleaners.

He alluded, however, that while the supplies appear to reach the schools, adequate amounts do not appear to trickle down to the cleaners.

“It is telling me that the supply goes to the schools, but it is not going down to the cleaners for them to do their jobs,” he said.

Cleaners further explained that they are often given additional tasks, such as washing curtains, walls and table cloths, without any additional payment.

This, according to Butters, is in contravention of what was agreed to. “I have a document which states that

the washing of linen at the schools will be paid for...but some are not honouring it,” the GPSU Representative pointed out.

The cleaners also indicated that there are dysfunctional toilets at several schools in the region.

Many times those toilets are “backed up”, thus make the cleaning task onerous.

“When you flush, everything backing up and going on the floor,” one cleaner noted. Addressing additional issues, Butters said some cleaners are even made to fetch water to complete tasks. “There are some schools (where), when there is a water problem, (cleaners) are made to fetch the water to wherever they have to do the work. And these buildings are two-storeyed,” he said.

Woman still at large after stabbing abusive husband

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hirty-year-old craft woman Wavney John of Dredge Creek, Upper Pomeroon River, a Region Two community, is still at large after allegedly stabbing dead her reputed husband, 54-year-old Alfo Adams, aka ‘Fro’, with a pair of scissors at about midday on Monday, August 21, 2017 at Dredge Creek Upper Pomeroon River.

Detectives from Police ‘G’ Division have combed several areas in the dense forest of the Pomeroon riverine community where the incident occurred, and have made several checks at various ports of entry along the coast, but up to press time those checks had proven futile.

Police are, however, continuing their investigations into the incident which has led to the death of Adams, a labourer of Himacobra, Moruca, North West

District, Region One, who is alleged to have tragically lost his life after aggravating and insulting his wife, accusing her of having an affair with her cousin.

According to reports, the suspect had, for the past six years, been living in an abusive relationship, and the deceased was said to have been in the habit of accusing his wife of having an affair with her cousin whenever he consumed alcohol.

The couple had reportedly spawned an 18-monthold child and had been residing at Himacobra, Moruca, but because of the constant abusive behaviour of the deceased, John was forced to relocate to Dredge Creek to live with her aunt.

Adams had reportedly showed up at John’s residence at about 07:00h on Monday, but the suspect and her aunt were then selling craft creations at Charity

Market. He was seen imbibing at a nearby shop, and at about 11:00h, he reportedly followed John and her aunt into the boat in which they were travelling to return home.

As the women went about their daily chores where they lived, Adams, who was by then intoxicated, started to slap John, accusing her of having an affair; and reportedly to defend herself, John is alleged to have grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed Adams to his chest. Adams fell to the ground, and was rushed to the Oscar Joseph Hospital at Charity, where he succumbed.

Police ranks, including Commander Stephen Mansell, subsequently visited the home where the incident occurred, but the pair of scissors was not recovered.

Police are continuing their investigations. (Indrawattie Natram)

thursDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Sherman Austin: “In business, I have learnt to be a man of strength”

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oat builder. Farmer.

Businessman.

Contractor.

The can-do attitude of Jacklow, Pomeroon native Sherman Austin has seen him move from being a skilled artisan turning plank and board into watercraft of strength and speed perserving a family tradition that stretches back decades to operating four businesses under the S Austin and Daughters label.

Running multiple businesses is at times very stressful and very fatiguing, but rewarding, he says.

“Sometimes, you go to bed at 12 o’clock (at night) and wake up at 4 o’clock...but you get to like it being a businessman.”

The son of a boatbuilder and carpenter, Austin said: “From the time I knew myself I have been around boats, so that’s how the boatbuilding part came.”

He built his first boats under the supervision of his father. But when he came of age and “was first starting out”, he moved to Trinidad and turned his skills to the construction industry there.

“Going out in another man’s country is hard,” he said as he reminisced on that period of his life before he returned home and to the craft he inherited. “A lot of people want to go foreign...Stay in your own country and develop it.

People say America is nice, but who developed America -- people from other countries. Guyana have everything, you just have to use it,” he reflected.

Now some 22 years later, the former Cotton Field Secondary School student

has built, with the help of his family, hundreds of boats and diversified subsequently into farming, the greens trade and construction. He went into farming, cultivating citrus, ground provisions and avocados about 10 years ago after a slowdown in the boatbuilding business occasioned by increased competition, as longtime builders found themselves under siege by

new entrants, some of whom weren’t afraid to copy others’ ideas. The uncertainty that most farmers live with of not knowing what prices crops will ultimately fetch and whether they will have buyers soon prompted Austin, after a bad experience, to start taking his produce and other farmers’ which he would purchase straight to Georgetown to retail and wholesale.

“I had this woman who was coming (to Charity) to buy apple banana at $25 a pound, and by the time I reached she already had some, so the price dropped to $15. And I said no, no, this can’t work. I told my wife when I got home: ‘Press my clothes. I am going to Georgetown to sell these things.”

He noted that he “learnt to be a man of strength” and to prevail through challenges to maintain the business. “ That is the reason I started - to help my (Pomeroon) farmers...”

“Going into a business is not easy, you have to be strong and not give up, be determined.”

The father of three Britney, Chelsea and

Market statistics Cambio Rates

Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Bank of Guyana Cur

Buying

Calculated at 94% purity, August 24, 2017

Selling

USD

$205.98

$208.44

CAN

$163.76

$165.66

EURO

$242.85

$245.95

$263.8

$267.15

GBP

USD

$1286.45

Gross

$251,224

Net

$233,639

Indicators as on August 23, 2017 Indicators

US$ per barrel

Crude Oil

$52.57

Price

USD

Rough Rice

$268.79/ton

London Sugar

$363.10/ton

Live Spot Gold

Change %

+1.33 Change %

-2.00 -0.99 USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1287.20

$1288.20

Low/High

$1287.20

$1288.60

Change

-3.10

-0.24%

Business Concept - Zoning Legislative process that divides privately-owned urban areas into different zones (such as residential, commercial, industrial) according to the specified land use. Each zone is regulated as to the density, location, size, and type of buildings permitted therein. (Business Dictionary)

Kaitlyn - who disclosed that he is planning to move to the East Bank of Demerara to facilitate his daughters’ education, is aiming to further expand his green business beyond his four stalls at Bourda Green to a mobile and a fruits only unit.

With a quiet confidence

that was palpable, Austin advised budding entrepreneurs to be “yourself and develop your own business tactics: if you see a man selling a pear for $500 and you know you bought yours for $200, you don’t have to sell it for $500, sell it for $300.”

Drawing on his experience with the family business, he believes that easier access to finance and the setting of factories to utilise local produce would encourage youths and others to get involved in agri business and other entrepreneurial activities.

He said ultimately business was about customers: “ if you get a customer, care your customer”.

Austin, who has just completed building a structure at Charity as his contracting business develops, urged that would-be businessmen and women “be friendly, be straight, do an honest business, be honest with yourself and treat everybody the way you would want to be treated.”

“We are here to help whoever needs help in whatever way you see for yourself.

When you try to lift your standards, there are people out there trying to pull you down (but) success is being yourself. Money is not everything. Set goals. Success doesn’t come in a day. You have to work at it, and it is the people around you who help you rise.

You cannot rise by yourself, so you have to treat them well.”

Contact: 663-8278

Business News

Stocks recede after fiery Trump rally

U

S markets closed lower on Wednesday, sliding back after President Donald Trump gave a fiery speech suggesting more political drama lies ahead.

At a rally in Arizona on Tuesday, Trump said he would be willing to shut down the government if Congress resists funding a border wall.

He also said he was still considering terminating the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4 per cent to 21,812 points.

The wider S&P 500 index fell 0.35 per cent to 2444 points, while the Nasdaq fell 0.2 per cent to 6284 points.

Consumer stocks led the losses, while real estate and energy firms enjoyed a bounce.

The losses came after a broad market rise

on Tuesday, when share prices regained some of the ground lost in recent weeks.

After share prices touched record highs earlier this summer, investors have been cautious, rattled by rising tension with North Korea and domestic controversy surrounding the President.

Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist for US Bancorp Wealth Management, says he expects stock gains to remain in check in coming weeks, part of a regular seasonal dip.

Investors are also concerned about the prospect of political fights next month, when Congress will be considering a budget proposal and are likely to be asked to raise the debt limit.

“Conditions seem ripe for equities to hover in ‘pause mode’, with risks

seemingly on the rise,” he wrote. “Political uncertainty remains ongoing, valuations are full and technical trendlines are showing signs of modest deterioration.”

In 2013, a fight over the debt limit led to a Government shutdown that disrupted the US economy, particularly in states closely tied to the federal government and its contractors.

Economists say scrapping Nafta would also hurt business in the US, which counts Canada and Mexico among its biggest trade partners.

Retailer Lowe’s fell 3.7 per cent after reporting lower than expected growth in the quarter.

United Technologies bounced 1.1 per cent after a report suggested that it may be the target of activist investors. (BBC News)

16

guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, august 24, 2017

Regional

Trinidad ISIS fighter Dozens missing as boat sinks in Brazil’s Xingu River on UN terror list

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rinidadian Shane Crawford is on a United Nations Terrorism Sanctions List for his joining terrorists fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Office of the Attorney General in Port of Spain in a statement on Monday stated that the UN Security Council had established a committee referred to as ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, which imposed sanctions against Crawford on August 18, the Trinidad Guardian reported.

Crawford, who also goes by the name Abu Sa’d a Trinidadi, appeared in an ISIS recruitment video last

Jihadist Shane Crawford (Trinidad Guardian)

year where he called on Muslims in Trinidad and Tobago to commit acts of violence against “non-believers”.

Crawford, the release stated. was listed following a proposal submitted by the Trinidad and Tobago government.

The attorney general obtained an order from the High Court in Port of Spain on March 31 and declared Crawford a listed entity and ordered that his funds be frozen pursuant to the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The attorney general confirmed that other applications under the AntiTerrorism Act are currently before the courts, and that further listings and other actions are under consideration, the Guardian reported. (Caribbean News Now)

PM Browne prepared to legislate stiffer penalties for gun crimes

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revision of the laws governing gun crimes in Antigua and Barbuda is one of the strategies that should be put in place in order to reduce those offences, according to Prime Minister Gaston Browne.

In an interview with Observer media, Browne lamented that convicts have become repeat offenders because of the short prison terms they receive, and suggested that there should be a revision of the gun crime laws.

“One of my disappointments is that I find that our magistrates have some of them going in and out of jail within a year. You have to put them away for a lon-

Prime Minister Gaston Browne

ger period,” Browne said. “If they’re not prepared to do it, we’ll go to Parliament and change the law and mandate that they do so.”

The Prime Minister’s

comments were in response to the spate of gun-related crimes being committed across the country, and shortly after three men were charged with murder and shooting with intent to murder.

Police charged Dorian Marshall, Shalom Bailey, and Jason Millet with the offences, on Monday, after a 20-year-old woman, Xavier Thomas, died from injuries she sustained during a drive-by shooting in Cedar Grove on Friday night.

Two men – 49-year-old Lorne “TI” Nicholas, and Sean Matthew, 32, were also wounded in the attack and required treatment in the hospital. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

Venezuela ex-Prosecutor: I have proof of Maduro corruption

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enezuela's dismissed Chief Prosecutor says she has proof of corruption within the top leadership, including evidence against President Nicolás Maduro.

Luisa Ortega Diaz also accused two party leaders and the new Prosecutor.

Ortega, who fled Venezuela last week after she was sacked and her husband charged with extortion, says her life is still in danger.

She faces charges of misconduct, amid allegations she ignored corruption cases sent to her while in office.

The ex-Prosecutor's latest comments came at a press conference in the Brazilian capital, where she alleged that President Maduro had been involved in a bribery scheme centred on the Brazilian construction giant, Odebrecht.

"I want to denounce, in front of the world, a grave situation in Venezuela: that of excessive corruption,"

A

boat carrying about 70 people has sunk on a major river in northern Brazil, leaving at least 10 dead and dozens more missing, according to authorities.

The bodies of a teenager and a child were among those recovered on Wednesday, state security officials said.

In an updated toll, the public security office of the state of Para said that only 15 people made it to the shore, not the 25 initially

reported. At least 45 others were missing.

Authorities said the boat was travelling on the Xingu River when it sank late on Tuesday. The cause was not immediately clear.

"Searches are continuing above and below water," Augusto Lima, from the Para firefighters' service, told the Folha de S Paulo newspaper. "It's a hard-toaccess area and of the three aircraft we sent, one is there just to act as a communications base," he said.

The Folha newspaper reported that the vessel left on Monday night from Santarem and was heading to Vitoria do Xingu.

Travel by river is common in Brazil's northern states, which include the Amazon rainforest and have relatively fewer major roads.

In early August, a cargo vessel collided with a tugboat on the Amazon River, also in the state of Para.

Only two people were rescued out of 11 aboard the tugboat. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Soldiers to join forces with Police to tackle gun violence in Barbados

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s law enforcement authorities fight growing gun violence and gun-related crime, Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite says the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) will be called to action.

The announcement came as he warned that unless something is done to curb the violence, the island’s security would be at risk.

“Recently, we have seen an increase in gun violence and gun-related crime which, if left unchecked, will result in further deterioration in national security and public safety of this island,” he said.

“The Barbados Defence Force will be called upon to support the Royal Barbados Police Force in ensuring public safety. You, the men and women of the Force, must stand ready to answer such a call to cull this scourge, this menace to our society. You must stand together, stand and be counted as part of a strong Force; a vanguard which will not allow a few miscreants to threaten this small island and dictate to the masses with their deviancy.”

The BDF has already assisted police in several drug operations, which

Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite says the Barbados Defence Force will be called upon to support The Royal Barbados Police Force in ensuring public safety

have resulted in the seizure of BdsS$36 million (US$18 million) in drugs.

About 11,400 pounds of compressed marijuana, 28,000 marijuana plants, and 370 kilogrammes of cocaine have been sized. The joint operations have also resulted in 17 vessels being seized and 51 people being apprehended.

The Attorney General noted that since the BDF’s inception in 1979 to guard against primarily external threats of a military nature, a changing global society had created the need for Barbados to be vigilant and cognisant that it was not immune to home grown or external threats to its sovereignty. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Chile’s Atacama Desert: World’s driest place in bloom after surprise rain

Ortega made her allegations after meeting regional prosecutors in Brazil

Ortega said. "I have a lot of proof, concretely in the Odebrecht case, which implicates many high-ranking Venezuelans, starting with the president of the republic."

She implicated the Vice President of the governing PSUV party, Diosdado Cabello, and party leader Jorge Rodriquez in the Odebrecht case. She also ac-

cused the new Venezuelan prosecutor, Tarek Saab, of corruption related to the country's state oil company, PDVSA. But Saab has dismissed her allegations, saying: "There is no validity in what an ex-prosecutor can say after ten years of inaction against any of the people she is talking about now." (Excerpt

from BBC News)

A

fter intense and unexpected rain fell in the north of Chile, parts of the usually arid Atacama desert have turned into a carpet of flowers. The "desierto florido" (flowering desert) phenomenon usually occurs every five to seven

years when rains cause buried seeds to germinate and flower.

But this bloom comes just two years after a a particularly colourful flowering in 2015. More than 200 species of plant have been found to grow in the area.

The spectacle draws visitors and botanists from Chile and further afield.

Tourism officials said they hoped more flowers would bloom in the coming weeks as different species germinate at different times. (BBC News)

thursDAY, august 24, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

11

Around the World

Air strikes near Houthi checkpoint Angolans choose new leader to replace Jose kill at least 35 in Yemen

A

t least 35 people were killed in air strikes that hit a hotel near a Houthi-controlled outpost outside the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday, a medic said, and a Saudi-led coalition spokesman said it conducted the strike against its Houthi adversary.

The coalition spokesman said a "legitimate military high-value target" was hit in Arhab district, North of Sanaa. "The ones who perished were members of an armed renegade group," he said in a reference to the Houthis who are aligned with Iran.

The roof of the hotel collapsed, leaving at least two

Air strikes near Houthi checkpoint kill at least 35 in Yemen

bodies dangling from the building in the Arhab area, about 20 km (13 miles) from Sanaa, a Reuters witness said.

Al-Masira TV, which is

run by the armed Houthi group that controls northern Yemen, quoted the Sanaa governorate as saying the death toll had risen to at least 46 "martyrs". It did

not immediately make a direct reference to civilians or fighters.

Yehia Hussein, an emergency worker in the Houthicontrolled area, said "SaudiAmerican aggressors" targeted the hotel, which had been hosting around 100 people.

Medics found 35 corpses as well as body parts, he said. "There are almost 13 wounded and the rest of the victims are still under the rubble," Hussein added.

The ground-floor structure of the gray concrete building was still standing but the upper level was reduced to rubble with metal wires splayed into the air.

(Excerpt from Yahoo! News)

Saudi Macarena boy's father pledges not to violate public morals

S

audi Police have released a 14-year-old boy who was filmed dancing to the Macarena at an intersection in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, according to local media reports.

The video, which went viral on social media in the kingdom in recent days, shows the boy wearing headphones, grey shorts, a striped T-shirt and neon

green and yellow Crocs. He is swaying his hips and arms to the 90s hit song, and smiling and giggling throughout.

The State-linked al-Riyadh news website quoted Col Aati bin Attiyah al-Qurashi as saying the 14-year-old Arab national had been brought to police along with his father, who was asked to sign a pledge vowing to protect his son

China demands US immediately withdraw N Korea sanctions, warns will hit ties

C

hina demanded the United States immediately withdraw a package of sanctions on companies and individuals trading with North Korea on Wednesday, and said the decision by the Trump Administration will damage Sino-US ties.

The Treasury Department placed sanctions Tuesday on 10 companies and six individu-

Security Council sanctions under Chinese law.

It added that it opposed sanctions outside the framework of the Security Council.

“China especially opposes any country conducting 'long-arm jurisdiction' over Chinese entities and individuals,” spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference. “Measures taken by the United States are not helpful in solving

and not to violate public morals. Qurashi said the boy was then swiftly released from custody.

Police said the video appeared to be a year old. On Tuesday, state-linked news websites reported that the boy had been detained for disrupting traffic and improper public behaviour after the video resurfaced.

Western music and danc-

A als from China and Russia that it said had conducted business with North Korea in ways that advanced the country’s missile and nuclear weapons program.

But China’s Foreign Ministry insisted its government had fully implemented UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea, and would punish anyone caught violating the

the problem and unhelpful to mutual trust and cooperation. We ask the United States to stop the relevant wrong practices immediately.”

Yet despite China’s professed opposition to unilateral sanctions, it has not hesitated to punish other countries through trade if they refuse to do Beijing’s bidding. (Excerpt from MSN)

from The Guardian)

A

Young people say job creation is a top priority (EPA)

ngolans have voted in a parliamentary election marking the end of nearly four decades in power for President José Eduardo Dos Santos. Dos Santos is not contesting the poll, but his party the MPLA is expected to be victorious when the results are announced later this week.

The presidency would then pass to former Defence Minister João Lourenço.

His main challenger is Isias Samakuva, from the MPLA's rival in the 27year civil war, Unita.

However, Dos Santos, whose 38-year reign makes him the world's second-longest serving president, will remain in control of the ruling MPLA party. Under Angola's voting system, people are choosing both the candidate and party in

the same election.

Analysts says the MPLA, which has been in power since independence from Portugal in 1975, is likely to win. However, the election is taking place in a country where, according to Amnesty International, citizens "have lived in a climate of fear in which speaking out was met with intimidation (and) imprisonment".

In the previous election, the Casa-CE alliance gained the third most seats. It is led by Abel Chivukuvuku, who split from Unita.

Voters queued for the opening of polling stations this morning in Angola's capital Luanda. The elderly were let in first to decide who will replace President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Kim Wall: Headless India's railway body identified as chairman resigns missing journalist after 2 derailments

Missing Swedish journalist Kim Wall

North Korea's missile programme

ing is taboo in Saudi Arabia, but such incidents in the past have not necessarily led to lengthy imprisonment or serious punishment.

Traditional dance is permitted. The Saudi king Salman and Donald Trump were filmed taking part in a traditional allmale Saudi sword dance in May when the US president visited the kingdom to boost ties. (Excerpt

Eduardo dos Santos

headless torso found in waters off Denmark has been identified as missing Swedish journalist Kim Wall, Danish Police say. DNA from the torso matched that from Wall's hairbrush and toothbrush.

Chief investigator Jens Moller Jensen said that the torso had been weighted down with metal in an apparent attempt to stop it floating. Wall was last seen alive on 10 August as she departed on a submarine trip with inventor Peter Madsen.

The submarine sank hours after the search for Wall began, after her partner reported that she had

not returned from the trip.

Madsen, who designed and built the submarine, was charged with negligent manslaughter and is in detention.

He initially said he had dropped her off safely near Copenhagen, but has since said she died in an accident and that he had "buried" her at sea.

Danish police believe the 40-tonne submarine was deliberately sunk by Mr Madsen.

Traces of blood have been found inside the submarine, and they also match Ms Wall.

The remains were found on a beach south of Copenhagen on Monday.

Mr Jensen would not comment on the cause of death but said forensic investigations were still being carried out and police were looking for the rest of her body.

As well as the metal attached to the torso, Mr Jensen said the remains were mutilated in what appeared to be an attempt to ensure that decomposition gases passed out of the body, to make it less likely to float.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Emergency workers look for survivors in the wreckage of a carriage after a train derailed in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday

T

he administrative head of India's railways, AK Mittal, has resigned after two train derailments in five days in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The latest derailment injured more than 70 people, while one on Saturday killed at least 23 passengers and injured about 156.

Suresh Prabhu, the Railway Minister, claimed "full moral responsibility" in a meeting with the Prime Minister.

The Minister said he had also offered to step down but was asked to wait.

Mittal's resignation from the post of Chairman of the Railway Board comes after nine coaches of the Kaifiyat Express went off the rails on

Wednesday.

It was travelling from a district in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi. While no deaths have been reported so far, it follows Saturday's high-profile incident. Train disasters are fairly common in India, where much of the rail infrastructure and rolling stock is out of date.

According to data from the Ministry of Railways, the country saw 104 train accidents between 20162017. Last year, around 150 passengers were killed as an express train derailed, making the crash the deadliest in the past 14 years.

Derailments, in particular, were the reason for a just over half of train accidents between 2014-2015.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, august 24, 2017

ARCHIE

Emotions will be difficult to control. Look for the posi(March 21- tive in any situation you face.

April 19) A challenge should be met with intelligent action, not with brute force.

ARIES

Patience will be required TAURUS when dealing with peers.

(April 20- Joint ventures could turn out May 20) to be a nightmare if you and your partner(s) cannot agree on how much to invest and who is responsible for what.

dilbert

Consider the information GEMINI (May 21- you have been given and what June 20) is pertinent to the situation you face with a partner or someone asking too much of you, and do what’s necessary.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

Look for an innovative way to make your home and surroundings more comfortable and inviting. A discussion with a friend or relative will motivate you to make a personal adjustment.

Channel your energy into something that will make you happy, give you more time or provide an improved space to pursue your dreams.

Discipline will lead to progress and solid prospects.

Pour your heart and soul VIRGO into the things you enjoy doing (Aug. 23most. Surround yourself with Sept. 22)

good, hard-working, honest people and aim to reach your goals. Romance and partnerships are encouraged.

Take better care of your LIBRA (Sept. 23- health and protect your posiOct. 23) tion and reputation. Don’t feel the need to make an impulsive change to your lifestyle just because someone is pressuring you.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Use your charm and senSCORPIO sitivity to win favors and (Oct. 24make unique contributions to Nov. 22) a cause or effort. Romance is highlighted, but possessiveness must be curbed.

Confusion will take the SAGITTARIUS reins if you are gullible.

(Nov. 23- Question anything that apDec. 21) pears sketchy. If you feel you need space, visit a place that offers tranquility and peace of mind.

A business meeting will be

CAPRICORN informative. Share your con(Dec. 22- cerns and offer suggestions that Jan. 19) will make what’s being offered

solution for Last Published Puzzle

more enticing. Don’t go over budget. Romance is encouraged, but it shouldn’t be costly.

You may feel guilty if you

AQUARIUS don’t oblige someone asking for (Jan. 20- help. Before you commit your Feb. 19) time or money, consider if it will hinder you from taking care of personal responsibilities. Offer good advice and nothing more.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Share necessary informaPISCES (Feb. 20- tion, but not your opinions, March 20) passwords or secrets. A romantic or thoughtful gesture will improve a relationship with someone you care about.

thursdAY, august 24, 2017

Bolt not irreplaceable ‒American legend Lewis claims athletics could be better off

A

merican athletics legend Carl Lewis has urged the sport of track and field to hurry up and get over the recent departure of sprint king Usain Bolt, claiming there is a unique opportunity for things to be even better off.

The 31-year-old Jamaican sprinter called curtains on a glittering career following the London World Championships and many argue that he can never be replaced. During a 10year period, Bolt was indisputably the sport’s most recognisable name as he wowed audiences with stunning displays on the track and a unique brand of charisma off it.

In addition to world records over both the 100m and 200m sprints, Bolt achieved a medal haul of 8 Olympic and 11 World Championship gold medals, building a brand instantly recognisable across the globe.

Despite the sprinter’s historic achievements, however, Lewis believes the sport itself has suffered due to the focus being on one individual.

Contrary to most in the fraternity who worry about the health of athletics following the departure of the Bolt, Lewis has tipped the sport to be better off in

Usain Bolt

Carl Lewis

his absence.

“The sport is not just about one person. Nobody is irreplaceable. Track and field survived many civilisations.

Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson and now Usain Bolt. Men will all come and go but the sport will always remain,” Lewis told PTI. “We need to do more to build on the sport. We don’t need to follow that trend that we have been in the last

eight years, which was just about following one person,” he added.

“Our job is to fill the void. In the last 10 years, the sport has not grown as the focus was just on one man. The point is we need to build competition.

We now have a unique chance to rebuild and grow our sport. Now we have a chance to make a difference, grow our sport and not just grow yourself.”

(SportsMax)

Wayne Rooney announces end of England career

W

ayne Rooney announced his retirement from the England national team on Wednesday, ending a 14-year stint in which he became the country's top goalscorer with 53 goals.

Rooney said he had made the decision despite being told

by England manager Gareth Southgate that he would be recalled to the squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers.

"It was great that Gareth Southgate called me this week to tell me he wanted me back in the England squad for the upcoming matches. I really appreciated that," the 31-yearold said in a statement.

"However, having already thought long and hard, I told Gareth that I had now decided to retire for good from international football.

"It is a really tough decision and one I have discussed with my family, my manager at Everton and those closest to me."

"Every time I was selected as a player or captain was a real privilege and I thank everyone who helped me. But I believe now is the time to bow out," he added.

Rooney's decision comes

two days after he scored for Everton in their 1-1 draw at Manchester City in the Premier League and was widely praised for his performance.

It was Rooney's second goal in as many games for the club he rejoined last month after spending 13 years with Manchester United and prompted speculation over an England recall.

But the Liverpudlian has decided to concentrate all his efforts on his club career.

"Leaving Manchester United was a tough call but I know I made the right decision in coming home to Everton.

Now I want to focus all my energies on helping them be successful," he said.

Rooney earned his first cap against Australia in 2003 at the age of 17 years and 111 days to become the youngest player, at the time, to represent the national side. He also leaves as England's most-capped outfield player with 119 appearances.

The former England captain has not played for his country since a 3-0 win over Scotland at Wembley last November.

Rooney's goal on Monday meant he became only the second player to score 200 Premier League goals behind

19

Cavaliers send Irving to Celtics in blockbuster trade

T

he Boston Celtics have landed star point guard Kyrie Irving in a blockbuster NBA trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kyrie Irving got his wish and the Celtics got the star fans have been craving for years as Boston and the Cleveland Cavaliers finalised a blockbuster trade.

The Cavaliers and Celtics finalised a trade on Tuesday that sends Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 firstround pick.

Irving had asked for a trade out of Cleveland earlier this year, and the Cavs obliged.

"Kyrie is one of the best scorers in the NBA. He has proven that on the biggest stage, the NBA Finals, the last three years," Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said.

"He's been an NBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and a four-time AllStar. For all he's accomplished, we think his best years are ahead of him."

The rumour mill surrounding a potential Irving trade had

quietened in recent weeks, but it always seemed likely he would be playing for a different team during the upcoming season.

While the Cavaliers received a good haul in return for Irving's services, it was still shocking to see Cleveland agree to send him to an Eastern Conference rival.

Irving now has the chance to be the face of a storied franchise and will immediately have an opportunity to lead his new team to the NBA Finals.

Despite competing in three straight NBA Finals – winning one – the Cavs seemed to endure some discord this offseason with Dan Gilbert failing to renew former general manager David Griffin's contract. LeBron James exit rumours started to swirl shortly after, followed by Irving's desire to move to a different team.

Turmoil aside, the Cavs will likely start James, Thomas, Crowder, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson next season. They could also add Dwyane Wade and will be among the favourites to challenge the Golden State Warriors for the title. (SportsMax)

De Villiers commits to Test comeback ‒ but relinquishes ODI captaincy

A

Wayne Rooney

another former England striker Alan Shearer.

But while he won five Premier League titles and a Champions League, among other trophies, during his time at Old Trafford he remained without a medal for England, who have not won a major tournament since the World Cup in 1966.

"I will always remain a passionate England fan. One of my very few regrets is not to have been part of a successful England tournament side.

"Hopefully the exciting players Gareth is bringing through can take that ambition further and I hope everyone will get behind the team," said Rooney, who believed he would eventually see England triumph.

"One day the dream will come true and I look forward to being there as a fan - or in any capacity."(Reuters)

B de Villiers has resigned as South Africa one-day international captain but declared himself available to make a Test comeback in October.

De Villiers has not played a Test since January 2016 and the prolific batsman has come in for criticism during an indefinite break from the longest format.

Proteas Test and Twenty20 captain Faf du Plessis this month stated he does not expect his predecessor to return to the Test arena, adding that he has "earned the right to do whatever he wants to".

De Villiers on Wednesday ended uncertainty over his future by stepping down as ODI skipper after six years in the role, while committing himself to play for his country in all three formats.

AB de Villiers The 33-year-old has backed Du Plessis to replace him as ODI captain in what is expected to be a new era with Ottis Gibson as coach.

De Villiers will be in line to make his Test return against Australia next March, with the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh seemingly coming too soon.

He said: "A lot has been said and written over the past 12 months, and I feel it is time to make my position absolutely clear.

"Over the past year or so, I have tried to manage many commitments. I have felt mentally

and physically tired; my wife and I are bringing up two fantastic kids and playing in all three formats ever since 2004 has taken its toll.

"Together with Cricket South Africa, we have tried to develop a viable schedule which allows me to prolong my career for as long as possible.

"This strategy has prompted some people to say I am picking and choosing when to play for the Proteas, and even to suggest I am somehow putting myself before the team. That is simply not true. That has never been true. Playing for South Africa is, and will always be, the greatest privilege of my life. "Now to move forward.

Faf du Plessis has proved to be an outstanding captain of the T20 and Test teams, and bearing this in mind, I have informed Cricket South Africa that I would like to step down as captain of the ODI team.

"It has been an honour to lead the team for the past six years, but it is now time for someone else to take the ODI side forward. Whoever is chosen as the new ODI captain will have my complete support.

"Following this recent break, I really do feel refreshed and revived. I want to get back on the field and I have today assured the national selectors that I will be available for selection in all three formats of the game during the coming season.

"There is plenty of hard work ahead in the nets and I must prepare properly, but I will be ready to play, if required, from the middle of October onwards." (SportsMax)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursdAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

Windies squad promises Asafa Powell improved performance eyes 98th for 2nd Test sub-10 run in Zurich

W

est Indies coach Stuart Law has indicated that there is unlikely to be any changes to the team ahead of the second Test against England on Friday.

The regional team was walloped by 209 runs inside of just three days in an unevenly matched first Test at Headingley. Wilting under the dangerous attack of James Anderson and Stuart Broad the fledgling Windies lost an astounding 19 wickets in a day’s play.

Despite admitting the fact that the series is a mismatch Law, who remains confident in the team, expects a stronger performance in the second series.

“It is a mismatch in talent and a mismatch in experience,” Law told re-

porters at Headingley on Wednesday.

“Having said that, we are going to make sure we understand we need to fight hard,” he added.

“We understand there’s

West Indies coach Stuart Law

a lot of people out there who are disappointed in our per-

A

formance. But I can tell you right now there’s no one more disappointed than the dressing room themselves.”

While some have called for changes to the squad, Law believes the players could benefit from a vote of confidence.

“I think these guys need a chance to prove that they are good enough to play for the West Indies. They’ve got the opportunity to turn it around.” (SportsMax)

Washington football coach cannot pray after games ‒ US appeals court

A

high school football coach in Washington state has failed to persuade a federal appeals court to let him kneel and pray on the field immediately after games in sight of students and parents.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected Joseph Kennedy's request for an injunction requiring the Bremerton School District, located just outside Seattle, to reinstate him and allow his prayer.

Kennedy, a Christian, said the district violated his constitutional right to free speech under the First Amendment, including by putting him on paid leave in October 2015.

The varsity assistant coach's prayers on the 50yard line had often been joined by players and other coaches, including from opposing teams.

But in Wednesday's decision, Circuit Judge Milan Smith said Kennedy went

too far in trying to press his religious beliefs on "impressionable and captive" minds.

Smith said this could promote "disunity along religious lines," undermining the role of high school football games in letting American communities gather to root for their favorite teams and for children on the field.

"The constitutional significance of Kennedy's job responsibilities is plain - he spoke as a public employee, not as a private citizen, and his speech was therefore unprotected," Smith wrote for a three-judge panel.

Jeremy Dys, a lawyer for the advocacy group First Liberty Institute representing Kennedy, said his client is reviewing his legal options and may appeal.

"Banning public high school coaches from praying individually in public, just because they can be seen, is wrong," Dys said in an interview. "The opinion leads to absurd results, and could

forbid any outward displays of religion by a coach such as making a cross, or wearing a yarmulke or hijab."

Michael Tierney, a lawyer for the school district, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Andrew Nellis, a lawyer for Americans United for Separation of Church and State who also argued for the district, said the district's actions avoided an unconstitutional establishment of religion, a point Smith made in a separate opinion.

"It is a violation when a coach pressures students to follow his particular religious practices," Nellis said in an interview.

Kennedy did not apply for a coaching job for 2016 after the contracts for him and the other assistant coaches expired.

The case is Kennedy v Bremerton School District, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 16-35801. (Reuters)

fter a long layoff because of injury, former 100-metre world record holder Asafa Powell, is aiming for his 98th sub10 time when he lines up in the 100 metres at the Diamond League in Zurich on Thursday.

Powell, who spent Tuesday, interacting with children at a kids’ clinic, missed out on Jamaica’s team to the IAAF World Championships in London due to an Achilles injury. He had hoped to recover in time to be considered for selection to the relay squad but was unable to do so.

Now healthy, Powell wants to end the season with some positive results. “I don’t necessarily think about winning, I think about doing my best,” said Powell, who holds the records for the most times under 10 seconds in the blue-ribbon dash.

“For me, that means running the best time I can and hopefully that is a sub-10 time and having a good time while doing it.” (SportsMax)

C

Bolt mulls London move

iting developing his business interests and his love for Premier League football, Usain Bolt, the now retired fastest man in history, could be setting up a home in London sometime in the near future.

Bolt, who during his stellar athletic career, had a training base in London, is considering making the English capital a base of operations. ‘I would never have considered training anywhere apart from Jamaica but now I am retired Kingston does not have to be my only home. I am going to have business interests and things I Usain Bolt am passionate

about that I will have more time to enjoy,” Bolt told British media.

‘London is special because I have had a lot of success here — it’s the only city outside of Kingston I could see myself living. Not in the winter, but I am looking to buy a place so I can spend more time here.

Also, you can be most places in the world easily. It is time for me to have fun now. It is a great city to shop, to eat, and of course party!’

Bolt, a huge fan of many-time Premier League champions Manchester United, believes living in London also opens up opportunities to see his favourite team play. ‘I would like to see more Premier League games, football is one of my passions — hopefully, Jose lets me stay at his house when I have to travel to Manchester,’ he joked. (SportsMax)

Bangladesh's tour of West Indies likely to be postponed B

angladesh's tour of the West Indies, scheduled for February next year, is likely to be pushed to July. A change, if any, will be necessitated by the World Cup Qualifiers, scheduled for next March; West Indies, currently ranked ninth in ODIs, are likely to feature in the tournament.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that both the BCB and Cricket West Indies have tentatively agreed

to the change. It is understood that after the Qualifiers, West Indies will host Sri Lanka in June followed by the series against Bangladesh a month later before wrapping up the home season with the Caribbean Premier League.

The change would probably come as a relief for Bangladesh, as, without it, they would have to pack their bags quickly for the Caribbean tour in February right after their home series

against Sri Lanka. It would have meant a crammed schedule as Bangladesh would then have had to fly directly to Sri Lanka to play the Nidahas Trophy, which is scheduled from March 15 to 31. They are free of international commitments from April-July 2018, after which they're scheduled to tour Australia in August.

Bangladesh have a busy schedule for the rest of 2017. After the two home Tests against

Australia finishes on September 8, Bangladesh will fly to South Africa to play two Tests, three ODIs and as many T20s till October 29. The BPL will start on November 2 soon after their return, with the final scheduled in the second week of December depending on the number of participating teams. Soon after the BPL, they are set to host Sri Lanka for a full tour in December-January. (Cricinfo)

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‘Honey Flow’ beats ‘Got To Go’ in close finish at Sprint Classic

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Honey Flow with nose ahead of Got To Go

H

oney Flow of the Nand Persaud Stables crossed the finish line just millimeters ahead of Got To Go of the Jumbo Jet racing Stables to win the feature event of the Sprint Classic held on Sunday at the Number 36 Horse Racing Track.

It took officials several minutes reviewing the video recording of the race before they made the call allowing the Nand Persaud Stables to receive the Prime Minister’s trophy and $400,000.

Only five horses had qualified for the main event and the Nand Persaud Stables took the starting gates with Honey Flow, Golden Blue

Echo and Brave Sky. Got To Go had to run against the three stable mates and also fight off a challenge from Wild Excitement of the Sheriff Racing Stables.

The animals were out of the starting gates and firing on all cylinders down the 800-meter track. Brave Sky with Jockey Colin Ross went ahead and stable mate Honey Flow followed making it a two animal race for the first half of the distance. However, with pressure from Honey Flow the Jockey Ross could not get the animal to match and Honey Flow was leading but being challenged by Wild Excitement.

In the last 200 meters Got To Go made a big surge passing Wild Excitement. However, jockey Ajai spurred the 4-yearold Honey Flow in the final seconds of the race to take the coveted first prize. .

Seven races were carded on what was being dubbed the “Nand Persaud Karibee Sprint Classic” which had more than $4M in cash prizes at stake.

There were three L Class races, the first, over a distance of four furlongs was won by Mystery Man ahead of Little McGaiver and Red Weasel.

The race had a top prize of $100,000 while the second L Class had a full field and was over a distance of four

Prime Minister Regional Representative Gobin Harbhajan presenting the Prime Minister’s Trophy to the Nand Persaud Stables

The third L Class which was the final race of the day and won by Victoria Secret ahead of Zoo Zoo Mafia, I am back and Physical Disturbance.

The K Class event saw Golden kiss, running in ahead of Born To Dance, Massaupequea Dr and Victoria Secret finishing in that order. The threeyear-old race had a top prize of

Sweet return. The event had a top prize of $300,000.

Ready For Romance of the Jagdeo racing Stables won the J Class. Rounding out the top finishers were Golden Kiss, Born To dance and King Stanley.

The top Jockey was Randolph Richmond. (Andrew Carmichael)

Indian Premier League valuation rises to US$5.3B B

uoyed by increased viewership and a relatively controversy-free tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen a spike in its brand valuation to USD 5.3 billion after the 10th edition, according to global valuation and corporate finance advisor Duff & Phelps.

The IPL’s overall value as a business has increased to USD 5.3 billion from USD 4.2 billion last year, representing a three-year CAGR of 13.9 per cent.

“This IPL season has garnered attention for all the right reasons -- a relatively controversy-free tournament, increase in social media engagement, strategic and highly successful marketing initiatives, and compelling on-field performances -–

all of which affirmed IPL’s standing as the most valuable cricketing league in the world,” Duff & Phelps India Managing Director Varun Gupta said.

It noted that the brand values of the individual teams have risen 34 per cent on average in 2017 compared to 2016.

Mumbai Indians’ brand value more than 100 million The Mukesh Ambaniowned Mumbai Indians, which won the edition this year, sustained the top position with a brand value of USD 106 million, followed by Kolkata Knight Riders at USD 99 million and

Royal Challengers Bangalore in third place at USD 88 million.

Factors contributing to the rise in brand values of individual franchisees include increasingly lucrative advertising, broadcasting and sponsorship deals, reduction in franchise fees beginning with the next season, increased viewership across India and increased fan engagement, evidenced by the rise in social media activity.

The report has not valued finalists Rising Pune Supergiant or Gujarat Lions since their association with IPL came to an end after this season, with

Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals expected to come back next year after serving their suspension.

“Satellite and digital broadcasting rights are up for renewal later this month and will be keenly watched. The renewed deal is anticipated to be significantly higher than the one signed by Sony nine years ago,” the report said.

Broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks’ ad revenues crossed Rs 1,300 crore this year, while Star India’s Hotstar, which had the digital rights, saw its ad revenues more than double to Rs 120 crore from the previous year.

Television viewership also scaled new heights, with nearly 45 per cent of viewership coming from rural India. (HindustanTimes)

GUYANA GGA sets dates for next camp TIMES in your area?

Contact our

Circulation Department on

Phone: 223-7230 EXT: 35

C

Participants of the inaugural Guyana Girls Academy

oming off the heels of a successful inaugural camp this past July, the Guyana Girls Academy (GGA) has already set the dates for its next camp. January 2 to January 5, 2018 is the scheduled date for the camp in Georgetown, Guyana.

The inaugural camp saw over 40 girls attending over the course of three days. This next January camp will be expanded, opening up to girls, ages 7 to 13.

The GGA aims to add to its numbers and continue to grow the number

of young girls playing football within the country. Registration for the camp will opened in September.

“The GGA was founded by American based coach Colin Wilson in 2016. It is a new football programme specifically for young Guyanese girls. The mission of the program is to train, develop, and educate young females to compete at a collegiate, professional, and international level as well as help ignite a strong women’s football culture that will continuously fuel the Guyana Women’s National program.”

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursdAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

Fast-paced Guinness ‘cage football’ kicks off tonight

new feature to local futsal will be unveiled this evening when the Guinness Cage Football competition kicks-off at the National Gymnasium.

Thirty two teams are expected to compete in expected fast- paced action as the event, coordinated by Three Peat Promotions, was officially launched Wednesday at the Windjammer International Hotel, Kitty.

Wayne Griffith, the referee co-ordinator explained the rules and conditions noting that only if he ball come out of the ‘caged’ area then the match will halt. Otherwise it will be 20-minutes of intense action. Rawle Welch, representative of Three Peat Promotions said, “The tournament was conceptualized months earlier between myself and colleagues and it was readily accepted following

our proposal to Banks DIH Limited. We are very pleased to have such a large company like Banks DIH Limited on board.”

According to Welch, “It has been an arduous process to get to where we are, but I expect the tournament to be a success and I can assure the management of the National Sports Commission (NSC) that all conditions will be met.” He added, “I implore all the fans to be on their best behaviour, which is very often, as it is getting more difficult to gain access to the venues and the support of the necessary stakeholders to stage such tournaments. We have to work together to make the event a tremendous success so it can continue next year.”

Meanwhile Gervy Harry, Administrative Manager of the National Sports Commission (NSC), implored

on the organizers, spectators and the competing teams to practice discipline throughout the entirety of the tournament, as sanctions can be enforced for misconduct.

After tonight, only 16 teams will remain to be placed into groups. Teams are from Georgetown, West Demerara, Linden, East Coast Demerara and East Bank Demerara Those invited are: Georgetown- Sparta Boss, West Front Road, Future Stars, Back Circle, Leopold Street, Sophia, Tucville, North Ruimveldt, Queen Street of Tiger Bay, Abouystown A&B, Channel 9 Warriors, North East La Penitence, Alexander Village, Old Skool Ballers, Broad Street, West Back Road, Bent Street, Campbellville, Pike Street, Sophia, Newtown, Kitty, Kitty Hustlers, New Market Street; East Coast-

Vryhied’s Lust, Plaisance, Melanie; East Bank- Agricola; Linden- Dave & Celena All Stars, Silver Bullets and West Demerara- Showstoppers and ESPN and Mocha Champs.

The other playing dates for the championship are August 29 and 31, September 2, 5, 7, 9 with the final set for September 16, at the same venue.

Kick off time on each playing night is 20:00hrs with five minutes allowance given for any team arriving late after which the opposing team will be granted a walkover.

Over $800,000 in prize monies and trophies will be up for grabs with the winner set to receive $400,000 and the championship trophy, while second, third and fourth place finishers will take home $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 along with trophies respectively.

Elimination Fixtures Thursday-August 24th Broad Street vs Old School Ballers

19:00hrs

Bent Street vs Hustlers-

19:30hrs

Leopold Street vs Plaisance-

20:00hrs

Dave and Celina vs Pike Street Sophia-

20:30hrs

North East vs Mocha-

21:00hrs

Tigerbay vs Silver Bullets-

21:30hrs

Albouystown-A vs Alexander Village-

22:00hrs

Future Stars vs Agricola Gas Team-

22:30hrs

Tuesday-August 29th Sophia vs MBK All-Stars

19:00hrs

West Back Road vs Albouystown-B

19:30hrs

Tucville vs Showstoppers

20:00hrs

North Ruimveldt vs Melanie

20:30hrs

Champion Boys vs Channel-9 Warriors

21:00hrs

Gold is Money vs Campbellville

21:30hrs

Back Circle vs New Market Street

22:00hrs

Sparta vs Vryheid's Lust

22:30hrs

Gay players in Premier League Mayweather, McGregor trade verbal jabs as countdown begins would get respect ‒ Pogba M L

as Vegas (AFP) - Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor traded verbal jabs on Tuesday as the circus-like countdown to their money-spinning superfight cranked into overdrive on the Las Vegas Strip.

Thousands of fans including a sizeable contingent of Irish supporters thronged the heart of the Nevada boxing capital to greet Mayweather and McGregor at their separate grand arrival ceremonies.

Mayweather, the 40-year-old undefeated former welterweight boxing champion, has been lured out of retirement to face McGregor, a star of mixed martial arts' Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The two men meet in a 12-round contest under boxing rules on Saturday that is tipped to become the richest fight in history.

The cross-combat collision has appalled boxing purists, with many decrying the event as a farcical publicity stunt more in keeping with the choreographed traditions of WWE wrestling.

Mayweather and McGregor -- who clashed repeatedly during an expletive-laden world press tour to drum up interest for the fight last month -- insist however that they are ready to deliver a battle for the ages.

McGregor, a massive underdog in what will be his first professional boxing fight, insisted Tuesday he was ready to stun the oddsmakers.

"This is not even close to my toughest challenge ever. I will crumble him," McGregor roared.

"I have adapted per-

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr arrives at Toshiba Plaza on August 22, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada

fectly to boxing, I am very pleased and ready. I'm a special man, I will prove that August 26, this will go one or two rounds, maybe I will bang him out and hurt him.

"If he survives, I will decide whether I embarrass or seriously hurt him.

"I'm calm and cool, same as I am in every fight. I'm fit, sharp and I'm gonna be ruthless in there. I believe he'll be unconscious inside one round."

McGregor and Mayweather passed each other after their separate introductions, with McGregor taunting the American with a shout of "Why didn't you want to face off?" -- triggering a melee between their two entourages.

- 'He needs to shut his mouth' A relaxed-looking Mayweather meanwhile had earlier encouraged fans to

bet on the fight finishing inside 12 rounds.

"I talked to you before and said that this fight wouldn't go the distance," Mayweather said.

"If you're going to bet, bet it won't go (the distance)."

Mayweather did his best to play down his status as a heavy favourite, insisting that his two-year layoff from the ring had blunted his prowess.

"That's what makes this fight so intriguing, I've been out a few years, feel like I've lost a few steps," Mayweather said.

"So we'll just have to wait and see."

Earlier Tuesday, Mayweather had taunted McGregor over his fitness, telling the US website FightHype that he believed his opponent would struggle to make the 154-pound limit for Saturday's bout.

"Conor McGregor is ex-

tremely heavy right now," Mayweather said. "I think he's 164 so he's still got 10 pounds to go."

McGregor hit back at Mayweather's comments.

"He needs to shut his mouth," McGregor said. "It is a fool of a thing. Let him keep praying, praying for weight, for fatigue, praying for me to take a backward step. All he is doing is praying, but he is praying to the new god of boxing."

McGregor could face a painful financial penalty if he is unable to tip the scales inside the limit. Boxers often have the option of cancelling a fight or collecting a larger share of the purse if an opponent fails to make weight.

Estimates vary but some projections indicate Mayweather could make as much as $200 million from Saturday's contest, with McGregor collecting around $100 million.

Mayweather has fought at 154 pounds before but is more used to fighting at welterweight (150 pounds).

McGregor however has fought at 170 pounds in MMA. McGregor, 29, last week insisted he was in peak condition following a gruelling training camp that had taken him to "hell and back" and left him primed to face either a long or short fight.

"There is no way in hell that I'm not ready to fight in the deepest of trenches in this contest," McGregor said.

"We are ready for both scenarios. I'm ready to go to war for 12 rounds and I'm ready to put him away early on."

anchester United midfielder Paul Pogba said he had not met a gay footballer in the Premier League but added any player who came out would have his respect.

The France international was speaking at the launch of UEFA's RESPECT campaign in Monaco, where stars of the game were helping to promote diversity, fan culture and accessibility for everyone in football.

F o r m e r Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger is the only Premier League player to have openly declared his homosexuality, but did so after retiring from the game.

When asked whether the league would provide a safe environment for a gay player, Pogba said: "That's something that I've never seen but why not? It's a human being.

Paul Pogba "What he does in his private life has nothing to do with the player. You just have to respect him. Because he respects you, you respect him.

That's it.

"It's all about respect.

It's all about equality everywhere in the world. We are all equal when we play football."

Pogba was also asked about the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the concerns that have been raised about potential racism.

The 24-year-old accepted the responsibility that players carry for spreading the right message to supporters, saying: "We can play with Chinese people, African guys, French, American, but we're all equal when we do what we love on the pitch, and that's the message we want to give to everyone.

"It's a big thing, the World Cup, and we all play to win. But there has always been the respect on the pitch and outside the pitch and we hope that nothing is going to happen.

"Hopefully nothing will happen but we can just talk, help each other, and talk about racism and equality on the pitch. We can't really do anything about it but give everyone a good message to avoid those things." (SportsMax)

guyanatimesgy.com

thurSDAY, august 24, 2017

Jamaica Tallawahs a very appealing asset to new owners

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2017

It’s Alive!

Warriors ‘back on the road’ with play-off qualification in sight

A

fter four home games that were chockfull of excitement and thrills on and off the field, the Guyana Amazon Warriors will soon depart to continue their 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League quest for ultimate glory – deserving capture of the CPL 2017 Championship Trophy.

With two key round-robin matches remaining, the Warriors will hopefully subdue the Barbados Tridents on Tuesday before disappointing the Jamaica Tallawahs on Friday, September 1, and thus qualify for the playoffs.

Incredibly, for the first time in CPL history, the Guyana Amazon Warriors have found themselves in this desperate situation – where their hitherto unblemished record could be tarnished by their missing

Amazon Warriors must win their next two matches if they are to move into the playoffs

the playoffs if they do not win their remaining encounters. Therefore, it is imperative that Guyana’s willowed Warriors progress to the next round by improving on the previous substandard performances displayed in earlier clash-

es.

To accomplish this feat, the Amazon Warriors’ batsmen will have to deal with the opposition in a manner similar to what they displayed in their last two matches. If they do, and complement the bowlers,

then positive results are inevitable in the upcoming matches.

The clash against the Tridents is expected to be the more difficult of the two campaigns, although the Warriors had administered defeat to the Tridents on Sunday.

The Tallawahs cannot be written off, but judging from the previous match between the two sides, the Warriors must find the tenacity to go all the way; because the Warriors had dominated most of the last encounter, yet inexplicably managed to fall short, making their qualifying for the playoffs more difficult than it should have been.

Nevertheless, the opportunity to qualify still exists, but everything depends on the outcome of the next two matches.

Happy hunting, Guyana Amazon Warriors!

P&P Insurance Brokers Annual tennis camp

GLTA wraps up another successful story

T

Varsha Panday (centre back) with players and coaches on the final day of the camp

he Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) and the P&P Insurance Brokers Annual tennis camp recently concluded with 47 participants at the Closing Ceremony at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

GLTA’s Vice President Grace McCalman, in her remarks mentioned that this camp “is significant to the GLTA for tennis development, and we continue to applaud Bish Panday, CEO of the P&P Insurance Brokers for his resolute dedication to the sport of lawn tennis for the last thirteen years.”

She also noted that tennis teaches the value of hard work and discipline and these skills will take partici-

pants throughout life’s journey.

Varsha Panday, daughter of Bish Panday represented the company and presented the certificates and prizes to the winners of the different categories.

The younger Panday expressed joy at seeing once again a large number of children who continuously participated in the event sponsored by P&P for thirteen consecutive years. She applauded the GLTA for its dedication to the continuous development of tennis and in turn pledged the commitment of her company towards next year’s event.

This year’s camp attracted participants from age three who benefited from

the three week training program.

The sessions were split into two periods, mornings at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall for the younger children, while the older ones were accommodated in the afternoons at the National Racquet Center.

The GLTA is grateful to the National Sports Commission for the Sports Hall facility and sees opportunity for tennis to be developed there on a longer term basis.

Prizes were awarded to the following young players: Group A: 1st Shivanne Khayyam, 2nd Tivonna George , 3rd Malika Henry , 4th Byanka Younge .

Group B : 1st Cameron

23

Siebs , 2nd Nikhel Persaud , 3rd Faatimah Brandt, 4th Naisha Jaikission.

Group C: 1st Adesh Khayyam, 2nd Shimron Lewis , 3rd Brandon Jaikaran.

Group D: 1st Monifa Wilson, 2nd Adrian Howard and 3rd Abieky Kewley.

Most Improved Player awards were given to Alyssa Ramotar for the 6-11 age group and Abieky Kewley for the 12-18 age group.

The GLTA congratulated parents and children for participating in the camp and the association expressed a heartfelt thank you to the sponsor P&P Insurance Brokers Ltd for their continuous support.

P

rofitability, marketability and the global reach of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) were the main factors behind the Worldwide Sports Management Group’s decision to buy the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise in July.

CEO of the franchise, Jay Madhu, shed some light on how the decision was made to buy the two-time CPL champions from the Chalak Mitra Group for an undisclosed sum.

Speaking with SportsMax. tv at the Jamaica Pegasus on Tuesday night during a ‘Welcome Home’ party, Madhu said the Tallawahs checked all the boxes of the metrics the new owners looked at while coming to a decision to buy.

“We took a look at the metrics for the Jamaica Tallawahs for the last three years and what we found was the metrics have gone up exponentially every year,” said Madhu.

“Part of this statistic was that the Jamaica Tallawahs brought in about 20-something million dollars just for Jamaica over the last three years and we took a look at various different things, so at the end of the day, the franchise needs to make money, the franchise needs to be well-supported and the franchise needs to be well-liked and this particular franchise filled every single bill.”

The appeal of the franchise, coupled with the widening reach of the CPL, made good business sense, Madhu said.

Earlier, media liaison for the Tallawahs, Shantell Hill, revealed that an estimated 230 million people would watch the 2017 Hero CPL via television and social media

Jay Madhu

platforms like Facebook, which has been streaming games.

“We’re in a new era. It’s all about time and what can we do during that time. A T20 game is about three to four hours so it is a short period.

It’s explosive, it’s fast, and what was amazing to us, what we found was the reach of the CPL, because that number has gone up exponentially,” he said. “It has increased by 141 per cent to the number of eyeballs, the pairs of eyeballs that are on this game all over the world.”

Madhu also reiterated that the team was staying put in Jamaica, once again shooting down rumours that the WSMG was planning to move the team to Fort Lauderdale in the United States.

“We bought the team but we also are going to entrench ourselves in the country of Jamaica,” he said.

During the proceedings held at The Gardens, the Tallawahs paid tribute to their 13 sponsors, Foska Oats, El Dorado Rum, The Gleaner, The Star, Sleek Jamaica, Pure National Ice, Fame FM, RJR, RJR 94, Sunshine Snacks, Heineken, BX Ticket Hub and Powerade.(SportsMax)

Gayle fires as Patriots blast 162 ‒ in rain affected Knight Riders matchup

(See details in tomorrow's edition of Guyana Times)

Chris Gayle captain of the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots plays the ball behind square for four runs during his top score of 93. Gayle hit five fours and eight sixes to pilot his team to 162 for three off 13 overs, in the rain affected match against Trinbago Knight Riders last evening at Warner Park

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2017

It’s Alive!

Pg 23

Warriors ‘back on the road’ with play-off qualification in sight Pg 22

Fast-paced Guinness ‘cage football’ kicks off tonight The various representatives and officials at the launch on Wednesday at the Windjammer Hotel

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