Guyana Times Saturday, June 08, 2019

WGEC P15 recognises outstanding women on new website Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3948

THE BEACON OF TRUTH saturday, june 8, 2019

Staff sent packing as suspected whistleblowers – Jagdeo Page 3

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Oil wealth must reach all Guyanese – British P7 envoy

...over $20M allegedly paid to Minister's children since 2018

Highest percentage of teenage pregnancies recorded in Regions 1, 7, 9 See story on page 2

Lack of water delays rice cultivation in Essequibo P14

Shelter for P13 abused women to be constructed in Linden

Law books fiasco

Page 12

1st Math Expo for Primary Schools held

P8 Lawyer accuses Prosecutor of intimidation

Primary school pupils display educational material during the Department of Education Mathematics walk and exhibition in an effort to bring about increased awareness on the subject area at the primary school level. The day’s activity commenced with the walk from the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) compound in Woolford Avenue and ended at Queen's College, where an exhibition was held

UG Vice Chancellor withdraws request for renewal of contract Page 14

– Transitional Management Team identified

Page 10

5 legal luminaries conferred with Senior Counsel title

Young mother charged P8 for burning daughter

2 news

saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Highest percentage of teenage pregnancies recorded in Regions 1, 7, 9 A recent report on practices of adolescents revealed the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the country were recorded in Regions One, Seven, and Nine.

This is according to Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, who made this disclosure on Friday during the launch of a threeyear India-United Nations Development Partnership Fund Project aimed at reducing adolescent pregnancy in Guyana.

“Our situation is critical … some of the contributory factors being lack of access to contraceptives and comprehensive sexual education, risky sexual behaviour and early sex, and there is also another overriding factor that many times we overlook and that is the cultural differences. And that is something in everything we do we must take into account, whether it is in Region One, Region Seven or in Region Nine, we will

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence

find that as we move from one tribe to the other that their cultural differences stand out,” the Minister said.

As such, the three-year project can be seen as a timely intervention since the issue of teenage preg-

nancy continues to be a thorn in the side of the Guyanese populace, she noted.

“Our adolescent fertility rate being above average especially among our Indigenous girls. Seventyfour out of every 1000 in Regions One, Seven and Nine between the age group of 15 to 19 years old,” Lawrence said.

UN Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka highlighted that this project sought to increase the use of quality adolescent sexual and reproductive health services by adolescents, empower adolescents to prevent teenage pregnancy and contribute to a 10 per cent

annual reduction in pregnancy rates among adolescents aged 10-19 in Regions One and Nine by March of 2022.

“An investment such as this is much needed.

The Government of India and the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana deserve special credit for the realisation of this initiative,” Tanaka remarked.

Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Venkatchalam Mahalingam stated that this was the first project of its kind in the entire Caribbean.

“We are happy that the Ministry of Public Health of Guyana and the Guyana

Responsible Parenthood Association will be the local partners in this project. We are proud to say that India’s development cooperation framework mainly embodies the principles of the South-South Cooperation.”

This project comes at a cost of over $500 million, and is expected to significantly reduce the occurrence of teen pregnancies in Regions One and Nine over the three-year period.

While Region Seven has been identified as the other region with a high rate of teenage pregnancies, the Government is expected to address the issue, since the project does not cater for that region.

Tenure of British High Commissioner extended

B

ritish High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn, who was slated to leave Guyana in August this year, has been granted an extension in his tenure.

The British envoy was appointed back in 2015. He was expected to resign this year, but on Thursday, the diplomat informed that his tenure has been extended until 2020, making it a total of five years. Quinn said he looked forward to the extension.

“The powers that be in London have decreed that I should stay in Guyana until August 2020. I am more than happy to do so. It has been quite a ride since I arrived in February 2015. I look forward to my remaining time here,” the High Commissioner explained.

Looking back at the past four years, Quinn believes he did everything he should have done when his input was necessary.

“I make no apology for anything I have said or done. Everything I have said I believe needed to be said. Everything I have done, needed to be done. I do not apologise for telling

and other nations.

After the passage of the no-confidence vote that took place on December 21, 2018, he posited Guyana’s Constitution was supreme while informing that the clock was ticking. At that time, a civil society group was urging President David Granger to announce a date for polls.

Diplomatic ties

British High Commissioner Greg Quinn will continue as the UK’s representative until 2020

the truth and I will continue to do so in my remaining time here,” he declared.

Quinn’s diplomatic life commenced back in 1995 when he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Later in 2000, he joined the British High Commission in Ghana in the Public Affairs Department before being appointed as Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy in Minsk, Belarus in 2004.

In 2007, he undertook duties as British Consul

General in Basra, Iraq and as First Secretary for the Middle East.

The diplomat was then appointed as Head of the United Nations Political Team in 2009 and Deputy Head of Mission of Britain’s Kazakhstan embassy in 2012. Four years ago, he replaced his predecessor, Andrew Ayre as the local British envoy.

Throughout his stint, Quinn has been vocal about issues which might cause implications for Guyana

In recent times, apart from strengthened diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom, other countries have forged positive ties with Guyana.

In March, Sarah Ann Lynch and Tebogo Motshome were appointed as Ambassadors for the United States and Botswana respectively to Guyana.

In May, the President received letters of credence from Ebu Jones, accrediting him as the new Surinamese Ambassador to Guyana to improve their bilateral relationship through initiatives for sustainable development. Marichu Mauro was later accredited to represent the Philippines.

news

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saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Saturday, June 8 – 08:30h-10:00h and Sunday, June 9 – 09:30h-11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, June 8 – 07:40h-09:10h and Sunday, June 9 – 08:30h-10:00h.

Staff sent packing as suspected whistleblowers – Jagdeo ...over $20M allegedly paid to Minister’s children since 2018

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

WEATHER TODAY Thundery showers are expected throughout the day. Light rain showers are expected to prevail in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East South-easterly to East North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 08:07h and 20:50h reaching maximum heights of 2.53 metres and 2.37 metres.

Low Tide: 14:15h reaching a minimum height of 0.69 metre.

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

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

I

n light of the sacking of several staff members of the Public Service Ministry, including its chief accountant, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo believes that they were sent packing since it is presumed that they had exposed cases of corruption in the Government.

On May 31, the newly-appointed Minister, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley fired the personnel department, but the Government through its Public Affairs Unit denied such an allegation. However, the dismissals of the workers were verified after a termination letter surfaced..

“That is what their response is, information that we should know about, it is not their money and there is no secrecy about how you spend our money – taxpayers’. But they fired all the staff of the personnel department and they fired the accountant, and clearly, they are worried that within that department you have many more secrets, many more secrets, and they thought that those people released the information and they did not.

They just unfairly dismissed them using some spurious excuse of restructuring,” Jagdeo said.

He stated that the workers were unfairly dismissed. In recent days, the

Public Service Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley

Opposition has been revealing information about alleged corrupt practices within the Government.

One of those revelations are that the children of a senior Minister allegedly received over US$86,000 in 2018, monies that were transferred from the Department of Public Service. Then again, this year, another transfer of millions reportedly took place.

“In 2019, another child of that Minister got transferred from the same Office of the President, the Ministry of the Presidency, Public Service Division, $2,510, 575. So combined, over $20 million because the other one was over $17 million – over $20 million…this is taxpayers’ money and clearly, we need an explanation, let the country decide if the explanation is a plausible one. So, we have been asking for an explanation and guess what?

Silence from the Ministry of the Presidency and silence from the Minister, a person who is very, very vocal on

WPA Executive Member and human rights activist, Dr David Hinds

other matters, it’s silence.”

According to the Opposition Leader, the Public Service Minister rushed to illegally fire all the staff in the department that had access to this information, since the Government believes that those fired workers had sent information to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

He emphasised that this assumption was supported by Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance, Dr David Hinds.

Hinds publicly declared that the Government should set up a Commission of Inquiry and rid the Public Service of “PPP moles”.

“So he is calling for a purge, a Commission of Inquiry, this is like, it is worse than even what Volda Lawrence had said, this is like one of those that Hitler had, you know you just do a purge. Call a Commission of Inquiry and call in every member of the Public Service and find out if you are a PPP mole or not. And then if you are a PPP mole, you get fired

from the Public Service – this is a human rights activist, this is a black rights activist, the people who were fired were all Afro-Guyanese, but he is not concerned about that now, you know what he is concerned about?

Defending perks because I heard the Minister who did this act is related to him…”

Jagdeo added that Hinds should have focused more on the rights of those workers who were fired by his party’s elected Minister SaraboHalley.

The Opposition Leader stated that Hinds’s call for “flushing out PPP moles” was testimony to the type of individual he truly is.

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019

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

Why kill the Amaila project?

T

he issue regarding the constant power outages across Guyana and their huge negative impact on both individuals and businesses is once again dominating the headlines.

In spite of assurances from the power company’s new Chief Executive Officer that blackouts would be a thing of the past, over the past couple of days, prolonged periods of blackout have actually increased across the country.

Consumers have written several letters to this newspaper, expressing their disgust over the present situation; it’s as if they have reached breaking point. At the moment, the problem seems insurmountable for the Government to deal with, and it looks as if Guyanese will have to wait much longer before they could benefit from reliable electricity supply.

So far, we have seen the politicians blaming each other for the present crisis.

As expected, no government would take responsibility for the current mess we are in. The reality is that Guyana is on the cusp of becoming an oil producing country, and certainly something must be done urgently to fix the problem once and for all.

Investors, manufacturers and others would not be attracted to come here and do business if the present situation as it relates to electricity supply continues.

It is clear that both businesses and private individuals are dissatisfied with the service being provided by the power company, especially since the cost they are paying for such service has not decreased; in fact, it has increased over the past few years, even though Government has been saving millions of dollars due to declining oil prices on the world market.

It would serve the APNU/AFC Government no good if it continues to cast blame on the previous government for the present power woes; in fact, citizens are looking to them (present Government), as they are in power, to come up with solutions to the problem.

Currently, it is still not clear as to what steps are being taken to bring a lasting solution to the power woes the country has been experiencing; in fact, Government officials have been giving one excuse after the other, which does not help in any way. Some experts believe that there is a manifest lack of shortand long-term solutions to address the company’s inefficiency.

We had stated before that Guyana could have been in a better position regarding an affordable, reliable supply of electricity if there were bipartisan support for the Amaila Falls Hydro Power (AFHP) project, which would have been in the system from 2017. However, the project was scrapped by the APNU/AFC parties, who had controlled the National Assembly by a one-seat majority at the time.

The Amaila project was seen by many experts as far more stable and reliable than any of the renewable energy projects being pursued by this present Government. Amaila was expected to deliver a steady source of clean, renewable energy, and was envisioned to meet approximately 90 per cent of Guyana’s domestic energy needs while removing dependency on fossil fuels. The Electric Plant was proposed to be a 165MW (installed capacity) hydropower generation facility located in west-central Guyana, approximately 250 kilometres southwest of Georgetown.

In addition, it would have improved Guyana’s balance of payments’ position by significantly reducing the importation of fuel, significantly reducing end-user costs for electricity, and improving reliability of energy supply and generation of clean energy; which would help to encourage economic growth and development by improving regional competitiveness, Private Sector investment, and Foreign Direct Investment.

An “objective and fact-based” assessment done by Norconsult, an engineering and design consultancy firm from Norway, had concluded and recommended that “the only realistic path” for Guyana moving towards an emission-free electricity sector and achieving its 2025 Green Agenda commitment was to develop its hydropower potential in general, and maintain the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project in particular.

It is very unfortunate that the entire populace now has to suffer because political interest was placed above national interest. Perhaps this is one area in which the Government could adopt a bipartisan approach; meaning, seeking the involvement of the Opposition towards finding a lasting solution to Guyana’s electricity problems. It is still not too late to give serious consideration to the Amaila project.

One of the exhibits at the inaugural mathematics expo and fair held in the auditorium of Queen’s College on Friday. The event was planned by the Department of Education, Georgetown to bring awareness on the subject at the primary school level

Venezuela crisis: 4 million have fled the country – UN

M

ore than four million Venezuelans have fled their country amid an economic and humanitarian crisis, United Nations agencies say.

The pace of people fleeing has “skyrocketed” since the end of 2015, with around one million leaving in the last seven months alone, they found.

The agencies said countries hosting the migrants and refugees were in “urgent need” of international support.

Venezuela’s imploding economy has meant shortages of basic supplies, such as food and medicines, in recent years.

The crisis has deepened this year amid a bitter power struggle between the Government and the Opposition.

The exodus means Venezuelans are now “one of the single largest population groups displaced from their country”, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a joint statement on Friday.

The agencies said they calculated the four million figure using data from national immigration authorities and other sources.

They did not give an exact date for when the calculation began, but said some 3.3 million people had fled since the end of 2015.

A UNHCR spokesperson told the BBC that the real figure may be even

A UNHCR spokesperson told the BBC that the real figure may be even higher owing to the use of unofficial border crossings

higher owing to the use of unofficial border crossings.

The agencies called for support to be given to countries hosting the Venezuelans.

“Latin American and Caribbean countries are doing their part to respond to this unprecedented crisis, but they cannot be expected to continue doing it without international help,” said Eduardo Stein, joint UNHCR-IOM special representative for Venezuelan refugees and migrants.

Latin American countries host the vast majority of Venezuelan migrants and refugees. According to UN figures, Colombia hosts the most at 1.3 million, followed by Peru with 768,000.

Countries in Central America and the Caribbean also host significant numbers of Venezuelans.

Under the Government of Nicolás Maduro, the economy has collapsed and shortages of food and medicines have become widespread.

In parts of the oil-rich

country, fuel has become scarce and drivers queue for days at petrol stations.

There are also frequent blackouts.

The Government says the shortages are caused

by US sanctions. The Opposition argues that they are the result of mismanagement and corruption by consecutive socialist governments.

Venezuela is engulfed in a political crisis with two rival politicians – Maduro and National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó – claiming to be the country’s legitimate leader.

Guaidó declared himself interim president in January, arguing that Maduro’s re-election last year had been “illegitimate”.

He has since been recognised by more than 50 countries, including Canada, the US and most in Latin America. But Maduro retains the loyalty of most of the military and important allies such as China and Russia.

On April 30, Guaidó led a failed attempt to spark a

military rebellion against Maduro, which the latter said was part of a USorchestrated coup.

Since then, close allies of Guaidó have been arrested. While his parliamentary immunity has been lifted, he has so far not been jailed.

Representatives of the two sides have been holding talks in Norway, but they ended without agreement last week. (BBC News)

Guaidó says no plans for further talks in Norway

Guaidó said on Friday that the Opposition does not currently plan to join a new round of talks in Norway with representatives of President Maduro.

Talks seeking a political accord for the crisis-stricken nation fell apart on May 29, as Opposition delegates repeated calls for President Maduro to step down and allow a transitional government to organise a new presidential vote.

During a rally in the central city of Valencia, Guaidó said that more talks were “not on the table today. Why not? Because … anything that does not move us toward (Maduro’s resignation) is useless.”

V e n e z u e l a ’ s Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Norway has a long tradition of conflict mediation, including helping negotiate a peace agreement in Colombia that lead to demobilisation of the FARC guerrilla group. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019

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

The controversial nature of contracts at the Education Ministry Dear Editor, I pen this letter to highlight the controversial nature of how contracts are being handled at the Ministry of Education, particularly by the Head of Buildings, Mr. Ron Eastman.

Indeed, I find it ironic that after his troubled career as Deputy City Engineer, including suspension by the Council (Guyana Chronicle, September 26, 2017), Mr. Eastman somehow found himself in charge of the engineering division of a much larger Government agency.

It appears that Mr. Eastman remains the same person when it comes

to competence, but with no oversight to sanction him.

There have been several instances, for example, wherein I and other contractors who have completed works at the Ministry scheduled meetings with Mr. Eastman, only to turn up and have him walk past us, making a loud statement that he is not meeting anybody. This is with him being fully aware that contractors are indebted to others, while he continues to withhold payments months after the jobs have been completed (in my case, payments for petty jobs done over five months ago).

What I have found even more questionable is that

these jobs are now given primarily to contractors who previously worked with the Mayor and City Council, and more than 60 per cent of the contractors who worked with the Ministry of Education are now shut out of contracts from that agency.

It’s not to say that I don’t expect other contractors to be given jobs, but to shut out 60 per cent of us when we have all the necessary documentation, and accept new people because of seeming familiarity, is a grave injustice being handed down to us.

I solemnly believe that many of these issues are facilitated through poor management by the su-

periors of this Ministry.

There is much talk about integrating Information C o m m u n i c a t i o n Technology (ICT) into teaching and learning processes of the Education system, but wouldn’t a good place to start be with the staff of the Ministry?

Currently, in trying to do business with them, you walk from office to office before completing one transaction.

Then there are the bills that this Ministry issues.

I would suggest that the Minister takes some time to set up a team to assess the type of bills leaving this Ministry, because it is quite obvious that Mr. Hinds and his procure-

ment department are not doing a proper job. What I have found with several bills is that the bills are so flawed that, upon purchase on numerous occasions, staff of the procurement department would have to call you to collect a new bill in exchange for the faulty document they had given you initially.

Now, mind you, these bills leave Mr. Eastman’s office and pass through Mr. Hinds’ office through rigorous processing; yet, still, we read weeding and cleaning bills asking for VAT certificates and electrical compliance; or petty works bills asking for 15 years’ experience.

I am not one to bash min-

isters or the Government, but I would close by recommending that Minister N. Henry pay a little more attention to her ministry, because quite a lot is spiralling out of control; which would not have been the case if competent people were doing the work that we, the taxpayers, pay for.

I now close by stating that I hope other Guyanese like me would spend some time shedding light on the injustices that we receive at the hands of our fellow Guyanese; for it begs the question: With oil on the way, will it get any better for us?

Regards, Concerned Citizen

Awful choice of words Repair my GTT Rubbish in the landline service Essequibo River

Dear Editor, In a recent Newsroom report, GPL Chairman Rawle Lucas, in reference to the blackouts, stated, “This is one child we must kill; I know people don’t like to murder, but that one we have to end”.

The awful choice of words by the GPL Chairman seems to have flown under the radar, as the Guyana media have almost no mention of it, social media is undisturbed by it, and there has not been even a peep from children’s advocates and activists in Guyana.

However, a number of social activists – individuals and groups – are extremely perturbed by the

utter lack of sensitivity displayed by the GPL Chairman, and we call on that gentleman to issue a public apology to Guyana’s children and parents.

We also call upon Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, to publicly indicate his and his ministry’s position with respect to use of such language by the GPL chairman.

Finally, we call upon the public to consider a picketing exercise in front of the GPL Chairman’s office, to let him know that wanting to ‘kill children’ will not be tolerated.

Sincerely, The Caribbean Voice

Dear Editor, Would it ever be possible for GTT to restore the services of my two landline phones to normalcy? For more than six months now, the one at Adventure and the other at Suddie have not been functioning, much to my inconvenience.

During that period, umpteen reports were made at the complaints desk in the Anna Regina compound, and two letters were even sent to the officer-in-charge to have the matter rectified.

All along, a technician came twice, but it was just useless to bring about corrective measures. The major problem with the phones is that, ever so often, there is

no dial tone; and even when this comes on, it is not possible to make or receive calls.

For sure, my frustration and stress over the use of the phones will be eliminated with the company doing a favour to provide information on the true position.

It is well known that, from the lack of the company providing an efficient service, many customers have abandoned the use of their landline phones.

As a matter of fact, monopoly is always bad for customers, with a clear demonstration of such situation taking place here.

Yours respectfully, Baliram Persaud

Dear Editor, I am on the Essequibo River almost every weekend, on my boat between Parika and Bartica, visiting my resort near to Bartica. On every journey, without fail, within about 8 miles downriver of Bartica, I encounter an increasing amount of rubbish dumped in the river by the Bartica community, including plastic boxes, plastic bottles and, worst of all, paper wrapping, which if caught it a boat’s propeller can do extensive damage, and even cause an accident.

Our President has re-

cently made much of the Green State Development Strategy, and we celebrate World Ocean Day 2019, which the GTA will be marking by planned cleanup on the Georgetown Seawall.

When, may I ask, are we going to apply these admirable and high-sounding strategies in the simplest and most practical terms, by cleaning up our act as a people and in our communities?

Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento

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saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019

Page

Foundation

…9 tips to teach your children caring, compassion, and creativity this summer

By Christine Fonseca

F

or many parents, as the school break draws closer, it is a time of concern. “What classes should I have my kid take this summer?”, “How can I make sure my child doesn’t lose any of their academic skills?”, “I need to keep my kids busy this summer, so I need more reading or maths classes to help them prepare for the next school year.”

While I agree that summer is a great time to hone some academic skills, why not try a different approach and focus on the 3Cs instead of the 3Rs – Caring, Compassion, and Creativity. These skills may do more to boost academic performance in the fall than you realize.

Research in the field of positive psychology has found many connections between enhanced socialemotional learning skills (SEL) and increased academic performance. In a landmark 2011 meta-analysis, Durlak et al. found an 11 per cent increase in academic performance following social-emotional learning interventions. In a 2017 follow-up analysis of the research related to the longterm impact of teaching SEL skills, the same team of researchers found that the positive effects of enhanced social-emotional learning skills not only continued, but even increased to 13 per cent.

More, students who receive social-emotional interventions, or an explicit focus on building social-emotional learning skills, have decreased drug and alcohol use, decreased episodes of maladaptive behaviours and reduced periods of emotional distress, including anxiety and depression. Given the increases in the latter reported in our current generation of children, including improvements is suicidal ideation and decreases in life satisfaction, the need to nurture social-emotional development seems clear to me.

This summer, instead of focusing on the 3Rs – reading, writing, and arithmetic – focus on developing the social-emotional skills of

caring (empathy and kindness); compassion (both for others and for self), and creativity (including cognitive flexibility and creative problem-solving). These skills can lead to increased resilience and emotional intelligence, which leads to improved school (and life) performance in the years to follow. The following simple tips can show you how easy it is to build the 3Cs into your child’s life this summer.

Caring Teaching kids to care is all about teaching the skills of empathy and kindness. Development of these skills leads directly to improvements in resiliency and nurtures emotional intelligence. The three tips below are easy ways to begin creating a more compassionate and caring home: Commit to intentional happiness. This summer, why not commit to developing kindness and joy. The Greater Good Science Centre at UC Berkley can help with their monthly Happiness Calendars.

Commit to at least one activity a week. These are fun, easy to do, and can lead to more caring in your children and your household.

Begin a family service project. Few things nurture empathy, compassion, and kindness more than acts of service. Take time this summer to engage in a family service project. Donate your time and talents to charitable organisations as a family. You will teach the importance of service, develop kindness skills, and potentially find a new family tradition.

Random acts of kindness. Throughout the summer, look for ways you and your children can conduct random acts of kindness.

Buy a stranger a coffee on your next trip to Starbucks. Write getwell cards to children in the hospital. Pick up litter at the beach.

Any little act of kindness. Ask your children to develop a list of kindness acts they’d like to do this summer and help them make a plan to accomplish it.

Compassion Compassion is centred on a mature development of empathy.

As the previous C focused on caring and kindness, this really is about nurturing self-compassion skills. Self-compassion is typically defined as the ability to understand, accept, and love ourselves fully. Neff, a leading researcher in this field, explains that selfcompassion involves mindfulness, self-kindness, and recognizing shared humanity. Setting the time to develop each of these areas over the summer will improve self-compassion, leading to improved resilience overall. The following three tips can help you nurture self-compassion in yourself and your children this summer: Develop a mindfulness practice. Mindfulness, or the act of present-moment awareness, involves learning to have your brain and your body in the same place at the same time. Taking time each day to practice being fully aware of the present moment is often tricky at first. People have been conditioned to “multi-task” and are typically unaware of each moment. Start small. Schedule time for focused breathing, using strategies like a 4-7-8 breath or other exercises.

Start a positivity journal. Teach your children how to create and use a positivity journal. Similar to gratitude exercises, a positivity journal involves writing down three things about yourself that you are proud of or grateful for. This forces the participant to look for the positive things about self and reflect on these every day.

Develop character strengths. Strengths-based practices are self-discovery and improvement activities that focus on developing positive mind-sets and compassion through recognition of one’s character strengths and the development of these strengths.

Research has shown that concentrating on strengths-based practices improves well-being and decreases anxiety and depression. Start by taking the free character strength survey on the VIA Institute of Character website with your children. Take time to explore the site and try out some of their recommendations for developing various character strengths. Commit to trying a few character practices each week. (Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

S

tick notes to your locker with old family photographs, or build a pictorial family tree on your refrigerator. Be sure to get a grown-up’s permission before you begin.

What you need:

printed copies of old photographs scissors large, clear glass gems (available at craft stores) clear-drying glue large round magnets

Instructions: 1. Cut your photo larger than the glass gem.

2. Put a small drop of glue on the gem’s flat side and spread it around with your finger.

3. Press the gem onto the photo, centring over the face. Let dry.

4. Use your scissors to trim the photo as close to the gem as possible.

5. Turn over the gem and glue a magnet to the back of the paper. Let dry. (familytreemagazine.com)

news

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saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Oil wealth must reach all Guyanese – British envoy

A

s Guyana moves to extract first oil in a few months’ time, British High Commissioner Greg Quinn has posited that the benefits of oil must reach all Guyanese, including those on the coastland and those in hinterland villages.

Making these remarks on Thursday, during the 93rd anniversary celebration of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II, Quinn noted that both the Government and Opposition are tasked to work for the good of everyone.

“Guyana is on the cusp of unparalleled wealth. That wealth must benefit each and every citizen of this country, regardless of who they are or where they are; from the coast to the hinterland, from Georgetown to the smallest village. Everyone must benefit. Government and Opposition must work for all the citizens of Guyana,” the High Commissioner admonished.

The principal explorer of this oil, ExxonMobil, has thus far made 13 discoveries, the most recent being in April last. This discov-

British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn

ery added to the previously announced estimated recoverable resource of approximately 5.5 billion oil-equivalent barrels in the Stabroek Block. Yellowtail-1 is the fifth discovery in the Turbot area, which ExxonMobil expects to become a major development hub.

Quinn explained that if citizens are at the other end of such resources, the latent potentials of the country, which have been announced for some time, would be realised. If not, he said, it will be

a “shameful legacy”.

“If this does not happen, I fear Guyana will not develop, and we will continue to hear the tired, old mantra of how much potential Guyana has. There is no question about that potential, but it is up to the political leadership to do, to actually show it, to actually move beyond potential to reality…If that does not happen, it will be a shameful legacy,” he warned.

He mentioned the positive growth in business ac-

2 Police Officers promoted for acts of bravery

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wo Police Officers who demonstrated pure bravery while executing their duties have been promoted by Police Commissioner Leslie James on Friday.

Corporal Clive Clarke, who has served the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for over 10 years and is presently stationed at the Brickdam Police Station, was elevated to the rank of Sergeant. Clarke said that with being promoted, his performance would only become even greater.

He was injured in the leg during the shootout with three bandits in Norton Street, Georgetown last week.

Meanwhile, Constable Mark Grimmond, who is stationed at Eteringbang, Cuyuni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), was promoted to Corporal.

He was escorting the body of a United States missionary when the single-en-

A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) Commander Marlon Chapman presenting Clive Clarke with his sergeant stripes on behalf of Commissioner Leslie James

F Division (Interior Locations) Commander Kevin Adonis presenting Mark Grimmond with his stripes on behalf of the Police Commissioner

gine aircraft in which he was travelling crash-landed aback of Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara.

The emotional cop, who has served eight years in the Force, said that he was very much elated for his first promotion.

Both ranks have been discharged from the hospital and have been recovering speedily.

The simple promotion ceremony was hosted in the Commissioner’s Conference Room in the presence of Officers of the Force’s Performance Group who were meeting at the time.

The Commissioner was sure to note that such outstanding performance by ranks would always be rewarded by the Force.

tivities and linkages that were forged with other parts of the United Kingdom (UK).

Guyana recently established ties with Aberdeen, from where expertise can be provided for the oil industry.

“The one thing I want to highlight is the expanding business relationship. In the last year, we have cemented the links between Aberdeen and the city of Georgetown.

All of this is designed to help Georgetown learn from the good and the bad of dealing with oil and gas. We have met every increasing links between the UK and Guyanese business in all areas. It’s not just about the oil and gas, it’s about retail, consumer goods, services and other skills,” Quinn said during the event.

ExxonMobil had previously said there is potential for at least five floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels on the Stabroek Block, producing more than 750,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025.

Startup of the Liza Phase 1 development is on track to begin by the first quarter of 2020, and this well is expected to produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day utilising the Liza Destiny FPSO, which is expected to arrive in the country in the third quarter.

Liza Phase 2 is expected to start up by mid-2022.

A final investment decision is expected soon, subject to Government and regulatory approvals. Upon approval, the project plans to use the Liza Unity FPSO to produce up to 220,000 barrels per day.

Sanctioning of a third development, Payara, is also

expected in 2019, with startup projected for 2023.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, is operator of, and holds 45 per cent inter-

est in, the Stabroek Block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 per cent interest.

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Law books fiasco

Lawyer accuses Prosecutor of intimidation

Attorney Glenn Hanoman

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ttorney-at-law Glenn Hanoman, representing former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, has defended his client’s absence during a recent trial hearing at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

When the matter was called up on Thursday last, neither Nandlall nor his attorney were present, and, as such, Special Prosecutor assigned to the case, Patrice Henry, successfully requested the court to send a notice to the defendant.

He also informed that if the defendant fails to attend court at the next hearing, a warrant would be issued for his arrest.

However, in a statement on Friday, Attorney Hanoman posited that his and his client’s absence during the recent hearing was not deliberate. In fact, the lawyer noted that they were just simply unaware that the matter was fixed for that day.

“I was shocked by two headlines in the (media)…

Both articles accurately reported that neither I nor my client, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, were present when the relevant matter was called before Her Worship Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on June 6, 2019. I wish to make it clear that the absence of my client and (me was) neither deliberate nor

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

due to any form of inadvertence,” Hanoman stated in the missive.

He explained that, from the inception, the case was and is being heard in Court V, but the presiding Magistrate is currently assigned responsibilities in the East Demerara Magisterial District, and would return to the City court to deal with incomplete pending cases, including this case.

According to the lawyer, this matter was called up on April 5 before Magistrate Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court V, where both he and his client were present. On that date, the matter was then adjourned to May 24 at 13:30h at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court V. When he turned up at court on that day however, Hanoman said, neither the Magistrate nor the Prosecutor was present. Upon enquiry, he was informed by her clerk that the Magistrate would not be attending court on that day, and that he is unaware of the next date when the Magistrate would be in attendance, but that he would so inform the defendant’s counsel (Hanoman) when he is in receipt of that information.

“I left the court and so informed my client. I never received any further information from the clerk, as

promised. Therefore, neither I, nor my client, were informed that the matter was fixed to be heard by the learned Magistrate on June 6, 2019, hence our absence.”

Further, Attorney Hanoman posited that “It is extraordinarily worrying, not only how the matter became fixed for hearing on June 6, 2019, but also how the Prosecutor knew of this date, when he was not present on the last date the matter was scheduled to be called, that is, on May 24, 2019.”

Moreover, the lawyer went on to point out that he was present in Court V all day on Friday to attend other cases. However, he noted that in both the morning and afternoon sessions, Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty, and not Magistrate Azore, presided in that court.

“After reading the newspaper articles…and upon enquiries, I was informed that sometime between 13:00h – 13:30h on June 6, 2019, the matter was called in Georgetown Magistrates’ Court III, another courtroom, with only the Magistrate and the Prosecutor present.

I have secured a copy of the case jacket and there is no endorsement thereon that the matter was adjourned from May 24, 2019 to June 6, 2019,” the lawyer noted.

On this note, Hanoman then questioned how and when the June 6 date was fixed; and further, how did the Prosecutor, and even the press, become aware of this date, the precise time and the new Courtroom in which the matter would be called?

“These apparent oddities will be interrogated and examined closer at a later stage. It is unfortunate that the learned Prosecutor signalled an intent to resort to the draconian recourse of seeking an arrest warrant for my client on the next occasion when he is so familiar with the whereabouts of both my client and I, who are both

Rearguard action…

SOCU’s Special Prosecutor Patrice Henry

officially located less than a stone’s throw away from the Court, and with whom he interacts on a regular basis. I will refrain from attributing to him an improper motive,” the attorney posited in this missive.

The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is accusing Nandlall of stealing some 14 Commonwealth law books, worth $2.3 million, from the State.

However, Nandlall had explained that when he was appointed Attorney General, he requested, as part of his contract of service, for the Government of Guyana to stand the expense for his subscriptions for the Commonwealth law books.

He had subscribed to Lexis Nexis, the publishers of the law reports.

His contentions were corroborated publicly by then President Donald Ramotar.

Despite this, however, in April 2017, Nandlall was arraigned at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Azore on the charge instituted by members of SOCU. Nandlall continues to maintain that the accusation laid against him by SOCU was instigated by his successor, Attorney General Basil Williams, because he [Nandlall] continues to criticise his [Williams’s] performance.

Young mother charged for burning daughter

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enior Magistrate Leron Daly on Friday remanded 21-yearold Okele Chester of Lot 56 James Street, Albouystown Georgetown, who appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged for ill-treating her two-year-old daugh-

ter.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the allegation which detailed that on May 27, 2019 at James Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, being the guardian of the child, she wilfully ill-treated the child by causing her unnecessary injuries.

Even as specifics of the matter were not presented in court, Police Prosecutor Christopher Morris objected to the defendant being placed on bail by citing the seriousness of the charge.

Meanwhile, the unrepresented defendant, in an explanation, told the

Magistrate that she did not mean to inflict the injuries on her child. She said, “I did not burn my child wilfully”.

The defendant was, nevertheless, remanded to prison, and will make her next court appearance on June 21, 2019.

on Friday. The first charge alleged that on March 17, 2019, at East La Penitence, Georgetown, while being in lawful custody for the offence of threatening language, he escaped from custody.

Another charge alleged that on the same day, at Lodge Housing Scheme, Georgetown, he made use of threatening language towards Raul Boucher.

Another charge alleged that on January 30, 2019, at Tucville, Georgetown, he made use of threatening language towards Randy Greene, thereby breaching the peace.

The final charge alleged that on February 17, 2019 at Silverballi Road, Meadowbrook Gardens, Georgetown, he unlawfully wounded Jevena Boucher so

as to cause her actual bodily harm.

Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh objected to the defendant being placed on bail.

Meanwhile, the virtual complainant Jevena Boucher, in an explanation to the court, stated that the defendant is a threat to herself and family.

As such, the defendant was remanded to prison until June 21, 2019.

Repeat offender remanded on threatening, wounding charges

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fter spending three months in prison, Daniel Bouncer of Tucville, Georgetown was again arraigned before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, to answer a series of charges that included escaping from Police custody, threatening language, and wounding.

Bouncer pleaded not guilty to all four charges after they were read to him

Y

…on NCM by PNC ou gotta hand it to the PNC; when it comes to clinging on to power, they’ll try every trick in the book, and then some!! Blindsided by the PPP on the NCM after a momentary lapse following the vote, they’ve since pulled out all the stops to remain in office till 2020. That’s when the oil starts flowing to help them buy votes!

Reading the tea leaves following the hearings at the CCJ, they knew the decision wasn’t going to go their way. Even though they were able to avoid the immediate consequence of the NCN – elections by end March – an adverse ruling would mean elections by end November, even under GECOM’s dilatory tactics. Still not 2020 and first oil!! What to do? Well duh!! Draw a red herring across the trail!

And who better to do this than AG Basil Williams, whose forte is bluff and bluster in the courtroom?? So he now says he’s got evidence that Charrandas Persaud knew he was disqualified from being an MP on account of being a dual citizen, and so his vote wasn’t valid. And he wants the CCJ to put a hold on their decision – which is already past due – until they evaluate this “evidence” without any further hearings, since “the thing speaks for itself”. But Williams knew Charrandas’ lawyers would object – which they’ve already done – and hence the case is in effect being reopened - making a 2020 election ever more likely.

But if you, dear reader, are muttering that all of this has already been addressed and dismissed, you’re ABSOLUTELY correct!! And the PNC knows this, but the stakes being what they are – a bottomless piggy bank to satiate their greed!

– they don’t care. Chief Justice George, of course, had pointed out that according to Art 165 (2) “The Assembly may act notwithstanding any vacancy in its membership… and the presence or participation of any person not entitled to be present at, or to participate in, the proceedings of the Assembly shall not invalidate those proceedings.”

So that even if Charrandas was disqualified from being an MP, his vote still counted. If the Govt wanted to object to Charrandas’ sitting, they should’ve brought an Elections Petition within 28 days of the 2015 elections, since this is what the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act and the National Assembly (Validity of) Elections Rules prescribe!! Williams claims the Govt didn’t know.

Yet his “evidence” is Charrandas saying he told Ramjattan before the elections he held a Canadian passport!! Isn’t V.P. and Public Security Minister Ramjattan part of the Government??

In fact, Ramjattan gave Charrandas his offficial judgement: “Rass wid you! A lot of people have Canadian passports”!! …on political cleansing One of the new Ministers appointed to fill the dual-citizen vacuums is WPA’s Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, who stepped into Rupert Roopnaraine’s shoes as the Public Service Minister.

She’d received a government scholarship to the tune of $3.4 million to study Public Policy Management. To everyone’s surprise, she immediately fired the entire staff from the personnel department – something she doesn’t have the authority to do. She denied doing so, but was shown to be lying when the memo surfaced.

Now we’re being told that the reason for her highhanded action was that she suspects the personnel office’s personnel were the ones who’d revealed to the Opposition Leader that some $20 million had been transferred from the Ministry of the Presidency’s account into the accounts of the children of Simona “I is” Broomes!!

But what’s even more shocking is the reaction of WPA’s David Hinds, who’s said to be related to Sarabo-Halley.

The WPA activist insisted that “PPP moles” be rooted out from the Public Service!!

And how to identify the “PPP moles”? By their “looks”?? …on luxury vehicles Remember the luxury Hummer that was seized by the GRA and given to the GDF? Well, seems that’s the new PNC policy. Two SUVs seized from some Brazilians were handed out to some big ones in the PNC. So where’s SARA??

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

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5 legal luminaries conferred with Senior Counsel title

From right: Stephen Fraser, Shalimar Ali-Hack, Carole James-Boston and Rajendra Poonai

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obert Ramcharran, Carole JamesBoston, Stephen Fraser, Rajendra Poonai and Shalimar Ali-Hack were on Friday appointed Senior Counsel (conferred with silk) at a spe-

cial sitting of the Full Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature.

The five legal luminaries were all spoken greatly of by Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams.

Ramcharran, the AG said, worked as a teacher and clerk at the court before studying law. He has since practiced in every magisterial district in Guyana.

The humble legal minds reflected on how they came

from nothing, some starting out without even a sound secondary education.

Ramcharran said it was a very significant milestone for him. In fact, 40 years ago, he did not even dream of having or standing at such an occasion.

James-Boston, on the other hand, knew she wanted to become a lawyer since she was eight years old.

She graduated from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and completed training in the late 1980s.

She then became an associate Attorney-at-Law and was made a partner of the law firm Boston and Boston.

She has over 23 years’ experience in the field.

Her colleague, Fraser, also a graduate of UWI as well as the University of Guyana (UG), began his career as an associate Attorney as well. Fraser practised civil and criminal law and later was admitted to practise law in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

The next recipient of the honour, Rajendra Poonai was described as a “distinguished Attorney-at-Law” with 31 years of practice. He served as an economist and was even an associate lecturer at UG from 1981 to 1984.

Poonai was fortunate to have appeared in matters before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the past.

The fifth person to be conferred with silk was AliHack. In her earlier years, she received a government scholarship to pursue studies. After obtaining a legal certificate, she was admitted to outer bar, which marked the beginning of her

Robert Ramcharran

career.

She was recognised as the first Muslim Attorneyat-Law in Guyana to dress in her traditional religious clothing since 1995. In 2008, she became the first woman appointed by the Judicial Service Commission as Director of Public Prosecutions.

Moreover, she is also the first female Muslim Attorney to be appointed SC. She was described as a “true daughter of the soil”.

Transparency

A representative from the Guyana Bar Association said he believed there ought to be a transparent process for the selection of persons to be so elevated.

He reasoned in his almost 10-minute presentation, “It is all good and harbouring to describe the utopian principles of public practice and procedure, but it is often a different proposition when it comes to the implementation… we have been consistently calling for transparency in

the Department by repeatedly without success seeking to have a criteria for appointment. For the integrity of any legal process to be maintained, we at the Bar humbly submit that clarity, certainty and predictability are required.”

He maintained that the process by which these persons are selected should not be a difficult one but in fact based on some transparency.

Nonetheless, he congratulated the recipients on their hard work that allowed them to achieve this medal of success.

The SC honour

Friday’s event marked the third such sitting following the resuscitation of the tradition of conferral of silk by President David Granger.

The honour of silk is conferred on an eminent lawyer. The conferment was by the Crown that is the King or Queen, hence King’s Counsel was abbreviated to KC and Queen’s Counsel, QC, but now in the Republic State of Guyana, they are referred to as Senior Advocate or Senior Counsel (SC).

This status is recognised by the courts and they have the privilege of sitting in the Bar at the Court where they are considered members of the “inner bar”. Since members wear silk gowns of a specific design, the counsels are usually referred to as silk.

The newly-appointed men and women were applauded by the acting Chief Justice Roxane George and acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards.

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Reinstatement of Sherod Duncan part of a deal – Jagdeo …says Nagamootoo needs Duncan’s support to retain PM post at AFC congress

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

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he reinstatement of sacked Guyana Chronicle General Manager Sherod Duncan is part of a deal to ensure that his supporters vote for Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo to retain his post in the Alliance For Change’s upcoming national conference set for June 15.

This is the view of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who on Thursday told reporters that he was not surprised that Prime Minister Nagamootoo had Duncan reinstated shortly after he was given his marching orders at the Guyana Chronicle newspaper.

“We all know; it is transparent that the only reason he was reinstated is because he was appointed the Chairman of the Georgetown District of the Alliance For Change and he would have delegates. And so Nagamootoo, opportunistically now, he wants the support. So, a deal was cut to reinstate him (Duncan). Forget the transparency, forget about the thievery of public resources, etc,” Jagdeo said.

According to Jagdeo, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, who is also the Leader of the AFC, would naturally support the rein-

Former sacked Guyana Chronicle General Manager Sherod Duncan, who was reinstated by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

statement of Duncan since his (Trotman’s) loyalty is to the Prime Minister.

“Because Trotman does not support Ramjattan, he supports Nagamootoo, so Trotman obviously would support the reinstatement of Sherod Duncan, because it seems as though a nice little cosy deal was cut that you give me back my job, I’ll deliver the delegates to you at the congress. And so, I am not surprised that it’s done but it is unethical and it shows the true nature of the AFC. They throwing away all their so-called principles for their own internal purpose,” the Opposition Leader stated.

Earlier this week, Trotman supported the move to have Duncan reinstated, saying that dismissal was too harsh a penalty in the first instance. He told Guyana Times that he did not believe that the Chronicle General Manager should have been fired in the first place over the breaches of financial regulations.

In a letter dated May 31, 2019, PM Nagamootoo, an AFC Executive Member, “instructed” the then Chair

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman

of the Guyana National Newspaper Limited (GNNL), Geeta Chandan-Edmond, to rescind the decision taken by the Board two months ago to dismiss Duncan, also an AFC party member.

Back in April, ChandanEdmond had broken a deadlock and voted to have Duncan dismissed following recommendations from an audit, which found 20 transactions whereby he breached several financial regulations.

In a statement at the time, the GNNL Board had disclosed that one Director recommended a one-month suspension and an extension of probation for Duncan while two other Directors recommended an extension in the probation period while three other Directors held the view that Duncan’s services should be terminated with immediate effect for gross misconduct.

It was noted that a vote was then called on the matter and there was a tie which Chandan-Edmond broke.

However, in the correspondence to the GNNL Chair, the Prime Minister, who has responsibility over State media, pointed out that he was informed by Directors that there was in fact no vote

put to the table.

Calling the decision to fire Duncan “arbitrary, capricious, unlawful and in excess of the jurisdiction of the Board”, the Prime Minister further stated in the missive that the Chair sought to mislead his office into thinking that the Board made the decision.

In response to the Prime Minister’s correspondence, Chandan-Edmond submitted her resignation, telling Nagamootoo his statements were not only “insulting” to her but the other Board Directors who voted to have Duncan dismissed back in April.

The audit of the State newspaper’s operations from June 1, 2018 to September 10, 2018 found that tender rules were violated, services were procured without contracts, and approvals were given for payments without the regular procedure of company stamp or signature.

There are over 20 transactions conducted under Duncan’s watch or by Duncan himself, which were in blatant violation of financial regulations.

Further, cash advances were given to Duncan to travel overseas, but he did not

Foreign Secretary Carl B Greenidge attended the 14th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Lima Group in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on June 6, 2019, to discuss the situation in Venezuela and strategies for achieving a resolution of the crisis in that country. Guyana supports the need for dialogue and diplomacy to pave the way for a peaceful return to democracy and free and fair elections in Venezuela

clear the amounts. It was also found that the company’s personnel policy and procedures manual were ignored during the recruitment, termination, and dismissal of employees.

The Guyana Chronicle has a Management Tender Committee, which approves transactions ranging from $100,000 to $300,000 before payments are made. But during the time period examined, no approval was giv-

en for nine such transactions valued at $1.6 million.

Duncan also took an overseas trip with the marketing coordinator for the resuscitation of the publication’s New York edition. This trip cost in excess of $736,028, but there was no approval for such an event and to date, no relevant documents were brought forward to support these expenditures, the audit found.

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saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Brazilian firm ordered to cap 1st Math Expo for Primary well after gas eruption in Reg 1 Schools held

The well that exploded in Region One

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he Brazilian firm that was drilling a water well in the vicinity of Kumaka, Region One, has been ordered to cease operations due to the eruption of natural glass.

This is according to the Director General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Colonel Kester Craig, who noted that the emissions have since stopped.

Even though the substance seems to have set-

tled, the Brazilian company which had instructed the drilling of the well has been ordered to cap the orifice, Craig said.

“A cease order has been issued to the drilling company, and it has been advised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to seek the proper permissions before recommencing private water well drilling operations.

The company was also

ordered to ensure that the failed well sites are properly capped,” the CDC Head explained. A hydrologist from the Hydromet Office has been dispatched to the area to conduct further assessment of the situation.

There are two known cases of natural gas eruptions in Guyana, both occurred in the Diamond/Grove Housing Scheme area of the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

In both situations, the eruption was so extensive that it caused major damage to nearby surroundings.

A coordinating committee that was established to respond to the last eruption at Sixth Street, Diamond had submitted to cabinet a list of recommendations, which included using the natural gas for cooking purposes or to supply the housing scheme with electricity.

“One [recommendation] includes utilising the gas for construction of a gas generator that can provide electricity in the area, or have private investors invest in the gas, and it could be supplied for cooking or other purposes,” the CDC Head had stated in 2018.

Primary school students marching from Woolford Avenue to Queen’s College for the Mathematics Expo and Fair

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he Education Department of Georgetown hosted its inaugural Mathematics Exposition and Fair for primary school pupils with the hope of pushing more of them to have an interest in that subject area.

The event commenced with a walk from the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) Hall on Woolford Avenue to the Queen’s College auditorium for the official programme.

District Education Officer Adrian Elgin explained that the main focus of the Mathematics Expo and Fair is to raise the level of awareness that Mathematics is not a subject that should be dreaded.

“We are trying to lay an impression that it is not as difficult as they say, as well as to build an awareness to let the world know that mathematics is not as difficult as they say it is. It is across the board children have a problem with mathematics; because I am responsible for the subject at the Primary level, I am working with them,” Elgin said.

“We have 28 schools, so

Georgetown District Education Officer Adrian Elgin

they would have made projects, they would have made teaching materials, and it is there for when the children get there they will see what it is like. The concepts will be explained to them”, he added.

The District Education Officer further stated that teachers from those 28 schools participating in the event were tasked with ensuring that they make the exposition as fun and understandable as they could.

“They have games, they have teaching materials; so we have teachers at each of the booths, so that when the children get there, concepts

will be explained to them.

Each booth has one teacher from the school, who will be explaining the concepts to the students when they get there. This idea came from the Science Fair initiative, because I thought that we can have a Mathematics one.”

With regard to a ‘special needs’ school being included in the list of participating schools for the Mathematics Exposition and Fair, he added that even children who do not benefit from the regular classroom teachings on a daily basis need to be exposed to mathematics.

Lesbians brutally attacked on London bus for refusing to kiss for gang of men

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ritish police said Friday they had made arrests after a gang of men beat up a lesbian couple who refused to kiss for them on a London night bus.

Melania Geymonat, 28, said she and her girlfriend Chris were left covered in blood after the attack last week.

"They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us 'lesbians' and describing sexual positions," she wrote on Facebook.

"It was only them and us there. They kept on harassing us, throwing us coins and becoming more enthusiastic about it.

"The next thing I know is that Chris is in the middle of the bus fighting with them.

On an impulse, I went over there only to find her face bleeding and three of them beating her up.

"The next thing I know is I'm being punched." olice said the incident

happened at around 2:30am on May 30 after the two women, both in their 20s, got on the bus in north London.

“As they sat on the top deck they were approached by a group of four males who began to make lewd and homophobic comments to them,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

“The women were then attacked and punched several times before the males ran off the bus. A phone and bag were stolen during the assault. Both women were taken to hospital for treatment to facial injuries.”

The Met later tweeted:

“Arrests have now been made and the investigation remains ongoing.”

Geymonat is from Uruguay while British newspapers reported that her girlfriend is from the US. British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the assault.

“This was a sickening attack and my thoughts are with the couple affected,” she said.

“Nobody should ever have to hide who they are or who they love and we must work together to eradicate unacceptable violence towards the LGBT community.” (The New Indian Express)

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Shelter for abused women to be constructed in Linden

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sod-turning exercise in Linden on Thursday has symbolised the respective commencement of construction of a shelter for abused women and two community centres.

These projects are being undertaken by the United States Military Services, also referred to as the New Horizons. One of the shelters will be constructed at Amelia’s Ward, while the other will be constructed at Blueberry Hill, Wismar.

At the sod-turning exercise on Thursday, US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch noted that this is the third outreach to Guyana by the New Horizons. She noted that the US is committed to building and sustaining relationships with its partner nations.

“We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership and our friendship.

Just like its previous iterations in 2004 and 2009, which built clinics and

schools and provided medical outreaches, this year’s New Horizons’ efforts provide invaluable knowledge and unmatched hands-on experience”, Ambassador Lynch noted.

She added that the bilateral nature of the exercise creates a unity of efforts between the two countries to address challenges in the areas of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Ambassador Lynch also posited that hundreds of Guyanese have already benefited directly from medical outreaches and construction projects undertaken by New Horizons, and thousands more are to benefit in the years to come.

Social Protection Minister Amna Ally related that there is much to celebrate and be grateful for, since the community will, for the first time, have a Women’s Shelter.

She noted that the US/ Guyana partnership has resulted in positive outcomes

Social Protection Minister Amna Ally and US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch were among those at the sod-turning exercise

for the people of Linden, and she said she is looking forward to future partnerships.

The Minister noted that the sod-turning ceremony represents the first act of greater things to come, and

CPA rewards winners of Spelling Bee Competition

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan and the winners of the 43rd Community Policing Group’s Spelling Bee Competition

T

he Community Policing Association (CPA) on Thursday rewarded several students who were successful at the last Spelling Bee Competition that was organised in observance of the Community Policing Group’s 43rd anniversary.

Several events were planned and successfully staged as part of the CPG anniversary, including the Spelling Bee Competition, a Youth Conference, and a Road March.

Forty primary and secondary school students had converged in the various po-

licing divisions for the preliminary competitions, after which the winners had travelled to Region Three to participate in the quarterfinal, semifinal and finals stages.

The quarterfinals were held at the Greenwich Park Primary School on March 12, followed by the semi-finals on March 16 at the Wales Primary School. The finals had seen five juniors and eight seniors showcasing their intellectual skills to determine the winners of each category.

In the end, the five juniors were adjudged winners, since they had ex-

hausted all the work that was assigned for the finals.

On the other hand, three students in the senior group were successful in acquiring the top spots. Two others were adjudged runners-up, while three were eliminated in the early rounds of the final, which was held at the West Demerara Secondary School.

The winners were rewarded with trophies and other gifts. The Public Security Minister urged the students to continue excelling in their academics. He noted that the competition was planned in order to foster social cohesion.

it would not have been possible without support of the US Government under the New Horizons project.

Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell has said the introduction of a Women’s Shelter is something that the town would always remember, in that it would bring much needed relief to the Region as a whole.

She also expressed hope that the shelter would be able to provide services that would help to reduce issues such as teenage pregnancies and child abuse, and provide skills training and literacy services for youths.

New Horizons Commander, Colonel

Kenneth Bratland, in an overview, alluded to the importance of the projects. “(For) our exercise, New Horizons will bring over 500 airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines into Guyana between February and September of this year. Our primary purpose is to train US Forces (on) how to plan and conduct humanitarian missions in different and challenging conditions. To ensure our conditions are challenging, the first thing we did was to build a base camp for all our personnel to live in. We did this starting in February, and we finished that in May. “With that completed,

we are now moved on to the helping phase of this exercise. Our first focus area is providing medical, dental and veterinary assistance at seven events in 15 locations across Guyana,” he detailed.

Five of these events, he noted, will take place at seven locations throughout Linden.

He highlighted that the first event concluded at the Port Mourant Hospital in Region Six last month, while the second will conclude today (Friday) at the Linden Hospital Complex.

Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Patrick West, has said that, with an apparent increase in domestic violence cases, he is heartened that the shelter for women was conceived and earmarked as a priority project.

He said realisation of the shelter signals that the men and women in uniform are there to offer support.

“It signals that, as military persons, we are in touch with some of the social ills that plague our society… The Joint Services as a whole is committed to providing assistance through whatever provisions are allowed legally by mandate and otherwise to fight against the scourge of domestic violence. I cannot wait to see the completion of this project, and ensure that it is effectively and efficiently utilised by all,” he declared.

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saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

UG Vice Chancellor withdraws request for renewal of contract – Transitional Management Team identified

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niversity of Guyana Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith on Friday withdrew his request for the renewal of his contract. This decision came amid pressure from the University of Guyana unions.

Based on reports received, the University of Guyana Council convened to make a determination on the matter of the renewal or non-renewal of Griffith’s contract, but during such, a correspondence was received indicating that he no longer wanted his contact to be renewed.

As such, the University Council accepted his withdrawal,

which means that as of June 14, 2019, Professor Griffith, who is at present on terminal leave, shall cease to be Vice Chancellor of the University.

In a release issued by the University of Guyana, it stated that a Transitional Management Team has been duly approved by the University Council.

The Team, the missive added, will be chaired by Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Engagement, Professor Michael Scott; with Deputy Vice Chancellor for Philanthropy, Alumni and Civic Engagement, Professor Paloma Mohamed serv-

UG Vice Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith

ing as the Deputy Chair and Registrar. Dr Nigel Gravesande will serve as Secretary to the Management Committee.

Pro Chancellor, Major General (Retired) Joseph Singh stated that the Team has been identified to take control of the management of the University with effect from June 14, 2019, until such time that a new Vice Chancellor was appointed.

“The aforementioned notwithstanding, the University Council will continue to pursue its agenda, including the conduct of a Management Audit, the identification of a new Chancellor and

the soon-to-commence search for a new Vice Chancellor,” he added.

The University Council looks forward to a cessation of the recent exchanges in the media on the University’s internal processes, but in the interest of openness, will keep the University community and the wider society informed of unfolding developments as the University seeks to continue its work and to provide for a seamless transition of leadership in the interest of its students, faculty, and staff members, the release added.

Anna Regina Town Council threatens Region 10 Education Department collaborates legal action against GL&SC

with RDC to tackle issues

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he Anna Regina Town Council is contemplating legal action against the Government if it continues to grant leases to business owners who are renting portion of lands in Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast.

Mayor Rajendra Prabhulall, in a release to the media, recently stated that two officers of the Lands and Surveys Department in Region Two met with him, Deputy Mayor Rudolph Williams, Town Clerk Dian Chritchlow and Councillors, informing them that

the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) was instructed by Government to issue leases to businesses operating in the Deep Area in Anna Regina.

According to the Mayor, the Deep is owned and managed by the Town of Anna Regina and is being used to generate income for the township by renting spots to persons to operate small businesses.

The Mayor related that the persons operating in the Deep owed millions in arrears to the Town Council and while a pay-

ment plan was being worked out, a senior Minister of Government visited the area and promised to give those persons leases for the land that they were presently renting.

This, he added, is disappointing since the Government has bypassed the township without any consultations on the matter.

As such, he has written to the GL&SC to cease the issuing of leases. In addition, letters were dispatched to the Ministry of the Presidency and the related subject Ministries on the matter.

Lack of water delays rice cultivation in Essequibo

A section of the conservancy without water

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lthough there have been constant downpours, the conservancy in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) continues to remain at a very low level thus affecting rice farmers in the region.

Presently, there is little or no water in the trenches which will ultimately delay the planting of this crop of rice.

Some farmers who went ahead with planting thinking that the water woes would be remedied are now fearful that

they might lose the entire crop.

They now depend heavily on the rain to keep the land wet until water can be pumped from the conservancy.

Regional Vice Chairman Nandranie Coonjah, who has responsibility for drainage and irrigation, has since visited the conservancy at various locations and found that the water level is extremely low and the only hope now is the continuous downpours.

Farmers are advised not to go

ahead with cultivation given the present situation. Meanwhile, farmers are concerned about the delay in cultivation and how it will affect them in meeting their deadlines for repayments of loans to the various financial institutions.

As such, they are calling on the Government to intervene but more so, they are calling on the lending agencies to work out a solution that will assist them in repaying these loans.

egional Education Officer (REdO) Rabindra Singh of the Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) Education Department has sought the assistance of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in solving a number of issues affecting the Department.

Given the opportunity by Region 10 Chairman Renis Morian to share the concerns of that Department at a recent statutory meeting, Singh pointed to a number of issues he would like to see resolved.

The Council and the Department work in close collaboration to oversee the educational affairs of Region 10. According to Singh, staffing for schools’ dormitories in the Region is a sore point for the Department.

“Sometimes things are done and I’m the last person to know. So I think we need to communicate more.

Secondly, and I think this is a countrywide problem, we are unable to source staff for our dormitories…

Maybe because of the qualifications and the salaries they’re offering. It is not motivating at all for people to apply, and the children are suffering. We’re operating our dormitories by the grace of God, and we had to be calling on people to do extra duties,” Singh explained.

The REdO also pointed to a lack of finances to purchase furniture to furnish teachers’ quarters. He said that, as a result, four quarters were yet to be furnished, including those at Calcuni and Sand Hills. “… we are very financially unstable when it comes to getting furnishings for our teachers’ quarters.

It has not been featured in the budget, and monies have not been given for the purchasing of furniture for our department. And so you find that teachers would keep complaining. Councillors would come with a lot of information, but then there is little we can do as a Region because the finance is not there…,” Singh explained.

He added that the Department had created a list of items needed, but it would take some time for them to be acquired. In the meantime, he said, the Department still has to find a way to secure furnishings for its teachers’ quarters.

“In terms of our vacancies at the Department, I don’t know how quickly we can work with that with the Public Service Ministry, and that is an important problem, because we don’t have the human resource…,” Singh noted.

Education Committee Chairperson Denise Belgrave said a number of rec-

Regional Education Officer (REdO) Rabindra Singh

ommendations had been made by the Council relative to the issue, and she urged the Council to put those recommendations in place.

Councillor Charles Sampson said what was noted about the teachers’ quarters was “unacceptable”, and he asked who was responsible for highlighting or reporting the issue regarding the absence of furniture.

“This question of you ain’t budget is unacceptable. If you don’t have furniture, then you upsetting the education system… People got to start planning on more detail so that these things can be addressed, and addressed in a timely manner,” the Councillor said.

Councillor Tracey Johnson also noted that the REdO was facing an unfair situation. He pointed out that an internal auditor or stock verifier should be able to give an account of furnishings.

However, the Regional Chairman noted that, in all fairness to the REdO, he was not assigned to the Region during the planning stages of the budget.

Morian said it was his hope that the issue would be addressed at the ‘finance meeting’, and a solution was found so that the quarters could be furnished.

In the past, the RDC and the Education Department had had several clashes, but the Regional Chairman stated that the Department should at no time feel that the Council was against it, and he assured members of the Department that there was no war between the two bodies.

“We want to work in close harmony with the Department of Education.

Where you’re finding difficulties, together as a Council, we could work collectively to solve these problems,” Morian said.

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saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

WGEC recognises outstanding Swami Pumanda pupil wins Region 4 Primary Schools Spelling Bee competition women on new website

Magda Pollard

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he Women and Gender Equality Commission on Friday launched its online Women’s Hall of Fame, providing a virtual introduction to some influential women who shaped Guyana’s history and others who made valuable contributions.

Commission Chairperson Indranie Chandarpal related that the initiative has been in the making for some time.

In the early days of the feminist movement , efforts were made to document the work of outstanding women using typewriters.

This later evolved to using computers to save important information.

Now, the website will speak to a wider audience and most importantly, the younger generation that is technologically savvy.

“Since we are in the age of technology, we believe that it is a most timely opportunity for us to add our virtual hall of fame…We’re looking at people from preIndependence, politicians, rights defenders, grassroot women leaders, differently abled, culture and art, sport and academic,” she stated.

Some individuals who were recognised include Guyana’s First Female Head of State, Janet Jagan; Viola Burnham; Gertie Wood; Kowsilla; Claudette Maasdammer; Mary Noel Menezes; Margery Kirkpatrick; Jane PhillipsGay; Paulette Allicock; Odessa Blair; Philomena Sahoye-Shury and Sheila Holder. Persons can also make recommendations for other women, who will be added in the future.

…to represent Region at national finals

Janet Jagan

Just a few days ago, stalwart women’s activists Magda Pollard and Andaiye passed away and for this reason, special emphasis was placed on their influential roles.

The Commission was established back in 2010.

Chandarpal functions as the Chairperson, with Cheryl Sampson from the National Congress of Women as the Deputy Chairperson. The other Commissioners are drawn from the labour unions, regional women’s affairs committees, cultural and ethnic groups, and the Private Sector.

“Lola” to face trial in BVI for falsifying HIV test

Guyanese make-up artist Lolita Callender, popularly known as “Lola Doll”

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uyanese makeup artist Lolita C a l l e n d e r , popularly known as “Lola Doll”, will be facing trial in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) for attempting to falsify an HIV test by having a man take the test in her name.

Callender, who is facing

a conspiracy to impersonate charge, appeared in court on Thursday, when her lawyer, Stephen Daniels, attempted to get the charge dismissed. According to reports, he argued that in order for a charge of ‘conspiracy to impersonate’ to be established, it would require a third person to be involved in the crime.

However, the Magistrate threw out the application and set the date for trial – June 12.

The court was told by the Prosecutor that there were seven witnesses to testify on behalf of the State.

Following the court hearing Callender was further remanded to prison, since she has not posted the US$60,000 bail granted to her upon her arraignment on April 29, 2019.

It was reported that the Guyanese woman enlisted the help of a man named ‘Eric’ and on April 24, he took an HIV test under the name ‘Lolita Callender’.

Later that day, the two returned to the lab to uplift the result and Callender requested that the sex on the document be changed from male to female.

The change was eventually made after the duo were questioned and the make-up artist claimed that it was her who did the test. According to reports, the defendant then posted the test result on her social media account, which was picked up on by the lab facility.

A report was subsequently made to the Police, who launched an investigation and later arrested Callendar.

13 more touts arrested, charged for soliciting passengers

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total of 13 touts who engaged in activities at the Routes 40, 41, 42, 44, 45 and 47 minibus parks were arrested and charged on Friday as the Police continue their campaign to restore order and civility at those parks.

The operation was led by Sergeant Michael Ramdass, along with other ranks of Traffic Headquarters.

This particular Police initiative was started in March of this year, and will be ongoing until the desired

results are achieved.

In May, a total of 42 touts were arrested, charged, and placed before the courts. Those who pleaded guilty were fined, while others who pleaded not guilty were released on bail.

The traffic team at Brickdam took the opportunity to educate them on the recentlyreleased Code of Conduct for Minibus Operators and other personnel by the Department of Consumer Affairs.

They were also briefed on breaches of the Traffic and Road Safety Regulations, such as obligation to carry passengers; speeding; loud music; and failing to adhere to traffic light signals, road markings and signs.

Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Linden Isles had stated that through the ongoing campaign and determination of the traffic ranks, notable progress has been made to address issues being faced by commuters.

Education Officer Shaharazade Atkinson, Fharis Mohamed, third-place winner Nicholoi Morris, second-place finisher Leikshaya Lakhraj and winner Josh Jailall with Regional Executive Officer (REO) Pauline Lucas and Literacy Coordinator Barbara Richards

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he winners of the nine clusters of the Department of Education Region Four Spelling Bee competition met in a grand showdown to determine the Region’s representative to the national finals.

The nine winners competing in the Regional Finals were Renuka Somwaru of Virginia Primary, Jasmine Jairam of Annandale Primary, Anneisa Rampersaud of Dora Primary, Amar Gordon of St Paul’s Primary, Nicholoi Morris of Kuru Kuru Primary, Jamaul John of Eccles Primary, Olicia Joseph of Kuru Kururu Primary, Leikshaya Lakhraj of New Diamond-Grove Primary and Josh Jailall of Swami Pumanda Primary.

Head of the Literacy Division, Barbara Richards told those in attendance that while in previous years the pupils were given the words so that they can adequately

prepare, this year’s competition was executed differently.

“Today’s competition is different as you, the competitors, were only given the topics, and I am glad to recognise that we are blessed in Region Four with a number of highly-intelligent students who can properly represent us,” Richards noted.

Acting Regional Education Officer Tiffany Harvey reiterated her Department’s commitment to supporting and organising activities that were similar in nature while stating that it sought to improve the educational standards within the Region.

The competition was divided into three rounds with those failing to spell any word being knocked out at the end of the round. However, in determining the third-place winner, there was a tie and another round was added to end the tie breaker.

In rounds one and two,

two students each were eliminated, while after the tie breaker, Nicholoi Morris of Kuru Kuru copped third place with Leikshaya Lakhraj of New Diamond-Grove Primary placing second and Josh Jailall of Swami Pumanda Primary emerging victorious.

Josh was awarded, along with the second-place winner, a tablet, compliments of ANSA McAL, while Morris won himself a book award of $10,000.

Meanwhile, ANSA McAL Brand Coordinator Al Fharis Mohamed said that his company was pleased to be supporting yet another venture by the Region Four Education Department.

He stressed that his company remained committed to the development of education, noting that the youths were certainly the future leaders and ANSA McAL would continue to play its part.

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saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019

Regional

Mexico to deploy forces on Guatemala border Venezuela Socialist Party deputy head visits ally Cuba M

Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly President Diosdado Cabello after participating in a rally in Caracas, Venezuela, May 1, 2019

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enezuela’s ruling Socialist Party Vice President Diosdado Cabello met with Cuban Government officials on Friday during a trip to Havana in a show of unity even as Cuba is being courted to help resolve the political crisis facing its ally.

Cuban State-run media said Cabello arrived in Havana on Thursday for a two-day visit to discuss preparations for the Sao Paulo forum of leftist Latin American and Caribbean groups that will take place in Caracas next month.

The trip comes as the Lima Group regional bloc of 12 nations is calling upon Cuba to help find a solution to the political and economic chaos in Venezuela which has caused an exodus of millions and sharp increases in malnutrition and the spread of preventable disease.

Cuba, which has been a key backer of the Venezuelan Government since the leftist Bolivarian Revolution that began under former President Hugo Chávez in 1998, has said it is open to help mediate but will never betray its ally.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Twitter he had held a “fraternal and useful meeting” with Cabello in which he expressed his country’s “solidarity”. They had touched on matters of international interest, he said, without offering further details.

Rodriguez was due to meet later in Toronto on Friday with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, who said they would “discuss the role that Cuba can play in a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Venezuela”.

Cuba has mediated in other regional crises in the past most notably hosting the peace talks between Colombia’s Government and Marxist FARC rebels.

However, analysts say Cuba, which receives subsidised oil from Venezuela in exchange for exports of Cuban professional services, has an economic interest in the Socialist Party staying in power. The Venezuelan Opposition has said it would revise that deal. (Excerpt from

exico has deployed 6000 members of its National Guard on its border with Guatemala in an attempt to stem the flow of migrants heading to the US. Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard is in Washington trying to stop the US from placing trade tariffs on Mexican goods over illegal migration.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to enact import duties of five per cent on Monday if no agreement is reached.

On Wednesday, he said

into marijuana found at home 6 years ago

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pposition Leader Kamla PersadBissessar has been cleared of any culpability in connection with the discovery of marijuana found at her private residence six years ago when she was Prime Minister.

At a press conference Thursday, Police Commissioner Gary Griffith said that the small amount of ganja found on the premises could not be attributed to Persad-Bissessar.

The illegal substance had been found in April

2013, while the then Prime Minister was out of the country. It was two years later that the Police Commissioner at the time, Stephen Williams, ordered an investigation into an alleged cover-up of the find.

“If you have full access, control and authority of a home and what enters it, then there can be some degree of responsibility in the matter. In this case, based on the investigation, marijuana was found outside her house. If it were found inside, then there would be

some degree of responsibility,” Griffith said, noting that the marijuana was found outside Persad-Bissessar’s home and more than 70 people had access to the yard, including gardeners, drivers, soldiers, Police Officers and plumbers.

“I wish to clarify that the owner of the property, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, she is in no way culpable, nor is she in any way accused of any wrong dealing.

And she is clear of any matter pertaining to this investigation.” (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

St Vincent and the Grenadines elected to UN Security Council

The country received 185 votes after a 10-year campaign

S

t Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday became the smallest country to be elected to the United Nations Security Council.

The country – the Group for Latin America and

Caribbean (GRULAC) endorsed candidate for the Security Council for the term 2020-2022 – received 185 votes after a 10-year campaign.

The multi-island nation of 110,000 people said its

bid was grounded in “our respect for sovereignty, diversity of views, dialogue and peace and development”.

“We are committed to the bedrock foundations of the UN Charter, namely: sovereign equality, non-interference and non-intervention in domestic affairs, and collective cooperation in solving global problems,” the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said in a statement.

The Council is composed of 15 members.

There are five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.

(Excerpt from CMC)

dictability of this presidency, it's not yet clear if that will be enough for President Trump to call off the tariffs.

Meanwhile, in Mexico itself, the proposal has quite a different complexion.

The Mexican delegation in Washington says the Mexican Government is doing all it can on immigration. It's difficult to get the balancing act right, said one Mexican Senator, between regulating migration from Central America and clamping down in the way the Trump Administration would like. (Excerpt from BBC News)

CXC workers continue protest action

The employees have taken protest action to voice concerns over a restructuring exercise at the Council

P Trinidad Opposition Leader cleared in probe Reuters)

"not nearly enough" progress was being made.

After the latest talks on Thursday, Ebrard said he was "an optimistic man".

He said forces would be stationed on Mexico's southern border with Guatemala to prevent migrants entering the country.

"We have explained that there are 6000 men and that they will be deployed there," he said, adding that talks would continue Friday.

The White House may welcome an offer of 6000 more troops on Mexico's southern border, but given the unpre-

rotest action by dozens of workers at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), entered another day on Friday.

The employees have taken protest action to voice concerns over a restructuring exercise at the Council.

Barbados Today reports that major restructuring changes started to unfold without notice and in the middle of negotiations with trade unions.

It's reported that last week, some workers were told that they would be made redundant at the end of June, while at least two others saw their positions advertised among numerous vacancies published on the CXC's website over the weekend.

“The staff of the Caribbean Examinations Council has advised the Barbados Workers' Union (BWU) that they are off the job,” reported the BWU's Deputy Director of Industrial

Relations Dionne Howard on Thursday morning.

“We've met with the workers; we have heard their concerns at this point. We have reached out to the company.

We have shared the concerns and are awaiting word from them as to how soon we can have a discussion regarding the concerns.”

In a statement, the BWU revealed restructuring discussions were to be continued on June 3, but CXC's management unilaterally determined the outcome when they posted advertisements for positions, which were on the table for discussion.

“This action by the management was the final straw for the staff at the CXC who have been experiencing a number of challenges with the management. The Executive Council has found the management of the CXC to be insulting and disrespectful, not only to the secretariat but to the staff of the Council.” (Excerpt from CMC)

Attorney-turned-State witness pleads guilty in corruption case involving former T&T AG

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ne of three men charged in connection with a legal fees kickback scheme which allegedly took place under the former Trinidad and Tobago Government on Thursday pleaded guilty to corruption conspiracy after a High Court Judge accepted his deal with prosecutors that will see him testifying against his co-accused.

Queen’s Counsel Vincent Nelson, who allegedly conspired with former Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and former United National Congress (UNC) Senator

Gerald Ramdeen, will be sentenced on January 16, 2020.

Nelson, who was granted TT$100,000 (US$14,774) bail when he was first charged last month, will be allowed to leave the country and return for his sentencing.

His formal guilty plea to charges of conspiring to commit money laundering, misbehaviour in public office, and conspiracy to commit an act of corruption, was entered after Justice Malcolm Holdip said he would accept a plea agreement reached with

the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), in accordance with section 26 of the Criminal Procedure (Plea Discussion and Plea Agreement) Act. The Judge’s ruling came two days after he heard arguments from Nelson’s lawyers and DPP Roger Gaspard, SC, on why the deal for the Jamaica-born lawyer to get a lesser sentence in exchange for being the State’s key witness in the case against Ramlogan and Ramdeen, should be accepted by the court. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

4 killed as heavy rains pound Haiti

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t least four people have died and several others are missing after heavy torrential rains caused widespread flooding in Haiti over the past four days, the Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) has reported.

It said that the rains had caused floods and significant damage mainly in the west of the French-

speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country.

According to the DPC, preliminary reports indicate that two people were killed in Cité Soleil: one person died in Carrefour, where three others were injured and three others missing while in Cabaret one person died and another is reported miss-

ing during the heavy rains that have been falling since Tuesday.

The authorities said that cattle had also been washed away in Cité Soleil while the Town Hall of Carrefour is reporting that at least 17 houses shared that fate.

Several roads and bridges were also reported to be damaged. (Excerpt from CMC)

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019

17

Around the World

PM May steps down as party US Policeman jailed for chief, igniting leadership race Australian’s murder

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on stage during an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, in Portsmouth, Britain, June 5, 2019

B

ritish Prime Minister Theresa May stepped down as leader of the governing Conservatives on Friday, officially triggering a contest to replace her that could see her party embrace a tougher stance on Brexit.

May announced she would step down last month after failing to deliver Britain’s departure from the European Union on time, deepening a po-

litical crisis in a divided country struggling to move on from a 2016 referendum on Brexit.

She will continue to work as Prime Minister until her party elects a new leader, a crowded race that will be defined by Brexit and competing approaches on how to deliver Britain’s biggest foreign policy shift in more than 40 years.

“For the remainder of her time in office, she will be building on the domes-

tic agenda that she has put at the heart of her premiership,” her spokeswoman told reporters.

May exchanged letters with the leaders of the influential 1922 Committee of Conservative lawmakers, according to a statement from the committee.

May, once a reluctant supporter of EU membership who emerged from the chaos after the 2016 referendum as Prime Minister, steps down with her central pledge – to lead Britain out of the bloc and heal the country’s divisions – unfulfilled.

Her team has been keen to shape her legacy beyond the Brexit failure, but she bequeaths to her successor a nation where traditional political divides are being eroded by strong beliefs on whether Britain should leave the EU, and how it should do so. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Ethiopia tries to mediate Sudan crisis after bloodshed

E

thiopia’s Prime Minister sought to mediate Sudan’s political crisis on Friday, urging military rulers and civilian Opposition to exercise “bravery” in resolving their standoff since the overthrow of President Omar alBashir.

After flying in from Addis Ababa, Abiy Ahmed held separate talks with both sides, days after the worst bloodshed since the military ousted Bashir in April to end his three-decade rule.

The Opposition, which is demanding civilian government, says 113

people were killed in the storming of a protest camp on Monday and subsequent crackdown. The Government put the toll at 61 people, including three security personnel.

After holding talks with Abiy, one member of the Opposition’s delegation, Mohammad Esmat, was arrested by security forces, sources from his party said. The military council could not immediately be reached for comment.

Abiy made his visit the day after the Ethiopianheadquartered African Union bloc suspended Sudan, backing the

Opposition’s demand for civilian rule.

Abiy was welcomed

by Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, spokesman for the Transitional Military Council (TMC). He later hosted a meeting with the Opposition Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) alliance.

“The military and the people and the political forces need to act with bravery and responsibility in taking quick steps to a democratic, reconciliatory transitional period in the country,” he said in a statement. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Noor says he “knew in an instant” that he had made a mistake

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former policeman in the US state of Minnesota has been sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison for fatally shooting an unarmed woman who was trying to report a possible crime.

Mohamed Noor shot Justine Ruszczyk Damond as she approached his patrol car to report a possible rape behind her

Minneapolis home in July 2017.

In court, Damond’s father, John Ruszczyk, called the killing “an obscene act by an agent of the state”.

“Justine’s death has left me incomplete – it is as if I have lost a limb or a leg,” he said in an impact statement.

Damond was due to marry a month after the

shooting.

Damond’s fiancée, Don Damond, read an emotional statement addressed directly to her.

“Dear Justine, I miss you so much every day, every moment,” he said. “I don’t understand how such a thing could happen to you and to us.”

Noor is the first Minnesota Police Officer to be found guilty of murder for an on-duty shooting. At his sentencing on Friday, the 33-year-old apologised for taking Damond’s life.

“I caused this tragedy and it is my burden,” he told the court. “I wish though that I could relieve that burden others feel from the loss that I caused. I cannot, and that is a troubling reality for me.” (Excerpt from BBC News)

Russian and US warships almost collide in East China Sea

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Russian warship and a US warship have come close to collision in the western Pacific Ocean, with each side blaming the other for the incident.

Russia’s Pacific Fleet said the cruiser USS Chancellorsville crossed just 50m (160ft) in front of the destroyer Admiral Vinogradov at 06:35 Moscow time (03:35 GMT).

It was forced to perform “emergency manoeuvring” to avoid the US ship.

But US forces blamed the Russians, claiming their ship was responsible.

US Seventh Fleet Commander Clayton Doss called the Russians “unsafe and unprofessional”, saying their destroyer “made an unsafe manoeuvre against USS Chancellorsville”. He dis-

missed the Russian allegation as “propaganda”.

The Russian Pacific Fleet said they had sent a message of protest to the US ship’s commanders.

The US said later that it would lodge a formal diplomatic complaint.

Both countries regularly accuse the other of dangerous military manoeuvres – at sea and in the air.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

China’s Xi calls Donald Trump his friend

C

hinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called US President Donald Trump his friend and said he believed the United States was not interested in rupturing economic ties with China.

Speaking in the Russian city of St Petersburg at an

economic forum, Xi said there were strong trade and investment connections between China and the United States.

“It’s hard to imagine a complete break of the United States from China or of China from the United States. We are

not interested in this, and our American partners are not interested in this.

President Trump is my friend and I am convinced he is also not interested in this,” Xi said in Chinese, interpreted into Russian and then translated into English by Reuters. (Reuters)

Storm Miguel kills 3 after overturning NASA to open International Space Station to tourists rescue ship off French coast

The sea rescue boat moments before it capsized, killing three crew

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rescue boat has overturned in the Atlantic off the west coast of France leaving three crew dead, amid winds of up to 129 kilometres per hour (80 mph).

They were part of a

crew of seven who had gone to the aid of another boat, which had got into difficulty as Storm Miguel struck the area.

Winds of up to 147km/h hit northern Spain earlier, swirling around the

Bay of Biscay and moving on to France.

The storm is unusual, coming at the start of the summer tourist season.

Photographs of the National Society of Sea Rescue boat captured it rolling in large swells in the moments before it capsized, after which the vessel ran ashore upside down.

Four of the seven crew aboard the rescue boat managed to swim to shore. Three helicopters and around 60 firefighters were attempting to find the bodies of the three dead. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Private astronauts will be permitted up to 30 days’ travel to the ISS

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ASA is to allow tourists to visit the International Space Station from 2020, priced at US$35,000 per night.

The US space agency said it would open the orbiting station to tourism and other business ventures.

There will be up to two short private astronaut missions per year, said Robyn Gatens, the Deputy Director of the ISS. NASA said that private astronauts would be permitted to travel to the ISS for up to 30 days, travelling

on US spacecraft.

NASA said that private commercial entities would be responsible for determining crew composition and ensuring that the private astronauts meet the medical and training requirements for spaceflight.

The two companies hired by NASA are Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which will use its Dragon capsule, and Boeing, which is building a spacecraft called the Starliner.

These companies are likely to charge any private astronaut a similar “taxi fare” to what they intend to charge NASA for its astronauts – close to US$60 million per flight. (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, JUNE 8, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

SUDOKU

Explore new possibilities. Don’t get trapped in a stalemate or held hostage by negative situations. Take a leap of faith in a direction that offers greater returns.

If you want to be “Numero Uno,” step up and make a difference. Demonstrate what you have to offer, and make changes that result in a higher standard of living. Love is encouraged.

Connecting with former colleagues or friends will lead to valuable suggestions, but also to empty promises.

Listen carefully and use the information you gain as a stepping stone, not a lifeline.

Put your thoughts into motion. Live your dream and explore the possibilities.

Doing something positive will make life better for you and for others. Romance is highlighted.

Getting together with people who bring out the best in you will help you gain insight into what you should be doing. Surround yourself with positive influences.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Say no to temptation and back away from indulgent people. Focus on what you can do to help others and bring about positive change at work or in your community.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Get involved in something you feel passionate about to accomplish the most. Try not to let negative individuals interfere in your personal life.

Maintain a steady pace forward.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Travel, communicate and bring about changes that will improve your life. Relationships will take a favorable turn if you make plans to do something that requires teamwork.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Live and learn. Let experience be your guide when dealing with evasive people.

Be smart when it comes to money matters. Don’t overspend or get involved in joint ventures.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Take the initiative and make your dreams come true. A personal or home improvement will be well received by those you work or live with. Love is in the stars.

THURSDAY’S

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Take care of personal business. Deal with institutional or legal problems that are weighing you down. Ease stress instead by taking action rather than hiding out.

Get out and have some fun. Take part in something that gets you moving and benefits a cause you believe in. Romance is highlighted.

saturday, june 8, 2019

19

Women’s World Cup: Host gets off to flying start against South Korea H

osts France opened the 2019 Women’s World Cup with a brilliant victory over South Korea in front of an overjoyed, sold-out crowd in Paris.

Corinne Diacre’s side, among the favourites to win the eighth edition of this competition, produced a breathless performance to take a deserved 3-0 lead at half-time thanks to forward Eugenie Le Sommer’s early opener and two headers from towering defender Wendie Renard.

Midfielder Amandine Henry curled in an excellent fourth goal late on, much to the delight of the 45,261 fans inside the Parc des Princes.

England and Scotland will meet on Sunday in Nice as they get their campaigns under way, with a total of 24 teams taking part hoping to reach the final in Lyon on 7 July.

Defending champions the United States will get their campaign under way against Thailand on Tuesday, with England and two-time winners Germany among the other teams being strongly tipped for success.

Six groups of four teams will compete for the 16 places in the knockout phase, with the top two teams in each group qualifying automatically, as well as the four best third-

Wendie Renard, centre, celebrates after scoring France’s second

placed sides.

France, fourth in the world rankings and aiming to become only the second host nation to lift the trophy, could well take home the biggest prize if they continue to play as they did against South Korea.

Backed by deafening support the home side began the match with pace, intensity

French Open: Nadal beats Roger Federer to reach final

and remarkable desire.

Henry curled narrowly wide inside the first two minutes, before squaring the ball in to Le Summer’s path for the Lyon star to open to scoring soon afterwards, and talismanic centre-back Renard added two headers from corners before the break.

South Korea, ranked 14th in the world,

were largely outplayed but midfielder Lee Min-a placed wide from their best chance in the second half, after a rare error from Renard.

The French starting team included seven of the Lyon squad that beat Barcelona to win European football’s biggest women’s club competition, the Champions League, in May, including goalscorers Le Sommer and Renard.

Chelsea star Ji So-yun and West Ham’s Cho So-hyun were both in South Korea’s midfield, which was overrun in the early stages

by France’s energy, movement and pressing.

Griedge Mbock Bathy thought she had volleyed in France’s second goal but it was ruled out for a fractional offside decision by the video assistant referee system.

VAR is being used in the Women’s World Cup for the first time and the French fans booed and whistled in frustration at both the length of time it took to review the footage and the decision itself.

But replays showed that the officials had been correct with Mbock Barthy’s foot in an offside position, albeit by the smallest of margins. (BBC Sport)

Ferrari tops Canada practice after Hamilton hits wall

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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer after the match on Thursday

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afael Nadal is one step away from his 12th French Open title after a 6-3 6-4 6-2 semi-final win over Roger Federer.

Strong winds prevented the contest from hitting the heights anticipated, but there were plenty of majestic moments to please the Philippe-Chatrier crowd.

The Spaniard broke the Swiss icon six times, crucially in the third and ninth games of the second set, en route to doubling his advantage.

He then broke twice more in the third set as he completed his masterclass.

Nadal will now play either Novak Djokovic, looking to hold all four Grand Slam titles, or Austrian Dominic Thiem in Sunday’s final.

The 33-year-old winner said: “It’s incredible to play Roger here - congratulations to him. He’s probably the best player in history for me.

“It’s always a tough match against Roger.

It was tough conditions with the wind. I’m happy to have the chance to play another final here. It’s the most important tournament in my career.”

Barty and Vondrousova an unlikely final

Australian eighth seed Ashleigh Barty and Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova, the world number 38, will bid to win their maiden Grand Slam title in an unlikely French Open final on Saturday.

Play between Barty and Vondrousova, 19, is due to start at 14:00 BST. Barty, 23, who quit tennis to play cricket in 2014, described reaching a Slam final as “crazy”.

After becoming the first teenage Grand Slam finalist since 2009, Vondrousova said: “It is the best week of my life.”

Vondrousova has not dropped a set in the tournament and ended British number one Johanna Konta’s run with a 7-5 7-6 (7-2) win in their semi-final on Friday.

She has become the first teenage finalist at Roland Garros since Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic in 2007.

Vondrousova and Barty have the youngest combined age of two female Grand Slam finalists since the 2008 French Open when Ivanovic beat Dinara Safina.

The pair have met twice before in tour-level matches, Barty not dropping a set in victories on the grass in Birmingham in 2017 and the Cincinnati hard court last year. (BBC Sport)

harles Leclerc posted the fastest time in practice for the Canadian Grand Prix on Friday as Ferrari took advantage of some Mercedes misfortune with world champion Lewis Hamilton watching from the pits after clipping the wall.

Leclerc lapped the island circuit in the day’s best time of one minute 12.177 seconds, 0.074 ahead of his team mate, four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel.

That provided Ferrari with a much-needed boost as they look to revive their challenge to Mercedes in Canada.

Mercedes have dominated this season so far with Hamilton and team mate Valtteri Bottas winning all six races, crossing one-two in five of them.

Hamilton is 17 points clear of Bottas at the top of the standings with a fading Vettel 55 adrift of the Briton.

“I still believe Mercedes is very strong and I expect them to be very hard to beat in qualifying tomorrow,” said Leclerc.

“We did a good performance from free practice one to free practice two; the car felt better but we shall do another step to try to challenge Mercedes tomorrow.

“It has been a positive day.”

With Hamilton, fastest in the morning session, on the sidelines, his Finnish team mate Bottas was third quickest for Mercedes in the afternoon, followed by McLaren’s Spaniard Carlos Sainz and Dane Kevin Magnussen for Haas.

Premature end It was a wild, dusty day on the island circuit with several cars brushing the walls,

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the pits during the race

including Hamilton’s, bringing a premature end to the five-times world champion’s day.

After dominating the opening practice, Mercedes, using an upgraded engine, were flexing their muscles again in the second until a rare mistake by Hamilton sent him into the wall and then the pits.

With an hour left in the session the Briton, pushing too hard coming through a chicane, clipped the barrier, puncturing the right rear tire.

After limping back to the garage, Hamilton offered a sheepish apology to his team telling them: “Sorry about that.”

Having sustained damage to the floor of his car, he did not reappear on the track.

“I don’t remember the last time I missed a whole session before,” said Hamilton. “It’s definitely not great to watch the session from the garage; it feels like sitting in the headmaster’s office, wishing to be back in class.

“It was an innocent mistake,

I was doing multiple laps on the medium tire and was really trying to find the limit.

“Obviously I went slightly over.”

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who complained to his team during the morning session that the track was “insanely dirty”, introduced himself to the infamous “Wall of Champions” in the second, slapping the barrier with his left front tire.

The Dutchman returned to the pits and finished the session down in 13th, after setting the fourth-best time in the morning.

Any hopes of rival teams that Mercedes would experience a few hiccups transitioning to an upgraded power unit were quickly dispelled with Hamilton topping the timing charts in each session and settling there until his run in with the wall.

The Briton has won six times in Canada, including his maiden F1 victory in 2007 and if he can finish first on Sunday will equal Michael Schumacher’s record of seven victories. (Reuters)

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saturday, june 8, 2019

England wary as Bangladesh hope for a World Cup repeat in Cardiff M

atch 12 of the World Cup is upon us and it is now possible to predict that there are no certainties left.

At the start of the tournament the matches tended to go with the form book – except perhaps when West Indies thrashed Pakistan. Since then Bangladesh have beaten South Africa, Pakistan have defeated England and Australia managed to prevail despite being 79 for five after 17 overs against West Indies. For all except the fervently committed there is a delicious uncertainty about what’s going off out there.

In Cardiff on Saturday England meet Bangladesh and it would be daft to presume a cast-iron victory for Eoin Morgan’s side. The days of dismissing Bangladesh as a minnow have long since passed. That may have been the case in June 2005 when Bangladesh, with a youthful Mashrafe Mortaza opening the bowling – he is now captaining the side but not opening the bowling – took on Ricky Ponting’s Australians at Sophia Gardens.

That game was expected to be a routine formality but at the end Bangladesh had startled everyone, winning by five wickets with Mohammed Ashraful hitting an unbeaten century. Just about everything went wrong for the mighty Aussies including Andrew Symonds turning up less than sober and, unsurprisingly, being dropped from the lineup. So Mortaza can convey happy memories of Cardiff to his teammates.

England will turn up sober and aware that they face dangerous opponents, though they may not wish to remind themselves that they have played Bangladesh three times in the World Cup and have lost twice – in their last two meetings in Chittagong in 2011 and Adelaide in 2015. The Bangladesh side contains some of the most experienced international cricketers on the circuit. Their all-rounder Mahmudullah, who has often tormented England, has played 177 ODIs; Tamim Iqbal (195), Shakib Al Hasan (200), Mushfiqur Rahim (207) and Mortaza (211 matches) have played more than that.

So far in the tournament Bangladesh have been involved in two thrilling games and it has been clear that they relish these tight finishes. No one intimidates them now. At the Oval they outplayed South Africa and in their next match

England suffered a shock defeat to Pakistan in their last match

they made the Kiwis fight to the bitter end.

Bangladesh ‘s Shakib Al Hasan celebrates with team mates after taking the wicket of New Zealand’s Martin Guptill. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters It may be that the conditions will be less appealing to them in Cardiff. The pitches at the Oval have been dry, offering a smidgeon of encouragement to spin bowlers; in Cardiff there was a surprising amount of grass left on the pitch – especially for Sri Lanka v New Zealand. And there has been rain around. It might suit England if there was a generous covering of grass visible on Saturday morning especially if they win the toss and have the justification to do what they always prefer doing, bowling first.

So far the Bangladesh spinners have been very effective, especially the all-rounder, Shakib. Now 32, he has been one of the most successful slow bowlers in the tournament so far, even though he seldom persuades the ball to deviate significantly off the pitch. His threat stems from his accu-

racy, his shrewd variations of pace and flight and an ability to intuit what the batsman at the other end is thinking. He has conventional support from the 21-year-old off-spinner Mehidy Hasan, who often takes the new ball. This means that England’s opening batsmen may well be confronted with a spinner at the start of the innings for the third match in succession. So far this ploy has produced an early wicket.

England could embark on this match with a solitary spinner, especially if the grass is still greener on the other side of the Bristol Channel. The dimensions of Cardiff are similar to those at the County Ground, with short, straight boundaries and longer ones square of the wicket. In these circumstances Morgan has often opted to omit Moeen Ali, though bearing in mind current form and fitness it might be Adil Rashid who misses out.

A bigger challenge for England is to recover their poise after such a tetchy, ill-disciplined performance against Pakistan. At Trent Bridge Joe Root and Jos Buttler suggested they were stimulated by the World Cup challenge – even though they could not finish the job once they had completed their centuries. There is currently some evidence that some of the others are not quite so in control amid the peculiar demands of a World Cup contest.

It has been evident from within and without the dressing rooms that a World Cup match is a vastly different proposition to a standard ODI in the middle of a bilateral series.

The tension multiplies. The consequence of a defeat looms larger, all of which makes the spectacle so much more captivating. Against South Africa England coped with that additional challenge extremely well; indeed they seemed to be enhanced by the occasion, especially in the field. But against Pakistan the opposite was the case.

The match against Bangladesh in Cardiff provides Morgan and his team with an opportunity to demonstrate that their performance against Pakistan was a blip rather than a fatal flaw in the side’s make-up. Whatever the limitations of the Bangladesh side, now shrewdly coached by Steve Rhodes after his three decades at Worcester, there is every indication that they welcome the chance to enhance their exceptional record against England in World Cup cricket. (The Guardian)

Guyana fall to Bermuda in friendly Tendulkar labels West Indies as – but Johnson believes objective achieved

semi-final contenders for World Cup

By Brandon Corlette

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Part of the action between the Guyana and Bermuda teams

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uyana went down to hosts Bermuda by a 0-1 margin at the National Sports Centre on Thursday night, but Head Coach of the Golden Jaguars, Michael Johnson, thinks the objective of getting a better understanding of his team ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup was achieved.

Declaring himself excited with what he had seen, especially in the second half, when the lone goal of the match, scored by Donte Brangman, was conceded in the 37th minute of play – when a well-placed shot across the goal beat Alex Murray to the far post -- Johnson said he had seen what he wanted to see.

“Absolutely! I thought (that in) the second half there was only one team. First half we didn’t really come out firing, but I expected that; there’s nerves, people want to prove the position they’ve got on the team…but we settled down in the second half and we played some good football,” he explained.

“As I’ve always said: it’s not about the results, for me,” Johnson continued. “I’ve seen a lot of things that I want from the second half now being played in our next friendly; so I can see progression from the first half: (from) where they were edgy and nervy towards a more confident, more composed team (in the) second half. So we’re heading in the right direction,” he concluded.

The match, which had seen a total of six substitutions being made, brought with it some

encouraging individual performances, Johnson disclosed.

“There were some good individual performances, which excites me when I can see the jigsaws in my mind coming together,” he said.

Following the first half, Johnson revealed, the half-time dressing room talk was mainly about him telling his charges that they needed to play, believe in their abilities, and be confident in themselves.

“We’ve got to keep hold of the ball and we’ve got to have more pressure on their back line; which I thought we did in the second half, and we asked questions. There were a couple of opportunities that could have (gone either) left or right and it’s a goal. this is a good team, and they need to now believe in themselves as a team, which I thought was more evident in the second half,” Johnson detailed.

Quizzed on whether he would be able to get that message across to his charges for the next friendly against Haiti next week, Johnson expressed confidence in so doing.

“As I said to you: Always, the friendlies for me is about finding out things. tonight (Thursday) I found out so much that (it) would enable me to coach and position our coaching methodology a different way, individually and also as a team.

But now I am starting to see personnel that actually coming to the forefront of it, so I’m excited for it,” he said.

ndia’s cricketing legend, the world class Sachin Tendulkar, has explained on his social media network that the West Indies have been aggressive in playing their cricket, and are bowling Test match line and length.

Tendulkar, the only man on the globe with 100 International centuries, added that the West Indies team have used short-pitched deliveries rather well.

“If they continue in this manner, they are contenders for the Top 4. West Indies are playing well is good for cricket”, Tendulkar detailed.

Rolling over Pakistan in the first match of their ICC Cricket World Cup campaign, the West Indies fast bowlers took all 10 wickets in a breath-taking fiery display of their ability to pick up wickets early.

In their second match -- against the mighty Australians -- the fast bowlers continued to show consistency by taking all 10 wickets. Thus in their first two matches played, the West Indies fast bowlers have taken all 20 wickets.

Andre Russell and Oshane Thomas have been the more influential seamers, bowling at express pace; while Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite have each played supporting roles. With Test quicks Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach sitting on the sidelines, West Indies are equipped with the pace battery to demolish any batting line-up.

Brathwaite, one of the surprise picks in the World Cup squad, had thus far been the least effective of the quick bowlers.

The big Barbadian, remembered for hitting fours monumental sixes in the West Indies’ triumph over England in the Finals of the 2016 T20I World Cup event, was the most expensive West Indian bowler on show.

Although possessing great height, Brathwaite lacked the pace, and the Aussies took advantage thereof to score runs at 6.70 an over off Brathwaite. In context of the game, it was expensive, and Brathwaite’s bowling in recent times has lacked substance, despite his picking up three wickets from the Australian lower-order.

In order for the Caribbean team to make the semi-finals of the World Cup, all of the fast bowlers will have to remain fit, so as to bowl quickly and dent their opponents’ batting lineup, as they did in most parts of their first two matches.

However, the Caribbean boys will have to use the short ball ploy when it is necessary, and not get predictable in upcoming matches.

West Indies are arguably the most watched

Sachin Tendulkar

team at this World Cup, with the bowlers producing. The batting has also been promising, despite some poor shot selections in the second fixture against Australia; the firepower of the batting line-up remains potent.

Chris Gayle has been in sublime form, and who knows? Had he been given a fair opportunity, the result of the Australian game may have been different.

Evin Lewis, who made a return to the team in the second match, failed; but is capable of taking away the game from opponents with his powerhitting. He showed glimpses of his devastating form with his warm-up half-centuries.

World number four, Shai Hope, who has, since October 2018, been the world’s leading run-scorer in ODI cricket, looks comfortable at number three, where he scored his first World Cup half-century. With his batting and glovework being excellent of late, Hope is expected to play a leading role in West Indies’ rise to the Top 4.

Guyana Amazon Warriors duo Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran are all promising prospects who can bat opponents out of the game with their flair and flamboyant styles of play.

All-rounders Andre Russell, Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite, along with Ashley Nurse, provide depth in the West Indies batting, which will play an important role as the tournament progresses.

With the West Indies playing an aggressive brand of cricket, only time will tell whether Sachin Tendulkar’s statement regarding the West Indies making the Top 4 was accurate.

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, june 8, 2019

21

Crawford, Greene lead cycling points’ qualification

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and Andre ‘Padlock’ Greene, are reigning supreme at the Guyana Cycling News (GCN) points’ classification that was last updated on Friday June 7, 2019.

Crawford, the Flying Ace rider who was successful during his overseas stints, leads the table with 99 points, while Greene, of Team United, has 90 points.

Linden’s Michael Anthony, who has been brilliant of late, is in third position with 79 points, while Team Evolution’s Paul De Nobrega has 76 points and is in fourth position. Briton John of Team United com-

Christopher Griffith of Team Evolution, who often plays a supporting role to team mate De Nobrega, sits in sixth position with 60 points; while Curtis Dey (59), Geron Williams (46), Andrew Hicks (43) and Balram Narine (22) complete the top 10 riders.

In the veteran/masters under- 45 categories, Junior Niles sits pretty with 52 points, while Paul ChooWee-Nam is in second with 32 points. Jaikarran Sukhai has 20 points, while Alex Mendes (16) and Warren McKay (15) complete the top five veterans.

Promising Junior cyclist

junior class with 33 points, while Sherwin Sampson has 29 points. Ralph Seenarine (26), Jonathan Ramsuchit (18) and Jeremiah Joseph (16) are the top junior cyclists.

Most of these cyclists will “take their wheels” to Sunday’s road race in Linden, where they will be aiming to extend their points in the GCN classification.

The next big cycling event is set for Sunday June 9, and the winner of the three-lap seniors’ race would be taking away $52,000 as the prize. Second position winner would be reward-

Romello Crawford

ed with $37,000; third-plac-

er $27,000; fourth placer $17,000; fifth placer $12,000; and sixth position will receive $10,000.

Veterans Under-45 (3544) race, a two-lap affair, will see the winner taking home $15,000, while second position rider will be awarded $12,000 and third placed cyclist will receive $6,000.

The Juniors’ race, a three- lap affair, will reward the winner with $16,000, while winner of the Ladies’ race will take home $12,000 and winner of the Juveniles race will receive $10,000.

This racing meet, slated to be held in Linden, is sponsored by the Rose Family and Clear Waters.

Real Madrid sign Hazard for fee that could exceed £150M

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eal Madrid have agreed a deal to sign forward Eden Hazard from Chelsea for a fee that could exceed £150m.

Hazard has agreed a five-year contract and will be presented as a Real player on 13 June, subject to a medical.

The Belgian scored 110 goals in 352 games for Chelsea after joining from Lille in 2012, and scored twice as they won the Europa League final last week.

"Leaving Chelsea is the biggest and toughest decision in my career to date," said Hazard.

Writing on Facebook, he added: "I hope you understand I had to pursue my next chapter, just as each and every one of you should when you have the chance to pursue your dreams.

"Now it's in the open I would like to put on record one thing was always clear to me, I have loved every moment at Chelsea and not once did I ever consider, nor would I have left for any other club."

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said: "The memories he leaves us with will not fade.

"He provided all who watched Chelsea play with great entertainment and many match-win-

ning contributions, and for that we thank Eden enormously.

"He has been a model professional throughout his time at the club, a wonderful individual to have around and a joy to work with."

In seven seasons at Chelsea, Hazard, whose Blues contract was due to expire in a year, won the Premier League and Europa League twice, the FA Cup and League Cup. He was also named Chelsea's Player of the Year on four occasions.

"Although it is with sadness we say goodbye to Eden and we made it absolutely clear to him the club wished him to stay, we respect the decision he has made to take on a new challenge in a different country and follow his childhood dream of playing for Real Madrid," Granovskaia added.

Chelsea have been placed under a transfer ban by Fifa, meaning they will not be able to sign a replacement for Hazard.

The Blues are banned from signing players during the next two transfer windows until the end of January 2020. They failed with their first appeal to football's world governing body, and have taken their second to the Court of

Arbitration for Sport. (BBC Sport)

Eden Hazard

National Women’s Chess Championship starts today

T

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he Guyana Chess Federation kicks off the National Women’s Chess Championship today at 13:00 hrs.

The event will have 7 rounds, with games being played today, June 9, June 15, and June 16.

Registration will begin today at 13:00hrs, with the first round commencing from 14:00 hrs sharp. Current defending women’s champion is Maria VaronaThomas, Guyana’s first ever Woman FIDE Master, who is heavily favoured to retain her crown.

Varona-Thomas is the number one-ranked female chess player in Guyana, and is number 4-ranked among all active players. She attained the title of Women Candidate Master (WCM) in 2016 at the 2.3.5 Sub Zonal Female Games, and in 2018 she gained the title of Woman FIDE Master (WFM).

Despite the small number of participants attending last year’s championship, an exhibition of riveting chess action was displayed by the females. Known for her creative and aggressive style of play, (WFM) VaronaThomas played undefeated, obtaining 5.5 points from

her maximum 6 games.

Having learnt to play chess via the highly recognised Cuban Chess Programmes, Varona-Thomas was the favourite for the tournament.

According to Varona-Thomas, while she has not been training frequently, she is aware of the competition and the threat it poses. She indicated that, while the girls are training every day, she would not be an easy target, as she would make them work.

Also chipping in with a comment, Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) President, James Bond, also expressed strong belief that Thomas would emerge victorious.

Although she may not be training frequently, she is still a force to be reckoned with, he opined.

Some of Guyana’s prominent young female chess players, such as Olympiad Player Nellisha Johnson, Sasha Shariff, Chelsea Juma and Waveney Johnson, are expected to make an appearance as well. The event is open to all female chess players who wish to make a bid for the title.

Maria Varona-Thomas

Raptors cost McDonald's millions in free french fries

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t appears McDonald’s has underestimated Toronto Raptors’ fans appetite for french fries in Ontario.

As part of a promotional partnership between the fast-food chain and the team, McDonald’s locations in Eastern Canada give away orders of free medium french fries whenever the Raptors hit at least 12 3-pointers in a game.

According to The Financial Post, McDonald’s estimated 700,000 orders, but with the team playing so well, that number has ballooned to nearly three times the original estimate, resulting in approximately $5.4 million (just over $4 million

USD) worth of fries.

C h u c k Coolen, head of mark e t i n g f o r

McDonald’s in Eastern Canada, explained that the marketing plan’s initial forecast was based on a previous promo-

tion with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and was finalized nearly a year ago — just 18 days before Demar DeRozan was traded for Kawhi Leonard last summer.

Last season, Toronto hit 12 3-pointers in 43 of 82 regular season games and five postseason games. This season, the Raptors hit the mark 44 times, plus another 10 so far during their playoff run.

Coolen said they have given away approximately 2 million orders of fries, but that number is still growing. While the final tallies for the playoffs aren’t yet available, after Game 1 of the fi-

nals alone, where the Raptors hit 13 threes, McDonald’s gave away a record 80,000 free orders.

Mike Forman, who owns four McDonald’s franchises in Whitby, Ontario, noted that while the company may be losing revenue on the free fries, they believe the longterm benefits will outweigh the short-term losses. Customers must download and use the McDonald’s app to redeem their free french fries, which hopefully will keep customers invested going forward.

“We believe it will pay off in the future,” Forman told The Financial Post. (Reuters)

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saturday, june 8, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

El Dorado Trading Steel Challenge Cup…

Latchana and Phang create upsets

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he Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) celebrated its 5th anniversary by successfully hosting the annual El Dorado Trading Cup. This is a very special Steel Challenge event sponsored by El Dorado Trading Inc, licensed gold dealers of Lot 136 Young Street, Kingston, Georgetown, who continue to give unfaltering support to the GSSF. The prestigious El Dorado Trading Cup is a Challenge Trophy which, since 2015, has been on the prize table at an annual match held to commemorate the Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation’s anniversary.

After every match, the winner’s name and the year of the win is inscribed on a plaque attached to the Cup. On Saturday, June 1, twelve shooters endured poor weather conditions to thoroughly enjoy four exciting stages of Steel Challenge. Shooters participated in two divisions: Limited and Production, and only shooters in the Limited division competed for the highly desired El Dorado Cup. Defending shooter Ryan McKinnon has held on to this cup since the inaugural event of its kind in 2015. Each stage consisted of 5 steel targets which were set out in a standardised fashion, with one being dedicated as a ‘stop plate’ which is shot last.

Shooters were required to shoot each of the four stages five times, and were timed using an electronic timer. Times are then inputted into a software (PractiScore)

which tracked and tallied all of the shooters’ performances. The objective of each shooter is to shoot the 5 targets as quickly as possible.

Shortly after the last shot was fired, the scores were tallied and competitors gathered around the presentation table, anxiously awaiting the news of their performance.

Andrew Phang, GSSF Board Director, presented the trophies for the match, as the eagerly anticipated results were released, surprising all. In the Limited Division, Rajiv Latchana won (Time: 79.36 seconds), Pravesh Harry was second (Time: 81.86 seconds) and Ryan McKinnon finished third (Time: 84.09 seconds).

Production Division had John Phang coming in first (Time: 100.72 seconds), Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon second (Time: 118.69 seconds) and Michael Blake third (Time: 121.96 seconds).

At the presentation ceremony, the Match Director extended gratitude to the Match Committee and officials for ensuring the usual efficiency and high safety standards with which the match was run.

The GSSF would like to extend its sincerest gratitude to Managing Director and member, Tamesh Jagmohan, and the Management of El Dorado Trading Inc. for the continuous sponsorship of this Annual Steel Challenge Cup. The Foundation also wishes to thank

Corona Futsal Tournament…

Title on the line tonight

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ultitudes of futsal fanatics are expected to converge at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue to witness the grand finale of the 2019 Corona Futsal Tournament and excitedly cheer on their favourite team/ player.

The highly anticipated final has, for the past week, been the talk of the town; and those conversations have been focused on two unlikely teams who have displayed their worth over the past five weeks and will meet tonight on the proverbial battlefield, where $500,000 will be the prize for the one emerging victorious.

When the 2019 Corona Futsal tournament began in May, no one could predict that Back Circle and Tiger Bay would be the teams contesting the final. But through hard work, determination, and sheer skill, the two teams were able to trump some big names in the Futsal arena, bypass longtime rivals, and make their way to the top.

Tiger’s Bay story of ascension to the finale seems like something plucked from a fairytale; with a hero, villain, and what they hope would be a happy ending this evening. Tiger Bay first showcased their intent to go all the way in the round- robin stage, defeating their opponents by large margins. However, their encountered their first real obstacle in the quarterfinal round when they were made to battle the renowned Sparta Boss.

Although it wasn’t easy, they advanced to the semis with a 3-2 win. There, with the lead of Deon Alfred, they made light work of a fighting Future Stars, triumphing over them with an 8-5 drubbing.

In spite of Alfred being the main man for his team, the likes of Solomon Austin and Keoma Gravesande have at the moment made notable contributions

Tiger Bay’s Solomon Austin defending in the semis of the Corona Futsal Tournament

to the team’s success, and are equally capable of carrying the team, should the need arise.

On the other hand, Back Circle’s final appearance has been a long time coming. This team, which originates from East Ruimveldt, has been a staple in the local Futsal arena, but fell short one time too many. Led by captain Selwyn Williams, the team will tonight have the opportunity to silence their critics once and for all.

As previously said by Williams, the team possess ‘a lethal weapon’ in the form of National Player Trayon Bobb.

Over the past couple of weeks, Bobb has lived up to the moniker by winning games for his team on several occasions. Not to be forgotten, Back Circle were the ones to eliminate the ominous 2018 champions, Bent Street, in the semifinal stage.

Judging by the firepower that each team possess, tonight’s final will be nothing short of spectacular. The action is expected to kick-off from 00:00hrs.

At 22:00, Future Stars and Bent Street will take to the playing surface to redeem themselves in the third place playoff, after being knocked out of contention for the championship last weekend.

Prior to the two headline games, two exhibition matches will be staged. At 20:00hrs The Tiger Bay Girls’ team will take on the Fruta Conquerors’ Ladies, while GPL battle GWI at 21:00hrs.

The team finishing in first place will not only lift the championship trophy, but would also walk away with $500,000.

Second placer would have to settle for $250,000, while third and fourth place winners pocket $125,000 and $75,000 respectively.

Deon Alfred, Trayon Bobb, Solomon Austin and Quasan Mc Ally, among others, will be watched closely tonight as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament is decided.

Whomever is bestowed the honour of MVP will ride away with a Hero motorcycle compliments of Rose Ramdehol and Hero.

The El Dorado Challenge Cup 2019 prize winners. From left to right: Ryan McKinnon, Pravesh Harry, Rajiv Latchana, John Phang, Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon and Michael Blake

the Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, Brigadier Patrick West; Police Commissioner Leslie James, Deputy Police Commissioner Maxine Graham, OC Superintendent Guy Nurse, the ranks of TSU and the GPF Armoury, and the Guyana Police Force and the media.

Over the years, the GSSF has been organising regular Steel Challenge match-

es which follow the rules of the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA), a sister body of the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA).

For more information on the GSSF and Complete Results on the match, please visit our website www.GuyanaSportShooting. com

GSCL Independence Cup 2019 on Sunday O ver the past month, there has been constant rainfall in Georgetown, and many hardball cricket matches have been washed out.

The weather is, however, still perfect for softball cricket; thus the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc (GSCL) will stage the annual Independence Softball Cup on Sunday, June 9, at the Everest Cricket Club ground, beginning at 09:30h.

The four-team tournament, designed for teams comprising players 45 years and older, will bowl off with semi-final action taking place simultaneously on two pitches, after which the two winners will clash in the grand finale from 14:00h.

There will be lots of prizes on offer for outstanding performances, while live ballby-ball commentary would be aired to facilitate all in attendance.

The May/June rainy season is having deleterious effects on grounds in the city, but the management of Everest Cricket Club (ECC) recently enhanced the ground’s drainage capacity and built up the outfield, making it perfect for ‘under-arm’ bowling, which will also lead to excitement galore.

The in-form Regal Masters will begin as favourites for another title, but will be strongly challenged by Mike’s Wellman, Ariel Masters and Fishermen Masters. Just a week ago, Regal Masters won a similar tournament, with Ramesh Narine cracking a century while David Harper was also in destructive form, hitting a rapid 93 that allowed the men in yellow and green to overcome Wellman Masters in a one-sided final

President of the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc, Ian John (right), and Devi Sunich of Trophy Stall pose with some of the trophies for Sunday’s tournament

played at Malteenoes Sports Club. he Independence Softball Cup organised by the GSCL is being used as much-needed preparation for players and teams heading to New York for the annual New York Softball Cricket League’s Independence Cup, to be played from June 28 to 30 this year. Regal Masters are the defending champions in the Masters’ category, and will be looking to continue their winning ways both locally and in the ‘Big Apple.’

All trophies have been sponsored by Trophy Stall.

Umpire training set to commence from June 18

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he Georgetown Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association (GCU&SA) is set to commence training on the Laws of Cricket from June 18, 2019.

Classes will begin at 17:00h local time every Tuesday and Thursday at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) in Queenstown, Georgetown, and will be held for a period of two months. At conclusion of these sessions, participants will be examined

Umpire Nigel Duguid

and certificates will be presented to the successful.

Trainers will include present International Cricket Council (ICC) umpire Nigel Duguid.

Persons interested in an umpiring career, cricketers, administrators, coaches, media personnel and cricket enthusiasts are also invited to attend.

Registration fee is $1000, and interested persons can call Arleigh Rutherford on 592-6226969; Kelvin Morris on 664-5657, or Stephon Josiah on 645-2596.

23 AP Invitational set for July 6 guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, june 8, 2019

By Timothy Jaikarran

I

n a simple ceremony held at the National Racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue in Georgetown, it was announced that the Aliann Pompey (AP) Invitational is to be staged on July 6th at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora, West Coast Demerara, and some of Guyana’s top athletes will be competing in the meet.

In Pompey’s opening statement, she said, “This is the 4th edition of the meet.

We have a few athletes that are doing a tremendous job on the world stage, such as Emmanuel Archibald who recently broke the national record for the long jump, among others. So what we have done is that we have switched from the triple jump to the long jump.

“As you know, Troy Doris, our Commonwealth

Gold Medallist, has done a tremendous job over the course of the year. He has been battling some injuries, thus he won’t be competing in the triple jump this year.

Therefore, we saw the opportunity to give our long jumpers an opportunity to excel. At the start of the meet, we will have a section where high school athletes will be given the opportunity to share the same platform with the international athletes.

“We will announce at a later date who will be headlining the meet. Yesterday, Aliyah Abrams ran for South Carolina at the NCAA Finals. (She) ran a 51.51; so I think I’ll start saying goodbye to my national record.

We also had Arinze Chance, also of South Carolina, who opened the 4x400 relay in 45 seconds; so the men’s and women’s 400, including the long jump, will be sta-

Aliann Pompey making her presentation

ple events at the meet this year.”

Pompey noted that one of the main areas she would be focusing on for this year’s meet is to ensure that the Guyanese athletes competing are able to earn something, as they rarely have the opportunity to compete

overseas.

Further, Pompey declared that, should any female athlete of Guyanese origin be able to break any national record, the AP Invitational will pay that athlete a total of US$1000.

This opportunity was made possible by Sentinel

Security Inc. Some of the entities on board sponsoring this meet are Sentinel Security Inc, the Guyana Olympic Association, Banks DIH, the Athletics Association of Guyana, IAAF, ConSudAtle, Ministry of Education, Sleep-In Hotel

and Casino, Star Party Rentals, National Sports Commission, Quality Plus Fast Foods, and the Ministry of Communities (Green Generation Guyana).

The AP Invitational will commence with the traditional opening ceremony at 15:00 hrs on July 6th

New Zealand aim to maintain consistency against jolted Afghanistan

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ew Zealand, coming fresh after a nervy win against Bangladesh, will aim for an improved batting performance when they take on Afghanistan in their third match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 in Taunton on Saturday.

New Zealand, much like they did in 2015, have been building up their success in the tournament with their aggressive but disciplined fast bowling. While Matt Henry is leading the wicket-takers’ list, Trent Boult, the No. 2 ranked bowler on the MRF Tyres ICC Bowling Rankings, has made his presence felt. Adding to this is the deception of Colin de Grandhomme, which has accounted for Virat Kohli, Angelo Mattews and Shakib Al Hasan on this tour so far; also not to forget Mitchell Santner’s guile.

The batting though slipped terribly in the second half of the run-chase against Bangladesh, before Santner saw them home. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor will hope for more support from the middle order against the skilled Afghanistan bowling unit.

Still searching for their first win, Afghanistan will regret the lost opportunity against Sri Lanka, as their batting failed after the bowlers had set it up. While the spin trio lived up to its reputation, the new ball bowlers can ill-afford indiscipline against the aggressive duo of Guptill and Munro. The batting, barring Najibullah Zadran, has so far seemed to lack the intensity and determination required at the biggest stage.

Things have worsened for the Gulbadin Naib led side, as the explosive wicket-keeper batsman, Mohammad Shahzad, has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a knee injury.

Mohammad Nabi, not a big turner of the ball, certainly capable to overturn the flow of a cricket match, Nabi once again proved his immense skills as an off-spinner against Sri Lanka. He will look to bring his experience into play once again, to try and fetch the first points for Afghanistan in this World Cup. Kane Williamson, arguably the best player of spin bowling in the Kiwi set-up, skill and experience would come in handy against his IPL teammates, Rashid Khan and Nabi, in the middle overs. The New

Zealand skipper would look to anchor the innings as the other batsmen will try to exploit the short boundaries at Taunton.

A few blustery afternoon showers can be expected on an otherwise sunny day at Taunton. Short boundaries will make things difficult for the bowlers, much like it did in the last men’s ODI hosted at this venue 20 years ago, when Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid stitched a 318-run partnership against Sri Lanka – a World Cup record till 2015.

Squads

Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib (c), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah (wk), Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Ikram Ali Khil New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor (ICC)

Persistent rain forces Pakistan v Sri Lanka washout in Bristol

Heavy rain falls before the day’s play in Bristol

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ersistent rain and a damp outfield forced the first washout of the 2019 World Cup as the game between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Although the rain wasn’t heavy, it was enough to force a delay of more than five hours and render several parts of the outfield too wet to play on.

Umpire Ian Gould and Nigel Llong made the final call at 3.45pm local time. The teams split points, which ensured Sri Lanka moved

to third on the table by virtue of a superior run-rate (-1.517). Pakistan, like Sri Lanka, have three points from as many games, but they only have a net run-rate of -2.412.

The (no) result means Sri Lanka will have to wait even longer to break their World Cup duck against Pakistan. The head-to-head reads 7-0.

Pakistan will now enjoy a five-day break before facing Australia in Taunton while Sri Lanka will run into Bangladesh on June 11 in Bristol. (ESPN Cricinfo)

saturday, june 8, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Page 20

England wary as Bangladesh hope for a World Cup repeat in Cardiff Page 23

Corona Futsal Tournament…

Page 22

New Zealand aim to maintain consistency against jolted Afghanistan

Title on the line tonight

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