Guyanatime 21 July 2017

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana

3 Guyanese miners shot dead, 1 injured

guyanatimesgy.com

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3278

Friday, July 21, 2017

– as gunmen invade Venezuelan camp

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

P11 US Embassy warns of tender scam

Key witness to testify against Marcus P14 Bisram allegedly poisoned

Roopnaraine rescinds P15 resignation

Minister Dominic Gaskin and his wife Han Gaskin meet with former DDL Chairman Yesu Persaud and current Chairman Komal Samaroo at the launch of their special edition El Dorado Masters Rum which signifies their new five-year Caribbean Premier League sponsorship.

In background is DDL Director Rudy Collins (Carl Croker Photos)

A trip into paradise! These gorgeous models were present to greet invitees to the ceremony to announce Demerara Distillers Limited's new five-year partnership with the Hero Caribbean Premier League

IMF to assist in Guyana’s oil and gas sector

2 remanded for 94-kilo P8 cocaine bust on Pomeroon River

See stories on pages 15 & 16

– 140 local companies sign up with ExxonMobil’s supplier database

Former NBS CEO awarded $79M in wrongful dismissal case

– plaintiff to receive $372,498 monthly pension Page 9

Guyana gears to utilise Chinese P14 currency

2 news

FRIDAY, july 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.co

Guyana on track to becoming EITI-compliant

A section of the audience at the GYEITI outreach held in Georgetown on Thursday

From left: Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman; civil society’s GYEITI representative, C Bernard; industry’s GYEITI representative Hilbert Shields and Carter Centre/US representative Jason Calder

s Guyana prepares to welcome a new sector in the extractive industry, several steps are being made to ensure that it meets international standards and transparency remains a top priority. As such, efforts are being made to make Guyana Extractive

(GYEITI) hosted a public forum in Georgetown on Thursday at the Marian Academy to discuss the importance of having this initiative implemented, especially in light of the fact that Guyana was expected to begin oil production in 2020.

In addressing the size-

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Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)-compliant.

While this process had started in 2010 under the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government and continued with the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government,

Guyana has still not managed to make the necessary submissions to seek certification.

During its last round of countrywide outreaches ahead of its application submission, the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

able audience, GYEITI National Coordinator, Dr Rudy Jadoopat said that the organisation was made up of a multi-stakeholder group, which was responsible for putting together the terms of reference and the confidentiality agreement for the Initiative, which was adopted in April this year. This step will allow for data on the extractive industry to be made accessible to those same members.

With assistance from neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, the GYEITI held capacity-building symposiums earlier this year, and in June, a draft work plan was put together and later endorsed by the group.

The GYEITI official steering committee includes representatives from the extractive industry and civil society, to ensure that Guyana meets all the milestones required for EITI compliance.

“We are now in the process of completing our final draft of the work plan, which must be published. In the meantime, we will be holding public outreaches…We will later prepare the candidacy application. We plan to send it to the International EITI Secretariat by August,” he explained.

Upon review of Guyana’s application, it will be decided if the country meets all the requirements at the next EITI International Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Indonesia in late October. Dr Jadoopat has expressed optimism that Guyana could become compliant by this year.

In providing some detail about EITI, the National Coordinator said the initiative was to ensure that oil and gas companies operating in Guyana publish what they pay to the Government in taxes and royalties. Under the EITI standard, companies publish what they pay to governments, and governments publish what they receive in an annual EITI country report.

In his remarks, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman said that while there were examples in some countries where the Government was a dominant force in EITIs, the current Administration has

deliberately chosen not to be pre-eminent, but to allow the multi-stakeholder groups in the extractive industry to take prominence.

“We ensured that we would not only make our self a minority, but ensure that every sector would be represented by just four persons, each, of course, with an alternate…We recognise that as we hurdle towards the production of oil and gas in a few years’ time, that we ought not to wait to put certain fundamental things in place when that production begins, but rather do them earlier than later,” he stated.

In many countries, most of the revenues from natural resources accruing at subnational levels are not derived from company payments to local government entities, but from transfers from the central government. Depending on the revenue-distribution frameworks in place, these transfers can be a considerably larger source of revenue for subnational entities than taxes and fees collected at local levels. The revised EITI standard requires that such transfers are reported where mandated by law and where material.

Where companies are legally or contractually required to make social contributions, these must be disclosed, under EITI standards. Where countries collect significant revenues from the transportation of oil, gas and minerals, such as pipelines, the Government will also be required to disclose the revenues received.

The requirement to publish annual activity reports is not limited to compliant countries, the EITI said. It is foreseen that countries will report on progress with meeting the EITI requirements as well as (on) efforts to achieve the objectives set out in their work plans.

Validation is procured and managed by the EITI’s International Secretariat rather than by implementing countries. Countries undertake validation more frequently, with compliant countries being revalidated every three years as opposed to every five years under the old rules.

news

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FRIDAY, july 21, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Friday, July 21 – a nighttime retraction at 02:30h and a daytime retraction from 14:30h-16:00h and Saturday, July 22 – a nighttime retraction at 03:30h and a daytime retraction from 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

– as gunmen invade Venezuelan camp

Friday, July 21 – 15:05h-16:35h and Saturday, July 22 – 15:50h-17:20h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Thundery to heavy rain showers with sunny intervals can be expected during the day while clear skies with chances of thundery storms can be expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging between South-easterly and South South-easterly and East South-easterly between 2.23 metre and 2.68 metres.

High Tide: 02:25h and 15:02h reaching maximum heights of 2.61 metres and 2.53 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 08:31h and 20:52h reaching minimum heights of 0.57 metre and 0.68 metre.

wednesDAY, July 19, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS A

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19 20 22

23 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2017

DAILY MILLIONS 10 11 18 19 25 LUCKY 3 7 2 5 Afternoon Draw

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

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3 Guyanese miners shot dead, 1 injured

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

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ifty-five-year-old Vernon Eudoxie and 23-year-old Cologne Solomon, both of Fitzburg, Port Kaituma, and 19-yearold Samuel Moses of Four Miles Oronoque, Port Kaituma, North West District (Region One) were shot dead when a group of armed men stormed the mining camp where they were working in neighbouring Venezuela.

Their bodies, currently at the Port Kaituma Hospital Mortuary awaiting post-mortem examinations, bear multiple wounds suspected to have been inflicted by gunshot.

Twenty-two-year-old Joel Paton of Supenaam Creek Head Mission, Essequibo River was flown to the city on Thursday morning and is in a serious but stable condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), nursing several wounds about his body, suspected to have been gunshot-inflicted.

According to police reports, the injured Paton and the three deceased men were part of a team employed by a Brazilian miner who operates a land dredge at Imataca Mining Backdam in Venezuela. At sometime around 03:00h on Wednesday, the camp, located approximately three miles from the Guyana border, was allegedly attacked by four armed men with foreign accents, who began shooting indiscriminately, resulting in the death of

Dead: Cologne Solomon

Dead: Vernon Eudoxie

the three Guyanese miners.

The injured Paton and several other co-workers fled into the bushes for cover.

Speaking with reporters, Claire Richards, sister of the late Vernon Eudoxie, related what she knew of the incident. She said rumours were heard of three Guyanese nationals being killed by Venezuelan robbers, but she did not know her brother was among those shot dead until late Wednesday, when her nephew confirmed the devastating news.

“We weren’t sure until it was confirmed (at) about (23:00h) that yes, my brother was included. They brought out the bodies by ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) to Port Kaituma this morning,” the woman said.

She noted that because of the condition of the trails, it took some 24 hours to transport the bodies to the Region One town of Port Kaituma.

According to the woman, this is not the first time that mining camps like these and those within Guyana’s

borders have been attacked by foreign nationals.

“It’s not the first they’ve been robbed; they were robbed three times before. The malandros just

for themselves. She called on the authorities to beefup security along the country’s border.

“These robbers have been coming over to Guyana for the past six to seven days, robbing each camp that they come into contact with. It wouldn’t have taken the army an hour to fly in a troop of soldiers to patrol the border lines and keep people safe. I mean, it’s Guyana’s land, and the Venezuelans just can’t come and take what they want, do what they want, and go back thinking that it’s okay. Had the army been there since after the first attack, I think this situation

The bodies of the slain Guyanese miners

come over, take what they want and do what they want, then go back over to Venezuela. But this time they decided to take lives, too,” Ms Richards said.

The woman pointed out that there is no proper security apparatus in place to protect miners in deep interior locations, forcing miners and operators to fend

won’t have occurred,” Ms Richards lamented.

The late Vernon Eudoxie leaves to mourn his wife, four children and other family members and friends.

Meanwhile, efforts to contact the relatives of the two other deceased men proved futile. turn to page 14

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, july 21, 2017

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

Complex economics of a local oil refinery

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ith the prospect of earning huge revenue from the budding oil industry, there is much chatter about a local oil refinery, with even Government announcing its intention to pursue this avenue.

While the decision has not been carved in stone, the consultant who was retained to advise Government on whether such an investment is a viable economic option has made it clear that a project of that magnitude will not be profitable. As a matter of fact, the UK consultant Pedro Haas said, at a public consultation in the city, that even if Government goes ahead with the project, there will be extremely thin profit margins.

To his credit, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, who was present at the consultation, did not accept the findings wholeheartedly, but rather pointed to the fact that this could not be a unilateral decision.

He also said that such a decision would be a political one, adding that there are refineries in other parts of the world which may not be turning an economic profit, but they provide other benefits.

Hartree Partners, for which the consultant is a director of advisory services, is a merchant commodities firm specialising in energy and its associated industries.

The company offers proprietary trading and arbitrage services that include identifying value in the production, refinement, transportation, and consumption of tradable commodities, and anticipating opportunities in the supply chain, where they may be under or over-valued.

However, Hartree Partners, first established in 1997 as Hess Energy Trading Company LLC (HETCO), has 30 per cent interest in the Liza 1 Block. ExxonMobil is the operator, and holds a 45% interest in the Block, Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds a 30% interest, and the Chinese CNOOC Nexen, 25% interest.

Having taken this into consideration, can this feasibility study be a conflict of interest?

The feasibility study was done for a refinery that would produce 100,000 barrels of oil per day. This, according to the study, will cost US$5 billion and have a construction period of 50 to 60 months. This US$5 billion price tag will also have to take into consideration the additional cost of hydrogen supply, water, energy and docking.

As it stands, if 100,000 barrels of oil are produced per day, consideration has to be given to the fact that 75 per cent of each barrel has to go back to investment/ production cost, or what is commonly known as cost of oil. It therefore means that 25 per cent of the value of each barrel, at least in the initial stage, will be split between the operator and the Government of Guyana.

Guyana must, however, prepare itself mentally for the residual income. If the risk increases, or the price drops below a certain mark, Guyana will get an even smaller portion of the pie.

As such, the Government must think not only of its political standing, but consider the changing patterns in fuel demand and the complexities of a refinery before committing a huge chunk of this new oil money to such a grand project.

Consideration should also be given to the growing globalisation and trade in refined fuels and the new dynamics to the economics of refineries, which have shifted the drivers of refinery profitability. There is no doubt, while examining the lessons of other countries, that the economics involved in an oil refinery are complex, and after it has been built, it is expensive to maintain and operate.

It can be agreed that, should Guyana build its own oil refinery, it has the potential to create between 3000 and 6000 jobs. However, if this is done and it operates at a loss, then taxpayers’ money would have to be spent to grant subsidies. Before making a final decision, Guyana and Guyanese should be placed first and foremost in ensuring profitable operations that can deliver adequate returns on investment.

Team Ukraine competes in women’s team free synchro preliminary at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary Michael Dalder)

(Reuters/

CoI to investigate the investigator is sinister Dear Editor, Since the APNU regime took power -- just over two years ago -- it has established a slew of Commissions of Inquiry (CoIs). Those CoIs have cost the Guyanese taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. A lot of the time, the regime just ignores the recommendations of its CoIs. One that has recently been established is of great interest. This is a CoI to investigate the police, to see if the Guyana Police Force (GPF) had properly investigated the ‘threat’ to assassinate the President.

Almost all Guyanese believe that this was a major hoax, and the President was never near to being assassinated.

Indeed, it had appeared that that matter was done with. All of a sudden we hear of the establishment of this CoI. The question that comes to mind is: Why is this new CoI necessary? What is the motive behind this?

Mr Anil Nandlall, in his writing on the subject, noted that a lot of these CoIs are established to give jobs to friends of the APNU. They pay the chairpersons and these Commission members handsomely.

Nandlall also pointed out that most of these CoIs are unnecessary, since it is a function of Government to carry out a lot of the work now farmed out to CoIs. This one that is set up to investigate the investigators is sinister. While it may fulfil the other requirement of giving jobs to the boys, it

is also to be used as an excuse to make some changes in the Police Force. It is to get rid of professional officers and replace them with PNC/APNU stooges, people who are prepared to be used as instruments of PNC/ APNU for their own political purposes.

The question: whom do they want to target is the big issue.

It could be more than one person in pursuit of their policy of racial and political discrimination.

The whispers suggest that Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud could be the target. That may not be totally true. Mr Seelall Persaud is expected to retire in the not-too-distant future, so they could wait him out.

However, he would not be unaffected by a negative report, since he is in charge of the Police Force. Any findings of neglect would stain his record. This could be part of their plan, as they have done with Mr James Singh of CANU. It may be they are not inclined to appoint either of the two men who are most qualified for the job of Commissioner to replace Mr Seelall Persaud. These are Mr David Ramnarine and Mr Clifton Hicken. Both are competent and efficient officers.

Ramnarine has displayed a strong, independent streak. Recall his public pronouncement about the lack of money during the 2011 elections, even though the PPP/C Administration had released millions to the Force for the purpose of en-

suring all the necessary resources were in place for the smooth functioning of the elections.

Implicit in his remarks was a strong accusation of then Police Commissioner Henry Greene.

While the PPP/C Administration did not discriminate because of people’s opinion, this PNC/APNU regime is different. Its members do not like officers who display any independence of thought and persons willing to stand up to authority for what is right.

Ramnarine could very well be a target for this regime, to ensure that he does not occupy the top post. His strong independence is a negative for this regime.

Mr Clifton Hicken has displayed a strong, professional position over the years. He has stood bravely to uphold law and order. He has been a no-nonsense officer. His record as Commander of ‘A’ Division is a very impressive one.

During his time there, we saw a reduction in crimes in that Division.

There are two things this PNC/APNU regime doesn’t like about Hicken. The first is his strong stance against the criminals. APNU/PNC has historically had very close relations with criminals. This strength of Hicken could very well work against him now that APNU is in power.

The second was his stance at Linden. Even though the Commission of Inquiry exonerated Mr Hicken of any wrongdoing, that does not mean that

PNC/APNU feels the same way. Its members’ intention was to get the Linden issue to escalate, and Hicken was the officer who stood up to their racial and diabolical plans.

Another officer who is displaying great capacity is the young Crime Chief Mr Wendell Blanhum.

Under Blanhum’s watch, most of the big crimes are so far being solved. He is now also turning his attention to the cold cases, and many are worried that he would get them solved.

Blanhum has so far displayed great professionalism in his work. He is young and very bright, and is making a big difference in the fight against crime.

Those qualities that have allowed him to rise in the Force are not qualities this regime likes. As mentioned above, they want ‘yes’ men and persons who would compromise professionalism for PNC/APNU political end.

This attitude of the APNU/PNC is reflected in what many persons are talking about. One very senior government minister and high official of the PNC is reported to have said in the corridors of the Court something to the effect that “we (APNU) appoint them, they got to rule in our favour.”

This seemingly useless CoI to investigate whether the police had properly investigated the ‘threat’ to the President’s life could turn out very damaging.

Donald Ramotar Former President

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, july 21, 2017

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

An unfortunate degeneration to gutter-style writing Dear Editor, The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) refers to Mr Abel Seetaram’s letter, titled “The sugar union has misrepresented workers’ rights since 1992”, which appeared in the July 19, 2017 edition of Kaieteur News.

It seems that our response to Mr Seetaram’s last letter has upset him to the point that he rambles on, making pointless and hollow statements which are not borne out by reality. It’s unfortunate that Mr Seetaram is degenerating to gutter-style writing.

Mr Seetaram must have known that last Sunday’s (July 16, 2017) rally at Rose Hall was not organised by GAWU in any way, shape or form. Moreover, from the information we have at hand, the rally was well attended

by Guyanese from all walks of life and from several villages, near and far.

Seetaram spoke of vehicles being present at the rally. Quite logically, those who are from areas that are some distance from the rally venue would have driven.

Or is Mr Seetaram saying that only a certain ‘class’ of people should own and drive vehicles? If this is indeed so, then it speaks to the contempt and disdain Mr Seetaram and, no doubt, his colleagues who are perched atop the pyramid of power hold for Guyanese.

Seetaram accuses us of financially supporting our “political allies”. This is a worn-out and tired accusation which has failed to gain traction. We recognise this also as a tune being sung by several of Seetaram’s political colleagues in an attempt to besmirch and denigrate our Union.

The GAWU wishes to make it crystal clear to Seetaram and his colleagues that it does not financially support any political organization, and this can be verified by the yearly Auditor General’s Financial Statements of our Union. As a mass-based organization, we are fully aware that our members are supportive of the various political parties in our country, and we are respectful of their views.

Seetaram asks us to list the cases we won, the NIS contribution matters we have represented, the improvements in working conditions we have caused, among other things. The response that he is seeking would probably fill up a voluminous text book, and it would certainly not be carried by any local newspaper.

But to answer him: In a nutshell, our work in defending, safeguarding and advancing workers’ rights and concerns has seen a sustained improvement in working conditions and benefits, and we will never flinch from this responsibility. The sugar workers are very much aware of our Union’s role, and have staunchly supported GAWU, and have resiliently stood with the Union even before its formal recognition with GuySuCo. It would do Mr Seetaram well if he could solicit from GuySuCo -- with whom, no doubt, he has easy access -information on the myriad of benefits that GAWU has won over the years for the sugar workers.

The erstwhile gentleman then accuses our Union of lying to workers. But we ask Mr Seetaram what lies he is referring to. Are we lying on the Government’s plan for the sugar industry when we say 9,000 workers would be sent on the breadline? Or that 50,000 Guyanese stand threatened by impoverishment? Or that several village economies face the real prospect of ruination? Or that there is a high probability that crime and other anti-social behaviours in sugar communities are likely to increase? These are not lies; but real, cold, hard facts.

Mr Seetaram, it seems you have not been reading our responses carefully,

or you are just being plain wicked. There were always plans to safeguard the industry, recognising the consequences of the EU price cuts.

Those plans involved moving the industry away from being a raw bulk sugar producer to a vertically-integrated, diversified industry producing several products. Maybe you can have your colleagues share with you several of the studies and plans which were done in moving in this direction. It is foolhardy to say that nothing was done when the reality paints a different picture altogether.

The Blairmont packaging plant was the first such plant established by GuySuCo, and was intended to be a model for other plants that would be established. While it is indeed true that the plant produced Demerara Gold sugar, it also exposes Seetaram’s lack of knowledge. The name ‘Demerara’ in terms of sugar refers to “branding,” and not solely location. That brand is being used by several other sugar producing countries. In fact, at this time, GuySuCo is seeking to safeguard the name ‘Demerara’.

Mr Seetaram, you then go on saying that the “East Coast Demerara Estates had to be closed”. This is news for us, and we wonder why this wasn’t shared in the 2015 Election Campaign.

Contrary to your assertion, there was a plan to safeguard Enmore/LBI and all estates, and that is a matter of fact.

At Enmore/LBI, extensive work was done in converting fields to facilitate mechani-

sation in an effort to reduce cost of production. In terms of enhancing revenues, the packaging plant was established since GuySuCo receives its highest price from the sale of such direct-consumption sugar. Studies also found that a co-generation plant would have been viable at the estate.

There was no ‘doomsday clock’ for Enmore/LBI, as the author asserted.

Mr Seetaram, your con-

temptuous letters, filled with baseless and fallacious assertions, are nothing but a weak and futile defence of plans for the sugar industry, which will haunt our nation for generations to come.

We ask the Councillor: what happened to the assertion that “sugar is too big to fail” and where is the euphoric ‘Good Life’ that was promised to all Guyanese, including the sugar workers. Or is it the sugar workers are

deemed to be another class of people, not deserving of the niceties of life.

GAWU will continue to stand in defence of the sugar workers and their families as they face the wrath of an uncaring Administration.

Yours truly, Seepaul Narine General Secretary GAWU

Numerous complaints of mining lawlessness Dear Editor, I recently visited the Karrau Amerindian village, very close to the ‘green’ town of Bartica, in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) where I was confronted with numerous complaints of mining lawlessness by persons who own mining properties on Karrau’s village lands.

Village residents are highly concerned that their resources are being harvested out because ‘tributes’ of at least seven per cent are not being paid to the Village Council to assist in village development which is a total violation of the Amerindian Act 2006 (sec 51 (1)).

What is even worse is that village residents employed by the big miners are not being paid for their services granted. Further, gold mining activities are taking place within the vil-

lage’s proposed land extension areas which have extended onto titled village lands. The Village Council, and even the residents when they make complaints to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) Bartica office, their complaints are most times ignored.

No investigation being carried out to stop the lawless mining activities taking place on Karrau’s titled village lands. It must be noted that the big miners working on Karrau’s village lands are known to the GGMC Bartica office. This is highly suspicious. The village residents have not been paid by one of

the big miners (an overseas resident) since the year 2015 and they are fed up with the Bartica mines office on the basis that their complaints are not being addressed.

They are appealing to the Commissioner of the GGMC to assist with their problems of mining lawlessness taking place on their village lands and if not, they may have to take matters into their own hands. The intervention of the Commissioner of the GGMC is therefore urgently needed at the Karrau Amerindian village.

Yours sincerely, Peter Persaud

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friDAY, july 21, 2017

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guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

To master basic Maths facts: strategise, then memorise

BY CAROL R RINKE AND JOHN F MCADAM

N

othing may be more feared in the minds of young children and their parents than learning the basic Maths facts. Just hearing the times tables take many of us back to our own childhoods, staring at a blank page and trying to remember the dreaded 9 x 8 = 72. The good news is that our own children should not have to suffer the same fear. A substantial amount of Mathematics education research shows that children do not master their Maths facts through memorisation alone. Instead, true mastery comes from being equipped with quick and effective strategies for finding the solution. By using these strategies, children will always have the mental tools needed to find the correct answer and the confidence to use them. With a strategy-based approach to the basic Maths facts, children use what they already know to figure out what they don’t know.

Rather than racking their brains to remember the answer to a basic Maths fact, they can simply find a “helping” fact and use it as a jumping- off point. For example, let’s say that your child knows the common fact 5 x 5 = 25.

She can then add one more 5 to figure out that 6 x 5 = 30. Think of this as the “one more than” strategy. There are many such strategies that parents can teach their children in order to equip them with the tools they need to master all of their Maths facts. As a parent, remember that as long as your child can figure out an answer quickly in her head (in about three seconds or less), she has mastered the fact and can use it in meaningful ways as part of her daily life.

Some of the most common strategies for basic fact mastery include: 1. Skip counting – Perhaps the simplest strategy that children can begin learning at an early age is skip counting, that is, counting by 2s, 5s, 10s, etc. Skip counting is fun to do and children begin to hear patterns in numbers. When paired with a chart (such as Figure 1), they can even begin to see those patterns. For instance, when skip counting by 10s, see if your child notices the pattern that all the numbers end in zero!

2. Make 10 – A useful way for children to think about numbers is in relationship to 10, which can serve as a mental anchor for them. For instance, when children are learning the Maths fact 14 – 6 = 8, they don’t need to subtract 6 all at once. Instead, they can first take away 4 from 14 to make 10 and then take away 2 more from 10 to equal 8.

3. Doubles and near doubles* – Many children are already familiar with doubles facts. They know that 3 + 3 = 6, for instance. They can draw upon their knowledge of doubles and simply count

one more to figure out near doubles such as 3 + 4 = 7 (illustrated in Figure 2).

4. Nines – Multiplying by 10 is often clear even for young children. Because nine is so close to 10, 9 facts are fairly straightforward to work out mentally.

For instance, if a child knows that 10 x 7 = 70, they can take away one 7 to figure out that 9 x 7 = 63. Nines also have lots of patterns to explore together.

5. Commutative Property – This is the Mathematical way to say, “you can add or multiply numbers in any order and you get the same answer.” Based on this property, if your child knows 3 + 2 = 5, then he can solve 2 + 3 = 5 (illustrated in Figure 3).

Taking this approach cuts the number of addition and multiplication facts in half!

6. Use fact families – Children know that addition facts are connected to subtraction facts, and multiplication facts are to division facts.

Therefore, it is helpful if they learn their basic facts as part of “fact families.” For instance, an addition and subtraction fact family might include 7 + 8 = 15 as well as 15 – 8 = 7. Using this approach, again, cuts the number of Maths facts in half.

7. Make it real – Finally, don’t limit your practice of basic Maths facts to traditional flashcards. Instead, play Maths games and point out Maths relationships in real life. For instance, while your child is racing toy cars, you might show him that each car has four tires and ask how he could quickly figure out how many tires are on all 6 cars without counting each one. Then, ask him how he came to his solution and make Maths something that you talk about together every day. (www.parenttoolkit.com)

– new research suggests that young children may make gains in Maths by counting with their fingers

By Youki Terada

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eachers generally start telling children to stop counting on their fingers around the end of First Grade –they’re learning to do Maths in their heads, and finger counting is sometimes seen as a crutch or even a sign of weak Maths ability.

A new British study published in Frontiers in Education suggests that this may be a mistake, because finger counting seems to boost Maths learning when paired with number games.

In the four-week experiment, 137 six- and seven-year-old children were split into five groups. One group participated in finger-counting exercises such as counting from 1 to 10 using each finger, showing the correct number of fingers when told a specific number, and doing simple addition or subtraction problems using their fingers. The second group played number games (eg, dominoes and card games). The third and fourth groups did both—they performed finger-counting exercises and played number games.

The final group was the control and didn’t participate in either the exercises or the games.

Children who did only the finger-counting exercises improved their finger sense (the ability to mentally differentiate between fingers), while those who played number games were better able to visually gauge the relative size of pairs of dot groupings. And children who participated in both activities outperformed the control group in multiple Maths-related skills, including counting, ordering, comparing, and adding.

In other words, while number games slightly boosted one Maths skill, children experienced larger gains on a range of tests when they also used their fingers.

The authors of the study, Tim Jay and Julie Betenson, suggest an intriguing explanation for the boost: The “part of the brain that responds to number lies in close proximity to the area that is activated whenever subjects perform pointing and grasping activities.” So when we use our fingers, we also activate the areas of our brain associated with counting. This parallel processing may explain why young children benefit from finger counting.

While older students should eventually move past finger counting, there’s now a strong case to let younger students continue.

The takeaway: Don’t discourage young children from counting on their fingers – it may actually boost Maths learning, especially when paired with number games. (edutopia.com)

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FRIDAY, july 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Georgetown Prison unrest

Fire now useful tool to get Govt's attention, says Jagdeo – still many unanswered questions

O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has accused the Government of bending to the demands of prisoners, explaining that fire has now become an effective tool used by inmates to get what they want.

Jagdeo said on Wednesday during a press conference that the media has focused much of its attention on overcrowding as one of the main reasons that led to the unrest, but he believes it goes beyond that.

He criticised Government for negotiating with prisoners during last year’s deadly prison riot that left 17 inmates dead, and following the recent incident, deciding to release close to 100 of the inmates on self-bail or shortened prison terms.

“What is there to say?

Can anyone in the media or elsewhere, or in this Government, in a prison now that is not overcrowded that fire will not be used as a tool, since it is an effective tool to secure early release or to secure the attention of the Executive?” he questioned.

Jagdeo again warned that such moves place Government in a moral fix and set a bad precedence in

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

which prisoners would believe they could cause unrest to pressure the authorities into releasing them.

“Addressing issues at the prison is important. But the moral hazard issue goes beyond just issues of conditions of the prisons,” the Opposition Leader posited.

Further, Jagdeo said the Opposition is confounded about the manner in which the Government is going about executing its duties, as there seems to be an issue when it comes to the ‘separation of power’.

He was making reference to a Government Minister giving instructions to the magistracy. “We assumed that these people were placed in prison and not given bail for a reason. So what changed? Is just the fire?

And how could people, as we saw, who were convicted for rape and assault… repeat offenders for serious offences, how come they secured bail,” he further questioned.

However, Jagdeo said Government had informed the public that the people who secured bail were people who were held for minor offences and were scheduled to be released shortly.

“There are so many unanswered questions that seem to have been swept under the carpet on this matter,” the former President declared.

The mere fact that greater emphasis is being placed on conditions at the prisons, Jagdeo thinks that it is being used to absolve the Government of any responsibility. “And they are responsible. They have stewardship in Government. Just like how (David) Granger blamed us for the floods in 2005, but wouldn’t take ownership for the floods now.”

The Opposition also re-

The Camp Street Prison was razed by fire set by prisoners recently

iterated its disappointment over a brief with the Government on the prison unrest. The meeting which was held last week has been described as an “exercise in futility.”

“Nothing that wasn’t in the public domain before was disclosed to us. So, the brief was exactly what they did at the press conference and whatever they have been saying,” Opposition

MP Juan Edghill explained, stating that he was fully convinced that it was only meant to show that the Government met with the Opposition.

He said attempts by the Opposition to ask questions where there were grey areas for clarity were met with very arrogant responses from Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

Mere days after the Camp Street Prison fire, a fire erupted at the Lusignan penitentiary, on the East Coast of Demerara, as protestation against garbage and flooding in the facilities where the prisoners were held. Again, it was rewarded with immediate success, as a clean-up campaign was initiated. The Opposition Leader again warned against the dangers of this approach.

8 news

FRIDAY, july 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

2 remanded for 94-kilo cocaine Don’t look bust on Pomeroon River T

wo farmers from Essequibo, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) who were fingered in a recent drug bust on the Pomeroon River were on Thursday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and charged for trafficking in just over 94 kilograms of cocaine.

Forty-five-year-old John DaSilva of Grant Strong Hope, Pomeroon; and Kevin Fitz Gordon, 34, of Jim Housing Scheme on the Essequibo Coast, were both represented by Attorney Mark Waldron who contended that his clients had no antecedents or pending matters before the courts. They both pleaded not guilty to the joint charge and were remanded to the Lusignan holding facility on the East

Remanded: John DaSilva

Remanded: Kevin Fitz Gordon

Coast of Demerara.

Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor, Konyo Sandiford requested

four weeks for the disclosure of statements and the matter was transferred to the

Guyana Times previously reported that the two men were taken into custody by CANU on Monday, following the discovery of the illicit substance in several wellwrapped packages aboard a vessel on the Pomeroon River.

Reports reaching this publication revealed the vessel was stopped and searched by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard which led to the illegal drug being unearthed.

The men and the suspected cocaine were then transported to CANU’s headquarters where they were interrogated and processed for court.

It is yet unclear whether the vessel is owned by Guyanese or originated from neighbouring Venezuela.

The suspected cocaine that was found by GDF Coast Guard ranks in the speedboat on the Pomeroon River on Monday

Charity Magistrate’s Court to be heard on August 28.

However, investigations are ongoing.

over…

I

…Executive’s shoulder

n a rather extraordinary statement, President David Granger reacted to the CJ judgment on the GECOM Chair’s appointment thusly: “I will continue to act in accordance with my perception of the Constitution.”

The CJ, of course, had ruled that the individuals proposed by the Opposition Leader in accordance with Art 161 (2) didn’t have to be a “judge” or a “possible judge”. She’d advised the President to give reasons for his rejection of individuals - especially as to how he’d provided “criteria”.

To this the President retorted, “If you can show me the Article of the Constitution which requires me to give reasons, I will comply with the Constitution; but I will not do what the Constitution does not require me to do”. Meaning, he will continue to reject any and everybody Mr Jagdeo proposes -- solely on his whims and fancies.

Now, this is a very serious situation, since the President insists he can arrogate the function of the Judiciary to interpret the Constitution!!

The question, of course, is: Who decides what the Constitution is “saying” on any given exercise of power -the Executive or Judiciary? In Guyana, we don’t have to guess; it’s trite law that it’s the Judiciary that interprets the Constitution under the separation of powers doctrine we follow. Judicial review is an example of the separation of powers in a modern governmental system - the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the Judiciary.

If this rule is broken by the Executive, what we have in Guyana is a dictatorship -- short and simple. To begin with, in Guyana and other parliamentary democracies, the President, in addition to being head of the Executive, is effectively the head of the Legislature -which makes the law. The Prime Minister, his Ministers, and all the other MPs who’re salivating at the prospect of becoming Ministers are merely doing his bidding.

This is unlike in the US, where Congress is separate from the Executive -- as seen by some Republican Congressmen and Senators willing to buck some of President Trump’s policies. So if Guyana is now to have a President who insists HIS interpretation of the Constitution trumps the Judiciary’s, what else does such a President become but a “dictator”? We will once again have one individual in whom all the powers of the State reside, and who, like Louis XIV and Burnham, can say with no irony, “I am the State!!”

The funny thing (not “ha, ha” funny, but “strange”) is the CJ had already given Prezzie a backdoor to appointing his (preordained?) choice.

He really didn’t have to degut the Judiciary.

…Ministerial demotions

Minister Rupert Roopnaraine’s resignation raises some interesting issues. Firstly, matters are still a bit hazy after his removal as Minister of Education -- as to what he would’ve been responsible for as a Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency. Educational “innovation”? What the heck is that? NCERD on steroids?

Anyhow, the more interesting development is the WPA interjecting itself into the appointment of Dr Roopnaraine’s successor. Whether to “innovate” (“bloviate”? “titivate”??) in education and improve on the miracle in NGSA Maths -- or in some other Ministry.

We now know Prezzie hadn’t engaged the WPA brain trust on Roopnarine’s initial appointment, but they’d swallowed hard and accepted the imposition. Jagan hadn’t been treated so kindly back in ’92!! But what the heck? It’s now ‘all in the family”!

But they did suss out Prezzie and had him confirm the WPA has to get a Ministry. So who’ll it be? Can’t be their new Chair Tabitha-Halley….she’ll have to explain her $3M scholarship!!

Oops!! Roopnaraine's mind was just changed!!

…oily matters

What’s this we’re hearing? Exxon balked at the press attending an event organised by a government dept? Say it ain’t true.

Maybe the Donald has problems with the American media. But Guyana’s?? Jeez, we’re pussycats!! And suckers for an American accent!

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

News

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FRIDAY, july 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Former NBS CEO awarded $79M in wrongful dismissal case - Plaintiff to receive $372,498 monthly pension

By S hemuel F anfair

F

ive long years after Maurice Arjoon, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the New Building Society Limited (NBS), took his past employer to court, he has finally been awarded more than $79 million in outstanding payments and benefits; and the court also ruled that he should be paid a monthly pension of $372,498.

The court’s computation follows the decision of Justice Brassington Reynolds, who on Thursday ruled in favour of Maurice Arjoon.

Arjune had sued the NBS for some $550 million in damages on the following grounds: that he had been wrongfully dismissed from his post, and that his former employer had withheld pension and other benefits due him.

In its computation, the

court did not award monetary damages for breach of contract under common law, but Arjoon was awarded $4.1million for pay in lieu of notice, in accordance with Clause 10 of his contract; $16.1million for severance benefits; and some $59 million for pension -- which subsumes a lump sum pension of $17.4 million and reduced pension payments of $372,498 up to June 2017.

The court’s computation of payments that Arjoon will receive reflected a grand total of $79,282,801.

Interest has been calculated at 6 percent per annum on pay in lieu of notice and severance benefits, while his outstanding pension has attracted a 6 percent per annum rate of interest from March 1, 2008 to the date of judgment (July 17).

According to the court’s declaration, the plaintiff is entitled to a monthly pen-

Former CEO of the NBS, Maurice Arjoon

sion. As such, the court ordered that, effective July 1, Arjoon must be paid a monthly reduced pension of $372,498 for the rest of his life. Additionally, court costs were set at $200,000, and the NBS was ordered to foot that bill.

Former NBS CEO Maurice Arjoon was fired from his position ten years ago in connection with a magistrate’s

court matter wherein he, NBS Operations Manager Kent Vincent and NBS Assistant Mortgage Manager Kissoon Baldeo were all accused of conspiracy to defraud the NBS of $69 million. The court matter was eventually dismissed, and Arjoon and the co-defendants took the financial institution to court in 2011.

An investigation had

claimed that the fraud was committed in 2006, and the men were all fired the next year, after it had allegedly been determined that the men were at fault for dereliction of duty, negligence and/or serious misconduct.

The NBS had contended that an unauthorised withdrawal of nearly $70 million had been made from an account that its client Bibi Shamina Khan held. The NBS’s issue with the withdrawal was that it was made through a Power of Attorney, and the company had implicated Arjoon for misconduct.

However, in the court’s view, the NBS had failed to provide evidence that supported its claim of misconduct, whether serious or otherwise.

Declaring himself sick, Arjoon has said he believes he was set-up on the fraud allegations because he allegedly had refusal to approve a loan of some $2 billion applied for in 2006.

He claims the investigation into the fraud allegations was conducted later that same year, implicating him as CEO, as well as the co-defendants.

Having been dragged out for more than five years, the High Court matter was listed for decision on November 29, 2016; but it was only after repeated articles in this regard had appeared in the media that the court handed down its ruling on July 17.

At Monday’s decision, Justice Reynolds indicated in effect that Arjoon had suffered as a result of his wrongful dismissal from the NBS. Accordingly, he ruled that the former CEO should receive financial compensation for the damages he had suffered; and moreover, that he was entitled to his pension and severance benefits, in accordance with provisions stipulated in the laws of Guyana.

Taxi driver no longer bears Lindener jailed for 5 years burden of pedestrian’s death for illegal gun, ammo – prosecution scolded for failure to produce a single eyewitness

C

hief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Thursday upheld a no-case submission made by defence counsel as she ruled that the court finds the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie (first-impression) case against Noel DeFreitas who was accused of causing the death of a pedestrian earlier this year.

The charge detailed that on January 24, 2017, DeFreitas drove in a manner dangerous to the public along Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, thereby causing the death of Maurice Nurse.

Nurse was reportedly walking along the road when he was struck by the alleged speeding driver. Bail was granted to the accused in the sum of $800,000 when DeFrietas first appeared before the court, despite the objection of the prosecution.

In the weeks leading up to the ruling, the Chief Magistrate had scolded the prosecution for lagging and

Noel DeFreitas leaving the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday

failing to present witnesses to the court, causing her to set two consequent pre-emptory trial dates, Thursday being the final.

In her summing-up, the Magistrate cited authorities in presenting the ratio decidendi (reason for decision) to the court while declaring that there was no strength in the prosecution’s case

in that they had presented no eyewitnesses to testify during trial. Moreover, she posited that based on the examination of evidence presented by the prosecution, the court finds that there was no evidence that the accused was speeding, thus it could not be inferred that a reasonable and competent driver would’ve driven in a different manner (than that of the accused).

McLennan further declared that the prosecution had failed to prove all the essential elements and the measly evidence presented during the course of the trial was insufficient to incriminate the accused.

In conclusion, she deemed the circumstances under which Nurse lost his life as an unfortunate incident, while upholding the no-case submission proposed by the defence.

A relieved DeFreitas exited the courtroom, a free man, flanked by his lawyer and family members.

A

29-year-old miner was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on Thursday after he admitted being in possession of an illegal gun and matching ammunition.

Kellon Mc Leod, called “Pinny” of Victory Valley,

Wismar, Linden, appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Wales Magistrate’s Court, where he pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition without licence charges.

The Police said that the miner was found in

possession of a .38 revolver and seven matching rounds early Wednesday morning in Mackenzie, Linden.

Mc Leod was subsequently jailed for five years on each charge.

However, the sentences will run concurrently.

10 news

FRIdAY, july 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

First Lady welcomes Guyanese robotics team – after impressive showcase in US

F

ollowing Guyana’s success at the First Global Robotics Challenge staged in Washington, DC, earlier this week, First Lady Sandra Granger welcomed the local team of young innovators as they returned home on Wednesday evening.

The nation looked on as a group of six Guyanese teenagers and three adult mentors, took to the United States their robotic creation to compete – for the first time – in this year’s Global Robotics Challenge.

Guyana quickly rose to the top during the first day of competition, but fell after joining forces with a number of weaker teams in the second day of the international faceoff.

Nevertheless, the group of young innovators finished 10th among a total of 165 countries, thereby marking an outstanding representation of the country.

On that note, the First Lady was among the welcome party at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on Wednesday evening, and took the opportunity to congratulate the team for their

First Lady Sandra Granger along with several other local organisers welcomed the Guyana Robotics team at the CJIA

exceptional performance.

“The way our team has performed by coming 10th out of 165 countries, has shown what can be done when we consider that we have not had robotics in this country for even a year,” the First Lady said.

She went on to say that, “Our young people have come together, worked as a team, demonstrated their skills and have also become very good ambassadors for our country.”

With that, the youth activists thanked those who supported the initiative, noting that such efforts at collaboration are necessary for success.

Meanwhile, in light of the accomplishments of the young innovators, Mrs Granger underlined the importance of technology and innovation in Guyana as she continued to emphasise her interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as a medi-

Stanleytown taxi driver hospitalised after being shot

A

40-year-old taxi driver from Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara, has been hospitalised after he and his girlfriend were shot at on Wednesday evening.

The incident occurred around 19:30h. The injured man has been identified as Bevon Grandville of Lot 74 Stanleytown.

According to Police reports, Grandville was in the company of his girlfriend conversing on the Stanleytown Public Road, when an iden-

tifiable male was observed some distance from them with a handgun in his possession.

The armed man then discharged several rounds at the couple, resulting in one of the bullets hitting the taxi driver.

The shooter subsequently escaped in a waiting car.

The injured man was rushed to the West Demerara Hospital and admitted in stable condition. He sustained a gunshot wound to his left thigh.

Meanwhile, the Police have said that no arrest was made, but investigations are in progress.

When contacted on Thursday evening, D Division (West Demerara and East Bank Essequibo) Commander Leslie James told Guyana Times that they were yet to ascertain the motive behind the shooting and whether there was any link between the suspect and the victims.

um of growth for the nation’s youth.

The First Lady relayed, “My concern has always been that young people can see all the possibilities and STEM offers them those opportunities; that they can see themselves developing and getting into a profession that they will love. Any child today is absorbed in technology so you have to stimulate that interest and maintain it… and through STEM.” Moreover, Mrs Granger pledged her commitment to the expansion of robotics while outlining her vision of creating innovative opportunities across Guyana.

“My main focus is to get it to every child and I mean every child in the rural areas,

the hinterland, the towns, in our less well-endowed communities and challenged homes, to give them that opportunity to see that they can do it and that has been our experience wherever we go with the Robot kits and so the aim is to get every kid in Guyana into Robotics,” posited the First Lady.

However, revisiting the experience encountered during the competition was the team Manager, Farnaz Khan, who expressed her utter delight in the accomplishments of the Guyanese team, especially given that the challenges were numerous.

As a result, the Guyanese delegation was determined to make the nation proud.

“The boys stayed up until about 3 ‘o’ clock in the morning to ensure that all was well and then on the second day, there was a connection problem. Despite the connection problem and about a minute delay, we did well and reached triple digits,” Khan relayed.

She further explained, “The last game on the Monday was a great experience and we saw Guyana on top but Tuesday, that’s when we faced a lot of problems not with our robot but the countries we were paired with.

There wasn’t proper communication and Ivory Coast did not have a proper mechanism. We tried to help them build their robot in two hours but unfortunately we could

not finish it and when their robot reached on the field, it shutdown and so Guyana was the only one who helped the country to most of the points so that’s how we dropped from the points table.”

Adding to that, one of the other participants, Christopher Nelson, pinpointed that he now looks forward to bringing his experience, skills and knowledge back home to promote STEM education and development in all communities, since it is his belief too that it must be made available to every child.

“We now have a responsibility to capture some of the youths into robotics.

Some Guyanese feel that getting involved in robotics and STEM that you have to be a high flyer but that is not true and so we now have to motivate persons to come out and get involved so that Guyana can have a better future and be a better place,” Nelson conveyed.

Regardless of the challenges faced, this year’s competition marks the first time Guyana was represented at the Global Robotics Challenge. Despite having limited resources when compared to that of other international powerhouses, Guyana fought its way to the top 10, making it an impressive introduction to the international competition.

news

S RAIGHT Oil and Gas Exploration?

L

ast week we started the conversation about upstream activities in the oil and gas sector. This week we continue that conversation by delving into what is oil and gas exploration in layman’s terms.

What is exploration?

Exploration involves a search process for hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth’s surface. Petroleum geologists have mastered the art of looking for hydrocarbon deposits where conditions are similar to those where earlier deposits were found.

There was no doubt that Guyana has hydrocarbon deposits. All of its neighbours connected by the sea do have active oil and gas wells, namely Venezuela, Trinidad, and Suriname.

A standard technique, called seismic surveys, is used to initially analyse the rock formation to ascertain if and when they should drill “wildcat wells”. A wildcat well is an exploration well to confirm the readings from the seismic surveys. Some of these wildcat wells will fail and some will succeed. In Guyana’s case, the “Liza 1” well drilled on behalf of Exxon was a success, while the “Eagle 1” well drilled on behalf of CGX was a failed wildcat well. (see map below)

In Guyana’s case, the main operator of the Stabroek Block is a company called Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), which is owned by Exxon with a 45% interest, while Hess Corporation (USA) has a 30% interest, and the Chinese, by way of a company called CNOOC Limited, has a 25% interest. The operators secured from the Government of Guyana, by way of a Petroleum Prospective Licence which was signed in June 1999 by the then President Mrs. Janet Jagan, a lease to explore for oil and gas.

Drilling

Drilling is physically creating a hole in the ground, called a “borehole”, which can either be a success or a failure. If it is a success, as in the case of the “Liza 1” well, then it will eventually become an oil and gas well. If it is a failure, as in the case of the Eagle well, it is capped (sealed) and abandoned.

Specialist rig contractors and service companies in the “OIL SERVICES” business do this work. The specialist rig contractor that spudded (first bore) the well in March 2015 for Exxon was one of the world’s largest offshore drilling contractors, based in Switzerland. That company is called Transocean. They used a drill-ship called Deepwater Champion to accomplish the task.

On any well site, there can be as many as 30 different service contractors providing expertise to the operator. I was reliably informed that there was no Guyanese company in that initial team, but several Trinidadian companies were contracted to offer critical support services to the specialist rig contractors during the days of exploration, earning valuable income for that country ‘s economy vs. the Guyanese economy.

The drilling of oil wells can be relatively simple (vertical for miles), or more complex, involving greater depth and some horizontal drilling. My understanding is that the “Liza 1” well was a complex well that involved the design of a snake-shaped oil well that required some amount of horizontal drilling to maximize the drainage potential of the well. (See picture below)

Next week, I shall explain the terms Dutch Disease, Midstream and Downstream.

Please share your thoughts at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

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FRIDAY, july 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Haitians fined and deported for overstaying A

cting on information received, Berbice Police swooped down on an abandoned house in Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) on Thursday, July 17, and apprehended two French-speaking individuals illegally residing there.

Requesting to see their documents, Police discovered that the men, Haitian nationals, had overstayed their time in Guyana and had never sought to extend their stay in the country.

The two apparently confused men were arraigned on that same day before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The charge against 36-year-old Hersuese

The two confused French-speaking individuals who appeared before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday morning

Martin alleged that, between April 2, 2017 and July 17, 2017, at Georgetown, he failed to comply with conditions subject to which any permit had been granted; that is to say, having been

permitted to stay in Guyana from March 1, 2017 to April 1, 2017, he overstayed the said period.

And the charge against 28-year-old Burtuni Luizus alleged that, between

March 29, 2017 and July 17, 2017, he dishonoured the conditions of a permit which granted him a onemonth stay in Guyana.

Through an interpreter, both defendants pleaded guilty as charged, and the Chief Magistrate fined each defendant $30,000, in default of which they would be subjected to six weeks’ imprisonment.

She also ordered that they be escorted to the nearest port of exit after paying the fine or serving the sentence, from when they would be deported from Guyana.

The last time this publication saw the men, they were fetching their heavy luggage as they boarded official transportation en route to the Lusignan Prison.

US Embassy warns of tender scam

T

he United States (US) Embassy is warning the public of an ongoing tender scam using its name to fraudulently obtained monies from local businesses for alleged contracts.

According to the Georgetown-based embassy on Thursday, it has been made aware of the scam whereby an individual going by the name of Ronnel Fisher is using the embassy’s name and logo to target businesses for the provision of solar generators and equipment.

To this end, the foreign mission is urging businesses that if they receive a tender request from a “Ronnel Fisher, Tender Section of the Embassy of the United States” from the following email addresses: usa@ embassytenderdep.com or usa@embassytenders.com or info@embassytenders.

218 rounds of live ammo found in Annandale house

‘C

’ Division ranks of the Guyana Police Force have arrested a 46-year-old fisherman in whose Annandale, East Coast Demerara home they discovered 218 live rounds of both .45 and 9mm ammunition during a search of the premises on Thursday at about 11:45h.

Based on police reports, in searching the home, ranks were acting on information received; and they have since arrested the fisherman, who remains in custody assisting with the investigation.

com,” DO NOT ACT on this request.

According to the statement, the US Government’s procurement procedures follow strict regulations outlined in the US Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

“If you receive an email from any company or individual claiming to represent the US Embassy Georgetown, be cautious.

If you get an email from a company or individual

asking you to contact them and pay them money, be cautious. These messages are not from the Federal Government.

There is NO FEE to register for publicly advertised tenders by US Embassy Georgetown,” the embassy said.

The US Embassy is also asking anyone or companies receiving such emails to notify the Embassy via email at: GeorgetownRSO@state. gov.

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friday, july 21, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

11 shortlisted for Miss Universe Guyana title in NYC

O

n August 19, 2017, eleven beautiful young ladies will take to the stage to compete for the title of Miss Universe Guyana 2017, when the pageant is hosted at York College, New York.

The delegates were selected following an interview process and those living in Guyana are expected to arrive in the US before the commencement of the preliminary competitions which are slated to start on August 12 through 18. The grand coronation will follow the preliminaries. The delegates will

be prejudged in swimwear, talent, evening gown, fitness and intelligence.

On coronation night, the preliminary scores will be added to determine who will move one step closer to the crown.

Those competing for the title are Sharisse Victor, Maria Singh, Trichelle Kelly, Oriane Welch, Rohana Carryl, Marva Mittelholzer, Aaliyah Rosheuvel, Melanie Boodhoo, Vicario Cristal Rogers, Nalicia Ramdyal and Rafieya Husain.

Reigning Miss Universe Guyana, Soyini Fraser, will crown the new queen on August 19.

Vicario Cristal Rogers

Contestant number 9 Age: 24 Occupation: Information Technology Personnel Education: Completed the Certified Accounting Technician Course; Accounting, Banking and Finance; Certificate in Business Studies Hobbies: Reading, teaching, singing, dancing, gym/fitness, modelling, traveling and cooking Special talent/skills: She possesses motivational speaking/mentorship skills Goal/ambition: Becoming a Chief Executive Office of a reputable establishment

Sharisse Victor

Trichelle Kelly

Oriane Welch

Contestant number 3 Age: 20 Occupation: Model/songwriter Education: Sophomore at University of Bridgeport Hobbies: Hiking, writing music, picnics, dancing, modelling, watching romance movies and shopping Special talent/skills: Singing, dancing, modelling Goal/ambition: Scholastically, she wants to be a psychiatrist

Contestant number 4 Age: 23 Occupation: Pharmacy Technician in training Education: Graduated from Buffalo State University in May 2016, majoring in Biology Hobbies: Modelling Special talent/skills: Makeup artistry Interesting facts: She is a great cook thanks to her mother Goal/ambition: Her ultimate goal in life is to be holistically successful

Aaliyah Rosheuvel

Melanie Boodhoo

Contestant number 7 Age: 24 Occupation: Radio announcer Education: Corporate Law; Marketing Degree; Communications degree Hobbies: Travelling, singing, acting, video games and playing basketball Special talent/skills: Singing and designing Interesting facts: She is the President of the Free Hugs Movement in Guyana Goal/ambition: To spread love worldwide

Contestant number 8 Age: 23 Occupation: Substitute Teacher Education: Completed Associates of Arts degree with honours from Dr Floyd F Koch Honours College; Pursuing Master’s in Special Education Hobbies: Creating art, listening to music, dancing, and volunteering Special talent/skills: Making people laugh Interesting facts: She loves animals Goal/ambition: to become an educator

Contestant number 1 Age: 21 Occupation: Pre-med student and Laboratory Technician Education: The Brooklyn Latin School, Brooklyn, NY (Diploma in International Baccalaureate); Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA (Degree in Africana Studies) Hobbies: Cooking, reading, volunteering, and hiking Special talent/skills: Experienced public speaker in English and Spanish Interesting facts: Hopes to pursue a medical career through the United States Air Force Goal/ambition: Her goal in life is to gain acceptance into medical school to become a physician

Maria Singh Contestant number 2 Age: 24 Occupation: Guest Service Agent Education: Associates in Arts-Current student Special talent/skills: Singing, dancing, accents Goal/ambition: To motivate women of all nationalities to be comfortable in their own skin

Rohana Carryl

Marva Mittelholzer

Contestant number 5 Age: 24 Occupation: Secretary/student Education: University Of Guyana – For a Bachelor of Social Science Degree Sociology; Diploma in Public Management Hobbies: Creative writing/reading, makeup artistry, shopping, site seeing, singing and volunteering, watching Historical documentaries (black history and politics) Special talent/skills: Creative writing, makeup artistry, singing Goal/ambition: Beyond wanting to complete her University Degree, she hopes to become one of Guyana’s best Sociologists

Contestant number 6 Occupation: Student Education: University of Guyana – Present; Berbice Educational Institute – 2010 Hobbies: Swimming, reading, travelling and cooking Special talent/skills: Has a passion for literature Interesting facts: She was born in New Amsterdam, Berbice but spent most of her childhood in Coomacka, Berbice River Goal/ambition: To become a successful entrepreneur

Nalicia Ramdyal

Rafieya Husain

Contestant number 10 Age: 24 Occupation: Educator Education: Holds an Associates in Liberal Arts degree. Pursuing a BA in Sociology, with a minor in Education at York College Hobbies: Dancing, kickboxing, yoga and listening to music Special talent/skills: Bollywood dancing, web design and photography Goal/ambition: She hopes to start her own organisation where she can bring awareness and educate children, teens, parents, and schools about bullying

Contestant number 11 Age: 25 Occupation: BD/Staff Accountant – Z Cloud LLC Education: Associates degree: Marymount University; currently enrolled at Stayer University to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Finance Special talent/skills: Bollywood dancing, acting and modelling Interesting fact: Every country or place she visits, she buys a snow globe as memorabilia Goal/skills: Her goal is to represent her home country Guyana on the International stage at Miss Universe and ultimately win Miss Universe

guyanatimesgy.com

Name: Merona Fredericks Village: Manawarin Age: 17 Hobbies: Playing cricket and reading

friday, july 21, 2017

Name: Ashana Trim Village: Kwebana Age: 21 Hobbies: Dancing, singing and playing outdoor games

Name: Adonica Millington Village: Santa Cruz Age: 18 Hobbies: Outdoor games, especially swimming

Name: Judy Rodrigues Village: Santa Rosa Age: 19 Hobbies: Modelling, dancing and reading

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Name: Fianna Rodrigues Village: Warapoka Age: 17 Hobbies: Singing, reading and dancing

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s the Moruca Expo kicks off today, one of the main attractions will be the pageant, where five young ladies from various villages will take centre stage on Saturday evening. The pageant is slated for the Kumaka Recreational Ground, Santa Rosa, Region One (Barima-Waini).

The talented young ladies vying for the crown are Miss Manawarin, Merona Fredericks; Miss Kwebana, Ashana Trim; Miss Santa Cruz, Adonica Millington; Miss Santa Rosa, Judy Rodrigues and Miss Warapoka, Fianna Rodrigues. On pageant night, the delegates will be competing in several segments including traditional wear, talent, intelligence, evening gown, swim wear, and the final question. Apart from the pageant, there will be a well packed cultural extravaganza that will cater for all in attendance.

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erbicians are in for a treat this Saturday when BKVJ presents “Beauty and the Beats” which will not only feature live performances but more so, several delegates who will be vying for the title of Miss West Berbice. The event will be held at Number 6 Village Family

Fun Park, Berbice, commencing at 19:30h.

The 10 delegates from across Berbice are preparing to put up a grand exhibition of talent and creativity for those in attendance. The delegates will compete in several segments including evening gown, talent

and intelligence.

After the crowning of the queen, patrons are expected to be treated to an epic afterparty and show, featuring some of the best in the music industry including Guyana’s own, Terry Gajraj. The line-up includes Bunty Singh, Vicadi, Dr Sugrim, Krish, Vishnu, AW Lyrical, Amir Khan, BKVJ Crossover Band, Cecelia Samaroo and Nishal B. Also expected to perform are members of the Shelta Dance Group. The emcee for the event will be Leanna Bachan. Tickets for the show cost $1000 and will be available at the gate.

Music will be provided by Feroze High Power.

he Miss Renaissance Pageant will be held on August 19 at the National Cultural Centre, with 12 professional women competing for the coveted title. The delegates were introduced to the media in June at a sashing ceremony.

The pageant serves as a catalyst to reeducate the public about their inner beauty, creativity, cultural awareness and an accomplishment of the matured Guyanese women 30 years and older. For the next few weeks, Guyana Times entertainment will feature each delegate.

This week, we are pleased to introduce to you 40-year-old Odessa Natasha Nichola De Barros who received her administrative professional training and completed her computer training in Georgetown, Guyana.

She is educated at the nursery, primary, secondary and tertiary level and is an employee of the Education Ministry as an Administrative Professional for the past 22 years. The proud mother of two is currently attached to the St Roses High School.

Her mentoring skills were enhanced when she joined the membership at the Diamond/ Grove Lions Club which is affiliated to Lions Club International. De Barros enjoys the culinary arts and event planning.

“My reason for being a part of this pageant is two-fold; to fulfil a long dream of participating in a pageant and to encourage and motivate other mature women to enter such a pageant,” the confident woman stated.

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FRIDAY, july 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Training, capital investment needed to boost Region 9 tourism – as Region attracts below-par number of tourists

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he case is being made for more finances to be invested into boosting the tourism potential of Region Nine (Upper TakatuUpper Essequibo), as the region is performing below par expectations.

This is according to Member of Parliament and geographic representative for Region Nine, Alister Charlie.

He stated the region has a lot of catching up to do to raise the standards of customer service towards tourists.

“Region Nine is always a blessed region,” he said, during a recent interview.

“We have a lot of foreigners come for rodeo. We have the Amerindian heritage (activities) for the month of September; we will have a lot of visitors.”

“But tourism as a whole in Region Nine is way below par,” Charlie emphasised.

“We are not there as yet in terms of customer relations, the taxis involved, the hotels

Some of the roads in Lethem

involved, it’s a lot of players.

But for the growth of tourism in Region Nine, more finances should be plugged into it to boost tourism.”

He said that with the capital expenditure going towards road rehabilitation and other aspects of infrastructure, one of the off shoot effects would be an increase in tourism. In addition, Charlie recalled the popularity of balata figurines with

tourists and noted the importance of building individual capacity.

“Attracting tourists has a lot to do with infrastructure, roads,” he stressed. “The bottom line is if we are thinking positively in terms of tourism, my perspective is that Government should focus more on building people’s capacity for tourism.

During a visit to Lethem, this publication was able to

Key witness to testify against Marcus Bisram allegedly poisoned

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he key witness to testify against Marcus Bisram in the Faiyaz Narinedat murder trial has been poisoned.

According to reports, the 16-year-old boy might have been given poisoned food by a relative of the alleged murder mastermind, Marcus Bisram.

The teenager was a frequent visitor to Bisram's home when he was in Guyana and is said to have witnessed firsthand the events leading up to Narinedatt's murder and also plans to stage the hit- and-run scene. The teenager also reportedly knew the car which drove over the man's body when it was placed on the Number 70 Village, Corentyne Highway. It is last Saturday that he was allegedly given fried rice mixed with a poisonous substance. The teenager and a member of Bisram's family circle – who also has family ties with the teenager – went into the backdam.

The teenager's mother told this newspaper that on his return she realised that something was amiss. However, he told her that he will be ‘ok’ but could not make it to have a shower.

The 47-year-old mother of two said on Sunday morning, the teenager was unable to get out of bed and by Tuesday, he

The 16-year-old boy might have been given poisoned food by a relative of alleged murder mastermind Marcus Bisram

began vomiting. “When I go upstairs and turn on the light, is vomit on the bed, all over he clothes is vomit an it green, green,” she explained.

On Thursday his conditioned worsened and she was forced to seek assistance to get the ailing boy to the hospital. After several tests, he was admitted a patient at the Skeldon Hospital.

However, relatives sought to get the youth removed from that hospital after he was visited by Police Officers from the Skeldon Police station, including one officer

who was reportedly reluctant to act on information with respect to Narinedatt’s murder. It had been claimed that the officer was provided with information on the carpenter’s death, including the names of those present and details of the events which led to Narinedatt’s death and the subsequent staging of the crime scene to make it appear as a hit-and-run accident.

The teenager was on Thursday afternoon removed from the Skeldon Hospital and in now at a medical facility in Georgetown.

Meanwhile, the mother revealed that her son's life was in danger ever since he came forward to reveal what was once thought to be a secret.

According to her, it is the very person her son went to the backdam with that threatened him. “They told him that he giving evidence against Marcus, and before Marcus got to come to this country, we gon got to done you… they mean they gone kill him,” she charged.

She reported that the threats were not only made to her son, who is currently hospitalised. Meanwhile, Police are making stringent efforts to arrest the man who may have given the poisoned meal to the teenager.

3 Guyanese miners...

Of recent, there have been several cases wherein local mining camps were attacked and robbed, reportedly by persons crossing over from both Venezuela and Brazil.

In fact, only Monday last, a group of six heavily armed men terrorised and robbed a mining camp at Kartuni, Cuyuni River in Region Seven of an undisclosed quantity of raw gold, along with a shotgun and a 9mm pistol. Those bandits were reportedly speaking flu-

ent Portuguese and Spanish, which suggested that they are not Guyanese.

Another camp, owned by a popular Bartica businessman, was reportedly also raided and robbed on Tuesday morning, the bandits again making off with a quantity of raw gold.

In light of these recent incidents, mining operators are calling on the relevant authorities to comb the area with the aim of apprehending the bandits, whom they fear might get hysterical and kill

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whoever put up a resistance to them.

While there, have over the years, been much talk of strengthening security along Guyana’s porous borders, the Guyana Police Force has always complained of not getting the required resources to adequately patrol the dense interior locations.

Only recently, three all-terrain vehicles were donated to the Force to reinforce its presence at strategic interior locations.

observe the detrimental conditions of the roads. Speaking specifically about the situation in Region Nine, Charlie had acknowledged that the roads were in a sorry state and that trucks were one contributory factor.

The Government had announced plans for initiatives in the tourism sector. During the budget presentation of 2017, Finance Minister Winston Jordan had said Government would undertake a stocktaking exercise of potential sources of tourism products within the 10 administrative regions.

He had also stated that the draft National Tourism Policy includes a focus on developing market-ready tourism products, enhancing the quality of service, generating increased employment in the sector, and improving tour-

ism’s contribution to economic growth.

According to the Government, this will include elements of nature, culture, heritage, community, and other assets that could serve as the basis for the development of tourism in the regions. The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) had announced the establishment of a “tourism circuit” with the implementation of training seminars to improve the customer service provided by front desk personnel.

At one such training session in Linden earlier in the year, GTA Director Indranauth Haralsingh had said his agency is hoping to combine Linden, St Cuthbert’s and Mahaica as a tourism circuit, where the training would allow greater hospitality services.

“So from fishing, watching monkeys to touring an Indigenous community, to the final destination which is Linden, and on the way out, maybe stopping on the highway at Splashmins, wherever it is a unique experience and that is what we are trying to do, to increase the total number of visits to these destinations,” Haralsingh explained.

The GTA Director had charged the front desk officers to know how to conduct themselves in front of customers. It was also highlighted that the agency will check with the businesses that participated in the training for feedback.

A total of 170,318 visitors arrived in Guyana during the first three quarters of 2016.

Visitor arrivals peaked in May, with over 24,000.

Guyana gears to utilise Chinese currency

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nce consultations have been completed and approval given, Guyana could be among Caribbean countries that use the Chinese currency -the Yuan Renminbi -- within their respective economies.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan recently attended, in neighbouring Barbados, a conference wherein Caribbean countries explored this possibility. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, has said discussions at that conference centred on deepening investment cooperation between China and the Caribbean, and how the use of the Chinese currency can enhance trade facilitation, financing, and banking relationships.

It was explained that the bilateral arrangement between China and countries with a large presence of Chinese nationals would be easier facilitated by the use of the Yuan Renminbi.

Although unable to say whether this was approved across the region, Harmon noted that the move was to facilitate bilateral trade at this point in time.

WIC News on Thursday reported William Warren Smith, President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), as saying at that Barbados conference that the Chinese Renminbi may be able to protect the Caribbean region’s access to global financial services at a time when many international financial institutions were withdrawing their services from the region.

“The conference comes at a time when the ability of many Caribbean countries to engage in international trade and financial services is being undermined by the withdrawal of correspondent banking services

by North American and

Chinese currency Yuan Renminbi

European financial institutions,” Smith is quoted as saying.

The CDB president highlighted the partnership between China and the Caribbean, which has been growing in recent decades.

“China has itself been successfully undergoing major economic transformation, built on the winwin strategy of opening up for common prosperity,” he said. “It is that strategy that helps to explain the strengthening of ChinaCaribbean diplomatic ties and our increasing engagement in the areas of investment, contracted projects, and bilateral trade over the past two to three decades.”

One of the spin-off benefits of the transformation taking place in China is the rapid internationalisation of the Renminbi, starting in 2006 with the floating of the exchange rate.

One of the region’s leading economists told WIC News that working with China has its benefits, but the region “must not oversell itself to the powerhouse” and lose any independence.

Renminbi is now an International Monetary Fund (IMF) reserve currency. As an IMF reserve currency, the Renminbi is now in the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights’ (SDR) bas-

ket, which determines currencies that countries can receive as part of IMF loans.

The other currencies in the basket are the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Yen and the British Pound.

Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Barbados, Wang Ke, has said China is continuing to build economic and diplomatic partnerships in the Caribbean, and welcomes further efforts at cooperation.

“In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, many Caribbean countries have struggled with bottlenecks, such as having indebtedness, difficult access to finance, and insufficient connectivity,” the ambassador said.

“And (in) addition (to) rising global protectionism and uncertainties between the Caribbean and its traditional partners, the Caribbean countries are facing more challenges in achieving sustainable growth.

“China is working on building new international relations based on cooperation and mutual benefit, and stands ready to strengthen global cooperation with the Caribbean countries,” the Chinese ambassador has said.

China has been a member of the CDB since 1998.

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FRIDAY, july 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Roopnaraine rescinds GPL launching new project to clamp down on electricity theft resignation T

he meeting between President David Granger and Dr Rupert Roopnaraine on Wednesday seemed to have borne positive fruit, as the former Education Minister has rescinded his resignation.

Earlier this week, following a meeting with other Executive Members of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr Roopnaraine submitted his resignation to the Head of State. While details of the reason behind the resignation were not immediately stated, Guyana Times was told that the Minister’s failing health was paramount.

On Thursday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon confirmed that Dr Roopnaraine, who was removed from the post of Education Minister and placed within the Ministry of the Presidency, has withdrawn his resignation. Roopnaraine had met with the President on Wednesday and engaged in what was said to be a “fruitful discussion” with respect to his portfolio.

“It was clear after that meeting that Dr Roopnaraine will continue to serve as a Minister of Government, as a Member of Parliament and as a valued member of our Cabinet,” Harmon said.

He noted that Dr Roopnaraine’s contribution to Guyana and his capacity to continue contributing was dwelt on by the Head

GPL Public Relations Officer Shevion Sears

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Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

of State. With that in mind, Harmon said Roopnaraine has pledged to continue serving, albeit within the Ministry of Public Service.

According to Harmon, Dr Roopnaraine felt that his health situation was making it challenging for him to contribute at the level at which he was expected to.

However, President Granger had assured him that he will receive the support he needs to function within his new portfolio.

On Wednesday, news broke that the Minister had tendered his resignation.

President Granger immediately confirmed that he did receive a resignation letter from the Working People’s Alliance co-leader, but was yet to make a determination, as the former Education

Minister could only resign if his letter was approved by the Head of State.

Prior to news of his health failing, there were speculations that the demotion had also influenced Dr Roopnaraine’s decision to leave Government.

The WPA had raised concerns that the move by Government was a premature one and the party was never consulted on the matter. It had also asked that Dr Roopnaraine be vindicated, following the results of the 2017 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), which showed a stark improvement in the critical areas of Mathematics and English. The President had said that Roopnaraine was re-assigned to lead improvements in the Public Sector.

he Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Incorporated is intensifying efforts to reduce the shocking rates of electricity theft.

GPL Public Relations Officer Shevion Sears explained that the new project “GPL Customers in Focus” was set to be launched on August 8, 2017 to raise awareness about electricity theft.

In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), she pointed out that GPL’s loss reduction division would conduct interactive sessions to sensitise customers.

“They (customers) will be informed and educated on metering issues, how to apply for a legal service, penalties for bypass and diversion of electricity among others. So GPL will be in several communities interacting with the customers to ensure customer satisfaction and that

GPL Operations Manager (Loss Reduction) Leon Williams

they are informed and educated on all aspects of GPL’s operation.”

The initiative falls under the loss reduction division of GPL, which has three departments: operational, metering and field services.

The customers will be interacting with key personnel from those departments.

The PRO encouraged customers as well as users (those persons who divert or steal electricity) to participate in the awareness sessions so that they would also be able to educate others.

Sears highlighted that the programme was not intended to humiliate persons but to help them to understand the value of paying their bills on time and getting on the grid legally.

GPL Operations Manager (Loss Reduction) Leon Williams explained to the DPI that electricity theft was costing the power company millions. Therefore,

the loss reduction division will outline to customers how electricity theft can affect their safety, the tariff or cost of electricity, and how they can work together with GPL to eliminate electricity theft.

Many persons use ingenious methods to pilfer electricity. The Operations Manager explained that in some cases, the theft was not visible and the power company had to use specialised equipment to detect it, which could be challenging.

“In some cases, the customers are innocent, because they would have inherited a premises (building) that has a bypass to electricity theft, so we would like to work with them so that when we detect these thefts, the customers do not feel cheated and all parties are satisfied,” Williams underlined.

The project will be implemented in all the served areas across Guyana.

Ex-cop on trial for Ruby Backdam murder IMF to assist in Guyana’s oil and gas sector T B y S hemuel F anfair

he murder trial of former Policeman Ruel Brandon commenced on Thursday when a 12-member jury was empanelled before Justice Nareshwar Harnanan at the High Court in Georgetown.

Brandon is accused of the execution-style murder of former Bushy Park, Parika resident Davonan Sookram, whose decomposed body was found in an area along Ruby Backdam, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), with two bullet wounds to the head.

Police contended that the murder occurred between July 27 and July 31, 2015. Reports back then stated that the defendant collected Sookram from his home and the man was not seen again. The former law enforcement rank had pleaded not guilty to the capital offence.

On Thursday, Police Inspector Detective Lalbachan Dyal testified to taking several photographs of the crime scene. Dyal told the court that he observed the body in a “slant position” with the head pointing towards the trench and the feet towards the road at Ruby Backdam.

The witness further testified that the deceased male was clad in a bluish-grey t-shirt and multi-coloured shorts. Inspector Dyal further said that the man was bare-footed.

The Police Detective further observed seeing two circular wounds, one in the forehead and the other in the back of the head. Dyal indicat-

I

Deceased: Davonan Sookram

Former Policeman Ruel Brandon

ed that on August 3, 2015, he and other ranks, acting on information, went to an auto bodyworks shop at Zeelugt, EBE, where the owner, “Paquito” directed him to a silver-grey motor car which employees were working on.

The jury heard that a presumptive test was carried out in the trunk area of the car, which bore registration number PNN 1235. Inspector Dyal took photographs of the car and on August 4, 2015, he removed upholstery work from the said vehicle and later observed sand, loam and other particles lodged there.

Dyal told the court that back then, the road at Ruby Backdam was not asphalted and was made from mate-

rials, including mud and sand.

The witness identified the photographs he had taken, which were admitted into evidence and shown to members of the jury. Under cross-examination by the accused’s Attorney, Nigel Hughes, Dyal admitted that he did not dust the car for fingerprints. However, in a swift re-examination by State Prosecutor Lisa Cave, Dyal clarified to the court that the car would have been “contaminated at that point”.

State Counsels Siand Dhurjon and Shawnette Austin are also presenting the prosecution’s case.

The trial continues at the High Court.

n anticipation of the revenues that would flow from the emerging oil and gas sector here, Government has sought the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide technical assistance in capacity-building, to manage the resources.

A team from that international financial institution was on Tuesday introduced to Cabinet by Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

The team leader informed Cabinet that Guyana has become eligible for assistance from the IMF under a donor-funded trust fund, and the team would make an assessment of Government’s policy direction and meet with agencies and persons that would be responsible for managing the oil and gas sector, to enable it to determine the areas in which assistance could be provided.

Since news of the oil find was made public, much advice intended to prevent Government from being afflicted by the “oil curse” has been pouring in, and Guyana has repeatedly been warned

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

to be careful with the use of the revenues that would flow from this promising sector.

And while it would take about three to four years before Guyana sees any money flowing from the oil reserves, Government is still to decide how it would split the revenues.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan had said that while Government has planned to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), it is yet to determine just how the money would be utilised.

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, july 21, 2017

News

Gouveia clears air on Dynamic bankruptcy petition I

n light of US-based chartered carrier, Dynamic I n t e r n a t i o n a l Airways, filing for bankruptcy protection to “reorganise” it business, local representative, Captain Gerry Gouveia sought to clear the air about the company’s decision.

On Wednesday, the airline issued a statement saying it had filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition with the

According to the United States Courts website, this chapter of the Bankruptcy Code generally provides for reorganisation.

Chapter 11 allows a debtor to propose a plan of reorganisation to keep its business alive and pay creditors over time.

However, news of the company filing for bankruptcy has stirred much concern,

Dynamic Airlines

United States Bankruptcy Court in the Middle District of North Carolina.

especially among passengers flying the Guyana/US route, with many of them

here having the view that the airline would cease its operations. This misconception drove fear into persons who already booked tickets and made payments for flight in the future.

To this end, Captain Gouveia, in an interview with Guyana Times on Thursday explained that the petition will not hinder the flight services offered by the airline.

“Dynamic actually filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 which is very different from Chapter Seven, where you stop operating and sell off your assets but that is not the case here with Dynamic International Airways,” he pointed out.

On this note, Gouveia, who owns the Roraima Group of Companies in Guyana, assured that all Dynamic operations will continue uninterrupted.

Dynamic Airways is currently operating five flights per week from New York to Timehri and is expected to increase these flights to daily from November.

“So the operations of

Captain Gerry Gouveia

Dynamic continue uninterrupted while it reschedules and reorganises their own debt servicing. But I want to make it clear to the travelling public that Dynamic is pleased to be here and will continue to be here serving the Guyanese market,” the local representative noted.

Dynamic Airways said in the statement on Wednesday the decision to seek protection from the Court against its creditors was as a re-

Region 9 Councillors benefit from sensitisation workshop C

lose to 30 Councillors of Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) benefited from a sensitisation workshop hosted by the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry in collaboration with the Social Protection Ministry’s Labour Department.

The two-day workshop addressed the Sexual Abuse and Sexual Offences Act, Domestic Violence Act and the Human Trafficking and the Counter Trafficking in Persons Act among other labour-related issues.

The villages that participated were drawn from Central and SouthCentral Rupununi and the workshop was held in St Ignatius. The Ministry’s team was led by Senior Social Worker Pauline Welch and Welfare Officer Onika Bishop.

This collaboration seeks to inform Village Councils of their rights and responsibilities under the Sexual Offences Act, the Domestic Violence Act, the Labour Act and the Combating Trafficking in Persons Act. It has been noted that when social issues arise, persons in the communities are sometimes unaware of the procedures that should be followed; therefore, leaving them vulnerable in the process, thus the need

The Councillors with officials from the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry after the workshop

for sensitisation.

The villages were asked to select two persons who are community oriented to receive training so they can return with a reservoir of knowledge to be shared with residents of the respective villages.

Welch said, “Coming out from this important exercise, persons were able to have a better understanding of critical aspects of the labour, sexual offences, domestic violence and trafficking in persons acts.

Misconceptions were clarified as it relates to the roles of law enforcement officers and the various agencies involved in addressing these issues.”

She also noted that “participants pointed out the need for additional human resources to assist in addressing these issues, while there must be a more concerted effort by those in authority to prosecute perpetrators”.

Participants welcomed this initiative and requested future training in parenting skills, while a request was also made to the Social Protection Ministry to establish a labour office in the Region.

Statistics on trafficking in persons indicate that more Indigenous persons are susceptible to trafficking, sexual and labour exploitation. To bring

awareness, similar initiatives are being held countrywide by the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons (which includes several governmental and non-governmental agencies) to bring awareness to this scourge.

The Ministry has also recognised the need for villages to become more aware of society’s social ills and the approach needed to adequately address them. It is in the process of planning a similar session for Aishalton Village, Deep South Rupununi in early August, while similar interventions will be made in Annai and Karasabai later in the year.

sult of it being riddled with litigations. This includes the lawsuits from Hajj flights that Dynamic operated in 2014 for Air India and the recent arbitration award against Dynamic Int ernational by the Canadian Arbitration Association in April 2017, which determined that the USbased airline was in breach of contract by failing to pay commissions to BKP Enterprises in connection with the Hajj flights.

Dynamic added that while it has filed a notice of appeal and intends to challenge the judgment and award, it has no immediate recourse to stay the judgment but has determined the commencement of the Chapter 11 case is necessary.

“Operating under the protection of the US Bankruptcy Court will enable us to continue to serve our customers, keep our team employed and work with our vendors while we navigate through the challenges presented. Once we have completed the reorgan-

isation process, we expect Dynamic Int’l to emerge as a stronger company with a sound financial structure that is appropriate not only for today's level of business activity, but also for the future,” Chief Executive Officer Paul Kraus said in the statement.

Dynamic Int’l provides charter and contract commercial passenger air travel services to the general public and is a licensed and certificated air carrier authorised by the US Department of Transportation and the US Federal Aviation Administration. Dynamic fleet of airInt’l six craft includes Boeing 767s which operate international flights between United States cities and territories and foreign countries.

In its three year of operations here, Dynamic Airways has been faced with heavy criticisms with a long list of disruptions in flights which left passengers stranded for hours both at the CJIA and JFK Airport as a result of delays.

140 local companies sign up with ExxonMobil’s supplier database

ExxonMobil’s Director of Public and Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington

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ore than one hundred (100) Guyanese businesses have signed up with ExxonMobil’s local Business Centre, to access opportunities in the oil and gas industry.

Exxon’s Public and Government Director, Kimberly Brasington, has said the company has compiled a database of local businesses that are interested in opportunities available in the oil and gas industry.

“Back in January, in the interim before we could get this (Centre) going, we launched a supplier database registration portal, and so we already have 140 Guyanese companies registered in our database,” Brasington was quoted as

saying in an interview with GINA. This database is currently being transferred to the local Business Centre which was officially opened last week. The Business Centre will, among other things, provide key linkages to local businesses for joint-venture opportunities in the industry.

“It’s really a robust research centre of Guyanese companies that third parties could come in to form potential (joint ventures) with,” Brasington explained.

The Business Centre is already providing information on upcoming tenders and contract bids; information critical to creating these joint venture opportunities.

FRIDAY, july 21, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

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Around the World

Burundi teenage robotics team goes missing after US contest – Police

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ix teenagers from a Burundi robotics team have been reported missing after an international competition in Washington and two of them were seen entering Canada, Police said on Thursday.

The four males and two females were last seen late on Tuesday afternoon when the robotics contest ended at the FIRST Global Challenge, police said. Authorities issued missing persons photographs of the six on Wednesday.

Two of the Burundians – Audrey Mwamikazi, 17, and 16-year-old Don Ingabire – were spotted crossing the United States border into Canada, District of Columbia police spokeswoman Margarita Mikhaylova said.

"We don't have any indication of foul play and we're continuing to investigate this case," she said. Police said they did not have information about how they were spotted or the nature of the border crossing.

Canada's Border Services Agency said it could neither confirm nor deny that the pair entered Canada.

Teams of teenage students from

US Navy chief asks Chinese counterpart for help on North Korea

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Members of a teenage robotics team from the African nation of Burundi, who were reported missing after taking part in an international competition, are seen in pictures released by the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, US July 20, 2017

more than 150 countries took part in the competition, which was designed to encourage careers in math and technology. An all-girl squad from

Afghanistan drew worldwide media attention when President Donald Trump intervened after they were denied US visas. (Excerpt from Reuters)

he United States Navy's top officer asked his Chinese counterpart to exert influence on North Korea to help rein in its advancing nuclear and missile programmes, a US official said on Thursday.

Chief of US Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong via a video teleconference.

"Richardson voiced his concern about the nuclear and missile programmes and emphasised that China should use its unique influence over North Korea," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The call lasted for an hour and the two talked about the need to "work together to address the

provocative and unacceptable military behaviour

by North Korea," the U.S. Navy said in a statement.

Last month US President Donald Trump said Chinese efforts to persuade North Korea had failed.

Trump has hoped for greater help from China to exert influence over North Korea, leaning heavily on Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders had a high-profile summit in Florida in April and Trump has frequently praised Xi while resisting criticism of Chinese trade practices.

North Korea recently said it conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, and that it had mastered the technology to mount a nuclear warhead on the missile. (Excerpt

from Reuters)

John McCain has brain Millions heed anti-Maduro cancer, his office says shutdown in Venezuela

V

eteran US Republican Senator John McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer and is reviewing treatment options, according to his office.

The options may include chemotherapy and radiation, his doctors said. The 80-year-old politician is in "good spirits" recovering at home.

He thanked those who had wished him well and said he would be back soon.

The tumour was discovered during a surgery to remove a blood clot from above his left eye last week.

A Vietnam veteran, McCain spent more than five years as a prisoner of war.

The six-term senator and 2008 Republican pres-

John McCain is "reviewing treatment options", a statement says

idential candidate underwent surgery at a clinic in Phoenix, in the state of Arizona, last Friday.

Tissue analysis revealed

that a primary brain tumour known as glioblastoma was associated with the clot, a statement from the Mayo Clinic said.

"The senator's doctors say he is recovering from his surgery 'amazingly well' and his underlying health is excellent," it added.

"Treatment options may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation."

Senior Republicans and Democrats wished him a speedy recovery, prompting McCain to tweet his thanks, and a warning: "I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support – unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I'll be back soon, so stand-by!"

(Excerpt from BBC News)

M

any Venezuelan streets were barricaded and deserted on Thursday for a strike called by foes of President Nicolàs Maduro to demand elections and the scrapping of plans for a new congress they fear will consolidate dictatorship in the country.

From the Andes to the Amazon, millions joined the 24-hour shutdown, staying at home, closing businesses or manning roadblocks in a civil disobedience campaign the Opposition hopes will end nearly two decades of socialist rule.

"We must all do our best to get rid of this tyrant," said Miguel Lopez, 17, holding a homemade shield emblazoned with "No To Dictatorship!" at a barrier on a Caracas street devoid of traffic.

Some streets in Caracas were uncharacteristically empty during rush hour [BBC photo]

Many private transportation groups heeded the strike call, while students, neighbours and activists hauled rubbish and furniture into streets to erect makeshift barriers.

In some places, however, such as the poor Catia and January 23rd neigh-

bourhoods of Caracas, streets and shops were still buzzing, while motorbike taxis replaced buses.

"I have to work to subsist, but if I could, I would strike," said clothes seller Victor Sanabria, 49, in the southern town of San Felix. "We're tired of this government."

(Excerpt from Reuters)

ExxonMobil fined CL Financial shareholders score

by US for Ukraine victory against Trinidad Government sanctions violations

U

S authorities have fined Exxon Mobil US$2 million for violating sanctions against Russia while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was its chief executive.

Exxon dealt with Igor Sechin, the President of Russian oil giant Rosneft, who was blacklisted, the US Treasury Department said.

Exxon has challenged the finding, calling it "fundamentally unfair".

The US imposed sanctions against Russia in March 2014 as Russia annexed Crimea and tension rose in Ukraine.

In April 2014, the US added Sechin to the list of people blocked under the rules.

Exxon signed eight legal documents with Sechin in May 2014 and did not disclose the activities, the Treasury Department said. It described it as an "egregious case".

Exxon, citing administration statements, on Thursday said it believed the sanctions targeted Sechin as an individual and not in his professional role at Rosneft.

It said the Treasury Department had been reviewing the issue for several years.

As head of Exxon, Tillerson signed deals with Rosneft, leading Russia to award him the Order of Friendship in 2013. At Exxon, he spoke against sanctions. (Excerpt from BBC News)

C

L Financial shareholders have vowed to pay back a TT$15 billion (US$2.2 billion) debt to the Government after scoring what it called a “major legal victory” against the Keith Rowley Administration Wednesday night.

Last week, Government went to the High Court with a petition to have the company liquidated. Finance Minister Colm Imbert had explained then that the move was in response to attempts by the company’s shareholders to take control of the Board.

However, after a near seven-hour hearing, which went after 21:00h, High Court Judge Kevin Ramcharan sided with the company shareholders, ruling that the action by the Government was premature.

He said the Government had no real evidence that shareholders were seeking to dispose the company’s assets in the event they regained control of the conglomerate’s board during a special

Finance Minister Colm Imbert had said a petition to have CL Financial liquidated was filed in response to attempts by the company’s shareholders to take control of the Board, but the court ruled against the Government

general meeting carded next Tuesday.

“In fact, the evidence suggests that they (the shareholders) are intent in repaying their creditors,” Ramcharan said.

Representative for CL Financial shareholders Carlton Reis told reporters the Government’s action amounted to much ado about nothing, since the company had no intention of reneging on its debt.

“We will form a team to negotiate with the Government to repay the taxpayers, which is what we always wanted to do. I don’t know why the Government went through all this stress about, but we always insisted we wanted to pay back the Government and we are going to do it,” Reis said.

CL Financial has only paid the Government about TT$7.5 billion (US$1.1 billion) after it received approximately TT$23 billion (US$3.4 billion). (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, july 21, 2017

ARCHIE

Participate in an event that brings you joy. The con(March 21- tribution you make will lead April 19) to rewards and help you pursue a dream. Romance and personal growth are highlighted.

ARIES

A friend or colleague will TAURUS offer sound advice. Consider (April 20- your options and how you can May 20) best use his or her suggestion to avert any problems that you face.

dilbert

Work on fixing up your GEMINI Consider having (May 21- space. friends over or making changJune 20) es that will lead to greater convenience or comfort.

Romance is in the stars.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

WORD GAME

Ward off others’ demands by having a tight schedule in place and an excuse not to take on someone else’s responsibilities. Stick to what you know and do best.

Stay calm, even if you face an unpredictable situation. Avoid making assumptions or taking action if you are unprepared. Use intelligence, not brawn, if you want to avoid an argument.

Work from home if possiVIRGO (Aug. 23- ble. What you accomplish on Sept. 22) your own will far outweigh what you will get done surrounded by others. A creative and comfortable setting will spark your imagination.

Control your emotions LIBRA and your reaction when deal(Sept. 23ing with temptation or inOct. 23) dulgence. Learn from experience. Think twice before you open a door that you closed a long time ago.

SUDOKU

Test your skills and put SCORPIO your creative imagination to (Oct. 24work. There is plenty to be Nov. 22) discovered if you aren’t afraid to follow your heart and to do things your way.

Control your spending.

SAGITTARIUS You may want to impress (Nov. 23- someone by showing how genDec. 21) erous you can be, but don’t go into debt or let emotional or physical indulgence ruin your day.

YESTERDAY’S WORD -- NUCLEATE

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Don’t let uncertainty preCAPRICORN vail. Find out if the people (Dec. 22- you are dealing with have a Jan. 19) different perspective on what you are trying to accomplish.

Present what you have to offer.

Limit what you can spend AQUARIUS and what you are willing to (Jan. 20do. Discipline will help you Feb. 19) gain respect as well as confidence. Personal improvements will turn out well.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Get involved in something PISCES that you enjoy doing. The (Feb. 20March 20) contacts you make will boost your morale and enthusiasm.

Children will offer interesting insight into a situation you face.

friDAY, july 21, 2017

Former NFL star OJ Simpson

A

Former NFL star OJ Simpson granted parole

fter 35 minutes of deliberation, O.J. Simpson was granted parole and will be released from prison on October 1.

O.J. Simpson will be released from prison in October after being granted parole.

A four-person panel for Nevada Board of Prisons ruled unanimously on Thursday that former NFL star Simpson - who was famously acquitted of the 1994 double murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman - would receive parole for his 2008 conviction for armed robbery/ kidnapping.

The parole hearing saw Simpson speak to the board, but more notably it saw his daughter, Arnelle Simpson, simply ask for her father back.

"We just want him to come home," she said. "We really do, we want him to come home and I know in my heart that he is very humbled throughout the situation."

But it may have been even more striking that one of Simpson's victims of the 2007 incident, Bruce Fromong, actually appeared in court and spoke on the former Buffalo Bills running back's behalf.

He said Simpson never "held a gun on me" and that if Simpson was released he would be there tomorrow for him.

"We've heard from you and from your victim, the question here as with all parole hearings is whether or not you have served enough time in prison in this case," one member of the board said.

"Considering all of these factors my vote is to grant your parole effective when eligible."

Simpson is set to leave prison on October 1, meaning he will have served the minimum in prison for the crime he was convicted of in 2008.

He is serving a conviction that could have spanned as long as 33 years for robbery, assault and kidnapping with a deadly weapon stemming from a 2007 incident in which the former USC star took back his own memorabilia in a Las Vegas hotel room.

The board in 2013 granted Simpson parole on the burglary count, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of robbery, but he was not eligible for parole on other counts related to use of a deadly weapon until 2017. (Sportsmax)

Neymar not for sale B arcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says Neymar's €222m release clause makes him impossible for PSG to buy without breaking FFP rules.

Neymar is not for sale according to Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, despite speculation linking the Brazil superstar with a world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Ligue 1 club are apparently ready to sensationally match the €222million release clause in Neymar's contract, with reports in the Spanish media suggesting the 25-year-old has become unsettled at Barca and is keen to step out of Lionel Messi's shadow in order to enhance his Ballon d'Or prospects.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Bartomeu sought to draw a line under the developing saga and cautioned PSG that they would be in breach of UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations if they forced through a move for Neymar.

"He has a contract for the coming four years and, of course, we count on him," Bartomeu said.

"He's part of our team. He's part of this [attacking] trident [with Messi and Luis Suarez].

"These clauses are impossible to activate if you want to comply with Financial Fair Play. If someone doesn't want to comply, then of course it can be activated."

Neymar has scored 105 goals in 186 games for Barcelona since joining from Santos in 2013 and the 25-year-old and signed an extended five-year contract running until 2021 last October.

Bartomeu's assurances follow those of his fellow board members this week, with technical secretary Robert Fernandez expressing similar sentiments over Neymar's release clause, while vicepresident J o r d i Mestre is "200 per cent" certain Barca will keep the player.

(Sportsmax)

19

'halo' is a mistake – Lauda

Former champion Niki Lauda

F

ormula One's decision to introduce a 'halo' cockpit protection device next year is a mistake, according to former champion Niki Lauda.

The Austrian, who is non-executive chairman of world champions Mercedes, told Germany's Auto, Motor und Sport on Thursday that he recognised safety had to be improved where possible.

However a convincing solution had yet to be found to protect drivers' heads from debris.

"We tested the Halo, the Red Bull Aeroscreen and Ferrari's Shield as a cockpit protection. None has convinced 100 percent. You have to make the right decision in such a situation. The halo is the wrong one," he said.

Lauda, a triple world champion who retired from racing in 1985 after a

near-fatal fiery crash in 1976, said the halo destroyed the "DNA of a Formula One car".

"The FIA ??has made Formula One as safe as it gets. Also the danger of flying wheels is largely eliminated, because the wheels are always more firmly attached.

The risk to the drivers has become minimal.

"We are just trying hard to get new fans for the sport with fast cars and getting closer to the spectators, and now this is destroyed by an overreaction."

The governing FIA announced on Wednesday that the halo would be introduced for 2018 rather than the transparent 'shield' tested at Silverstone last week.

The halo, which is fixed to the car at three points including a central pillar in front of the driver that supports a protective loop above his

head, has been widely criticised on aesthetic grounds.

Some have compared its appearance to the toe strap of a flip-flop. Former Dutch F1 racer Giedo van der Garde posted a photograph on Twitter of himself holding a sandal to his head as an example. Commentator and former racer Martin Brundle said it was 'plain ugly'.

"I expect F1 Halo will cause as many problems as it fixes and further hides the gladiators away," he added on Twitter. Austrian Alex Wurz, chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), agreed the halo was not good looking but defended the decision.

"On the positive, please consider that safer cars mean we can race much faster and harder in the future," he said.

(Reuters)

West Ham agree deal for Hernandez

W

est Ham have agreed a deal with German club Bayer Leverkusen to sign Mexico striker Javier Hernandez for a reported fee of about £16m.

Javier Hernandez is Mexico's all-time leading goalscorer

The f o r m e r Manchester United frontman, 29, will fly to London to finalise personal terms and have a medical.

Meanwhile, Austria forward Marko Arnautovic is due to have a medical in the next 48 hours after the Hammers agreed a deal with Stoke City.

It is understood Stoke have accepted

a fee in the region of £24m. n May, Hernandez - widely known by the nickname Chicharito, which means 'little pea' - became Mexico's leading alltime scorer with his 47th international goal.

Hernandez scored 59 goals in 156 appearances for United after arriving at Old Trafford in 2010, before joining Leverkusen for £7.3m in August 2015.

He has netted 39 times in 76 matches for the German club.

Arnautovic, 28, joined Stoke from Werder Bremen four years ago and is just 12 months into a four-year contract with the Potters.

He scored seven times in 35 games in all competitions last season. (BBC)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

fridAY, july 21, 2017

McGregor will go down as greatest fighter in history – Attar

H

e is a heavy underdog but Conor McGregor's agent has backed the UFC superstar to prove everybody wrong against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Conor McGregor will prove everybody wrong against Floyd Mayweather Jr and go down as the "greatest fighter in history", his manager Audie Attar has said.

McGregor and Mayweather recently finished a tempestuous press tour in which the two repeatedly traded insults ahead of their blockbuster Las Vegas bout on August 26.

UFC superstar McGregor is a heavy

D

espite less-than impressive performances to date Jamaican striker Darren Mattocks remains confident the team is capable of making another deep run in this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Jamaicans put together their best performance in the competition two years ago, eventually losing 3-1 in the final to eventual champions Mexico. A squad stripped of several of their more experienced players has, however, struggled to make a positive impression at the tournament to date.

The Reggae Boyz will take on Canada at the University of Phoenix Darren Mattocks Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

T

our de France leader Chris Froome remained rock-solid on a thrilling Col d'Izoard climb on Thursday and now looks unstoppable in his bid for a fourth title in Paris.

Fans wedged onto the

2,360m sun-bleached summit roared home Warren Barguil as the Frenchman broke clear to win the iconic stage, but it was not the story most of the home fans wanted.

They had arrived hoping to s e e

The 179.5-km Stage 18 from Briancon to Izoard: Team Sky rider and yellow jersey Chris Froome of Britain in action

underdog against Mayweather, who is putting his perfect 49-0 boxing record on the line against the Irishman.

But Attar has complete faith in McGregor, who he expects to go down in legend by handing Mayweather his first professional loss.

"We've just got six weeks until August 26 and the greatest fight in combat sports history ever," Attar told The Independent.

"I tell you, when Conor goes out there and proves everybody wrong, he will no doubt go down as the greatest fighter in history."

in a semi-final encounter scheduled for 6:30p.m.

The Jamaicans finished runner-ups in Group C behind favourites Mexico, but struggled to put together cohesive attacking play in three matches to date.

“Obviously, we need a much better performance to go forward to the semis, so I think we had a really good team discussion regarding what we know we are capable of doing and that we should set the standards high because the team is good enough to go all the way, but we are not getting ahead of ourselves. We just need to take care of this game,” Mattocks told the Jamaica Observer.

“Once we play to the standards that we are capable of playing, we are good enough to go all the way, so in that regard we are pretty confident, but we have to show it because the last game was a lacklustre performance and that can't happen again.”

(Sportsmax)

Romain Bardet make a decisive attack on the seemingly unflappable Froome and snatch the yellow jersey on the last day in the Alps.

The AG2R La Mondiale rider did beat Team Sky's Froome over the line at the end of the 179km stage which culminated in a brutal 14km ascent of the iconic Izoard -- hosting a sum-

mit finish for the first time in Tour history.

But his third place, behind Sunweb's Barguil and Colombian Darwin Atapuma, only allowed him to shave four seconds off Froome's lead as the British rider finished just behind him in fourth place with Rigoberto Uran fifth. (Reuters)

F

Former Captain Kevin Pietersen

ormer captain Kevin Pietersen has criticised England's top-order batsmen for being too passive and has called for the inclusion of Jason Roy and Dawid Malan in next week's third test against South Africa.

Opener Keaton Jennings has totalled 44 runs in his four innings in the first two tests of the four-match series, which is tied at 1-1, while number three Gary Ballance has failed to score a fifty in his last 11 innings.

England cruised to a comprehensive 211-run win in the series opener at Lord's but new captain Joe Root was given a rude awakening in the second test when South Africa won by a massive 340 runs at Nottingham to square the series.

"They picked a poor testmatch team," Pietersen told Sky Sports after scoring 52 off 35 balls in his return to domestic cricket for Surrey in the NatWest T20 Blast on Wednesday. "I know they won at Lord's but that was the brilliance of Joe Root.

"There's individuals that are brilliant, but the collective don't fire as much as they should and there are some holes in that batting order."

Root, who replaced Alastair Cook as England's test captain, scored a splen-

did 190 to set up England's win.

While Cook has looked solid during the series, the left-handed opening batsman has in the past been criticised for his defensive approach.

"You cannot have a top three that bat as the top three bat or has poor technique, you cannot have that," said the 37-year-old Pietersen, who played 104 tests for England.

"You've got to change that up, get them striking, get bowlers thinking 'Goodness, if I don't bowl this ball in the right place, I'm going to get whacked'. Malan and Roy are my choice."

England will have to make at least one change to their batting line-up for next week's third test at The Oval as Balance has been ruled out with a broken finger.

Roy has been a regular member of England's limited-overs squads but was not selected for the 50-over Champions Trophy at home last month.

Malan improved his chances on his England debut last month in the deciding Twenty20 international against South Africa in Cardiff, where he starred with a series-winning 78 off 44 balls. ( Reuters)

sports

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The entity has donated some of the championship trophies and according to organiser Sheik Yaseen who has present to receive the trophies, the support is an invaluable.

Yaseen thanked them for their continued support of the championship and looked forward to continued partnership.

In giving an update on the event, he explained that all systems are in place and all riders and ready to thrill the fans.

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Digicel Schools Football

Bounty retain Region 10 title Colts, Eagles victorious in U-23 division B

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At total of 27 daredevils are expected to compete across there different categories, with the return of 2016 champion Andrew Wong set to challenge currently leader Steven Nobrega.

There were will be five professional races (12 laps per race); three Novices (10 laps per race) and two for newcomers (10 laps per race).

The other sponsors are ANSA McAL under their Stag Beer brand, Roosters Coconut water, R. Ganesh Mining, Kahn AutoZone, Savannah Riders Club and Essequibo Biker Boyz.

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21

Digicel’s Otrain Bowen makes a presentation of uniforms to Captain Omar Brewley

A

dominant Christianburg/Wismar Secondary School side continued their winning ways in this year’s Digicel Schools Football tournament by snatching the Region 10 Zone finals on Thursday.

Christianburg/ Wismar whipped Kwakwani Secondary 5 – 1 at the Wisburg Secondary school football Ground.

Christianburg’s talismanic forward Omar Brewley struck a double, while Jehu Regis, Andre Mayers and Kevin Dare added a goal each for their side. The Christianburg side also won $100,000 and will face Mahdia in a playoff on Sunday.

They will continue the quest to reclaim the title held for four consecutive years but relinquished to Chase Academy last year.

Despite playing in conditions not favourable for a game of football, Wismar/ Christianburg (‘Multi’) showed exhibited grit and determination to take the lead seven minutes into the contest when Brewley fired one home from point-blank range.

Mayers increased the lead with a goal in the 13th minute. There would be no more goals in the first half as Kwakwani shored up their defense enough to stop the

Lindeners from scoring.

However, after the resumption, Regis, who has scored in every game for Christianburg, netted from close range to make it 3–0.

Being 3 goals down, Kwakwani Secondary refused to roll over and allow ‘Multi’ to have their way, as Ivan La Rose, in the 55th minute, scored the best goal of the game; a free-kick from approximately 30 yards out to haul one back for Kwakwani.

That goal would briefly spark life into Kwakwani but it was not enough as five minutes later, Dare made it 4 – 1 when he collected a pass from Brewley and wasted little time in hammering home a right-footed volley that the Kwakwani keeper had no chance of stopping.

In the 65th minute, Brewley converted a penalty and sealed his double to lead the Christianburg Wismar Secondary to their 7th Regional title.

Action will continue today at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue with Bartica and Waramadong facing off in the Region 8 Zone finals at 2pm.

ounty Colts defeated Guardians 66-53 Wednesday evening the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association’s (GABA) Powerade/ Rainforest Waters/Malta Supreme sponsored basketball league continued on the Burnham Court.

In the first of two Under-23 games Bounty Colts established a 5 point lead with the scores at 11-6 by the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter Colts increased that advantage by some margin while limiting their opponents scoring chances, going into the break the score was 37-21.

The colts continued their dominance throughout the remaining two quarters and ended the game at 66-53 to win comfortably.

The second game of the night between the Pacesetters and the E a g l e s produced a close contest with both sides playing their hearts out.

However, in the end Pacesetters emerged as the vic-

tors by a 68-62 margin. .

At the end of the first quarter it was clear that the game would go right down to wire as the score was 14-16 in favour of the Eagles.

The second quarter had Eagles leading 29-26 at the end and continued to hold off a spirited challenge

by Pacesetters to win the game.

The league will continue on Saturday evening at the same venue with three games with the first beginning from 6:30pm. Eagles will face the Bounty Colts in U-23 action while the other two division one games will see the Nets clashing with the Knights, and the Bounty Colts coming up against Pepsi Sonics.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

fridAY, july 21, 2017

Kaur's 171 sets up final against England third-highest score in the World Cup and fifth-highest overall. She biffed 20 fours and seven sixes - injured wrist and all which KO'd defending champions Australia, and vaulted India into the final for the first time since 2005.

A

heavy downpour reduced the semi-final to a 42-over contest, but such was Harmanpreet Kaur's relentless assault that she had enough time to reel off 171 not out off 115 balls - the

SCOREBOARD India Women Innings S Mandhana c Villani b Schutt 6 PG Raut c Mooney b Gardner 14 M Raj (c) b Beams 36 H Kaur not out 171 DB Sharma b Villani 25 V Krishnamurthy not out 16 Extras 13 (w 9, nb 1, lb 3) TOTAL 281/4 (42 Overs, RR: 6.69) Did not bat: S Pandey, J Goswami, S Verma †, Poonam Yadav, RS Gayakwad BOWLING: ML Schutt 9-64-1, EA Perry 9-40-0, JL Jonassen 7-63-0, A Gardner 8-43-1, KM Beams8-49-1, EJ Villani 1-19-1 Australia Women Innings NE Bolton c & b Sharma

14

BL Mooney b Pandey 1 MM Lanning (c) b Goswami 0 EA Perry c †Verma b Pandey 38 EJ Villani c Mandhana b Gayakwad 75 AJ Blackwell b Sharma 90 AJ Healy † c Pandey b Goswami5 A Gardner c Raj b Poonam Yadav 1 JL Jonassen run out (Goswami) 1 ML Schutt c Goswami b Sharma2 KM Beams not out 11 Extras 7 (w 6, lb 1) TOTAL 245 all out (40.1 Overs, RR: 6.09) BOWLING: J Goswami 8-35-2, S Pandey 6-17-2, DB Sharma, 7.1-59-3, RS Gayakwad 9-621, Poonam Yadav 9-60-1, V Krishnamurthy 1-11-0

Arriving at the crease with her team wobbling at 35 for 2 in 9.2 overs, Kaur sensibly saw off the new ball under overcast conditions before unleashing her wrath.

She reached her first fifty off 64 balls, her second came off another 26, and her third off a barely believable 17. The acceleration could not have been starker. It wasn't only Australia who felt the wrath of Kaur. After working legspinner Kristen Breams to deep midwicket at the end of the 35th over, Kaur immediately called for two, but Deepti Sharma stopped in the middle, which resulted in a mix-up. Both batsmen ultimately dived desperately, beat a relay throw, and completed the double, which gave Kaur her third ODI hundred.

An infuriated Kaur did not celebrate, however. Instead, she flung her helmet onto the turf and fired verbal volleys at her partner even as the third umpire was called to check on the run-out chance.

After the green light came on, Kaur's first order of business was making up with poor Deepti. The second was firing boundaries in the arc between midwicket and longon. India sailed to 281 for 4, but that total appeared smaller when Elyse Villani, making excellent use of her crease, found the boundary with Kaur-esque regularity in the chase. Villani could not do it long enough and her dismissal for 75 set in motion a collapse: Australia lost 6 for

43. Alex Blackwell's late blitz - 90 off 56 balls - threatened a jailbreak, but Deepti knocked over her leg stump to lock India for a date with England at Lord's.

Although the day ended with Australia - finalists in six out of the previous eight World Cups - realising they won't be playing for the championship, it had begun entirely differently. After a rain delay of three hours and 45 minutes, Megan Schutt struck in the first over to hand Smriti Mandhana to her fifth successive sub-15 score in the tournament. Soon, Punam Raut, who struck a century in India's group match against Australia, attempted a low-percentage hoick off Ashleigh Gardner, the offspinner, and holed out to deep midwicket. Mithali Raj and Kaur then played percentage cricket and added 66 for the third wicket.

Raj was dropped at midwicket on 34 but she misjudged the next ball from Beams - a flat slider - and was bowled for 36. Australia threw everything at Kaur - seam, left-arm spin, offspin and legspin - but she did not budge.

The closest they came to dismissing her was when Schutt speared one down the leg side and had Kaur overbalancing, but Alyssa Healy, the wicketkeeper, did not collect the ball cleanly and missed a difficult stumping chance. Kaur had been 35 at that point. (Cricinfo)

Arjoon continues to impress at Senior Squash Championships

Nicollete Fernandes had to use her experience to overcome some early challenges from Nicholas Narain

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urrent National Champion Alex Arjoon extended his sublime form when the Digicel National Squash Championships continued on Wednesday evening.

The defending Men’s champion easily disposed of Jonathan Antczak 11- 1, 11 - 2, 11 – 2 at the Georgetown Club Squash Court.

There were other Several exciting matches where most of the top seeds in the Men’s and Women’s open progressed

easily to take places in the quarter finals.

Male No 2 seed Richard Chin proved too good for Adam Alves winning 11 - 6, 11 - 4, 11 - 2. Three seeded Kristian Jeffrey and four seeded Jason Ray Khalil both had easy wins.

Kristian Jeffrey defeated Javid Rahaman 11 - 2, 11 - 1, 11 - 3 while Jason Ray Khalil took c a r e of Alex Cheeks 11 - 4, 11 4, 11 4. Nicolette Fernandes had a close first game against Nicholas Narain winning it 12 - 10 but then easily won the next two games 11 2, 11 - 1.

Nyron Joseph lost concentration and dropped the second game 4 - 11 after winning the first game 11 - 0 in his match against Peter Michael De Groot. He then restored order, winning the next two games 11 - 4, 11 - 4.

Jean Claude Jeffrey beat 5/8 Ben Mekdeci in three close games 12 - 10, 11 - 8, 11 - 7 while Shomari Wiltshire beat 5/8 Regan Pollard in five competitive games 10 - 12, 11 - 5, 9 - 11, 11 - 2, 11 - 4.

In the Women’s Open Makeda Harding had to call on all her experience to defeat Abosaide Cadogan 11 - 4, 13 - 11, 7 - 11, 11 - 3 while Victoria Arjoon defeated Kirsten Gomes 11 - 5, 11 - 2, 11 - 5. In the other women’s match played Sarah Lewis beat Madison Fernandes 13 - 11, 11 - 9, 11 - 9.

In the Men’s Veterans 35 - 49 Allan Downes beat Medhi Ramdhani in four games. Scores were 8 - 11, 11 - 6, 11 - 9, 11 - 5. Joe Mekdeci then defeated Robin Low 11 - 3, 11 - 1, 11 - 5.In the Men’s Veterans Over 50 Joe Mekdeci overcame Steven Persaud 11 - 3, 11 - 6, 11 - 4.

Play continues this evening from 18:00 hrs.

National U-17 Basketball team fit for Centro-Basket Championships – Mohan

By Michelangelo Jacobus

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ith the CentroBasket U-17 Championships mere days away, the Guyana National U-17 team has been training intensely for the last week as they aim to be the “fittest team at the Centro-Basket U-17 Championships”.

The team is encamped at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) and is under the tutelage of Head Coach Lugard Mohan, Assistant coach Willon Cameron and overseas based Player Development Specialist Kenny Avent.

Speaking to Guyana Times Sports in an exclusive interview, Head Coach Lugard Mohan noted that given “the limited time allowed for the final team to train and gel together as a unit, preparations are coming along nicely.”

He also pointed out that while the competition level will be at a very high standard the mindset of the National U-17 team is to go out and perform to the best of their ability.

“They will play their hearts out,” Mohan assured.

The head coach acknowledged that Guyana may not be the most skilled team in the tournament but would play aggressively with fitness as their

watch word.

“We are working on our defense which will be our main focus at the championships” noted Mohan.

According to Mohan Guyana has been dealt a blow with US-based player Jordan Alphonso being able to make the competition.

“He really got the guys together last year (at the CBC U-16 Championships); his level of maturity will be sorely missed as well as his leadership which really showed in the team’s performance.”

The Centro-Basket Championships which is being hosted by the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo will begin on July 26 and will continue until July 30.

The Guyanese team will depart for the Dominican Republic on July 25 where they will barely have time to rest before playing in their opening Group A game against the Bahamas one day later.

They will be pitted against Puerto Rico and Mexico on July 27 and 28 respectively in the remaining two group games.

The teams competing at the championships are the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Guyana.

Phillips, Rogers miss podium places – YCG final

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he Guyanese sprint duo of Onassha Rogers and Kenisha Phillips finished fourth and fifth respectively in the final of the Girl’s 100m final event on Thursday at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas.

The race was won by Louise Day of Australia in a time of 11.77 seconds. Julien Alfred of St Lucia copped the silver in 11.80 seconds while Deondra Green of Canada claimed the bronze medal in a time of 11.81 seconds.

Rogers placed fourth in 11.90 while the Phillips finished fifth in 12.05 seconds.

Kenisha Phillips

Onassha Rogers

Rogers won her semi-final with a time of 11.90s while Phillips was second in her semi-finals with a time of 12.05s. Earlier Phillips qualified for the semi-finals when she won her heat in a time of 12.14s although she was tied with St Lucia’s Kimani Alphonse who clocked the same time, in third place also qualifying for the Semi-finals was Lakelle Kinteh from the Bahamas. Rogers had a faster qualifying time as she won her heat by a sizable margin clocking 11.98s while England’s Vera Chinedu was second in 12.20s and Heleina Young from Fiji third in 12.57s.

guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, july 21, 2017

Guyana’s CPL tickets go on sale today

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PL Guyana announced on Thursday afternoon that the eagerly awaited sale of tickets for the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League Guyana games will commence today at the CPL Guyana Office located at 238 Camp and Quamina Streets, Georgetown.

Patrons can purchase their tickets from 09:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs Monday to Friday and 9:00 hrs to 13:00 hrs on Saturdays.

Corporate companies/organizations wishing to purchase tickets can contact the ticketing office for further details on how to do so.

The costs of tickets for this year’s CPL games are as follows: * RED AND GREEN STANDS - $5,000 GY * ORANGE STAND - $3,000 GY * GRASS MOUND - $2,500

GY This year the organisers have put in place many security features to prevent counterfeiting and unlike some other venues, tickets for the Guyana National Stadium are numbered to match the seat numbers which will eliminate the possibility of overcrowding.

Patrons are asked to make early purchases so as to avoid the rush as we get close to match Days.

Four (4) exciting and high quality games are to be played in Guyana as follows: * Thursday 17th August – Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Jamaica Tallawahs at 6:00pm * Saturday 19th August – Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Trinbago Knight Riders at 12 noon

The rush will begin today for a chance to view the Amazon Warriors in action at Providence

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* Sunday 20th August – Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Tridents at 6:00pm * Tuesday 22nd August – Guyana Amazon Warriors vs St Lucia Stars at 6:00pm For further information on ticketing please feel free to contact the CPL Guyana office on telephone numbers 231-5344, 231-2035 or 225-5840 and on e-mail – cplguyana@gmail.com The Amazon Warriors squad include: Guyana Martin Guptill, Rayad Emrit, Sohail Tanveer, Christopher Lynn, Jason Mohammed, Chadwick Walton, Rashid Khan, Steven Taylor, , Keon Joseph, Gajanand Singh, Roshon Primus Veerasammy Permaul, Assad Fudadin, Steven Jacobs, Steven Katwaroo, Keemo Paul and Muhammad Ali Khan.

DDL celebrates new 5-year CPL partnership with iconic Masters Rum Some members of the Guyana Amazon Warriors camp were present to show their support of the new product and partnership (Carl Croker Photos)

By Akeem Greene

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emerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will be in partnership for another five years which makes their innings one that will go for at least 10 years.

In recognition of the fruitful partnership the company have added another brand to their long line of world renowned spirits, the Master Blender’s Special Edition Rum.

The announcement was made at a festive ceremony on Thursday evening at their Diamond, East Bank of Demerara office.

Speaking at the event which had in its audience several international dignitaries, Business Minster Dominic Gaskin, Director of Sport Christopher Jones and members of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, CPL’s Sponsorship Manager Dr. Wilkinson McLean expressed elation of the continued alliances with the company.

McLean disclosed that DDL has been in support of the league when it was just an idea and since then they

and skill and craftsmanship that makes every bottle of El Dorado so unique.

It is in this context that our relationship with CPL since its inauguration must be seen – richer and deeper with the passage of time”.

This Limited Release product is a blend of three rums that were specially selected by Master Blender Sharon Sue-Hang from three

Minister Dominic Gaskin greets Guyana Amazon Assistant Coach Esuan Crandon

Director of Sport Christopher Jones shakes hands with new Guyana Amazon Warriors player Keemo Paul

Guyana Amazon Warriors Head Coach Roger Harper greets former Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Chairman Yesu Persaud in the presence of Minister Dominic Gaskin and current DDL Chairman Komal Samaroo at the launch of their special edition El Dorado Masters Rum which signifies their new fiveyear Caribbean Premier League sponsorship

have celebrated many moments both on and off the field.

DDL’s Chairman Komal Samaroo contended that the new agreement will have aided in taking the best of the Caribbean to the world.

Samaroo also stated, “Every bottle of Eldorado Rum is imbued with the rich heritage of centuries of rum crafting experience. We take great care to preserve, enrich and showcase the heritage

of DDL’s famous heritage stills.

The blend comprises a light rum from the French Savalle Still, a medium bodied spirit distilled by the Enmore Wooden Coffey Still (EHP Still) and a heavier-style distillate of the Port Mourant Double Wooden Pot. These rums were distilled in 2007 and laid down in oak barrels for 10 years to produce what Mrs. Sue-Hang describes as a “full bodied, well balanced sipper”.

The rum is presented in an elegant bottle which Mrs. Sue-Hang explained is similar to the shape of a cricket bat. A total of 5,000 bottles of this rum was produced for shipments globally.

Demerara Distillers Limited is known for their continued preservation and use of several heritage stills dating back to the 1700s.

The French Savalle Still is the original four column metal still which was inherited from the 18th century Uitvlugt Estate on the West Coast of Demerara.

El Dorado is known for its unique aged rums including the El Dorado 3 year old, 5 year old, 8 year old, 12 year old, 15 year old, 21 year old and its limited release El Dorado 25 year old, which is produced in very small batches annually.

It also produces a Single Barrel range which comprises unblended rums from some of its unique heritage

stills. These include the EHP, Port Mourant and the ICBU. More recently El Dorado has been delight- ing consumers with the release of several small batch spec i a l edition rums.

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

DDL celebrates new 5-year CPL partnership with iconic Masters Rum Pg 23

The beginning of greater things! Members of the Guyana Amazon Warriors along with models strike a pose with the new Master Blender’s Special Edition Rum (Carl Croker Photo)

Guyana’s CPL tickets go on sale today

Pg 23

The stage is all set for this year’s CPL action as the ticketing office at the corners of Camp and Quamina Streets in Georgetown shapes up to take in the thousands expected to visit the office to purchase tickets (Carl Croker Photo)

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