Guyana Times Saturday, October 12,2019.

New attorney following father’s footsteps P12

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

Issue No. 4074

THE BEACON OF TRUTH saturday, OCTOber 12, 2019

Mahaica farmers, residents face more flooding See story on page 3

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Cop granted bail, seaman remanded for 24kg ganja P8

…saltwater intrusion ruining farmland

Detective P8 charged for trying to fraudulently sell house lot Measures P13 in place to stabilise US exchange rate – Central Bank Bound body found on Abary foreshore P10

Pensioner strangled to death in bed with mosquito net NTC being politicised Over 700

by Govt – PPP regional fires already reps recorded for 2019 Page 7

Page 7

See story on page 9

Bahamas deports more than 100 Haitians P16

“It’s up to them” – GCAA Head on Qatar Airways operations in P10 Guyana

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saturday, october 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Saturday, October 12 – 04:00h – 05:30h and 14:30h – 16:00h and Sunday, October 13 – 04:30h – 06:00h and 14:30h – 16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, October 12 – 15:35h – 17:05h and Sunday, October 13 – 16:00h – 17:30h.

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

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

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Celsius.

Mahaica farmers, residents face more flooding

…saltwater intrusion ruining farmland

F

armers and residents of Mahaica, Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) are once again battling floodwaters as the inadequate sea defence proved to be no match for the raging Atlantic Ocean.

On Thursday evening, hide tides caused major overtopping of the sea defence at Dantzig and nearby villages. This occurred even as the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) is preparing to prevent flood-

Winds: North North-Easterly to South SouthEasterly between 1.78 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 03:34h and 15:50h reaching maximum heights of 2.54 metres and 2.59 metres.

Low Tide: 09:26h and 21:43h reaching minimum heights of 0.66 metre and 0.60 metre.

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ing from the October spring tide expected in two weeks.

Region Five Chairman Vickchand Ramphal told Guyana Times on Friday that the floodwaters from the previous flood receded over a few days ago and the area is once again bracing itself for more disaster.

He said that the DantzigFairfield area has been completely flooded again.

“Currently, the situation in the Dantzig-Fairfield area has not been fully recovered from the previous floods.

What we have seen over the past 24 hours is the water coming back onto the land, some of the fields which had dried off over the past couple of days have flooded again,” the Chairman said.

Two weeks ago, the sea defence at Dantzig, Mahaica was breached and salt water from the ocean flowed onto the land, killing livestock, rice fields and vegetable farms.

Persons in the residential areas were also hard-hit as the sea covered several miles inland.

The bridge to the sea defence has not been fully rectified and as a result, water is still seeping onto the land and affecting farmlands and livestock.

“There is a need for a holistic approach towards this entire situation. We have to get all of the agencies involved and properly coordinated so as to bring temporary relief to the people in the area and prevent the salt water from getting further inland. I know that many of the agencies such as the Mahaica/Mahaicony-Abary Agriculture Development Authority (MMA-ADA), NDIA, the River Defence and so on are working but still much more to be done there,” Ramphal said.

He lamented that there

is a need for much more resources, including machinery and equipment to tackle the situation.

The Chairman said that the Regional Management Committee should have come together to create a plan of action, but this has not been done.

“In cases like these, the committee would have come together and planned a way forward but because of the current political situation, we are by our RDC meet-

ings being disrupted, the Regional Executive Officer is not communicating with the regional Chairman. On many occasions, I would have dialled his cellular phone number, he would not answer my calls. When these things happen, we cannot bring the committee together because the Regional Executive Officer is the key person in this committee.

Because the REOs office is the one that controls the resources and has the responsibility of inviting all other stakeholders,” the Regional Chairman said in disappointment.

Meanwhile, the NDIA has installed pumps as work on sealing the breach continues. More worrying, is the fact that in less than two weeks, the spring tide is expected to be higher than the spring tide two weeks ago.

In fact, the October spring is always regarded as the highest of the year.

Less than two weeks ago, floodwaters caused more than 300 acres of rice to be destroyed and hundreds of acres more were under threat of destruction by salt water. Apart from the destruction of the rice, the flooded land is becoming salty and can no longer work for rice production.

Ramphal noted that he is not getting the necessary support from the Government and regional administration.

(Andrew Carmichael)

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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

The recovery of rice O

ver the years, the rice industry in Guyana has passed through both lean and good times. Prior to 1992, for example, many rice farmers simply abandoned their cultivations and withdrew from the only thing they had known all their lives. These were, indeed, very testing times for the country’s rice sector.

But following the PPP’s return to power in 1992, rice farmers returned to their lands and progress in this sector was evident. The cultivation of rice in Guyana, therefore, grew by leap and bounds— so much that today, it has produced doctors, lawyers, educators, politicians, academics and so on from the off-springs of those who toiled the lands.

Rice is grown mainly on our coastal plain where the soil is quite fertile to facilitate agriculture and where conditions are best for cultivation. Like sugar, rice is one of our major contributors to the Gross domestic product (GDP). However, over the years, rice farmers began to face numerous challenges; these include: low prices for paddy, low yields owing to extreme weather patterns – droughts, floods, paddy bugs infestation, and a host of other issues.

In spite of the present administration spinning the statistics in terms of production etc, it is clear that Guyana’s rice yield has not been living up to the expectations of rice farmers, much so that many farmers are no longer motivated to plant their lands.

For some farmers, the low price they receive for their paddy does not enable them to make a reasonable profit as production and labour costs are too high, hence they are not encouraged to increase the amount of rice they grow or even continue rice production. Some of the costs incurred in rice production are: land preparation, this includes drainage and ploughing of the soil; harvesting with a combine; transporting the paddy to a rice mill and labour costs etc. The situation for some rice farmers is so bad that they (usually small and medium-scale farmers) have chosen to rent their lands to large-scale farmers, while others have even resorted to selling theirs for the development of house lots.

If this pattern continues, with escalating prices of input and declining prices of output, production will decrease rapidly and more of the lands would go towards housing development. Not only is this a waste of fertile land, it would also certainly have a negative impact on Guyana’s economy as an export earner and more importantly, our ability to ensure we are food secure.

While there is no control over nature in terms of the changing weather patterns, there are certain interventions which could be made to ensure that the impact of the weather on rice production is minimised to a great extent. For example, in addition to having proper drainage systems in place, there is need to ensure that sluices and kokers are all functioning to their optimum so that excess water could be drained off the land in good time. There is also need to ensure there is an adequate number of pumps in the event of flooding as a result of excess rainfall or high tides. And in terms of dealing with the drought, some persons have proposed digging of water reservoirs.

It should be noted that the then PPP Government had sought to introduce new varieties of rice to withstand the changes in the weather. With the development and distribution of newer varieties of rice paddies, we are ensuring, in the long run, that one of our major exports becomes completely insusceptible to the weather conditions and pests and diseases.

Considering the present low prices being paid to farmers for their rice, the authorities must continue to aggressively search for more attractive markets for Guyana’s rice so that farmers will get a better deal.

That said, with the elections campaign about to heat up, we are certain that rice farmers will be paying close attention to the policies and plans of the various political parties in terms of ensuring the rice industry reaches its optimum. Rice farmers will also look to see which party is offering more incentives to encourage them to return to the fields and expand their production. Guyana cannot afford to allow its rice industry to further deteriorate.

United States Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch hosted leaders from the tourism and hospitality industries on Thursday, in observance of World Tourism Day. At the event, Ambassador Lynch recognised the growing importance of the tourism industry’s contributions to Guyana’s future. She noted that “with Guyana’s diverse habitat, from the savannahs to the forested highlands to the low-level coastal areas, opportunities for tourism abound in Guyana.” In photo, Ambassador Lynch shares a light moment with Director of Guyana Tourism Authority, Brian Mullis and Founder and Director of WhereNext, Gregg Bleakney (US Embassy photo)

Venezuelan oil output falls as inflation reaches 6-month low

V

enezuela’s oil production fell by more than 10 per cent in September.

OPEC’s monthly report placed output last month at 644,000 barrels per day (bpd), down from 727,000 bpd in August, according to secondary sources.

Venezuela’s direct communication to the oil cartel reported production at 749,000 bpd, down from 933,000 in August.

The country’s oil production has fallen steeply from averages of 1.911 and 1.354 million bpd in 2017 and 2018, respectively, according to OPEC secondary sources. Output had hovered between 700,000 and 800,000 bpd since March.

Venezuela’s oil industry has been encumbered by corruption, brain drain, and mismanagement, with its operations severely curtailed by US sanctions. Financial sanctions imposed against State oil company PDVSA in August 2017 have resulted in an estimated annual loss of $6 billion in export revenues.

An embargo imposed in January blocked all sales of Venezuelan crude to US refineries, resulting in approximately $11 billion in lost export revenue over 2019.

On August 5, an executive order expanded the US embargo to prohibit all dealings with the Venezuelan Government and state entities, and authorised secondary sanctions against third-party actors.

Oil operations in September were further hit

US sanctions have forced buyers to cease dealings with Venezuela’s PDVSA [Photo by: ACN]

by a power outage that paralysed PDVSA’s main refineries, Amuay and Cardon, for several days.

US sanctions have led buyers to shy away from dealing with Venezuela directly, including China’s CNPC. The resulting bottleneck in crude stocks has forced several PDVSA joint ventures to reduce or cease operations altogether. PDVSA has increasingly turned to selling crude to Russian energy giant Rosneft, which then reportedly reroutes shipments to customers.

However, the trend might soon be reversed, with Reuters reporting that Indian refiner Reliance Industries will receive Venezuelan cargoes in October for the first time in four months.

Following January’s oil embargo, Caracas had looked to divert exports to India, but plans were derailed at the time by US threats of secondary sanctions. The Indian refining giant told Reuters that its dealings with PDVSA,

which involve exchanging crude for fuel, are not in violation of US sanctions.

Reuters likewise reported that Italian multinational ENI is also due to buy a cargo of Venezuelan crude for the first time since late 2018.

The exhaustion of crude storage in recent weeks has also seen Venezuela increase its crude deliveries to Cuba, as part of wide-ranging cooperation agreements between the two countries.

Venezuela’s reduced oil output in September coincided with a slowdown of inflation. According to the finance commission of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, prices rose by 23.5 per cent last month, bringing accumulated inflation in the past 12 months to 50,100 per cent. September’s mark is the lowest month-on-month inflation since March.

The figure marks a steep decline from August, which saw inflation registered at 65.2 per cent. This was the first time since February

with inflation above the 50 per cent hyperinflation threshold.

Venezuela had previously suffered 16 consecutive months of hyperinflation.

The Venezuelan Central Bank released figures in May after a three-year hiatus, likewise dating the end of hyperinflation in March, but no further statistics have been released since.

September’s inflationary slowdown coincided with a stabilisation of the exchange rate, both in the black market and the official exchange rate. The bolivar had previously suffered an over 100 per cent devaluation in August.

The liberalisation of exchange controls by the Venezuelan Central Bank, alongside a constriction of the quantity of bolivars in circulation, have been credited with slowing inflation in 2019. However, some economists have warned that the measures have led to a contracted aggregate demand, leading to longer-term stagnation. (Venezuela Analysis)

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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

NIS woes cannot be disconnected from sugar minimisation

Dear Editor, The October 10 edition of Guyana Times reported that the General Manager of the National Insurance Scheme, Ms Holly Greaves lamented the effects of the shrinking formal workforce in Guyana vis-à-vis the NIS. According to the newspaper article, the NIS’ GM said, at this time, the Scheme receives contributions from “…173,758 active employed persons and 10,734 active self-employed persons”. She went on to point out that “[t]he decline in the active employed population does not augur well for the future of the scheme…”.

The utterances by the

NIS GM mirrored what was said in the Scheme’s 2016 Annual Report. That document, at page 100, said “In 2017, there was a reorganisation of GuySuCo leading to the closure of several estates. It is likely that this may have a material impact on the contributions receivable by the Scheme”.

It appears, that the Scheme has already begun to feel the material impact it anticipated as evidenced by Ms Greaves’ remarks.

While not wanting to blow our own trumpet, as this certainly is not the time for it, the reality that the NIS faces today was anticipated by the GAWU and drawn to the Government’s

attention prior to the closure of sugar estates. The GAWU, in its presentation to the Government of Guyana on February 17, 2017, in expressing its views on the then planned closure of sugar estates pointed out that “[t]he reduction in formal employment and its implications for the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS); the effects can be debilitating, especially for the latter”.

Of course, the magnitude of the impact would have been better quantified had the sincere suggestion to pursue a socio-economic impact assessment been

pursued. On that score, we had told the Government in February 2017, that “…decisions cannot be made in a slipshod manner, as the consequences and repercussions can be serious, if not disastrous, for our people and nation.” That suggestion was bluntly refused by the representatives of the Government who engaged the Trade Unions in the industry and the political Opposition regarding the future of the sugar industry. In fact, Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, astoundingly, told the Unions and the Opposition to conduct the study since we were making the suggestion.

Tamara Khan’s insulting behaviour to National Toshaos Council Dear Editor, Tamara Khan had the unmitigated gall to stand in front of the National Toshaos Council and attempt to belittle participants. A section of the media reported that Mrs Khan asked how many participants had read the Constitution, only a few hands were raised and she asked if they were going to “live this way forever” as it relates to not understanding the Constitution. Did Tamara Khan ask her boss, caretaker Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, if he understood the Constitution as he made his case for 34 votes being needed for a majority of the 65-member National Assembly? Did she advise Nagamootoo that his call for a third umpire review of basic English and

mathematics was both asinine and irresponsible?

Did Tamara Khan ask her husband, Director of Public Information Imran Khan, if he understood the Constitution as he produced an endless stream of misinformation on the subject using taxpayers’ monies? Does Tamara Khan understand that an election should have been held

by March 21, 2018, following the passage of the NoConfidence Motion? I could

go on but I believe the point is made.

Tamara Khan did not end her insulting behaviour with this statement; she compounded her disrespect to the gathered leaders by further stating “that village leaders can request the Government for teams to visit the villages to explain the Constitution in ‘Creolese’”.

Maybe Tamara should have asked the Toshaos to visit the Ministry of

the Presidency and advise the incumbent on his responsibilities as a caretaker President in “creolese” as Granger “ears hard or he head hard” and understanding the “language” in the Constitution seems to be beyond him and his advisers. On the topic of advice, I can offer these simple words to Tamara Khan “Humble yourself”.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

The situation which the NIS now faces is one for a great degree of concern and worry. Undoubtedly, it has been made more acute by the ill-conceived and patently wrong decision to shutter estates and put thousands on the breadline.

It should be pointed out too, that many of the affected workers are, probably, qualified for NIS pensions which they will seek when they obtain pensionable age. In the meantime, the Scheme has lost the benefit of their contributions for many years though it is indebted to them come retirement. This may well make

a bad situation worse.

The reality of the NIS is one of the many consequences of the minimisation of the sugar industry.

It is an ignominious legacy that is now bequeathed to the current and future generations of Guyanese. Of course the most profound impact has to be the pain, suffering and difficulty experienced by thousands of ordinary Guyanese men, women and children.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine General Secretary GAWU

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here are two ways of spreading light: To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton Human beings thrive when they feel that they have free will, their mind matters, and that they are seen and understood. This experience – termed personal agency –is particularly important during phases of vulnerability, life transitions, and times of identity development and change, such as new motherhood.

The journey to motherhood has been termed “matrescence” due to similarities with adolescence in terms of hormonal, physiological, and psychological changes. In her recent New York Times article, Alexandra Sacks describes how a mother gives birth to a new identity and life along with her new baby.

In his book, The Birth of a Mother prominent psychoanalyst Dr Dan Stern (1994 ) described the major identity shift that occurs when a woman becomes a mother and how her mind vastly changes. He highlighted the likelihood of increased vulnerability, which causes a heightened need for validation and love.

Vulnerable due to all that has changed within her (physiologically, hormonally, and psychologically) and the unknown ahead of her, the mother looks for guidance. When she looks inward, her guide includes memories of how she herself was parented. These can appear as either “ghosts in the nursery” (Fraiberg, 1975), symbolising moments when the mother felt sad, scared, and even traumatised or unloved.

Alternatively,

Foundation

By Tanya Cotler, PhD

Alicia Lieberman (2005) studied the antidotes to the ghosts – memories of “angels in the nursery” – times she felt loved, seen, and that she mattered. In both instances, when the mother looks inward, she is distracted by efforts to either fix or repeat her own parenting experiences through her child.

The mother’s internal landscape intersects with the rampant social, cultural, and historical advice she receives – advice which is often replete with paradox.

She is told that “it takes a village”, but is expected to do it all herself (with a smile and an apron on); to be sensitive and empathic to her babies – but with strong limits so they don’t end up entitled.

And, of course, there is the ever present juxtapositions in the mommy-group conversations (both online and offline) related to nursing vs bottle feeding, sleep training vs co-sleeping, working vs staying at home, and countless other contradictory guidelines. The competitive noise can easily strip a mother of access to her own mind as well as distract her from presently attuning to the separate mind of her developing baby.

“Real of motherhood”

There is momentum building around sharing the “real of motherhood” and demystifying the allure of the sacred all-perfect mother. Central to this notion of real motherhood (with all its inclinations and imperfections) is the concept of personal agency of both mother and baby.

The mother is a mother in relationship to her baby.

She has her own needs for her baby, as well as desires, thoughts and feelings about her baby and herself.

Equally, her baby has his or her own mind from the very beginning. Denying this turns the baby to a mere blob and renders the mother to feel similarly invisible

(Pinterest-worthy parties and joining parent council for recognition—anyone?).

A mother is unlikely to feel – or parent – in one specific way, and mostly experiences rapidly changing emotions in response to the recurrent rhythmical pattern of exchanges with her baby. A mother is likely to feel both love and hatred, both empowered and helpless, both excitement and resentment, both hope and hopelessness, and both revival and utter depletion at various moments.

Prominent psychoanalyst and writer Jonathan Slavin (2015) explains that personal agency is developed alongside other “agents” in our lives – teachers, therapists, doctors, friends, and family members – who fill us with hope when we are hopeless, and who accept us when we are blinded by self-doubt.

Alternatively, our agency can be undermined when

others do not acknowledge us as separate, capable, and unique beings.

Interestingly (and beautifully), the best agent to help a mother realise her own capacities and potential is, often, her own baby.

Psychoanalyst Jessica Benjamin poignantly emphasises the importance of the two-person negotiation of agency between a mother and her child. The baby yearns and needs recognition from mother to thrive and the mother needs acknowledgement from others and most importantly from her own baby to support the development of her maternal identity. Research by Beatrice Beebe et al. examining moment-to-moment exchanges between mother and baby demonstrate that there is a constant interchange of ideas, thoughts, and feelings between a mother and her baby. It is through these emotional turn-taking conversations (using vocalisation, facial expression, and body language) that agency is realized for both mother and baby.

The mother’s subjective experience of being a real and effective mother is birthed through her interaction with her baby, as is the baby’s own sense of him or herself as a complete capable and separate person. The answers a mother seeks – from guidebooks, blogs, and other people – often exist within her relationship and rhythmic attunement and conversation with her baby. If permitted and appreciated, mother and baby can come to be seen, to matter, and to feel alive all on their own. (psychol-

ogytoday.com)

B

onding is the intense attachment that develops between parents and their baby. It makes parents want to shower their baby with love and affection and to protect and care for their little one.

Bonding gets parents up in the middle of the night to feed their hungry baby and makes them attentive to the baby’s wide range of cries.

Scientists are still learning a lot about bonding.

They know that the strong ties between parents and their child provide the baby’s first model for intimate relationships and foster a sense of security and positive self-esteem. And parents’ responsiveness to an infant’s signals can affect the child’s social and cognitive development.

Why is bonding important?

Bonding is essential for a baby. Studies of newborn monkeys who were given mannequin mothers at birth showed that, even when the mannequins were made of soft material and provided formula to the baby monkeys, the babies were better socialized when they had live mothers to interact with. The baby monkeys with mannequin mothers also were more likely to suffer from despair. Scientists suspect that lack of bonding in human babies can cause similar problems.

Most infants are ready to bond immediately. Parents, on the other hand, may have a mixture of feelings about it. Some parents feel an intense attachment within the first minutes or days after their baby’s birth. For others, it may take a bit longer.

But bonding is a process, not something that takes place within minutes and not something that has to be limited to happening within a certain time period after birth. For many parents, bonding is a by-product of everyday caregiving.

You may not even know it’s happening until you observe your baby’s first smile and suddenly realize that you’re filled with love and joy.

The ways babies bond

When you’re a new parent, it often takes a while to understand your newborn and all the ways you can interact:

Touch becomes an early language as babies respond to skin-to-skin contact. It’s soothing for both you and your baby while promoting your baby’s healthy growth and development.

Eye-to-eye contact provides meaningful communication at close range.

Babies can follow moving objects with their eyes.

Your baby tries – early on – to imitate your facial expressions and gestures.

Babies prefer human voices and enjoy vocalizing in their first efforts at communication. Babies often enjoy just listening to your conversations, as well as your descriptions of their activities and environments.

Making an attachment

Bonding with your baby is probably one of the most pleasurable aspects of infant care. You can begin by cradling your baby and gently rocking or stroking him or her. If you and your partner both hold and touch your infant frequently, your little one will soon come to know the difference between your touches. Both of you can also take the opportunity to be “skin to skin” with your newborn by holding him or her against your own skin when feeding or cradling.

Babies, especially premature babies and those with medical problems, may respond to infant massage.

Because babies aren’t as strong as adults, you’ll need to massage your baby very gently. Before trying out infant massage, be sure to educate yourself on proper techniques by checking out the many books, videos, and websites on the subject. You can also contact your local hospital to find out if there are classes in infant massage in your area.

Breastfeeding and bottle-feeding are both natural times for bonding. Infants respond to the smell and touch of their mothers, as well as the responsiveness of the parents to their needs.

In an uncomplicated birth, caregivers try to take advantage of the infant’s alert period immediately after birth and encourage feeding and holding of the baby.

However, this isn’t always possible and, though ideal, immediate contact isn’t necessary for the future bonding of the child and parent.

Adoptive parents may be concerned about bonding with their baby. Although it might happen sooner for some than others, adopted babies and their parents can bond just as well as biological parents and their children. (Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

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NTC being politicised by Govt – PPP regional reps

Some of the Indigenous leaders at the NTC at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre

A

s the curtains come down on the 2019 National Toshoas Conference, regional representatives have complained that the forum is not what it’s supposed to be and instead, is politicised.

This is according to Vice Chair of Region One (Barima-Waini), Sarah Brown, at a press conference on Friday. “…The conference at this time is not was it used to be or what [it] is supposed to be. We have seen politicising of the entire conference – from the leadership of the National Toshoas Council right down, we’ve seen politicising,” she noted.

According to Brown, Amerindian leaders who have attended the conference are not getting any of their concerns addressed. In fact, she noted that they are not even getting the oppor-

tunity to raise their issues.

“Instead of having the Toshoas coming here to represent the issues, our Toshoas are concerned that they’re only coming here to listen to speeches and to be a part of the campaign show instead of having our issues addressed…,” the Region One Vice Chair told reporters.

Meanwhile, the same sentiments were raised by her Region Nine colleague, Vice Chairman Karl Singh, who said that the NTC is not like it was previously conducted.

“The timeframe in which they allow for questions and answers by the Toshaos, which is most important, are cut short. So basically, when the Toshoas started asking questions they says we can only take two or three questions so there is not sufficient time,” he contended.

Singh believes that this is deliberately planned because there are no proper answers to the many questions that the Amerindian leaders have.

Furthermore, the regional leaders went on to bemoan the Government’s neglect of hinterland communities. They pointed out that many of the projects that the coalition has been touting are ones that were actually initiated under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) regime but implement by the current Government.

Only recently, the PPP highlighted its effort, while in office, to engage the NTC on issues of Amerindian rights and community development as well as matters of national importance.

Something which the party said is absent from this current Administration.

Georgetown, he broke and entered the home of Jasmine Harris and stole a laptop valued $354,000, the property of Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company.

The last charge stated that on the same day and location, he broke and entered the dwelling house of Jasmine Harris and stole four rings valued $442,000, the property of Harris.

According to Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh, Harris secured her home and went to bed at about 21:00 on September 10. However, she was awoken by a loud noise and upon checking, she saw the 25-year-old man standing in her bedroom.

The terrified woman

quickly raised an alarm, which caused the defendant to jump through a window and made good his escape.

Nevertheless, the woman and her husband made checks in their home and discovered the articles missing. A report was made and Webster was subsequently arrested.

The prosecutor further indicated to the court that the defendant is being investigated for 10 other breaking and entering offences, and murder.

As such, the prosecution’s submission was upheld and Webster was remanded to prison. The case will continue on November 8, 2019.

To this end, the PPP announced that it is planning a National Development Conference to be held in April, should it win the elections next year. This was revealed by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo at this weekly press conference on Thursday.

Already, he noted, the party has drafted its agenda for the conference and shared it with the Indigenous leaders who attended the NTC. Key among those issues is ensuring that the country’s Indigenous peoples benefit from the resources that Guyana will be receiving from the budding oil and gas industry.

“It’s a comprehensive agenda. It speaks of economic development and job creation. Oil and gas – we need to clarify the position that Amerindians have to benefit as much as any other group of persons in Guyana from oil and gas… So the conference will discuss specifically that,” he noted.

This is in light of statements made by Junior Social Protection Minister Keith Scott back in 2017 when he said Amerindians were “avaricious” since they had too much land and threatened that they would not benefit from the new oil revenues.

Nevertheless, Jagdeo noted that this is just among an array of issues to be addressed at his party’s conference.

“It will discuss the re-

Region One (Barima-Waini) Vice Chair Sarah Brown

Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) Vice Chairman Karl Singh

sumption of land titling activities and timelines for both titling lands as well as for processing extension. It would address healthcare, for example, supply of drugs, medical personnel, upgrading facilities. It would address education issues because many of them would have complained that they don’t have teachers, the nutrition programme that we start have not extended to some communities – the hot meals – and all of the other things,” he contended.

According to the Opposition Leader, the PPP National Development Conference will highlight specific outcomes for policy initiatives that it will be undertaking – unlike the coalition’s agenda which he said consists of just making

speeches as was done during the NTC. “There is no development in these communities. Just Ministers flying in, spending millions of dollars … then they go to the community, eat up the people food but then they bring no development in that area… That is what we can continue to expect and a lot of promises,” he asserted.

On the other hand, he posited that the conference agenda the PPP has put together consists of policies for hinterland development.

Jagdeo said that they are trying to shift the conversation to the future and unlike the coalition, they intend to detail specific plans for every sector to develop hinterland communities.

According to reports, upon entering Oudkirk’s bedroom, the daughter noticed that her mother, who lived alone, was laying on the bed, unresponsive, with a mosquito net tightly wrapped around her neck.

As such, the woman raised an alarm and the Police were called to the scene. The body was taken to Lyken’s Funeral Home.

This newspaper was told that it is believed that the woman was strangled to death inside of her bedroom

sometime between 16:30h on Wednesday and 18:30h on Thursday. According to a Police source, the deceased was last seen alive by her daughter on Wednesday.

It is unclear at this time as to whether the woman was murdered during a robbery attempt and how many persons were involved in her death.

Up to press time, no arrests have been made but Police are presently conducting investigations.

Pensioner strangled to death Accused home invader remanded to prison in bed with mosquito net

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25-year-old man, who allegedly carried out a series of home invasions, was on Friday hauled before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Christian Webster appeared before Magistrate Leon Daly and denied the charges.

The first charge stated that on September 10, 2019, at South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, he broke and entered the dwelling house of Jasmine Harris and stole a phone valued $114,000 and a gold and diamond ring valued $222,000, property of Ryan Smith.

The second charge alleged that on September 10, 2019, at South Ruimveldt,

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female pensioner was discovered lifeless inside of her wooden cottage-style house at Bourda Street, Georgetown.

Dead is 67-year-old Marva Oudkirk of Lot 241 Bourda Street, Georgetown.

Reports are that Oudkirk’s daughter visited her mother’s home on Thursday evening after attempts to contact her proved futile. This newspaper was told that as the woman approached her mother’s home, she noticed that the house was locked. However, after several calls and no response, Oudkirk’s daughter gained entry into the home by removing the wooden floorboard from under the house.

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Cop granted bail, seaman remanded for 24kg ganja

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olice Corporal Quincy Bacchus, 27, of Ferry Street, New Amsterdam, Berbice, was on Friday released on bail while his alleged accomplice in a drug trafficking charge was remanded to prison.

The 27-year-old policeman and his alleged accomplice, Ramon Singh, both appeared before Magistrate Faith Gusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Thirty-seven-year-old Singh, a seaman of School Street, Swamp Section, Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Berbice, was a passenger in the policeman’s car when the illegal drugs were found.

Singh and Bacchus both denied the charge which stated that on October 7, 2019, at Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, they had in their possession 24 kilograms of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

The prosecution is con-

Police Corporal Quincy Bacchus and Ramon Singh along with the ganja

tending that on October 7, the Corporal, who is attached to the Division Six Headquarters in the Information Technology Department, was in his motorcar with Singh when several police ranks swooped down on them and searched the vehicle.

It is believed that the men travelled to Georgetown with the illegal substance with the aim of distributing/ selling to customers here.

Bacchus was released on $300,000 bail.

Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), and Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), have been identified by the Guyana Police Force as the two leading areas in Guyana where marijuana is cultivated on a large scale and then sold to various locations throughout the country.

The matter was adjourned to November 8, 2019.

fore Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and pleaded not guilty to the charge.

It is alleged that on July 18, 2019, at Brickdam, Georgetown, with intent to defraud, he attempted to commit a felony by attempting to collect $100,000 from Dina Malcolm by falsely pretending that he was in a posi-

The court heard that Abrams made arrangements to uplift the money from the Virtual Complainant on South Road, Georgetown.

It was during the handing over of the cash that he was nabbed in the sting operation.

He was nonetheless released on $50,000 bail.

The case will continue on November 1, 2019.

Detective charged for trying to fraudulently sell house lot

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detective, who was arrested during a sting operation after he allegedly attempted to collect money from a woman he reportedly tried to fraudulently sell a house lot to, was on Friday charged.

Twenty-eight-yearold Gladwin Abrams of Lot 16 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, appeared be-

tion to grant her a house lot.

The prosecution’s case contended that the detective, who is stationed at the Providence Police Station, messaged several persons via Facebook Messenger offering housing lots for sale ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.

However, persons became suspicious and contacted another Police officer.

Father of 3 jailed for possession of illegal assault rifle

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father of three was on Friday jailed for two years by Magistrate Dylon Bess after he was found guilty for possession of an illegal assault rifle.

When the matter was called at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday, Magistrate Bess said that sufficient evidence was led by the prosecution for a conviction. The man, who was found with the gun some two years ago, was also fined $15,000.

David Nelson, of Lot 190 Church Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown, had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The charge stated that on November 9, 2017, at Quamina Street, Georgetown, he had in his possession a .223 AR rifle when he was not a licensed holder to carry the weapon.

The prosecution had contended that Police ranks acting on information received proceeded to Quamina Street,

where they conducted a search on Nelson’s vehicle.

During the search, the rifle was found under a seat in the vehicle.

According to the prosecution’s case, Nelson had admitted ownership of the weapon.

The written caution statement the defendant gave to the ranks indicated that he had bought the weapon from a Brazilian man and he was going to sell it for $6 million.

Cash transfers…

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…or handouts? here’s a spirited debate roiling the political arena – and “arena” it is! – on whether some of the anticipated oil revenues should be passed directly to some (or all) citizens of Guyana. From where your Eyewitness is sitting, the debate boils down to whether we should call the idea “cash transfer” or “handout”.

Interestingly, however, none of the combatants are calling their schemes, “handouts”!

But if you were to look at the comments, most folks who are opposed to the scheme raise the supposedly deleterious effects of giving “handouts” to poor people.

If you just give “them” free money, you’re removing their incentive to seek employment and increasing the incentive to indulge in more “wine, women and song”!! A rather bleak assessment of the poor, isn’t it?

A lot of it is influenced by the reports and movies on what’s been dubbed the “welfare” culture that has developed in the US with their “cash and kind” programme to their poor. Most of the recipients seem to have become trapped in a dependency syndrome that ensures their poverty becomes inter-generational. While they might be able to get the basic necessities of life, they don’t get to imbibe the salutary values that a working life evidently imparts!!

In Guyana, Clive Thomas and the WPA – independently and not on behalf of their APNU/AFC coalition – were first off the block in suggesting that each family gets US$5000/ GY$1 million annually. This was a variant of an idea that has created quite a buzz in the economic world – a Universal Basic Income (UBI). Reacting to criticisms that some poor people are falling through the safety nets that’s now pretty standard in most countries, the UBI would allow folks in need to pay for what they need – be it food or medicine or whatever. Part of the “whatever” may be booze or smokes, but it’s their choice.

Initially, the PNC saw the suggestion as a “handout” and Granger snootily announced he’d rather “teach the poor to fish that hand out fishes”. Never mind they may be structural reasons for some folks being unable to fish.

He’s since announced he’s now “considering” it. The PPP, which had tried various forms of transfers to the poor in a directed fashion (school uniforms etc), said they didn’t see it as “handouts” and weren’t opposed. But Guyana couldn’t hang its hat where its hand couldn’t reach!!

They pointed out the WPA’s suggestion was unworkable since it assumed oil production at 1.5m bpd when all we’ll be getting initially is 1/10 of that!! They proposed a targeted approach to cover identified needy demographics out of a fixed percentage of the income flow.

Good thing there’s one adult in the (political) room!! …or skill transfers?

The Opposition Leader just revealed that GECOM, through the CEO of its Secretariat – the inimitable exGDF Major Keith Lowenfield, who has a knack for being “unavailable” at key moments – has nixed an offer from the UN for help in its IT department. Now we need an investigation into this matter ASAP and call upon the “Iron lady” to launch this. It seems this offer was on the table since last year, but Lowenfield presented only a “media monitoring” offer!!

Now what kind of assistance is needed in GECOM when their Secretariat hasn’t even been able to continuously update the NRR, as it is mandated to do? Or to discern if there’s hanky-panky going on with the lists?? Such as ensuring the data in their several lists are valid and crossreferenced? Or to deliver a quick but accurate result after ballots are cast? Especially when the numbers between the two top contenders might once again be razor thin?

Are media monitors going to deal with those concerns?

Bring back the UN IT offer!! …and free education In the season of giving away the store for votes, the PNC has once again promised “free education at UG”— while criticising the PPP for introducing fees.

Wasn’t it the PNC that accepted IMF conditionalities that insisted UG pay its way?

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

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14% youths interested Over 700 fires already Only in aviation sector – ICAO recorded for 2019 …as GCAA launches programme to address staff shortage

Students experiencing the rescue truck

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he Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has recorded over 700 fires already for the year, but this number is a reduction when compared to the statistics of that same period for 2018.

This was revealed

by Divisional Officer of Operations for the GFS, Gregory Wickham during the Fire Prevention Week activities at D’Urban Park on Friday.

“To date, we would have seen a deduction in the number of fires. We have, for this year so far, 700 plus fires.

Last year, we would have gone over that by about 150 so indeed, there is a reduction,” Wickham informed.

Speaking on the types of incidents they would have analysed so far, residential fires topped the list, followed by grass fires. During the dry season, careless dumping of lighted materials, such as cigarette ends, would have contributed to these events.

“We had a whole lot of those fires which were residential and then coming in the second position would have been grass fires or what we call rubbish fires.

When the place was very hot, for some reasons, persons were carelessly dispos-

ing of lighted cigarette ends which would have lent to these grass fires,” he conveyed.

For Fire Prevention Week 2019, D’Urban Park was transformed into an informal learning setting, where stakeholders were educated about the dynamics of fires and the functions of

ence.

According to the Divisional Officer, these activities help to lower the alarming figures.

“It would help us in our stats first, and then when we get the understanding, we do open opportunities for persons to do investigative work so that we’d be able to put in place systems to prevent reoccurrences of those types of fires.”

Members of the public and school-aged persons were briefed on practices which they should avoid on a daily basis.

“Participating in those events, you learn a whole lot on firefighting and fire prevention. The purpose of this fair is to capture a wider cross-section of persons, our students especially and members of the community,” Wickham insisted.

Divisional Officer of Operations, Gregory Wickham

the fire service.

Fire tenders and scores of firefighters were present at the site, ready to give advice. On display were a wide selection of tools and safety gears which are used by the GFS. While some stakeholders were surprised by the degree of effort it takes to carry out these operations, some were thrilled at the experi-

Last April, the “dry spell” experienced during that time had resulted in approximately 48 bush fires within the township of Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) community. The fire department had issued warnings to members of the community to desist from lighting bush fires.

GCAA Director General Egbert Field, Minister with responsibility for housing, Annette Ferguson, along with officials from “NexGen” during the launching ceremony

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n an era where the aviation sector is rapidly growing, the shortage of human resource capability in the industry needs to be addressed.

For this, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Friday launched the “NexGen” programme, geared at sensitising youths about prospects of the sector and getting them involved. This initiative will feature several engaging programmes, targeting children from as young as two years old.

The programme was developed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) with a mandate of expanding the industry. According to the Organisation, youth interest in aviation is only at 14 per cent. However, accord-

ing to Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, there needs to be a positive change in these figures.

Aviation, he noted, plays a vital role in the business of people and their activities.

In fact, the sector remains the safest medium for travel.

Director General of the GCAA, Egbert Field highlighted that the industry is projected to double in 15 years. However, authorities are presently incapable of meeting that demand.

“Aviation in the next 15 years will surely double and that is what has been happening. They’ll need close to 500,000 pilots and engineer and other personnel in the aviation industry. At present, we don’t know how we’re going to fill those positions.

That is why the NexGen initiative was launched,” he informed.

For children ages two to 12, there is a Galactic Expo planned for next month, where there will be simulators, robots and aeroplane craft competitions under the Star Wars theme.

Meanwhile, persons of ages 12 to 18 will be introduced to the regional aviation high flyers club for internships and mentor programmes.

Lastly, the 18 to 25 category will feature gatherings at universities and technical institutes.

In 2018, the aviation sector globally grew by 7.5 per cent when compared to the previous year. By 2028, it was estimated that the sector will move 6 billion passengers every year.

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saturday, october 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

“It’s up to them” – GCAA Street race fatal accident Head on Qatar Airways Drunk driver granted $800,000 bail operations in Guyana …other driver fined for traffic offences

GCAA Director General Egbert Field

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he Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) recently inked an Air Services Agreement to offer new routes from Guyana. However, Director General of the Authority, Egbert Field has expressed that the decision rests upon Qatar to determine when they will begin operations here.

In an invited comment on Friday, Field explained that the agreement was signed but the two countries are yet to work out the dynamics of operations, the number of flights and other factors. As such, he said they are still waiting for the analysis to be finalised.

“We signed an Air Services Agreement with Qatar. That Air Services Agreement will allow any airline from Qatar to fly to Guyana. As to identification of which airline, you have Qatar Airways and I think there may be another one or two airlines. We’re just waiting on them. These things take time because they’ll have to do their own evaluation of the route, work out how many flights, the frequency of flights and I can see them really moving in that direction of analysing the various figures. If they will commence operation, it’s up to them,” the Director General indicated.

The agreement permits Qatar’s national carrier, Qatar Airways, to operate any number of passenger

and cargo flights as well as cooperation between the carriers concerned. Qatar Airways will also be given permission to have an operation centre in Guyana to fly to any country in the region and other regions as well. Qatar has already expressed an interest in entering Guyana’s oil market, a move which is expected to bring a number of benefits to the country’s oil sector.

This new potential link is a great boon for passengers wishing to head to Asia,

ious” to commence operations. While he does not foresee any delays, some documents are yet to be submitted by the carrier.

“JetBlue is very very anxious and eager to commence their operations. It’s an established company so I don’t think there will be much delay when it comes to working with their documents. We’re awaiting the remaining set of documents from them so as to evaluate.

I do not suspect that there will be any delays in terms of their startup period,” he indicated.

The GCAA Head added, “It’s the standard documents which airlines would submit from us. Things like the type of aircraft within their fleet, their operations manual, maintenance manual and these are documents which are evaluated by the authority”.

The New York-based carrier will begin to operate direct flights between Guyana

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he drunk driver, who was involved in a street race with another motor vehicle and crashed into a fence at De Kinderen Village, West Coast Demerara (WCD)— leading to the death of his 25-year-old passenger, Leroy Cummings—faced several charges in relation to the incident and was released on $800,000 bail.

Totaram Munishwar, 23, of the Tuschen Village, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), appeared before Magistrate Crystal Lambert at the Wales Magistrates’ Court, West Bank Demerara (WBD), on Thursday to answer to the charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

He denied the charge and was released on $800,000 bail.

Munishwar is expected to return to Court on November 14.

Prior to the causing death by dangerous driving charge, Munishwar, along with the other driver whom

he had been allegedly racing with along the WCD roadways when the accident occurred, appeared at the Leonora Magistrates’ Court, WCD on Wednesday to answer to the charges of various traffic offences.

Munishwar and his friend, 20-year-old Saeed Alli, of Lot 1179 Tuschen, EBE, both appeared before Magistrate Zorina AllySeepaul.

Alli was fined for each offence committed, which, if not paid, would have lead him to face time in jail. He paid the fines.

Reports are around 00:30h on Monday, the now dead man, Leroy Cummings, along with his younger brother and their friend were in the vehicle, PMM 4818, driven by Munishwar.

Initially, Alli was driving behind Munishwar.

The two drivers reportedly began to race to determine who would be faster in reaching their next destination (all of the individuals reside in Tuschen Village).

However, as they approached a turn, Munishwar allegedly attempted to overtake his friend’s vehicle while another vehicle was approaching from the opposite direction.

This led to Munishwar swerving but in doing so, he lost control of his vehicle, which turned turtle and ended up crashing into a fence.

A Police source stated that the driver and occupants from PVV 4886 were immediately pulled out of the mangled car and then rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, WCD. However, Cummings had arrived there in an unconscious state and due to his serious condition at that time, he was referred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH). He died during the transfer to WDRH. At the time of the accident, both drivers were tested for alcohol and results revealed that their levels were above the legal limit.

Bound body found on Abary foreshore

or to destinations in Africa.

The central hub of Qatar would open up massive connectivity opportunities for the citizens of Guyana.

Since the discovery of oil in 2015, Guyana has already attracted several major airlines. American Airlines has already begun operations in Guyana and another popular American carrier, JetBlue, is set to begin operating by April 2020.

JetBlue

Giving an update on JetBlue’s status, Field stated that the company is “anx-

and New York. In fact, tickets for flights are already on sale in the United States (US).

The non-stop flight will travel from New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport to Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on a daily basis with the carrier’s new A321neo aircraft.

With this new service, passengers will enjoy five hours of travel time between the two countries.

Guyana will be the fourth country in South America JetBlue serves in the coming months.

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he body of an unidentified man was on Friday afternoon discovered at the Abary foreshore, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The discovery was made by persons from the community.

Guyana Times understands that the man’s hands were bound behind his back and his feet were tied together.

There were also marks of violence on the body.

Regional Commander, Superintendent Yonette Stephens told this publication that it appears as though the body washedup from elsewhere. “We wouldn’t know where it came from,” she said.

The Abary foreshore where the body was found

Police have launched an investigation. The body is currently at the Fort

Wellington Hospital awaiting identification.

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saturday, october 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Toshaos call for stiffer penalties on illegal, unsafe mining

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oshaos are calling on the Government to implement and enforce stricter penalties against illegal miners and those engaging in unsafe mining practices.

The village leaders were at the time raising several issues with Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman at the 13th National Tohaos Council (NTC) Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Newell Dennison and Deputy Commissioner of Forests of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), Gavin Agard were also present at the session.

Chenapou’s Toshao, Edward McGarrell, raised the issue of mining operations that are contaminating the waterways. He explained that an elderly resident, Mamai Lucille

Williams, was displaced as a miner wanted to excavate her land.

Responding to the situation, Minster Trotman assured that Williams will be compensated and placed in a comfortable environment.

“I am going to personally visit later this month to see what is happening with her condition and to see that the issue is resolved,” he said.

The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) is also prepared to assist.

Another Toshao took the opportunity at the conference to raise his issue with the hope of having it addressed. Toshao Mario Hastings, of Kako Village, stated that the water in the Upper Mazaruni is contaminated. He explained that this issue has been ongoing for years and called for the situation to be addressed by the Ministry and GGMC. Meanwhile, Kit James, of the South Rupununi, com-

mended the Ministry for being very helpful when addressing some of the issues in the mining sector. He expressed concerns regarding miners’ heavy-duty vehicles destroying the roadways in the village of Aishalton. The miners would pass through Aishalton on their way to the Marudi mining area.

Toshao of Kwebanna and Vice Chairman of the National Toshaos Council, Paul Pierre called for a final resolution of the Chinese Landing issues that have been ongoing for decades.

Minister Trotman noted the matters raised and assured that they will be addressed.

The 13th National

Toshaos Council Conference began earlier this week and concluded on Friday.

The leaders of the over 212 Indigenous villages, in all of the 10 administrative regions, meet annually at the important forum to have engagements with the President and Government Ministers, and officials from various Government agencies. It is aimed at consolidating and expanding the national development and transformation processes to cater to the needs of Indigenous people. It also addresses issues such as land titles and demarcations, education, health, social services, security and infrastructure.

New attorney following father’s footsteps

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ew Attorney-at-Law Gina Jonel MacedoSingh, the daugh-

New Attorney Gina Jonel Macedo-Singh shares a photo moment with her parents, Andrew MF Pollard, SC, and businesswoman Gigi Kay Pollard; Chief Justice (acting) Roxane George, Attorney Nigel Hughes and a relative

ter of local Attorney-atLaw Andrew MF Pollard, SC, and businesswoman Gigi Kay Pollard, was on Friday admitted to the bar in Guyana.

The young attorney’s petition was presented by Attorney Nigel Hughes to Chief Justice (acting) Roxane George at the Demerara High Court.

Attorney Hughes stated during his petition that it gave him personal satisfaction to see three generations of attorneys-at-law— who are the offspring of eminent Attorneys-at-Law Clarence AF Hughes, SC,

and Brynmor TI Pollard, SC, OR— becoming members of the Hughes, Fields & Stoby Law Firm.

During her address to the young Attorney-at-Law, the Chief Justice cautioned Macedo-Singh to be studious, diligent, courteous to the Court and her fellow colleagues, and reassured her that with her pedigree, she was sure she would be successful in practice.

The young lawyer, after completing CXC in Guyana, attended Florida State University where she read for several degrees in history (concen-

tration in European and Caribbean History), Social Science (concentration in Public Administration) and Criminology (concentration in Criminal Justice Systems).

She then enrolled in the LLB programme at the University of Guyana, and subsequently completed the LLB at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.

Attorney Macedo-Singh graduated from the Hugh Wooding Law School, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad, on Saturday last.

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saturday, october 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Measures in place to stabilise US exchange rate – Central Bank

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n light of significant increases in the exchange rate of the United States Dollar in the local market, the Bank of Guyana (B0G) has assured that measures have been put in place to stabilise the currency trade.

This assurance was given to Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Capt Gerry Gouveia, during a meeting with the BoG Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga, on Friday.

The PSC Head pointed to mounting public concerns about the rising exchange rate of the US Dollar and the potential negative impact on not just the business community but the economy as well.

However, the Commission was assured by Governor Ganga that measures are being taken to mitigate the situation.

In fact, the PSC said it was advised by the Central

Bank Head that the issue is mostly due to the unavailability of US dollar notes and not access to US currency to facilitate transactions such as payment for USD debit/credit cards and wire transfers.

Nevertheless, the BoG gave assurances to the Private Sector body that it is pursuing prudent measures to ensure exchange rate stability in the local market.

After reports that the US dollar is trading at cambios for as high as $233 for US$1, both the BoG Governor and

Finance Minister Winston Jordan have contended that there was no shortage.

It was noted that high demand for US cash has pushed the rates up.

In fact, Jordan recently pointed out that the commercial banking system has not raised any complaints and that it was the nonbank cambios that has created the issue. To this end, he noted that an investigation has been launched into the matter.

“I haven’t heard a great outcry in the commercial

4 years after promise

banking system as I am hearing at the commercial non-bank cambios. I am being given to understand that it is at a certain, just one or two of the cambios, that have caused this problem.

Our investigation is leading into a certain direction,” he noted.

Nevertheless, the Minister insisted that there is sufficient foreign reserves within the local banking system.

“I can tell you we have adequate reserves. We have almost US$530 million in the banking system. The reserves are nearly US$500 million as at the end of August. The commercial [banks] do have a lot of cash.

There is absolutely no question about it,” Jordan said earlier in the week.

However, even as the matter is being investigated by Central Bank and the Finance Ministry, Opposition Leader Jagdeo contended that there is a problem in the local market.

PSC Chairman Gerry Gouveia and BoG Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga

Govt now engaging Indigenous Grand “Fifty 4 Fifty” event residents on Amerindian Act to mark Linden town’s

50th anniversary next year

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President David Granger

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ver four years have passed since the APNU/AFC coalition Government promised the Indigenous community in Guyana that it would relook at sections of the Amerindian Act of 2006, which they were not satisfied with but to date, changes are yet to be made.

This failed commitment by the Government has resulted in severe hardships on the livelihoods of Indigenous folks throughout the country, many of whom have cried out in recent months, about the Administration continuously making decisions that affect them without any consultation.

Adviser to the Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Mervyn Williams on Friday told the media that despite the Indigenous peoples’ complaints, the Government has not adjusted the Amerindian Act of 2006 since they are engaging the Indigenous communities about revisions.

“That process has started, it is a wide and deep consultative process, we have been consulting in several regions of Guyana. We have not touched all of the re-

Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock

gions and we are receiving representations and recommendations for, in some cases strengthening, in some cases excising, in some cases including new provisions in the Act. Some people believe that the Act should be repealed in totality while others believe it requires some adjustment,” he told a media conference on Friday. He added that from process information is presently being compiled.

He further stated that the relevant Government agencies are working on a draft of an amended bill to present to Cabinet for its consideration, which will then be presented to Indigenous stakeholders to allow them the opportunity of perusing it.

However, Williams did not provide a date or deadline as to when a draft bill would be completed.

Six weeks ago, the latest land tenure report, the third of its kind, issued by the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) cited the present Administration’s failure to make amendments to laws regarding resource

Mervyn Williams

rights for the Indigenous peoples as a major factor for inherently limiting land tenure security across Guyana.

“The Act fails to set out clear and fair rules for defining and agreeing on land titles and also lacks clear ways of resolving land disputes.

The law gives overly broad discretion to the Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, which has resulted in land titling decisions that infringe upon Indigenous land rights, including titles… and titles that exclude key farming, hunting, fishing, or gathering grounds or important spiritual sites”.

According to the document, the APNU/AFC coalition had promised that it would assist Indigenous folks and protect their rights but by failing to revise the Amerindian Act of 2006, it has done more harm than good.

“Indigenous land tenure stem from the fundamental problem that the Government does not fully recognise the customary tenure systems of Indigenous peoples and the rights that arise therefrom,” it added.

he Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) is preparing to host a grand “Fifty 4 Fifty” Linden Town Week (LTW) event in observance of the Linden community’s 50th anniversary as a town next year.

The LTW activity, which usually showcases the community in aspects such as culture, education, sports, health, entertainment and agriculture, is set to be observed from April 25 to May 5 next year. Speaking at an official launching ceremony at the Council in Linden recently, Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell said next year’s event is even more significant as the town will be celebrating 50 years as a township.

“This significant event, of course, aims not at financial gain but as reviving the history of Linden. We want to make sure that at the end of Linden Town Week, everyone understands where Linden came from, more so, where it is heading.

The focus is to make sure that we involve every sector of Lindeners. That includes our youths, our senior citizens, our children, religious organisations, NGOs(Non-Governmental Organisations)— every aspect as it relates to people who make up Linden and the history of Linden,” Arrindell noted.

She said the event is open to suggestions from members of the public as it relates to what they would like to see. The Council, she explained, is also encouraging organisations and entertainment groups to write in to be part of the event before the mid-November deadline.

It has also extended an invitation to members of the diaspora to come on board.

According to Arrindell, much of the focus next year will be on aspects such as culture, health, education, sports and entertainment.

“Linden Town Week 2020 is opened to everyone to come on board and to work with us to promote Linden in a magnificent way,” she stated.

Additionally, Social Committee Chairman Norvell Fredericks, who is the brainchild behind the celebrations which were first observed 24 years ago, said the Committee is seeking full participation in an effort to make it the celebration the grandest thus far.

“We’re moving here to make next year the grandest one. To make the real impression for the world to see— bringing out our social aspects, our cultural aspects and also the economic aspects of it where Lindeners could benefit in so many ways,” he said.

Fredericks added that the Committee is making arrangements for persons in the community to get involved in bed and breakfast services, and for those with hotels to spruce up their businesses for the occasion.

“We’re hoping to bring back also, many of the things seen in the earlier Town Days...We’re hoping to have the exhibits once again...” he explained.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Wainewright Bethune indicated that as part of the “Fifty 4 Fifty” activity, the Council is trying to promote 50 activities leading up to the celebrations, some of which will co-

incide with it as well as to have 50 events on the LTW calendar of activities.

“We want to focus a lot on youth involvement, we’re looking for a wide cross section of participation,” he said.

Bethune also noted that the Council wants Lindeners to play a pivotal role in the planning stages as he noted that there is already a draft calendar of activities established.

The Council is also spearheading a logo and theme competition where persons are invited to submit entries for a chance to win $50,000.

That competition closes today.

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

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saturday, october 12, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

Trees vital to human existence “I gave no direction on Clico – Granger at National Tree Day policies” – T&T Finance Minister

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resident David Granger, on Friday afternoon, participated in the Agriculture Ministry’s annual National Tree Day activities held at the Union Sports and Cultural Complex, No 53 Village, Region 6 (East Berbice-Corentyne) the Public Information and Press Service Unit of the Ministry of the Presidency stated.

Granger, in his address, said trees are important to Guyana’s sustainable development drive. He said the National Tree Day highlights the importance of trees to the economy and environment, adding that “trees are part of our natural patrimony”.

“The Day’s celebrations have emphasised the aesthetic, economic and environmental importance of trees and, also, their social and recreational value,” he is quoted by the Public Information and Press Service Unit as saying.

The observance of National Tree Day commenced in October 2015 and President Granger reminded that trees are essential to human existence and the preservation of Guyana, as a Green State.

He said trees provide products used by humans such as clothing, food, housing and medicines. They protect our biodiversity, provide ecosystem services, such as the regulation of the water cycle, pollination, temperature modulation, carbon sequestration and air purification; and beautify the surroundings.

“Guyana’s trees are the part of the lungs of the earth and the habitat of our unsurpassable biodiversity. The environment is world class,” the President said while

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President David Granger waters the tree he planted at the Union Sports and Culture Complex, No 53 Village, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Friday [Ministry of the Presidency photo]

noting that Government will continue to promote the preservation, proliferation, protection and planting of trees.

Guyana’s forests provide essential environmental and ecosystem services which protect the country’s natural capital and its people and sustain life. The forests are the habitat of more than 800 species of birds, 179 species of reptiles, 225 species of mammals and much of the 130 species of amphibians.

Guyana has dedicated the Kanashen Protected Area – located in the Rupununi and spanning an area of almost 7,000 km2 – to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, a network for forest conserva-

tion projects.

Granger, however, reminded that the extractive industries could present a threat to the environment.

These industries, despite the economic benefits they provide, are associated with air pollution, biodiversity loss, freshwater and oceanic contamination, greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation and resource depletion.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder reiterated President Granger’s appeal for citizens to preserve the environment.

The exercise was themed “Time waits for no one; the best time to plant a tree is now”.

inance Minister Colm Imbert on Friday dismissed Opposition Leader Kamla PersadBissessar’s call to disclose instructions on the sale of the traditional portfolio of Clico policies. PersadBissessar made her call in her contribution to the budget debate in the House of Representatives.

In a statement issued by his ministry, Imbert said he has given “no such directions to the Central Bank regarding the sale of traditional portfolio of Clico policies, or any directions at all.”

Imbert explained that all that is happening at this stage is “the Central Bank continuing to exercise its powers under Part VA, Section 44D of the Central Bank Act with respect to managing the affairs of an insurance company that has been under its supervision for the last ten years.”

As a result, he said, “There are no instructions to disclose with respect to that matter, because none exist.”

He also said PersadBissessar’s allegations that

T&T Finance Minister Colm Imbert

he gave written instructions to the bank to sell the portfolio to a local insurance company insinuated “irregularity and wrongdoing.”

Imbert declared, “ The allegation is false.”

At a news conference in March, Imbert said the two main bidders were Sagicor and Maritime, with the preferred bidder being Sagicor, even though its bid was the lower of the two.

In May, Central Bank governor Alvin Hilaire cited confidentiality agreements as his reason for being unwilling to say anything on the bidding, the preferred buyer and the value of the transaction. The bank has made no comment on the issue since then.

Last month, Sagicor president and CEO Dodridge Miller said the company would acquire the traditional insurance portfolios of Clico and British American Insurance Trinidad Ltd. That same month, Clico executive chairman and British American chairman Claire Gomez-Miller, said, “Sagicor emerged as the preferred buyer in an open and very competitive tender process with guidance from independent global industry experts.”

In his budget presentation on Monday, Imbert said, “The CL Financial/Clico fiasco has been resolved.”

The liquidation process of CL Financial is ongoing and should be completed next year, he said. (T&T Newsday)

Haiti unrest: Protesters forced back from President’s home

Protesters want Jovenel Moïse to resign

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housands of anti-government protesters in Haiti have clashed with police who stopped them marching on the home of President Jovenel Moïse.

Weeks of protests over an economic crisis have been further inflamed by the killing of a prominent journalist who had been covering demonstrations.

Néhémie Joseph was found dead in his car with gunshot wounds on Thursday.

Protesters are demanding Moïse’s resignation, blaming him for fuel shortages and worsening inflation.

On Friday they burned tyres and spilled oil on the streets, chanting “out with Jovenel”.

Loudspeakers blasted music with anti-government lyrics.

Other protesters tried to force their way through a cordon leading to Mr Moïse’s residence. Police fired into the air and used tear gas to drive the crowd back.

“We are in misery and we are starving,” said protester Claude Jean quoted by Reuters news agency.

“We cannot stand it any more. We ask (President Moïse) to resign so that we have a new Haiti... because we suffer too much in this country.”

Earlier this year Moïse

drug traffickers”.

Néhémie Joseph was found dead in the town of Mirebalais, north-east of Port-au-Prince, but the circumstances are unclear. He had previously reported being threatened by politicians but it is not known if his work was the motive for the attack.

Police fired tear gas to disperse those approaching the President’s home

rejected calls for his resignation, saying he would not leave the country in the “hands of armed gangs and

Police say an investigation into the killing has been launched but have not given any further details. (BBC)

news

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saturday, october 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

New multinationals will prefer to invest in Guyana rather than T&T – geophysicist

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ew multinational corporations will prefer to invest in Guyana rather than T&T because of poor regulatory controls by the Ministry of Energy and lack of transparency.

So said geophysicist Javed Razack.

Razack, who is also director of contracts and proposals at Ramps Logistics, was speaking at a post-budget seminar, hosted by the Confederation of Regional Chambers held at the Couva Chamber of Industry and Commerce on Wednesday.

Expressing disappointment that the 2019/2020 Budget did not offer any incentives for oil and gas operators or offer opportunities linked to the Guyanese oil find, Razack said T&T will lose potential investors because of this massive development.

“When Guyana begins to produce oil from January 2020, the Guyanese government share of profit in Guayana will be US$300 million. The current rev-

enue for the year is about US$1 billion which is a 30 per cent increase in revenue.

Excon Mobile made 15 discoveries in 2015. They have found 6 billion barrels of recoverable oil so far and they have explored about 20 per cent of the hydrocarbons,” Razack said.

He added, “Guyana is developing in a huge way and when you look at Trinidad with poor incentives, lack of transparency, lack of regulations, it is easy to see why a large multinational will go to Guyana or Suriname to invest, rather than to invest in Trinidad.”

Razack said investors were burdened by difficulties in doing business in T&T because of the bureaucracy at State institutions.

“We need to redesign the contractual framework, the fiscal regime as well as improve the ease of doing business with the regulatory institutions of the country like the Environmental Management Authority, (EMA), Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Energy,” he

added.

Razack said he hoped that the government will segment T&T’s mature field development and offer incentives for the small and medium operators “You must look at the technical and economic aspects together and design an economic framework that actually targets each of the operators. The budget barely has anything to incentivise the new drilling or explorations. You have to break up the fields rather than looking at it as one energy sector,” he added.

He noted that one aspect of regulation that must be upgraded in the publication of all activities by multinational oil and gas players, as well as small and medium energy operators.

“It is extremely difficult in T&T to find out what the big operators are doing. It is a big secret to find out who is doing what, who is doing what where and what are the developmental plans of these companies. In Guyana, every day two or

Geophysicist Javed Razack, Director of contracts and proposals at Ramps Logistics Ltd

three stories come out and operators are publishing exactly what happens. They keep the public in the loop.

Companies, therefore, could see the opportunities coming up and they can position themselves to be a part of the sector,” he added.

Asked why operators were not publishing their

activities and keeping their business a secret, Razack said, “Operators have become accustomed to that and they don’t see it as a necessity. It stems from a lack of interest from the government and the companies. It is simple for a Minister to say please publish the information, so the country will

know what is going on. The secrecy impacts the downstream sector who depend on the gas coming from upstream,” Razack added.

He further said that downstream companies will be able to plan if they know details about oil and gas finds. (T&T Guardian)

US Homeland Security Botanical Gardens to be modified – Granger Chief steps down

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he acting head of US Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, has resigned after six months in the post.

In a tweet, President Donald Trump said McAleenan wanted to spend more time with his family. He said his replacement would be named next week.

McAleenan, 48, is the fourth person to serve as the head of Homeland Security during Mr Trump’s tenure.

He has overseen the president’s tough policies aimed at curbing immigration across the Mexican border.

However, analysts have described a turbulent relationship between the two and McAleenan has criticised the tone of the immigration debate.

Recently he was shouted off stage by student protesters at a university in Washington DC. Announcing his resignation, Mr Trump said Mr McAleenan had done “an outstanding job”.

“We have worked well together with border crossings being way down,” he said.

“Kevin now, after many years in government, wants to spend more time with his family and go to the private sector.”

McAleenan became acting head of the department after the resignation in April of Kirstjen Nielsen.

President Trump had often accused her of not being tough enough on

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Acting Head of US Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan

controlling immigration.

During the administration of President Barack Obama, Mr McAleenan served as deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

In 2015, he received the highest civil service award from the then-president.

In 2018, he faced criticism in the media for carrying out Mr Trump’s zero-tolerance policy that led to the controversial separation of families at the US southern border, but he has maintained his agency’s duty is to carry

out the law, not create it.

Earlier this month, the Washington Post described him as increasingly isolated within the Trump administration and overshadowed by others more vocal in their support for President Trump.

In an interview, McAleenan lamented not having control over “the tone, the message, the public face and approach of the department in an increasingly polarised time. That’s uncomfortable, as the accountable, senior figure.” (BBC)

resident David Granger on Friday told residents of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) that the Botanical Gardens will be modified to contain varieties of every tree found anywhere in Guyana.

According to the Public Information and Press Service Unit within the Ministry of the Presidency, the President said, “I am going to change the National Botanical Gardens.

That Botanical Gardens must be the home of a specimen of every tree in Guyana.

It must obtain, it must contain, it must maintain several specimens of all species of trees in Guyana. Children must be able to go and see what a greenheart tree is, what a crabwood tree is, what a purpleheart tree is…not just mango and guava [trees].

They have a thousand species of trees to learn about.”

The ministry’s media unit reported that Granger who was at this year’s National Tree Planting Day held at Union Village (No. 53), said “the Botanical Gardens must become a schoolhouse for our children to learn the wonders of Guyana’s trees.”

Meanwhile, the President noted that Guyana will commemorate the 50th anniversary of its Republican status next year, which will coincide with petroleum development and the launch a Decade of Development: 2020-2029.

The ‘Decade’ is aimed at ensuring that every section, sector and segment of our society will benefit from economic development. The President said objectives of the Decade of Development are aligned to the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS): Vision 2040.

The President assured that agriculture will not be neglected during the ‘Decade’ and that food products, not petroleum, will remain a mainstay of the economy.

“Agro-processing will intensify during the ‘Decade’.

Guyana’s petroleum revenues, inter alia, will be deployed to modernize the agricultural sector, including by adding value to primary, locally-produced fruits and vegetables, in accordance with the ‘Strategy’,” Granger said.

Further, he added that investment is the muscle of production and Government, notwithstanding the advanc-

es made over the past four years, recognizes the need to catalyse the agro-industrial sector.

“It will offer fiscal incentives for investors interested in promoting export-oriented agro-processing,” he said.

Granger iterated that trees are essential to developing the agro-industrial sector.

He reminded that the East Berbice-Corentyne has the land, the expertise and the experience to accelerate the development of tree-based, agro-processing which can provide economic and environmental benefits.

The President said the agro-processing of fruits will allow everyone to benefit from trees without having to cut them down, adding that the Regions should encourage the generation of gardens, greenhouses and orchards to grow more trees.

Agro-processing is a key element of Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040. The ‘Strategy’ is Guyana’s roadmap towards becoming a ‘green’ state and one which emphasizes the commodification of agricultural production.

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, october 12, 2019

Regional

Bahamas deports US migrant policy sends more than 100 Haitians thousands of children, including

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he Bahamas has deported more than 100 Haitians less than two weeks after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis warned illegal migrants they should either leave the country voluntarily or be “forced to leave” following the passage of Hurricane Dorian last month.

A statement issued by the Department of Immigration said that a BahamasAir flight departed the Lynden Pindling International Airport for Port-au-Prince, Haiti with a total of 112 Haitians escorted by a team of law enforcement officers.

The statement said that 21 females were among those deported and that it “will continue its commitment to carrying out the mandates of our agency to

Haitians boarding a BahamasAir flight back to their homeland

combat illegal migration by establishing effective border control management in compliance with the Statute Laws of our country”.

The brief statement did not indicate whether those

deported had survived the passage of the storm, but at the start of this month, Minnis in a statement in Parliament warned illegal migrants who survived the passage of Hurricane Dorian on September 1,

and that the Government would be implementing its deportation of illegal migrants in keeping with the law.

“We are a country of laws and our laws in respect to illegal immigrants… will be carried out; however, they will be carried out in a humane manner. Therefore, I serve notice to all those who are illegal that they can leave voluntarily or they will be forced to leave,” Minnis told legislators.

The human rights group, Rights Bahamas, has criticised the decision of the Government saying it has alerted its international human rights groups to the “government’s savage, cold-hearted and illegal plan”. (Excerpt from CMC)

T&T PM reveals December 2 Local Govt Election date

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he Office of the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister has announced via its Facebook page that local Government elections will be held on Monday, December 2, 2019.

And already, UNC and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is urging her rival to “bring it on” saying that she is ready for the general elections.

Here is the exact an-

nouncement below of the election taken from OPM’s page: Dr the Hon Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago is pleased to announce that the Local Government Elections shall be held on Monday 02 December 2019 and that the Writs of Elections shall be issued in due course.

But during her Budget response in the Parliament

on Friday afternoon, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar warned the Government, that her party the UNC will “meet and beat” the PNM at the local Government elections polls.

She said while the UNC is ready for the elections, she urged Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to call the general elections.

“I call upon the Prime Minister to call the gener-

al election and not brakes by calling this local government election”.

The Opposition Leader added, “I want you to know the UNC will meet you and beat you at the polls on December 2nd, you don’t need a five-dollar light bulb to show you that”.

She urged the Prime Minister, “Bring it on, the UNC is ready to transform and resurrect Trinidad and Tobago”. (T&T Guardian)

Amazonian tribes in Ecuador join anti-austerity protests

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ndigenous tribe representatives from the Amazon in Ecuador joined an anti-austerity demonstration in Quito on Friday, as hopes for talks between protest leaders and the government dimmed following more than a week of unrest.

Thousands of protesters, many wearing the traditional bowler hats of highland Indians or the face paint of lowland tribes, marched through the streets of the capital to demand President Lenin Moreno repeal a law that ended a four-decade fuel subsidy.

Moreno announced the measure as a key part of efforts to reduce the fiscal deficit, in keeping with a loan deal with the International

Monetary Fund (IMF). But protesters say it has hit the poor hardest and will increase inequality in the South American country of 17 million people.

“Leave, Lenin, leave!” protesters shouted as they marched before clashes erupted in parts of downtown, where anti-IMF and anti-Moreno graffiti covered buildings.

The protests first erupted last week when truck drivers took to the streets, but indigenous protesters have since taken the lead, with villagers from the highlands walking and hitching rides to reach Quito.

Representatives of Amazonian tribes, many carrying spears, streamed into the city late Thursday

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January to September, according to the country’s space research agency INPE. That’s 10 times the area of New York City.

For September alone, INPE data showed deforestation rose 96% from a year ago, an easing from the more than 200% year-on-year rises recorded in July and August.

In terms of area, the month of September accounted for 1447 square km of forest cleared,

Guatemalan asylum seeker Nery R Choc plays with his daughter Maylin A Choc Xo in an encampment near the Gateway International Bridge after being sent back under the “Remain In Mexico” programme

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ince January, the US Government has ordered 16,000 migrants under 18, including nearly 500 infants, to wait with their families in Mexico for US immigration court hearings, a Reuters analysis of Government data found.

Along the US-Mexico border, babies and toddlers are living in high-crime cities – often in crowded shelters and tents or on the streets – for the weeks or months it takes to get a US asylum hearing.

The risk of violence and illness runs high and is of particular concern for families with young children or those with chronic health conditions, according to interviews with health professionals, migrants, aid workers and advocates.

The children, whose numbers have not been previously reported, are among tens of thousands of migrants returned to Mexico under a Trump administration pol-

icy known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

Most are from Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador.

US immigration officials did not respond to requests for comment on Reuters’ data findings.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, decisions about whether a person is placed in MPP are made by border agents on a case-by-case basis and include consultation with medical professionals. Unaccompanied minors should not be sent back to Mexico, according to the programme guidelines, but children can be sent back with their parents.

Trump administration officials have said they are doing everything possible to discourage migrant families from making dangerous journeys to the United States, often in the hands of human smugglers, which they say needlessly put children at risk. (Excerpt from Reuters)

C’bean Trade Ministers want end to trade protectionist policies, reform of WTO

Indigenous people participate in a protest against Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno’s austerity measures in Quito, Ecuador

and early Friday, adding opposition to oil drilling to a growing list of complaints about Moreno’s government.

The unrest has already led Moreno to relocate to a

coastal city and slashed the OPEC-member nation’s oil production, after protesters seized some wells.

Hopes of a negotiated end to the dispute appear distant. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest surges through September

eforestation in Brazil’s Amazon jumped for the fifth straight month in September compared with last year, with destruction up 93% in the first nine months of the year, according to preliminary Government data published on Friday.

Destruction of the world’s largest tropical rainforest totalled 7854 square kilometres (3032 square miles) for

babies, back to Mexico

down from a peak of 2255 square km in July.

Researchers and environmentalists blame right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro for emboldening loggers by calling for the Amazon to be developed and for weakening the environmental agency Ibama.

“Deforestation is continuing at a pace that is double that of years past. I think this is because of the messages the

president continues to send,” said Tasso Azevedo, coordinator for deforestation mapping initiative MapBiomas.

Bolsonaro and Environment Minister Ricardo Salles have said previous governments are the culprits for the rise in deforestation, saying policies including budget cuts at agencies like Ibama were in place well before the new government took office on January 1.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

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aribbean Community (Caricom) Trade Ministers have joined their counterparts from the Commonwealth in calling for an end to trade protectionism and an urgent reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which sets the global rules for international trade.

The ministers from the 53 Commonwealth member countries, who met on Thursday, also declared their collective support for free trade in a transparent, inclusive, fair and open multilateral trading system, with the WTO as its core institution.

The ministers called for an end to the impasse regarding the WTO’s Appellate Body – a key panel of judges, whose rulings help resolve the trade disputes.

They highlighted the need to update WTO rules to address new challenges and opportunities, including e-commerce and

pledged support for a global agreement that would prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, and eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by the end of 2019.

The Trade Ministers agreed that any WTO reform should take into account the views of all members, underlining the special circumstances of the developing and the least developed countries, as well as small and vulnerable economies, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

“We further committed to deepening our collaboration to support all members, particularly the most capacity-constrained members, to participate in the multilateral trading system and benefit from trade-related economic growth to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”. (Excerpt

from CMC)

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, october 12, 2019

17

Around the World

China’s Xi lands in India amid scattered Tibetan protests

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hinese President Xi Jinping arrived in southern India on Friday for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to try to halt a slide in ties over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir amid scattered anti-China protests from Tibetan groups.

Xi arrived on Friday in the southern city of Chennai where Modi was to take him on a tour of the nearby Shore Temple dating back to the seventh and eighth centuries when regional kingdoms had direct ties with Chinese provinces.

Ahead of his arriv-

al, Police detained the chief of the Tibetan Youth Congress, Gonpo Dhondup, and 11 Tibetan students in several locations, including at the airport and a highway leading to the summit venue.

Two Tibetan activists, both women, staged a protest inside Chennai air-

port, holding a banner that read: “Xi Jinping Stop Occupation in Tibet - Free Tibet.”

China sent troops into remote, mountainous Tibet in 1950 in what it officially terms a peaceful liberation and has ruled there with an iron fist ever since.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s

spiritual leader, fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. China brands him a dangerous reactionary who seeks to split off nearly a quarter of the Chinese landmass.

The 1989 Nobel Peace laureate denies the charge and says he seeks greater

rights for Tibetans.

The Dalai Lama and the so-called Tibetan Government-in-exile have been based in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala for decades, but India has been careful not to let Tibetans embarrass visiting Chinese leaders. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Nobel Peace Prize: Ethiopia US-China talks end amid growing hopes of trade war truce PM Abiy Ahmed wins

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S officials on Friday signalled good news was coming after a second day of trade talks with China ended, boosting investor hopes that the world’s two largest economies would agree to cool the fires of their 15-month tariff war.

Bloomberg News, citing people familiar with the matter, reported the two sides had reached a partial agreement that would broker a trade truce and lay the groundwork for a broader deal that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could sign later this year.

Striking an optimistic note, Trump tweeted earlier on Friday that “good things”

row before more tariffs kick in.

Both sides have slapped duties on hundreds of billions of dollars of goods during the dispute, and Trump had threatened to raise tariffs to 30 per cent from 25 per cent on about $250 billion in Chinese goods on Oct 15 if there was no progress on a deal.

On Thursday, Liu said China is willing to reach an agreement with the United China’s Vice Premier Liu He gestures to the media between US States on matters that Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (L) and Treasury Secretary both sides care about so Steve Mnuchin before the two countries’ trade negotiations in as to prevent friction from Washington, US, October 10, 2019 leading to further escalaefit China and the United tion of the trade war. He were happening in the talks.

A Chinese state newspa- States, and that Washington stressed that “the Chinese per said on Friday that a “par- should take the offer, reflect- side came with great sintial” trade deal would ben- ing Beijing’s aim of cooling the cerity.” (Excerpt from Reuters)

Explosions on Iranian oil tanker off Jeddah’s coast cause spill

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n Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea was hit by two suspected rockets on Friday off the coast of Saudi Arabia, raising fears of further escalation in the already-volatile Gulf region.

The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) said in a statement the hull of the ship sustained two separate explosions about 100km (60 miles) off the Saudi port city of Jeddah.

It said the blasts - one at 5 am local time (02:00 GMT) and the other at 05:30 am (02:30 GMT) were “probably caused by missile strikes”. Oil prices spiked 2 per cent on the news.

“All the ship’s crew are safe and the ship is stable too,” said NITC, the tanker’s owner, adding those on board were trying to repair the damage.

The State-owned company said contrary to re-

ports, “there is no fire aboard the ship and the ship is completely stable”.

“Experts believe it was a terrorist attack,” Iran’s Students News Agency (ISNA) reported. It did not say whom Iranian officials suspect of launching the missiles.

Leaking oil had been stopped but it restarted once the vessel began moving again.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the tanker was

hit twice.

According to the website Tankertrackers, the vessel was the largest-sized tanker, was fully loaded with one million barrels of oil, and “it does the Syria route”, said Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi.

“This is the third time in the past six months that an Iranian tanker has been incapacitated in these waters,” he noted. (Excerpt from Al

Jazeera)

Abiy Ahmed became Ethiopia’s Prime Minister in April 2018

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he 2019 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who made peace last year with bitter foe Eritrea.

He was awarded the prize for his efforts to “achieve peace and international cooperation”.

Abiy’s peace deal with Eritrea ended a 20-year military stalemate following their 1998-2000 border war.

He was named as the winner of the 100th Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, where he will receive the award in December.

It is worth some nine million Swedish crowns (about £730,000; US$900,000).

Following the announcement, Abiy said he was “humbled and thrilled”.

“Thank you very much. It is a prize given to Africa, given to Ethiopia and I can imagine how the rest of Africa’s leaders will take it positively to work on [the] peace-building process on our continent,” he added in a phone call with the sec-

retary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

A total of 301 candidates had been nominated for the prestigious award, including 223 individuals and 78 organisations.

Under the Nobel Foundation’s rules, nomination shortlists are not allowed to be published for 50 years, and the organisation says any speculation ahead of the announcement is “sheer guesswork”.

After becoming Prime Minister in April 2018, Abiy introduced massive liberalising reforms to Ethiopia, shaking up what was a tightly controlled nation.

He freed thousands of opposition activists from jail and allowed exiled dissidents to return home. Under him, several women have also been appointed to prominent positions.

Most importantly, he signed the peace deal with Eritrea. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Saudi Arabia oil attacks: US to Brexit: EU and UK agree deploy thousands of extra troops to ‘intensify’ talks

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he Pentagon has announced the deployment of thousands of additional troops to “enhance the defence of Saudi Arabia”.

US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper said he has authorised the deployment of additional forces, including fighter jets and a defence system.

He said it was in response to “threats in the region”, amid efforts to protect the kingdom from “Iranian aggression”.

The move comes after an attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities in September.

“Taken together with other deployments, this constitutes an additional 3000 forces that have been extended or authorised within the last month,”

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said.

The attack on Saudi oil facilities knocked out 5 per cent of global oil supply and sent oil prices soaring. Both Saudi Arabia and the US blame Iran for the incident.

Iran has denied allegations it was behind the attack.

Esper told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday that the evidence from other recent attacks in the region proved Iran was to blame.

He said the “malign behaviour” was a part of the country’s “larger campaign to destabilise the Middle East and disrupt the global economy”.

As the US prepares

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The deployment aims to enhance the defence of Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said

to send more support to the kingdom, Trump has also faced pushback from Congress on his decision to pull troops from Syria.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell

and Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham both criticised the withdrawal as irresponsible, saying it risks allowing terrorist organisations to regroup. (Excerpt from BBC News)

U countries have agreed to “intensify” Brexit talks with the UK over the next few days.

The development comes after a meeting in Brussels between Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, described by both sides as “constructive”.

The UK is due to leave the EU at 23:00 GMT on October 31.

A European leaders’ summit next week is seen as the last chance to agree a deal before that deadline.

Johnson put forward revised proposals for a deal last week, designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit.

Speaking on Friday, he said there was not “a done deal”, adding: “The best thing we can do now is let our nego-

tiators get on with it.”

Support from DUP MPs will be key to getting a deal through Parliament.

Earlier this week, several senior EU figures played down the chances of Brexit happening with a deal agreed to by both sides.

But on Thursday, Johnson and Varadkar held a one-toone discussion - described by both as “very positive and very promising”.

With less than three weeks to go until the Brexit deadline, Johnson continues to insist the UK will leave the EU with or without a deal at the end of the month.

Should any new deal be reached between the EU and UK, it will still have to be approved by MPs, as well as the European Parliament. (Excerpt from

BBC News)

18

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saturday, OCTOber 12, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES

Emotions will escalate quickly. Take a step back, consider your options and avoid making a hasty decision. Time is on your side.

Do something that will encourage you to remain calm.

TAURUS

Return to a place that brought you peace of mind.

The change will help you figure out what you should be doing and how to improve your life. Romance is encouraged.

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Sign up for something that will challenge you to be your best. Don’t let someone else’s pressure result in indulgent behavior on your part.

You’ll be torn between what you want to do and what you should do. Ask for help and take care of responsibilities first. A personal change will enhance your life.

The more you do and the less you say, the better off you’ll be. Don’t let complaints and criticism get to you. Don’t overspend on entertainment.

A change of pace and place will be enlightening. Check out the possibilities and make adjustments that will encourage more stability and personal happiness. Travel, romance and socializing are encouraged.

Look for a good reason before you take action.

Letting anger take the reins will not help you deal with a situation. If you hold your temper, solutions will unfold.

Discipline will pay off.

Where health, wealth and personal goals are concerned, you will be in good shape. An innovative solution will lead to a new adventure. Romance is on the rise.

Home improvements will brighten your outlook and add to your comfort. Host an event or start a new project that can help you bring in extra cash.

If you think outside the box, you will come up with a plan that will benefit you in many ways. The changes you initiate now will improve your reputation and status.

Channel your energy into something constructive. A sensitive issue involving money or a joint venture should be handled calmly. Have a solution in If you watch what others are doing, it will give you some good ideas about how to handle an important matter. Romance is in the stars.

saturday, october 12, 2019

19

Kohli 254, Jadeja 91, break down South Africa

O

n day two of Test two, Virat Kohli and friends just stood there and beat every bit of fight out of a tattered and directionless South African side. Kohli could have chosen to bat on and have a stab at a triple, Ravindra Jadeja could have got a hundred had he not pushed too strongly towards a declaration, and then Umesh Yadav announced his comeback with two wickets in his first two overs.

South Africa, meanwhile, dropped catches, misfielded regularly, conceded overthrows, snapped at each other, bowled 11 no-balls, and just waited for declaration.

Oh and they also made strides towards having the worst series for a set of spinners in India, and none of their three fast bowlers charged in for the last 18 overs of the innings. Even when Keshav Maharaj was off the field with injury. Retirements, talent drain, relative quality of this South African side compared to their other teams are things beyond the scope of this report, but it is hard to remember an untidier effort from them in the field. Even the forecast rain refused to come to their rescue.

South Africa's spinners now average 95; only two

sides have ended a series with worse numbers in India.

Maharaj has gone at 4.04 an over so far and has averaged 85.66, putting him in the worst five on both counts.

While these are mid-series numbers, it will take some correcting to not walk away with dubious honours by the time Ranchi is done.

India's honours were the farthest thing from dubious.

Kohli was tested with the new ball in the first hour, but South Africa's cordon didn't help themselves by refusing to move closer. Thrice Kohli edged in the first exchange, but none of those went to hand. That South Africa could draw edges through traditional channel bowling tells you how sporting the pitch was. Kohli was less sporting whenever the bowlers erred, and they erred frequently. No matter how honest they kept him with length balls outside off, Kohli was brutal on any that were too full or too straight.

This was one of Kohli's more difficult home hundreds. Only on a crazy seaming track in Kolkata, against Sri Lanka, did Kohli have a worse control percentage over his first 100 runs than the 87.86 here. He was respectful accordingly, even with debu-

tant Anrich Nortje.

Ajinkya Rahane was less fluent with his ongoing struggles against spin. He took 33 balls to score his first run off Maharaj. To the first 100 runs of the 178-run partnership with Kohli, Rahane contributed just 25; he took 100 balls to do so. Against pace he opened up a little, but Maharaj dismissed him on 59.

Left-arm spin did come close to getting Kohli out: but three outside edges off Maharaj refused to go to Faf du Plessis at slip. This, though, happened well after he had reached his hundred and was now pushing for quicker runs. That was one of the reasons why Jadeja was promoted to No. 6, but Kohli was so dominating that Jadeja could score just six in the first 50 runs of the 225run partnership.

Kohli was toying with the bowlers, and yet he didn't resort to hitting the ball in the air. Soon he went past Steven Smith, Don Bradman and 7000 Test runs. The 7000th was also the run that brought up his seventh double-century. He was the fourth-fastest to the mark; also only three men have scored more doubles than him.

After Kohli reached his

FIFA bans former Afghan General Secretary in sexual abuse inquiry

S

ayed Aghazada, the former general secretary of the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF), has been banned for five years and fined after FIFA’s ethics committee found him guilty of violations relating to the abuse of female players.

The world soccer body said in a statement that the investigation concerned complaints lodged by several female Afghan football players against former AFF president Keramuudin Karim.

Karim was banned for life in June.

The female players’ complaints related to sexual abuse between 2013 and 2018, at a time when Aghazada, who is on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) executive committee, was general secretary.

“In its decision, the adjudicatory chamber ruled that Mr Aghazada was aware of this abuse and had the duty to report and prevent it according to the FIFA Code of Ethics,” FIFA said on Friday.

“Consequently, the adjudicatory chamber found that Mr Aghazada had breached ... the FIFA Code of Ethics and sanctioned him with a ban ... for five years. In addition, a fine in the amount of 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,000) has been imposed.”

Aghazada was also a FIFA standing committee member.

FIFA said Aghazada was notified of the decision on Friday, with the ban from all football activities nationally and internationally coming into force immediately.

The AFC acknowledged the decision in a

brief statement while refraining from comment.

The FIFA ethics committee said it was still looking into allegations against other officials as part of the investigation.

Afghan women’s coach Kelly Lindsey and programme director Khalida Popal wrote to FIFA boss Gianni Infantino in August to say that the soccer body needed urgently to widen the investigation.

They said action had yet to be taken against several other individuals named by players as being directly or indirectly linked to the case.

The Guardian newspaper reported last November that some members of the national women’s team had said they were molested by AFF officials at the federation’s headquarters and at a training camp in Jordan.

Aghazada told a news conference in Kabul in December that the allegations were “baseless”.

The AFF also warned then that the report could lead to threats against members of the women’s team.

Afghanistan is ranked as one of the most dangerous countries for women, and allegations of sexual contact outside marriage can have deadly consequences.

Victims of sexual harassment are often extremely reluctant to come forward for fear that they will be accused of adultery.

The national women’s team was formed in 2010. Some conservative-minded Afghans oppose women playing sports. (Reuters)

double, he and Jadeja unleashed mayhem.

South Africa went to pieces.

A m i d o v e r throws and misfields, Rabada fielded a ball in his follow-through and threw it at the keeper. Quinton de Kock had his back at the throw, and all hell broke loose. A frustrated Rabada vented his anger and de Kock refused to take it lying down.

Between overs, du Plessis had to physically push Rabada out of an altercation.

Immediately Philander failed to bend to field a ball at midon.

Rabada didn't bowl an over in the last 32, Nortje in the last 22, and Philander in the last 18. It was clear that fast bowlers were the only ones who could delay India's declaration and thus leave a little less for their batsmen to do. In those 17.3 overs, India plundered 136 runs. One of those 11 no-balls brought a wicket in this period. du Plessis missed an edge too.

India stole singles from under the fielders' noses. South Africa had closed their eyes and were waiting for the nightmare to end. It momentarily did as Jadeja skied one on 91, bringing his average in declared innings down to 74.7.

The relief didn't last as Yadav quickly showed South

Virat Kohli celebrates during his unbeaten double century

Africa's fast bowlers how to bowl in helpful conditions in India.

Skiddy, swinging and attacking the stumps, he had Aiden Markram lbw with the second ball he bowled.

In his second over, he had Dean Elgar playing on. With his first ball in the match, Mohammed Shami got rid of Temba Bavuma. du Plessis sent Nortje out sa nightwatchman who survived the day but only just. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

India 1st Innings MA Agarwal c du Plessis b Rabada 108 RG Sharma c †de Kock b Rabada 14 CA Pujara c du Plessis b Rabada 58 V Kohli (c) not out 254 AM Rahane c †de Kock b Maharaj 59 RA Jadeja c de Bruyn b Muthusamy 91 Extras 17 (lb 6, nb 11) TOTAL (156.3 Overs, RR: 3.84) 601-5d Did not bat: WP Saha †, R Ashwin, I Sharma, Mohammed Shami, UT Yadav Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Rohit Sharma, 9.6 ov), 2-163 (Cheteshwar Pujara, 50.6 ov), 3-198 (Mayank Agarwal, 60.6 ov), 4-376 (Ajinkya Rahane, 117.2 ov), 5-601 (Ravindra Jadeja, 156.3 ov) BOWLING VD Philander (26-6-66-0) K Rabada (30-3-93-3)

A Nortje (25-5-100-0) KA Maharaj (50-10-196-1) S Muthusamy (19.3-1-97-1) D Elgar (4-0-26-0) AK Markram (2-0-17-0)

South Africa 1st Innings D Elgar b Yadav 6 AK Markram lbw b Yadav 0 TB de Bruyn not out 20 T Bavuma c †Saha b Shami 8 A Nortje not out 2 Extras 0 TOTAL (15 Overs, RR: 2.4) 36-3 Yet to bat: F du Plessis (c), Q de Kock †, S Muthusamy, VD Philander, KA Maharaj, K Rabada Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Aiden Markram, 1.2 ov), 2-13 (Dean Elgar, 3.5 ov), 3-33 (Temba Bavuma, 9.1 ov) BOWLING I Sharma (4-0-17-0) UT Yadav (4-1-16-2) RA Jadeja (4-4-0-0) M Shami (3-1-3-1)

Tsitsipas downs Djokovic in Shanghai, qualifies for ATP Finals

G

reece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas battled back from a set down to defeat top seed Novak Djokovic 3-6 7-5 6-3 in the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals on Friday for his first victory over a reigning world number one.

T h e 21-year-old came into the match h a v i n g sealed his place in next month’s s e a son-ending ATP Finals and celebrated with his second career win over Djokovic in three meetings.

Tsitsipas has now recorded victories over all of tennis’s so called ‘Big Three’

this year, having beaten Roger Federer at the Australian Open and Rafa Nadal in Madrid.

“He had the high-quality tennis and he played well after his serve. He was backing up his serve with really good, aggressive first shots in the rally,” Japan Open winner Djokovic, who came into the match on a seven-match winning streak, told reporters.

“I didn’t make him defend enough. I just gave him enough time to really dictate the play from back of the court

and he deserved to win.”

Tsitsipas next faces Daniil Medvedev, who overcame Italy’s Fabio Fognini 6-3 7-6(4). The Russian third seed’s victory ensured Tsitsipas became the sixth player to qualify for next month’s ATP Finals.

Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Medvedev and Dominic Thiem have also booked their places in the Finals, with two spots still up for grabs for the tournament in London.

Roberto Bautista Agut and 2018 Finals winner Alexander Zverev, who is set to face Federer later in Shanghai, are currently in seventh and eighth places in the Race to London. (Reuters)

Stefanos Tsitsipas

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturday, october 12, 2019

Marriott brands first-ever golf carts at LGC T

he Guyana Marriott announced its partnership with the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) as they displayed the first-ever golf carts available for use at the Club.

This was done through a partnership agreement with LGC President Aleem Hussain; Marriott’s General Manager, Eduardo Reple and Director of Sales, Sandra Bernal. The carts will carry the Marriott Bon Voy branding.

“Marriott has over 120 million reward guests in their Bon Voy programme and this partnership with Aleem and the LGC allows our guests to take advantage of quality both on and off property,” said Reple.

“Marriott has always been associated with the development of sports in every country we are located and offer the best experience for our guests.”

According to Bernal, “Additionally, the Guyana Marriott will host its first-ever Customer Appreciation awards at the LGC on November 3 with a fun day and golf tournament, which will allow all their guests, clients, and staff to play along with the local golfers. The tournament was the brainchild of our General Manager, who is himself an avid golfer and has seen the value of associating the Marriott brand with golf in Guyana.”

Present at the handing-over ceremony at the Marriott were Assistant Captain,

Dr Joaan Deo and Club Public Relations Officer (PRO)/Assistant Secretary Bishop Guy Griffith, along with several members of the Marriott management team and hotel guests. Interest was extremely high as many of the guests present were both happy and astonished to hear that Guyana has a golf course and several immediately booked appointments to visit the club.

The sport has gained considerable attention in the past few years and continues to dominate the sports landscape as more and more ex-pats and tourists enter Guyana.

“We have projected that more than 400 golfers will be in Guyana over the next few years and are determined to be prepared for this eventuality,” said LGC President Hussain.

“With American Airlines, Qatar Airlines, Jet Blue, Copa, Caribbean, Liat, and several others scheduled to fly into the country in the coming year, it is anticipated that Guyana will be host to more than 500,000 visitors annually, and golf is a key sport for those who are coming and we will be ready.”

The Marriott Bon Voy branded carts will be available for rental on a daily basis at the golf course, which is in magnificent condition in preparation for the Guyana Open scheduled for October 26-27.

In the near future, guests at the Marriott will be able to practise their putting as the agreement between the two entities ex-

WTA roundup: Gauff upsets top seed Bertens to reach semis in Austria

C

oco Gauff upset World No. 8 and top tournament seed Kiki Bertens 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Friday at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, sending the 15-yearold to her career-first WTA semifinal.

The win over Bertens, of the Netherlands, also was her first-ever over a Top 10 opponent. The young American lost in the qualifying round last

Cori Gauff of the US in action during her 4-round match against Romania’s Simona Halep

weekend and made it into the main draw only as a lucky loser.

Gauff will meet German Andrea Petkovic in Saturday’s semifinal.

Petkovic beat Slovakian Viktoria Kuzmova 6-4, 6-1 in one of four quarterfinals played Friday.

Gauff and Bertens each held serve in the first set, but Gauff dominated the tiebreaker, jumping out to a 6-1 lead on points before ending the set

on a forehand winner.

In the second set, Gauff broke Bertens’ serve at 1-1, and Bertens was never able to recoup the break point.

Gauff was elated after the victory.

“I guess [Linz is] my little lucky place,” Gauff added. “I didn’t know what to expect coming here, and I’m glad I was able to take the best of the opportunity. I got in as a lucky loser and I’m in the semis, so I hope I can keep this going.”

In the other quarterfinals, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-1, and Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova topped Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-2, 6-4.

Alexandrova, the No. 8 seed in the tournament, is the only seeded player left in the field.

All three remaining seeds lost in upsets in the quarterfinals in Tianjin, China.

Russian Veronika Kudermetova needed just 73 minutes to oust No. 3 seed Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine 6-4, 6-0.

On Saturday, Kudermetova will face Britain’s Heather Watson in the semifinals after Watson ousted eighth-seeded Magda Linette of Poland 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6).

In the day’s other quarterfinal, Ons Jabeur of Tunisia needed two tiebreakers to defeat Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4).

Jabeur will meet Swede Rebecca Peterson in the other semifinal.

Peterson moved into the semis with a three-set victory over China’s Wang Yafan on Thursday. (Reuters)

LGC President Aleem Hussain, PRO Guy Griffith, Assistant Captain Dr Joaan Deo, Marriott General Manager Eduardo Reple and Marriott Sales Director Sandra Bernal

tends to having a permanent presence at the hotel for guests to enjoy on a daily basis.

For more information on how you may

benefit from the partnership, simply stop by the Marriott or sign up online for its Bon Voy rewards programme.

Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 Cup dates and venues announced

R

egional cricket’s biggest rivalries start on Wednesday, November 6!

Coming on the heels of the 2019 Caribbean Premier League, fans can look forward to another four weeks of exciting action, when the Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 Cup – the region’s pre-eminent, 50 overs-aside competition – returns with a bang.

“With the new World Cup cycle beginning now, this tournament, among other things, presents a starting point towards the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,” said CWI director of cricket, Jimmy Adams.

“It will allow us to start identifying players who will go on to play a role in our qualification.

Though some of our international players will be touring India with the West Indies during the competition, it allows more opportunities and exposure for our young p l a y ers.”

Two groups of five teams each will run concurrently in St. Kitts and Trinidad, contesting a total of 40 action-packed, group stage matches.

Group “A” matches begin on the opening day of the competition and will take place every day either at Warner Park or Conaree Sports Complex in St. Kitts, and Group “B” matches start the following day, Thursday, November 7, with matches taking place

at Queen’s Park Oval and the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad. (See accompany Schedule of Matches).

Every team will play their group opponents twice before the top two in each group progress to the semi-finals and a chance to play in the Final under the lights at Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday, December 1.

Reigning champions, Combined Campuses & College Marooners launch the tournament on opening day in Group “A”, when they face hosts Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Warner Park; Jamaica Scorpions, Barbados Pride and Canada will be the other teams in Group “A”.

Group “B” commences, when Guyana Jaguars, last year’s beaten finalists, meet West Indies Emerging Players in a day game at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, and hosts Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, semi-finalists last year, meet Windward Islands Volcanoes in a day/night contest at the Queen’s Park Oval.

The United States, the other side that will be contesting this group, have drawn a bye on the opening day.

ESPN Caribbean’s broadcast partnership with the Super50 Cup continues, with 13 day/night matches, including the semi-finals and the Final, broadcast “live” from the Queen’s Park Oval. The remaining 30 group matches will be webcast “live” on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel and website, www.windiescricket.com.

A special announcement will take place on Friday, October 18, to launch ticket sales and announce box office opening dates.

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saturday, october 12, 2019

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CGI-SBF Petroleum Jaguars One-Day 50 overs league bowls off Sunday

T

he Cricket Guyana Inc (CGI) 50 overs franchise league has returned to Guyana. This year’s tournament, which will bowl off from October 13 and will conclude on October 24, is sponsored by SBF Petroleum. The launching ceremony was held at the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Office at Bourda.

With the league aiming to prepare the Guyana Jaguars team for the Regional Super 50, which is scheduled for November 6, eight teams will battle for supremacy across seven rounds with matches being hosted at venues throughout the country. Technical Developmental Officer Colin Stuart expects this tournament to be a highly competitive one.

CGI expressed how delighted they were with the sponsorship from SBF Petroleum. The CEO of the Petroleum company, Derwin Best, was happy to be involved in the development of cricketers in Guyana.

Lower Corentyne squad reads: Veerasammy Permaul (Captain), Jonathan Foo (vice-captain), Junior Sinclair, Garfield Benjamin, Leon Swamy, Kevlon Anderson, Kelvin Umroa, Jason Sinclair, Seon Hetmyer, Trevon Stanislaus, Martin Singh,

Captains/team representatives, along with the CGI-SBF league launch sponsor

Maxie DeJonge, Sasenarine Sukhoo and Nial Smith.

West Berbice squad reads: Shimron Hetmyer (Captain), Gudakesh Motie, Keon Joseph, Kevin Sinclair, Javed Karim, Seon Glasgow, Raffael Estraido, Steffon Adams, Kevin Jawahir, Andrew Dutchin, Marvan Prashad, Keyron Fraser, Stephen Harris and Leon Andrews.

Upper Corentyne squad reads: Alex Algoo, Anthony Bramble, Clinton Pestano, Shawn Perreira, Jonathan Rampersaud, Dimitri Cameron, Sylus Tynadall, Eon Hooper, Rampertab Ramnauth, Trishan Ramsarran, Ritesh Umroa, Quesi Burnett,

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Kandasammy Sujurnarine and Gourav Ramesh (Devandra Bishoo injured).

East Bank: Trevon Griffith, Sachin Singh, Mavindra Dindyal, Vishaul Singh (Captain) Ronaldo Ali Mohamed, Sherfane Rutehrford, Yeudisteer Persaud, Matthew Nandu, Deonarine Seoobin, Trevon France, Gavin Singh, Zachary Jodah and Stephon Wilson.

West Demerara squad reads: Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Tevin Imlach, Richie Looknauth, Travis Persaud, Ronaldo Reene, Keearam Seyhodan, Ewart Samuels, Malcolm Hubbard, Mahendra Dhanpaul, Javon Hector, Andre Seepersaud

and Mohamed Khan.

Georgetown squad reads: Raymod Perez, Robin Bacchus, Leon Johnson (Captain), Christopher Barnwell, Winston Fraser, Ramaal Lewis, Paul Wintz, Steven Jacobs, Joshua Persaud, Adrian Hinds, Qumar Torrington, Joel Spooner, Ashmead Nedd and Steven Sankar.

Essequibo squad reads: Antony Adams (Captain), Keemo Paul, Ricardo Adams, Kemol Savory, Nealand Codogan, Parmesh Parsotam, Akinie Adams, Kevon Boddie, Quintin Sampson, Nokta Moses, Joshua Jones, Mark Williams, David Williams and Ronsford Beaton.

East Coast squad reads: Amir Khan, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Daniel Mootoo, Alphius Bookie, Rajendra Chandrika, Chavez Ageday, Somnauth Bharat, Rawle Merell, Damuka Ngquando, Chandrapaul Ramraj, Pradesh Balkishun, Richard Dowlatram and Assif Singh.

Matches for Sunday, October 13 are: East Coast v West Berbice at Lusignan, Georgetown v Essequibo at GCC, Lower Corentyne v East Bank at Albion and West Demerara v Upper Corentyne at Port Mourant.

Essequibo are the defending champions of the CGI 50 over one-day league.

(Brandon Corlette)

CONCACAF Nations League…

Benna Boys hold off raging Jaguars to climb in group A

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

21

ntigua and Barbuda took a hard-fought one-goal lead against Guyana after the first leg of their CONCACAF N a t i o n s Lea gue Group C

match on Friday evening at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

The Benna Boys completed a 2-1 win against the Golden Jaguars with the home crowd coming in as a strong 12th man.

Guyana must now try to bounce back in the return match on Monday at the Leonora Track and Field Centre to keep their hopes of advancing out of the group stage alive.

O n Friday, Guyana began the match dominating ball possession, but Antigua were on target with their opening shots, which sent them ahead.

Antigua drew first blood in the 15th minute when Quinton Griffith was able to push one past the custodian, Akel Clarke.

Emery Welshman

Two minutes later, Junior Benjamin was set up with a lovely assist, which needed elementary work to pick up Antigua’s second goal.

In the first half, the hosts served up eight shots while the guest had seven, with only two on target for either side. Those spilled into four corner kicks for each side in the first 45 minutes.

Following the 15-minute break, Emery Welshman pulled one back for Guyana when he scored in the 50th minute. Guyana’s strategy seemed to change with an increase in tempo on the shot attempts. They took five shots in the opening five minutes of the second half, one of which proved successful.

Like the Guyana Head Coach Márcio Máximo stated prior to the match, the Antiguans can be physical. At the 70-minute mark, Antigua had already picked up 11 fouls compared to Guyana’s 7; the match ended with the winning side having 14 while Guyana had 10.

Antigua deployed a pair of fresh legs in the 66th

minute to boost their defensive efforts while Kelsey Benjamin replaced Clive Nobrega in Guyana’s striking department during the 67th minute.

The shots continued to be offered from the Guyanese, but the home side looked quite content to park the bus for the entire second half, since not a single shot was taken at the guests’ uprights.

With less than 15 minutes left to rumble, Antigua made a change to their midfield and attacking departments while Sheldon Holder was the other forward subbed into Guyana’s XI to replace Trayon Bobb.

However, neither team were able to toggle the score any further which meant Antigua recorded their second win of the League.

This win pushes Antigua to six points and into second place behind the leading team, Jamaica, which also have six points, but boast a superior goal difference. Guyana are third with three points, ahead of only Aruba, who are yet to secure a point. (Kizan Brumell)

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MYO-Trophy Stall Inter-Jamaat softball commences on October 20 T

he highly-anticipated Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) of Guyana-Trophy Stall Inter-Jamaat Softball Cricket Competition will once again hit open the 2019 softball season with tons of action as it is scheduled to start on October 20, 2019 at the MYO Ground, Woolford Avenue, Thomas Lands, Georgetown.

Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Sports Committee Chairman and Senior Vice President Imran Ally stated that the goal of the competition was to bring out the youths to do something meaningful, as from this tournament they would be able to have clean recreational fun. Fostering brotherhood through sports is the tournament’s main objective.

Ally went on to state that the tournament was usually held at least two times per year and would usually have intense action from the first ball bowled.

Upon the announcement of the tournament, eight teams have registered thus far: LBI Masjid with two teams, New Mosque, Cornelia Ida Masjid, Hague Masjid, New Amsterdam Masjid, MYO and Tuschen Masjid. The competition will feature teams from Berbice; the West Coast, East Coast, and East Bank of Demerara, and Georgetown.

When the competition was held in April 2019, Diamond New Scheme Masjid were the winners as they dominated from the beginning, while MYO were runners-up. The defending champions will be looking to retain their title while MYO will be aiming to add another title to their name. The registration fee is $3000 per team, and lots of trophies and cash incentives will be at stake.

All jamaats interested in participating in this competition are kindly asked to make contact with Br Imran Ally on 689-7425 (c); Br Fazal Nazeem on 660-8215 or Br Azad Ibrahim on 624-3362.

This event is sponsored by Trophy Stall.

Registration closes on Wednesday, October 16 at 18:00h, followed by the draw.

Diamond New Scheme were champions in the April 2019 edition of the competition

Chess in Schools Grassroot Initiative continues in Berbice

4th EBFA-Ralph Green U-11 League…

Finalists to be decided today

Students engage in a game of chess

T

he Chess In Schools (CIS) Grassroot Initiative Workshop aims to introduce chess into schools nationwide, both as an extracurricular activity for children and as part of the "Chess for Education" programme.

More than 120 children from the Bygeval Secondary School, Mahaicony Secondary School, Bush Lot Secondary School and Fort Wellington Secondary School have learnt the basics of chess when they participated in the CIS- Grassroot Initiative Workshop over the past four days.

Making a special appearance at one of the abovementioned schools (Fort Wellington), Director of Sport, Christopher Jones said, “Once your body is active you look the part. When you are actively involved, when you have a healthy body, you appeal to people differently.

“But chess works up here (your brain), you are actively thinking, it promotes critical thinking and that helps you with your life in terms of moving forward and that is why we are spreading this programme throughout the Mahaica-Berbice region.”

The children were all taught how to play chess and the basics – History of Chess, The Chess Board, The Chess Pieces: Movement & Value, Castling and Basic Opening Guidelines.

References of "Chess for Education" were also demonstrated to the students. Students

were given tasks to complete such as Chess & Maths: Chess Notation & Algebraic Equations, Chess & Physics, Chess Psychology and Emotional Intelligence.

Eight teachers from the abovementioned schools were trained on how to play chess and manage school chess clubs. At the conclusion of the programme, a one-day beginners’ tournament will be held today, Saturday, October 12 at Fort Wellington Secondary.

So far, the department has visited and implemented the initiative in schools in Regions Three, Six, 10 and now Five. It is expected that the two top teams will go on to compete against Berbice High School in New Amsterdam.

The MahaicaBerbice (West Berbice) CIS Grassroot Initiative Workshop is a nationwide initiative mainly pushed by Director of Sports Jones, and all workshops are being completed by FIDE National Instructor CM Wendell Meusa and local Developmental Instructor Janedward Daniels.

Swan took on Grove Hi Tech in the early stages of the League

T

he Vurlon Mills Academy (Group A) have almost assured a place in the next round of the fourth edition of the East Bank Football AssociationRalph Green Under-11 League while the other teams left in the competition will know their fate when the round-robin segment of the action concludes.

Following this stage, the top two teams from Groups A and B will advance to the knock-out stage. Vurlon Mills Academy have 10 points so far from four matches, with one in the bag.

Mills Academy lead defending champions Timehri Panthers (sev-

en points with one game t o play); Fruta Conquerors (four points w i t h two matches to play) and Diamond United (four points with one match to play) in Group A while Riddim Squad (seven points with one match to play); Kuru Kururu Warriors (seven points with one match to play); Agricola Red Triangle (six points with one match to play) and Swan (four points with two matches to play) are all in the reckoning in Group B. Agricola, Mills Academy and Riddim Squad are the only undefeated teams so far; with this platform, the remaining round-robin play scheduled over two days is expected to be keen.

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, october 12, 2019

Undefeated Amazon Warriors, underdog Tridents meet in CPL final today

By Brandon Corlette

the team.

fter weeks of entertainment across the Caribbean, “the Biggest Party in Sport” will sign off today, Saturday, October 12 from 17:00h at the Brian Lara stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad.

Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) and Barbados Tridents will battle for the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) championship trophy after defying the odds throughout the season.

For GAW, they have been sitting on the royal chair, as Brandon King has had a glorious tournament leading the batting charts with 453 runs.

GAW have been led by veteran Shoaib Malik, and his inspirational style and the experience of Imran Tahir have moulded the young talents in

King has led the batting charts with 453 runs with the highest score in CPL history – 132 – against the same Tridents team. Malik, who offers a lot in all departments, has 313 runs while King’s partner in crime, Chandrapaul Hemraj has 298 runs. The young guns in Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran and Sherfane Rutherford will add the fireworks to Warriors’ explosive batting line-up.

As he continues his search for real estate, covering yards of ground with his celebration, Tahir leads the GAW bowling charts with 15 wickets while Chris Green has 13 wickets. Romario Shepherd has continued to impress with 12 wickets this season.

A

Players Watch

Will the coin toss be crucial in today’s showdown?

Tridents have had a tough road to the final, but they have had some standout players. Hayden Walsh Jr has been the star with 21 wickets in only eight matches, leading the CPL bowling charts. Captain Jason Holder has also been a key man with the ball, bagging 14 wickets while Harry Gurney has also impressed with his variations for the Tridents.

A responsible Johnson Charles leads the Tridents’ batting chart with 376 runs while JP Duminy, who retired hurt in Qualifier 2, has 291 runs. Shakib Al Hassan, who is a big player, along with Alex Hales, will be aiming to produce big in the final.

our 11-match winning streak). We don’t want to be thinking about the next game – that puts you under pressure.

I just want the team to be working hard on that particular match, stick to the basics. I have batted with so many top players, but

What they said

Jason Holder: “I think we held onto our chances in majority of the games to come out on top. I thought our bowlers were outstanding to defend 160 (Qualifier 2). We were clinical with the ball today. Those guys (Ashley Nurse and Raymond Reifer) were outstanding and not easy with the wet ball. Credit to Ashley and Raymond, we were always backing ourselves to defend that target. We have done pretty well throughout this edition; many would argue that we should have won a lot of games, but we stuck together and spent a lot of time together which helps us get well as a group. Rest, recover and come back and have fun in the final.”

Shoaib Malik: “I think it’s the runs scored by the first six batters; secondly, our spinners. They have been taking wickets continuously; these are the two main successful factors (for

p l y

some of his (Brandon K i n g ) s h o t s were simamazing.

Some of the shots he played were unbelievable. I think he has a great future, not just with us, but in the West Indies as well. Hopefully, he will get good guidance going ahead. I want to thank the crowd: they have been exceptional; we want them to come t o

the ground and enjoy themselves.”

GAW and Tridents met in the CPL final back in

2014 which the Tridents won by eight wickets.

Chandrapaul Hemraj and Brandon King have given Guyana excellent starts throughout the season

Ashley Nurse has added valuable runs for Tridents with his pinch hitting

ANSA McAL Trading Ltd Lucozade Handicap Tournament…

Long rallies and close wins highlight 2nd night W

ith more matches being played in the second round of the Lucozade Handicap Squash Tournament, sponsored by ANSA McAL Trading Ltd, on Thursday night at the Georgetown Club, tired players fought on to push through to the next round.

In category A, Zachary Persaud took on Dhirren Persaud, triumphing in a threegame bout. Despite a fight in the second game by Dhirren as he climbed the eightpoint handicap into positive territory, Zachary came through with a 15-11, 0-15, 1511 win. Louis DaSilva, however, bested Safirah Summer in just two games, easily winning 15-11, 15-12. He is focused on his destination – the final.

Shiloh Asregado and Matthew Spooner also secured wins in Category A. In the Open Category, games heated up as top seed

Deje Dias came from the largest handicap in the competition -15 to down Regan Rodrigues.

Daniel Ince fought an on-form Nicholas Verwey with a onepoint handicap difference in another three-game match-up.

Despite moments of pure expertise from Ince, reminiscent of his earlier squash days, the younger and fitter Verwey displayed outstanding retrieval capability and was able to climb back in the third game for a 15-11, 1415, 15-12 victory. Samuel InceCarvalhal took on Ethan Jonas from a 15-point deficit to win his first match in two straight games 15-10, 15-11.

Jonathan DeGroot and Gianni Carpenter both made their mark by fighting back after losing their first games, finally overcoming their opponents.

The left-handed match-up with Carpenter and Javed Rahaman had spectators on the edge of their seats in a final game that

Thursday’s Results Open Category

Deje Dias

reached sudden death at 14-14 before Carpenter hammered home the win 13-15, 15-12, 15-14. DeGroot battled in an almost point-for-point bout before taking out Lucas Jonas 13-15, 15-11, 15-9.

The top three seeded females played their first matches with mixed results.

Abosaide Cadogan was the only victor against Jonathan Antczak after a first-game defeat 10-15. Her athleticism came through to dominate in

Abosaide Cadogan

the second and third games, gaining her a 10-15, 15-9, 15-7 victory, while Kirsten Gomes and Maddison Fernandes fell to Mohryan Baksh and Nicholas Narain respectively.

Play continued in the Open Category, Category A and plate divisions on Friday at the same venue.

Deje Dias (-15) defeated Regan Rodrigues (7) 11-15, 15-11, 15-11 Mohryan Baksh (0) defeated Kirsten Gomes (0) 15-13, 15-13 Jonathan DeGroot (4) defeated Lucas Jonas (0) 1315, 15-11, 15-9 Nicholas Verwey (-1) defeated Daniel Ince (0) 15-11, 1415, 15-12 Gianni Carpenter (0) defeated Javed Rahaman (-4) 1315, 15-12, 15-14 Abosaide Cadogan (0) defeated Jonathan Antczak (-2) 10-15, 15-9, 15-7 Samuel Ince-Carvalhal (-11) defeated Ethan Jonas (4) 1510, 15-11 Nicholas Narain (-15) defeated Madison Fernandes (4) 15-6, 15-9

Category A

Zachary Persaud (-8) defeated Dhirren Persaud (7) 1511, 0-15, 15-11 Shiloh Asregado (0) defeated Lucas Persaud (6) 15-10, 15-12 Matthew Spooner (0) defeated Kaden Pymeandy (0) 1512, 15-12 Louis DaSilva defeated Safirah Summer (10) (-8) 1511, 15-12

Category A Plate

Bradley Walton (2) defeated Angel Rahim (0) 15-11, 15-11 Teija Edwards (0) defeated Rylee Rodrigues (5) 15-4, 1215, 15-11 Joshua Verwey (0) defeated Breno Dasilva (8) 15-14, 15-13

saturday, october 12, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Page 23

Undefeated Amazon Warriors, underdog Tridents meet in CPL final today

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