Guyana Times Wednesday November 27, 2019

EBD Police stations fully equipped to respond – Commander P15

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

Issue No. 4120

THE BEACON OF TRUTH WEDNesday, november 27, 2019

Govt failed to monitor local content implementation, protect Guyanese interests …urges evaluation of oil & gas – GMSA concessions granted to foreign companies See story on page 3

Kosmos owner, cop killed in Liliendaal accident Ex-cop shot after pointing gun at Police

Dead: Dillon DeRamos

See story on page 13

Dead cop: Brian Eastman

See story on page 7

WHAT'S INSIDE: Electricity woes continue

Port Kaituma residents picket P12 power company

Speeding P11 truck crashes into Republic Bank’s fence

…Police seek public’s help to ID duo

Police swooping down on ex-cop Teon Allen, called “Spoil Child” and two others at Rahaman’s Park, Houston on Tuesday after the car ran into a fence in an attempt to evade law enforcement officers

‘Submarine’ found in Europe with over 6000 lbs of cocaine suspected to be made in Guyana

$80 vat included

Minibus driver, conductor caught on video endangering passengers' P12 lives

Page 9

GECOM to conduct probe as 60,000 unmatched fingerprints returned from overseas

PRICE

Page 9

P2 Bandit shoots, robs Essequibo Coast salesman

2 NEWS Bandit shoots, robs Essequibo Coast salesman A WEDNesday, november 27, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

40-year-old man was on Monday evening shot and robbed by a lone bandit on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam).

Karran Persaud, a

salesman attached to the Takoor Persaud Hardware and General Store at Zorg, Essequibo Coast, was shot to his right-side hip at about 20:30h.

Persaud, of Perseverance Estate, is the nephew of the

store’s proprietor.

Reports are he had already locked up the store and was on his way to give the businessman cash from the day’s sales.

This newspaper was told that as he exited his vehicle,

Persaud was attacked by the lone bandit, who escaped with the undisclosed amount of cash.

A .38 spent shell was found at the scene.

An investigation has been launched.

The Takoor Persaud Hardware Store

GTT conducts 1st Christmas blood drive

GTT CEO, Justin Nedd at the Christmas Blood Drive

“T

he demand for blood in hospitals is always high and as a company, we thought this would be a great way to show we care, by being selfless and giving to this cause. Loss of life should not be caused by a deficiency in blood supply”.

This is according to the Coordinator at GTT, Diana Gittens, during the telephone giant’s first internal Christmas blood drive – in collaboration with The National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS) — which was hosted at its Lot 79 Brickdam, Georgetown location.

“We at GTT will help to ensure this is never the case by committing to donations at least twice a year,” Gittens said.

The Coordinator said she hoped that GTT’s Christmas blood drive encourages other companies and the public to save a life by organising similar events.

Donor Supervisor at the National Blood Bank, Tonza YoungeBamfield, lauded GTT for exercising its civic duty in organising the event.

“I am happy with the turnout because we need healthy donors to give blood. In the future, we hope we can part-

ner twice or thrice per year with GTT to receive more blood,” YoungeBamfield said.

She indicated that persons interested in donating blood can do so at the National Blood Bank on East & Lamaha Streets—GPHC, Suddie Hospital, West Demerara Regional Hospital, New Amsterdam and Linden hospitals.

The NBTS is calling on all of Guyana to support its work to acquire 100 per cent voluntary donation.

In order to become a voluntary donor, an individual must be at least 17 years or older, in generally good health, free from any blood-borne disease and weigh at least 110 pounds.

For further enquiries on voluntary blood donation, persons can call 223-7182, 225-4972, 669-8776 OR 644-9590.

According to the National Blood Bank, persons can donate a unit of blood once every 56 days.

In January 2019 NBTS was in dire need of blood to satisfy the ever-growing demand for this “lifesaving” product.

It was highlighted that the demand for blood is high at that particular time of the year and the blood bank is short of all blood groups.

news

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WEDNesday, november 27, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Wednesday, November 27 – 05:00h – 06:30h and Thursday, November 28 – 05:00h – 06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, November 27 – 16:45h – 18:15h and Thursday, November 28 – 05:15h – 06:45h.

Govt failed to monitor local content implementation, protect Guyanese interests – GMSA

…urges evaluation of oil & gas concessions granted to foreign companies

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

WEATHER TODAY Cloudy conditions with light rain showers are expected. There will be partly cloudy skies and late showers at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 04:40h and 16:50h reaching maximum heights of 2.70 metres and 2.82 metres.

Low Tide: 10:25h and 22:51h reaching minimum heights of 0.55 metre and 0.40 metre.

GMSA President Clinton Williams

T

he Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) has called out the Government for its inaction and failure to adequately police the oil and gas sector, even as locals continue to be disadvantaged in favour of foreign companies.

According to the GMSA, local content legislation that is enforceable and

President David Granger

comes,” it said on Tuesday.

This, according to the GMSA, should be done through “capacity building, institutional strengthening via strategic policy intervention to promote domestic economic linkages, creation of employment and the participation of local Small and Medium-scaled Enterprises (SMEs) in the value chain through the supply of goods

The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association

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

clearly defined is necessary.

GMSA noted that such legislation must allow for the creation of local jobs, knowledge transfers, skills training, capacity building and internationally-accredited certification.

“The GMSA strongly recommends that the objective of Local Content Policy should revolve around definitive short-term benefits of natural resource extraction into long-term local economic development out-

and services to the sector”.

It added that in order to ensure that the Local Content Policy actually

works, it was recommended that the Government look at Local Content Policies and legislation in other jurisdictions such as Ghana.

Following a deluge of complaints and reports that foreign companies are using concessions from the Government agencies to displace local competition, GMSA urged the Government to examine the situation and if necessary, make the same concessions available to locals.

“We are strongly of the

view that a critical evaluation should be undertaken of all foreign-based companies that have been provided with concessions by the Government. We urge the Government of Guyana to do so in order to ascertain whether there exists any Guyanese company that has been and/or will be disadvantaged as it relates to unfair competition, particularly within our Manufacturing and Services Sectors and beyond”. turn to page 7

4

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, november 27, 2019

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

Women economic empowerment

A

ccording to the United Nations, investing in women’s economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication, and inclusive economic growth. Women make enormous contributions to economies, whether in businesses, on farms, as entrepreneurs or employees, or by doing unpaid care work at home. But, according to the UN, women also remain disproportionately affected by poverty, discrimination and exploitation. Gender discrimination means women often end up in insecure, lowwage jobs, and constitute a small minority of those in senior positions. It curtails access to economic assets such as land and loans. It also limits participation in shaping economic and social policies.

Here in Guyana, there has always been much talk by policy makers and political parties about creating opportunities for women’s empowerment. There have indeed been some steps taken to ensure that women are better off, but by and large, most would agree that there is still a far way to go — both in terms of policy-making and actual implementation of programmes to ensure that women have full access to resources and opportunities that would enable them to develop themselves.

For example, our single-parent mothers have, over the years, found it very difficult to make ends meet. Many of them have found themselves in a position where they work from month to month and there seems to be no end to the financial hardships they experience. In some cases, they lack the necessary skills and qualifications required to get suitable, well-paid jobs so that they can earn enough to provide for themselves and their children.

For some who would like to venture out into establishing their own small business, etc, the strict criteria set by banks and other lending institutions makes it difficult to access the necessary loans. There are a few institutions which give grants and other forms of support, but they are on a limited scale and most of them are Georgetown-based, making it a bit difficult for rural women to have easy access.

The previous administration had recognised that singleparent women are a vulnerable group and had created several mechanisms for them to be lifted out of poverty and elevate themselves so that they would be better off. For example, the then PPP Government had collaborated with the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) to introduce the Women of Worth (WOW) project. Under this programme, single-parent women could have access to as much as $250,000 to start up a business or expand an already established business. This facility was of tremendous help to women as they were able to establish their own small business and, hence, some of them were able to improve their financial situations. In addition, they were able to build their self-esteem and learn new business skills.

The WOW programme was in addition to other initiatives which were implemented towards improving the living conditions of women across the country. For example, in 2008, a national exercise was carried out in order to finalise a Single Parent Register, which the authorities had used to provide financial and other forms of support to single parents, most of them being women. Hundreds of single parents were registered and benefitted from different forms of assistance— including technical and vocational training.

There is need for more similar programmes to be replicated in communities across Guyana. Such initiatives cannot be oneoff, they must be year-round and carried out with the support of the private sector and other community and civil society groups.

Regarding the upcoming elections, voters – especially females— should closely examine the policies and programmes of the various political parties to see which one of them offers the most attractive ‘package’ in terms of women’s economic empowerment; meaning better paid jobs, better access to and control over resources, and greater security, including protection from domestic and other forms of violence.

Many international commitments support women’s economic empowerment, including the Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and a series of International Labour Organisation conventions on gender equality.

Whichever government is in power, therefore, has an obligation to ensure that policies are designed and implemented geared towards ensuring the economic and social advancement of women all across Guyana.

A shepherd leads a flock of sheep on a pontoon bridge in Allahabad, India (AFP photo)

The same PNC rigging modus operandi Dear Editor, The more I witness the PNC’s modus operandi since the illegal and unilateral appointment of Patterson as the GECOM Chairman, the more I am convinced that, once again, the rigging machinery is being reactivated. But what is revealing is that the PNC is using most of the same techniques which it used in 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 general elections as well as the 1978 Referendum.

To begin with, in 1967, Burnham used funds from the CIA to register Guyanese at home and abroad and identification cards were issued to all Guyanese above the age of 10. All Guyanese of African ancestry (not necessarily Guyanese) in the UK, Canada and the US were registered in order to get their absentee votes. The electoral list was massively padded. The Haitians are now a replacement. It must be recalled that in 1967, the PNC-UF coalition was disintegrating, therefore, the rigging machinery must be put in motion to take full control over the Government. This is what the current PNC is doing since they know that the AFC will not bring any tangible number of votes to the table. Holding on to the AFC is just a façade to justify their rigging.

Then, the PNC took full control over the Elections Commission and directed and supervised the registration of voters. The same method is now being applied. They hired Shoup Registration Systems and they drew up a rigged voters’ list which was made up of thousands of underage voters. These became part of the National Register and became ‘legitimate’ vot-

ers. In addition, overseas voters were used to pad the list. Just like what is happening now, the Elections Commission had no control over the electoral process which was directed and controlled by the PNC. The PNC gained 6 seats from overseas voting alone. What was alarming is that from 1964 to 1968, the voters’ list increased by 21% but from 1953 to 1964 — a period of 11 years — it had increased by only 19%! It was noted that in the PPP support areas, the increase was just 6-10%, but in the PNC areas, the increase was up to 189%! It was evident then, as it is today, that the Chief Elections Officer was carrying out the bidding of the PNC. The fictitious overseas voters’ list was alarming as it was fraudulent. It was reported by the Associated Press that, “two horses were grazing where Lily and Olga Barton should have been… and where Gladys Porter should have lived, there had been a railway since 1874”. A hanged man also voted! The PNC ‘won’ 55.8 % of the votes and the PPP was given 36.5%.

In July 1973, the PNC continued on its journey of electoral fraud. Again, it appointed partisan officials in charge of the election machinery and there was heavy registration in the PNC strongholds and low activities in the PPP areas.

We have heard reports of perceived PPP supporters’ homes being bypassed by the GECOM enumerators in the last HtH Registration.

In addition, despite a failed motion to include 18-yearolds on the voters’ list, the PNC still included them (the voting age was 21 years). All the opposition

parties were alarmed over the irregularities in the registration exercises and they requested the Chairman of the Commission, Sir Donald Jackson, to take action to ensure “impartiality, fairness, and compliance with the provisions of the Constitution”. It is unbelievable that Sir Jackson admitted that he had no control over the preparation of the electoral lists.

Imagine that after more than 50 years, the opposition party is still asking the same from the GECOM Chairperson, Justice Claudette Singh, and is being denied! Alas, she must also admit that she has no control over GECOM. The actor may have changed but the game of the PNC is the same! In that infamous 1973 elections, the PNC rigged itself to a two-third majority ‘win’ with 37 seats.

Then came the massively rigged 1978 Referendum which was engineered to postpone the general elections due and to amend the Constitution to abolish all future referendums and that any constitutional change must be supported by a two-thirds majority.

Again, the PNC padded the list heavily, even though the political parties raised numerous objections. At that time, the UNDP projected the total voters in Guyana at 535,335 but the PNC submitted a voters’ list with 609,522 names. Can you imagine that the population of Guyana at that time was 780,000? This Referendum was boycotted and observers placed the voters’ turnout at 14% but the PNC claimed that 71.45% voted and that they ‘won’ 97.7%.

And to add insult to injury, the Caricom congratulated Burnham!

In 1980, the PNC’s rigging machinery had reached the height of perfection and shamelessness.

On December 15, 1980, the PNC ‘gifted’ itself 78% of the votes. Again, the Chief Elections Officer ensured that the PNC got the desired results. There was a large number of bogus names on the list, multiple registrations, and the deletion of legitimate voters. In Region 8 alone, 6000 names were deleted and those whose names had minor errors were not allowed to vote since the Claims and Objections period was limited and the PPP was given just 3 days to check 512,500 names! The ‘cat and mouse’ game between the CEO and the Elections Commission was perfected and is in operation today!

The December 9 elections in 1985 attested to this perfection of the PNC’s rigging machinery! The electoral authority was divided between the PNC, the Commission and the Chief Elections Officer who were taking directives from the Home Affairs Minister, other than the Elections Commission. In this case, during the registration process, no opposition scrutineers worked alongside the GECOM enumerators. This is exactly what happened during the recent Houseto-House Registration! No scrutineers from the PPP were present, they were not invited. Moreover, the Minister ordered that the date of birth of persons between the ages of 18-25 must not be placed on the Preliminary List of voters so that padding will go undetected. The supplementary lists were used for more padding. continued on page 5

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, november 27, 2019

5

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

The legacy versus the betrayal of Walter Rodney

Dear Editor, I commend Dr David Hinds for his excellent writing about The Walter Rodney Legacy. Dr Hinds resurfaced memories, history, and salience of a great Guyanese hero whose life was snuffed away while still in his prime. (I prefer not to be polemical as to whether he was assassinated or killed or murdered; or whether it was misadventure as some like to obliquely and indecently imply).

It is apropos to remind all of us – the old but especially the young – as Hinds pointed out, of this valiant fighter for bread and justice and democracy. This name of Walter Rodney must never be blotted out or erased, as is being attempted in some quarters. I make the bold presumption that a generation of young Guyanese do not know of Walter Rodney because there was/is deliberate or benign obscuran-

tism to cover up or blur and revise a part of Guyana’s history.

David Hinds was there and so was I, and my memories are still vivid. (I have a tidbit about Rodney, which I will share some other time – non-political – which makes it personal).

The WPA of which David Hinds appears to be the most prominent and prolific spokesperson has been dealt a deathblow after Rodney was killed ingloriously by “sharper steel”.

WPA personage of stature – Rupert Roopnarine, Joshua Ramsammy (deceased), Eusi Kwayana, Moses Bhagwan, Clive Thomas, Andaiye (deceased), Joycelyn Dow, Tacuma Ogunseye, Kenneth Persaud (deceased), Rohit Kanhai, Wazir Mohamed, Omawale, and others in the periphery, and thousands of the grassroots, (and Moses Nagamootoo who shared many podiums with Rodney) – must be recognised for

Monies to take PM, entourage to Lethem could have been better utilised Dear Editor, I saw in the November 24 Guyana Chronicle, an article about Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo visiting Lethem to commission a roadway. While I know that the elections season has started and the Government will seek to trumpet its achievements, it seems absurd, to me at least, that you would have the Prime Minister and other senior Government officials going just to open a roadway.

Certainly, I wondered that they must have been other suitable officials who could have declared the roadway open. It must have been an immense cost for the Prime Minister and his entourage to journey to Lethem.

Most definitely, those monies could have been better utilised for something more meaningful.

But then, alas, it dawned

on me, the Prime Minister probably had nothing much else to do. The few responsibilities he has had became even lessened now since the Parliament has been locked up. I have heard that he likes an audience and with hardly anyone wanting to hear from him, he has to journey all the way to Lethem to get a few people to meet and speak to.

I guess the Prime Minister is having his last hurrah of sorts. His days are numbered as his colleague and friend, Khemraj, is waiting in the wings to put him out to pasture.

I remember not too long ago he was lustily singing he ain’t weary yet. What an ignoble curtain call for Guyana’s least-worked Prime Minister.

Yours sincerely, Alicia Doobay

The same PNC...

We are now hearing about the ‘supplementary’ list again. In addition, the presiding officers were known PNC activists. And to cream it off, new regulations allowed persons to vote at places other than the places where they were registered. This election was the most massively-rigged and the PNC gave itself 77.6% of the votes and the PPP given 15.6%. They reversed the outcome since by that time the PNC has lost sup-

from page 4

port heavily even in its own strongholds. Again, Caricom congratulated the PNC! In conclusion, I do hope that the Guyanese populace is not lulled into inertia and complacency. We must realise that we are dealing with the worse version of the PNC and rigging is the only way it can remain in Government come March 2, 2020.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

their fearless role in the struggle for freedom and justice.

A pervading fear subsequently gripped the land – fear for the physical safety of self and family – fear that commanded silence and/or behavioural complicity; fear that infected the mindset of most or all of those in the hierarchy of the WPA. I, myself, experienced this visceral distress, and this became the push factor for me to leave my homeland.

David Hinds is an honourable man. He is never afraid of repartees. He claims to be a “Rodneyite” and I believe him but this is where I respectfully depart.

What I find troubling is the obvious duplicitous stance that he and other WPA public figures have taken in recent years.

Recently, Tacuma Ogunseye and Eusi Kwayana have written defensively in response to Gail Teixeira’s critical analysis of

Hinds’ article. Others have since written about Walter Rodney. I particularly like Peeping Tom’s contribution.

However, Tacuma Ogunseye and Eusi Kwayana did not address the “betrayal”; they rambled about other disparate tangential matters, thus, clouding and sidestepping the pertinent question of betrayal. But the truth is imperative and must be addressed. As I said, I was there, and now I am upset and angry because of current attempts to confabulate the issue as others have done before. Have these WPA figures undergone intellectual diapause or cerebral menopause? No, it is all well-measured!

The professed leaders of the WPA (except perhaps Wazir Mohamed, Moses Bhagwan and Rohit Kanhai) have disgraced the stature of Walter Rodney.

They went to bed with the PNC during the formation of APNU with poorly dis-

guised rationale. The marriage was not truly consummated. They “aided and abetted” (that the best way I can say it) the abortion of the Cheltenham Commission of Inquiry, consciously acceding to moral impotence. Many have found solace in the bosom of official positions for rewarding comforts. The big question is why. Why the dishonourable somersault and metamorphosis? Why negate history? Why the disavowal of your comrade?

Martin Carter is so fitting: “The mouth is muzzled by the food it eats to live”. But it is more than that…. Is it also an atavistic regression of the “mattey” praxis? Is it also for security within the new ACDA? Note that David Hinds coincidentally espoused Pan-Africanism.

To me, those (including Eusi, whom I have great respect despite difference in ideological stance) who are now reacting to the pub-

lic condemnation of their paralytic dithering are trying to justify, trying to save face, or trying to be relevant.

Faustian bargaining to me.

Hypocrisy to say the least.

Betrayal in my opinion.

Those of us who pontificate and think of ourselves as pillars of virtue and mortality have an ethical duty to be responsible and to demonstrate in deed and action what we profess. “It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do”. Thus, we should endeavour to do what is right, not what is easy, convenient and expedient, nor being disloyal and traitorous. Do I sound angry? You bet I am.

I end with Walter’s prescient words: “For a small nation, Guyana has produced a discouragingly large number of lackeys and stooges who hide in the shadow...”

Dear Editor, As we approach another year-end season, a time usually filled with joy and happiness and one where we seek to celebrate with our friends and families, it is disheartening to recognise that a few more sugar workers will join the ranks of the unemployed. In a matter of days, 12 workers who were retained to operate the power plant of Wales Estate will no longer have a job as GuySuCo has decided to bring an end to this operation. They were among the lucky few who were retained by the Sugar Corporation at that location.

They now join the thousands of their colleagues who really have nothing much to celebrate and who really cannot afford to celebrate.

Today, for the ex-workers of Wales, East Demerara, Rose Hall and Skeldon, they have been forgotten by

the powers-that-be. It was, therefore, for us, most interesting to see Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, according to a November 19, DPI report, in relation to the Troy Resources situation being quoted to say: “[t]his is not the time of the year that we should see workers going home, they have homes, its Christmas”.

We agree with Mr Trotman. But we wonder where were his and his colleagues’ concerns when over a thousand workers, now nearly three years ago, were sent home from Wales Estate during the height of the year-end season. Similarly, wasn’t he concerned when the Government approved the sending home of nearly six thousand workers from Skeldon, Rose Hall and East Demerara during the 2017 Christmas season. We remember the front page of the

December 7, 2017, Stabroek News. The paper had printed boldly “Skeldon reeling after GuySuCo dismissals” and at the bottom there was a picture of President Granger bottle-feeding elephants in Nairobi, Kenya, completely disconnected from the travesty in Guyana.

While we are saddened about the situation facing the Troy workers as it is a situation we are too familiar with, at the same time, we ask Mr Trotman, didn’t the sugar workers have homes too? Don’t they and

their families also deserve the joys and treats the season brings? What made it right for them to not only go home but stay home at this time of the year? Certainly, Mr Trotman had the ability to avoid the situation, but it appeared that he really didn’t care. This is yet another demonstration of the Government’s double standard!

Yours truly, Dr G Girdhari New York City

Another demonstration of Govt’s double standard!

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine General Secretary, GAWU

6

wednesday, november 27, 2019

Page

T

Continued from Tuesday

est anxiety can be a real problem if you’re so stressed out over a test that you can’t get past the nervousness to focus on the

test questions and do your best work. Feeling ready to meet the challenge, though, can keep test anxiety at a manageable level.

Use a little stress to your advantage

Stress is your body’s warning mechanism – it’s a signal that helps you prepare for something important that’s about to happen.

So use it to your advantage.

Instead of reacting to the stress by dreading, complaining, or fretting about the test with friends, take an active approach. Let stress remind you to study well in advance of a test.

Chances are, you’ll keep your stress from spinning out of control. After all, nobody ever feels stressed out by thoughts that they might do well on a test.

Ask for help

Although a little test anxiety can be a good

Foundation

thing, an overdose of it is another story. If sitting for a test gets you so stressed out that your mind goes blank and causes you to miss answers

that you know, then your level of test anxiety probably needs some attention.

Your teacher, a school guidance counselor, or a tutor can be good people to talk to test anxiety gets to be too much to handle

Be prepared

Some students think that going to class is all it should take to learn

and do well on tests. But there’s much more to learning than just hoping to soak up everything in class. That’s why good study habits and skills are so important – and why no amount of cramming or studying the night before a test can take the place of the deeper level of learning that happens over time with good study skills.

Many students find that their test anxiety eases when they start to study better or more regularly.

It makes sense – the more you know the material, the more confident you’ll feel.

Having confidence going into a test means you expect to do well. When you expect to do well, you’ll be able to relax into a test after the normal first-moment jitters pass.

Watch what you’re thinking

If expecting to do well on a test can help you relax, what about if you expect you won’t do well?

Watch out for any nega-

tive messages you might be sending yourself about the test. They can contribute to your anxiety.

If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts (“I’m never any good at taking tests” or “It’s going to be terrible if I do badly on this test”), replace them with positive messages.

Not unrealistic positive messages, of course, but ones that are practical and true, such as “I’ve studied hard and I know the material, so I’m ready to do the best I can.”

Accept mistakes

Another thing you can do is to learn to keep mistakes in perspective – especially if you’re a perfectionist or you tend to be hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, and you may have even heard teachers or coaches refer to mistakes as “learning opportunities”. Learning to tolerate small failures and mistakes – like that one problem you got wrong in the math pop quiz – is a valuable skill.

Take care of yourself

It can help to learn ways to calm yourself down and relax when you’re tense or anxious. For some people, this might mean learning a simple breathing exercise. Practising breathing exercises regularly (when you’re not stressed out) helps your body see these exercises as a signal to relax. (Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

By Dr Jane Genovese

Y

ou can work so hard to learn large quantities of information for an exam, but if you don’t prepare yourself mentally and physically before that exam, all that hard work can sadly go to waste.

When it comes time to take your major exams, you have to relate to yourself as a top class athlete. You need to eat the right foods, have the right mental attitude and let your body rest when it needs to leading up to your exams. These simple things can make all the difference to your mental clarity and performance.

You may be thinking “But isn’t this common sense?” but common sense isn’t so common these days.

All the time I see university students drinking energy drinks like water, getting very little sleep and eating highly processed junk food whilst cramming for their exams. I have to admit, I’ve also done this myself and I don’t recommend it. It’s a recipe for disaster or at best, mediocre grades and a stressful, miserable time.

Here are my top 10 tips for taking exams so you don’t burn yourself out:

Get a good night’s sleep

Studies have found that if you stay awake for 21 hours straight, you have the mental capacity of someone who is legally drunk (in terms of your ability to concentrate, memorise and recall information, etc).

You can’t afford to stay awake all night studying for an exam. Why? Because you won’t be able to effectively recall information for the exam. It’s as simple as that!

Make sure you get at least eight hours of quality sleep a night.

Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, every day

I make myself to go to the gym for 45 minutes to one hour each day during my exam period, but 30 minutes of walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, etc, will be enough.

Often students stop exercising when it comes exam time because they begin to think that they don’t have enough time (“I must spend every moment studying!”). Big mistake.

Exercise helps us study more effectively for various reasons. Firstly, it’s a great way to relieve stress and anxiety.

Secondly, it gets blood flowing to your brain (supplying oxygen, antioxidant and glucose) which can help you to think more clearly.

Think of daily exercise as being an investment in your final marks.

Drink plenty of water

Often when we can’t think clearly, it’s because our brains need to be hydrated. While studying and taking your exams, make sure you take regular sips of water.

Remember, your teachers want you to do well

Years ago, I started thinking that my teachers and lecturers were out to get me and would mark me down wherever they got the chance. As a result of this thinking, I became too scared to write anything in one of my first tests at law school!

After receiving my terrible mark, my brother said this to me: “Remember sis, your teachers want you to do well. They will try to give you marks wherever they can. It’s in their interest to do so.”

Don’t worry about writing a perfect answer. If you’re unsure, still write it down (even if it’s in dot points). You may not get any marks for it, but they won’t take marks off. Just remember, your teachers really are on your side (despite all evidence to the contrary).

Focus on what you do know rather than what you don’t know

Chances are there will always be something that you could have studied more thoroughly or don’t know so well come the day of the exam. By that stage, you can’t do much about that, so is there any point worrying about it?

You are better off focusing on the fact that you now know so much more than you did before and you’ll be able to answer many questions in the exam. (Excerpt from learningfundamentals.com)

7 GECOM to conduct probe as 60,000 unmatched fingerprints returned from overseas NEWS

WEDNesday, november 27, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

…over 17,000 registrants from H2H Registration found to be duplicates

GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj

T

he Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM) will be doing an internal investigation after data returned from cross-matching over-

seas was unable to match some 60,000 names recorded during the halted Houseto-House Registration.

This was revealed at the conclusion of a statutory meeting on Tuesday.

Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj said that these 60,000 persons are not necessarily new registrants since initial investigations found that a significant portion is already on the National Register of Registrants (NRR).

“Based on the cross-matching information that we have received, the number of forms that did not attract a hit from the cross-matching number is about 60,000. On the face of it, one would want to

Govt failed to...

Local manufacturers, the GMSA said, continue to face the hardship of being unable to enjoy the same benefits as foreigners entering into the country primarily to maximise the benefits associated with the new oil and gas industry. For this reason, the GMSA would like the emphasis to be placed on the need to derive more benefits from Guyana’s natural resources.

The association explained that robust mechanisms must be in place to monitor local content development, though it acknowledged the role being played by the Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD). GMSA noted, however, that there has been no serious monitoring of the sector to date.

“To date, we have observed that there are no dedicated monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and/or institutions empowered with regulatory authority and autonomy to ensure the implementation of Local Content Policy in Guyana. As such, the GMSA believes that an independent commission should be an obvious body to remedy this anomaly”.

In this context, GMSA supports the formation of a local content commission to ensure that the intended goals are achieved and for necessary policy adjustments to be made if and when these become necessary.

Originally scheduled for 2020, the projected start of first oil production for Exxon and its partners has been

GECOM Chair Retired Justice Claudette Singh

assume that those are new persons,” he said.

“However, the Chief Elections Officer has indicated to us that the Secretariat went through a

from page 3

moved up to next month.

A Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel has already arrived in Guyana’s waters, with Dutch firm SBM Offshore constructing a second one for offshore Guyana.

The only piece of oil-related legislature that has been made official is the Natural Resources Fund Act. Everything else has been in development.

Safeguards like a Local Content Policy is still not in place to give guidance on local content for Guyanese.

When the second draft of the Local Content Policy was released, the policy itself admitted that it does not deal with mid and downstream oil and gas initiatives but rather, the direct, upstream parts of the sector.

process where they looked at that cross-matching report and they have found more than 17,000 who were presumed to be new, to be already on the database”.

Asked whether GECOM Chair Retired Justice Claudette Singh has called for a vote on the matter, Gunraj noted that in the first place, there is no clarity about the data itself, so there could be no vote on how to use the data.

However, he explained that GECOM has since contacted the service provider for clarity on the information. Asked if this could delay the already-delayed process for General and Regional Elections, he was unable to say.

“We have taken a decision to contact the service provider of the fingerprint cross-matching. But that is where we are. We don’t know if it was a mistake of the company. We don’t know what the position is, so we’re waiting on clarity on the way forward”.

“At this point, there has been no indication to us about the possibility of a delay. But a resolution of this in a timely manner will help in the smoothness of the process,” Gunraj further explained to the media.

Meanwhile, Government-

nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander noted that GECOM’s investigation is likely to take a week.

It has been weeks that GECOM has been unable to reach a consensus on what it will eventually do with this data. Last week’s statutory meeting had ended with Gunraj also revealing that they were unable to reach a consensus on the usage of the House-to-House

fact, the only party that scrutinised the enumerators during the exercise was the ruling party, as the PPP was not invited to participate.

In fact, the parliamentary opposition has long contended that merging the data would corrupt the entire database, citing the manner in which the data was collected. On the other hand, the Government-

It has been weeks that GECOM has been unable to decide on how it will use the House-to-House Registration data

data – a process which was halted since August 31.

The inconclusive nature of the meeting was even though the Chairperson had promised that a decision would be made. Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, himself, had also met with the Chairperson on Tuesday last, where issues regarding this data were discussed.

When H2H started this year, it was without the input of the Opposition. In

nominated Commissioners have advocated for the inclusion of the data.

A decision was taken recently by GECOM to post the House-to-House data at its registration office for persons to inspect and then use as a reference to make changes to the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE). At the time, the Opposition was opposed to this decision since the H2H data was likely to be inaccurate.

8 NEWS

WEDNesday, november 27, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Mason jailed for robbing minibus passengers

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mason who admitted to robbing several passengers on a Route 47 (Back Road, East and West Ruimveldt route) minibus was on Tuesday jailed for six months when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Alfred Taylor admitted to Magistrate Leron Daly that on June 27, 2019 at Stabroek Market, he robbed Keith James of a Samsung cellular phone, a silver band, and cash which were valued a total of $116,000.

He also admitted that on the same date and location, he robbed Akash Persaud of a Samsung cellular phone valued

Alfred Taylor

$37,000.

The prosecution contended that the 23-year-old of Lot 7 Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara (WBD), boarded the minibus in which the Virtual Complainants (VC) were passengers.

However, several minutes later, he began lashing the VCs and demanded that they handed over their belongings. He then rushed out of the minibus and made his escape. The VCs then raised an alarm and public-spirited persons gave chase. Taylor was caught and handed over to the Police.

The stolen items were found in his possession.

D’Urban St resident charged for narco-trafficking

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D’Urban Street, Georgetown resident was on Monday charged and placed before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for the offences of trafficking a quantity of cocaine and marijuana.

Kevin Abrams appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann

McLennan and denied the charges which stated that on November 25, at St Ignatius, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo), he had in his possession 46.1 grams of marijuana and 3.4 grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Police Prosecutor Gordon

Mansfield told the court that on November 25 about 00:30h, ranks from the Lethem Police Station were on patrol duty when they saw the 21-year-old man. A search was then carried out on his person and a quantity of leaves and stems and a whitish substance were

found in his pants pocket.

Abrams was released on $60,000 bail. As a condition for his bail, he is required to report to the Lethem Police Station every Friday until the conclusion of his trial.

The case will continue at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court on December 30, 2019.

Blunders…

Y

…in local content our Eyewitness has seen the future…and it ain’t nice. For us Guyanese, that is. Last week, he forgot that the GIPEX oil and gas event organised

by Raphael Trotman’s daughter was going on, so he ambled over to the Marriott to grab a quick bite for lunch. And as he entered – or TRIED to enter – the restaurant, for the first time in his life, he felt he was a stranger in a strange land. The place was overrun with foreigners…all speaking in tongues, but with an air and a swagger that insisted they owned the place!!

Eventually, my friends – an eclectic bunch of Guyanese – and I were shoehorned into one of the longer tables at which a French-sounding couple were finishing up their lunch. In our hearing, the fella said to the lady as he looked over to us like specimens in a zoo, “Vell, zey do get together sometimes, I see!” It’s clear that they had been briefed about our divisions and would obviously be exploiting the same for their own gain. Your Eyewitness would be informed late in the press, that of the 250 companies that showed up to find out what exactly could be raped in the country, only 50 were local Guyanese companies!!

And even that number sounded inflated from what was on display. It’s like the announcement by one oil company of Guyanese being “half” of their employees: would’ve been better to say which “half” they were!!

Sure the hewers of wood and the hauliers of water should be counted, but that’s not all that we should be, would you say?? So exactly what is going on here, with OUR oil, where we’ve supposedly HIRED the oil companies to simply provide the expertise to extract the oil since everything they provide – from a bolt to the million-barrel FPSO’s – we’re paying for??

What is going on is the PNC Government hasn’t only given away the store when they had Raphael Trotman negotiate that oil contract but by still not having a Local Content Policy legislated, we’re losing the “husk” and the corn!! Everyone knew that we had no experience in oil…but we also know that other countries that suddenly discovered the black gold, legislated that all foreign companies that wanted to get a piece of the action had to work with locals… even as “fronts”. This Government is fully aware of the argument about “affirmative action” to ensure Guyanese aren’t expected to run this oil race when they don’t even have “spike” shoes!!

To do so would not only doom us to remain mired in poverty till the end of never but convince us that it is our fault that this is so!! We’re an inferior breed. …foreign The PNC likes to extoll the “brilliance” of Forbes Burnham in the foreign policy area during his dictatorship between 1968 and 1985. But if you dissect his initiatives in that arena, it was always about Burnham rather than Guyana. Was this “brilliance” or megalomania?? Take his initiative on West Indian unity. He was willing to support the British proposal of a WI Federation – even though he knew structurally and institutionally we were being given a basket to fetch water. All he was interested in was to become the “first Prime Minister” of that body!!

Ditto for his efforts on Carifta and Caricom. These were simply vehicles to give him a bigger platform to strut on the world stage as he craved. If he was serious about being an alternative to the “communist” Cheddi Jagan, why did he tack leftwards with his cooperative socialist experiment?? Did that bring any benefit to Guyana – as opposed to, say, Eric Williams’ centrist position even though the latter had employed a Marxist analysis in his “Capitalism” and Slavery”??

And Granger’s going down the same road! …on the voters’ list GECOM’s saying the voters’ list will be ready by the end of the year. How can they even suggest this when they haven’t made a decision on the H2H data??

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

9 Ex-cop shot after pointing gun at Police E news

WEDNesday, november 27, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

x-cop Teon Allen, called “Spoil Child”’, was shot by the Police after he whipped out a firearm and pointed it towards the ranks as they were closing in on him and others at Rahaman’s Park, Houston on Tuesday.

This newspaper was told that based on information, Police began trailing the car in which Allen and two other men were travelling. This eventually led to a chase and the car crashed into a fence at Rahaman’s Park.

Allen’s companions – another ex-Police Officer, Jason Gonsalves, of William Street, Kitty, Georgetown, and a third person identified as Shaquille

Police confronted the men at Rahaman’s Park, Houston on Tuesday

‘Submarine’ found in Europe with over 6000lbs of cocaine suspected to be made in Guyana …local law enforcement officials engaged

G

uyanese law enforcement authorities have been contacted by the Spanish Police about a submarine that was discovered carrying thousands of tonnes of cocaine located off the coast of Aldan, in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain.

It is believed that this vessel was made in Guyana but that the massive quantity of cocaine was shipped out of Colombia, with Europe as its destination.

According to a senior law enforcement source, the Spanish authorities are still conducting investigations into the matter as they are working on re-floating the submarine to help determine how much cocaine is stored inside of it.

“They are not sure of the exact amount or weight of the cocaine there so they are estimating the weight based on averaging the weight of that submarine and the capacity it has. However, they have confirmed that it is cocaine inside of the vessel. They said when they are done with their preliminary report they will forward to us and let us know and then we have to do our part such as investigate etc,” the source said.

The source added that even if the submarine’s origin traces back to Guyana, it would have had to be a vessel that was made decades ago.

However, he emphasised that the cocaine, according to various reports, originated from Colombia and not

A map displaying the location of the submerged submarine, which reportedly contains over 6000 pounds of cocaine, believed to have come from Colombia

Guyana.

According to a Spanish news agency, El Pais, their law enforcement officials have seized more than 6000 pounds of cocaine from what is believed to be the first-ever “narco-submarine” caught trying to enter European waters.

The 65-foot vessel, which in itself is estimated to cost €2.5 million to build, was tracked down on Sunday off the coast of Pontevedra, according to El Pais.

Investigators are now hoping to crane-lift the sub onto the dock at the Port of Aldán so that they can get inside more easily, an official from the Government’s office in the Province said Tuesday.

The Spanish authorities said that this was the first time a submarine had been found to be used in drug trafficking in that country – and that they had been monitoring the vessel’s movements in recent days in coordination with international

Police.

The submarine is believed to have departed from Colombia, according to El Pais. Following its capture, two Ecuadoreans on board were taken into custody but a third person that escaped remains on the lam, the newspaper added. turn to page 14

George— who had been in Allen’s car at the time of the incident, were also arrested.

This newspaper was told that a 9mm pistol was found inside of the driver’s side of the motorcar in question.

The suspects are all in Police custody and an investigation has been launched into the matter.

Allen is no stranger to law enforcement as he has been before the court on numerous occasions for several matters.

Earlier this month, two men had been slapped with a joint charge that was instituted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) after being charged separately for the attempted murder of Allen.

The two accused, 23-yearold Renard Caesar and 22-yearold Lashawn Lewis, were read the new charge which stated that while being in the company of others on October 5, 2019, at La Penitence Market, Georgetown, they discharged several rounds at Allen, with intent to commit murder.

According to the prosecution’s case, Allen was at the East La Penitence Market making a purchase when the accused, along with others, exited a car and opened fire in his direction.

Allen returned fire, injur-

ing Lewis in the process. This resulted in the men retreating.

The matter was reported to the Police and a wanted bulletin was subsequently issued for the duo.

Additionally, on September 19, Allen was charged for discharging a firearm with intent to commit murder and appeared at the Linden Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Wonda Fortune.

Allen was charged for the offence after video footage surfaced showing him carrying out the act.

However, the former cop contended that he was not the person in the video and submitted a video – which showed him at another location at the time of the incident— as an alibi.

Allen was released on $50,000 bail.

Furthermore, Police had issued a wanted bulletin for him and he had turned himself in. It is alleged that he discharged a loaded firearm at Denise Grant and Tiffany McDeth, in Amelia’s Ward, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), on September 2, 2019.

In late September, the cousin of Allen, Ian Williams, was shot to death by “gang members” while he was at Lovers’ Lane, South Amelia’s Ward, Mackenzie, Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) with his girlfriend.

It was reported that on September 28 at about 20:30h, the alleged gang members of a Cayenne-based Guyanese group allegedly opened fire on a car in the vicinity of Lovers’ Lane, South Amelia’s Ward, Linden. Williams and Melita Antigua were the only two occupants.

Ex-Cop Teon “Spoil Child”

Allen,

called

Williams received several gunshot wounds about his body and died on the spot while Antigua was rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex.

It was further reported that the car belonged to the nowdead man’s cousin, Teon Allen, who was the suspected target.

Meanwhile, Allen’s car was reportedly torched by a bystander who witnessed the ordeal with the women. The act was suspected to be carried out by members of a Cayennebased Guyanese gang.

In August 2017, Allen was charged with harbouring wanted men Mark Royden Williams and Uree Varswyck – who had escaped from the Camp Street Prison on July 9, 2017.

Also in January 2017, Allen was charged along with three others for possession of an AK-47, along with matching ammunition. The men were arrested during a Police raid at a John Street, Campbellville, Georgetown house. Allen was also previously charged for a number of other offences including robbery under arms.

10 NEWS

WEDNesday, november 27, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ferry Stelling drug bust

Mother of 2 remanded on ganja trafficking charge A young mother who was allegedly caught with 4.544 kilograms (over 10 lbs) of cannabis at the Bartica Ferry Stelling, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) was on Tuesday remanded to prison.

Kamini Devi, a vendor, appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus and denied the charge which stated that on November 24 at First Avenue, Bartica, she had in her possession 4544 grams of cannabis for the purpose of

trafficking.

The 24-year-old woman was represented by Attorneyat-Law Stanley Moore, who, in a bail application, told the court that his client had no knowledge of the drug. He added that his client was a

single mother of two and the breadwinner for her family.

The prosecution is contending that Police ranks were on patrol at the Ferry Stelling about 12:50h when they intercepted Devi. According to the prosecution, Devi was about to disembark a boat when anoth-

er female passenger reminded her to pick up the box which she had when she entered the boat. However, Devi denied ownership of the box and the two women engaged in a heated argument. This caught the attention of ranks who then intervened and escorted the

woman, along with the box, to the Bartica Police Station.

At the Station, the box was opened and the ganja was found.

Devi was remanded to prison, and the case was scheduled to continue on November 28, 2019.

Vendor charged for wounding friend

A

fish vendor who admitted to stabbing his friend during a drinking spree was slapped with a wounding charge and appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday.

Davindra Kumar, of Lot 144 School Street, Albouystown, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann

McLennan and admitted to the charge which stated that on November 11, 2019 at Regent Street, Georgetown, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Terrence Forde.

Police Prosecutor Simeon Brown informed the court that the men were imbibing at Regent Street, when a heated argument ensued.

According to the Prosecutor,

Kumar then pulled out a knife from his waistband and stabbed the Virtual Complainant to his chest.

Forde was rushed to a city hospital where he was treated, and a report was made to the Police.

Chief Magistrate McLennan released Kumar on $70,000 bail. The case will continue today.

tion’s case, the two men, who are known to each other, were with others imbibing, when the victim left and went to sleep in a hammock a short distance away. However, Abrams reportedly armed himself with a bottle and dealt the man two lashes to his knees, while accusing him of stealing several items. The argument escalated between the two men, which resulted in Lowe arming himself with a knife stabbing the victim several times.

He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

In court on Tuesday, the Prosecutor objected to bail since the injuries were life-threatening. The Prosecutor also informed the court that the injuries led to the victim’s left arm being amputated. However, Lowe managed to escape and was recently arrested. He was remanded and the case will continue on December 11.

Dumpsite row ends in 1 facing attempted murder charge

A

row over stolen items at the Eccles dumpsite has led to a 34-year-old man being slapped with an attempted murder charge.

Ryan Lowe, of Eccles Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday. It is alleged that on November 23, 2016, he wounded Leroy Cummings with intent to commit murder.

According to the prosecu-

NEws

11

WEDNesday, november 27, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Speeding truck crashes into Republic Bank’s fence

S

peeding along the East Coast Demerara (ECD) roadway has landed one man in the lockups after he lost control of a lorry and crashed into the fence at the Republic Bank’s Triumph, ECD location on Tuesday.

Reports are the incident occurred at about 01:00h, leaving four nursing wounds from the various injuries sustained.

Speaking with Guyana Times Traffic Chief Superintendent Linden Isles said that the injured persons suffered minor injuries and were taken to the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital for medical attention.

Meanwhile, the 27-yearold truck driver is in Police custody and is expected to be charged for dangerous driving.

The Traffic Chief explained that the driver was not driving under the influence of alcohol, as the breathalyser test conducted showed no trace of alcohol.

He added that with respect to the expenses to repair the bank’s fence depends on the type of insurance the driver has, as well as the Court’s decision if the matter is taken there by the bank.

Recently, the Traffic Chief had noted that statistics obtained by the Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) from January 1 to November 10 of this year reveal that there has been a four per cent decrease in accidents and a six per cent decrease in deaths related to accidents comparative to the

Two of the four injured occupants that were inside of the truck when it crashed into the fence

same period in 2018.

Isles had also explained that between 2017 to 2019 thus far, there have been over 34,000 vehicles registered in the country with

2017 recording 10, 697, 2018 registering 12,321 and up to November of this year, there were 11,614 also registered.

Earlier this month, he

The truck that slammed into the Triumph, East Coast Demerara, Republic Bank Branch’s fence in the wee hours of Tuesday morning

pointed out that this means that there are many more drivers on the roadways and one issue that has resulted in a majority of the

fatal accidents in the country is that a number of drivers continue to operate their vehicles while they are intoxicated.

3 weeks later

Teen finds decomposed remains Teen slapped with attempted of friend at Hague home murder of Cane Grove man

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ineteen-year-old Jermain Holder, a labourer of Virginia Village, Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara, was on Tuesday slapped with an attempted murder charge after he brutally assaulted a 22-year-old at a wedding some three weeks ago.

The victim, Hansraj “Kevin” Durga, has been left paralysed after suffering a fractured skull, shoulder, and internal bleeding, making him unable to walk.

After legal advice was sought, the teen appeared before Magistrate Marissa Mittelhozer at the Mahaica Magistrate’s Court.

Holder was released on $100,000 bail and the case will continue on December 17.

This newspaper on Monday reported that Durga was at the wedding when an argument ensued between his cous-

Injured: Hansraj “Kevin” Durga

in and some individuals.

However, as he tried to stop the inevitable fight, the three men turned their attention to him and began the brutal attack, with glass bottles and other objects.

He was found lying at the scene in a pool of blood and was immediately taken to the Mahaicony Hospital and later,

the Georgetown Public Hospital owing to the complicated injuries sustained. He spent nine days at the medical institution and was then discharged.

After his diagnosis, doctors have decided that he will have to undergo extensive physiotherapy.

The first session is expected to begin today.

teenager received the shock of his life when he decided to visit his friend’s Hague, West Coast Demerara (WCD) residence early Tuesday morning after not hearing from him for a while, only to discover his decomposed remains inside the bottom flat of the two-storeyed house.

Dead is 54-year-old Eric Ghansham, called “Cook Soup”, who is said to have been the only occupant of the home. This newspaper was told that the dead man repaired bicycles.

When contacted, Police Commander of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Assistant Police Commissioner, Simon McBean, said that the 19-year-old lad made the gruesome discovery at about 07:30h on Tuesday after he began to worry about not hearing from his friend for a lengthy period.

Commander McBean explained that the youth told investigators that he had not received any form of communication from the now-dead man for over a week and as such, the teen decided to visit.

“He said he went over there to check in on him this morning (Tuesday) to make sure everything was alright. But when he got to the man’s home and went inside of the yard, it was at the lower flat of the 2 storeyed-home that he found Ghansham’s remains. There were no

visible marks of violence when the Police arrived but bear in mind that the man’s body was already in a decomposed state,” the Commander said. He added that Police ranks did not notice anything amiss at the deceased’s residence as there were no signs to suggest that the man was engaged in a struggle.

“But we have to await the Post-Mortem Examination before we pronounce on the matter.

As it is, investigations into this matter are in full swing”.

12 news

WEDNesday, november 27, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Minibus driver, conductor caught on Electricity woes continue video endangering passengers’ lives Port Kaituma residents …Police seek public’s help to ID duo picket power company

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olice are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a minibus driver and conductor who were caught on video endangering the lives of their passengers.

On Tuesday, a video posted on social media that went viral showed a minibus conductor opening the door of a moving vehicle and dancing while placing his body outside, gripping only the outer part of the doorway. In the process of this unflattering behaviour, passengers were seen cheering him on.

Meanwhile, the driver of the bus was later seen opening the door of his driver’s seat, dancing and putting both his legs outside of the moving vehicle in the process of holding on to the staring wheel.

Speaking with Guyana Times, Traffic Chief Linden Isles stated that the names of the driver, bus conductor, and a number of the bus are yet to be identified.

However, he is calling on the public to help with the identification of these men so that they can face strict penalties.

“From the video, you see two persons but I don’t have that information to say which is the bus, I don’t have such information. I think if

The driver’s legs outside of the bus while he was driving

Conductor of the moving bus with his body outside the vehicle

persons know which route the bus normally operates, they can identify the identification mark of the bus.

They can inform us so that we can take some action.

But presently, we don’t have the route of the bus or the driver of the bus,” he said.

President of the United Minibus Union (UMU), Eon Andrews said that based on the Terms of Reference and Code of Conduct that is enforced by the Police, the men were committing an offence.

“What is very concerning is that the commuters were cheering them on, obviously too, the music that was being played there was lewd

music, and I would like to believe that those persons were mostly the younger generation,” he explained.

Just recently, the Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) reported that from January 1 to April 2019, there was a 20.8 per cent increase in fatal accidents and an almost 20 per cent increase in road deaths related to accidents.

Traffic Chief, Superintendent Linden Isles pointed out last week that the majority of the fatal accidents occurred as a result of driving under the influence of alcohol.

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Residents protesting the prolonged power outage in Port Kaituma

ith no electricity for the past month and its restoration uncertain, residents of Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini) have resorted to picketing the Port Kaituma Power and Light Inc (PKPL) for answers.

Guyana Times was told that about a month ago, PKPL’s main generator experienced a mechanical failure causing the engine’s head to be completely damaged. It was sent out on an aircraft for repairs, but to date, no updates have been given on where this was done.

Since then, the company has been silent on the matter even as residents express frustration over the situation. As a result of this, affected villagers and the

business community have joined forces to protest and demand answers.

The picketing exercise started on Monday and according to Regional Democratic Council (RDC) member Shem Cuffy, who spoke to this publication on Tuesday, there has still been no response from the company over the situation.

The RDC Councillor added that residents are now being forced to pay unusual prices for fuel and transportation. In addition, the operations of the Port Kaituma hospital’s mortuary have been hindered.

This is evident as residents would have to purchase ice, which is also costly, to preserve the bodies of deceased family members.

“Some persons would’ve

become unscrupulous in the sense that they sell gasoline, but because of the increased demand now for gasoline, we would’ve seen the price of gasoline skyrocket, almost tripling over the past several weeks …. and that now would’ve caused an increase in services such as transportation …. In terms of the mortuary which usually needs PKPL power that’s not operational. So, when you have any deceased as was the case couple weeks ago when those two persons died tragically, those bodies had to be placed in a box and the families had to buy ice,” he explained.

Residents are, therefore, calling on Central Government to address the matter with the power company.

news

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WEDNesday, november 27, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Kosmos owner, cop killed in Liliendaal accident

Dead: Superintendent of Police, Brian Eastman

Dead: Owner of Kosmos, Dillon DeRamos

he owner of the popular nightspot, Kosmos Bar and Grill, along with his Senior Police Officer friend, are now dead following a horrific accident at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Dead are Superintendent of Police, Brian Eastman, of Norton Street, Georgetown, and Dillon DeRamos, of Providence on the East Bank

and numerous fatal accidents have happened there over the years.

Details surrounding the accident remained sketchy up until press time as the Police are still investigating the incident. However, information reaching this publication suggests that the vehicle was heading west along the Rupert Craig Highway when the driver lost control

T

later, his fiancé called his phone only to be told that he was in an accident.

She rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was identified.

The top brass of the Guyana Police Force was out in their numbers at the Georgetown Public Hospital consoling the family of the 36-year-old Deputy Director of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch. They kept pouring in as news of his demise spread.

Police Commissioner Leslie James also visited Eastman’s family at the hospital. Following a visit to the morgue, Commissioner James spoke to the media where he expressed his condolences to the bereaved.

“Indeed, it is a sad day for the Force and perhaps for the country. A young senior officer’s life was this afternoon snuffed out following an accident. A very promising officer. One of our most promising senior officers in the person of Brian Eastman. Someone who

The badly-damaged vehicle in which the two men, who were friends since childhood, were travelling when they died

of Demerara (EBD). The two men have been friends since 1995 when they started President’s College.

According to reports, DeRamos, the driver of PTT 6775, reportedly lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the concrete fence of Yokohoma Trading, Liliendaal on the Rupert Craig Highway. As a result of the impact, the vehicle was totally destroyed. The area where the accident occurred has a dip in the road

and slammed into the fence.

Police, in a statement, said that Eastman’s grandmother, Iris, died on Tuesday morning and he was busy making arrangements for her funeral when he was picked up by DeRamos to “ease his head”.

Reports are that the 36-year-old cop spoke to his relatives just after 18:00h indicating that he was leaving Kosmos at the MovieTowne Plaza to head home. However, minutes

Additional Police Officers offering comfort to Eastman’s family

worked directly with me,” the Top Cop noted.

James said that Eastman was his deputy when he headed the Intelligence Arm of the Guyana Police Force some years ago. According to the Commissioner, he learnt of his officer’s death sometime early in the evening and came to the hospital.

He promised that the accident would be thoroughly investigated.

Eastman is the second Police Officer who has lost their life in this week due to

Senior members of the Guyana Police Force in conversation with Police Commissioner Leslie James at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation

road accidents. The Police on Tuesday night said that Eastman is a graduate of the University of Guyana.

He received his Master’s of Public Administration in 2018, a Bachelor’s of Social Science in 2015, a diploma in public management in 2013 and was awarded the Prime Minister Medal for the academic year 2014/2015.

He also holds a Master’s of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Business.

14 news

WEDNesday, november 27, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

“16 days of activism against gender-based violence” campaign launched in Linden

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he Social Protection Ministry on Monday launched the “16 days of activism against gender-based violence” campaign, in observance of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which is being observed under the theme, “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape”.

The event was launched at the Egbert Benjamin Centre in Linden Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

The Orange the Worldthemed event saw many attendees dressed in orange as a symbol of support against forms of violence perpetrated against women and girls.

An exhibition was also held on the lawns of the building. Delivering the feature address, Social Protection Minister Amna Ally pointed to the prevalent issue of violence against women and its effects on Guyana and the rest of the world.

She said that the scourge of gender-based violence continues to pose a serious threat to human rights, public health, citizen security as well as the physical, political and socio-economic standards of women in Guyana.

Ally stressed that the level of violence against women in Guyana is unacceptable as she indicated that it has become quite evident it has no geographic, social nor socio-economic boundaries. To this end, the Minister said women and girls are still seen as subservient and sub-

A section of the gathering at the launch of the “16 days of activism against gender-based violence” campaign in Linden

jected to male counterparts which are a primary driver of violence against this group.

“Guyana also continues to harbour attitudes that perpetuate violence against women such as ‘the women’s primary responsibility is in the home’ and that men are the natural authority...This persistent endemic, socio-cultural norms at ensuring inequalities have given rise to a high prevalence of intimate partner violence in Guyana. According to the recently concluded Guyana Women Health and Life Expectancy report, Guyanese women experience intimate partner violence at significantly higher rates than the global aver-

age of 1 in 3 women as 75 per cent of survey respondents have experienced some form of intimate partner violence during their lifetime,” she added.

She noted that gender-based violence extends beyond intimate partner violence and according to the survey, 20 per cent of women in Guyana have experienced non-partner sexual abuse in their lifetime, with 13 per cent reporting having experienced the abuse before the age of 18. The most significant risk factor, the Minister stated, for this form of violence including rape, attempted rape, unwanted sexual touching and sexual harassment is among the 15 to 24 years age group.

This group, she explained, statistically reported higher rates of non-partner sexual violence. The Minister not-

ed that this suggests an increasing entitlement of men to violate women’s bodies.

The Minister further outlined that two most prevalent determinants are the unequal distribution of power and resources between men and women and adherence to rigidly define gender roles. She also stressed the importance of redoubling efforts to make women’s equality a reality and ensuring that women have access to education, decent work and equal pay. This, she noted, would mean removing structural barriers and gender stereotypes and ensuring women have a voice in decision-making. Minister Ally emphasised that the campaign aims at preventing the onset of domestic violence in adults and teenagers by challenging attitudes and behaviours to send the message that abuse in relationships is unacceptable as

she pointed to an initiative which has also been developed for pre-schoolers.

Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell told the gathering that all have the power to overcome domestic violence as she noted that Linden stands in support along with the rest of Guyana to achieve this. The Mayor outlined that domestic violence has become deeply rooted in our society.

Liaison Officer United Nations Population Fund Adler Bynoe, in giving brief remarks, noted that the crime of rape is a severe human rights violation, which remains widespread around the globe. He said sexual violence is an epidemic which thrives in times of conflict with rape being used as a weapon of war far too often.

First Lady Sandra Granger was also at the event. (Utamu Belle)

'Submarine' found in Europe...

From page 9

The submarine sank as Police tried to intercept it Sunday, yet it wasn’t clear if the crew sank it on purpose.

Sources that spoke to El Pais said the vessel was carrying around 6600 pounds of cocaine and the criminal organisations affiliated with it must be “big, since just the submarine itself must have cost around €2.5 million ($2.75 million)”.

The sources also said

that they believed the submarine was built in Guyana and has been in operation “for years”.

Galician inlets have long been used by smugglers bringing cocaine by sea from South America into Europe.

An official, who spoke with other Spanish media, on condition of anonymity in keeping with Government rules, said a Police diver had managed

to enter the submarine and extracted one package of cocaine.

The official said the submarine was some six metres underwater and that bad weather was complicating how Police might be able to bring it to the surface.

He said Spanish Police, in coordination with other countries’ forces, had been monitoring the submarine’s journey for some days.

news

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WEDNesday, november 27, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramsammy’s Ruminations EBD Police stations fully equipped Guyanese workers are treated like secondclass citizens – APNU/ AFC leading culprit

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ake no mistake, APNU/AFC is leading from the front as working people are today being treated as secondclass citizens in Guyana. Now everybody understands why APNU/AFC, from the get-go, eliminated the Ministry of Labour.

Paying wages and salaries late, even when it is a rare thing, is an unacceptable Dr Leslie Ramsammy practice. But late payments of wages and salaries in Guyana has become a weapon to attack workers, restricting their fundamental rights. Every day now in Guyana, we see egregious examples of workers’ rights being trampled on, with the Government being the lead-culprit.

There is a nasty reason why APNU/AFC, from the get-go, decided to eliminate a Ministry of Labour and, instead, replace it with merely a department in the Ministry of Social Protection. The assignment of Keith Scott in 2015 to oversee the department with the title of Minister in the Ministry of Social Protection was another signal at the time that APNU/AFC was on a path to make Guyana’s working people second-class citizens.

This week, there was confirmation that workers at GWI have been subjected to late payments of salaries for some time now. When the PPP parliamentarian, Bishop Juan Edghill, took GWI to the task, GWI’s CEO, rather than explaining what was happening with workers at GWI, chose to attack Edghill. But it was quite noticeable that Dr Van West Charles did not and could not deny the charges the workers at GWI have been subjected to late payments of their salaries and benefits continuously for some time now. The number of workers at GWI increased by more than 100% and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The wage bill has increased by a mighty 500%, but the GWI workers, themselves, have seen only stingy increases. Why then, this hefty increase in the wage bill, from $4M to $20M per month, at GWI, if workers are only getting stingy increases and then not getting their wages and salaries on time?

Late payment of wages and benefits has become a bad habit in the sugar industry with GuySuCo making it the norm.

Even pensioners in the sugar industry are today suffering from late payments. Just last week, workers at Uitvlugt, Albion and Blairmont were told not to show up for their wages on the regular payday. In fact, many of these workers have not been paid more than two weeks later. That these workers have had to work without a wage increase for five years now and that these workers often show up and there is no work because the incompetent management caused factory downtime, all, contribute to the overall degrading of sugar workers.

The news that sugar production has plummeted in the second crop, which is about to end in a few weeks because factory downtime has reached almost 700 hours for the crop, while shocking, is not surprising. The truth is that APNU/AFC is creating the milieu for other rounds of down-sizing. At the moment, this shameless Government has plans to only retain Albion as a sugar estate. The others are on the chopping block. More sugar workers will join their 7000 comrades as the unemployed in Guyana. In the meanwhile, many workers who were fired are yet to receive their severance payments, some years after the fact. Just this week, the Chief Justice ordered GuySuCo and the Government, for the second time, to pay the workers their severance with 4% interest.

This scourge of late payment of salaries has become a frequent occurrence in the traditional public service. This year, there have been several instances in which public servants have been paid late.

The excuses are as egregious as the late payment themselves, with the Ministry of Finance pointing fingers at the various ministries, while the ministries themselves have pointed fingers at the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Finance accuses the ministries of submitting improper documentation or late documentation.

But these ministries have been doing such paperwork for decades, why is it they suddenly do not have the ability or the competence to submit payroll documents on time and in the proper manner?

While APNU/AFC plays games with workers’ wages and salaries, the victims are always the workers and their children.

The lead role in treating workers as second-class citizens is the APNU/AFC-led Government. The Government has shamelessly abrogated its responsibility to protect and promote workers interest. Not shockingly, the private sector is following the ugly example. When Troy and RUSAL just arbitrarily send home workers and deny them wage increases, they got their spunk from the Government itself. When EXXON has the temerity to pay Guyanese workers only a fraction of what they pay workers from Trinidad and from other countries at the EXXON operations in Guyana, they take their spunk from our own Government.

Just last week, workers at GRA complained that while toplevel management gave themselves huge pay increases, the majority of struggling workers were given a pittance as salary increases. The Government did just that in 2015 when they gave themselves 100% increase. Working people have become second-class citizens in our country. It is a disgrace.

to respond – Commander A fter several months of complaints by residents about the lack of Police response to crimes being committed along the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) due to unavailability of police vehicles, the issue may now be in the past.

According to Region 4 B

pected at random locations in villages along the EBD throughout the Christmas season and in the upcoming months.

“We will have intelligence-led raids, that is to say when we have credible information that can lead us to a building or a person or

The Golden Grove-Diamond Police Station

stations along the EBD corridor raided a number of homes in those villages and managed to arrest one suspect who had been wanted by the Police for a wounding incident that took place many months ago.

The Providence Police Station

Police Commander, Senior Superintendent Kurleigh Simon, the policing districts under his command are now fully equipped with the necessary tools to respond to “any incidents at any hour”.

He explained that for too long, residents in the Golden Grove-Diamond Housing Scheme areas raised concerns about the Police not showing up at crime scenes because of the lack of vehicles at the Golden GroveDiamond Police station.

“We do have vehicles at Diamond, we have a fourwheel pickup and an AllTerrain Vehicle (ATV).

Additionally, our patrol strength is also based on bicycles that we have available that were issued to the Diamond Police Station, so we will be able to cover our area with those vehicles being available. And I must say that the Force Administration has promised additional resources to supplement our Christmas Policing Plan so we will be in a position to execute our plan to the best”.

He stated that the Police in the Sub-Division are hopeful that civil society also cooperates with ranks by “chipping in” in whatever way possible to ensure that this festive season is not plagued with crimes.

Additionally, he said that more raids can be ex-

The Timehri Police Station

an area we will conduct such raids. Additionally, based on the information coming to the Police’s domain that is to say you have to respond right away we will have sporadic raids. And yes, we will continue those operations throughout the Christmas season and throughout next year because it all forms part of our policing plan generally”.

Earlier this month, 20 suspects were arrested on the EBD during a five-to-sixhour Police operation.

At that time, Commander Simon had stated that based on the influx of complaints coming from residents in the Diamond, Grove and Craig villages recently, this second raid was done.

He explained that several ranks from various Police

The suspect had been evading Police and had gone into hiding since he committed the crime but after receiving information from residents along the EBD corridor, the Police were able to apprehend him inside someone’s home.

According to the Police Commander, this is the second raid done by Police in

those three villages within one month in light of Police stations receiving numerous reports from residents about criminal activities occurring frequently. The first raid saw 19 persons being arrested.

Persons of interest were also pointed out to the Police and this aided the cops on their hunt for criminal elements in those communities, he said.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, november 27, 2019

Regional

Caribbean officials linked to diplomatic passport sale P

oliticians in the Caribbean are said to be involved in a corrupt trade of diplomatic posts in exchange for money, an Al Jazeera investigation has revealed.

In Diplomats for Sale, Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit exposes politicians in Dominica and Grenada willing to accept secret campaign contributions from wealthy foreign businessmen in exchange for diplomatic passports.

In Dominica, members of both main political parties appear willing to receive money in return for a political post, allegations they strongly deny.

Undercover filming reveals how former Dominican Prime Minister Oliver Seraphin offered to broker a secret deal

with T-shirts and other paraphernalia for his 2014 campaign.

"Ali received his diplomatic passport through the hands of the prime minister personally when he came to Kuala Lumpur," according to

Monfared wanted the passport, alleges Bullah, is that it would provide the Iranian with diplomatic immunity and prevent him from having to worry about the Iranian authorities. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Trinidad rejected IMF proposals Manoj Bullah (right) was a witness to Alireza Monfared (left) receiving a diplomatic passport from Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit (centre) [Photo by: Manoj Bullah/Al Jazeera]

to hand out an ambassadorship in Asia for fees totalling $470,000.

The revelation comes days ahead of a general election in Dominica on December 6, in which Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is up for re-election.

Al Jazeera's investigation

also reveals Skerrit allegedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars for his 2014 election campaign from an Iranian businessman named Alireza Monfared in exchange for an ambassadorship for Dominica to Malaysia.

Besides money, Monfared also allegedly provided Skerrit

Dilan Cruz, Colombian teenager injured by Police projectile, dies

A

Colombian teenager who took part in a protest march to demand better access to education has died, two days after he was hit on the head by a projectile fired by Riot Police.

The death of Dilan Cruz has caused outrage and sparked fresh marches by protesters denouncing what they said was a heavy-handed Police response.

President Iván Duque said he deeply regretted Dilan Cruz's death.

Duque is due to meet leaders of the protests later on Tuesday.

Dilan Cruz was an 18-year-old pupil who was due to graduate from high school in Bogotá on Monday.

Friends said he wanted to study business administration but was in need of a grant to do so.

He joined a protest march in the capital on Saturday to highlight the difficulties students like him had accessing higher education, according to his friends.

Video taken at the march shows the moment Dilan Cruz

businessman Manoj Bullah, who was a witness to the deal.

"Without that money, Ali would not have gotten his diplomatic passport," says Bullah.

One of the reasons

T

rinidad and Tobago Finance Minister Colm Imbert said Monday that the Trinidad and Tobago government was being urged to adopt a structural adjustment programme more than two decades after the oil-rich twin-island republic ended a similar programme with the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“Indeed, 25 years after we got ourselves out of an IMF programme, we were advised to embrace the same old sterile measures from 1990, focused on contraction without due consideration of the short- and long-term adverse effects on our citizens,” Imbert told a Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) seminar here.

Imbert, speaking on

Trinidad and Tobago Finance Minister Colm Imbert

the theme, “Restructuring a Commodity Dependent Economy for Growth Without External Intervention” said that the adverse effects of the IMF’s structural adjustment programme created the neces-

sity for a wide-ranging programme of economic and financial reform in Trinidad and Tobago.

The finance minister said that by 1991, the economy began to respond to the stabilisation measures and to show signs of a recovery.

“For the next 10 years, from 1991 to 2001, there was slow growth, followed by a tripling of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) between 2001 and 2008 as both our energy and non-energy sectors took off, as commodity prices skyrocketed.”

But Imbert said that in 2015 when the present Keith Rowley came to power, oil prices were again dropping “like a stone, gas production was on the decline and gas prices were depressed, sending our economy into turmoil”. (Excerpt from CMC)

Protests in Peru after court orders release of Keiko Fujimori

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was hit.

A member of the riot squad marching down the road parallel to the demonstrators can be seen firing his weapon towards those protesting.

Seconds later, Dilan Cruz can be seen collapsed on the tarmac after being hit in the head by a projectile. People can be heard screaming "they hit him, they hit him" while others shout "no violence".

One of Dilan Cruz's friends told Colombian daily El Espectador that "we were marching and the Esmad (riot police) threw stun grenades and tear gas canisters at us".

"Dilan went to the front to

kick back a tear-gas canister because it had landed next to old people, that's when he was shot at, they say it was a rubber bullet," his friend added.

There have been conflicting reports on whether the projectile was a stun grenade, a tear-gas canister or a rubber bullet.

Paramedics managed to resuscitate Dilan Cruz at the scene before he was taken to hospital where Dr Juan Martínez diagnosed a traumatic brain injury caused by a "penetrating object".

His death was announced on Monday evening. (Excerpt from BBC News)

eru's Constitutional Tribunal on Monday ordered the release of Opposition Leader Keiko Fujimori, sparking protests in capital Lima.

The members of Peru's top court decided to release Fujimori by a narrow margin of four votes in favour versus three against, the body's president Ernesto Blume said at a news conference.

Fujumori was jailed last year for alleged money laundering and receiving illegal contributions from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.

Fujimori has been serving an 18-month pre-trial sentence since October 2018 after prosecutors said she led a criminal organisation and received millions of dol-

Relations, broken off in 1961 and only partially restored in the 1980s, were re-established as part of a short-lived detente orchestrated by former U.S. President Barack Obama.

President Donald Trump, upon taking office, quickly announced he opposed the warming trend and is demanding Cuba cease its support for the Venezuelan Government of socialist Nicolas Maduro and reform its political and economic system.

“They violate the Vienna Convention, the agreement for the reestablishment of relations and Cuban and US laws,” Rodriguez wrote, without providing specifics.

The US Embassy did not

immediately reply to a request for comment.

Last week an editorial in the Communist Party newspaper Granma blasted the embassy for its support of leading dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer, who was arrested nearly two months ago.

Granma accused US diplomats of seeking to destabilize the country, recruit mercenaries and identify new sectors of the economy to sanction rather than boosting ties.

The State Department defended the embassy’s activities and said they would continue.

Cuba regularly brands dissidents as in the pay of Washington. (Excerpt from Reuters)

olombian unions and student groups will hold another protest on Wednesday in honour of a teenage demonstrator who died after being injured by a tear gas canister, as President Ivan Duque announced changes to his unpopular tax reform proposal.

Other demonstrations are expected to continue on Tuesday, the sixth straight day of protests following a 250,000-person march last week organized by the National Strike Committee.

The largely peaceful protests have attracted thousands of marchers to reject economic reforms, police violence and corrup-

Dilan Cruz would have graduated from high school on Monday

lars from Odebrecht during her 2011 election campaign.

She denies the accusations.

"The court has not passed judgement on the substantive issue in the case of citizen Keiko Fujimori, and has not declared her acquittal or condemned her," Blume said.

Fujimori is the daughter of the country's authoritarian former President Alberto Fujimori, who is serving a 25-year sentence for human rights crimes and corruption.

The decision comes as the country prepares to hold legislative elections on January 26 after President Martin Vizcarra dissolved Congress amid a battle with politicians over his anti-corruption campaign.

Keiko Fujimori's Popular Force party had held a majority in Congress before its dissolution.

Popular Force, a conservative right-wing group, has announced it will participate in the January elections, but Fujimori is not expected to take part.

Follow the court order, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in downtown Lima to protest against Fujimori's release.

Scuffles broke out between police and protesters, as some of them threw stones and bottles at officers.

Police attempted to repel the attacks with their shields, also using them to push back against demonstrators. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

More protests in Colombia as Cuba ups pressure on US Embassy in Havana Duque makes changes to tax reform

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uba’s Foreign Minister on Tuesday charged the United States with violating the historic 2015 agreement re-establishing diplomatic relations after decades by interfering in the country’s internal affairs.

Bruno Rodriguez tweeted the US Embassy in Havana was engaged in “illegal” activity “intended to attack our constitutional order”.

It was the second time in less than a week that the Communist-run Government accused US diplomats of fomenting dissent.

While harsh rhetoric has returned to the old Cold War foes bilateral relations, Cuba has refrained from attacking US diplomats up to now.

C

tion.

The committee said in a statement early on Tuesday it would demand “a permanent negotiation” with Duque, but talks lasted only about two hours, with committee leaders demanding Duque meet only with them, sans business leaders or other sectors.

The committee has demanded the tax reform, which includes a cut in duties on businesses, be rejected.

Shortly after the meeting, Duque told journalists the proposal will be modified to return value-added tax to the poorest 20% of Colombians and lower contributions to healthcare by minimum wage pensioners

- half of the retired population - from 12% to 4% over three years. There will also be three days each year without VAT. The proposals will cost some 3.2 trillion pesos ($931 million), the government said.

Duque denies supporting rumoured economic plans that have galvanized many protesters - including a cut to the minimum wage for young people.

Demonstrators have also highlighted what they say is a lack of government action to stop the murder of hundreds of human rights activists and asked Duque to fully implement a 2016 peace deal with leftist rebels. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, november 27, 2019

17

Around the world

Maryland trio set free after being wrongfully jailed for 36 years

T

hree men falsely convicted of murder in the US state of Maryland have been set free after 36 years in prison.

Alfred Chestnut, Andrew Stewart and Ransom Watkins had been sentenced to life in 1984 for killing a 14-year-old boy a year earlier.

They were freed in Baltimore on Monday after a Judge cleared their convictions following a review of their case.

The case was reopened this year after Chestnut sent a letter to Baltimore’s Conviction Integrity Unit.

He included evidence he had uncovered last year.

Chestnut, Stewart and Watkins were arrested as teenagers in November 1983 following the death of DeWitt Duckett, who was shot in the neck on his way to class at a Baltimore ju-

that trial witnesses failed to identify the three teenagers in photo line-ups.

All trial witnesses have now recanted evidence,

P

Alfred Chestnut, Andrew Stewart and Ransom Watkins were teenagers when sentenced

nior high school and had his Georgetown University jacket stolen.

DeWitt’s death received widespread press coverage.

It was the first fatal shooting of a student in a Baltimore public school.

“These three men were convicted, as children, because of police and prosecutorial misconduct,” Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby said after

the men were released.

In a statement, her office said: “detectives targeted the three men, all 16-yearold black boys, using coaching and coercion of other teenage witnesses to make their case”.

Prosecutors said during the initial investigation police ignored and withheld reports from multiple witnesses identifying another person as the killer, and

national authorities ... to ensure calm and return to peace and security,” Aboud told Al Jazeera.

“We have our troops and our police officers who are trained in riot control and who provided protection to our compound while it was being attacked for hours at a time.”

Crowds defied a curfew late on Tuesday and continued to vent their anger at UN forces in a stand-off outside Beni. Running street battles occurred all day as demonstrators marched towards a UN base at the airport.

“The UN is supposed to keep the peace in North

Kivu but we never see the peace. We are so angry, we don’t want them to stay here,” protester Kambale Cyril said.

Another demonstrator Serge Kakule vowed to continue targeting the UN force.

“We came here today to see if these UN people were still here. If they come back [to the compound], we will burn it again,” he warned.

The UN force, known as MONUSCO, is the biggest peacekeeping unit in the world and has operated in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the past two decades. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Pakistan’s top court temporarily suspends Army Chief’s extension

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akistan’s Supreme Court has temporarily suspended an extension of the term of office for the country’s army chief, putting it on a possible collision course with the powerful military.

The ruling comes as a blow to Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had said earlier this year that he needed General Qamar Javed Bajwa to stay on, citing continuing tension with neighbouring India over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Bajwa was handed a three-year extension on August 19.

Pakistan suspended trade and downgraded diplomatic ties with India following New Delhi’s decision to strip Indian-administered Kashmir of its special status on August 5. The two countries have fought two of their three wars over the Muslimmajority region, which both countries partially control

she said.

The other suspect died in 2002. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Albania hit by deadly 6.4 magnitude earthquake

Deadly DRC protests target UN as Ebola workers pulled out rotesters targeted UN facilities again in eastern DR Congo on Tuesday with at least two people killed as anger rises over the failure to stop deadly attacks on civilians by rebels.

Omar Aboud, the United Nations chief of military forces in Beni, said no live ammunition was fired by UN forces at the attacking protesters in the town of Beni in North Kivu province.

“We are aware of the demonstrators who are making their way and we are making every effort to continue the dialogue with these demonstrators and their leaders, as well as the

Mosby said.

“I don’t think that today is a victory, it’s a tragedy. And we need to own up to our responsibility for it,”

General Qamar Javed Bajwa was handed the extension on August 19 [Photo by: Farooq Naeem/AFP]

but claim in its entirety.

Tuesday’s interim order is only temporary, and the court will hear the case again the following day.

In a hearing to validate Bajwa’s extension on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said the court was suspending the decision until the army produced detailed arguments on its reasoning.

“If the [regional security] situation is so then the army

as a whole body can deal with the situation, not the individual,” Khosa said. “If this criterion is allowed then every individual in the army can demand an extension on the same grounds.”

Under Pakistan’s constitution, the army chief of staff usually serves a threeyear term. Since the role was established in 1972, only one general has had his term extended by a civilian government.

Khosa issued a notice for a representative of the military to appear in court on Wednesday. If the extension is blocked by the court, Bajwa’s term will end on Friday.

Khan’s government has enjoyed good relations with the military, in contrast to the tensions between the civilian government and army under the party of his predecessor and rival Nawaz Sharif. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

A

t least 18 people have been killed after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Albania, the Defence Ministry says.

The quake brought down buildings and left people trapped under rubble. One man died after jumping from a window in panic after the tremor struck.

The quake hit 34km (21 miles) north-west of the capital, Tirana, in the early hours of Tuesday.

Hours later, a separate earthquake struck the city of Mostar in Bosnia. There were no reports of casualties.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said rescuers would “continue to search patiently and thoroughly to the end”.

“We have victims. We are working to do everything possible in the affected areas,” he wrote on Twitter.

Soldiers, police and emergency workers have been searching through the debris of buildings, where people are still believed to be trapped. So far,

Buildings in Thumane have been left completely destroyed by the earthquake

some 42 survivors have been extracted from the ruins, according to officials.

The majority of fatalities occurred in the coastal city of Durres and in the town of Thumane, 40km to the northwest of Tirana and close to the epicentre, according to the defence ministry.

In neighbouring Kurbin, a man died after jumping from his building in panic, and another died in a car accident when the earthquake tore open parts of the road he was on, AFP re-

ported the ministry as saying.

More than 600 people have been treated in hospital, Albanian state media reported.

Emergency workers told Albanian media that one of the dead was an elderly woman who had managed to save her grandson by cradling him with her body.

A man in Durres told local news channel News24 that his daughter and niece were among those trapped inside a collapsed apartment building. (Excerpt from BBC News )

Helicopter collision kills 13 French troops in Mali

T

hirteen French soldiers have been killed in a helicopter collision during an operation against jihadists in Mali, the French President’s office says.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed “deep sadness” over the biggest single loss of life for the French military since the 1980s.

An investigation has begun into how the two helicopters hit each other.

Thousands of French troops have been deployed in Mali

since 2013 after militants overran parts of the north.

Mali’s army has since recaptured the territory but insecurity continues and the violence has spread to neighbouring countries.

France now has 4,500 troops deployed to support the forces of Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad against the jihadists.

French Defence Minister Florence Parly vowed that her country would not turn its back on the fight against terrorism

after the deadly collision.

“We fight alongside our partners and brothers-in-arms from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to together give these countries the peace and stability to which their people aspire,” she said.

It happened in the darkness around 19:40 local time (also GMT) on Monday near the borders of Burkina Faso and Niger where the aircraft were reinforcing ground troops who were pursuing militants, the French military says. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Hong Kong’s Lam appeals for calm but offers no concessions after election drubbing

H

ong Kong leader Carrie Lam renewed her appeals for peace in the Chinese-ruled city on Friday but failed to offer any concessions to anti-government protesters despite a resounding victory for pro-democracy parties in local elections.

Appearing tired and drawn, Lam spoke a day after results showed democratic candidates secured almost 90% of 452 district council seats in Sunday’s elections, which were widely seen as a barometer of the opposition to the Beijing-backed politician following months of unrest.

China, which has blamed foreign forces for fomenting unrest, has not directly commented on the results, and news outlets in its tightly con-

trolled media largely avoided detailed reporting of how Hong Kongers voted.

On Tuesday, top diplomat Yang Jiechi condemned the passing of US legislation supporting protesters, saying China had “expressed our severe position to the American side,” according to state news agency Xinhua.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States was in the “final throes” of trying reach a trade deal with China, but at the same time, Washington stood with protesters in Hong Kong where it wanted to see democracy.

On Monday, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry summoned US Ambassador Terry Branstad to protest the US

legislation - the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act - which it said amounted to interference in an internal Chinese matter.

Lam acknowledged that voters in the city wanted to express their views on many issues, including “deficiencies in governance”. She thanked people for voting peacefully and hoped the calm weekend was a signal that residents want an end to unrest that has convulsed the city for six months.

“Everybody wants to go back to their normal life and this requires the concerted efforts of every one of us,” Lam said during her weekly address at the Government’s headquarters. (Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, november 27, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

The more active you are, the better. A physical challenge will ease stress and give you a chance to reconsider what you want to do next. Nurture a meaningful relationship.

Take better care of your health. Spend time working out a daily routine that will enforce fitness, proper diet and a better overall attitude and appearance. Romance is favored.

You’ll be given help, but you should consider the motives behind it before you accept it. Be direct and find out what’s expected in return.

Do the work and reap the rewards.

VIRGO

A steady pace will get you where you want to go.

Don’t feel that you must depend on others to get ahead.

Celebrate your success with a loved one.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

If you look over personal papers, you’ll come up with a plan that will help you get ahead financially. Make the first move to outmaneuver any competition you encounter.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

Drum up excitement.

Attend an event or take a day trip that will lead to adventure. Participating in a group activity will lead to encounters with like-minded people. Expand your interests.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Offer help to someone in need. A heart-to-heart talk will lead to a better understanding of what you want and what you are willing to give. Love is in the air.

Avoid joint ventures.

You’ll come out ahead if you do your own thing. Taking a unique approach to your lifestyle will encourage better health, less stress and a brighter future.

You’ll be anxious.

SAGITTARIUS Someone special will be glad (Nov. 23to assist you if you want Dec. 21) company or help. Don’t be afraid to show someone how much you care.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOr LAST PUBLISHED puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

It will be challenging to keep a secret. Handle information you receive with care, or you will be accused of meddling. A reticent approach will help you avoid conflict.

Travel down the information superhighway. The more you learn about something that interests you, the better equipped you will be to handle an opportunity or proposal with which you are presented.

Don’t expect anything for free. It’s best if you fend for yourself and protect your interests. Secure your position and keep personal information secret. Romance is on the rise.

wednesday, november 27, 2019

19

Round-up:

Antetokounmpo nets 50 in Bucks' win

G

iannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points, collected 14 rebounds and dished out six assists to help the Milwaukee Bucks hold on for a 122-118 win over the visiting Utah Jazz on Monday night.

Wesley Matthews added 19 points and Eric Bledsoe chipped in 13 for the Bucks, who won for the 12th time in 13 games and avenged their only loss during that stretch.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 24 points and Donovan Mitchell added 20 for the Jazz.

Utah played without Rudy Gobert, who was sidelined for a second consecutive game with a sprained ankle.

In Gobert’s absence, the Jazz enjoyed another fast start on offense. They shot 48.8 percent from the field in the first half — including 9 of 18 from 3-point

range.

Utah rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and cut Milwaukee’s lead to 120118 on Mitchell’s layup with 43.8 seconds remaining. The Jazz had a chance to tie, but Brook Lopez blocked another layup attempt from Mitchell with 4.4 seconds left.

Thunder 100, Warriors 97 Chris Paul buried a 19-footer with 36.8 seconds remaining as part of a 13-0, game-ending run, and Oklahoma City stunned Golden State in San Francisco.

It appeared Golden State was in line for just its second home win of the season when Glenn Robinson III capped a career-best, 25-point night with a 3-pointer with 3:18 to play, putting the Warriors up 97-87.

Russia's sports officials cry foul as WADA eyes 4-year Olympic ban

R

ussian sports officials on Tuesday spoke out against a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) committee’s recommendations that the country be banned from the Olympics for four years, saying this was overly harsh and would hurt sport there.

The recommendations, published on Monday, mean Russia could miss out on the next two Olympic Games and world championships in a wide range of sports.

WADA’s independent Compliance Review Committee recommended the ban after Moscow provided WADA with laboratory data that was found to have been doctored.

“It’s sad. I can only call these recommendations unfair,” Umar Kremlev, head of Russia’s boxing federation, said in a statement.

“Russia plays an important role in the development of global sport. How can such a country be banned?”

The committee’s recommendations will be put to the agency’s executive committee in Paris on Dec. 9.

For Dmitry Svishchev, president of Russia’s curling federation, the country has already sufficiently been punished for its doping scandals.

“These recommendations are harsh, baseless punishment for old problems for which Russia has already been punished,” he told Reuters.

“Russia has made great progress in fighting doping. To punish the next generation in such a harsh manner is too much.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov linked the recommendations to what he called broader attempts by Western countries to reprimand Russia.

“The more these types of decisions are made, the better it is... for their anti-Russian argument,” Lavrov said.

(Reuters)

But Oklahoma City, in beating the Warriors for the third straight time this season, did the rest of the game’s scoring, starting with 3-pointers by Paul (20 points) and Dennis Schroder (team-high 22 points).

Nets 108, Cavaliers 106 Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points and hit the game-winning jumper with 1.8 seconds as Brooklyn withstood blowing a ninepoint lead in the final twoplus minutes and pulled out a dramatic victory at Cleveland.

Dinwiddie continued to fill in effectively for Kyrie Irving (right shoulder impingement), who missed his sixth straight game and is out for at least one more game. He posted at least 20 points for a career-high sixth straight game, and the Nets improved to 5-1 in those contests.

Allen added 22 points and 21 rebounds for his second career 20-20 game as Brooklyn (9-8) also moved above the .500 mark for the first time this season. Harris contributed 19 points and Prince chipped in 18 for Brooklyn. Jordan Clarkson led Cleveland with 23 points.

Raptors 101, 76ers 96 Fred VanVleet scored 24 points, including two important free throws with 11 seconds remaining, and added eight assists as Toronto defeated visiting Philadelphia.

Pascal Siakam had 25 points for the Raptors, including a dunk as time expired in the fourth quarter, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Raptors are 7-0 at home and have won 14 straight regularseason games at home against the 76ers.

Josh Richardson scored 25 points for the 76ers, Tobias Harris added 18, Al Horford had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Ben Simmons notched 10 points, nine rebounds and 14 assists. Joel Embiid had no points on 0-for-11 shooting and 13 rebounds in 32 minutes — the first scoreless game of his career.

Lakers 114, Spurs 104 LeBron James poured in 33 points and dished out 14

po (34) scored Giannis Antetokounm

assists to push visiting Los Angeles past struggling San Antonio for its eighth straight win.

Anthony Davis added 19 points, 15 of them in the second half, and 12 rebounds while Kentavious CaldwellPope scored 14 for the Lakers.

Los Angeles is off to its best start since the 2008-09 season, which ended with the Lakers as NBA champions.

LaMarcus Aldridge paced the Spurs with 30 points, with DeMar DeRozan adding 24.

Bryn Forbes scored 13 and Derrick White hit for 11 for San Antonio, which has lost nine of 10 games overall and four straight home games.

Pistons 103, Magic 88 Luke Kennard led a balanced attack with 20 points and seven assists as host Detroit downed Orlando.

Kennard was among six Pistons in double figures. Blake Griffin contributed 17 points and Bruce Brown had 13 points and eight rebounds. Langston Galloway, Svi Mykhailiuk and Christian Wood all had 12 points for the Pistons, who had lost six of their previous seven games. Andre Drummond led the rebounding effort with 18.

Terrence Ross scored 19 points off the bench for the Magic, who are 0-7 on the road this season. Evan Fournier had 17 points but shot just 5-for-16 from the field. Markelle Fultz supplied 16 points.

Celtics 103, Kings 102 Marcus Smart connected on a driving layup with 31.1 seconds remaining and followed with a key steal to lead host Boston past Sacramento.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 24 points, Jayson Tatum

50 points against the

Utah Jazz on Monday

added 20, and Smart and Enes Kanter were also in double figures with 17 and 13, respectively.

Boston played without point guard Kemba Walker, who was ruled out a couple hours before tipoff due to a neck sprain.

Buddy Hield enjoyed a big night for the Kings with a career-high 41 points and a franchise-record 11 3-pointers.

Harrison Barnes added 20 points, and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 13 points and eight assists for Sacramento.

Trail Blazers 117, Bulls 94 Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 25 points on 10for-20 shooting, and Portland cruised to a win at Chicago.

Anthony connected on 4 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc in his fourth game with the Trail Blazers.

CJ McCollum scored 21 points, and Damian Lillard notched a double-double with 13 points and 12 assists for Portland, which snapped a four-game losing streak.

Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting, and Wendell Carter Jr. had 12 points and nine rebounds. Chicago, which trailed by as many as 28 and was outrebounded 55-37, took its fifth loss in seven games.

Pacers 126, Grizzlies 114 T.J. Warren scored 26 points and Jeremy Lamb added 19 as Indiana posted a victory over Memphis in Indianapolis.

Warren made 11 of 15 attempts from the floor and Domantas Sabonis collected 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who shot 54.5 percent from 3-point range to record their 10th win in 13 outings.

The point total also served as a

night (AP)

season high.

Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon had 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds in his return from a three-game absence due to a sore back. Jaren Jackson scored 28 points for the Grizzlies, and rookie Ja Morant had 19 points and 10 assists.

Heat 117, Hornets 100 Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each scored 21 points, helping Miami improve to 7-0 at home.

Butler added seven assists, and Adebayo had 13 rebounds and five assists. Heat reserve forward Kelly Olynyk posted 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, and backup point guard Goran Dragic chipped in with a game-high nine assists.

Miami, which led for the game’s final 41 minutes, also was powered by rookie guards Tyler Herro (18 points) and Kendrick Nunn (19 points, 5-of-6 3-pointers). Terry Rozier topped the Hornets with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Timberwolves 125, Hawks 113 Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 28 points and 13 rebounds, Andrew Wiggins added 25 points, and Minnesota topped host Atlanta.

The Timberwolves won for just the second time in six games while sending the Hawks to their seventh loss in a row.

Minnesota trailed by 10 points at halftime, but a 39-point eruption in the third quarter powered the Timberwolves into a lead they maintained for the duration of the fourth. The Hawks got a game-high 37 points from Trae Young and 22 from Jabari Parker. (Reuters)

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wednesday, november 27, 2019

Inclusion is main objective of Special Schools Sports – Sport Director

G

iving differently-abled students the opportunity to be involved in sport activities is one of the main objectives of the Special Needs Sports.

The fourth edition of the event kicked off on Tuesday morning at the National Gymnasium.

In this edition of the Special Schools Sports, students from around the country inclusive of Essequibo, Linden, Berbice, East Bank, East Coast and Georgetown gathered at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue to compete.

The Special Schools Sports, slated to run for three days: November 26, 27 and 29, will see the differently-abled students participating in windball, football, bocce, swimming, and

A glimpse of the windball action, which was first on the sports agenda

athletics.

After declaring the event open, Director of Sport,

Christopher Jones explained its main objective, highlighting the need for inclusion.

Rashid Khan's first Test win as Captain - also Afghanistan's secondever Test victory - came when he was 20 years and 350 days old (BCB)

“We have found that students, for example, the ones in wheelchairs, they are not bound nor do they sit in a corner, because they have the wheelchair races as well.

The children who have some mobile disabilities in terms of running and so forth, we have a slower competition for them, because of the rate that they move. And you see the expression on their faces, they’re lit up and they know for certain that I am a student and I have an opportunity like every other student to compete and that is the overall objective of these games,” Jones explained.

In its inaugural event, the Special Schools Sports was hosted on a single day with a limited number of sport disciplines offered in the competition. The Director of Sport addressed the growth of the event, not only in the number of competition days but also in the number of participants.

“The significant difference in 2019 is the Sports has now grown from one day, which was essentially a half day of competition to three days of competition.

Because we recognise that throughout the length and breadth of the country, students with disabilities want to compete. And they don’t want to compete in one sport aspect but the varying aspects. This year, we have the largest numbers of students participating with a disability,” he said.

Looking to the future,

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones greets a group of the students

Jones shared his hopes for the Special Schools Sports to run concurrently with or be included in the National Schools Championships, which were concluded last Friday.

“We‘re hoping that in a few years’ special schools can compete during the schools nationals. They should be a part of it, because if you’re talking about student athletes, you have to also include student athletes with

a disability. So, we’re hoping in a few years from now that could happen as well,” the Director of Sport explained.

While windball and bocce were contested yesterday; today, the differently-abled students will move to the Colgrain pool, Camp Street for the swimming contest, while athletics is expected to run off on Friday at the Guyana Police Force Ground, Eve Leary.

Afghanistan's chance to prove they're no Andy Ruiz Jr vows to “make pushovers in Tests history again’’ in Saudi AraD

on't let Afghanistan's two-day loss on their Test debut against India fool you. Incidentally then, Phil Simmons was their head coach. Today, he's in the opposition camp, perhaps with a bank of knowledge he'd want to share with his West Indies team.

Since that insipid debut, of course, Afghanistan have beaten Ireland in India and Bangladesh in Bangladesh.

If they beat West Indies in Lucknow, they'll become the only team in the history of the sport to win three of their first four Tests.

The possibility is real.

Under captain Rashid Khan, who has taken three five-wicket hauls in his last four Test innings, Afghanistan will run into a wonky West Indies batting line-up. The win in the T20I series should boost the 'hosts' to that effect. In their last three Tests, only twice have the West Indies batsmen gone past fifty. On a ground that is hosting it's maiden Test, there are a lot of unknown variables, not least of all the pitch. Against a spin-based attack, West Indies will be tested.

That said, Afghanistan

would also do well to worry about their batting weakness. Barring Rahmat Shah, few have shown the tenacity to bat long. In both of Afghanistan's Test wins, Rahmat's contributions have been as integral as Rashid's.

But with senior allrounder Mohammad Nabi having retired from Tests, someone else too needs to step up.

For West Indies, the series is about showing that they aren't falling behind in the red-ball format. For Afghanistan, it's time to say that, they too, possess the quality to find a spot in the next cycle of the World Test Championship.

In the spotlight

It appears that the job of filling the Nabi void has been given to 21-year-old allrounder Karim Janat, who has earned a Test berth after a splendid T20I series against West Indies.

He struck an 18-ball 26 and picked up 5 for 11 in the second game before finishing the series with 1 for 33 in the third. He can find speeds of 140kph regularly, and with his elder brother Asghar Afghan there for company, Janat can find an

arm around him for comfort, instead of being intimidated by the prospects of a main Test appearance.

The form that made Kraigg Brathwaite ESPNcricinfo's opener of the year in 2016 has gradually diminished as the decade comes to a close. He's gone 19 innings without a Test fifty, and since February 2019, his only first-class century was one for Glamorgan in the English County Championship. It's West Indies' last Test match of the year, and with no other Test till they face England in June 2020, the team's senior-most batsmen will ache to end 2019 with an impactful performance.

Conditions

The match will be played on the same surface as the second ODI was played on.

It's a red-soil pitch, and is expected to aid spin bowling. Expect foggy mornings at the onset of winters up north in India. As such, conditions for red-ball cricket is relatively unknown at the ground, with only three firstclass games being played at Lucknow since 2017. (ESPN Cricinfo)

bia

A

- new arena near completion

Work on the Diriyah Arena began on October 7 - just two months before the fight

ndy Ruiz Jr has vowed to "make history again" in his world heavyweight title rematch with Anthony Joshua.

Ruiz Jr, 30, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to begin preparations for the 'Clash On The Dunes' on 7 December.

"It feels good. You know I made history in New York and I'll make history again in Saudi Arabia," he said.

Joshua, 30, is seeking to regain the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles after his shock defeat by Ruiz in New York in June.

The bout is the first heavyweight world title fight to take place in the Middle East and will be staged in the 15,000-seat Diriyah Arena.

Work on the purpose-built stadium only began in October but it is now

close to completion.

Joshua visited the arena, which promoter Eddie Hearn described as "utterly breathtaking", on Saturday.

In June, MexicanAmerican Ruiz floored Joshua four times en route to a seventh-round stoppage at Madison Square Garden, handing the Briton his first defeat as a professional.

(BBC Sport)

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USA eliminate Guyana Jaguars in thrilling 8-run win

M

onank Patel's masterful knock of 85 in complement to Ian Holland's belligerent 59* ensured the USA ended the Regional Super50 on a buoyant note.

Guyana despairingly failed to get over the finish line needing 11 off the final over chasing a target of 222 off 36 overs and eventually fell short by eight runs in a stop-start encounter marred by rain. Rusty Theron held his nerve in the final over and helped the USA prevail over a rampaging Jonathan Foo, who lit up the night with a dazzling onslaught of 41 off 22 balls.

Monank was adjudicated the Man of the Match for an innings oozing a blend of maturity and pugnacity of equal measure. Captain Saurabh Netravalkar opted to bat on a slow and placid wicket. USA’s management, who seemed to have ceased their top-order auditions, sent in Xavier Marshall and Monank to open the innings again. Clinton Pestano had the USA on the back foot early in the game as he disturbed Marshall's woodwork with an in-dipping delivery in the third over of the game. After carefully negotiating the new ball, Monank got into his stride with a flaying pull shot off the hips that went all the way in the eighth over.

Steven Taylor got off to a start once again, but f a i l e d to convert that into a substantial i n n i n g s .

Ramaal Lewis exploited the gap between his pad and bat as Taylor g o t

joined Monank revised DLS target now being with 10 overs to adjusted to 222 in 36 overs. go and the score The rain brought some lingering at 129 for 3. much-needed fortune The pair for USA with threw the Christopher kitchen Barnwell sink at selling off it, with Bramble Monank in an starting the attempt carnage to steal with a a noncouple existent o f single. powerful Reifer got b l o w s promoted in the down the batting order with ground off Guyana needing Pestano.

152 off 122 balls In the to make a semivery next over, final berth.

Holland made Barnwell, a full use of his long natural clean handle against hitter of the Chandrapaul ball with a Hemraj and very strong pummelled 20 base, laid into runs off the over, Taylor and including three Nisarg Patel boundaries, with with a streak a series of beastly of blistering hits heroics.

Monank ranging from missed out on wide long-off an easy century, to midwicket. falling to offBarnwell fell to spinner Lewis a Netravalkar with more than slower ball in an four overs attempt to Christopher Barnwell to go but up the ante not before not too long putting his team in a after bringing up his halfcommanding position at century. Foo entered the fray 186 for 4. The pair put on with Guyana needing 69 off a steaming 59 off 35 balls. 45 balls. Reifer fell for a wellMonank's departure did not compiled 33 off 45 balls to a deter Holland, who kept on full toss from Netravalkar in churning out a boundary what seemed to be curtains per over for fun. Holland on a daunting chase. remained unbeaten with Needing 50 off 24 a dazzling 59* off 37 balls, Foo had other ideas, deliveries. The USA ended unleashing his wrath firstly on with 230 for 5 in their Netravalkar in the 33rd over stipulated 41 overs with the and then Theron in the very revised DLS target being 242. next over. Foo clobbered 28 The USA scored a mammoth runs off those two overs with 100 runs off their last 10 overs. a barrage of cleanly-struck Captain Netravalkar provided boundaries with the stand-out an early breakthrough off the shot being his one-handed six new ball as Hemraj couldn't off a Theron slower delivery restrain himself from having a jab at an away moving delivery, with the wicketkeeper making no mistake behind the stumps. Anthony Bramble t o o k ormer Guyana advantage youth player Adrian of the Sukhwa led Albion f i e l d

bowled to leave the score at 50 for 2 in the 1 3 t h o v e r.

A a r o n Jones, who had endured an ordinary tournament up until now, joined Monank and the pair batted sensibly without a major alarm until rain arrived with the USA at 70 for 2 in the 21st over. When play resumed, the match was curtailed to a 41-overa-side game. Monank wasted no time in getting his eye in again. Sensing restrictions the need for urgency in with some propelling the scoring rate, exquisite he decided to charge drives and cuts Gudakesh Motie in the to keep Guyana 23rd over with an elegant on track in their inside out waft over the chase. Guyana covers and a thumping Captain Leon six over long-on's head. USA Johnson struggled lost Jones in the 31st over to create an impact to a well-disguised slower as he scrambled his ball from Raymon Reifer way to a scratchy 17 just when he had started to off 33 balls. shift gears with some wellRain arrived timed boundaries. Holland Monank Patel again with the

which surprisingly had enough to clear the longer part of the ground. With 17 needed of seven deliveries, an ice-cold Foo deposited one into the stands again off Holland to bring down the equation to 11 needed off the final over.

Theron was entrusted to bowl the final over on the back of the wealth of experience he brings to bowling in the death overs. He kept bowling wide outside off to which Lewis could only manage a play and a miss and nicked one behind to a wild slog. Foo could only manage to get on strike with

10 needed off three balls.

Theron castled Foo with a straight ball onto the stumps in what proved to be the final nail in Guyana's coffin. He then kept his cool against Permaul to close out the game in favour of the USA. They ended the tournament with two wins from eight games. They now play UAE and Scotland in the World Cup League 2 in their bid to book a spot in the 2023 World Cup in India. Their squad could be announced anytime on November 27, 2019. (cricbuzz)

SCOREBOARD USA Innings MD Patel c Ali Mohamed b Lewis 85 XM Marshall b Pestano 7 SR Taylor b Lewis 17 Aaron Jones c †Bramble b Reifer 37 IG Holland not out 59 EH Hutchinson c Foo b Lewis 12 J Theron not out 3 Extras (lb 3, nb 1, w 6) 10 TOTAL (41 Overs, RR: 5.6) 230/5 Did not bat: NK Patel, Akshay Homraj †, K Gore, SN Netravalkar (c) Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Xavier Marshall, 2.2 ov), 2-50 (Steven Taylor, 12.4 ov), 3-129 (Aaron Jones, 30.3 ov), 4-188 (Monank Patel, 36.2 ov), 5-212 (Elmore Hutchinson, 38.4 ov) BOWLING C Pestano RA Reifer RA Lewis V Permaul G Moti-Kanhai C Hemraj R Ali Mohamed

8-0-54-1 8-0-39-1 4-0-24-3 9-1-35-0 7-0-32-0 4-0-34-0 1-0-9-0

Guyana Innings (target: 222 runs from 36 overs) C Hemraj c †Akshay Homraj b Netravalkar 9

A Bramble † run out (Taylor/Gore) 38 LR Johnson (c) c Netravalkar b Gore 18 CD Barnwell c Hutchinson b Netravalkar 54 RA Reifer c sub (NP Kenjige) b Netravalkar 33 JA Foo b Theron 41 RA Lewis c †Akshay Homraj b Theron 10 R Ali Mohamed not out 1 V Permaul not out 1 Extras (lb 2, nb 2, w 4) 8 TOTAL (36 Overs, RR: 5.91) 213/7 Did not bat: C Pestano, G Moti-Kanhai Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Chandrapaul Hemraj, 1.5 ov), 2-64 (Leon Johnson, 13.1 ov), 3-75 (Anthony Bramble, 15.4 ov), 4-153 (Chris Barnwell, 28.3 ov), 5-164 (Raymon Reifer, 30.2 ov), 6-210 (Ramaal Lewis, 35.2 ov), 7-212 (Jonathan Foo, 35.4 ov) BOWLING EH Hutchinson SN Netravalkar K Gore J Theron SR Taylor IG Holland NK Patel

4-0-19-0 7-1-42-3 8-0-25-1 6-0-44-2 7-0-39-0 3-0-29-0 1-0-13-0

2019 Balram Shane Memorial Cricket…

Albion register thumping win over Por t Mourant

F

to a 106-run victory in the 2019 edition of the Balram Shane Memorial Cricket Match, played at Albion on Sunday last.

It was Albion's 15th title in the 20-year history of the match that is organised

by Rose Hall Town businessman Deonarain Balram, in memory of his late father, Balram Shane. This match was also a fundraising venture for both the Albion and Port Mourant Cricket Clubs.

Batting first, the powerhouse Albion Community Centre Cricket Club posted 215 all out in 48.5 of their allotted 50 overs. At one stage, Albion were restricted to 197-6 in the 40th over. Man

Team Albion

of the Match Sukhwa made a well-composed 78 and was well supported by National Under-17 batsman Sarwan Chaitnarine with 37.

Port Mourant, who fielded guest players Kellon Carmichael, Alex Algoo, Paul Wintz, Devon Clements and Ameer Khan in their lineup, crashed to 109 all out in

39.4 overs in reply. Guyana youth left-arm-spinner Kelvin Umroa bagged four wickets, and was well-assisted by Chaitnarine, who, with his off-spin, accounted for three scalps. Albion took home a trophy and $30,000 while Port Mourant received the runner-up trophy and $20,000.

22

wednesday, november 27, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers U-18 League…

Lodge Secondary surpass defending champions on points table

It was a fierce battle between PC and Lodge

A President’s College player leaps high in hopes of getting in a header

L

odge Secondary moved to the top of the league table on Monday afternoon as they cruised to a victory over President’s College in round six of the Guyoil/ Tradewind Tankers League.

The Georgetown football powerhouse surpassed defending champions Annandale Secondary on the leaderboard on Monday, as they pulled off a comfortable 3-1 victory over a resilient President’s College.

Annandale Secondary had fielded a seven-member team on Sunday as they came up against a full-strength Charlestown outfit, which resulted in a draw. As such, Lodge’s win has taken the team to 18 points while the 2018 winners trail closely, with 16 points.

Nicholas Trotman etched his name on the score sheet early in

the game, as he netted the first of the match in the third minute.

The spectators had to wait until the second half to see another goal when Trotman netted his second in the 39th minute. President’s College then spurred an attack and were successful with a goal in the 45th minute, off the boots of Kareem Samuel.

PC could not find the equalising goal and the next goal eventually came from Lodge’s Captain Dorwin George in the 65th minute as he pushed the final score to 3-1.

In the first encounter on Monday afternoon, Queen’s College barely edged past St Stanislaus College in a 1-0 affair.

After the teams played to a stalemate in the first half, Diarra Thomas was the only player to find the back of the net in the 50th

minute to give QC three valuable points.

With three more rounds to go, Lodge, Annandale and President’s

College currently lead the league.

Round seven will commence tomorrow at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta

Avenue, where Queen’s College will take on Cummings Lodge at 16:00h and Annandale go toe to toe with St Stanislaus College at 17:00h.

Points Standings: Teams

GP

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

POINTS

Lodge Secondary Annandale President's College Bishops' Charlestown Marian Acamedy Queen's College Cummingslodge St John's St Stanislaus

6 6 6 5 6 5 6 6 6 6

6 5 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 0

0 1 1 0 2 1 0 2 1 0

0 0 2 2 2 2 4 3 4 6

20 31 15 10 9 6 3 9 3 2

3 11 12 8 11 9 14 16 38 11

17 20 3 2 -2 -3 -11 -7 -35 -9

18 16 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 0

3rd Romel & Robin Golf event rated a success A

nother successful weekend of golf, fun and excitement was completed on Sunday at the Lusignan Golf Course (LGC) with the third barbecue and golf extravaganza of the year run off by Robin and Romel.

Dozens of players turned out to partake in the ninehole tournament that allowed players of all abilities to compete for tons of trophies and prizes.

A special category for Under-16 players was created which was won in convincing fashion by young caddy Roberto, who also beat all the seasoned players to win the closest to the pin prize!

The longest drive prize was won by Avinda Kishore with a drive of 330 yards that bested all other players’ for the day.

In the 0-4 category, it was Jaipaul Sukhnandan, who took top honours away from second-place Richard Hanif, with 10-time Guyana Open

Top performers of the event on Sunday took a photo op at the conclusion. From left: Richard Hanif; Guillermo Escarraga; Miguel Oviedo; Vishal; Ajay (Mullet); Romel; Aleem Hussain and Satrohan Robin Tiwari. Kneeling from left are Willy, Ganesh, Jaipaul Sukhnandan, and Avinash Persaud

champion Avinash Persaud taking third place, along with the Best Gross overall for the tournament.

The 5-9 category was won by local caddy Vishal, followed closely by several

players who tied for second and third place. A countback saw Macorp Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Guillermo Escarraga taking second edging out Willy, another local caddy, who took third.

In the 10-14 category, it was Ganesh taking top honours along with the best net overall ahead of Macorp's Miguel Oviedo, who took second place, reaching the winners’ circle both days of the

weekend. Third place was taken by Ajay, also known as “Mullet”, after a countback with ANSA McAL Managing Director Troy Cadogan.

According to Oviedo, the highlight of the weekend was the opportunity to beat his boss for the first time in history.

The well-attended event continued into the late hours with families and friends coming out to enjoy the ambiance of the beautifully manicured grounds and live music.

Promoter of the event, Romel Bhagwandin said he was thankful for the opportunity to host the fourth edition of the event since they started, and praised the grounds staff and LGC President Aleem Hussain for the condition of the ground.

"We have seen a dramatic improvement in the amount of events and new members and we all feel that Mr Hussain has done a fantastic job of bringing this to life in

a very short time," said the local businessman speaking on behalf of his co-promoter, Robin Tiwari.

Club President Hussain expressed his gratitude to all the players and members who have given their support to growing the Club over the past few years and said that he hoped the foundation laid by his team in marketing and promotion would continue to have long-term effects.

"We have hit many milestones this year and look forward to growing the sport and awareness amongst women and children in the coming months with many fun activities being planned with Marriott, Macorp, ANSA McAL, Copa, and several of our new members," said Hussain. "With the opportunity to practice and play almost all year, the club offers free training to anyone interested in learning and we will even come to your location to train and promote the sport.”

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, november 27, 2019

West Indies Under-19 squad…

23

Anderson, Nedd focused on representing the Caribbean with finesse

By Brandon Corlette

G

uyana’s Ashmead Nedd and Kevlon Anderson are their country’s sole representation in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) 15-man squad for the International Cricket Council (ICC) U-19 Cricket World Cup that is slated for South Africa in January 2020.

Captained by Kimani Melius, the exciting young squad will first face the England U-19s and Sri Lanka U-19s in the West Indies Rising Stars U-19 Tri-Series to be held in Antigua in December 2019.

Both of these young talents are looking forward to the upcoming series followed by the global showpiece.

Nedd, who featured in the 2018 World Cup, disclosed: “I believe we have what it takes to do ‘we ll’ in the World Cup. I am looking forward to the World Cup and I am a bit excited. I’ve been there before and I can say it will be a bit challenging, but I will use my experience and come out on top.”

The mature Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) left-arm spinner, who has been one of the finest young prospects in the Caribbean, is currently with the West Indies Emerging Team playing in the Regional Super50 Cup. Meanwhile, the right-handed class batsman, Anderson, who also has the ability to bowl and keep wicket, told Guyana Times Sport that he was delighted with his selection. “Firstly, winning the World Cup that is the main objective and I am looking to score a lot of runs for the team in the tournament when the opportunity presents itself,” Anderson explained.

Anderson, who hails from Berbice and plies his trade for the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC), stated that in the eight or nine games in the tour-

nament, he has his eyes set on an aggregate of 360+ runs. The highly gifted youngster has also featured in training camps with the team. “The training camps were good learning curves for me, in working and improving in all areas of my game,” he said.

The squad will aim to recapture the trophy that West Indies U-19s won in 2016 and features three team members who played at the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2018: Captain Melius, Nedd and Nyeem Young.

Other notable names include Leonardo Julien and Jayden Seales, who are part of the West Indies Emerging Players squad that is performing strongly in Zone B of the current Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 Cup. This squad of potential future West Indies stars will host the England and Sri Lanka U-19 teams in nine matches to be played in Antigua at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and then the Coolidge Cricket Ground starting on December 6.

These matches will be used to work on game strategies and finesse their plans before the top two teams face off in Ashmead Nedd the fibowls during nal on the Regional Super50 Cup

December 21.

The West Indies U-19s then travel to South Africa after Christmas to finalise their preparations in advance of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup, which will take place from January 17 to February 9. At the start of their quest to add to the momentous 2016 world title, they will face three-time winners Australia, 1998 winners England and tournament debutants Nigeria in Zone B.

Kevlon Anderson takes a stunner during a training camp in Antigua

The Rising Stars U-19 Tri-Series fixtures: • ODI 1 – December 6: England v Sri Lanka, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground • ODI 2 – December 7: West Indies v Sri Lanka, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground • ODI 3 – December 9: West Indies v England, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground • ODI 4 – December 10: West Indies v Sri Lanka, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground • ODI 5 – December 12: England v Sri Lanka, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket

Ground •ODI 6 – December 13: West Indies v England, Coolidge Cricket Ground • ODI 7 – December 15: West Indies v England, Coolidge Cricket Ground • ODI 8 – December 17: Sri Lanka v England, Coolidge Cricket Ground • ODI 9 – December 19: West Indies v England, Coolidge Cricket Ground • ODI 10 – December 21: The Final, Coolidge Cricket Ground

Caribbean Boxing Championships

GABA dissatisfied with monetary support from T he Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) is now ambivalent about participating in the upcoming Caribbean Boxing Championships after claims that Government "came up short" on support for the team of 20 that are supposed to be jetting off to Trinidad and Tobago soon.

According to a release from the GABA, the National Sports Commission (NSC) could only cough up a sum of $500,000 out of a budget of $3 million that was presented to the Commission.

The $3 million would have covered the expenses for 16 Guyanese boxers to attend the tournament.

In expressing his vast disappointment, GABA President Steve Ninvalle reasoned that Government's

support amounted to that for two and a half boxers. It is important to note that 20 boxers have been encamped for the competition.

"To say that the entire boxing fraternity is disappointed would be blatant understatement. Air travel to Trinidad and Tobago and accommodation is $100,000 per person. That $500,000 can only take care of two and a half boxers. We have to send at least 16 boxers if we are to stand a chance of retaining our Caribbean title, that we worked so hard to earn last year. As it is right now, Guyana may not make it to Trinidad,” Ninvalle lamented.

Guyana Times Sport understands that some of the local boxers who have been listed for the

Keevin Allicock is expected to be in action at the Caribbean Championships

Championships are currently seeking sponsorship from

local businesses. While it is proactive, the strain of seek-

ing sponsorship is taking away from the local boxers’

focus on training and preparation.

Guyana, Caricom's powerhouse in boxing, has won the senior Caribbean title twice since 2016. Guyana were forced to relinquish the title in 2017 after insufficient funds forced the GABA to send a team of four to St Lucia, a situation that is shockingly similar.

Following the completion of the Terrence Ali National Open, the final tournament on the GABA’s local calendar, local selectors named 20 boxers for this year’s CBC tournament. Heading the list are Caribbean champions middleweight Desmond Amsterdam and bantamweight Keevin Allicock; also included are the talented Jackman sisters Abiola and Alesha.

wednesday, november 27, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Inclusion is main objective of Special Schools Sports – Sport Director Page 20

A group of the special schools’ students during the unofficial opening ceremony

Caribbean Boxing Championships

Page 21

Page 23

USA eliminate Guyana Jaguars in thrilling 8-run

GABA dissatisfied with monetary support from NSC

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