Guyana Times Thursday February 20, 2020

Guyana now equipped to test for coronavirus

P12

…49 arrivals from China for 2019 screened – CMO Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4202

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

PRICE

Unilateral transfers

GECOM commits to examining reports of persons being displaced See story on page 3

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Linden man jailed for causing death by dangerous P14 driving House collapses at Campbellville P10

…as 111 foreign observers arrive in Guyana Page 9

11 days before elections P9

Sod turned for unnamed hotels at Ogle

…investors, NICIL fail to name franchise

Blairmont Estate shuts down as workers protest for pay hike Education Ministry announces closure of schools for Election Day Grand Republic Some 1900 Jubilee Guyanese celebration supporting to be hosted ExxonMobil’s at Everest Ground activities

Cop charged for sexually assaulting P14 woman

Page 12

Page 11

Page 7

18 maternal deaths recorded in 2019 Page 15

3 Silver Hill P10 residents charged for vigilante killing

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Thursday, February 20 – 03:30h – 05:00h and 14:30h – 16:00h and Friday, February 21 – 04:00h – 05:30h and 14:30h – 16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, February 20 – 14:30h – 16:00h and Friday, February 21 – 15:20h – 16:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunshine will prevail throughout the day. There will be partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 20 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North North-Easterly to East NorthEasterly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 02:28h and 14:43h reaching maximum heights of 2.19 metres and 2.32 metres.

Low Tide: 08:15h and 20:49h reaching minimum heights of 1.04 metres and 0.85 metre.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020

LOTTERY NUMBERS H

10 15 16

22 26 28

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FREE TICKET

Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

02 03 16 19 22 LUCKY 3

2

9

3

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Afternoon Draw

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

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14

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17 18 20

PAY DAY

SUPER PAY DAY

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2020

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

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Crude Oil Rough Rice London Sugar

$57.75/barrel $241.47/ton $422.00/ton

Live Spot Gold Bid/Ask Low/High Change

$1611.30 $1601.30 0.00

Change % +0.74 -0.11 0.00

USD Per Ounce $1612.30 $1613.60 0.00%

Unilateral transfers

GECOM commits to examining reports of persons being displaced

…as 111 foreign observers arrive in Guyana

I

n the wake of several reports that persons were transferred from their voting district without requesting such, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Secretariat has committed to examining these reports.

This was revealed by GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj at the conclusion of Tuesday’s statutory meeting. Gunraj noted that he himself has been the recipient of reports on the issue, though he declined to get into too much detail since they are of an anecdotal nature.

He explained that the matter was raised at the statutory meeting and an undertaking was given by Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield to look into the issue and give a report to the Commission.

“Some issues were raised in relation to that and the CEO has promised to give a report on that in short order… in some instances, their places of polls have been changed. If your place of poll has changed, there might be a reason for that change.”

“The other issue is persons who have more or less have been displaced.

I know my colleague (fellow Opposition-nominated Commissioner Bibi Shadick) has raised this issue with the CEO and he is looking into that,” Gunraj said.

Reports had previously reached this publication that in some cases, persons who never requested an address change have suddenly found that they have been transferred to another location on the Official List of Electors (OLE).

The Guyana Elections Commission

At least one regional official from Region Eight, when contacted, related that individuals have complained of this occurring.

She related that one individual had his information current on the Preliminary and Revised List of Electors, but upon checking the OLE his name had been transferred to South Ruimveldt.

In an invited comment, PPP Chief Scrutineer Zulficar Mustapha had noted that a few reports have reached the party of persons having their particulars changed. He noted that further checks on the issue will be made.

There is a total of 661,028 eligible voters on the OLE, which was completed late last month. In 2015, when GECOM had published the OLE ahead of elections that year, the total number of voters was 570,787. The increase has been explained as a feature of continuous registration.

111 foreign observers

Some 111 observers are

in Guyana for the upcoming General and Regional Elections. This figure was revealed in a notice published by the Guyana Elections Commission in the daily newspapers.

The elections are expected to be watched intently, with a number of international observers and technical advisors in the country to oversee the process. For instance, it is the first time that the European Union will be deploying a fully-fledged team of observers on the ground for Guyana’s elections.

The Carter Center is also involved, with it be-

ing announced that former Prime Minister of Senegal, Aminata Touré and Chairperson of The Carter Center Board of Trustees, Jason J Carter (the grandson of former US President Jimmy Carter) will co-lead the Carter Center’s international election observation mission in Guyana.

Other overseas-based observers expected to participate in overseeing the election include teams from the Organization of American States (OAS), as well as the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

GECOM is also getting assistance from a number of technical advisors who were provided by other countries and international organisations. Canada, for instance, is providing GECOM with Jean-Pierre Kingsley, a Canadian elections expert.

The Commonwealth is also providing the services of its senior technical advisor, Dr Afari Gyan, who arrived in Guyana last month.

In addition, Dr Syed Nasim Zaidi, an elections advisor from India, has also joined the team.

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

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

Attempts to suppress democracy

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here seems on the part of APNU/AFC, efforts to prevent the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPPC) campaign messages from being heard. Recently, a public meeting organised by the PPP/C at Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara was disrupted by a number of persons who are representatives of APNU/AFC. During those moments of seemingly wanton intimidation, slated speakers and persons affiliated to the PPP/C were fearful in the face of what confronted them. It appears that the Police presence did not deter those with the sole intent of disrupting the proceedings. In the end, the PPP/C was forced to abandon the meeting.

A similar incident occurred a few weeks ago in Mocha on the East Bank of Demerara. In addition, there were numerous incidents whereby persons outfitted with APNU/AFC’s jerseys and waving the coalition’s flags disrupted a number of other PPP/ C’s public meetings in parts of the country.

In Linden, not only was a meeting disrupted, but former President Samuel Hinds had to be escorted away as firecrackers were set off in proximity of his presence. These incidents are aside from those where PPP/C flags and symbols were removed and desecrated by person supportive of APNU/AFC. To date, and very noticeable, President David Granger, who is campaigning on the platform of decency, honesty and leadership for all Guyanese, remains silent on what the PPP/C has been subjected to with regard to some of its public meetings.

Those deliberate acts of intimidation prevented ordinary Guyanese from hearing how they could once again benefit from a PPP/C Government which has a proven track record and which has been imparting visionary plans to return Guyana and Guyanese to prosperity.

Clearly, by disrupting the PPP/C meetings, APNU/AFC is acting in contravention of its campaign theme. In other words, it is glaringly dishonest for the coalition to try and subvert the democratic right of the PPP/C to campaign in villages believably supportive of the Government. It is even more dishonest to speak of honesty in the face of the indecency in question meted out to the PPP/C by APNU/AFC. Mr Granger’s silence could be interpreted in a manner that suggests that he and the APNU/AFC coalition condone those actions, and, by extension, offer encouragement for similar ones. During the recently concluded Calypso competition, one contestant, as part of his act, was seen placing a PPP/C flag in a garbage bag in keeping with APNU/AFC’s campaign song.

While one could allude to freedom of expression and creative licence, what would have been the reaction had a contestant placed the image of Mr Granger in a garbage bag? Most, if not all of the songs were pro-APNU/AFC and, in many instances, were derogatory to the PPP/C and its General Secretary.

That could bring into question the requirements of the competition. In that context, it could be asked if an unofficial requirement was for songs to be supportive of and to glorify the Government.

These attempts to suppress the messages of the PPP/C are not in isolation of what appears to be a more sinister plot. APNU/AFC used the residency requirement in an effort to have thousands of persons removed from the voters’ list. Just recently, the Appeal Court unanimously upheld the Chief’s Justice’s decision against it.

Had the coalition been successful, thousands of Guyanese, including many suspected of being supportive of the PPP/C, would have been disenfranchised. The pattern and intent of APNU/AFC’s action, therefore, seems irrefutable.

Following the December 21, 2018, No-Confidence Motion (NCM), it was very clear that the coalition did not want to hold elections and worked diligently, even disingenuously, to have that desire realised. This view could be vindicated by the fact that the March 2 elections are held one year after they were constitutionally due.

In that said context, Mr Granger is accused of not wanting to have free and fair elections following his unilateral and unconstitutional appointment of the immediate past Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). What would have been the reaction had a PPP/C President done that?

Not relenting, reportedly, a court case, intended to force the Leader of the Opposition to reveal the qualifications of the PPP/ C’s Presidential Candidate has been filed. This seems all part of an APNU/AFC calculated plan to try and subvert the will of the Guyanese people through intimidation and delaying tactics; historical characteristic of the People’s National Congress of which Mr Granger is the Leader.

That aside, falsehoods on the part of APNU/AFC especially during this campaign, have not gone unnoticed. With a new boast of establishing ten new housing schemes since in office, that propensity seems unbridled as its response of not using state resources to campaign despite the evidence of the army helicopter being used.

The honest thing for the coalition to do is to name the housing schemes and explain the pictures of the President exiting the helicopter on various occasions.

This little girl is seen holding the family’s donkey as her tired brother enjoys the ride at Aranaputa Village, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo). Also, in picture is the children’s mother with a Warshi on her back (Department of Public Information/ Derrick Seulall photo)

Battle on to find vaccines, drugs to fight the coronavirus

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iral infections can be very hard to treat.

Just ask anyone who has a bad case of the flu.

But that's not deterring research groups around the world from looking for an effective therapy against the new coronavirus, although they know it won't be easy.

"Every virus is sort of like a dysfunctional family," says Dr Mark Denison, a virologist at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "They're dysfunctional in their own unique ways."

There are two basic approaches to stopping viral infections. One is to block an enzyme the virus needs either to make copies of itself or infect cells. The other is to make a monoclonal antibody, based on a recovered patient's immune response.

Researchers are already testing the first idea – with an experimental, broad-acting antiviral drug known as Remdesivir, which works by gumming up a virus's ability to replicate.

The drug is being tested in China on patients who have COVID-19. A study published just last week found that Remdesivir successfully reduced respiratory symptoms in rhesus monkeys exposed to another coronavirus that causes serious disease – Middle East respiratory syndrome.

In other work, the biopharmaceutical company Sirnaomics is hoping to use a gene-silencing technique known as RNA interference to turn off key genes in the new coronavirus. But first, the company must identify viral genes to target.

Research & development associate Divya Nagalati works on cell cultures in Regeneron's infectious disease labs in Tarrytown, NY. The firm is looking for tailored antibodies

"We are currently testing 150 of them using cellbased culture," says Patrick Lu, Sirnaomics President and CEO. "We are working with groups in the U.S. and China."

Some drugs that are already through the FDA approval process may also have the desired blocking effect on one of the new virus's critical enzymes, scientists say.

The second basic approach is to go after the virus with molecules derived from the immune system.

The idea is to make what are called monoclonal antibodies, which are tailored proteins that are known to stop a particular virus.

That's the approach of a Canadian biotech firm called AbCellera.

"We're trying to identify antibodies from patients who have recovered from infection," says Ester Falconer, head of research and development at

AbCellera, "because their finely tuned immune systems have already figured out a way to clear the virus."

AbCellera is part of the Pandemic Prevention Platform, a program run by the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The company has developed a rapid way to analyze the blood from a recovered patient.

"We can very quickly – in less than a day – look through many millions of different immune cells," Falconer says, and find the antibodies that can be turned into a monoclonal drug therapy.

The biotech firm Regeneron is also looking for such antibodies. To find them, the company is using mice that have been given what amounts to a human immune system.

Regeneron's Christos Kyratsous says these mice make antibodies when ex-

posed to a virus like the coronavirus – but they don't make mouse antibodies.

"They are basically making fully human antibodies," Kyratsous says. "We've created a mini human immune response in a mouse."

They've begun exposing the mice to a virus that mimics the new coronavirus.

"The mice are mounting an immune response against these components as we speak," Kyratsous says. "Within the next few weeks, we should be able to start harvesting antibodies out of these mice and testing them" to see which ones will make the most effective drug.

Vanderbilt's Mark Denison says it's not enough just to stop the virus — you also have to stop the damage to the lungs caused by the virus. Denison says it's tempting to try using anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids, but that can actually make things worse.

"If we understood ways that the coronavirus has caused lung disease, we might be able to block that damage while we're treating the virus," Denison says.

He's confident that understanding will come. The recent outbreak, he says, has underscored the need to come up with new ideas about how to treat outbreaks caused by new viruses, and he's optimistic new approaches will be found.

"I don't think about a decade," he says. "I think about this in terms of right now we're in a position to try to move forward quickly with these ideas. (npr.org)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

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

Spending billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money to push dirty agenda Dear Editor, Mr David Granger in a message on behalf of the A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) said our nation “is in a better place today than it was in 2015”. For whom, Mr Granger? Because when I look at the state of public expenditure between 2014 (the last full year of the PPP/C) and 2019 (the last full year of the APNU/AFC), I cannot see betterment for the people. What I observe are massive increases in spending for the 500 or so persons that surround the Granger cabal and thus the good life only applies to them while the rest of this nation is left with the crumbs.

From the table below (sourced from the respective National Budgets and the Auditor General Reports), one can find that expenditures on National Events went up by 200% under Mr Granger. Are the sugar workers, rice farmers, gold miners and bauxite workers benefiting from these increasing acts of pageantry and parade? Certainly not, so who really was this $1.2 billion spent on? Lights, costumes, parades, dance, wine and rum? Who were the beneficiaries?

Certainly not the people of Guyana. Rather, the principal beneficiary is a group of people who are mainly friends and family of the Granger cabal who have sucked up most of these expenditures. How unfortunate for Guyana that only one set of people can ben-

efit from the patrimony of the nation.

If one looks at dietary needs, it went up by $2.2 billion between 2014 and 2019?

How is that possible? What are the people that surround the Granger cabal really eating? Was it caviar? Was is exclusive foreign wine and high price champagne? What really did these people in the APNU/AFC spend $2.2 billion more on with respect to dietary needs?

If one moved on the cash transfers to local and foreign agencies, GINA under the PPP/C was given a subvention of $140 million in 2014; while it’s APNU successor (the DPI) was given $310 million in 2019, an increase of 121%. But history will show these are the people who had the audacity to cut the transfers to GINA to $1 because of a perceived bias in the reporting under GINA in those days. But history will illustrate that the reporting under DPI is 10 times worse than the transgression of GINA and yet they are getting over $170 million more to misbehave and discriminate even more? This Granger Group has turned rationality on its head as it seeks to deceive the people with subterfuge. And the same story populates the entire theme around the subventions from the taxpayers to other local and international organisations. The documents will show that these subventions went up by 113% or $25.8 billion between 2014 under the PPP/C and 2019

under the APNU. Organisations like the Gaming Authority saw their subvention increased by some $30 million during this period while other vital organisations like the HOPE Coconut Estate saw their subvention increasing by a meagre $3 million. I wonder what the priority of the Granger cabal is. Gambling or expanding the vital traditional productive sectors like our coconut industry?

But one of the biggest shocks and best kept secrets in Guyana is the vastness of their spying operations by way of the National Data Management Authority (NDMA). The NDMA saw their subvention increase to $1.847 million in 2019 from $33 million in 2014? Does it cost this much to spy on the nation? The mission of the NDMA is to “deliver government services using the Internet” but to date, this nation has not benefited from any of these E-Services. All this organisation has done was to spy on the people of this country on a mass scale that resembles an operation out of North Korea.

To date, there is no E-Government Administration and no E-Government Services, but what this nation has seen are massive projects geared to violate the privacy of the people by way of a massive cybersecurity programme using a foreign company (from a non-democratic nation in Asia). Their primary mission

is to hack into people’s personal data and use it to push them into submission. But also they are spending hundreds of millions on pushing out fake news on social media Facebook in an attempt to stain their political oppo-

at the PPP/C Presidential Candidate that are dishonest and totally indecent. Yet, these people who claim that they are decent and honest are the intellectual authors behind these operations and are prepared to spend billions

nent as we are seeing today.

I was able to look at a few of these advertisement geared

of dollars of taxpayers’ money to push their dirty agenda. Where are the investi-

gative journalists like Sharif Khan and Father Andrew Morrison?

In the interest of space, I will have to dig in more to these issues in part 2 of this correspondence.

Regards, Sasenarine Singh

PPP’s cash transfers vs APNU/AFC’s feasibility studies

Dear Editor, The 2020 General and Regional Elections battle of manifesto ideas clearly differentiates the two main parties. The PPP/C is focused on what it can do to support families with a conditional cash transfer programme, with or without oil money. APNU/AFC has no plans for a conditional cash transfer programme, unless it is with oil money and only after feasibility studies. It has come down to simply this: the PPP wants restoration of cash transfers for families; APNU/AFC wants feasibility studies.

Cash grants for schoolchildren are something families already benefitted from in 2014 and it was taken away from them. Pensioners had help through water rate waivers and electricity subsidies, pregnant women and infants benefitted from certain cash grant vouchers, nursing and teachers college students had stipends, people in difficult circumstances got cash support. These and several other safety net cash and material support were things people got before, some for decades.

None of these depended on OIL MONEY, none needed feasibility studies to fig-

ure out if people deserved these things. The first thing that APNU/AFC did in 2015 was to eliminate several of these and tamper with others. APNU/AFC did not do any feasibility studies when they eliminated or reduced some of these benefits. Instead of acknowledging they were wrong and promise to restore these benefits, in their 2020 manifesto, APNU/AFC proposes studies to determine if they should use OIL MONEY to restore these benefits. It is shameless!

Between 2015 and 2020, APNU/AFC had an aversion to feasibility. The 2020 manifesto now shows a metamorphosis to an obsession with feasibility studies. APNU/AFC proposes several feasibility studies and commissions to decide whether people deserve help. Everything they need to give to the Guyanese people will now be subjected to feasibility studies or dependent on the whims and fancies of commissions. It is just a dog whistle, people will get nothing.

After stubbornly resisting people’s pleas for five years, David Granger is proposing to establish feasibility studies to deter-

mine if, how, and when to provide cash transfers for schoolchildren, pregnant and reproductive-age women, students attending nursing schools, technical schools, people in difficult circumstances, etc, using OIL MONEY. Some people still have these cash grants as stipends, for example, nursing and teachers’ training school students. These are things people have or already had, under the PPP, without OIL MONEY. In addition, the unemployed sugar workers who were promised land for housing and agriculture after estates began closing in 2016 and who have not gained an inch of land yet are now being promised a State Land Resettlement Commission will decide if they will or will not have any land. This is exactly what APNU/AFC did when they suspended the land titling for Amerindians. It is a ploy to deny people their fundamental rights. For people who still are squatting, they are promised a study by a State Squatter Resettlement Commission to determine what will happen to them, as if squatting is new. What happened the last five years that APNU/

AFC saw no need to address squatting?

In 2015, APNU/AFC eliminated the popular schoolchildren cash grant programme, providing $10,000 per child in 2014 and which was supposed to reach $50,000 per child in 2020. After stubbornly defending their cruel action for five years, David Granger now proposes a feasibility study to determine if a schoolchildren cash grant programme with OIL MONEY makes sense. It has become a major APNU/ AFC manifesto promise – to establish a feasibility study to determine if oil money should go to schoolchildren.

But this is a benefit people enjoyed without oil money.

This position is in contrast with the PPP which has promised to resume and expand and increase the schoolchildren cash grant programme, with or without oil money, ensuring that cash grant reaches $50,000 per school child, a total cash transfer of about $10B annually by 2025. The schoolchildren cash grant feasibility study is one of the many feasibility studies proposed in the 2020 APNU/AFC manifesto. The PPP’s position is that the cash grant

program is one that was already part of the safety net for families, needs no feasibility study and not dependent on oil money. The truth is Granger and APNU/AFC are hiding behind feasibility studies because they hate the PPP footprints on the cash transfers for schoolchildren APNU/AFC did no feasibility study to determine the impact of removing a popular programme, one that meant much to thousands of working-class families, particularly, single-parent families. It was eliminated for just one reason – the PPP’s footprints were too deep in the programme. The schoolchildren cash grant programme cost about $1.5B annually. They claimed that the country could not afford that programme. But they increased salary and benefits for Cabinet members, by about $500M annually, their vehicle maintenance by more than $1.6B annually, food and drinks budget by $1.5B annually, etc.

It was simply unconscionable for them to eliminate a programme that provided much-needed support for schoolchildren and families while increasing their own

benefits by far more than the school children cash grants cost.

Between 2015 and 2020, APNU/AFC demonstrated a curious revulsion against feasibility studies. They studiously objected to any kind of feasibility study for sugar before closing four estates. There was no feasibility study when they increased more than 200 taxes, or when they introduced VAT on education, water and electricity, or when they introduced VAT on medicines, food and hundreds of other items. There was no feasibility study when they removed subsidies and tax waivers for agriculture supplies, tools, equipment and machinery.

They vehemently rejected the usefulness of feasibility studies, while wickedly using CoIs as a platform for intimidation and discrimination. Now faced with an electorate that overwhelmingly supports cash transfers, Granger and APNU/ AFC are using proposed feasibility studies to fool people. It will not work.

Sincerely, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Page

T

echnology has completely changed virtually every aspect of our society over the past few decades, from the way we work to the way we socialise and everything in between.

One of the differences that have been most noticeable is the change in the way that children play and interact with each other from previous generations.

Although technology does provide many positive benefits for learning, it also can have several negative effects on child development and quality of life.

Foundation

by promoting organized exercise both during and after school, we still have a long way to go in helping k i d s playing in more

lar by influencing the body’s production of melatonin.

Recent research has shown screens from devices such as tablets and smart phones emit harmful blue light that can cause headaches, eye strain and irritated eyes for children.

Furthermore, sleep is also disturbed by harmful blue light when children are exposed to screen time in

dren who play many video games or spend most of their time online tend to have less of an ability to focus than kids who use technology minimally. It can also affect the way kids process information — when kids are exposed to high levels of technology, they tend to think through things only superficially and don’t develop the ability to think critically or be creative when learning new concepts.

Fewer real friends?

Technology changes the way kids socialise and interact with oth-

for them to pick up on social cues and develop meaningful relationships with others – something that can have serious negative consequences as they grow and develop. They also have a difficult time developing emotions the same way other kids would if they spend too much of their time with technology and not enough time being engaged while in the presence of others.

This isn’t to say that all technology is bad, or that children should never use

technology. Technology provides tons of positive opportunities for learning, entertaining, and socialising, but it should be monitored and used appropriately.

(Excerpt from media.com)

Less exercise

One of the biggest differences in the way that children live today is that they don’t get as much exercise as they used to. This is because technology such as computers, smart phones and television encourages them to be sedentary when they get home from school, as opposed to going outside and playing with other kids. Child obesity rates have risen drastically over the past several decades. In 2012, the child obesity rate was measured to be 18 percent, which is an 11-point difference from the obesity rate in 1980. While many schools and parents have made strides to change this

conventional ways.

In addition to not getting enough exercise, many kids do not experience the benefits of spending time outdoors when they are heavily reliant on technology for entertainment purposes. Spending time outdoors has a huge number of positive effects on the body — it provides you with exposure to sunlight, which supplies your body with Vitamin D. This helps to fight infections and keep your skin healthy.

Additionally, regular exposure to sunlight helps to keep your sleep cycle regu-

the evening due to the suppression of the hormone melatonin which regulates the sleep wake cycle. This makes it increasingly difficult for a child’s body to effectively prepare to get ready for a goodnights sleep.

Less focus

Technology also has profound impacts on the way children think and feel.

Since technology is full of stimuli and often requires paying attention to many different things at once, chil-

e r s , which can have huge impacts on their mental and emotional well-being. It has now become common knowledge that high levels of social media use, in both kids and adults, can lower self-esteem and create negative moods. However, all types of technology can actually have negative effects on children when used in excess, because they lower children’s frequency of interacting with their peers.

This makes it more difficult

What you need:

Construction paper Glue Scissors Markers or crayons (optional)

What you do:

Go on a walk around your neighbourhood to look at some different types of architecture, especially buildings made of wood. Look at the houses and buildings and name parts of the structure (ie, roof, door, window, porch, column). If this is not possible, you can look for some building or architecture-based picture books and read about building while discussing the illustrations or photographs.

Cut out basic shapes such as squares, rectangles, and triangles from the construction paper. These will become “building blocks” of each structure. Try to recreate the buildings seen in your neighbourhood on page.

Build new and different creations. A triangle may turn into a roof, rectangles in a row may turn into col-

umns, or a square may become a window.

Make a collage by gluing the shapes onto the construction paper sheet to form the buildings.

Optional: Use photographs of the actual buildings to recreate your neighbourhood on page.

The architecture collage can even serve as the beginnings of a whole shape city.

Discuss the appearance and uses for different buildings (form and function) to emphasise why architects are important. (Adapted from kinderart.com)

7 Some 1900 Guyanese supporting ExxonMobil’s activities NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…business opportunities provided for upcoming projects

E

xxonMobil on Wednesday said that it has nearly 1900 Guyanese supporting the company’s activities and has spent some $45.7 billion in Guyana since 2015.

According to the compa-

ny, the $45.7B was spent with hundreds of local vendors, adding that in 2019 alone, more than $24 billion was spent directly on more than 700 Guyanese vendors providing goods and services ranging from food to engineering. The oil giant stated that 74 per cent increase in expenditure compared to $14 billion spent with Guyanese vendors in 2018.

“Concurrently, the num-

ber of Guyanese supporting ExxonMobil Guyana’s exploration, development and production activities has grown by 77 per cent in 2019, now representing more than half of the total workforce,” the oil company said.

List of planned 2020 tenders

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Centre for Local Business Development released a list of planned 2020 tenders to provide goods or services related to ExxonMobil Guyana and its prime contractors.

Uploaded to the Centre’s Supplier Registration Portal, the list supplements ongoing efforts to provide

Guyanese businesses information regarding upcoming opportunities available in the oil and gas industry.

“Local suppliers are important to the success of our operations, and through the Centre, we continue to strengthen the capabili-

ties of Guyanese businesses; improving their competitiveness and the country’s overall industrial base,” ExxonMobil Guyana’s Rod Henson said.

The statement noted that the Centre continues to be a reliable resource for information on safety, technical standards, procurement opportunities, tendering processes and project-specific information. It provides men-

toring, access to financial support services, and business-to-business networking opportunities.

Planning, it added, is underway for a Supplier Forum later this year which will allow for direct engagement with ExxonMobil Guyana and its prime contractors. The Centre held a similar forum in December 2018.

The Centre was established in 2017, to assist small and medium-sized Guyanese businesses to build capacity and improve their competitiveness.

Henson added that using a multi-tiered approach, ExxonMobil focuses on building workforce and supplier capabilities as well as a strategic com-

munity investment. The continued growth of local content is exactly what we want to see as we continue to partner with Guyana.

Looking ahead, he noted that a steady phased approach to future development projects such as Liza Phase 2 and potentially Payara will help further

progress local content.

The Liza Phase 1 project began oil production in December 2019, while the Liza Phase 2 start-up is anticipated by early 2022.

A third project, Payara, is currently undergoing Government approval processes and could start up as early as 2023.

8 NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

IN THE COURTS Sophia couple charged for narcotrafficking, firearm possession on bail

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ifty-one-year-old Godfrey Bacchus, a construction worker, and his reputed wife, 34-year-old Stacy Cort, who were allegedly busted with a quantity of mar-

Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Magistrate Alicia George granted the renewed bail application made by Attorney Bernard DaSilva. The two were each granted $500,000

The illegal weapons unearthed

ijuana, illegal firearms and ammunition during a Police raid in Sophia, Greater Georgetown were released on bail when they appeared at the Sparendaam

bail on the trafficking charge, while $200,000 bail was granted to Bacchus for illegal gun and ammunition possession.

It is alleged that on

November 25, 2019, at North Sophia, the couple had in their possession 34 kilograms of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

It was further alleged that on the same day and location, Bacchus had in his possession 66 rounds of ammunition, one AK-47 and one pistol without being a licensed firearm holder.

A six-hour intelligence-led operation conducted by ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department

Charged: Godfrey Bacchus

(CID) Headquarters resulted in the arrest of the couple after the items were unearthed.

Newtown man jailed for possession of illegal gun

A

fter spending the last two years in prison for armed robbery, 31-year-old Royston Rowe of Newtown, Georgetown will now spend another two

Jailed: Royston Rowe

years in jail following his conviction on Wednesday afternoon for illegal gun possession.

Last July, Rowe was slapped with the offence and pleaded guilty. However, based on an explanation in court, a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf by Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, after which his trial commenced before Magistrate Annette Singh.

Magistrate Singh found sufficient evidence against the former convict, and handed down the sentence.

The charge, which Rowe faced, stated that on July 16, 2019, at Campbell Avenue, Georgetown, he had in his possession a .38 revolver, without being the holder of a firearm licence.

The prosecution contended that on the day in question, Police Officers received a telephone call from Rowe’s girlfriend and they proceeded to the location as directed where they made contact with the woman.

The court was told that the woman informed the ranks that Rowe threatened to kill her with the gun and she handed over the firearm to the officers.

Ranks later managed to arrest Rowe and placed him in custody, where he was cautioned and told of the offence.

Missing the trees…

O

…for the forest ne of the problems with the older generation is they were exposed to a colonial education that gave them a frame of reference that’s literally and figuratively removed from their local reality. So having imbibed, say, Wordsworth’s “Ode to a Daffodil”, our luxuriant daisies scarce ever “with pleasure fills their hearts”. They can only think of daffodils, which they mightn’t even have ever seen nor touched!!

Your Eyewitness discerned the working of the colonialized mind when he read Henry Jeffrey’s latest column, “For Brigadier Mark Philips”. In Jeffrey’s case, having done his post-graduate studies in England, he presumably actually smelt daffodils!! Even his title evoked the 19th-century ambience of “odes”!! But in this case, Jeffrey was disputing a statement by the PPP’s PM Candidate Mark Phillips: “The fiduciary oversight of our economy was strong under the PPP/C and Guyanese had a clear understanding of where this nation was headed and how they would benefit. This is the security that will cause all Guyanese of all ethnicities to embrace the PPP/C at the upcoming polls … as with this country’s commendable record for religious tolerance, if enough emphasis and resources are put towards a national programme for bridging the racial divide, this could be realised so that every person focuses on policies and not race at the next general elections in 2025.”

Rather than looking at our local and regional experiences to analyse Phillips’s claim, Jeffrey trotted out a paper presented by one Scott Orr to the 2007 meeting of the American Political Science Association: “The Theory and Practice of Ethnic Politics.” What Jeffrey concluded from Orr’s assertions – which were “refereed” and presumably to be taken as gospel!! – was that they completely debunked Phillips statement!!

According to Jeffrey, “Guyana is essentially a bi-communal society in which some 80% of the electorate consistently votes for one of the two large ethnic parties”. And after quoting 13 assumptions about such societies by Orr from his American presentation, concludes as the fourteenth and final point: “Power sharing becomes inevitable because of the logic of political cleavage in competitive democracies”!!

Ain’t theory wonderful, when they can allow fellas like Jeffrey to conjure up such conclusive statements out of thin air??!! One wonders with America now also “bi-communal” (60% Whites vs 40%non-whites) why power-sharing isn’t touted there!!

Anyhow, a fella named Popper, who Jeffrey should be familiar with since he’s “foreign”, noted that even one black swan should disprove the assertion that “all swans are white”. So isn’t our “bi-communal” neighbour Trinidad doing OK politically without “power-sharing”??

And doesn’t our 20% ethnically non-reflexive voters suggest a swing-vote pool for “alternation of democratic governments”??

Gwan da side, Jeffrey!! …Guyana’s profit oil So Guyana’s first share of 1 million barrels of our oil is being shipped out today. Under normal circumstances, this would’ve been a banner day for Guyana but our circumstances are anything but normal, aren’t they??

We’ve got to hang our heads in shame because of the snickers from other oil producers after the contract that Raphael Trotman and the PNC Government signed!! For years and years, the world used to snicker at oil producers in African for the terrible deals they struck with oil companies. But today, they all now have Guyana to “wash their mouths on”!!

Ever since the end of WWII, we were educated to the fact that the IMF was a creature of the developed world and looked out for their interests. Burnham called them the “International Mother (bad word)!” when he ran into debt problems!! So imagine the irony when even the IMF had to tell this PNC Government they should’ve gotten a better deal.

But the big question of “why?” hasn’t been answered yet. It’ll be handcuffs time then!! …for the votes After Burnham’s abuses in 1968, the law allows proxy voting under very circumscribed circumstances: you gotta be working for GECOM!! The FPSO’s operators just requested their 300 odd Guyanese workers vote by proxy.

To allow or not to allow!!

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

NEWS

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

11 days before elections

Sod turned for unnamed hotels at Ogle …investors, NICIL fail to name franchise

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ith 11 days away from General and Regional Elections in Guyana, the incumbent coalition administration rushed a sod-turning event for the construction of two more hotels here, despite the investors still in negotiations with the potential brand partners.

The sod-turning ceremony on was held on Wednesday at Plantation Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD), where approximately 21 acres of prime real estate lands have been sold to Caribbean Marketing Enterprise Inc (CMEI) – a local company formed by a group of foreign investors – to construct two "international flagship” hotels.

While there have been reports that a hotel under the Hilton brand will be constructed at the site, one of the principal investors, Guyanese-born businessman Edmond Braithwaite, told reporters that they are still in discussions with the franchise holder and as

such failed to confirm which brands of hotel will be built.

He claimed that they have already secured a commitment from an international brand –one of the top hoteliers in the world – but refused to divulge any more details because, according to him, there is a lot more work to be done and they do not want to jeopardise the negotiations.

One of the seven principals of CMEI, Mike Elliot, has built hotels across the United States and in the Latin American/Caribbean region under the brands of Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Choice and IHG. His company is Energy Real Estate Solutions (ERES).

Pressed as to whether the two hotels will be under the same brand or different brands, Braithwaite said that decision lies with the investors.

“It’s incumbent upon us, who are looking to do two hotels, to determine which one fits the bill – whether it’s one brand for two (hotels) or

two separate brands. That’s all the negotiations going on right now,” the businessman contended.

Meanwhile, the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) has again defended the deal amidst concerns by stakeholders.

In fact, Privatisation Specialist Racheal Henry told reporters on the sidelines of Wednesday’s sod-turning ceremony that with this particular project, there is a choice of hotel brands given the established connection between with Elliot and top hoteliers.

“They’re in that contract stage and in that stage, they’re not allowed to disclose all the information, and that’s pretty normal business,” she asserted.

Asked about NICIL’s confidence in the investment, the Privatisation Specialist explained that the commercial agreement with CMEI is solid.

Only last week, the sod was turned for the construc-

tion of another hotel – AC Marriott, US$75 million project being undertaken by a Trinidadian investor. Like in this case, that principal, John Aboud, has not yet secured an agreement with the franchise holder, telling reporters that they are still in talks on that. He is planning to construct the fivestar hotel on 2.61 acres of land at Plantation Ogle. He had paid over $26 million per acre for the plot.

While the entire CMEI project is pegged at roughly US$100 million for the two hotels, when pressed for the price paid for the near 21 acres of land, which were once sugar fields that were vested to NICIL, Braithwaite would only say they paid a “comparable” price.

“I don’t necessarily have to give a figure… Based on our analysis figure, we feel that it’s quite comparable – whether it’s above or it’s below…” he contended.

Asked the same question, Henry posited that this

Finance Minister Winston Jordan, NICIL Head Colvin HeathLondon, CMEI Principals Mike Elliot and Edmond Braithwaite, along with Tourism Department Head Donald St Clair at the sod-turning ceremony for the two so-far-unidentified hotels at Plantation Ogle

parcel of land is also above the $26 million range but did not divulge any other details when pressed for an exact amount.

“There is some information that is confidential due to the contracts that we’re in to with these principals but lands have been sold for prime value above valuations. So for that, we’re satisfied that the due diligence process has been pretty solid in terms of us receiving value for the lands,” the NICIL

official noted.

According to Henry, they signed a payment agreement with CMEI which entails a part-payment upfront and the release of the remaining amounts upon the transfer of land titles and other documentation.

The two hotels will include amenities such as a miniature golf course, clubhouse, entertainment centre, swimming pool, solar farm and green space allocation.

is seeking to deviate from practice and precedent. The Union said that as was previously disclosed, the sugar company has acknowledged

that “our discussions regarded 2019, yet it is seeking to implement pay rises from the beginning of this year”.

Blairmont Estate shuts down as workers protest for pay hike

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perations at Blairmont Estate came to a standstill on Wednesday after workers took protest action over the meagre pay hike proposed by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

The workers, according to the Guyana Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU), contended that any pay increase ought to be retroactive to January last year.

The workers pointed out that the discussions between the GAWU and the GuySuCo originated from the Union’s

ments being implemented from 2019. According to the Union, it is, therefore, puzzling that the Corporation with respect to pay increase

Some of the workers protesting outside the Blairmont Estate on Wednesday

2019 claims. It is apposite to note that agreements arising out of discussions on

non-wage matters, which also comprised the Union’s claims, saw those improve-

TURN TO PAGE 10

10 NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

House collapses at Campbellville

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o efforts were spared on Wednesday morning when authorities responded to a call that two persons were

trapped under the wreckage of a two-storey wooden building that collapsed at First Street, Campbellville, Georgetown.

3 Silver Hill residents charged for vigilante killing

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hree persons accused of fatally beating a 22-year-old former member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to death during an attempted robbery on Monday last were arraigned on Wednesday for the capital offence of murder at the Diamond Magistrate’s Court.

Courtney Wolfe, along with his wife, Candacy Wolfe, and Curt Mingo were not required to plead to the indictable charge which read that on February 11, 2020, they murdered Daniel Jermaine Forde of Lot 759 B Field Sophia, Georgetown.

The couple were represented by Attorney Nigel Hughes, while Mingo was unrepresented. They were remanded to prison and the case will continue on February 25.

This publication had previously reported that Forde allegedly attempted to rob a grocery shop at about 19:30h last Monday at Silver Hill, Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

According to the Police, the 36-year-old shopkeeper was operating her business when Forde, armed with a cutlass, entered and demanded money. The woman raised an alarm and Forde began to chop at her shop grill and also damaged a flat-screen television.

A two-storey wooden building collapsed at First Street, Campbellville, Georgetown

Divisional Commander of the Guyana Fire Service

(GFS), Gregory Wickham told media operatives at the

scene that the Fire Service received a call sometime in the morning that the house had collapsed and that a mother and son might be trapped.

A crane was deployed at the site to comb through the rubble in search of bodies, as scores of onlookers watched with bated breaths.

“We received a call that a structure had collapsed and two persons were said to be in the structure,” the GPF Divisional Commander explained.

He said a team of firemen began a manual search until they managed to get

assistance from a private contractor.

“We got an equipment from a private contractor to remove some of the overburden. When that overburden was in the process of being removed, we got a call to say that the persons were not in the structure,” Wickham explained.

Reports indicate that the woman and her adult son were not at home at the time of the incident.

It is unclear what caused the building to collapse.

However, persons at the scene lauded the Fire Service for their efforts.

Police still to identify who fatally shot suspected bandit Dead: Daniel Jermaine Forde

Residents, after hearing the woman’s screams for help, went out in their numbers and flocked the shop.

The residents managed to disarm Forde and gave him a sound thrashing before handing him over to the Police who were summoned.

The Police transported the man for medical treatment.

However, he succumbed to his injuries at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre at around 01:40h the following day.

Photographs seen by this publication which were shared on social media showed that residents tied the man and stuffed him inside a tyre. A document dated 2018 showed that he was Absent Without Leave (AOL) in August 2015 and was discharged from the Guyana Defence Force in November 2017.

O

ne day after the suspected bandit, 22-year-old Randy Bowen, was fatally shot, Police are yet to identify his shooter.

This is according to Commander of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) SubDivision A (Georgetown), Edgar Thomas.

“The situation is… we are still investigating that matter. I think you are more concerned about the shooting in the case of where the shot was fired from, we are still investigating that. We are still trying to investigate… we don’t know where that shot came from, who fired the shot, that is what we are

wondering and investigating and that has to happen,” he said.

He further added, “Our investigation must tell us who fired the shot, our investigation must lead us into that direction. We want to know who fired that shot”.

Bowen, along with an accomplice, robbed a woman of her handbag about 16:00h on Tuesday on William Street, Campbellville, Georgetown.

It was revealed that the two perpetrators were running away from the scene after committing the robbery when an unknown individual whipped out a firearm and discharged several rounds.

Bowen died on the scene

while his accomplice is currently nursing injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The former Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) employee is no stranger to the law. He was slapped with several charges in the past, including an attempted robbery committed on a police rank in 2018.

The dead man’s father told this publication: “meh son don’t work nowhere; he used to work at GWI and he get fired about a year and something right now and he used to live with his mom.

About twice he was charged with same stealing and so… he do about a three or four

Dead: Randy Bowen

months remand in prison. I weary talk to him. I do what a father supposed to do, there is [only] so much you can do, you can make the children but you can’t make their mind”.

Bowen’s body is currently at the Lyken’s Funeral Home awaiting a Post-Mortem Examination.

Blairmont Estate shuts...

At both Blairmont and Uitvlugt Estates, workers took part in picketing exercises outside of the respective estates to reiterate their

call that their pay increases be no less than five per cent and that the pay improvements be retroactive to January 1, 2019.

“The workers believe that the Corporation, and those who give it guidance, are seeking to exploit a situation knowing full well that they and their families require a raise in pay. They shared that while they seek a pay increase, their situation should not be taken advantage of. This, they contend, that this is not helpful, especially, at this time, when the Corporation is seeking maximum co-operation from its workforce,” the Union said on Wednesday.

The workers questioned whether they have not sacrificed enough already.

Moreover, the workers have questioned why further discrimination is being meted out against them, lamenting that while they must seemingly swallow a pay rise from the beginning of this year, their colleagues in other sectors of the State received their pay rises from the beginning of last year.

They added too that those workers received their retroactive payments tax-free as well, while such treatment, so far it appears, has not been even considered for

them.

“The workers shared that they are willing to listen to reasonable proposals from The Sugar Corporation but at the same time they cannot allow the GuySuCo to effectively cheat them out of a year’s retroactive pay,” the Union said.

On Monday, GAWU accused GuySuCo of being mischievous and misleading the sugar workers and by extension the nation when it announced a 5 per cent increase in salaries.

The Union, in a press statement, said it noted reports of the announcement which was premised on misinformation. GuySuCo, in a statement, said it is debunking claims by GAWU that it had offered sugar workers a one per cent increase.

In an effort to clarify the misconceptions, GAWU explained that GuySuCo has only offered a 5 per cent pay rise for workers engaged in piece-rate activities. For those engaged in time-rated work, it has proposed a $20 increase for those at the Band One level and $18 for those who are in Bands Two to Five.

The Union noted that those increases range between 4.1 to 7.84 per cent.

Apart from that, GuySuCo

FROM PAGE 9

has proposed a $4000 per month increase for monthly-paid employees, which is equivalent to a 3.9 per cent increase at the minimum level for foremen and 4.62 per cent for charge hands.

GAWU explained that the Corporation wishes to implement the new increases from January 1, 2020.

On February 7 this year, the incumbent Administration surprisingly offered an increase in wages to workers on the sugar belt – something which they have been calling for over the years. This move comes on the heels of sugar workers being snubbed by the Government when it announced salary increases for the public sector in November last year. During the campaign trail leading up to the 2015 elections, the APNU/AFC coalition promised sugar workers 20 per cent wage hikes together with a “good life”. But after securing the votes from the sugar belt to get into office, the coalition instead downsized the industry to just three sugar estates, shutting down the Wales, East Demerara (Enmore), Rose Hall and Skeldon factories which resulted in some 7000 sugar workers being placed on the breadline.

NEWS

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

City Hall’s restoration Grand Republic Jubilee celebration fund officially launched to be hosted at Everest Ground I W n celebration of Guyana’s Golden Jubilee Republic anniversary, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is inviting the general public to join them on Saturday, February 22 at Everest Ground, Georgetown for a grand celebration.

Finger-licking barbecue and lots of games would be on site for all to enjoy at the family-oriented event.

There will be something for everyone. Trampolines,

ith over one billion dollars needed to restore the dilapidated City Hall, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Wednesday officially launched its Comprehensive Restoration and Sustainable Conservation Management Plan, which, so far, was kickstarted with its first donation of some five million dollars.

The dilapidated City Hall

EU Ambassador to Guyana, Ponz Canto

The restoration and management plan launched by the M&CC was conceptualised after the findings of a study conducted by the European Union several years ago. The assessment plan was done to the tune of $64 million and specifically focused on the physical and structural state

of City Hall and the City Engineer’s Building.

The restoration fund is one whereby members of the public are encouraged to donate monies towards the rehabilitation for the 19th-century building, City Hall. At the time of the study, the building was pegged $400 million but to date, that amount has increased to over $1 billion.

As such, EU Ambassador to Guyana, Ponz Canto urged those in charge to waste no more time in restoring the once picturesque structure.

“I want to say today very clearly that it is very urgent that the conclusions of the study are implemented…What I hear today is that the cost has gone up and now if my calculation is correct its around five million American dollars it is an important increase,

please let no more time pass,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Mayor Ubraj Narine told those in attendance that transparency and accountability of the funds will be maintained by three designated signatories, namely the Private Sector.

“I am here to call upon every Guyanese, non-governmental organization, to let us put our shoulders to the wheel and restore this building of ours... I call upon the government as well to assist us in what way they can,” the Mayor stated.

Impressions Guyana has donated some $5 million already, while Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore and Reverend Dil Mohammed made contributions of $50,000 and $150,000 respectively.

merry go-round, bouncy castles, face painting and a live band would be at the Everest Ground, rain or shine, so no one should miss this lime.

Gates open from 17:00h.

Guyana was declared a Republic on February 23, 1970 making it truly an independent nation, separate from British rule. This year’s celebration is exceptionally special for Guyana, because it marks 50 years since the attainment of re-

publican status. Guyana has significantly grown over the years and has undergone significant transformation.

Today, Guyana can boast of being one of the world’s newest oil-producing countries with significant reserves. In addition to that, it can boast of being one of the most diverse nations. It is that very diversity which makes Guyana different from every other nation.

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Education Ministry announces closure of schools for Election Day

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he Education Ministry has announced the decision to close public schools on March 2, 2020, in order to facilitate the usage of those public buildings as polling places for the General and Regional Elections.

This was communicated by the Ministry in a Public Service Announcement.

It was explained that approval was granted for all public schools to be closed.

This, it noted, would facilitate the “smooth operations of General and Regional Elections”.

There has been much talk

about polling places in recent days, with the Guyana Elections Commission an-

nouncing only days ago it would be slashing the number of polling places.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry in its PSA, however, “permission is granted for the use of public schools as polling places on the said date”.

With the announcement, some concern was expressed whether the day would be made a general public holiday to facilitate working adults going to vote. Efforts by this publication to make contact with the relevant authorities to clarify this proved futile.

In 2018, the Opposition People’s Progressive Party had called for Local Government Elections

(LGE) to be a holiday. In a statement at the time, they had said that “The PPP/C recalls that recent election days have been invariably declared a national holiday in order to facilitate electors across the political spectrum

to vote. The PPP/C recalls that it was the APNU/AFC that was pushing aggressively for Local Government Elections claiming that people were anxious and excited about being empowered to direct their local officers”.

Guyana now equipped to test for coronavirus …49 arrivals from China for 2019 screened – CMO

By Jarryl Bryan

W

ith help from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Guyana is now one of the few Caribbean countries equipped to test for the coronavirus at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) compound.

This was confirmed by PAHO representative, Dr William Adu-Krow when asked by this publication on Wednesday on the sidelines of the commissioning

PAHO representative, Dr William Adu-Krow

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud

of refurbished quarters for GPHC staff.

According to Adu-Krow, a PAHO Virology specialist arrived in Guyana on Monday and has since

brought staff in the local laboratory up to speed. He expressed satisfaction with the steps being taken so far and the equipment that has been provided to health facilities, including protective equipment, which he said were donated to the Ministry of Public Health to add to its own stocks.

“All vehicles and plans

coming through any of our ports of entry, staff have been trained. I’m happy to let you know that for the first time, we are one of the few countries (in the region) that are able to do our own coronavirus as from today,” he said.

“We have a virologist from PAHO who is now in the lab. He came yesterday, with the probes and primers. And from yesterday to today, we can do our own coronavirus testing. Not just coronavirus testing, but Yellow fever.”

Dr Adu-Krow also explained that PAHO regularly interfaces with local health officials to ensure they are prepared. This includes training staff at all ports of entry on the correct protocol to screen persons for the virus.

PAHO is providing critical assistance to Guyana and other Caribbean countries to build capacity against the coronavirus

“A lot of things have happened. We give them daily briefings in terms of the status globally. It’s part of a family of viruses we know already, but this coronavirus is fairly new. And we are learning from the number of cases we get and its virology. And we share that with member states like Guyana.”

“The main thing we have advised the Government about is to ensure we are able to find cases early, contain them and manage them.

And I think the Government has done a fairly good job so far,” Adu-Krow further explained.

Do not panic

The PAHO representative also urged persons not to panic and noted that the virus is of a less virulent strain than others. He reminded the Guyanese public that “we are in the flu season. So please don’t be alarmed if you hear someone cough.”

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer (CEO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud revealed at another event on Wednesday that some 50 persons would have arrived in Guyana from China so far for the year. All but one of these individuals were screened, monitored, and

declared free of the virus.

Dr Persaud said that health authorities were unable to track down and screen one individual, a European national. Dr Persaud explained that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) employed with the others after being tested is to keep tabs on them at home.

“Once we screen them, check their temperatures, take some history on signs and symptoms and then we classify them; so far, we have had more than 40 persons screened and of those, none of them actually presented with any symptoms to be isolated,” Dr Persaud explained.

It was announced earlier this month that virology experts from PAHO will be visiting various countries in the region. These experts were tasked with ensuring that laboratory specialists in the various countries are trained and equipped to identify cases of the coronavirus.

These training exercises were to be carried out in Guyana, The Bahamas, Barbados, Haiti, Jamaica, Belize and Dominica. The training would include providing the various labs with diagnostic materials such as primers and probes to test for Coronavirus.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Cop charged for sexually Chainsaw operator died assaulting woman from multiple injuries – PME

A

serving member of the Guyana Police Force was on Wednesday granted bail

by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a sexual assault charge.

The Policeman, 27-yearold Shane Tobin denied that he inappropriately fingered

a woman without her consent earlier this month.

The matter was held in-camera inside the Chief Magistrate’s courtroom.

The defendant was released on $50,000 bail.

The case will continue on February 28, 2020.

Charged: Shane Tobin

Mahdia man remanded for allegedly robbing drinking buddy

E

llis Calder, a resident of Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), was on Wednesday remanded to prison on a charge that he robbed his friend during a drinking spree.

The miner denied the allegation that on January 1, 2020 at 111 Miles, Mahdia, he stole a gold band and cash amounting to $56,000, property of Ray Singh.

A

P o s t - M o r t e m Examination (PME) conducted on the body of Coomacka chainsaw operator Keith Simmons has given the cause of death as multiple crush injuries. The examination was conducted at the Georgetown Public Hospital on Wednesday by pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh.

Simmons, 43, of Coomacka Mines, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), was killed last Thursday after he was crushed by a tractor on which he was travelling. The incident occurred at about 13:00h on the

Malali Backdam trail, situated on the right bank of the Essequibo River in Region 10. According to information received, at the time of the incident, the tractor was being driven by a 34-year-old logger of Malali. The driver has since been released on station bail. Police are now in the process of seeking legal advice on the way forward with the case, Regional Commander Superintendent Hugh Winter confirmed on Wednesday.

According to reports, the unregistered tractor was proceeding west along the Malali Backdam trail while

descending a hill with the now-deceased standing on its front bar. The driver is said to have lost control of the tractor, which resulted in Simmons falling in front of the vehicle where the left front wheel ran over his chest. He was reportedly picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) with severe chest injuries. He died while receiving medical attention. Police said that the tractor operator passed the breathalyser test. Simmons’ body was handed over to relatives for burial.

Linden man jailed for causing death by dangerous driving

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan heard that on January 1 about 21:00h,

Calder and the Virtual Complainant (VC) were both consuming alcoholic beverages at a shop in the village.

It is alleged that while at the shop, Singh visited the washroom and was unknowingly followed by Calder.

The court was informed that when Singh realised that he was being followed, the defendant allegedly threw a liquid into the VC’s face and relieved him of his personal belongings.

A report was later made and the VC’s drinking buddy was charged for the robbery.

Objections to bail were made on the grounds that Calder was known to the court, since he has similar matters ongoing and was a flight risk.

The Chief Magistrate remanded Calder to prison and the case was scheduled to continue on April 14 at Mahdia Magistrate’s Courts.

L

indener Jermaine Jackson was on Wednesday sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after he was found guilty of the offence of causing death by dangerous driving.

The 24-year-old was found guilty for the 2018 road death of 25-year-old Intieaz Mohamed.

The sentence was handed down by Magistrate Dylon Bess at the Linden Magistrate’s Court.

Jackson, a miner of Lot 218 Wisroc Housing Scheme, had initially pleaded guilty to the offence but then changed his plea.

Mohamed, who was a labourer of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, was lying on the roadway at about 03:00h on December 16, 2018, when he was run over by a hire car, HC 8814, which was driven

ACCIDENT

by Jackson.

The court, during the trial, heard that Jackson told investigators at the time that he was blinded by the bright light of an oncoming vehicle. He noted that as a result, he drove over Mohamed who was lying at the side of the road. According to reports, Jackson had stopped for a while but drove away sometime later. The deceased was later picked up by an ambulance and tak-

en to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Jackson later turned himself in at the Wismar Police Station where he told investigators what transpired and was arrested and charged. A Post-Mortem Examination (PME) which was later conducted on the body of the deceased gave the cause of death as multiple crushing injuries consistent with a motor vehicular accident.

NEWS

15

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

18 maternal deaths recorded in 2019 G

uyana has recorded some 18 cases of maternal deaths during the course of 2019, according to Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud.

On the sidelines of a quarterly meeting of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO)funded Maternal and Child Health/Expanded Immunisation Programme on Wednesday, Persaud told reporters that they have recorded the death of a total of 26 pregnant women.

However, eight of these are indirect causes such as vehicular accidents.

According to the CMO, they are required to collect any death of a woman while

she is pregnant or 42 days after delivery but they are still analysing the data to classify those caused by the pregnancies.

Nevertheless, among the 18 cases of maternal deaths, five of them are teenagers, while one was a suicide case.

Dr Persaud noted that the Public Health Ministry in collaboration with PAHO has been working assiduously to address the major causes of maternal deaths in Guyana, which include bleeding and hypertension.

“Those still seem to be the main causes from the preliminary analysis. We’ve had quite a few ectopic pregnancies (complications from the embryo attaching outside the uterus) too that

came into the reporting system. When you look at them carefully, it highlights the need for more access to effective contraceptives, for example, because many persons sometimes are not aware that they are pregnant,” he explained.

To this end, he highlighted the need to enhance access to safe contraceptive measures.

“We’ve started the programme of implants as a form of contraception along with those usual contraceptives that we’re familiar with: condom, pills and other barrier methods. But we’re also looking at the use of implants and injections as a way to assist,” Dr Persaud added.

In March last year, the CMO had told Guyana Times that the country has failed to meet a number of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) including reducing the alarming rates of maternal deaths.

At the time, Guyana’s last mortality rate was standing at 229 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.

It was however explained that Guyana has been coordinating the compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals, as the Public Health Ministry has placed its focus on goal three, which is related to “Good health and well-being”.

In fact, back in November,

Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence had disclosed that a report published in September 2019 UNICEF, entitled Trends in Maternal Mortality, showed that there has been a reduc-

tion in the number of maternal deaths in Guyana.

“This report was steered

by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank. The trend showed that there was a global decline of maternal mortality by 38%. Our maternal mortality stands at 169 to 100,000, a marked reduction from the 229 to 100,000 published for the last few years,” Lawrence said during a similar meeting of the Maternal and Child Health/Expanded Immunisation Programme.

According to the Public Health Minister, Government is nevertheless still concerned about the number of maternal deaths occurring across the country.

UK to close door to non-English speakers and unskilled workers

B

ritain is to close its borders to unskilled workers and those who can’t speak English as part of a fundamental overhaul of immigration laws that will end the era of cheap EU labour in factories, warehouses, hotels and restaurants.

Unveiling its Australian-style points system on Wednesday, the government will say it is grasping a unique opportunity to take “full control” of British borders “for the first time in decades” and eliminate the “distortion” caused by EU freedom of movement.

But industry leaders immediately accused the government of an assault on the economy warning of “disastrous” consequences with job losses and closures in factories and the

high street.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats also condemned the plans while Unison, which represents health workers said they “spell absolute disaster for the care sector”.

However, ministers argue they are delivering the Brexit demanded by the electorate – and say it is time for businesses to wean themselves off cheap mi-

grant labour.

A 10-page briefing document outlining the new immigration policy states: 1) UK borders will be closed to non-skilled workers – and all migrants will have to speak English. 2) Anyone wanting to come to the UK to work must have a job offer with a salary threshold of £25,600 – though a salary “floor” of £20,480 will be acceptable in special cases

where there might have a skills shortage skills, such as in nursing. 3) There will be no route for self-employed people coming into the UK, spelling the end to, for example, Polish plumbers or Romanian builders arriving without a job. 4) Border control will no longer accept ID cards from countries such as France and Italy. This, it is understood, is an attempt to clamp down on non-EU workers beating the system with forged or stolen ID cards. 5)The skills threshold for foreign nationals wanting to work in the UK will be lowered from degree to A-levels or their equivalent. The cap on the numbers of skilled workers is being scrapped – and a small number of highly skilled workers will be allowed to come in without a

Police hunt gunmen after deadly shooting in Germany’s Hanau

A

t least eight people were killed in two shooting incidents late on Wednesday in the German city of Hanau, police said.

Police special units are chasing an unknown number of perpetrators, who fled the scene of the attack in the city of about 90,000 people east of Frankfurt.

According to local media reports, three people were killed in front of the first bar and five in front of the second.

Heavily armed police sealed off two streets in the city of Hanau, where ambulances had rushed, while a police helicopter hovered over the city.

Public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk earlier reported that the first shots were fired at a shisha bar in the city centre, with witnesses saying they had heard eight or nine shots.

The report said that the perpetrators then drove to

the western neighbourhood of Kesselstadt before they started shooting again at another shisha bar.

A third reported shooting in the northern neighbourhood of Lamboy was not confirmed, but a large police contingent was in the area, the DPA news agency reported.

According to a spokesman of the prosecutor’s office there were no casualties in the area.

Claus Kaminsky, the mayor of Hanau, said it was “an evening that you can hardly imagine being any worse.”

“It was a terrible evening, that will surely occupy us for a long, long time and stay with us in sad memories,” he said in comments he made to an online broadcast from Bild newspaper.

Kaminsky did not give any more details or shine any light on possible motives for the shootings.

Katja Leikert, a parlia-

mentarian for the Hanau constituency, wrote on social media that it was a “true horror scenario for us all.”

The motive for the shootings remain unclear.

Police have set up a hotline for members of the

public with information that could lead to the suspects.

Germany has had several violent attacks in recent years one of which killed 12 people in the heart of Berlin in December 2016.

(Al Jazeera)

news@guyanatimesgy.com

job. 6)The right of artists, entertainers, sports people and musicians to enter for performances, competitions and auditions will be retained. The government intends to launch a “comprehensive” campaign to prepare employers for the transformation in January next year when EU citizens will be treated the same as other nationals. However, the new policy drew immediate criticism from employers, particularly over the addition of waiters, waitresses and “elementary” agriculture and fishery workers to the list of lowskilled workers.

Industry leaders warned the changes would have a huge impact on food processing factories that rely heavily on EU workers to keep the supermarket shelves full with pre-

packed chicken, beef and pork cuts.

Tom Hadley, director of policy at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said: “Jobs the government considers ‘low-skilled’ are vital to wellbeing and business growth. The announcement threatens to shut out the people we need to provide services the public rely on.

“We need access to workers that can help us look after the elderly, build homes and keep the economy strong.”

UKHospitality chief executive, Kate Nicholls, said “ruling out a temporary, low-skilled route for migration in just 10 months’ time would be disastrous for the hospitality sector and the British people” and deter investment in the high street. (The Guardian)

16

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Regional

Convicted criminals are US imposes sanctions on among the special Police Russian oil firm over Venezuela Force terrorising Venezuela

S

ince President Nicolás Maduro founded the Special Action Force of Venezuela’s National Police two-and-a-half years ago, the squad has earned a fearsome reputation in poor neighbourhoods across Venezuela.

Officers in the force have been accused of torture and summary executions by human rights groups, opposition politicians and ordinary citizens. Last November, Reuters published an investigation into 20 killings by the force, known as the FAES, in which the official narratives of shootings as acts of self-defense were countered by eyewitness accounts, video evidence, death certificates, autopsy reports and other documentation.

The force has been linked to hundreds of deaths since its creation in 2017.

For all its notoriety, though, the FAES is highly

secretive, known for signature dark masks and black uniforms bearing skull insignias but no name tags.

Officers typically remain anonymous even after blood is shed.

Now, a court case involving the deaths of two men killed last March by the FAES reveals another little-known fact that Reuters is the first to publicly disclose: Some of the squad’s officers are convicted criminals.

According to hundreds of sealed documents submitted by prosecutors in the case, at least two officers accused of involvement in the killings served prison terms before they joined the FAES. The documents – which include autopsies, ballistic reports, officer testimony and personnel files – also show that at least three other members of the same FAES precinct who

aren’t being prosecuted over the deadly operation have criminal records of their own.

It is both illegal and against national police policy for criminals to belong to the FAES. A 2009 law bars Venezuelans with criminal convictions from working as police officers. FAES guidelines and recruitment documents, reviewed by Reuters, say officers should have no criminal record and be of “good moral character.”

José Domínguez, national commissioner of the FAES, in a brief exchange by text message told Reuters that members of the force go through “select processes” and “special training.” He didn’t respond to questions about the criminal records of some FAES officers or a request to discuss Reuters’ findings in person or by telephone.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Russia condemned the sanctions, saying they amounted to unfair competition [Photo by Sergei Karpukhin/ Reuters]

T

he United States has ramped up pressure on Venezuela by blacklisting a subsidiary of Russian state oil major Rosneft that President

T

gave it time to introduce new laws to tackle tax deficiencies. But it did not implement the "economic substance" reforms by the deadline as promised, the EU said.

Cayman Islands' Premier, Alden McLaughlin, said the government has approved many reforms sought by the EU and has already contacted the EU about the process of being removed from the blacklist.

The Cayman Islands is the first UK territory to be

added to the EU blacklist.

Blacklisted countries face difficulties accessing EU funding programmes, while European companies doing business in those jurisdictions have to take additional compliance measures.

The list, which the EU started in 2017 to put pressure on countries to crack down on tax havens and unfair competition, included 15 countries in 2018 but has shrunk. (Excerpt from BBC News)

undermine global free trade.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza called the US action "unilateral" and said Washington continued "attacking the Venezuelan people".

US officials accused the Rosneft subsidiary of propping up the Venezuelan oil sector and engaging in "tricks" and ship-to-ship transfers to actively evade American sanctions.

"I think this is a very significant step and I think you will see companies all over the world in the oil sector now move away from dealing with Rosneft Trading," Elliott Abrams, the US special representative for Venezuela, told reporters.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Jamaican PM misses Caricom meeting

EU puts Cayman Islands J on tax haven blacklist he European Union has added the Cayman Islands, a UK overseas territory, to its tax havens blacklist.

It joins Oman, Fiji and Vanuatu, which have also been accused of failing to crack down on tax abuse.

Oxfam, which lobbies for tax reform, said the EU's move was "encouraging" but many more places should be blacklisted.

As well as the Cayman Islands, additions this year include Panama, Palau and the Seychelles.

The EU said the Cayman Islands, which has no income tax, capital gains tax or corporation tax, does not have "appropriate measures" in place to prevent tax abuse, allowing firms to register there despite having minimal presence in the territory.

The jurisdiction was previously on a ''grey list'' that

Donald Trump's administration said provides a financial lifeline to President Nicolas Maduro's government.

The US Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Rosneft Trading SA, the Genevabased trading unit of Rosneft, as Washington targeted Moscow over its backing of Maduro's government.

The move further complicates already-fraught USRussian relations.

Russia condemned the sanctions, saying they amounted to unfair competition and would not deter Moscow from continuing to work with Venezuela.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said the move would further damage relations with Washington and

amaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness was absent when the Caribbean Community (Caricom) met on Wednesday in Bridgetown, the Barbados capital, for their 31st intersessional meeting.

There were suggestions that the Caricom meeting – the first time since a public tiff surrounding a visit to Jamaica by United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – could be overshadowed by that row, but it was not clear why Holness would not be attending.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, who led regional leaders who criticised the decision by Pompeo to hand-pick the Caricom States invited to attend the talks in Kingston, is chairing the Heads of Government meeting.

Holness, who hosted Pompeo last month, had downplayed the significance of only some Caricom members being invited to the talks.

Before the January 21 arrival of Pompeo, Mottley had argued that the meeting was an attempt to divide Caricom.

“As chairman of Caricom, it is impossible for me to agree that my foreign minister should attend a meeting with anyone to which members of Caricom are not invited,” declared Mottley – a position shared by Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley and Grenadian Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, among others.

But following a meeting with Pompeo, Holness told a media briefing that Jamaica did not want to see, and would not engage in any policy that would divide Caricom.

“Caricom is an important fraternity of countries.

But more than that it is the fraternity, and we want to keep it that way. In modern diplomatic relations, in the exercise of foreign policy, we all must respect the sovereignty of countries to de-

Andrew Holness

termine how they structure their foreign policy.

While the rift over Pompeo's Jamaica visit is not on the agenda it is certain to dominate the sidelines.

Officially Caricom heads are scheduled to deliberate on a regional approach to the coronavirus (Covid-19) as well as the continuing challenges posed by non-communicable diseases.

They are also expected to examine the status of implementation of provisions of the Caricom Single Market and Economy. (Excerpted from Jamaica Observer)

Canada proposes annual meeting Fátima Aldrighett: Mexico searches with Caribbean countries

for suspect in 7-year-old's murder

M

exican Police are searching for a woman who was seen on surveillance camera with a seven-year-old girl outside her school on the day she disappeared.

The video from 11 February is the last time the child, Fátima Aldrighett, is seen alive. Her body was found dumped with signs of abuse four days later.

Officials say the woman was identified thanks to a tip-off from her landlord.

She had fled her apart-

ment where Police found clothes belonging to the girl.

Fátima Aldrighett was waiting for her mother to pick her up outside her school in Mexico City when she disappeared.

Local media reported that her mother had been caught in traffic and was running late and that the girl had been left to wait outside the school on her own. The family reported her missing when she was not to be found.

Her body was found in a plastic bag in the city's

Tláhuac neighbourhood on Saturday.

Footage from surveillance cameras outside the school showed a woman walking away with girl on the day of her disappearance.

Police offered a reward of two million Mexican pesos ($108,000) for information which would lead them to the woman, believed to be between 42 and 45 years old, according to the prosecutor's office. (Excerpt from BBC News)

C

anada is proposing an annual meeting with Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders as the North American country moves to strengthen its relationship with the 15-member regional integration grouping.

A Trinidad and Tobago Government statement said that Canada's Foreign Minister, Francois-Phillippe Champagne, met with regional leaders at their inter-sessional summit that ends there on Wednesday.

According to the statement, Champagne, who is representing Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau who had to cancel his visit to the region at the last moment, “indicated that his country is taking steps to strengthen its relationship with Caricom (and) to this end Canada has proposed an annual meeting with the regional body”.

The statement said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in his response to Champagne, asked Canada to consider lifting its visa requirements for Trinidad and Tobago and by extension the region.

“Dr Rowley said both sides will be well served by the removal of this barrier

given Trinidad and Tobago's deep and historical connections with Canada,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Champagne told reporters that he had been making a case to regional leaders for Canada's support in its bid to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

“We have more than one million Canadians of Caribbean descent in Canada, we have more than two million Canadians who come here annually and we want to strengthen the relationship. (Excerpt from CMC)

guyanatimesgy.com

OILNEWS Oil up on slowing pace of coronavirus, Venezuela sanctions

O

il prices rose on Wednesday, with Brent gaining for a seventh straight day after a slowing of new coronavirus cases in China eased demand worries and supply was curtailed by a US move to cut more Venezuelan crude from the market.

Brent crude LCOc1 was up by 75 cents at $58.50 a barrel by 1003 GMT, while US oil CLc1 was up 66 cents at $52.71 a barrel.

China, the world’s second-largest economy, has imposed city lockdowns and travel restrictions to contain a virus that has now killed more than 2000 people, stoking concern over an economic slowdown and a hit to oil demand.

“Those in doubt of the economic impact from the virus should take heed from Apple’s (AAPL.O) surprise sales warning ... Put simply, this is the surest sign yet of the coronavirus fallout on the global economy,” said PVM analysts in a note.

S&P Global Ratings said it expected coronavirus would deliver a “short-term blow” to economic growth in China in the first quarter, echoing findings by the International Energy Agency.

Official data showed new cases in China fell for a second straight day, although the World Health Organization has cautioned there is not enough data to know if the epidemic is being contained.

Brent has risen nearly 10% since falling last week to its lowest this year.

The market structure is also showing signs of prompt demand for oil picking up, as the front-month Brent futures market is moving deeper back into backwardation LCOc1LCoc7, when near-term prices are higher than later-dated prices.

This week, oil prices were also buoyed by a US decision to blacklist a trading subsidiary of Russia’s Rosneft (ROSN.MM) which President Donald Trump’s administration said provided a financial lifeline to Venezuela’s Government.

Hopes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies will deepen supply cuts also supported prices.

The grouping, known as OPEC+, has been withholding supply to support prices and meets next month to decide a response to the downturn in demand resulting from the coronavirus epidemic.

But in the United States, which is not party to any supply cut agreements, crude oil production has been rising as shale output grows. US shale production is expected to rise to a record 9.2 million barrels a day next month, according to the Energy Information Administration. (Reuters)

Kuwait looks to nationalise all senior oil jobs by 2021

O

PEC producer Kuwait aims to have 100 per cent of the executive, technical, and supervisory jobs in its oil sector held by Kuwaiti nationals by early 2021, Middle East Monitor reports, quoting Kuwait’s Supreme Petroleum Council.

The decision is aimed at “preventing the appointment of expatriates for the sector’s main jobs,” a senior Kuwaiti energy official told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, as carried by Middle East Monitor.

Kuwait’s Government will also look to increase the number of domestic firms operating in contracts with stateheld firm Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) by 80 per cent, according to the official.

Kuwait will start to gradually carry out the plan for 100per cent Kuwaitis at top oil jobs in the second half of 2020, aiming to reach its goal before the start of the country’s next financial year in April 2021.

Nearly three years ago, Kuwait announced plans to increase its crude oil production capacity to 4.75 million bpd by 2040, compared to a current capacity of 3.15 million bpd.

This past Sunday, Kuwait’s Oil Minister Khaled al-Fadhel announced the start of trial production at the two fields that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait share and that hadn’t pumped oil in nearly five years due to a dispute between the neighbouring countries. Total production is expected to reach 550,000 bpd by the end of the year, al-Fadhel said. (Excerpt from Oil Price)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

17

Around the World

Julian Assange: Trump “offered pardon for Russia denial”

A

witness in Julian Assange’s extradition hearing will claim President Donald Trump offered the Wikileaks founder a pardon if he said Russia was not involved in leaking emails during the US election.

Assange’s barrister revealed the claim at Westminster Magistrates’ Court ahead of an extradition hearing next week.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled the witness’s evidence admissible.

The White House said the claim is “a complete fab-

Assange is facing extradition to the US on 18 charges over leaked diplomatic cables

rication and a total lie”.

Assange is facing extradition to the US on 18 charges over leaked diplomatic cables.

He faces up to 175 years in prison if found guilty.

His barrister, Edward Fitzgerald QC, told the court there was evidence alleging that former US Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher made the pardon offer.

Mr Rohrabacher visited the Ecuadorian embassy in August 2017, where Assange was staying, he said.

At the time, Russia was widely suspected of stealing

embarrassing Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails, which were published during the 2016 election by Wikileaks - although Mr Assange has denied this.

Mr Fitzgerald said a statement from Assange’s lawyer Jennifer Robinson shows “Mr Rohrabacher going to see Mr Assange and saying, on instructions from the President, he was offering a pardon or some other way out, if Mr Assange... said Russia had nothing to do with the DNC leaks.”

(Excerpt from BBC News)

2 die of coronavirus in Iran, 1st fatalities in Middle East

T

wo elderly people have died in Iran after testing positive for the new coronavirus, according to health officials.

The deaths on Wednesday were the outbreak’s first fatalities in the Middle East.

“Two elderly people have died due to coronavirus in the city of Qom, south of Tehran,” Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to Iran’s health minister, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday.

“The two victims had suffered acute lung infections due to their infection with the coronavirus,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman for Iran’s ministry of health, said the two

The new coronavirus epidemic has killed more than 2000 people in mainland China and infected more than 75,000

people had tested positive for the virus in preliminary results and died due to im-

mune deficiencies and old age.

There was no immediate

information about the gender and the exact age of the victims.

COVID-19, as the virus is officially known, was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December. It has since killed more than 2,000 people in mainland China and infected more than 75,000 globally. The two victims in Iran were the country’s first cases and only the seventh and eighth death caused by the virus outside mainland China.

Last month, the United Arab Emirates was the first country in the Middle East to report cases of the new coronavirus. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Togo election: Main observer group barred from monitoring T ogo’s national election commission has revoked a main independent observer group’s accreditation to monitor the country’s presidential election, just days before the vote is due to take place.

Long-standing President Faure Gnassingbe is widely expected to win Saturday’s election, extending his family’s decades-long rule after seeing off a wave of an-

ti-government protests in 2017 and 2018. In a letter dated February 17, the commission said it had cancelled the accreditation of the National Consultation of Civil Society of Togo to field their 500 observers nationwide, accusing it of “preparing to carry out interference” in the vote.

The move came after authorities previously blocked Catholic Church monitors

from observing the election, which government critics allege will not be free and fair.

As the electoral campaign is underway, Togolese have to decide whether to grant a fourth term for Gnassingbe. The incumbent 53-year-old leader took office in 2005 after the death of his father Eyadema Gnassingbe, who led the country for 38 years after

seizing power in a coup in 1967.

A series of major protests swept the country of some eight million people in 2017 and 2018 demanding that Gnassingbe leaves power.

However, demonstrations were choked by a fierce government crackdown and splits among the opposition, with Gnassingbe’s grip now appearing as solid as ever.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

China to take over HNA as coronavirus hits business— Bloomberg

C

hina plans to take over HNA Group Co and sell off its airline assets, as the coronavirus outbreak has hit the Chinese conglomerate’s ability to meet financial obligations, Bloomberg reported here on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Government of Hainan, the southern province where HNA is based,

is in talks to take control of the conglomerate, the report said. HNA directly controls or holds stakes in a number of local carriers, including its flagship Hainan Airlines (600221.

SS).

HNA did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Bloomberg report.

HNA Group was once one of China’s most aggres-

sive deal-making firms, spending $50 billion to build an empire that once spread from Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) to Hilton Worldwide (HLT.N).

It began unwinding those bets two years ago to shift the focus to its core airlines and tourism businesses, after drawing scrutiny from Beijing and other overseas regulators.

In December, its

Chairman Chen Feng said that the firm had faced cash flow shortages that forced it to delay some salary payments in 2019, but vowed to resolve its liquidity risks this year.

The company has in recent weeks come under pressure from the new coronavirus outbreak in China which has forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

PEANUTS

A co-worker or colleague will let you down. Leave nothing to chance or at the mercy of someone else’s discretion. Don’t let compliments go to your head or allow anyone to interfere with your efficiency.

Spend time with people who bring out the best in you. Sharing ideas, skills and experience will give you a sense of belonging, and good work relationships will develop.

LEO

Follow your heart and do what comes naturally.

Update your skills, image or long-term plans. A romantic gesture will change the dynamics of a relationship.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

Get involved in something that interests you.

What you learn will be helpful when you want to make a vocational move. An unexpected opportunity is heading your way.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

(July 23Aug. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Don’t expect anything in return for your efforts.

Offer only what you are comfortable giving to others. If you are too accommodating, someone will take advantage of you. Aim to please yourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Experience new surroundings, get to know people from different backgrounds and pursue knowledge that will revitalize your desire to pursue a lifelong goal. Youngsters and seniors will offer unexpected insight.

Spend less time with negative people and more time pursuing personal goals. A makeover will give you the boost you need to regain confidence and a larger perspective. Romance is encouraged.

Consistency will be required if you want to make an impression on someone.

Work in conjunction with others for best results. Add comfort and convenience to your living space.

Digest what’s going on SAGITTARIUS around you and be careful (Nov. 23who and what you believe.

Dec. 21) Spend less time socializing and more time at home relaxing and taking care of your personal needs.

LAST PUBLISHED WORD

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

An unusual opportunity will develop if you get in touch with someone from your past.

The way you make and handle money will change the way you live.

AQUARIUS

Reflect and consider your options before you respond to someone. Time is on your side.

Pay attention to detail and to the effects of your words or actions.

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

A change of attitude regarding your health and fitness will help you restore energy and enthusiasm, as well as improve your appearance. Work hard and be confident in your skills.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

19

Man City’s Ferran says FFP breaches “simply not true”

Ferran Soriano became Manchester City's chief executive in 2012

M

anchester City's "serious breaches" of UEFA's club licensing and financial fair play regulations are "simply not true", says chief executive Ferran Soriano.

On Friday, Premier League champions City were handed a two-year Champions League ban and fined 30 million euros (£25 million).

The decision is subject

to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"The fans can be sure of two things. The first one is that the allegations are false," said Soriano.

"And the second is that we will do everything that can be done to prove so."

The independent Adjudicatory Chamber of the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) said it had found City had broken the rules by "overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016", adding that the club "failed to cooperate in the investigation".

At the time, City said they

ATP round-up: Thiem fights off scare in Rio opener

T

op-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria overcame a second-set hiccup on Tuesday to win in the opening round of the claycourt Rio Open, downing Brazilian wild card Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in Rio de

minutes.

Second-seeded Dusan Lajovic of Serbia also needed three sets to move on, outlasting Italy’s Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1. Fifth-seeded Borna Coric of Croatia also advanced with a 7-6 (5), 7-5 victory over Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Londero.

Two seeded players fell. No 8 Casper Ruud of Norway lost 7-6 (4), 7-5 to Italian qualifier Gianluca Mager, and No 4 Guido Pella of Argentina dropped a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3) decision to Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro.

Delray Beach Open

Janeiro.

Thiem, ranked fourth in the world, needed 37 minutes to claim the opening set, but Rodrigues Alves, a 21-yearold ranked 341st, converted his only break-point opportunity of the match and hung on to win the second. Thiem took full control in the third, winning 26 of 38 total points and finishing the set in 31

Thirds e e d e d American Taylor Fritz tumbled in the opening round in Florida, as British qualifier Cameron Norrie beat him 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4.

Fritz had 13 aces against just two double faults while Norrie had six and eight, respectively, but Fritz was broken three times while managing to break Norrie’s serve only once.

In an up-and-down day for Americans, fourth-seeded Reilly Opelka survived

Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (4) while wild card Jack Sock rallied past No 8 Radu Albot of Moldova 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2).

Tommy Paul and qualifier Noah Rubin also advanced, but American lucky loser Stefan Kozlov fell.

The highest seed in action, No 2 Milos Raonic of Canada, breezed by Uzbekistani lucky loser Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-2.

Open 13 Provence

Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene upset fifth-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the opening round in Marseille, France.

Khachanov, the highest-seeded player without a first-round bye, broke Bedene’s serve in the first game of the match, but it was downhill from there.

Bedene forced a whopping 11 break points on Khachanov’s serve. While the Russian fought off nine, Bedene finally converted in the final game of the second and third sets, including his fourth match point to put it away.

The only other seed in action was No 8 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, who eased by French wild-card entrant Antoine Hoang 6-4, 6-1.

(Reuters)

were "disappointed but not surprised" by the "prejudicial" decision and would appeal.

In response to the allegations of overstating sponsorship revenues, Soriano – speaking in a video released by the club – said: "The owner has not put money in this club that has not been properly declared.

"We are a sustainable football club; we are profitable; we don't have debt; our accounts have been scrutinised many times, by auditors, by regulators, by investors, and this is perfectly clear."

He added that the club felt they were "considered guilty" for "every step of the way".

"We did cooperate with this process. We delivered a long list of documents and support that we believe is irrefutable evidence that the claims are not true," said the Spaniard.

"It was hard because we did this in the context of information being leaked to the media in the context of feeling that every step of the way, every engagement we had, we felt that we were considered guilty before anything was even discussed.

"At the end, this is an internal process that has been initiated and then prosecuted and then judged by this FFP [financial fair play]

chamber at UEFA." UEFA has declined to respond to Soriano's statement.

Man City hoping for “early resolution” UEFA launched an investigation after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents in November 2018 alleging City had inflated the value of a sponsorship deal, misleading European football's governing body.

Reports alleged City – who have always denied wrongdoing – deliberately misled UEFA so they could meet financial fair play rules requiring clubs to break even.

City, whose chairman is Khaldoon Al Mubarak, were fined £49 million in 2014 for a previous breach of regulations.

"We provided the evidence, but in the end this FFP Investigatory Chamber relied more on out-of-context stolen emails than all the other evidence we provided of what actually happened and I think it is normal that we feel like we feel," said Soriano.

"Ultimately, based on our experience and our perception, this seems to be less about justice and more about politics."

Soriano added the club was hoping for an "early resolution" through a "thorough process and a fair pro-

cess".

He added: "My best hope is that this will be finished before the beginning of the summer and until then for us, it is business as usual."

Guardiola and players “focused on football”

City Manager Pep Guardiola has told friends he intends to stay at the club despite the European ban, with his contract set to expire in 2021.

His contract does have a break clause at the end of this season and it was anticipated he would activate it should City fail to win their appeal, which they will be submitting to the Court for Arbitration in Sport in the next few days.

However, it is understood the 49-year-old has said he will not be doing that and remains committed to the club.

"Obviously, he has been kept informed about this process, but this is not something for him to respond to," said Soriano.

"He is focused on the football; he is focusing on the game, the game at hand, the game today, tomorrow and the next weeks’. As well as the players.

"They are calm, they are focused and this matter is more a business matter, a legal matter than a football matter."

20

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Courts 50-miler set to pedal off on Sunday T

he 23rd annual Courts 50-mile road race will pedal off on Sunday, February 23 in the Ancient County of Berbice from 09:00h.

The race will commence from the Courts branch in New Amsterdam and will proceed to Nand Persaud, Number 36 Village and return

on board for the past 22 years. An assistant manager of the furniture giant will start the race, which promises to be a cracking event.

This cycling race will mark the second of its kind in as many weeks in the Ancient County.

As cycling continues to break new barriers, the best of the best will come head to head.

Flashback! Top trio: Jamual John, Michael Anthony and Briton John

Courts Assistant Managers Shelon Amin and Inoz Murray making a presentation to Flying Ace Cycling Coach and organiser Randolph Roberts

for the finish at the point of origin.

Cyclists from across Guyana will be allowed to battle for supremacy and the first eight open cyclists will be awarded prizes, the first three juniors/juveniles and the first three veterans.

Additionally, eight sprint prizes will be up for grabs as the top wheelsmen gear up to transform the Berbice roadways into their playfield.

This race is organised by Flying Ace Cycling Coach Randolph Roberts, and Courts has been

Romello Crawford, who has made his return from overseas and recorded two wins in as many events, is expected to dominate. With the likes of Jamual John, Michael Anthony, Briton John, Christopher Griffith and other cyclists from outside of Berbice being welcomed, the race is expected to be one for the ages. Balram Narine, Ajay Goopilal, and Ralph Seenarine among others are expected to battle for supremacy.

Romello Crawford in the most recent race

Everest ready to compete in St Marteen Over-35 L tournament

Hamilton fastest as new 2020 cars unleashed in F1 testing

Everest Masters after arriving in St Marteen on Wednesday

M

asters have arrived in St Marteen full of confidence ahead of the Cricket Sint Marteen and the Guyanese Association Over-35 Twenty20 three-day tournament, which runs from February 21 to 23.

The team, who are led by businessman and longstanding Captain Rajesh Singh, includes former West Indies Under-19 batsman Hemraj Garbarran, former Guyana youth fast bowler Ucil Armstrong, Sahadeo Hardaiow, Basil Persaud, and Safraz Sheriffudeen and other seasoned campaigners in masters’ cricket.

The short tournament begins on Friday, February 21 with Everest Masters taking on hosts Sint Marteen at 14:00h in the only match of the opening day. On Saturday, there will be a double header with the Guyanese side taking on Anguilla at 10:00h followed by the Anguillans returning to battle the hosts at 14:00h.

The top two teams will meet in the final on Guyana’s Republic Day 2020, Sunday,

February 23 at 14:00h while the thirdplace team will take on a select youth side at 10:00h in an exhibition match. All games will be played at Carib Lumber Ball Park, the only First-Class venue in the constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Captain Singh said there was much hype about the tournament in and out of Sint Marteen and his players were equally pumped up. “We are here to compete and put on a good show. We are accustomed to playing against older players, but we are focused on our game and not age,” Singh stated.

The winning team will collect a trophy and US$1000 while the losing finalist will walk away with US$500.

Everest Masters: Rajesh Singh (Captain); Anwar Rahaman; Basil Persaud; Satyendra Khemraj; Sarfaz Sheriffudeen; Imtiaz Sadik; Ucil Armstrong; Harry Yenkana; Raymond Rambaran; Hemraj Garbarran; Ronald Jaisingh; Sahadeo Hardaiow; Robert Pereira and Hafeez Ali.

ewis Hamilton started his 2020 Formula 1 campaign with a powerful statement of intent as he topped the first day of pre-season testing in Spain.

Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas shared the driving for Mercedes and ended the day first and second fastest.

The world champion was 0.337 seconds quicker than Bottas, who headed Racing Point's Sergio Perez by 0.062 secs.

Hamilton's time was set on the 'hard' compound of tyre, whereas Bottas and Perez were on the faster 'medium'.

Bottas described the day as "a nice starting point" and said: "The car feels good."

Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who had two harmless spins at Turn 13, was fourth fastest at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona, ahead of Russian Daniil Kvyat in the Alpha Tauri – formerly known as Toro Rosso, the Red Bull junior outfit – and Carlos Sainz's McLaren was sixth.

The Dutchman said: "I touched once the gravel, that is why I spun. And once I lost it in the same corner. These things can happen trying to see the limits of the car, what you can do. Those things are part of it. Luckily no damage, which at the end of the day is the most important thing.

"It has been a good day; the car has been working really well, and the engine – that's all we want to see. For us it is the most important [thing], I'm very happy about that.

"It is your first time back in the car, so, of course, your neck is always going to be stiff."

Ferrari had a low-key day that started with an enforced driver change.

Four-time champion

Sebastian Vettel had been due to drive, but he had to withdraw because he was feeling unwell, and the German went back to the hotel to recover after taking part in an official F1 start-of-term photo with the other drivers.

Team-mate Charles Leclerc took over instead and ended the day only 11th fastest.

Whether deliberately or otherwise, Leclerc's initial notes after his first run in the car were captured on camera, and they said that he had experienced some understeer – lack of front grip – in the long-duration, low-speed corners on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

There was an encouraging start to the year for Williams, who are keen to bury memories of last season when they had the worst year in their history, with a car nearly 1.5 seconds slower than the next slowest on the grid.

The lap times were very fast, and there was some amazing reliability – there was not a single on-track failure leading to a red flag during the day, a remarkable feat for the first day of testing.

The final new cars appear

The start of the day was marked by the emergence of the final three cars not to have had an official launch in the run-up to the start of testing – the Alfa Romeo, Haas, and Racing Point.

The Racing Point turned the most heads for its similarity in many design aspects to last year's title-winning Mercedes.

Racing Point, who will be rebranded Aston Martin in 2021 following owner Lawrence Stroll's takeover of the sportscar company, has a technical partnership with Mercedes that includes buy-

ing the engine, gearbox and suspension from the champions and using their windtunnel.

And although the team are required by regulation to design their own aerodynamic surfaces, they have produced a car that looks in many areas a virtual facsimile of the Mercedes from 2019.

A positive start for Williams

Williams made an encouraging start to their season after the disappointments of 2019, when they were by far the slowest team.

This time last year, Williams did not even have a car ready for the first two and a half days of testing, a failure that ultimately led to the departure of their technical chief Paddy Lowe.

This time, their promising British driver George Russell was first out on track, an achievement Williams described as "cathartic", and he set the eighth fastest time.

Russell said: "It's feeling good. It's definitely an improvement on last year. It's difficult to get a read so far, but from within it feels nice to drive. Obviously, lap times are the important thing and we'll only know by the end of next week how that is.

"Last year was far from ideal and the team have done a really great job to achieve that and the build quality of the car is so much better standard compared to last year.

Things fit properly and the car looks better from a design perspective, so I think, overall, it's been a very positive morning.

"It was definitely a character-building year last year, and I'm confident we can go racing this year and have a bit more fun than last year, and that's what we are all hoping for." (BBC Sport)

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

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CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship (flyline)

Final 20-player rosters announced T

he final 20-player rosters have been submitted by the 20 participating Member Associations for the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship.

The 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship will take place between February 22 and March 8, 2020, in Santo Domingo and San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. The competition will kick off with a group stage involving 16 teams. After round-robin play, the top three finishers in each group will advance to the round of 16.

Knockout-round matches (round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final) will be played in a single-match elimination format, with the finalist joining FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup 2020 cohosts Costa Rica and Panama.

In accordance with the Competition Regulations, injury-related changes will be allowed

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to the final 20-player rosters for the group stage until 24 hours before each team’s first match. Any injury replacements must be approved by CONCACAF. The final 20-player rosters have been selected and submitted by each participating Member Association and are published as such. In order to be eligible to play in the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, all players are subject to and must fully comply with the criteria stipulated in the applicable FIFA player eligibility regulations.

In the previous edition of the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, played in Trinidad and Tobago in 2018, Mexico won their first title at this level, with a 4-2 win in penalties over the United States in the final.

The 2020 CONCACAF

Guyana’s female U-2

0 team in 2019

Women’s Under-20 Championship will continue with an exciting year of women’s football at CONCACAF. In total, more than 1400 girls and women from the entire region will compete in top-level football tournaments, including the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifiers, the Under-17 Championship and the Girls’ Under-15 Championship.

On Monday, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) re-

leased Guyana’s 20-member team comprising three local talents and 17 foreign-based players.

The junior Lady Jags have been grouped with Mexico, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico in Group D. Their group matches will be played on Sunday, February 23 against Nicaragua; Tuesday, February 25 against Puerto Rico and Thursday, February 27 against Mexico at 19:00h, 16:00h and 19:00h respectively.

“Hit It for 50” schools’ windball West Bank Masters cricket competition… (flyline) slaughter Parika Wins for Tucville, Masters Charlestown, Trojans

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Elroy Fernandes once again propelled his side to another win

A

few weeks ago, the West Bank Masters dominated a weak Belle Vue side in a masters’ matchup; this week, they have continued their winning streak after brushing aside the Parika Masters in a one-sided affair.

Parika Masters won the toss and elected to bat. They were bowled out for 129 in

20 overs. The Parika side were never in the game as they fell to a much superior side. They were never able to get partnerships going and picked the wrong deliveries to play their shots. They played a below-par game, the disciplined line and length bowled was too much for them as they were dismissed for a little more than a-run-a ball score. Top scoring were H Coulscel 25* (3 x 4 & 1 x 6), R Rambandu 22 (3 x 4) and Y Armstrong 20 (2 x 4). Bowling for West Bank Masters were Seecharran Persaud (4 overs 16 runs 4 wickets); Abid Haniff (4 overs 22 runs 2 wickets) and Seenarine Mathura (4 overs 22 runs 2 wickets).

In reply, West Bank Masters reached the target in 14.1 overs, only losing two wickets and winning the game by eight wickets with 5.5 overs remaining. Despite a few wickets falling early in the innings, they continued to play their natural game as Elroy Fernandes once again was among the runs, sending almost every delivery to the boundary. Fernandes was able to bludgeon a quick-fire 72 (5 x 4 & 7 x 6), and was ably supported by Mathura, who scored 15 (1 x 6), and Chabiraj Ramcharran, who made 15* (2 x 4's). Bowling for Parika Masters were Ajit (4 overs 30 runs 1 wicket) and R Rambarose (2.1 overs 24 runs 1 wicket).

among others

The UG Trojans women were in the winners’ row

Akalla Rampratop of Richard Ishmael made another halfcentury but this time in a losing effort

A

ction in the “Hit It for 50” schools’ windball cricket competition ongoing at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Homestretch Avenue continued over the weekend, with notable wins being recorded by Tucville, Charlestown and the UG Trojans among others in the male and female categories.

In the girls’ tourney, the first match saw Tucville Secondary facing off against Queenstown Secondary.

Tucville were able to post 120-2, as Raynetta Adams led with a match-win-

ning knock of 77. In reply, Queenstown Secondary could only make 80-3, with Keisha Rawlins top-scoring with 30. Adams then bagged 2-31.

Game two saw Soesdyke Secondary battling Richard Ishmael. Soesdyke were able to post an all-time high of 140-1. However, Richard Ishmael Secondary were never in the hunt as they could only make 76 -1, Akalla Rampratop topscored with 58.

The third and final game in the girls’ category saw the University of Guyana Trojans post a reasonable score of 72-0; this innings was led by Akeza Thompson with 34 runs.

Mae's Secondary never stood a

chance as they were pegged back by good bowling, to 113. Kerissa Christian was able to pick up two wickets.

In the boys’ category, Charlestown Government Secondary were able to post 85-5 as Sudin Kamal top- scored with 24. Javan Bishop bagged 2-18. In reply, Brickdam Secondary stumbled and fell short, posting 76-2, as Domaneeh Wills made a valiant 32.

The final match of the day saw The Business School blast an impressive 120-2 against St Joseph. Brandon Dhanraj was the leading scorer with 54. In reply, St Joseph could only post 1163 falling short by four runs.

Lorenzo Ragunandan was the top scorer with 68.

22

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Thomas pleased with performances at Republic Relay Festival

GOBSA President David Thomas

O

n Sunday, scores of Guyanese athletes turned up at the National Track and Field Facility, Leonora, West Bank Demerara to participate in the 50th Republic Relay Festival.

Hailing from seven of Guyana’s 10 regions, clubs like De Challengers, Police Progressive Youth Club (PPYC), New Amsterdam United, Mercury Fast Laners, Running Brave, and Hopetown Flames, as

well as those from Tutorial High School, Mackenzie High School, New Amsterdam High School, Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), all put on a good show of Guyana’s athletics fraternity.

Former athlete, avid athletics supporter, and President of the Guyana Overseas Based Sports Association (GOBSA), David Thomas is elated not only about Sunday’s turnout, but also the heat that was brought to the track by the local athletes.

“We have a great representation of Guyana’s talent here,” Thomas declared after revealing that some seven of Guyana’s administrative regions were represented at the Relay Festival.

The event organiser went on to state that he was pleased with the performances he witnessed during the action-packed festival.

“We’ve seen some keen competition and as it continues, we hope the competition increases. We’re working to see Guyana’s best and today demonstrates some of the talent that Guyana has, from all the regions,” Thomas said.

Touching on the remainder of the cal-

endar year in athletics, Thomas expressed hopes of better performances at GOBSA’s fifth Independence Track and Field meet slated for May, later this year.

“We’re also working, not for today but in May for the Independence Classic, and we’re expecting a greater turnout of athletes, more talents,” he noted.

Looking further down the line, David explained that it was good to see the local youth athletes churning out improved performances, especially with the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) preparing to host the 2021 CARIFTA track and field championships.

“We’re also preparing for the Junior CARIFTA Games and we’re expecting to see as the Games come closer, more and more athletes coming to form so that Guyana can be represented well,” he said.

When questioned about whether or not consideration has been given to make the Republic Relay Festival an annual calendar fixture, Thomas explained that the Minister with responsibility for sport would have to make that decision. The current Minister Dr George Norton seems open to the idea.

“If could, would try to anticipate him; I have a feeling that he would like this to be something that we can do on a regular basis and not just one time,” he stated.

At Sunday’s events, the GDF men and the Running Brave women lit up the track in the Open category as they swept the 4x100m and 4x200m in their respective divisions. In the youth categories (Under-20 and Under-16), the Police Progressive Youth Club (PPYC) were the standout team.

Rio All Stars, Sparta Boss keep it clean in President’s Cup

Home team McGill trounce Windsor Forest CC by 151 runs to book semis spot

T

he action continued in the West Demerara Cricket AssociationBeacon Café 50-over competition as Travis Persaud top-scored with 85 while spinners Abdul Razack and Kheshram Seyhodan spun webs around the Windsor Forest CC batsmen to book them a spot in the semi-finals.

McGill got their innings off to a good start with a 52-run opening partners h i p

Travis Persaud led from the front with a brilliant 85

between skipper Sudesh Persaud and Travis Persaud before Sudesh fell lbw to left-arm spinner Dindyal Guyadeen for 16 in the eighth over. Troy Persaud and Travis Persaud shared a 36-run partnership before Troy fell for 8 lbw to medium pacer Abdullah Wazidali in the 16th over at 88-2. Travis continued to pick up the odd boundary and rotated the strike nicely as he brought up his fifty in the 18th over. He put together a 72-run partnership with Seyhodan before he eventually fell for 85, caught at backward point off the bowling of Avinash Ganesh at 160-3 in the 27th over.

McGill lost Diquan Murray (01) via run-out and Azar Deen (00) lbw to Ganesh in quick succession leaving the score at 168-5 in 29 overs.

Daniel Basdeo and Seyhodan took the score to 184 before Seyhodan fell for 39 caught at longon off the bowling of Ganesh.

Basdeo and Prahalad Singh upped the scoring in the latter part of their innings, scoring 39 and 20 respectively.

McGill eventually ended their innings at 247 all-out in 39.5 overs.

Ganesh took 5-36 and Kishan Tracy

2-35 for Windsor.

WF CC started their innings nicely scoring at a run a ball in the first four overs of the game, but pacer Diquan Murray sent back opener Abdullah Wazidali (24) in the seventh over at 35-1. Murray then uprooted the stumps of Deoram Chanderbir the very next ball at 35-2. Kellon Tracy and Ganesh added some impetus to the innings as they added 42 to the score before Tracy (8) fell caught at long-on off the bowling of Razack at 72-3 in the 17th over. Seyhodan had Shafeek Deonarine (4) bowled in the 20th over at 84-4. Chris Nauth was run out at 91-5 in the 22nd over, leaving WF CC in a spot of bother.

Ganesh held the team's innings together, but eventually fell for 47, caught in the covers off the bowling of Basdeo in the 23rd over at 92-6. Seyhodan had Ansar Khan (1) bowled at 92-7 and then removed Kishan Tracy (1) caught at longon without an adjustment to the score in the 24th over. Razack then returned to pick up the scraps, removing Dindyal Guyadeen (01) and Vikash Dudnauth (00) lbw, bringing a close to the WF CC innings in the 26th over of the game as they were dismissed for 95. Bowling for McGill were Razack (3-6); Seyhodan (327) and Diquan Murray (221).

McGill move on to 26 points as they stand at the top of Group B, with WF CC on 24 points and Zeeburg SC on 24 points.

Complete Results

T

he President’s Cup futsal tournament got off to a rocket start on Tuesday night at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

The straight knockout action featured the usual suspects on the futsal scene and a number of ‘top teams’, namely Sparta Boss, Rio AllStars and Gold is Money.

In the first game of the night, Future Stars kept Quiet Storm very quiet as they registered a 2-0 victory. Sparta Boss, after looking bleak in the Magnum Mash Cup, returned with fresh vigor to thump Up-Top Bosses 4-0.

Even after a long trip, the Berbice All-Stars sipped victory when they came up against Melanie.

Berbice won by a 3-1 margin.

Albouystown and Showstoppers found them-

Game-1 Future Stars-2 vs Quiet Storm-0

Game-5 Swag Entertainment-2 vs Alexander Village-1

Game-2 Sparta Boss-4 vs UpTop-Bosses-0

Game-6 North East La Penitence-0 vs BV-0 North East La Penitence won 1-0 on penalty kicks

Game-3 Berbice All-Stars-3 vs Melanie-1 Game-4 Albouystown-1 vs Showstoppers-1 Showstoppers won 5-4 on sudden death penalty kicks selves locked in a 1-1 fix at the end of regulation time.

Heading to the penalty mark, Showstoppers stayed true to their name and shut down Albouystown’s show with a 5-4 victory.

Swag Entertainment later ousted Alexander Village following a narrow 2-1 win.

North East La Penitence and Beterverwagting’s meeting ended in a nil-all stalemate, making way for penalty kicks. North East barely grabbed victory with a 1-0 score. Rio All-Stars, who are preparing to compete in the Magnum Mash

Game-7 Rio All-Stars-3 vs Broad St-1 Game-8 Gold is Money-2 vs Smyth St-0 Cup final this Saturday, had a good warm-up as they brushed aside Broad Street 3-1.

In the final game of the night, Gold is Money humbled Smyth Street in a 2-0 encounter.

The quarter-finals of the President’s Cup tournament will see Swag Entertainment battling Future Stars while Gold is Money take on Berbice AllStars while Showstoppers will lock horns with Rio All-Stars and Sparta Boss will look to get the better of North East La Penitence.

23

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CWI/PCL 4-Day championships…

Jaguars in 2nd spot after half-way stage F

ive-time defending Regional 4-Day champions, Guyana Jaguars have been in unf a miliar territory in this season.

Jaguars are in second with 60.8 points at the half-way stage; in the five matches played this season, they have recorded two wins, suffered two defeats and had one drawn encounter.

Barbados Pride are leading the charts with 84.2 points while Jamaica Scorpions are in third position with 57.4 points. Despite Jaguars’ last encounter Leading wicket-taker Veerasammy (Brandon Corlette photos)

Chanderpaul is in third position in the runs count with 275 runs.

The solid opener has three half-centuries.

Chandrapaul H e m r a j has 247 runs while Anthony Bramble has exactly 200 runs.

In the bowling department, Veerasammy Permaul leads the entire Leading the Jaguars Christopher Barnwell

tally!

Caribbean with 30 wickets this season. He has a best this season of 6-50 at a stunning bowling average of 13.36. Tailing Permaul in the Jaguars’ hunt for wickets is Nial Smith. The impressive fast bowler has 19 wickets with two five-wicket hauls.

Keon Joseph has 12 while Raymon Reifer has nine scalps.

Bramble continues to lead the tally of dismissals by a wicket-keeper; he has 16 catches and three stumpings. Guyana will play their sixth match of the 10-match season February 27 to March 1 in Jamaica against the Scorpions.

With five rounds remaining, Jaguars will be looking to finish at the top of the table, overtaking Pride. (Brandon Corlette)

Team Guyana Jaguars

resulting in a draw, the batting was a huge plus. Christopher Barnwell and Leon Johnson recorded centuries, the first of the season after 10 half-centuries and four rounds played.

Leading the Jaguars’ batting charts is Christopher Barnwell, who is enjoying a fruitful period at the rePermaul gional level. Barnwell has an aggregate of 372

runs at 46.50 with a highscore of 107 to go along with his two fifties. Captain Johnson has 325 runs at an average of 46.42; with his highscore being a best of 189*.

Tagenarine

GCB/Dave West Indian Imports and Exports U-15 Inter-county…

Solomon confident of Berbice extending dominance

By Brandon Corlette

Kennard Memorial’s A Phagwah horse race meet confirmed

fter registering two wins in as many matches in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Dave West Indian Imports and Exports U-15 Inter-county, the Berbice Under-15 Coach Leslie Solomon is confident of his troops going all the way.

Berbice’s latest victory came against Demerara, where they recorded a 64run win.

The boys from the Ancient County will now meet Essequibo today, Thursday, February 20 at Lusignan. After Berbice’s

our strongest XI,” the Head Coach stated.

He further added that he was impressed with the overall teamwork. Solomon expressed positive sentiments on the depth of the batting; as was seen in the Demerara match, the team played an extra batsman, which proved to be significant. The confident and experienced coach also reminisced on the dominance Berbice had shown against Essequibo over the years.

Solomon directly recalled the match in 2013 at Enmore when Berbice U-15 bowled out Essequibo for 17. This current Berbice team is a

Action at the Kennard Memorial Boxing Day meet (Brandon Corlette photo)

T

he Kennard Memorial Turf Club will come alive on Sunday, March 29 when the club hosts its one-day Phagwah horse race meet.

Six events are slated on the cards, with the major event being the C & Lower one-mile race with the champion horse set to be awarded $600,000.

On the exciting day of racing, which will ride-off at the high-class Kennard Memorial Turf Club at Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, Berbice, the K Non-Winner & L-Open race will commence the day. The horses will run at 6 furlongs with the top horse set to bag $120,000. Entry to that race is $13,000.

The second event on the card is the H3- Winner of One Race and Guyana Bred Open category. This race will be seven furlongs in distance and the first-place prize is $250,000. Entry to that race is $30,000. The third event will be the L Non-Earners at the 5 Recognise track. This race will be five furlongs and the top horse will bag $100,000.

The fourth race listed on the cards is the J3 and Lower category. Horses will run 6 furlongs and the top horse will earn $160,000. Entry to this event is $18,000. In the threeyear-old Guyana Bred Open, the top horse that completes the seven furlongs will walk away with $250,000. The entry fee for this race will be $30,000 while the $600,000 feature event, the C & Lower will have an entry fee of $73,000.

Entries will be closed on Sunday, March 22. No late entry will be accepted. Among the sponsors on board are Metro Office and Computer Supplies, Torginal Paint Inc, Dalip Trading Limited, Silvie’s General Store, Poonai Pharmacy of Rose Hall Town, Rohan Auto Spares, Rohan Oudit, ANSA McAL and Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL).

Team Berbice U-15s (Brandon Corlette photos)

win on Tuesday last, Coach Solomon noted that the team have been performing credibly. “We made over 280 against President’s XI and we scored 140 on a turning and difficult pitch. We knew once the pacers had bowled their 10 overs, the spinners would have gotten the job done,” Solomon posited.

Being undefeated, Solomon signalled his intentions of exposing the players who have not made the final starting XI in the past rounds. “We will be looking to give them a chance against Essequibo and in the final, we will be back to

star-studded one with West Indies-16 player Rampertab Ramnauth leading the charge. Ramnauth has been in the runs with 96 in the first match followed by 27 in the second. His fellow opener, Avishkar Persaud has also recorded a half-century while Salim Khan, playing his second U-15 inter-county, has shown his all-round brilliance against Demerara.

Guyana U-15 spinner and Berbice Vice Captain Matthew Pottaya has also shown his experience in this tournament. Essequibo, after suffering two defeats, will be looking to up-

Berbice Coach Leslie Solomon

set the strong Berbice outfit when the match bowls off at Lusignan. Demerara will meet the President’s XI at GCC Bourda in the third round. The final round will be played on Saturday at GCC Bourda with the top two teams on the points table.

Essequibo Under-15 squad: Benny Persaud (Captain); Shazif Mohamed; Ragindra Ramblin; Bruce Vincent; Ijihad Kadir; Gladwin Henry; Mohandas Ali; Akeem John; Gulcharran Chulai; Tekeshwar Nankoo; Adesh Dass; Ramesh Seeram; Davendra Lall and Kehav Deonarine. Coach Anthony Adams and Manager Vickram Ramnarine.

Berbice Under-15 squad: Rampertab Ramnauth (Captain); Avishkar Persaud; Zadeem Larose; Sanjay Algoo; Rashaad Gafur; Nyron Hicks; Damion Cecil; Kevin Kisten; Salim Khan; Matthew Pottaya (Vice Captain); Kumar Deopersaud; Lyndon Simon; Aaron Craig and Shiv Harripersaud.

Manager Ameer Rahaman and Coach Leslie Solomon.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

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